This is it. I actually wrote two endings, this being the first. It took me a few tries to get this right, and I still feel there's a quirk or two, but I am very happy with what I've written. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and encouraged me to continue throughout the story. It makes me happy to see that people do enjoy this story. This story was a challenge for me, but has helped grow my writing ability. As always, please try to ignore any mis-types or goofs. I'll also post the other ending that I wrote, and you (the reader) can choose which ending is to your liking.


Conclusion

"It's rigged!" Zack moved his piece to 'Jail' while the others just laughed at him. They were playing an early version of Monopoly. Zack was still teaching them how to play, and even though the board was much different, they played how somebody would today.

"Hey Jack-off," Zack joked, seeing Jack enter the house carrying his trademark sketch portfolio.

"Zack-ass," he joked back. "Where's—"

"In the kitchen with London. How was business?"

"Slow, considering its Thanksgiving. But I did get a few in."

"Nice," he turned towards the Monopoly game. "Guys, I'm gonna take a break, so go without me." The others just grunted, too engrossed in their game to really listen. Zack took a seat on the couch and pondered the last seven months.

Upon reaching New York, it had been a media frenzy. Nearly 30,000 people lined the docks wanting to talk to the Titanic survivors. Rose, Jack, London, and Zack stuck with each other, not really knowing where to go.

This is where they met London's father—at least in this time period—Wilfred Tipton I. A jolly man, he was a far contrast from the Tipton that Zack had come to know back home. London felt really awkward meeting her great grandfather, who was actually her father in this time, but he was immediately liked by everyone, a humorous and friendly man. He instantly took them all in and helped them all get on their feet and to help recover from the tragedy.

It took everyone a month or two to adjust to their new lives, especially Zack and London, but they eventually got the hang of it.

Rose and Jack married on the 1st of May, with only London, Zack, Wifred Tipton, and Harold Lowe attending. Mr. Tipton then bought the newlyweds a cottage in upstate New York, ignoring their protests. He also purchased one right next door to them for London and Zack, which he said was an 'early wedding gift'. The two decided to hold off their wedding until December at London's request.

Zack mostly stayed at home but frequented Jack's company, and two were frequently seen working with each other. Jack was an artist, where he took his talents to parks and drew portraits. He did the work and Zack helped him collect. Using favours that were owed to Mr. Tipton, Zack managed to get Jack's art and drawings known, and now he helped Jack manage a large list of wealthy people who paid top dollar for Jack's talents.

Rose was in the beginning stages of becoming an actor, which Jack, Zack, and London were pleased with. She was obviously a looker, which helped her get into the door. London, a 'self proclaimed actor' herself, helped Rose fine-tune her game.

London herself was well known and respected by many people. She was the heir to Tipton Industries, where currently Mr. Tipton was showing her the ropes. She was also a fashion module, sporting trends that wouldn't become popular for another hundred years. Wherever she went people marveled at her fashion, and London was proud to see that she had an influence in changing women's trends, which was very conservative for the time.

It was a cool sunny day in late November, and they were all celebrating Thanksgiving. London, who had never actually celebrated a holiday with true friends and family, was absolutely thrilled. Jack and Rose were invited of course, along with Harold Lowe and Spicer Lovejoy.

Jack wasn't thrilled with Lovejoy for the longest time, which was understandable, but over time he softened up on the older man. He was full of stories about how he used to be a cop at the legendary Scotland Yard. Zack knew most of his stories were laced with bullshit, but that's what made the man interesting to be around. He now worked for Mr. Tipton as his personal bodyguard.

Harold Lowe became fast friends of the four. He was a young man only five years elder of London and was quite the handsome Welsh man. Many women swooned over him, and London jokingly berated him for not being aware of his options. Lowe weakly claimed to have no knowledge of this, which everyone knew was bogus. He secretly loved the attention.

"Food's done," London emerged from the kitchen, interrupting Zack's thoughts. Immediately Lovejoy jetted for the dining room, quickly followed by Lowe and Jack. Zack laughed as they tried to all fit into the too small doorway at the same time. Rose emerged behind London and the two laughed at the sight. She kissed London on the cheek and moved to the dining room, where the men had finally sorted themselves out.

"I'm not that great of a cook, but Rose helped me out and hopefully the food will—" London started but Zack cut her off with a heated kiss. "It'll be excellent, I am sure of that," Zack said. London was always confident about everything except her cooking.

