It was nearing one o'clock, and Rose could already feel her palms beginning to sweat. For once, it wasn't due to the heat of the sun. The last time she had felt so nervous was walking up the aisle to Richard. Last night all happened so quickly. She had gone in head first without really thinking. She had gone down to the beach to meet her dead lover, and it all seemed unreal. But now, today, it was real, and Rose had all sorts of thoughts running through her mind. Mostly questions about what to say and the hope that they would avoid small talk.

She wanted to be able to meet Jack at the fountain and feel as though no time had passed. To feel that nothing had changed since the day after they first met all those years ago, when they strolled along the boat deck of the Titanic and talked about their lives.

But that would not be the case. A lot had changed for both of them. They were adults now. That was one of the most significant changes. They had lived 40 plus years and had more experience and knowledge of life, and not all of it was good.

It was 5 minutes to one now, and Rose decided to head for the fountain. She had spent the whole morning preparing herself for this moment, and now it was here. She had spent a lifetime wishing for this moment, and now it was here. It was then she realized that she had been given what so many people wish for but never get. She had been blessed with the returning of a man whom she once considered her best friend. Perhaps there would be no spark, and she had to accept that what they once had was gone. But not all of it.

Rose once trusted Jack more than anyone else in the world. She trusted him with her secrets, her body and most of all her life. He was once her everything, and the day he died (or, at least, the day she thought he died) Rose lost everything. But now she had it all now. She had fame, fortune and her own family. Perhaps this was God's icing on the cake. A divine gift, and Rose was very thankful for it. 32 years ago, Rose prayed every night for just one day with Jack. Sometimes her wish was granted as she slept, and he would return to her in her dreams. But now, her wish had come true, and all nerves and doubt were suddenly gone, replaced with an unshakeable feeling of joy.

Heading towards the fountain, Rose passed the brilliant white houses with pale blue doors and window shutters. Washing waved above her in a gentle breeze like dozens of brightly coloured and individually patterned flags belonging to each household. The cobbled pavements were warm under her feet as she carried her sandals in her hand, the Greek sun massaging her shoulders, unwinding her and relaxing her. She hadn't seen Emmanuelle in a while. She was probably in her bed, suffering from a hangover, surrounded by several sleeping soldiers.

Then, as Rose rounded the corner, admiring an artistic wall mosaic depicting the island, she saw the fountain. She saw the fountain, a marble statue of a Greek Goddess, pouring a vase of water onto a pool of cherubs playing happily with flowers and birds. It was a beautiful work of art, and sitting on the edge of it she saw Jack, scribbling away furiously at a sketchbook. His head was lowered, occasionally glancing up to look at something in front of him before darting his piercing eyes back to the drawing.

Rose watched him work. It was surreal. Although she had seen him last night, it still felt like a dream that she had ruined by waking up too quickly. But now, it was real. She was watching Jack do what Jack always did, and it was hard to take in. He looked so deep in concentration, she didn't want to distract him. But on the other hand, she didn't want to stand on this shaded street corner watching him from behind a wall. Taking a deep breath and straightening her posture, she walked forth and into the brilliant sunlight of the town square.

Jack didn't see her. He didn't see anything except the shop which he drew. A few tables and chairs outside, home to an abandoned coffee mug and an older woman reading a book. Inside the shop window you could make out some shadowy figures and reflections from the sunlight that sliced the building in half at an angle, casting half of it in darkness and half in a warm white glow. Rose quietly sat down next to him and watched him sketch.

Then, when he had taken his pencil away from the page, bringing it to his chin to think, balancing a mind full of thoughts upon an eraser that sadly could not erase his troubles, she chose to speak.

"Your shading here is beautiful." She spoke softly, as if trying to wake a child from a deep sleep without startling them.

He was somewhat startled, but years of being on the battle front had made him somewhat immune to sudden noises, loud or quiet. However, he was normally more aware of his surroundings. Normally he'd have known if someone was sneaking up behind him. Perhaps she was a ghost. "Thanks. I've had plenty time to practise." He closed the sketchbook carefully and placed the pencil behind his ear. "My old work looks like junk compared to what I can do nowadays."

