Chapter 14

Rose knew that she had to be dreaming. She just had to. After all, she had seen him sink to the bottom of the ocean, and if he had survived, she would have seen him on the Carpathia. Or would she?

Yet again, it looked so much like him. Plus, who else would stand her for her while she was being attacked by Cal. Nobody besides Jack. Everyone else was afraid of the great and powerful Caledon Hockley, so they could be too afraid to help her.

Cal's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Let go of me you gutter rat! Just go back to your whore!"

Jack refused to let him go, but was pretty much forced to when Rose told Cora to stay inside and closed her apartment door, because the first thing she did after that was run into his arms and hug him so hard that he could barely breathe. He hugged her back, letting go of Cal.

Rose took Jack's face in her hands and whispered, "It's really you..."

"And it's really you...", he whispered back before kissing her passionately. However, their perfect reunion was broken when Cal muttered, "Oh what a pretty picture this is. The gutter rat and whore reunion."

Jack broke away from Rose and said coldly, "You can say all you want about me...but if you ever even come close to Rose again, I'll..."

"What will you do, Dawson?", Cal demanded.

"This." Jack punched Cal in the face and Cal fell to the floor, his hand over his bleeding nose. "That should teach you to leave her alone."

Jack took Rose's hand and together, they went into Rose's apartment. Cora, Jacqueline, and Josephine were all in the Cora's room playing, and Rose decided not to tell Jack that he had children yet. She wanted to find out why she never saw him in Santa Monica or on the Carpathia, and what he'd been doing for the past 4 years.

"Jack! Oh my god I just can't believe it's you...I mean...I never saw you here in Santa Monica or on the Carpathia! And I watched you sink to the bottom of the ocean. If you died...how are you here?" Rose was really confused about all this.

"Well, if you tried to wake me up I sure as hell didn't hear it, but when the water starting putting pressure on my head, I woke up. I didn't see you anywhere on the Carpathia, but when I checked the survivor list, I saw there was a Rose Dawson. I was so honored that you had taken my name. I thought about where you would go, knowing that you wouldn't stay in New York because Cal would find you there. Then, I remember about the conversation we had on deck the day before the sinking, and I realized that you would go to Santa Monica."

"A few months after the sinking, I was able to afford a train ticket here and I was able to afford an apartment. It wasn't much...but it was better than sleeping on the streets. In the summer of 1913, a man saw my drawings and offered to sell them at an art gallery. It's a nice job and the pay is good. But, I really missed you. I looked everywhere in Santa Monica, but I never found you. It was so hard to go through everyday knowing that if you had died, it was my fault. I just couldn't live like that...missing you so much. Then, yesterday, all that changed. I ran into a woman who said her name was Lillian Carlton. She studied me for a few moments before saying that I looked exactly like a man that her friend described. When I asked for her friend's name, she said it was Rose Dawson, and she asked for my name. When I said Jack Dawson, she said that I was the man her friend had talked about. I was so happy that I had finally found you, and asked for your address. She gave it to me and I came here today, to find Cal harassing you. So I came up and stopped him. I couldn't let him harm you in any way, because, Rose...I'm sorry I never told you before but...I love you."

"Oh, Jack! I love you too! Every night in my dreams, I saw you. You were in heaven...with Fabrizio, Tommy, Thomas Andrews, and every one else who went down with the ship. And you told me that you couldn't come back with me. And now here you are...with me. I am so sorry I couldn't wake you up and I'm so sorry I let go of you. I could've let you die!", Rose started crying hysterically, burying her face in Jack's shirt, and Jack comforted her the best he could.

Jack spoke up after a few moments. "Rose, your voice was too weak from the cold to wake me, and I understand. And I am thankful that you let me go, because if you didn't, I probably would have died, because I probably wouldn't have woken up. Rose, please don't blame yourself. I can't stand to see you cry."

Rose nodded and asked, "So you want to know what I've been up to for the past few years?" Jack nodded and Rose told him everything she had done...forgiving her mother, meeting up with Molly Brown, getting a job at an art school, making friends, doing things she could have never done if Jack hadn't freed her from the high society. She told him everything...except that he had three daughters.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Rose. I just wished I could've found you sooner." Jack said, disappointed in himself for not finding her sooner.

"It's okay Jack. You're here now...and that's all that matters." Rose decided this was the time to tell them that they have daughters together and continued, "But there is something I need to tell you"

Jack noticed the nervousness in her voice and wondered if she had found someone else. No, that couldn't be, he told himself. If she did, she wouldn't of told him she loved him or welcome him into her home like that. He nodded, encouraging her to go on with what she was saying.

"Jack...do you remember Cora Cartmell?"

"Yes, she was like a niece to me. But I think that she perished in the sinking", Jack said sadly, imagining a poor, innocent, five year old trying to keep from drowning or freezing to death in the cold Atlantic.

"Jack, she didn't die. Her father put her in a lifeboat, but he didn't survive the sinking. Before I left New York, I saw her on the streets of the city, trying to escape a dreadful orphanage. I knew I couldn't leave her and she was such a sweet little girl, so I took her back to the orphanage so I could officially adopt her. So, Jack, we have a daughter."

"Are you serious? Where is she? Can I see her?"

