Chapter 13

"I can't stand the idea of going home today," Cora sighed. It was the next morning, and Cora and Stephanie were sitting in Stephanie's bedroom. It was time for Cora to go home.

"Everything's gonna be okay, Cora," Stephanie smiled. "From what you told me, it sounds like your mom didn't mean to leave. You should try to get to know her."

"I don't know," Cora sighed. She was gathering up her few things, and they started walking down the stairs. "She still left. My dad lied to me for sixteen years, my mom abandoned me for sixteen years." Cora paused and looked at Stephanie. "Do you think your parents would be interested in adopting me?"

Stephanie laughed. "Let me know how it goes, okay?"

"Of course," Cora smiled. "I'll see you Monday."

Cora slowly walked through the town square. How was she supposed to face Jack? She didn't know. She couldn't figure out if she was more angry or sad that Jack had done this. Part of her wanted to be sympathetic to Jack and Rose, since it seemed like Jack had the best intentions, and Rose apparently had lost her memory.

But on the other hand, Cora was the victim here! Jack had somehow gotten everyone around them to lie to Cora. Lori and Molly had both been lying to her her entire life as well (she wasn't angry at them, they were only doing what Jack told them to do). Jack had continued to lie to her, seemingly with ease. How was that possible? Was their whole relationship a lie?

She didn't think it was, but she felt betrayed and hurt by Jack. How could he do this? Whenever anything was going on in Cora's life, Jack had always wanted her to talk to him about it. Now something was happening in Jack's life that affected Cora's too, and he hadn't told her.

Cora finally arrived at her house. She took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.

•••

Jack stood in the kitchen the next morning, drinking a cup of coffee. He hadn't slept a wink the night before, since he was so worried about everything with Cora and Rose. Jack took his coffee and sat down at his desk, picking up the phone and dialing Molly's hotel room.

"Hello?" Rose said.

"Hey, it's me," Jack smiled immediately upon hearing her voice. "How's your morning?"

"Well, I'm exhausted. I wasn't able to sleep last night," Rose said. "I was too busy thinking about you, and Cora, and, oh lord, my mother." Rose's heart sank at the thought of Ruth, and the thought of Ruth meeting Cora. Jack felt his heart sink too. "Jack, what are we going to do about Ruth meeting Cora?"

"Is she still as bad as she was on Titanic?" Jack asked.

"Maybe not, but she's still awful," Rose replied. "I will not subject Cora to that."

"I know, Rose," Jack sighed.

"You know, it's funny actually," Rose began. "My mother was begging me to get back tougher with you, since you were apparently our last chance at stability. I told her that she was ridiculous, that I wouldn't get back together with you because of money."

"It's crazy that she wants you to be with me now," Jack chuckled.

"I know," said Rose. She played with the phone cord while she spoke. "I'm not ready to tell her about this. I don't want to give her the satisfaction of being right."

"Well, she wasn't right, Rose," Jack chuckled ironically. "Everything she said was so incredibly wrong. She just happened to be right about us being together."

"I don't have to tell her, do I?" Rose asked.

"No. Not now, at least," Jack sighed. "We'll figure it all out. You know that, right?"

Rose hesitated. She knew that Jack wanted to figure everything out, and that he would do everything he could to make it happen, but this seemed to be out of their hands. What if Cora never acted the same? What Cora never wanted to get to know Rose? What then? "I know you'd do everything you can to make everything alright, but what if you can't?"

"I know Cora," Jack shrugged. He knew that Cora wasn't naturally angry or sad, that it was in her nature to forgive. But then again, nothing had hurt her quite like this. "I know she does't want to be angry. I know that she's just hurt right now, and that soon, she'll get over it." Jack paused for a moment. He didn't want to sugar coat what would happen. "But until then, she might be really angry. She might take her anger out on both of us, and she might not accept everything and move on for a little while. But eventually, she will."

"So what do I do?" Rose asked. She had no idea what to do when it came to Cora. But luckily, Jack knew. Jack always knew what to do.