"Thank you dear," she smirked. She looked down at the pie in her hands. "I'm going to take a quick trip out and give this to my father. Want to join me?"

"Sure, but I'm driving. You drive like a bat outta hell!" he exclaimed and grabbed the keys to the Renault, which they often shared with Jack and Rose. London just smiled as she left the house, yelling to the rest that they were going out. Zack quickly started the car up and they were on their way.

"How you holding up?" Zack started seriously.

"Better each day I guess…" London looked out the window. "It's tough. I admit that some nights I go to sleep thinking I'll wake up from all of this and be back home. At least some of the nightmares from the sinking have gone away."

Zack nodded in agreement. He did miss back home, and he too had nightmares once in a while. Though he would never admit, he missed his brother dearly, even if he did get on his nerves. He missed them all—even Moseby and Woody. He and London both knew things would never be the same, but all they could do was be in it together, and things would turn out okay.

"Any regrets?"

"Absolutely not," London answered. "I love you and you love me, and that is all that matters."

Zack turned to her and found her smiling widely. "Neither do I. I wouldn't have it any other way." He leaned in to give London a quick peck on the cheek but she turned away and screamed, pointing in front of her.

"Zack watch out!" He turned back towards the road and screamed himself. He slammed on the brakes, but it was no use. They had missed the curve and drove right off the hill, where it almost a hundred foot drop to the valley. London hugged Zack tightly and closer her eyes, not wanting to watch. Zack, though, kept his eyes opened, taking in his last sights of the love of his life. Just before they hit the ground, he shut his eyes, so he didn't notice the white light cover everything as he waited for impact.

But it never came.


"GahhhHHHH!"

Moseby burst through the door at London's scream. He had been put on watch for when she woke up. "London! Calm down!" He rushed to the bathroom and filled a cup with cold water before tossing it on her face, causing her to sputter but at least stop screaming.

"Wha—" London looked around in shock. She recognized it as her and Bailey's cabin inside the SS Tipton, and she was staring at a concerned Marion Moseby. "What's going on?"

"Just calm down," Moseby helped dry off her face with a towel. "You've been asleep for two days straight. All our attempts to wake you had been futile until now."

"Where's Zack?" London asked, immediately noticing he was not in the room.

"He's—" Moseby was cut off by his ringing cell phone, which he picked up. "What!" a beat, "She just woke up," another beat, "Okay, I'll tell her." He closed his phone and turned back to London, who by this point was beginning to look hysterical. "Zack just woke up as well."

Hearing this, London physically and mentally relaxed, letting out a huge sigh. But many questions still needed to be answered. "Take me to him."

"London, you're in no condition to—"

"NOWWWW!"


"How'd you find us?" asked Zack. Maddie, Cody, Bailey, Moseby, and Tutweiller were all piled into Zack's cabin.

"We found you floating in the ocean on deck chairs. Must've been thrown overboard when the ship threw a propeller," Moseby said.

"That explains why the ship shook so hard," Zack said, but then added, "But it still doesn't explain…" he trailed off, turning to London and whispering so she could only hear. "Did all that stuff really happen to us, or were we just imagining it?"

London frowned before answering back, "If none of that was real, that I don't know what is anymore. Plus, I've still got the scars to prove it." She picked up a hand mirror and ran her fingers down the side of her face. Most of the scars were gone, but still had a small cut down her jaw and on her chin. But the most prominent one was a lowercase backwards 'r' on her cheek. There was also a faint red glow emitting.

"Experimental technology," Cody started reading from his laptop, "Advanced surgery and cybernetics. I did some research and you're only the second person to use it. Perfect except for one side effect."

"Why is it red?" asked a curious Maddie, who also could see the faint red glow.

"Don't know. But negative thoughts and actions will actually make the scars more noticeable." London thought back to where Cal had framed Jack and also gotten Zack arrested, never angrier in her entire life.

"Whoa," Bailey and the others watched in awe as her scars became more prominent and the red glow brightened. "And, uh," Cody continued, "It also says that positive thoughts and actions should have the opposite reaction."

London thought of her amazing night with Zack, and she watched as the red glow turned a light blue, the scars almost disappearing.

Zack just shook his head at the display. "Hell London, you'll always be beautiful. Personally, I think the scars make you look sexier."

London grinned and gave him a peck on the lips, earning shocked and curious looks from the others. "Well, uh…" Moseby started, shocked at the display, "In other news, a woman left this package for you yesterday; said it was from an old family friend." He presented a small box.

