(A/N: Hello everyone! I know, it's been almost a year since my last update and I do apologize! My computer had died and it took a while to get a new one, but I'm back with a new update! I'm sorry that the chapter is short, but I wanted to return to you and get an update up as soon as possible! I'm sorry for the long wait again and I thank you for your patience!)

One Year Later…

Flint, Michigan…

The stars were out and bright. Almost as bright as they had been a year ago on that cold April night...the night that had changed her entire life. Looking at them now, Rose couldn't believe how much her life had changed. She had started out as a lonely, Philadelphian debutante, trapped in a gilded cage, doomed to marry the cruel Caledon Hockley. Now, instead of being trapped in a loveless marriage, she was a heartbroken, single mother, living a life of what could be considered poverty, but to her, she had never been richer. She had her freedom, she had her daughter, and the only thing she was missing was...Jack. Her beloved artist...her hero. It's been a year exactly since she had seen him last, being swallowed by the darkness of the North Atlantic. Just the memory of that moment made her heartache.

Not only was it the anniversary of her new life as Lily's adoptive mother, but it was also to be their last night in Flint. Rose had decided that it was time to move on when she had spied a newspaper article covering the sinking and those that had perished. The article had been accompanied by a photo of herself at her coming out gala just three years ago. Of course, she no longer looked anything like the young lady dressed in a fancy gown and a sad smile, but if someone should take a close look and put two and two together….and if it had been someone that knew Cal...well it was too close to call and Rose no longer felt it safe to remain in Flint. She quickly informed the landlady, the fifth one they had since their flight from Covington after Rose could have sworn that she had seen an acquaintance of her mother's at the diner where she had worked, that they were no longer going to require the room they were renting and had quit her job a local diner just across from the boarding house where they stayed and had herself and Lily ready to go.

They had stopped at the train station before the park. Rose needed to know where they were to end up next. Where was home going to be now? She glanced over the destinations trying to make up her mind about what would be best. Somewhere even further from New York and the North Atlantic. Somewhere calm and slow-paced. Somewhere that she and Lily could do what they truly hadn't been able to do since the sinking. Rest. Somewhere to rest and to know that they were home...perhaps home for good. They have yet to find such a place and Rose had been hoping to find it now. After all, Lily needed stability and Rose had yet to provide that for her, no matter how hard she tried. There had always been a reason to run. She hoped soon that there would no longer be such a reason and she could finally find a place to give Lily what she needed.

"Where are we going to go next, momma Rose?" Lily looked at her with huge blue eyes that made Rose want to melt, once again. She had never thought she would ever feel love as deep as she had felt for Jack, but Lily had shown her that there was a love that was even deeper than romantic love and it was a love that she felt that she had never gotten from her own mother, yet had needed so desperately. She loved this child dearly and wanted to give her the world.

At that moment, it looked as if they did have the world to choose from. Rose eyed the list of destinations, wondering if a cross-country trip to Santa Monica would be in the cards, that was until her eyes fell on Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Jack's hometown. Now would be a great time to go to at least visit the small town, and perhaps get to know some more about Jack. Meet people that had known him in his younger days. See the places he had seen. Know the people he had known. It would just be a short stop and then perhaps she could head to Santa Monica and finally find herself and Lily a stable and permanent home. She should feel safe then. After all, California was clear across the country, far away from Philadelphia.

Making up her mind, Rose purchased two third-class seats on the next train to Chippewa Falls, her mind full of Jack and the short time they had spent together. Unfortunately, there were a few more hours for the train to depart, so Rose had taken Lily to the park across from the station and there they sat, just looking up at the stars, getting ready for yet another adventure.

"Do you think mama and papa remember me?" Lily asked, pulling Rose from her thoughts.

"I am positive that they do and they are watching over both of us right now. I bet they have somewhere nice and warm for us to go to, just waiting for us in Wisconsin," Rose sadly smiled, wrapping an arm around the child, silently thinking that her Jack was probably beside them, telling them all about Chippewa Falls and where to guide her. She had to wonder though, where would she be right now if Jack had survived. Would they have been in Chippewa Falls by now? Would they have married? Would Lily have been with them? Would they have made it to Chippewa Falls at all, or would they have headed to California straight away? Sadly, those were questions that would never be answered. All Rose could do was put one foot before the other and continue keeping her promise to Jack, which seemed to be such an insurmountable task, but she'll at least try. For Jack's sake...and Lily's as well.

"Look! A falling star Momma Rose!" Lily gasped, pointing up as a speck of light made its way across the sky.

"A friend once told me that a falling star is a soul going to heaven," Rose sighed, her mind going back to that night one year ago when the sky had been filled with falling stars. Or at least it should have been if what Jack said was true. Pulling her gaze away from the sky, Rose looked at her watch and gasped. It was almost time to board the train. "Come along, Lily. It's time to go to our next home."

"I'm tired, Momma Rose! Can our next home be our real one?" Lily rubbed her eyes, feeling exhausted and unsettled from all the traveling, from New York to Kentucky, from Kentucky to Ohio. From Ohio to Indiana, From Indiana to Michigan, and now from Michigan, to Wisconsin.

"We'll see," Rose guiltily smiled, feeling bad for all that she was putting Lily through. She wanted a stable, permanent home too, but she also needed to feel safe and secure in her new life and so far, she had yet to feel that way. She couldn't shake the feeling that her old life was chasing after her and she wasn't far enough away from it yet. Perhaps, she never would be, but she had to try.

Thirty minutes later, Rose and Lily were seated in their assigned seats. Lily was fast asleep, but Rose was wide awake, watching Flint fall behind her as the train headed for its destination. It wasn't until three in the morning when Rose finally drifted off to sleep herself after hours of remembering the horrors of Titanic and the moment she had been forced to let go of her beloved's hand, saying goodbye to him forever...or so she thought.