Rose had been standing in front of the dressing room mirror for five minutes studying the girl staring back at her. It could almost be Rose Dewitt Bukater, if it wasn't for the worn and hardened features. A once soft face adorned with a rosy flush, even a little plump. She hadn't been in a dress this elegant since that crimson evening on the Titanic. But tonight was the opening night and she was in character and she could not let down James. The costume department had done a gorgeous job even though her body felt alien to the design. She had contemplated a long time whether she would wear the Heart Of The Ocean and had at last decided in favour. It went with her look, after all. She was stroking it's rock when James walked into the room.

"All ready to head out onto the stage?", he beamed.

"I think so. Umm, a little nervous maybe. Just trying to remember the lines. Trying to keep calm, trying to-to relax, I..." she stammered on.

"No, no, no! No need to feel anxious. You'll be just fine. And if I didn't really believe that I wouldn't have chosen you for the part", he reassured her with a kind smile.

"Thank you, James. I needed that", she said in earnest.

"That necklace is beautiful. The Kohinoor, I believe? Did you know it's thought that bad luck follows whoever wears it? Isn't that funn..." he stopped mid-sentence when he realised what he had said. "Please, forgive me. I didn't mean what happened to you...that was insensitive, so sorry..."

"No, please. No need to apologise. I know fully well you meant no such thing", Rose offered.

In a few minutes James was ready to usher her onto stage, and with a stomach full of butterflies she was finally stepping into the spotlight...

When the curtains drew after the last act had concluded, the theatre erupted in thunderous applause. Rose felt completely overwhelmed with the sound in her ears and the sentiment bubbling inside her. It felt like...joy. Soon she was meeting the big guns of New York society who lauded her with compliments. "Outstanding!", they said. "How unreserved and bold, so rare! A natural!" Rose was smiling so much she thought her cheeks would crack. Soon the man she was most excited to talk to found his way to her.

"Rose!", James exclaimed. "Can you believe it?! What did I tell you? Oh Rose, this is wonderful!" Rose barely got a syllable out of her mouth before James' lips brushed against hers. Her mind could not register this sudden action and she stood there numb. James soon realised what he had done and pulled away. A few folks were looking at them and giggling. An awkward silence of a few seconds grew between them before James spoke. "I'm...I'm so sorry! I don't know what got into me, I was too caught up in the moment. Forgive me, miss. I beg your pardon!", his face had turned red with embarrassment as he apologised to her for the second time that night.

"I...I'll, uhh..." was all Rose could manage before she turned and left the crowd.

She took a cab and arrived at the Calvert house and thanked her stars that Mrs Calvert was already asleep. She didn't allow herself to think before she was safe under the covers in her bed. She made no effort to fight of the guilt and shame creeping up on her. She had done nothing but she wished she had seen it coming and stopped it. She desired to feel no intimacy with anyone yet and it all felt wrong and out of place and if only she could erase that moment!

It had been a slow day at the hospital. After finishing her morning round, Kathy was leaning on the reception counter reading the day's paper. She was flipping the pages over to the entertainment section, which seemed to provide the only escape from the morbid headlines. James Calvert had put on a new play last night and she was only starting to read the review when she heard a shout.

"Kathy! Kathy, isn't this your aunt?" a fellow nurse was calling to her. Her Aunt Bitsy had raised the two siblings after their mother had given in to a fatal fever. Their father had walked out on them years before. Kathy rushed over to the old woman lying on the gurny.

"Auntie, I'm right here! Hold on! They'll fix this, just stay strong!" She was pleading more with herself than anything else. Her poor guardian must have been all alone in the house with Kathy and Tommy both at work. Her heart was acting up again, as it had at other times, but this seemed more serious. She could only hope it was not too late.

Unfortunately, it was. Bitsy took her last breath and left the world. The hospital staff did their best to console a crying Kathy. Go home, they said. Take rest. What good would it do? She would only be going back to an empty home where her aunt had been in just hours before. She decided she needed her work to keep her mind busy. If there was anything she had learned as a nurse it was that life goes on. She walked over to the reception desk with a heavy heart and tearful eyes to phone her brother and inform him.

A few days later Jack was tending to the Crawley's car when he saw Tommy walk out of the house. He hadn't met him again since the day he was offered the job. Though his face had been stern then too, now it was also filled with fatigue and grief.

"Tommy, is everything alright with you?" he inquired carefully.

"Yes, it's just that Auntie's passing away has left us a little bit shaken..."

"Wh-what? Your aunt passed away?! When was this?" Jack asked bewildered. He vaguely remembered Kathy mentioning how close she was to her aunt.

"A few days ago. I thought Kathy would have told you?" Tommy replied confused. Jack felt ashamed. Kathy had been his only support system since he arrived in the city, being there for him every step of the way. And how had he reciprocated? By not even paying her a visit all this time. Distracted, he worked till his duty was over and headed straight to the hospital despite the late hour. He found Kathy walking around with a clipboard, and it wasn't long before she spotted him. She almost smiled. He wasted no more time before briskly walking over to her and enveloping her in a hug that felt warm and comforting to both of them.

I'm soooooooooo sorry for the late update! Life turned slightly hectic and then truthfully I forgot that I was even writing this. For a while I considered abandoning the story but then decided I just couldn't do that! If you read this, thank you for being patient. From now onwards I promise to be regular with my updates. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please review :)