Its been a while since I did a one shot. This is literally one of my most favourite scenes and no amount of words can do it justice but I do just want to try to capture some of the power behind it.

Unable to Stay, Unwilling To Leave.

Jack watched as Rose looked on in fear. She was trembling within his arms, still clinging to his shirt and even in the midst of trouble and chaos, looked helplessly stunning. All about them, people were screaming messages for loved ones, while others began to rush the boats causing a massive push and crush. Repeatedly, he heard the officer yell, "Keep back." One woman clutched her child tightly to herself as she was lowered into the boat. His heart started to sink; this would be the moment. The moment he knew would come.

Jack knew Rose had to go, but he wasn't prepared for the deep and nauseating feelings that he had, as he thought of being separated from her once again. As he had remained handcuffed below decks, he imagined himself drowning, never knowing that she would soon be there. It was only for her, that he kept alternating ways to get out of the handcuffs; screaming for help, rattling his hands upon the pipe, even trying to pull them off, even if it meant harming himself. He had only just started to accept his fate, when her dim screams had come to his ears and echoed about a corridor filled with floating debris. In that brief moment, he had actually believed that the freezing water had begun to give him hallucinations, until it was quite clear that it had been her voice; Rose had saved him but it was in that thirty or so minutes, alone; Cal had achieved his wish, that was the only thought he recalled consistently in his mind, as he had been left to drown. To freeze to death. All there had been was for him to think; of her. Of how he had been framed for the diamond. And how, more than anything, regardless of what happened to him, he had only wanted her to know the truth; that he was never a thief. That he was an honest man who cared deeply for a wonderful girl. Then, he had heard her voice as she raced to find him. His heart had filled with joy and admiration all the more at how she had risked her life to find him. Remembering how much he loved her, his arms instinctively surrounded her shoulders, trying to keep her warm and safe.

Suddenly, gunshots erupted across the deck, and Jack saw the weapon waving in the air. Looking quickly at Tommy and Fabrizio, he ordered, "You guys better check the other side." They both seemed to hesitate for a second, until he added, ''go!''

Rose stared intently at the scene around her, and a new panic seemed to arise in her eyes, one Jack was unable to explain. She saw how a man was saying goodbye to his children, perhaps knowing that he would never see them again.

"It'll be fine, darling. There'll be another boat for the daddies. This boats for the mommies and the children. You hold Mommy's hand and be a good little girl."

Jack secured his grasp upon Rose in the crush of the crowd. Now, he knew all too well what was to lie ahead for them. There wasn't going to be enough lifeboats for all aboard; even he knew that. Those men stood back, were almost waiting to die, or to fight for their lives. He would have to pick a destiny, almost, one he had secured Rose first.

"I'm not going without you."

He turned around, to find Rose's eyes firmly focused on his, determination mixed with fear still evident in them. At first, he couldn't believe his ears. What was she thinking? It was her complete way to safety. Still, her words echoed what he already felt in his heart. He didn't want her to leave, but knew she had to. Forcing back his own tears, he persuaded her, "No. You have to go."

She shook her head. It was the one task he could hardly bear to accomplish. Her devotion and willingness to stay with him moved him beyond words, but his main mission was to keep her alive. Why had fate suddenly dealt him a bad hand? "No, Jack."

"Yes. Get in the boat, Rose."

Tears seemed to well up within her eyes, and she simply stated again, almost begging him to give her the permission she needed, "No, Jack."

"Get in the boat, Rose." He was firmer now. Adding an edge that he hoped would propel her forward but knowing that it wouldn't until-

"Yes, get in the boat, Rose." Cal approached them through the crowd. Quick glances of dread and hatred were exchanged between him and Jack. It felt like a punch in the stomach, even more painful than Lovejoy's earlier to Jack. Caledon Hockley was certainly the last person he desired to face at that moment in time.

Looking back to Rose, Jack saw the fear she felt when Cal was nearby. It was the same fear he had seen as he had escorted her back to their staterooms the night they met, just two nights before, and a lifetime ago. Anger started to unravel his calm composure, as he pondered how Cal must have treated Rose after he had been led away in handcuffs. He fought them back, and made his grip on her hand tighter, not wanting to let go and not wanting to lose her again. The surprise in his Rose's eyes matched his own.

