After the sinking of the Titanic, Rose DeWitt Bukater lay along a small piece of the ship just big enough for one, while watching her best friend, the love of her life, her hero, die. She was sure that she was about to follow after him, however a ship showed up just in time to pull her out of the water.

"Wait," she cried hoarsely after them, but alas, the men could not hear her desperate cry. Then she saw it. The whistle tied around the crew-member's neck. Desperately, Rose swam for the whistle, blowing it with what little breath she had left in her. All of a sudden, the boat turned around, and shone a light on Rose's cold face. They found her.

Two men reached their hands out to help Rose aboard. She was pulled up, and as the boat paddled away, she watched the distance between herself and Jack grow larger and larger.

Overwhelmed by the grief, Rose sobbed into the blanket they handed her. She knew that he would never laugh, draw, smile, kiss, or make love ever again. She felt sick. She didn't understand. Titanic was unsinkable. There must be a mistake. Jack was not dead, she would wake up with him by her side. There must be some mistake.

After about an hour, the boat reached Titanic's sister ship, Carpathia, and loaded Rose onto the ship. Rose quickly found dry blanket to wrap around herself. She put it over her head in order to shield herself from anyone that might recognize her, specifically Cal or Ruth.

"Excuse me, miss," said a crew member. "Can I get your name, please?" He stood with a clipboard and pen. This must be the survivor list.

Jack wouldn't be on the survivor list. He was somewhere dead, underwater, rotting away. Rose shuddered at the thought. She felt absolutely awful. Jack had given his life for saved her in every way a person could be saved. There was no way she could repay him for what he did for her. But she still wanted to honor him, and the first way to do that was to take his name. "Dawson. Rose Dawson."

Rose stood against the rail of Carpathia, and contemplated everything that happened over the last three days. She had met Jack, she had fallen deeply in love with Jack, and he had been taken from her. Rose was freezing, so she hugged the jacket tighter and put her hands in her pockets. Then she felt something: a handful of money, and a necklace. Not just any necklace though. The Heart of the Ocean. The blue diamond really reminded Rose of Jack's eyes. She would keep the necklace to remember Jack. This didn't feel real. None of it did.

Finally, the boat passed the Statue of Liberty. Somehow, it had felt representative of Rose's new found liberty. And then she decided. She wouldn't be returning to Philadelphia society. She wouldn't be in her mother's house. She wouldn't be marrying Cal. She would figure something else out.

Finally, Carpathia arrived in New York. Rose waited for first and second class to leave the boat before she went to leave. When she did, she realized she had no idea where to go. She realized that she could go live with her siblings, who lived in New York. Rose's older sister, Rachel, had realized that Ruth was absolutely insane, and she left as soon as she turned eighteen, with her fiancé. When Rachel left, she tried to take Rose with her, but she was too young and unwilling to stand up to Ruth at the time.

Rose had found her way over to Rachel's house. She knocked on the door and Rachel opened it. She looked pretty much the same as she had five years ago. Reddish blondish straight hair, thin, and hazel eyes. As soon as she saw her sister, Rose bursted into tears. Rachel looked concerned. "Rose, are you alright?"

"Can I stay here for a while?" Rose asked.

Rachel gave Rose a tight hug. "Of course you can," she said. "I missed you so much."

Rachel brought Rose to her room. Rose immediately took off her shoes and got into bed. "Thank you for letting me stay," said Rose flatly.

"Of course," said Rachel. "Can you tell me what happened with Mother?"

Rose didn't look up. "No," she said flatly, while still looking at her hands.

Rachel frowned. "Do you want me to go?" she asked.

A tear trickled down Rose's cheek. This time, she looked up and met Rachel's gaze. "No," she said.

Rachel moved into the bed right next to Rose. She put her arm around Rose, and Rose immediately bursted into tears. Rachel didn't really know what was happening, she didn't know what her mother had done, but it was obvious that she needed help and a place to stay.

It was the next morning, and Rachel went to check on her sister. "Good morning," said Rachel with a sweet smile. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

Rose looked absolutely awful. She had dark rings around her eyes. "No," she said.

Rachel sat down next to Rose. "I don't want to pressure you, but if you tell me what's wrong, maybe I can help you?"

Rose started to cry. "I don't know… if I'm ready yet," she said.

"That's okay," said Rachel. "I just want you to know, I'm here when you're ready."

"Thanks, Rach," said Rose, wiping her tears.

•••

It was now two weeks later. Rose had only gotten out of bed a few times, only to use the bathroom or shower. However, she got up this morning to do something else. She felt sick and went to the bathroom. But she fainted on the way.

Rachel walked in and found Rose on the floor. "Rose!" She called for a doctor, who had come and told Rose that she would be fine. After he left, Rachel reentered Rose's room. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Rose was back in bed, in tears. "He told me that… I'm pregnant." Rose bursted into tears as soon as she said it.

"Okay," said Rachel. "Now you really have to tell me what's going on."

Rose sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you," she said. "It all started when Father died. He had an extraordinary amount of debt, as you know. And in order to get rid of it, Mother tried to marry me off to Cal Hockley. We actually were engaged, and we had set a date to marry. And in anticipation of the wedding, Cal took Mother and I on a trip to Europe. I already knew then that I didn't want to marry Cal, but I was willing to do it anyway because it's what I thought I was supposed to do. I thought that I was supposed to be unhappily married, and that's what my life would always be.

"Then, I was on the way back from Europe, on Titanic. And I decided that I was done being the quiet attractive woman that just embellished her husband. I wanted to take control of my life, so I went to the stern of the ship and was about to jump, when someone stopped me and convinced me not to do it. He saved me, and over the next three days, we fell in love. I know how that sounds, but it's true. He was the love of my life.

"So when Titanic sank, I couldn't leave him. I stayed on the sinking ship even though I could've been on a lifeboat. When we were in the water, he managed to get me on a floating piece of wood, while he was stuck in the freezing water. After a million years, a boat finally returned. But not in time…" Rose trailed off.

Rachel didn't know what to say. "I-I'm so sorry. Is he the father?"

Rose looked down. "Yes, he is."

"What's his name?" Rachel asked.

Rose felt the tears building up again. "Jack. His name is Jack." She closed her eyes. "Was."

•••

It was nine months later. Rose was nine months pregnant, and now in labor. And she was all alone. She didn't have Jack with her, the father of her child. So now, not only would she be without Jack, but her child would be too. Yet, at the same time, Rose was grateful that she would have Jack's child with her. That baby would be the only little piece of Jack that she had left.

Rachel had told her that Rose could stay with her as long as she wanted to, but Rose needed to start her own life. If not for her, then for her child. That child deserved the best possible life that Rose could make for them.

Rose was sitting in her bedroom in Rachel's house having the baby. Rachel was with her, holding her hand, and the doctor had told her it was time to push. Rose pushed for what felt like hours, and finally, her baby had arrived. She now had a beautiful baby girl. "She has Jack's hair and eyes," said Rose, looking down at the beautiful little baby. "I wish he was here to see her," said Rose,

"I know," said Rachel. "But at least you have her now. What are you going to name her?"

Rose looked down at the beautiful baby. Come Josephine in my flying machine and it's up she goes, up she goes. Rose could hear Jack's voice singing the song.

"Josephine. Josephine Dawson."