Hello everyone! I am so sorry that I haven't updated this story in 7 years! OH MY GOSH HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?! Anyway, I have the rest of the story written from 2014, so I am going to post it all here now for you to finally have closure. I really hope you like it and once again, I am so sorry it took me 7 years to get the rest of this story on here. I put my heart and soul into this story and I am eager to share it with you. Thanks for sticking around and hanging in there!
-BubblePenguin
Disclaimer: I do not own Titanic, just this story.
The Search for True Love: Chapters 12 - 19 (the end)
Rose's POV
7:00am
In the morning, I wake up and hear the murmuring of voices out in the hallway. I muster up the courage to peek out the door and see what's going on. Down the hall, I see two young men talking. Their voices are louder now, but I still can't make out what they're saying. As I peer closer, one of their faces comes into view. It's Robert. He is excitedly talking to the man across from him, like they're discussing something very important. I wonder what he's so excited about.
-EARLIER THAT MORNING-
Jack's POV
6:30am
I awake to the sound of knocking on my door. I get out of bed and sleepily walk over to see who it is. To my surprise, I find Robert, the man I met last night, looking very jittery and excited about something.
"Jack! Look, I'm sorry, I know it's early, but there's something I have to tell you!" he says with enthusiasm.
I yawn and rub my eyes. What on earth could he be so excited for that he has to tell me this early in the morning?
"Just wait here for one minute and I'll get changed into some different clothes," I tell him.
"Alright," he says, "Come meet me by my room, number 470, when you're ready.
I nod and turn back inside my room. I grab one of the outfits Pierre brought when he led me here and put it on. As I walk down the hall, I try to come up with possibilities of what could be so exciting, but my mind is blank. I have no idea what's coming. Hopefully something good!
473... 472... 471... ah, here it is, room 470. I see that Robert left the door ajar.
I push open the door, "Robert?" I say, "What is it you need to tell me?"
"Jack!" he comes running. He steps into the hallway and shuts the door behind him. "Your name is Jack Dawson, right?" he asks me.
"Yes," I assure him, feeling baffled.
"I know someone on this ship that is looking for you!" Robert says, with a huge grin on his face.
This is getting strange. It can't be Rose. Is it Cal?
"Who?" I ask, becoming more interested in what he has to say.
"Someone by the name of Rose," he says, hardly containing his excitement.
Rose's POV
The man across from Robert suddenly screams out my name.
"Rose?!"
He sounds like Jack! I swing open the door and run into the hallway.
"Jack?" I yell in their direction. Both men turn to look at me.
There, just a few feet away, was Jack. I stand in shock for a moment and see his expression mirroring my own. I sprint down the hall and jump into his arms. He picks me up and twirls me around. In my state of disbelief, all I can do is cry and laugh while he continues twirling me. He kisses me over and over again, saying how much he's missed me and how he was worried I hadn't made it.
I look up at him with my tear-stained face and say what I've been holding onto this entire time, "I'll never let go, Jack."
He smiles and starts crying and laughing too. Robert just stands back and watches us as we keep holding each other. I feel like this moment will never end. Suddenly, as if this magical moment were a nightmare, Jack is torn from my grasp.
Jack's POV
A strong force pulls me away from Rose. I squirm out of the man's grip and turn around to face this monster. It's Cal.
"You!" he screams at me, "I thought you were dead!"
"Well, you thought wrong!" I tell him, angrily. He starts coming after me again and we begin fighting. He punches me in the face.
"Rose is mine!" he yells through gritted teeth. I move away and push him to the ground.
"She will never, EVER be yours!" I yell back. Cal rebounds and sends me flying against the wall of the hallway.
"She's just a spoiled first class brat, anyway," he taunts, with a smirk on his face.
Passengers start filing out of their rooms, most in their night clothes, to investigate the scene playing out before them. A few men try to come in between us, but I shove them out of my way. I pounce back on Cal and slam his head on the floor.
"Don't you ever insult Rose again!" I say with heated cheeks and heavy breath.
My anger is radiating off my body in heat waves. I sit back for a moment as Cal regains his strength. I take this moment to get up. I run down the hallway and out to the back of the ship. Cal follows suit, and the crowd that was watching comes along. I haven't seen Rose in all of this, but I think it's better that I haven't. I can't imagine seeing how horrified she must be right now. It would break my heart.
Rose's POV
The crowd moves outside, following Jack and Cal to see what's going to come next. I wearily follow, upset and worried about what is to come. Cal makes the first move and charges toward Jack. I look away and cover my eyes, afraid of what I might see. Bang! Someone hits the railing. Splash! Someone falls overboard. Should I look? I slowly uncover my eyes and look in the direction of the noises. I see Jack's body slammed against the railing and Cal looking down at the water below. I take advantage of the sudden pause and rush over to Jack. I put his face in my hands and look him over.
