November 1934

Thanksgiving

Rose Dawson had just put the finishing touches on the turkey and had placed it in the oven to cook. It was the main dish to what looked to be a grand Thanksgiving dinner. It was the second feast she had cooked in that house and hopefully, it'll be a lot better than the first two had been. She smiled as she remembered the first two Thanksgivings. The first one was when she and the children had arrived to discover that her beloved Jack, father of her Jacob had survived after all. That dinner had been a little awkward, yet full of happiness because she had rediscovered the love of her life, a man she had thought long lost all those years ago on Titanic. The second Thanksgiving was just as joyful, but still awkward, thanks to her growing belly. A month after the spontaneous wedding to Jack, she discovered that she was once again pregnant.

Thanks to Rose's age, the pregnancy wasn't as easy as the others. She had been constantly throwing up, her body was wracked with constant aches and pains. Her blood pressure was always going up. In fact, thanks to said blood pressure, the doctor had ordered a c-section to deliver the baby. Something about a complication that could end in Rose's death if one wasn't performed. Rose had been frightened at the thought of someone cutting her open, but Jack had insisted, stating that he didn't want to chance losing her and the baby when he had just gotten her back in his life. So she relented and had the c-section to safely bring baby Josephine into the world.

Josephine was the female version of Jacob. Blond hair, blue eyes with Rose's heart-shaped face, smile, and curls. She was beautiful and she was the apple of her family's eyes. Her siblings adored her. Maxwell and Olivia always had the baby with them it seemed, especially Olivia, who had fallen head over heels in love with her tiny sister at first sight.

Rose had to smile as she caught sight of Jack with Josephine in his arms listening to Maxwell talk about an upcoming art assignment at school and was asking Jack for advice. To Rose's joy, Jack and Maxwell had formed a bond through art. It turned out that her and Cal's son had a hidden talent that was accidentally discovered in a required art class at the high school. Jack had helped Max pick out all the tools he needed and had gifted him his own portfolio. Rose would often catch Max by Jack's side, portfolio in hand, sketching something. Rose often wondered what Cal would think if he knew. Hopefully, he'd be happy to see his family doing so well.

Olivia came gliding downstairs at the sound of the doorbell, knowing who was on the other side. Jacob and Sarah. Six months after their wedding, Jacob and Sarah had a moved to Eau Claire, where they managed to purchase a small storefront at a cheap price. It was hard going at first, but Dawson Essentials soon became a hit in the small city. It did far better than Sarah's father's store, which was now in danger of going out of business thanks to mismanagement. Sarah's father eventually forgave her, shortly before the move to Eau Claire. There was still some tension, mainly because Sarah was still a little bitter about her father giving the store to her brother, but she was on good terms enough to visit every now and then when they were in town and to write.

"Mom! Jacob and Sarah are here!" Olivia called out, beckoning the couple inside and into the dining room, where Maxwell was sketching the scene of Jack playing with baby Josephine.

"Jacob! Sarah, you've arrived!" Rose entered, now feeling able to take a small break from cooking now that the turkey was on.

"Hello, mother. Happy Thanksgiving," Jacob happily greeted, hugging his mother tightly.

Rose happily smiled, pulling away from her son so she could hug her daughter in law. "Sarah, you are absolutely glowing!"

"That might be because of the news we have to share," Jacob grinned, retrieving his smiling baby sister from Jack, who watched the scene with amused eyes.

"What news can that be? Did Dawson Essentials reach another milestone?" Jack asked, really curious about how his son was coming along now that he was on his own.

"Better. A Dawson did make a milestone...but it's not the store," Jacob grinned.

"Darling, should we tell them now or wait until after dinner?" Sarah smiled, pure happiness and adoration radiating from her. Looking at Sarah, Rose felt as if she was looking into a mirror. She too felt that perfect happiness with her life. A happiness that comes from being surrounded by the people you love most and know that they love you in turn. A happiness that comes from knowing that you have everything you could ever want or need in life.

"Let's get settled and then we'll share our happy news!" Jacob grinned, handing his sister back to their father, marveling once again at the fact that he actually had a full-blooded baby sister at this age. The fact that this baby was going to be around the same age as his own children, it was something to think about.

Once the couple was settled and Rose had taken a seat across from her husband, her full attention on her son and daughter in law, the couple smiled and scooted closer together. Her eyes widened as Jacob placed a gentle hand on Sarah's abdomen.

"Mother...Jack...you're gonna be grandparents! Sarah and I are having a baby. May or June, there will be a new Dawson for Josephine to play with!"

Olivia squealed with delight and clapped her hands together, excited at the prospect of another baby. Jack grinned and said a hearty congratulations, amused that he was going to be a grandfather. Maxwell also gave a happy congratulations. As for Rose, her reaction was different. She burst into tears. They were happy tears, but they were tears all the same.

"Mother?" Jacob frowned, alarmed. By Rose's reaction. He thought that she'd be happy.

"Oh don't worry about me, these are happy tears! My baby is having a baby! It feels like yesterday when I had fled back to Philadelphia, wanting to do anything possible to keep you with me and now, here you are all grown up, ready to have a baby of your own!"

"You know...this used to my favorite holiday as a kid," Jack spoke up, kissing his daughter's blond curls and reaching for Rose's hand. "My parents always said to take this day to just think about how blessed we truly are and I must say that I am truly blessed. After Titanic, I had thought that my best years were behind me. I had seen the world and I had fallen in love in a short amount of time. After losing Rose, I thought I could never be fully happy or satisfied with my life ever again. Now, sitting here with my children and stepchildren, Rose back in my life, and a grandchild on the way….I haven't been this happy or fulfilled in the longest time. I am thankful for each and every one of you. I am also thankful to Caledon Hockley for raising and loving my son as his own and bringing him up to be such a fine young man and soon to be father. And for loving Rose and making sure she kept a promise she made me a long time ago."

Rose blinked back tears, squeezing Jack's hand, new tears in her eyes. His words had touched her deeply. "I too am thankful, Jack. I am thankful that I had found you again. That you are kind and loving to my twins and love them as if they were your own. That even after all these years, Titanic hadn't changed the very core of who you are. Someone who rolls with the punches and accepts what life brings with an open heart. I am thankful for in my life I have experienced two great loves. I don't think anyone has been as blessed as I. When we met, I was a sad, lonely, seventeen-year-old debutant who felt trapped. When we met again, I was a widow who had lost everything and thought she'd never love again. But I haven't felt does feelings in the longest time thanks to you. I love you, our children, and our life together. I can never want anything better than what we have right here. And now we have a grandchild to celebrate. Who would have thought?"

The Dawson/Hockley kids smiled as they watched their parents gaze into each other's eyes, as deep in love as they had been all those years ago. Their marriage was something to look up to and strive for and that's what they did. Jacob and Sarah had a marriage that rivaled Jack and Rose's and Maxwell and Olivia always looked for the qualities they saw in their parents when looking for their own soulmates. Even baby Josephine, when she grew up, looked for a man that had some of the traits of her beloved father.

The troubles were over for Jack and Rose. They spent their remaining years watching their grandchildren grow and the world change around them. In 1997, they died old and warm in their bed, but their story of love and survival was a tale that was never forgotten.

The End