Another 19 years passed by, 84 years after the disaster. Jack and Annie continued to watch over Rose as she grew older.
Rose was now a centenarian old woman. One hundred and one next month - if she could make it. Mr. Calvert had passed away some time later. Rose's sons and their wives had other things to do, but still continued to visit her every once in a while. Lizzy, now a full-grown woman in her early thirties, stayed with her elderly grandmother to take care of her.
Lizzy also kept Annie's pocket watch around her neck, like Annie used to. She still had yet to learn some of her great-aunt's story. But what she didn't know was, that she was going to learn everything; because one day, she noticed her grandmother coming inside from the patio to the small television set in the kitchen. "What is it?" she asked.
"Turn that up, dear," Rose asked Lizzy to turn the volume up.
Lizzy turned up the volume on the television, and stood aside her grandmother to watch as well.
It was a news special on the Titanic; treasure hunter, Brock Lovett, and his gang, were explaining that they had been in search for the Heart of the Ocean, they believed must have gone down with the ship. They managed to retrieve Cal's old safe from the wreck, but unfortunately, the diamond was not there. However, they did find Jack's sketchbook and looked into one of his drawings - the drawing of a naked woman wearing the Heart of the Ocean.
"I'll be goddamned," Rose whispered in surprise.
She and Lizzy went over to the phone. After a while of researching, they managed to get in contact with Mr. Lovett.
"I was just wondering if you had found the Heart of the Ocean yet, Mr. Lovett," said Rose.
"All right, you have my attention, Rose," Mr. Lovett said from the phone. "Can you tell us who the woman in the picture is?"
Rose nodded. "Oh yes. The woman in the picture is me."
Meanwhile, in Titanic Heaven, Jack and Annie were out on the bow of Titanic:
Titanic was in her original appearance, as if she had never sunk. The only difference was, the ship was not surrounded by ocean. But by clouds. Heaven's Clouds. Titanic was not sailing like she did in the ocean, but was floating peacefully in midair. Many of the other deceased passengers were wandering about on the decks, as if nothing ever happened.
The siblings were watching Rose, as always, one day. They could see a clear vision of Rose and Lizzy riding a helicopter over the Atlantic Ocean. They were on their way for a visit to Brock Lovett's research ship, and one of the world's largest research ships; the Keldysh. It was afloat at precisely the same area where Titanic sank years ago.
Jack smiled down at his sister. He took her hand and pulled her along. "Come on," he said.
"What now?" Annie asked, as Jack pulled her alongside the ship to the Heaven Gates, which led back to Earth.
"You'll see," Jack kept his smile on.
Jack and Annie were now aboard the Keldysh, moments later. They were in their usual invisible spirit forms whenever they would visit Rose and Lizzy every once in a while.
The siblings both stood behind Brock Lovett and some of his crewman, Lewis Bodine and Bobby Buell as they watched the helicopter that carried Rose and Lizzy in lower down onto the helipad. Some of the crewman set out luggage and suitcases on the deck.
Mr. Lovett greeted Rose as she was lowered to the deck in a wheelchair by other crewmen. He greeted Lizzy next, as she approached out of the helicopter and pushed Rose in the wheelchair ahead.
Jack and Annie smiled as they followed Rose, Lizzy, the three men, and the crewmen to the room Rose would be staying in.
Rose placed a number of framed photos on the bureau in the small utilitarian room, arranging them carefully next to her fishbowl, while Lizzy was unpacking her grandmother's things.
"Rose?" Annie said to Rose.
But as usual, she failed to get her attention.
Jack shook his head. "I told you a million times, Annie. She can't hear or see you."
"You either?" asked Annie.
"Me either," Jack replied.
Annie sighed disappointed. Unable to be visible to the living, was indeed, one of the things the deceased had to get used to.
"Bah... humbug," Annie moaned under her breath, winning a laugh of amusement from Jack.
A knock was at the door. Mr. Lovett and Mr. Bodine were standing there for their guest.
"Yes?" Rose answered.
"Are your staterooms all right?" asked Mr. Lovett.
"Oh, yes. Very nice," said Rose. Then she introduced him to Lizzy. "Have you met my granddaughter, Lizzy? She takes care of me."
"We met just a few minutes ago," smiled Lizzy. "Remember, Nana? Up on deck?"
Mr. Lovett smiled at Lizzy as well.
"Oh, yes," Rose remembered. "There, that's nice," she finished arranging her photographs. "Have to have my pictures when I travel."
"She always does that," Annie whispered to Jack.
Jack just smiled.
"Can I get you anything? Is there anything you'd like?" Mr. Lovett asked Rose.
"Yes. I would like to see my drawing," Rose declared.
The men led Rose to the lab. Rose looked into a tray of water, gazing down at her drawing as it danced in the water. She closed her eyes as the memory of Jack sketching it flowed through her mind.
Jack smiled warmly, as he also remembered that moment. He looked around at more trays of water, where more of his drawings were laid in.