Rose laughed at Jack's excitement. She knew Jack loved Cora like his own daughter, and he must be excited to know she was alive, safe, and happy. "Before you go see her, Jack, I have one more thing to tell you...", she started. Jack wondered what else she could possibly have to tell him, and nodded.

She took his hands and asked, "Jack...do you remember that night in the car?"

Jack laughed and said, "How in the world could I forget?"

Rose blushed and giggled before saying, "Jack...ummm...you have twin daughters. You see, after the sinking, I found out I was pregnant. I immediately knew it was yours...because I never touched Cal. They were born on January 16, 1913. They're three years old now. You can see them now if you want."

Jack jumped off the couch and asked excitedly, "You mean...I'm a father?"

Rose nodded and Jack picked her up and swung her around, yelling in joy. After a few moments, he put her down and they both sat on the couch.

"So...what are their names?", Jack asked.

"Jacqueline Margaret and Josephine Cassandra Dawson. I named them that because Jacqueline is pretty much the girl version of the name Jack and Josephine got her name from our song...'Come Josephine'"

Jack hugged her and said, "Those are beautiful names you picked. Can I see them?"

"Sure...let me go talk to them and I'll bring them in here...Cora will know who you are, but I don't want Jackie and Josephine to get scared or anything. I'll be right back." Rose kissed Jack passionately for the first time that she had in four years before leaving to go to Cora's room.

"Girls...I have to talk to you." Rose entered the room. Her daughters all looked at her and Rose motioned for them to all sit on Cora's bed.

Cora knew what this was about, and sat next to her mother and sisters.

"Okay...umm...how do I say this...", Rose started, not knowing what to say. "Well...remember how I told you that your father had died on the Titanic? Well he didn't. He was able to swim to the surface after I'd let go of his hand, and get in a lifeboat. And right now, he's alive, and he's waiting in the living room to see you girls."

All three of Rose's daughters gasped and ran into the living room. Cora immediately ran up to Jack, followed by Jacqueline and Josephine. Cora sat next to him on the couch and Jackie and Josephine were fighting over who got to sit on his lap.

"Move over, Jackie!", Josephine's little three year old voice complained. Jack and Rose were surprised. They had expected Cora to accept him immediately, but they thought that Jacqueline and Josephine would be much more shy.

"No! I want to sit on Daddy's lap. You move, Josie!", Jacqueline said.

"Woah girls!", Jack exclaimed, happy they hadn't been shy around him, balanced them both on his lap. "There? Is that better?" Both little girls nodded, and Cora spoke up.

"Jack...can I call you Daddy, now?", nine year old Cora asked.

"Of course you can, Cora.", Jack said.

Rose looked at her daughters and her long lost love. She finally felt like her life was complete...here she was with Jack, the man she loved more than anything, and three beautiful little girls. "You are so good with them, Jack"

Rose sat down next to them on the couch.

Jack laughed and finally noticed something. A lot of the stuff in the house was all in boxes. "Why is everything boxed up? Are you moving?"

Rose smiled. "Actually, yes. I bought a house a couple miles from here. We're moving there in a couple of weeks. And you're coming with us."

"Rose...are you sure this is what you want?", Jack asked her.

"It's what I've wanted for the past four years." Rose smiled up at Jack and Jack smiled back.

Then Josephine spoke up. "You're not going to be gone again, are you Daddy?"

Jack looked at the woman he loved more than anything, and their three daughters and responded, "I promise...I'll never leave you again."

Josephine was satisfied with that and laid her head on her father's chest. Jacqueline sat next to her, and Rose sat on one side of Jack and Cora on the other. They stayed like that for awhile, just enjoying each others company, after being apart for so long.

That night, after they had all eaten dinner and Jack had brought his stuff to the apartment, Rose and Jack just laid on their bed together, just enjoying each other's company. Finally, Jack decided to ask Rose what he had wanted to ask her ever since they first met. He sat up on the bed, and so did Rose.

He took her hands in his and said, "Rose...you are the most amazing woman I have ever known, and I love you more than anything. I never want to lose you or our daughters again, so what I'm asking is...Rose, will you marry me?"

Rose beamed with excitement. Yesterday, she could only dream of this happening, but now, it looked like it would. "Jack, do you even have to ask? Of course I will!"

Then, Jack opened a little box to show a ring, with three small diamonds on it.

"Oh my god...Jack, how did you get this?"

"Well when your friend Lillian told me about you, I went and bought this. I knew when I found you, I would ask you, so I bought it. I hope you like it."

"Like it? I love it! Just like I love you." He put the ring on her finger and then they both fell back on the bed, happy to be with each other.

"I love you, too. More than anything. So, Rose...when do you want to get married?"

"Hmmm...how about this Saturday?"

"Alright. We'll tell the girls in the morning."

Rose nodded and leaned against Jack before turning around and looking at him.

"Jack...you wanna take a trip?"

Jack grinned. "Where to, miss?"

"To the stars", Rose whispered and they made their way to the stars, for the first time in four years.

A/N: I'm sorry it took me a week to update, but like I said earlier, I was on vacation. I hope you liked this chapter. Was it too cheesy? I'm sorry if it was, but it's all I could think of for the reunion. Please review and I will try to update as soon as possible!

Also, if you think this is getting close to the end, you are very, very wrong! There are many, many more chapters to come and a couple very exciting events. But they won't be for a few chapters. Tons of love! Goodnight to all!