"You just have to be there," Jack explained. "It's that simple. You need to be here, and not be scared away by whatever she might say or do. You have to show her that you're here to stay. Once she knows that you're here, she might open up to you and trust you."

"I hope so," Rose sighed. All she wanted right now was a relationship with Cora. She wanted to get to know her daughter. She had already missed too much time. She needed to make up for it somehow.

"And to be completely honest, I think right now you have a better chance at her forgiveness than I do," Jack admitted.

"I doubt that," Rose protested. "Your her father! You've been there for her her entire life!"

"Exactly. I lied to her, repeatedly," Jack replied. "You did one thing wrong, and it wasn't even your fault. You probably have a better shot at forgiveness."

"I just hope she comes home to you soon so we can figure out what we're dealing with." Rose leaned back in her chair.

Jack nodded. "Me too." As he said that, the front door opened, and Cora walked inside, gently closing the door behind her. "She's here. I gotta go."

"Let me know what happens," Rose said eagerly. "Bye."

Jack hung up the phone and stood up. He approached Cora, wanting to give her a hug, especially after how worried he had been about her. Cora stood in front of him and closed her eyes for a moment, as if gathering strength. "I understand why you lied. I do," she began slowly. God, she looked so sad. It was breaking Jack's heart. "But it doesn't change how much it hurt me that you did." She paused, looking at Jack. He looked so sad, so concerned. "I'm just not ready to forgive you yet. I don't know when I will be."

Jack nodded. "Okay. Take your time."

Cora started heading upstairs. "You can invite her over for dinner, I guess." Jack looked up at her, shocked. Cora responded to his face with a simple shrug. "She's my mother. We were gonna meet eventually, right?"

Jack smiled. "Right." Jack rushed back to the phone and dialed Rose's number.

"Oh no," said Rose. "That was quick."

"No, no," Jack chuckled. "It wasn't bad. She told me that she understands, but she's hurt and she doesn't know when she'll be over it."

"That's fair, I guess," Rose replied, thinking about what he had just told her. "I guess now we wait."

"Well, not exactly," Jack smiled. "She told me that I could invite you over for dinner." He paused, able to feel Rose's excitement through the phone. "So, what do you say?"

"I say I'm coming over for dinner," Rose smiled. She chuckled into the phone. "I really hope this goes well."

"Don't be nervous, Rose. You'll be great." Jack thought about the prospect of Rose and Cora becoming close, and he immediately smiled. "I'll see you then."

•••

After hours of stressing out, worrying about everything, doing makeup, brushing hair, and picking out an outfit, Rose was finally at Jack's. She couldn't remember ever being as nervous as she was right now. She wanted to just calm down and go inside. She knew that at the very least, Jack would always help her and try to get Cora to forgive her. But she was still insanely nervous.

Nervously, she brought her hand up to the door and rapped three times. She heard a set of footsteps approach the door- heavy, slow footsteps that could only be Jack's- and then the door opened. Jack stood there in pants and a button down shirt. "You look beautiful," he smiled, kissing her cheek.

Rose smiled nervously, ringing her hands. "I'm so nervous. I think I might pass out."

Jack chuckled. "Trust me, everything's going to be okay." He stepped outside and closed the door behind him. "You trust me, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Rose smiled, and she let the words sink in. She trusted Jack. He would never do anything that wasn't in her best interest.

"Okay, good," Jack chuckled. "I promise, no matter what she says or does, it'll be okay." He took her hand and motioned towards the door. "Let's go inside."

They walked inside, and Jack immediately walked to the kitchen. "Wine?"

"Thanks." Rose looked around at the house. The table was set for them, the house was tidy, but they seemed to be the only ones there. "Where's Cora?"

"Upstairs," Jack replied. He finished pouring the glass and handed it to Rose. "Let's sit for a minute."

They sat down on the couch, and Rose reached over to take Jack's hand. "How are you, Cora wise?"

Jack shrugged. "I don't know. I know she's hurt, but sometimes you just have to make the tough calls as a parent. She's not going to agree with every choice I make." He looked over at her and smiled. "Have I mentioned how beautiful you look?"

Rose laughed. "Yes, you have."

