THANK YOU for being wonderful, patient, human beings. I honestly can't thank you enough for waiting forever and a day!

Anywho, I love y'all and here's the next chapter!

"Jack and I haven't been 100% honest with you. Before you say anything, just hear me out," I took a deep breath.

"My name isn't Rose Dawson, it's Rose DeWitt Bukater. Jack and I aren't technically married yet, but we are engaged."

Marie gasped at the sudden recognition of my name.

"You're Cal's ex-fiancée?" she asked.

I nodded and continued my story.

"Jack and I met onboard Titanic. He saved my life, actually. I was hanging off the back of the ship and was about to jump, and he talked me out of it. He helped me back over the side of the ship when I slipped. He pulled me back onto the deck, but my shouts had already attracted the ship's police. When they arrived, they thought Jack had assaulted me. Instead of telling everyone the truth and saving his own skin, he played along with my story. Cal wasn't amused, but invited Jack to dine with us the next evening."

"Rose, I don't understand. Why did you want to jump?" Marie questioned, clearly concerned.

"Oh, it was a number of things. You see, Cal wasn't the gentleman everyone portrayed him as. He hit me several times and was quite brutal when he wanted to be. My father had just died and had only left bad debts for my mother and me. She insisted on my marriage to Cal in order to save the family name and 'ensure our survival.' She didn't care about my happiness at all."

Marie was very shocked when she heard about how Cal had treated me; he had always been the perfect gentleman around her.

"While we walked back to our rooms, Cal couldn't stop talking about how women and machinery 'didn't mix' and how amusing it would be to see Jack at dinner the next night. I couldn't get my mind off of the man I had just met; he had risked legal action in order to protect me and my reputation. From the moment my eyes met his, I was changed. As I fell asleep, I wondered when I would see the mysterious and charming Jack Dawson again. The next day, I adventured into the steerage lounge in search of Jack. I found him with his friends, who began elbowing him and giggling like school children when they saw me. We spent the day wandering around the deck, talking about my hopes and dreams as well as his. I wanted to learn everything about him, and he wanted to learn everything about me. At one point he asked me if I loved Cal, something no one had ever asked me before. We argued a little, but when I shook his hand and said goodbye, he looked into my eyes and smiled his 'oh-so-charming Jack Dawson' smile and I was captivated again."

Marie nodded in agreement; she had felt the effects of Jack's signature smile yesterday.

"It is captivating," she agreed.

"So I snatched his portfolio out of his hands in an attempt at revenge. It turned out to be a portfolio of Jack's drawings, which were beautiful. He has such a gift, Marie. Not only is he a brilliant artist, but he truly sees the people he draws; he brings their inner essence onto the page. I'm stunned that he hasn't broken into the art world yet, to be honest. Instead of hanging his work up in galleries, Jack sold portraits for 10 cents each."

I paused and looked at Marie, who motioned for me to continue with my story.

"We talked about Jack's adventures around the world, but he always brought the conversation back to Santa Monica. He promised to take me here so we could drink cheap beer, ride the rollercoaster until we threw up, and ride horses in the surf. He said that I couldn't ride sidesaddle either; I would have to 'ride like a man.' Of course, I had no clue how to do that, so Jack promised to teach me. He also promised to teach me how to spit like a man, and dragged me to the railing to begin his lesson right away. My mother and her friends soon interrupted and dinner was announced. I'll never forget how my mother looked at Jack; she could sense that he loved me already and that I was falling for him, even though I hadn't realized it yet. When I walked down the grand staircase for dinner, I saw Jack shaking hands with the pillar in front of him to practice being a 'proper gentleman.' Once he saw me, he blushed a little and his eyes sparkled. I would have never thought of using the world 'beautiful' to describe a man, but Jack really did look beautiful in his borrowed tuxedo. I suddenly had the overwhelming urge to race down the staircase and into his arms, but I managed to restrain myself. After all, I was engaged. Once I reached the end of the staircase, he gently reached for my hand and kissed my knuckles. Electricity bolted down my spine and I was suddenly aware of how close we were. I quickly brushed away my newfound feelings as a crush; nothing would ever stem from it. At dinner, Jack blended in flawlessly. I'm sure he was nervous, but he never faltered. My mother eventually ruined the mystery behind his unknown fortune and revealed that he was from third class. Instead of becoming flustered, Jack turned every insult my mother and Cal threw at him into either a joke or an eloquent statement. I could feel my mother and Cal's eyes darting between Jack and me throughout the meal, and I was relieved when it was over. Although it meant saying goodbye to Jack, I knew that I would find him the next day. Before leaving, he slipped me a note asking me to meet him at the clock on the grand staircase. From there, we went to the third-class party. It was the opposite of any party I had ever been to. Jack light up as he spun me around to the rowdy Irish music. As we danced and drank cheap beer, I realized that I was utterly and inexplicably in love with Jack Anthony Dawson. After the party, Jack walked me back to the first-class entrance. We sang loudly and very off-key, the alcohol still in our systems. We talked on the deck for a while, and he said that I 'was mailed to the wrong address.' A shooting star passed, and I found myself automatically wishing for Jack. In that moment, I realized that no matter how badly I wanted to be with Jack, it would be extremely difficult. My mother and Cal wouldn't let me go without a fight. Jack asked me what I had wished for and snapped me out of my daze. I replied, 'something I can't have. Good night, Jack," and quickly left. I could feel his eyes on me as I slipped into the first-class area and raced back to my room. Once in bed, I burst into tears for both Jack and myself. The idea of spending the rest of my life with Cal was horrifying, but I knew that I couldn't be with Jack. I also knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Jack, and I was pretty sure he felt the same about me. The looks I received from my mother, Cal, and the others only confirmed my suspicions. I cried myself to sleep, thinking of everything I would never be able to have. The next day, both my mother and Cal yelled at me about my relationship with Jack. I was forbidden to see him again, and although it was eating at the very core of being, I knew I had to obey their wishes. When we were taking a tour of the ship later that day, Jack grabbed my arm and pulled me into the gymnasium. Just seeing him brought back a flood of feelings, and I had to force myself to stay away from him. He told me that I was the most amazing woman he had ever met, and that all he wanted to know was that I would be alright. I told him that I was going to marry Cal, and that I loved Cal, but the words tasted foreign and wrong on my tongue. I couldn't meet Jack's eyes when I said that we couldn't see each other anymore. I knew that I couldn't fool him, and Jack said that he didn't want my mother and Cal to put out my spirit. I knew that he was right, but I ran out of the gymnasium instead. If I had stayed there much longer, I wouldn't have been able to hold back the urge to kiss him. I kept trying to convince myself that I had done the right thing all day, but Jack's wounded expression haunted me instead. Eventually, I couldn't handle it any longer; I knew that I had to be with Jack. I found him at the bow of the ship, and he immediately took me back into his arms. We spent the rest of the night together, running from Lovejoy-"