Annie rolled her eyes to her brother, remembering him telling her to leave the room with Rose naked for the drawing. Such wonderful, yet awkward, memories were coming back to the trio. "I told you, you'd be a legend if you shared your drawings with the world," Annie quietly reminded him.
Jack lovingly put his hand on his sister's shoulder.
"Louis XVI wore a fabulous stone that was called the Blue Diamond of the Crown, which disappeared in 1792," Mr. Lovett explained the history of the Heart of the Ocean, snapping Rose and the invisible Jack and Annie out of their memories. "About the same time old Louis lost everything from the neck up. The theory goes that the crown diamond was chopped, too. Recut into a heart-like shape that became known as "The Heart of the Ocean." Today, it would be worth more than the Hope Diamond."
Rose smiled. "It was a dreadful heavy thing. I only wore it this once."
"You actually think this is you, Nana?" asked Lizzy, as she studied the drawing.
"It is me, dear," Rose answered, positively. "Wasn't I a dish?"
A light chuckle came from Mr. Lovett. "I tracked it down through insurance records-" he started. "An old claim that was settled under terms of absolute secrecy. Can you tell me who the claimant was, Rose?"
"I should imagine someone named Hockley," said Rose.
"Ugh, that bastard of a man?" Annie huffed, believing they were talking about Cal.
Jack frowned at his sister for her language. Having grown up already, Annie finally understood the meanings of those words and gestures. Jack was still not okay with Annie using that kind of language. Yet, he laughed a little.
So did Annie.
"Nathan Hockley, that's right," Mr. Lovett continued. "Pittsburg steel tycoon. Claim was for a diamond necklace his son Caledon bought his fiancé... you... a week before he sailed on Titanic. It was filed right after the sinking. So the diamond had to have gone down with the ship. You see the date?" He pointed to the date written on the drawing.
"April 14th, 1912," Lizzy read.
Jack remembered Rose telling him to date the drawing, so they would always remember that night. Now, April 14th, 1912 was a night always remembered when Titanic collided with the iceberg.
"Which means if your grandmother is who she says she is, she was wearing the diamond the day the Titanic sank," Mr. Bodine told Lizzy.
"And that makes you my new best friend," Mr. Lovett grinned at Rose.
Jack and Annie both chuckled at Mr. Lovett's remark.
"These are some of things we recovered from your stateroom," Mr. Lovett led Rose to a worktable where fifty or so objects laid upon, from mundane to valuable.
Rose could barely see over the table top, as she was still sitting in her wheelchair. "Ah!" Trembling her hand, she lifted up a tortoise shell hand mirror, inlaid with mother of pearl. "This was mine," she breathed in amazement, seeing her old items for the first time in years. "How extraordinary! And it looks the same as it did the last time I saw it." Rose turned the mirror over to see it's crack glass. Along with her old woman appearance-face. "The reflection has changed a bit." Spying something else, Rose set the mirror back on the table. She reached out and picked up an ornate art-nouveau hair comb; a jade butterfly took flight on the comb's ebony handle. Rose was now experiencing a rush of images and emotions that have laid dormant for decades a she fiddled with the butterfly comb.
Annie smiled, as she remembered seeing Rose wear that in her hair at the time.
"Are you ready to go back to Titanic?" Mr. Lovett asked Rose.
Jack and Annie exchanged a glance, feeling ready to listen to Rose tell their story.
Rose was moved into a darkened room, lined with TV monitors. Images of the wreck filled in the screens. Another showed a simulation of the Titanic striking the iceberg and sinking, catching Annie's eye.
"Okay, here we go," Mr. Bodine began. "She hits the berg on the starboard side, right? She kind of bumps along punching holes like Morse code- dit-dit-dit- along the side, below the waterline. Then the forward compartments start to flood. Now as the water level rises, it spills over the watertight bulkheads, which unfortunately, don't go any higher than E-Deck. So now as the bow goes down, the stern rises up. Slow at first, then faster and faster until finally she's got her whole ass is sticking up in the air. And that's a big ass. We're talking 20, 30 thousand ton. Okay? And the hull's not designed to deal with that pressure. So, what happens?" He made a breaking in half sound as he imitated the ship with his hands. "She splits, right down to the keel. And the stern falls back level. Then as the bow sinks, it pulls the stern vertical, and then finally detaches. Now, the stern section just kind of bobs there like a cork for a couple of minutes, floods and finally goes under about 2:20 a.m., 2 hours and 40 minutes after the collision. The bow section planes away landing about a half a mile away going 20, 30 knots when it hits the ocean floor." He made another crashing sound as the animation showed the bow of Titanic digging deeply into the bottom of the ocean floor. "Pretty cool, huh?"
"Wow..." breathed Annie.
"I know," Jack agreed.
Rose nodded. "Thank you for that fine forensic analysis, Mr. Bodine. Of course, the experience of it was... somewhat different."
"Will you share it with us?" asked Mr. Lovett.
Rose carefully stood up from her wheelchair and walked over to the screens, showing the sad ruins of Titanic far below them.
Jack and Annie came up from behind her, going through Mr. Lovett and Mr. Bodine like holograms.