"Jack? Jack, what happened? Are you okay? What happened?" I ask him frantically, searching for answers.
Jack winces and looks up at me with distress on his face, seeming to be in pain.
"Robert... Robert, he... he jumped in front of me and Cal... charged, trying to hit me... but he hit Robert... instead," Jack looks away, ashamed.
I peek over the railing and see a sinking, bloodied body in the ocean.
"Jack, look at me," I tell him softly, "Please know that this is not your fault, okay? This is not your fault."
"Yes, it is," he says, tears welling in his eyes, "If it wasn't for me, Robert wouldn't have gotten in this mess and wouldn't have been... killed."
Jack starts choking on his words and I start crying.
"I love you," I tell him through my sobs. We lay there on the ground, me crying, and him wincing in pain and regret.
Cal makes his way over to us and I can tell he's upset, too.
"That Robert guy, he was a good guy, you know? He didn't deserve to die. Not like you do," he says glaring in Jack's direction.
This arouses him and he gathers the strength to stand up. "You know what, Cal, do what you want with me. I don't want to fight you," Jack says, holding his arms out in defeat. I briefly smile up at him with my tear-stained face.
"I don't care about your little pity party going on, here," Cal says, clearly annoyed. He continues with a smirk, "If you're too wimpy to fight, maybe Rose will take your place." Jack starts to tense up in anger.
"No she will not! You'll never lay another finger on Rose if I have anything to say about it!" Jack says, as he starts warming up.
I frantically pull on his sleeve and say, "Don't listen to him, Jack! He's trying to get you to fight him!"
He looks down at me with a worried expression.
"Rose, I have to do something or he'll hurt you!" he tells me.
"No, Jack! Please don't do this," I beg him. In a split second, the love of my life, Jack Dawson, is laying on the floor in front of me... unconscious.
Jack's POV
I struggle to open my eyes. I squint and look to see where I am. For a moment, all I see is whiteness around me. Then, as my eyes begin to adjust, I see that I'm lying on a bed in a small, white room. There's a port hole on my right, a door to my left, and a chair in the corner next to my bed. The door has a small window and I try to lift my head to peer through. A sharp pang rings through my head, so I put it back down. I search my brain to remember what could have happened to me to put me in this place.
A faint memory forms in my mind: ... a fight... Rose... me falling to the ground.
Now I remember!
Cal slammed me to the ground and my head banged against the floor on deck. What day is it? Where is Rose? I again try to look out the window of the door. I see a woman in a nurse's outfit talking to a red haired young woman. Rose! I start lifting my head, but again feel the harsh pounding and put it back down.
"Rose!" I squeak out, "Rose!" My voice is too quiet and hoarse for her to hear me. She has a concerned look on her face as she talks to the nurse.
Rose's POV
"Why can't I go inside?" I ask the nurse, growing more frustrated each passing minute.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Dawson, he needs time to heal," she tries to reason with me.
"Please?" I beg her, glancing inside Jack's temporary room. He's awake! He's looking right at me!
"Look!" I tell the nurse, "He's awake! Can't I go talk to him?"
The nurse gives an exasperated sigh, "I suppose that since he's awake, you may go speak to him."
"Thank you so much!" I tell her as I smile and open the door to greet Jack.
"Rose!" he squeaks out.
"Oh, Jack, you sound awful! Are you okay?" I ask. I walk over to him, sit on the edge of the bed, and hold his hand.
"I am now that you're here," he tells me as he smiles up at me.
I laugh slightly, "I mean, are you feeling alright?"
"My head hurts a little, but I think I'm fine," he reassures me.
"Good," I say, "I can't imagine what I'd do if I lost you again." My eyes fill with tears, not daring to think about losing him.
"I'll never leave you, I promise," he says sincerely, looking up at me. The nurse walks in, breaking off our conversation.
"Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Dawson, but I must inform you that we've just docked in New York," she tells us.
I turn to look out the small window across the room and see that indeed, we have stopped moving.
"Wow! I didn't even notice!" I say with excitement written on my face, "Thank you for telling us, nurse," I say, turning back to face her.
"We'll begin unloading passengers shortly," she says politely, as she steps back into the hallway and shuts the door.
"New York, huh? This is so exciting, isn't it Jack?" I look at him with the largest grin on my face.
"It sure is, as long as you're with me," he says, squeezing my hand.
Jack's POV
Rose sits next to me on the small "emergency room" bed and we talk for about thirty minutes, then the nurse walks in to give us news.
"The 'Carpathia' will begin unboarding first class passengers starting in five minutes. You two can unboard whenever you're ready. Take all the time you need," she tells us. Rose turns and thanks her and she leaves with a nod.