"I wouldn't say that, the work you showed me back in the day was divine!" Rose smiled down at the back of his head. He still hadn't turned around. They were sitting next to one another, about an arms distance apart, Jack sitting at an angle, and it seemed as if he was scared to turn around. Rose didn't want thing to be awkward between them. "Jack... I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have run off the way I did."

He was silent, ran a hand through his shaved hair, and shook his head. "Don't apologise. I should be the one apologising." And now, he turned around to face her. The sun was behind Rose, creating a golden white halo around her. He winced his eyes until they adjusted, turning the dark silhouette before him into the radiant image of a blonde haired Rose. "I'm sorry if I came across too strongly... I've just... I've missed you so God damn much, and I've been through a lot, we both have, and-"

Rose cut him off, placing her hand on his shoulder as he searched his mind for an explanation. "Jack, it's alright. I understand."

He looked up into her gentle, caring eyes, blue eyes. Like ice, they soothed his burning mind. "Can we... can we just pretend last night never happened?"

"Forget about the night I met saw you again after thinking you were dead for 30 years? Why would I want to forget about that?" Rose smiled, and he laughed. It was true. It was certainly a life changing moment, something very few people could say has happened to them. "How did this happen anyway... how are you even here?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" Jack said cheerily, turning around now to face Rose. She laughed, and felt now that there would be no awkwardness.

"I survived Jack... it appears you did too... This is crazy!" She stood up, as if about to pace, and then turned away, processing the enormity of the situation before her. "I saw you, Jack... I saw you go down into the water... You weren't breathing... you wouldn't wake up."

Jack sat there, listening to her as she stood blocking the sunlight, shading him from the heat. "Well I must have been breathing... just very softly." He laughed lightly.

"Everyone around us was quiet... I couldn't hear anything... The baby that had been crying in the water was one of the last voices to go..." She lowered her gaze. She had never spoke about that night until now. Not to anyone. Not even her husband. "I was holding your hand... knowing you were there made me feel safe..." She looked at him now and smiled softly. "Being there with you, in the middle of the freezing North Atlantic... I had never felt safer." Rose then had a sudden yet small surge of joy that coursed through her body, urging her to move forward towards Jack, sitting back down beside him and taking his hands. "I'm here because of you, Jack. You saved me, in every way that a person can be saved."

Jack squeezed her hands tightly. He had never seen anyone gaze at him like this since Polly. He thought about Polly, and how much Polly had saved him. No one had ever saved Jack the way she had, and the only other woman to love Jack as much as she did was Rose. Looking at Rose now, as much as she had changed, there was a familiar look in her eyes. A look Polly used to give him. It seemed to say "I know you"... but Rose didn't know Jack. She used to know him, but Jack had changed. He had been through so much, and Rose didn't have the faintest idea what had happened to him within the past three decades. Having said that, Jack didn't know what Rose had been through either, but it had clearly kinder to her than it had to him. "So I save your life, and you thank me by trying to drown me?!" Jack exclaimed playfully, a hurt expression on his face.

"Some people snore in their sleep; it's not my fault that you don't even appear to breathe!" Rose laughed out loud, and Jack's face lit up at the sight and sound of her laughter. He hadn't heard it in years, and it was the same feeling spreading across his face and in his stomach of hearing a baby's laughter, or the voice of someone you've missed. Butterflies of sheer joy, a tingling in his heart that made him want to jump up and down for no reason, and Jack hoped they would never leave. It had been so long since he felt like this.

"It's been a long time," Rose began, "and we have a lot to catch up on..." She took his hand and dragged him up onto his feet as she ran towards the coffee shop, dropping him down onto a chair. He looked back at the fountain where he was sitting just moments before. He then glanced over at Rose, who was resting her elbow upon the table between them and resting her chin upon her hand. "So... where do we start?"