"He's still following Cal?!" Marie interrupted.

I gave her a questioning look, and she began to explain.

"Cal's father hired Lovejoy when he was about 17. He was such a pain in the ass!"

We laughed freely before I continued with my story.

"I asked Jack to draw me 'like on of his French girls' and he did."

Upon seeing a faint blush creep onto my cheeks, Marie raised an eyebrow and I smiled.

"It was a beautiful drawing, but it's at the bottom of the Atlantic now. We ran into the boiler room and the storage area to escape Lovejoy, and we found the Renault someone brought onboard."

My blush deepened, and Marie feigned disapproval.

"Rose!" she gasped. "Was he the first?" she added with a wink.

I shook my head and a frown crossed my face.

"Cal?" she questioned and I nodded quickly, blocking out all the bad memories.

I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing my mind to replace the feeling of Cal's rough hands with Jack's gentle caresses. I took a deep breath and slowly reopened my eyes.

"I'm so sorry. I had no clue, Rose," Marie said quietly.

"How could you know, Marie? You have nothing to be sorry for," I replied with a small smile.

"Anyways, are the rumors about artists and their hands true?" she asked with a conspiratory smile.

"Very," I answered with a knowing grin before laughing and continuing with my story.

"We ran back onto the deck in time to see the iceberg hit Titanic. The next several hours were a whirlwind; I barely remember them myself. I just remember the faces of everyone that died that night. I wouldn't go on a lifeboat without Jack, and we stayed on the ship until the moment the stern sunk below the water. We waited for what seemed like forever and Jack risked his own life to save me. I was on a piece of debris, but Jack couldn't fit as well. A lifeboat finally returned, and for a moment, I thought that I had lost Jack. That was the most terrifying moment of my entire life; I have no clue what I would have done without him. There were less than 10 of us pulled from the water that night. I'll never forget the frozen bodies I saw bobbing in the water."

We both sat in silence for a moment and I regained my composure.

"Onboard the Carpathia, Jack and I ran into Cal. He asked to speak to me privately, and I agreed. After all, I could just yell for Jack if I needed him. Cal apologized for the way he had treated me and told me about you. He was jealous that Jack was able to stop the marriage of the woman he loved because he hadn't been able to do so. I would have never thought that underneath Cal's hard exterior was an actual human being, but I was proven wrong. He also gave Jack and I several thousand dollars. That's how we were able to travel here."

Marie began to tear up when she heard that Cal still loved her.

"If it's alright with you, I called him and invited him to dinner tonight. He got on the next train and is probably at the hotel right now."

"Could I see him?" Marie asked quietly, tears shining in her hazel eyes.

I nodded and hugged her tightly.

"Let's find you a beautiful dress to wear," I said with a smile.

Marie nodded and we headed toward her massive closet.

So it's not in Jack's POV, but I promise that the next chapter will be!

Thank you to everyone who has read this, and an extra large thank you to everyone who has reviewed. You guys are such wonderful people!

Please review, dolls! It means the world to me.

XO,

Katie