The arrogant man's eyes raked her appearance over like a fire. "My God, look at you. You look a fright. Here, put this on." He tore off his coat, throwing the steerage blanket aside. Jack grew more flustered, his blood boiling beneath the surface. Even now, Cal was more concerned with appearances than Rose's life. She shrugged into the garment as Cal tried to smooth her hair down and smiled, as though it was regular.

Jack could no longer tolerate it and tore her away from his grasp. The task was almost impossible now. "Go on. I'll get the next one!"

"No! Not without you."

"Get in the boat. I'll be all right. I'm a survivor, remember?" Jack urged her, hoping to convince himself that he was indeed. All he saw reflected in her eyes was the same fear and the same dread that was tearing at his own soul. She wouldn't budge, and continued to hold on with great force to his arms, desiring to never leave him. He didn't want her to go, but now it was a matter of life and death, a time for him to not be selfish. The heart which had struggled to beat, now beat for her and once she was put to safety, he was going to find a way to survive and to be with her again.

Cal moved toward them again, taking a deep breath before he spoke. "I have an arrangement with an officer on the other side of the ship." He looked at Jack for a moment. The only thought that crossed Jack's mind was the arrangement was for just Cal and Rose. For a brief moment, though, he could have sworn he saw compassion and understanding in the man's dark eyes. "Jack and I can get off safely." Then, looking once again at Jack, realising he had to say it, he told them, "Both of us."

Rose looked to Jack for some reaction, unsure of what to believe and what to fight. Every fibre in her being told her to stay with him, no matter what, even if it meant her death. Jack looked down at the deck, gathering whatever strength he could muster. He didn't know how he found it, and he certainly was unsure how he should interpret Cal's honesty. Still, to his own shock, he was willing to work with Cal in order to save Rose, letting her live the life she craved, and which he had already obtained. "You see? I got my own boat to catch," he shared, barely able to voice the lie. It was evident to them all how he was struggling to be untrue with his words, but her survival was all that mattered.

"Go on. They're almost full," Cal pleaded, as Rose's deep blue eyes darted between the two men, wanting to flee from Cal, and never wanting to part from the man she loved with all her heart.

Suddenly, a hand roughly grabbed her arm, and dragged her toward the edge, toward the boat that would leave her with one last memory of Jack Dawson.

"Step aboard, miss."

She could feel her body fighting the man's force as her feet went with him, the fear urging them onward. Glancing back, she quickly took hold of Jack's hand as she stepped into the boat. Just that tiny bit of contact with him reached into every part of her soul. Their eyes locked, and for the first time, Jack realised the sadness she had felt just days before on the stern. It was the same as he was feeling at that moment. With a paralysing force, the steward shoved Jack away, unlocking their final grasp on each other. Rose's breath caught with a sob, and the sadness took hold of Jack's heart. About her, sounds muted and then came in waves. The cries of children, the groan of the ship as it slowly submerged beneath the endless depths of the North Atlantic. Already passengers had started to jump from the great heights into the freeing waters and their wails joined the rest in a frightening symphony of death. She had felt the ice of the water. How it crippled her every move just as Jack had said, but navigating her way to free Jack from below decks had been worth it. Each and every wave, every knock and cut which had marked her body. Her eyes locked on Jack and how he seemed to slip away from her. The lifeboat jolted, sending her stomach flying down as it began its slow descent to the icy waters where it would row them endlessly into the unknown. The davits trembled, the ropes slowly and evenly lowering the boat containing not half as many people as it should have even though it felt as though it would buckle beneath their lighter weights. The boat was filled with mothers and their children; waving goodbye to their husbands and fathers above.

It was clear then. The destiny of those remaining on the ship. It was slim. If that.

Cal would claim an agreement with an officer, he would step into New York safely, but he wasn't the one who was clutching at her heart.

"Get back! Lower away!"

With only unspoken words flowing between Jack and Rose. He watched her briefly, nodding as an encouragement that everything would be all right.