"Jack," Rose turns back to look at me, "do you think you're able to stand and walk yet?"
"I should be alright now," I say as I begin sitting up. I feel a slight pounding sensation in my temples at first, but it starts to fade. I stand up and feel good enough to walk around. Rose and I walk to her stateroom first to gather what little belongings she has left to take with her.
"Okay, that's everything," she tells me, carrying one arm load, "now let's go get your stuff."
"I don't have anything left to get," I shrug, "all I need is you." I reach over, hug her, and snatch her belongings out of her arms.
"Hey! I can carry those, you know!" she says, with a playfully stern look on her face.
"I could never let a delicate little flower like you carry all of this heavy stuff," I tease her with a smirk.
"Fine. You can carry my stuff this one time, but that's it," she smiles as she grabs my free hand. We walk toward the front of the ship to leave and start our new lives.
"Look! The Statue of Liberty! I can't believe we finally made it to America," Rose says, happy to be home.
I look down at her smiling face and know there's no one I'd rather be with for the rest of my life.
Wait a minute... the rest of my life...
"Rose?" I say, drawing her attention to me, "I forgot to ask; why did the nurse call us Mr. and Mrs. Dawson?" I give her a questioning look.
She looks up at me sheepishly, "I guess I forgot to mention; I didn't want Cal or Mother to identify me, so I told the man making the passenger list that my name is Rose Dawson."
"That explains why the captain couldn't find your name on the passenger list!" I say, finally understanding. "I'm sorry I changed my name. If you're uncomfortable or don't like-" Rose begins.
I cut her off by kissing her. I pull away and laugh, "That's the perfect name, but we have to make it official."
She looks at me in astonishment.
"Rose DeWitt Bukater Dawson," I say, getting down on one knee in front of everyone around us and all of New York, "Will you marry me?"
Rose's POV
In this moment, time stops. Seeing the love of my life down on one knee, asking me to marry him is a once in a lifetime experience. I've never loved anyone so much. My emotions overtake me and I start crying and laughing. This is the happiest moment of my life.
I nod, "Yes, yes, yes, yes," I say over and over again as I hug him and bury my face in his shoulder.
He lifts my face up and kisses me, with joy apparent on his face.
"You've just made me the luckiest man in the world," he tells me with pride.
"No, you've just made me the luckiest girl in the world. I love you so much, Jack," I tell him, meaning every word.
We get up and turn to look back at the 'Carpathia' one last time. We give silent goodbyes to the ship and captain that saved us and brought us back together. A crew member nearby comes up to congratulate us on our engagement. We both thank him, and as he turns to leave the scene, a thought crosses my mind.
"Sir?" I ask the worker.
"Yes, young lady?" he replies.
I speak the question on my mind, "Do you know what happened to a man by the name of Caledon Hockley that was aboard this ship?"
"Yes, ma'am. He was sent to a small jail house here in New York for killing one man and assaulting another," he says officially. I turn to look at Jack, pleased at this news.
"And what about a woman named Ruth DeWitt Bukater?" I ask another question.
"She unboarded with the first class passengers, but appeared to be homeless," he tells me.
I cringe at the thought of my mother being left homeless, but this will be a good experience for her. I know she'll learn to survive. Maybe now she'll finally see what's important in life.
"Thank you so much," I tell the kind crew member.
"It's part of my job," he tells me with a wink.
On that note, I turn to Jack. "Thank goodness we don't have to worry about them anytime soon," I say, smiling.
"Even if they do come after us, I'll never let either of them lay a finger on you," Jack tells me, squeezing me into his side.
"Now," he says with excited determination on his face, "Who's ready for an adventure?" Jack looks at me, prepared to face the world.
"I am!" I reply, grabbing his hand and running.
"Woah! Not so fast! After all, I'm the one carrying your stuff!" Jack teases.
I stop running and grab my belongings out of Jack's hand. I toss everything in the water.
"Who needs this stuff, anyway? It's time for a fresh start. Just you and me." I reach up and kiss him lightly.
"I like that idea," Jack says in reply. Then, being the child that he is, he shouts, "I'll race you to the Statue of Liberty!"
I laugh and chase after him, shouting "I'm going to win!" With that, we have officially begun our new, adventurous life together. I've learned to take life as it comes at me... to make each day count.
The End
Thank you all so much for all of the love and encouragement I received on this series. I really enjoyed writing it and giving Jack and Rose their own happy ending. I hope you enjoyed this series as much as I did and I want to say thank you again for hanging in there and for being so patient while I finally got around to posting the rest of this story. Titanic will always have a place in my heart (my heart will go on, as you could say.) I love you all!
-BubblePenguin