"Who's it from?" asked a curious London as she accepted the package and began to open it.

"What was it—Dawson was the last name I think...?" London raised an eyebrow as she opened the box and saw a jewelry box. It had a note attached, which London would read later. She brought it out so everyone could see and opened it. Her eyes widened and so did Zack's once the contents was revealed.

It was the Heart of the Ocean.

Zack and London looked at each other and held a silent conversation with their eyes and facial expressions. Seeing this, Tutweiller leaned into Moseby and whispered, "Something big has changed between them and I really want to know." Moseby nodded in agreement.

London and Zack finished their 'talk' and turned to the others in the room.

"Well—this actually confirms our story," London indicated the necklace. "You're our friends, so you deserve to know what this is and the story behind it. But you might wanna sit down."

Cody and the others looked at each other before finding seats on the floor or the bed.

"Okay, so this one time at band camp—" Everyone laughed at London's attempt to ease tension. "But no really. See, it all started a few days ago…"


London and Zack married as soon as the school year finished. And true to his word, London's father passed her the reins to Tipton Industries. Overnight, London became one of the most powerful women on Earth. With Zack and Moseby by her side, she turned the debt-ridden company that her father had left into the most influential and powerful on the globe.

London put Zack to manage the sports teams she owned, which included the Arizona Cardinals and the New Orleans Hornets. He brought both cities multiple championships and was one of the most respected team owners in all of sports. He also got involved in poker. He won the World Series of Poker four times and made millions, becoming the most successful poker player in the world. He donated all his winnings to various Titanic societies and charities.

Moseby and Tutweiller married in 2012 and never looked back. London loved them like parents. Tutweiller taught for many years onward, and London signed over the hotel in Boston to Moseby, who had been in tears. He continued to manage it until his death in 2058. Tutweiller died a few months afterwards. London, Zack, and the others attended both their funerals, which hit London hard.

Cody and Bailey reconciled their differences and married during their freshman year at Harvard. They both worked for London for a few years during college, and they moved on to fulfill their ambitions once they graduated. Cody went on to win numerous Nobel Prizes in science and technology, where he thanked his brother Zack every time in his speeches. Bailey got heavily involved world affairs and went on to take seven Nobel Peace prizes for her work with children in developing countries, and later on, their daughter went on to finish Bailey's research into curing cancer. Sadly, they died in 2050 in the Amazon during one of their expeditions. They were both 57. Zack spoke at their funeral, citing how Cody had taught him respect and many other important aspects of life.

Zach was the first to pass away in 2081, leaving London as the only one from the group alive. They never had children because London was unable to. She took his death very hard, but she had vowed herself many years ago to continue on no matter what happened. She left the company in the hands of Moseby and Tutweiller's son, and she lived out the rest of her golden years surrounded by Cody, Bailey, Moseby, and Tutweiller's children and grandchildren. She passed away peacefully in her sleep in 2092 at the young age of 101, the last remaining Tipton.

London and Zack's adventure never came to light; Only Bailey, Cody, Maddie, Moseby, and Tutweiller had known the truth, and now their legacy is buried two and a half miles in the North Atlantic.


London stood up and brushed off imaginary dirt from her clothes—wait. 'What the hell?'

London was not in her pajamas. Instead… she stared in wonder at her clothes. She was wearing an apple red dress with gold lace designs and a gold band around her waist. She hadn't worn that since… and what the heck! Instead of her flabby skin, it was silky smooth like it had been many years ago.

It was then that she looked up. It took a moment to sink in, and when it did, tears filled her eyes. She struggled to keep them back as she looked around. None of the places she'd been ever looked like this. The deck she stood on looked exactly like the one where Zack had pushed her around on when they 'borrowed' that food cart eons ago…

"Nice of you to join us."

London turned toward the voice and froze solid; Rose Dawson strolled towards her, her red dress in pristine condition, a smile plastered across her face. "It can't be…" She blinked her eyes several times, but the red-haired woman was still approaching. She bent down and kissed London's cheek. "Long time no see."

"You're dead," was all London managed.

"So are you," Rose said, not missing a beat. "Zack thought you might be pretty stunned, so he sent me to escort you."

"Wait—Zack is here too?"

"Let's find out, shall we?" She held out her arm which London took.

"So…" London started hesitantly, "Is this really the Titanic?"