Then, he quickly remembered the despair of the situation as Cal remarked while watching her go, "You're a good liar."

He waited until her eyes looked down to observe everything around her. "Almost as good as you." His eyes couldn't leave their view of her. Jack decided to speak the truth he knew was evident. "There's…uh…there's no arrangement, is there?"

"Oh, there is." Jack looked up, surprised. Maybe he had underestimated Cal. Then, whatever hope he had was dashed by the triumphant sneer in those eyes of hate. "Not that you'll benefit much from it."

A dagger reached through Jack's heart, as now he let every ounce of dread, fear, and heartache that he had kept hidden from Rose overflow his senses. Still, the contempt he felt for Cal blocked his tears from forming. The older man turned to stare at him, and Jack could see just a twinge of guilt in his own reflection.

"I always win, Jack, one way or another." Then, Cal turned back to watch Rose's departure from the ship, cherishing the thought of their reunion and inevitable marriage. Jack would accept him winning this fight, but all others, they would come.

For a moment, Jack's heart nearly stopped. The full range of emotions he was feeling couldn't contain themselves anymore, and the tears welled up within his crystal eyes. Turning back, he watched Rose with awe and admiration, trying to remain strong in spite of the shattering and pounding of his heart. He didn't want to waste one second of his precious last view of her.

It all seemed to be going in slow motion, all sound fading. The cries of the men around dwindled down until it was just him and Rose, and the passion he felt ripping like a torrential flood through his soul. Never in his life had he ever met or felt as connected to anyone as he had become with Rose within these last two days. Suddenly, her eyes looked up to him, wide with disbelief and misery. They were filled with despair, and pleaded to have him with her.

Jack would have given anything to be with her, to hold and comfort her. He didn't know why God did the things he did, but he knew God had brought them together, even if just for such a short time, for some reason. Still, he felt angry at everything, deep down inside him. Angry at how, even despite their willingness to be together, they were still being kept apart, their hands and spirits being ripped from each other. He just watched her for endless moments, praying he would be with her again, but mostly praying she would be safe and warm. Her auburn hair blew as she gazed up at him, while descending away from him at the same moment, the fear and love shining with a fire, bright in her soul, through her eyes back at him. Even in the midst of chaos, with her shaggy and ransacked appearance, she was stunningly beautiful to him. Jack could almost see her wall fall. A rocket burst outlined both of them in a halo of light, making Rose appear even more of an angel in his life. She had saved him, and given him so much. He needed her more than he thought she needed him.

Jack's face was ethereal beneath a beautiful array of white flairs which seemed to centre in the black sky about his handsome face. Those pale blue eyes which Rose was terrified to have looked her last into closely, were lined with tears unshed. Clutching the hand which he had locked his fingers around before been thrust apart to her chest, she couldn't detach the gaze from his own.

God knows how much it hurt to be parted from him.

God knows when she would see him again.

If ever.

Something happened then. A decision. A flutter. A movement.

Then, she was moving, lunging across the women next to her and the mass crowd of people gasped in shock or awe as she was going.

''Rose, what are you doing?'' He reached down the ship, as though his hand could touch her there. Jack knew what she was doing as she jumped across to the deck of Titanic, barely clinging to the side of the ship as the men pulled her over onto the sinking ship. His heart nearly burst, both from jubilation and terror. She wouldn't be safe anymore.

Cal yelled, "Stop her!"

But Jack stared down after her. "Rose! What are you doing?"

But she was beyond his vision, running to where he stood. He couldn't stand to just wait. He had to hold her, comfort her, and love her. Throwing the blanket down, he raced to the staircase.