"Well, I'll say it again. You look beautiful," Jack smiled. He leaned over and kissed her. It was a chaste kiss, lasting a fraction of a second, but it still caught Cora's attention.

"Ahem," Cora cleared her throat, commanding their attention. They both looked at Cora for a moment, waiting for her to say something. Cora looked back at them, feeling completely uncomfortable, unsure what to do or say. She broke eye contact and walked to the dining room. "This is so weird," she murmured, loud enough for both Jack and Rose to hear.

Jack chuckled under his breath. "Come on, let's go eat."

"We have to start saving our kisses for behind closed doors," Rose whispered.

"Yeah, we do."

Jack pulled out a chair for Rose, and she sat. "Thank you."

Cora sat down in her usual seat, and Jack sat down in his. Okay, Cora thought to herself, Just pretend you're meeting your father's girlfriend. Be nice, give her a chance, don't say anything rude. But why was she making such an active effort for someone who seemed not to care about her? She didn't want to talk to either of them, and the more she thought about that, the angrier she got. Her anger was so blinding that she couldn't think about anything else, and she didn't even notice when Jack was calling her name.

"Cora?"

She looked up at him, stuffing her anger deep inside. "Yes?"

"Do you like the food? It's your favorite," Jack said. Cora glanced at her full plate and then looked back at Rose, who was drinking her wine, with a shy face. Cora sighed. It was an ordeal that would possibly last two hours, but then it would be over.

"So Cora, your father tells me you are one of the best students in your school," Rose said, her hands trembling as she cut her meat. She really wanted to have a relationship with her daughter but she needed to make Cora trust her and respect her. To make her realize she had no bad intention and was interested in getting to know her.

"I am. Seems like I turned out to be smart," Cora snapped and immediately regretted it. She looked at Jack, who was shooting daggers at her. "I mean yes, I usually get good grades." After a moment of tense silence she continued. "Where do you work? Are you a teacher or something?"

Rose smiled a little. "When I lost my memories, a kind lady helped me and gave me a job. I work as a maid. You know, dressing, cleaning," she then made the mistake of telling about Ruth. "Your grandmother, Ruth, is being absurd and is saying that I should stay with your father because it's our last chance for security. She's just being selfish," she chuckled nervously.

Cora's face twisted in anger. So that's why her mother was back! She and her own mother were seeking after his money, not because she regretted losing her memories! Both of them were stupid if they thought she wouldn't stand up against this! "So this is why you're back? You're sick of working as a maid?" she turned to Jack. "She's using you for your money! Why are you still with her?"

"Cora please," Jack sighed, rising from the chair to meet Cora's eyes. "She's not. Her mother is the one who is obsessed with money and security. I'll explain everything-"

"I don't need explanations," Cora said angrily, not even looking at Rose, who was staring on the floor, tears gathered in her eyes.

"Cora, please just sit down-"

"You know what? This was a stupid idea," Cora snapped. "I hope you enjoy throwing your life away by staying with her, when she doesn't even care about you." She stormed upstairs and slammed her door.

Jack and Rose were met by silence. Rose rubbed her eyes furiously. "I should go." She started heading for the door, and Jack followed her outside, begging her not to.

"Wait," Jack said, grabbing her arm. He closed the front door behind him. "I don't want you to leave. And besides, Cora has to realize that you're not looking for money. Hell, we aren't even rich!"

Rose sniffed. "I shouldn't have said that. It made her angry."

"You didn't do anything wrong, I promise," Jack told her, hoping the words would reach her. "She probably would've found a reason to be angry no matter what you said."

Rose nodded as Jack pulled her into a hug, letting her cry on his shoulder. "It'll be okay."

They sat on the front stoop for a moment, while Rose wiped her tears and stopped crying. "I know you want me to stay. I want to stay too," she began. "But forcing me down her throat isn't the way, Jack." She took his hand and held it. "I'll come back tomorrow, but tonight, Cora needs some space, and you need to talk to her."

Jack nodded. "Okay."

Rose touched Jack's hair, then his cheek, and smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too," Jack whispered, giving her a kiss.