Rose felt shaky all over and all of a sudden she felt really lightheaded. Was this really such a good idea to see Jack again? It had been so long. Deep down Rose knew that she would always regret it if she didn't. Her heart was in her mouth and her legs felt as stiff as two planks of wood as she made her way over to the house. Rose had to prop herself up against the wall to stop herself from falling over. The inside of Dawson's exquisite mansion was filled with people drinking, dancing, laughing and arguing. Rose was overwhelmed by the opulent interior of the mansion with its twinkling marble floors and rich gold staircase. At the top of the stairs was a large gold clock and a man was standing with his back turned, facing the clock. The clock struck twenty past nine.

Rose gripped her hands tightly over the banister and slowly made her way up the steps. Could this man be Jack? Rose tapped him on the shoulder and cleared her throat. The man slowly turned around and their eyes met. She had remembered those eyes, how could she have ever forgotten them? Those gleaming aqua eyes. Rose thought that she would never see them again. He had changed a little; it had been ten years after all. He had been a lot thinner but now he had more flesh and his face had filled out a little; he had lost his young boyish face, but underneath it was still him. He still took her breath away the same way that he did when they were on the Titanic. The extra weight suited him; he looked more manly and healthy. His honey blonde hair was slicked back like at the dinner on the Titanic, but this time he truly was a first class man. He wore an expensive navy suit and pink shirt and Italian loafers. Likewise Jack couldn't take his eyes off Rose; she hadn't change a bit. Was it possible that she looked even more beautiful then ever? Of course she was always beautiful, but this was a different type of beauty. When he last saw her she was a girl, now she was a woman.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you again Rose," Jack said emotively, taking her hand and kissing it.

"Me too," Rose said, her voice wavered slightly.

"I hope you're having a good time, is everything to your liking?"

"Yes everything is simply exquisite. How did you do all of this Jack?"

"All hard work, I'm an art dealer."

"Do you still draw?"

"Not as much as I used to, you see I kind of lost my passion for it since you know…" Jack paused. "Anyway Rose you look great, look at you."

"You too, you look different but the same at the same time if that makes any sense."

"It has been ten years."

"Gosh it feels like it's been so much longer."

"It's been ten years, two months, 6 days," Jack said.

"Wow you have been keeping track."

"It's hard to forget. I feel rude that I didn't offer you a drink. Shall we talk someone more private; we can talk in my study if that's alright with you."

"Of course," Rose nodded. She felt as if her heart was on fire; she felt those same unexplainable and electrical feelings come over her again like when they first met. Rose felt so glad to see him again; she scolded herself in her mind for being so scared and stubborn. Rose didn't know what she had been so scared of when in reality she had never felt safer at that precise moment. She was scared it would mean change, that she would have to admit that her and Frank were a sham.

Rose followed Jack to his study which was another humongous room fitted with a large bookcase and huge dinner sized table and an assortment of comfortable looking chairs.

"Sit wherever you would like," Jack said. Rose chose the red armchair next to the table.

"Would you like a drink?"

"Yes please, do you have gin?" Jack went over to the door and summoned a man dressed in a white waiter jacket.

"I'd like a gin please and a brandy please Christopher. Is there anything else you'd like Rose, perhaps something to eat?"

"Oh no thank you I'm fine." The truth was that Rose felt far too nervous and excited to eat anything.

"So just a brandy and a gin Mr Dawson?" Christopher repeated.

"Yes please," Jack nodded kindly walking back over to the table.

"I never had you down as a brandy man," Rose teased.

"It's an acquired taste. Do you still like to down your drinks quickly?" Jack grinned, reminiscing back to the third class party on Titanic.

"I told you I never was good at being a lady."

"Well you look like a lady to me. I wish it hadn't been so long, you have no idea how much I've missed you Rose."

"Me too Jack." They gazed into one another's eyes longingly for what seemed like such a long time. Jack reached his hand out to Rose and she took it. They were still the same beautiful hands, an artist's hands. They both jolted out of their gaze when Christopher came back with their drinks.