His heart was pounding, and he didn't even notice the man he nearly cast aside as he raced inside the ship. The only thought in his mind remained firmly fixed on how Rose left behind all safety to jump back on board. Why had she? To any other witness, it would appear she had lost all sanity, but to Jack it was the most moving gift possible. He shoved through the crowds, unable to even see anything else other than her. He was frantic, from almost losing her and now, of worry. Slowly, tears poured freely from his welled-up eyes, unable to comprehend or fathom what really swept through her mind. He was racing, frantically flinging the doors open, and desperately searching for her among the terrified passengers. The last he saw of her, she was crying and clinging to the side of the ship. His feet carried him down the flights of the Grand Staircase almost as if he were flying. Then, he saw her as she moved haphazardly through the crowds. With her hair flying freely around her face, its long auburn curls smooth as usual, tears pouring down her porcelain cheeks, and an uncontrollable sob emerging from her. There was nothing more that he wanted to do than to hold her in his arms forever, and never let go.

They collided into each other's arms, breathless for a moment. It seemed as if Rose could easily collapse into his arms, then and there, incapable of going on through her own tears. Jack lifted her with his strength, supporting her not only physically, but through the love evident in his eyes. He heard the soft cry she gave, and he clutched her ever so tightly to himself, savouring the silk skin close to him, the smell of her, the softness of her hair, and the warmth of her breath. Suddenly, he was mad. Seething. But God he was grateful to hold her.

''You're so stupid, Rose!''

He smoothed out her hair, listening to her cries. Nothing in the world mattered to him except for himself and the woman he adored and loved with all his heart. He pulled back for a moment, and put his hands on her pale cheeks, peering into the crystal eyes that conveyed everything she felt, her soul and his future.

"You're so stupid, Rose!" his voice yelled, amused and terrified, in between hurried, passionate kisses. Jack had never been one for conventional manners, and now was not the time, not when he was thrilled to be reunited with her, and as he comforted her.

"You're so stupid! Why did you do that? Why?" His voice broke, finally, consuming him, and his heart broke open there as he waited for her to respond.

The words she wished to say, were terrifying, but she knew what they were and, so did he.

Rose sighed, fighting back the tears and fear. Her hands fumbled for a moment in his shaggy and tawny hair, and then began to brush lovingly across his smooth cheeks. She calmly told him her reply as she said the words that almost melted Jack's heart, despite the freezing conditions around him.

"You jump, I jump, right?" Her voice almost cracked with emotion as her sapphire eyes searched his for the same emotion.

Jack's hard determination crumbled as he heard her words. His own words recalled in his mind.

"But I'm too involved now. You jump, I jump, remember? I can't turn away without knowing you'll be all right. That's all that I want."

He kept hearing his own voice, over and over, in his head. Rose was willing to stay with him, no matter what lay ahead. She really felt the same things he always had for her, from that first day, and the feelings he only dared to let himself dream that she actually returned. Their social classes didn't matter. There were no longer any barriers to keep them apart. He loved her, and she obviously loved him. Rose would give her own life for him, fully aware it didn't have to be that way. At that moment, Jack made a silent vow to himself. His words would become reality, and he would make the sacrifice, if need be, in order to let her live the life she craved. His reply became the spoken promise to her, "Right."

She drew his head urgently to hers again, her lips quickly finding his as they stood at the foot of the staircase landing, warming his heart and soul. He embraced her even more tightly, burying his face in the blanket of her damp hair. His hands passionately stroked her neck, and he cherished the feel of her wanton grasp onto him. Every feeling he had experienced in the Renault now seemed magnified and more intense. He would never again let Rose and himself be separated.

"I couldn't go, Jack. I just couldn't go."

"It's all right. We'll think of something."

"I couldn't go. At least I am with you."

Glancing up, he thanked the heavens for giving him an angel to love and to hold on earth. Wells of tears threatened to burst forth from his own eyes, but it wasn't to happen. Suddenly, without warning, he saw the abrupt commotion on the landing above. Dark hair and black tie spun through the air and silver reflected brightly in the lamplight. Cal's face came into view while he aimed the gun directly towards the back of Rose. He looked like a man who had lost all sign of reason.

Fear enveloped every fibre in Jack's body. He had never imagined fulfilling his vow then and there. Having been so absorbed with his declaration and commitment to her, he had completely forgotten about the over-possessive and jealous ex-fiancé who liked to claim she belonged to him. Shoving Rose aside and grabbing her hand, his terror showed in his yell, "Come on! We've got to move!"