The screens had a view from one of the subs, tracking slowly over the boat deck. Rose, Jack, and Annie recognized one of the doors, inside the ship. They could hear ghostly waltz music. Then, they pictured a clear vision of two stewards opening doors for passengers, with the music playing in the background.
Annie sighed sympathetically as she pictured the former sight of the doors and that room they led to.
"Oh!" Rose put her hands over her face, as she silently started to weep as she was remembering.
Lizzy came up from behind. "I'm taking her to rest," she informed the men.
But Rose shook her head. "No."
"Come on, Nana," said Lizzy.
"No!" snapped Rose.
Lizzy stood back, surprised by her grandmother's strong voice.
Rose sat back down in her wheelchair, that Lizzy had brought up for her, and face back to Mr. Lovett and his gang.
Mr. Lovett turned a tape recorder on and set it down on a table next to him. "Tell us, Rose."
"It's been 84 years..." Rose began.
But Mr. Lovett thought Rose was talking about how long it's been, that she could hardly remember anything. "It's okay, just try to remember anything- anything at all."
Rose stared blankly at him. "Do you want to hear this, or not, Mr. Lovett?"
Mr. Lovett smiled and nodded, as he realized Rose was already beginning to tell her story.
Everyone in the room went silent.
Including Jack and Annie, who sat criss-cross applesauce near Rose.
"It's been, 84 years..." Rose started again, "and I can still smell the fresh paint. The china had never been used. The sheets had never been slept in. Titanic was called... "The Ship of Dreams." And it was. It really was..."
After a long afternoon, Rose was now concluding her story. Mr. Lovett, the crewman, and Lizzy were weeping silently, all stricken with grief, upon learning what happened at this very spot the Keldysh was floating at 84 years ago.
Annie was softly crying as well. Jack put his arm around his sister, and pulled her close to him.
Mr. Lovett, completely moved by this tragedy, had forgotten all about the diamond as he listened.
"We never found anything on Jack. There's no record of him at all," Mr. Bodine said sympathetically.
But Rose was not surprised at all. "No, there wouldn't be, would there," she spoke calmly, "and I've never spoken of him until now. Not to anyone. Not even your grandfather," Rose said to Lizzy. "A woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets. I suppose it's time I tell you, Lizzy... your Aunt Annie and I... we weren't really biologically related to each other. She was biologically related, to Jack. I just took her under my care when he died. They shared the closest bond that any brother and sister could ever have with each other. Jack would do anything to protect his little sister. Even it if meant giving his own life for her. And mine, of course."
Annie sniffled, tears slowly running down her cheeks. But she was smiling in honor of Rose complimenting on taking her in since then. Jack wrapped both arms around Annie, resting his chin on her shoulder to hug her from behind.
Annie turned to face him. "Who has the best big brother ever?" she asked quietly.
Jack smiled, and pressed his finger on the tip of his sister's nose. "You."
Annie grinned and returned her brother's hug.
"And that watch your aunt kept," Rose pointed to the pocket watch around Lizzy's neck, "was a gift from another pair of siblings, after we escorted them safely to one of the lifeboats. It stopped precisely at the very time Titanic went down."
Lizzy looked down at the pocket watch, fidgeting it in her trembling fingers.
"Do you mind if I...?" Mr. Lovett asked, examining the pocket watch.
Agreeing to let him look at it, Lizzy removed the pocket watch from around her neck. She calmly placed the silver pendant-like object in the palm of Mr. Lovett's hand, still holding onto the chain. Mr. Lovett gazed upon the object; an infinity of cold scalpels glint in it's lifeless ticking clock. The watch fit in his hand just as he imagined the Heart of the Ocean would. The crewman peeked over his shoulders to look at it for themselves.
After taking a good look at the watch, Mr. Lovett allowed Lizzy to gently slip it out of his hand, as she placed it back on around her neck.
"But now you know there was a man named Jack Dawson. And that he saved me, in every way that a person can be saved..." Rose looked down. "I don't even have a picture of him. He exists now... only in my memory."
That was that. Rose had completed telling her story of her life on Titanic to the explorers examining upon the wreck.
Jack heaved a heavy sigh. "Well... come on, Annie. Let's go home," he whispered.
He helped Annie up to her feet. Taking her by the hand, the two slowly walked away from the group. Annie couldn't take her eyes off of Rose and Lizzy, as she and Jack were departing for the afterlife.
Again.
Jack noticed his sister still looking back. "We'll see them again," he assured her.
"When?" asked Annie.
"Soon. Do you trust me?"
A few moments keeping her eyes on Rose, Annie nodded to Jack. "Yeah."
For some reason, Jack was making a psychic vision that Rose's time was just about to come. But he didn't inform this to Annie. He didn't want to get her all too excited.
"Soon, Lizzy," Annie whispered back to Lizzy, although she failed, again, to catch her attention, as she remembered their close bond as well. "Soon."
Finally, the siblings continued their way out. They both began to slowly disappear from the living world.
And then... they were gone.