"Yep."

"And if Zack is here, does that mean everyone else—or mostly everyone—is here as well?"

"Yep. Even your other friends decided to join us." Rose almost laughed at London's shock. "Yes—Jack, I, and the others know about your…traveling experience. We kinda figured it out after your friend Moss-bee talked to us."

London chuckled at Rose's mispronunciation of Marion's name.

"Here we are." London realized where she was. The doorway in front of her was the entrance to the bottom of the Grand Staircase.

"Thank you Rose," London hugged the other woman tightly. "You're quite welcome—it's been a long time." Rose opened the door for London. "Go to him Miss Tipton."

London smiled, not being called by that name in nearly 60 years. She moved through the door and gasped. Not only was the staircase breathtakingly beautiful as it had been in its glory days, but there were people everywhere. There was a path cleared to the top of the steps, but she didn't dare look up just yet. She had to concentrate on just walking, and in doing so, ran smack into somebody and nearly plowed them into the ground.

"Watch it there young lady." Marion Moseby caught London before she hit the ground.

"Marion!" she exclaimed, "And Emma! What are you guys doing here—I don't mean that in a bad way—I'm just shocked to see you here is all."

"We were pretty shocked ourselves," Emma Moseby said. "We figure it's because we're all connected to each other. Families stick together, even in the afterlife you know."

London was stunned but managed a nod, saying she would talk to them later. Cody and Bailey were also there, as well as Maddie, who gave a small wave and blew London a kiss. Harold Lowe was there as well, chatting away with Lovejoy. They stopped and turned to London and gave her respectful nods.

London finally turned towards the steps and looked to the figure who had his back turned and was admiring the carved figures of Hope and Glory. He was wearing the same tux that he'd been wearing when she had dragged him away from Marion's party, sporting the long blonde hair that she had loved. He was chatting with Jack and must've said something funny, as Jack burst out laughing. He silenced himself when he saw London approaching, and was almost to him before he turned around, where her breath caught in her throat.

London stood there, not sure if this was just another one of her dreams. Zack reached his hand out and entwined his fingers with hers, sending electricity coursing though her veins.

"A dream wouldn't do this." Zack then grasped her waist and pulled her into him, where London instantly melted to his touch. She trembled as she tried to suppress her sobs. "It…it really is you."

"Well who were you expecting? Tom Cruise?" he joked, breaking the tension. London let out a short laugh. "I told you that would outlast all of us, and you didn't believe me."

London paused for a second before saying anything else. "Why Zack? Why the Titanic?"

"I don't think any of us can answer that. But I've spoken to a lot of people, and we've all come up with the same conclusion." He put an arm around her shoulder, "We believe that heaven—cause this sure ain't hell—is the place where they experience the best time of their life."

"But it was also the worst place," London took one of his hands into hers. "So many people lost—and what are Cody and the others doing here? They had nothing to do with this."

"They're here because they are our family. And families always stick together." He saw the look on London's face. "Yes, I stole that line from Emma. But we don't have a reason for the first part of your question."

"I love you," London said quietly.

Zack tried to blink away tears that threatened to spill out. "And I love you. Always and forever." He locked lips with London, and the two engaged in a steamy kissing session.

After a moment: "Oh god—please get a room."

London recognized the voice and turned. "Mr. Andrews!"

Andrews smiled widely. "Hello Ms. Tipt—er, Mrs. Martin," he corrected. "It's good to see you."

"And you!" London hugged the man.

"You have the most interesting friends—especially Miss Madeline," he noted. "She's a fantastic singer, and an even better person to boot."

"That's her all right. I'm glad that you—" London was interrupted when Zack lifted her off her feet and into his arms bridal style. "Damn it Andrews, stop hogging my wife," he joked, earning a laugh from several people throughout the room.

"She's all yours. Take good care of her." He smiled at the two and turned away and walked down the stairs. Everyone else began to disperse in different directions, wanting to leave the couple in private.

Zack carried London up the stairs and through the corridor to the familiarly marked oak door B58. He studied the door for a moment before saying, "Damn. Looks like I made a mistake."

"The hell are you talking about?" London asked curiously.

"I don't have an empty hand to open the door," Zack said grinning.

"Dipshit." London joked, and was rewarded with Zack's laughter. He put her down and opened the door, where they were met with 1912 elegance that London had seen many times in her dreams.

"Welcome home."