"Let me know if there's any other way in which I can be of assistance to you," Christopher said.

"Thank you Christopher, I think we'll be alright for now," Jack said. "Please make sure that nobody interrupts or comes into my study and if anybody rings please tell them I'll deal with them tomorrow."

"Yes sir," Christopher said and exited the room.

"Rose, my beautiful sweet perfect Rose" Jack said taking Rose's hands in his. His hands felt so warm; she felt the electricity of his touch.

"Jack, I'm married," Rose said pulling her hand away from his although she didn't really want to let go.

"Are you happy?"

"I suppose so."

"What do you mean that you suppose so? Is your husband here tonight?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"He had to work." Though Rose knew that it wasn't strictly the truth; he was probably fucking one of his floozies.

"I've never stopped thinking about you Rose," Jack said, tenderly touching Rose's china doll complexion.

"Jack what happened between us was a long time ago."

"It doesn't feel so long to me."

"You can't expect me to leave my husband after a fling we had ten years ago. We have children."

"I'm sorry to hear that you thought what we had was a fling."

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Arthur says that your husband cheats on me; I would never do that to you Rose, never! I would treat you like a princess."

"We can't just pick up from where we last started Jack. And I can't believe you had Arthur spy on you, how dare you! My marriage does not concern you!"

"Yes it does concern me; I'm involved now."

"You just don't give up do you Mr Dawson?" Rose smiled; she couldn't help it that her voice sounded a little flirtatious.

"No I don't, I'll never give up on you Rose. I want you to know that."

"You can't just expect me to leave my husband."

"Do you love him more than you love me?"

"Jack stop it please!"

"You can't even answer that because you know that it's true, that you love me more than you love him. I've done my research Rose, this guy is a no good asshole. One of my associates knows hi quite well; he regularly sees him with other women on his arm in the gentleman's club. Can you really say that you love him? I thought you were better than this Rose, I thought you had listened to me and escaped your mother and Cal."

"Frank may not be perfect but he treats me well; he doesn't control me like Cal did and he's never hit me."

"Don't be so naïve Rose. I can see it in your eyes; I can see that you don't love him. Arthur said that it was clear that neither of you love one another."

"I'm leaving; I think this has gotten quite out of hand. I don't appreciate you having Arthur spy on me."

"Rose please don't go!" Jack protested putting his hand on Rose's arm to pull her back. "Please just stay with me." Jack pulled Rose close towards him; she didn't pull away. Her heart was beating frantically as he stood pressed against his hard body. She wanted to stay in his arms forever. Jack tenderly kissed her neck and starting kissing her face. He brushed his lips against Rose. Rose felt like a seventeen-year-old again, she felt the same way she had when he had first kissed her.

"Jack I can't," Rose said pulling away.

"Why?"

"I can't fool around like this anymore; I'm a respectable woman, I have children."

"I want to hear all about them, are they as beautiful as their mother?"

"They're terrific kids, really good. Billy's very quiet and he loves to draw actually. Madeline is very bossy; she likes to be in charge."

"Like her mother," Jack grinned. "They sound wonderful; I'd love to meet them. Why don't you come over with the children?"

"Jack I don't know."

"What are you so scared of Rose?"

"Jack it's been so long, I've changed, we've both changed. I have responsibilities and social obligations; I can't be carefree and do as I please anymore."

"This isn't the Rose I know; the Rose I know would say fuck what anyone else thinks, I'll do what I goddamn please. What happened to that girl?"

"I'm a mother Jack."

"The children can come and live here with us."

"They need their father."

"They can still see their father. Rose you have to do what makes you happy. I'll make sure that there won't be any scandal surrounding this plus plenty of people get divorced now. We can be happy together. I can make you happy. I think you're afraid of being happy, you think that you don't deserve to be happy, that's your problem Rose."

"I'm going Jack, goodnight."

"Fine go, but if you change your mind I'll be waiting for you, if you don't I'm sorry." Rose rushed out of the door; tears were streaming down her face. Rose knew that everything Jack said was true, but she just couldn't get her mother's words out of her head, they would always haunt her…