I'll Never Let Go
A/N: I don't own anything from Titanic. It belongs to Paramount, and whatever else is related.
Chapter One:
"I love you, Jack," the woman said, her words slurred by her chattering teeth.
"Don't you do that. Don't you say your goodbyes, not yet. Do you understand me?"
"I'm so cold," the girl said softly.
"Listen, Rose," The boy said. "You're going to get out of here. You're going to go on and you're going to make lots of babies, and you're going to watch them grow. You're going to die an old, an old lady, warm in her bed. Not here. Not this night. Not like this, do you understand me?"
"I can't feel my body," Rose said.
"Winning that ticket, Rose, was the best thing the ever happened to me. It brought me to you, and I'm thankful for that, Rose. I'm thankful."
The girl started to cry, her tears icicles on her already freezing face.
"You must—you must...you must do me this honor—you must promise me that you'll survive, that you won't give up, no matter what happens, no matter how hopeless. Promise me now, Rose, and never let go of that promise."
"I promise."
"Never let go," the boy said, his teeth chattering.
"I will never let go, Jack, I'll never let go."
With a gasp, Katherine Townsend sat up in bed, her heart pounding. That dream haunted her. She didn't know who they were, only that they had been freezing, and one of them, the boy, was dying. As always, she woke up heartsick, her cheeks stiff with tears that she had cried during the night. She wasn't sure why that dream should mean so much to her. She knew that she'd never known anyone named Jack, much less promised him anything. She pulled the covers off of her, swinging her legs to the bare wooden floor. She padded softly into her bathroom, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She had curly red hair that fell to just below her shoulders. Her green eyes glittered like emeralds in the mirror, and her skin was creamy, with a sprinkling of freckles.
She smoothed back her hair, and as she did so, the engagement ring on her left hand caught her attention, and she scowled at herself in the mirror. The ring meant a life with Colin Bates, son of one of the wealthiest men in Maryland. I don't want to marry him, she thought, staring at the ring. Damn the fact that I have to marry some stuck up man I don't like, saving friendship. But, according to my mother, it's the life I was born into. Her green eyes filled with tears, and she sobbed unhappily into her arms.
*
"Dammit! When will they fix the damn roof?" Jason Patterson grumbled, as drops of water began to drip down onto his dirty floor. "I'm sick of this dump!" he yelled.
He placed a pan underneath the leak, then grabbed his keys and stormed out the door, going down to dirty, creaky staircase, smiling at Gretchen, the daughter of his neighbor, Anne. Anne was arguing heatedly with the superintendent, while Gretchen sat on the floor of the mail room. Jason unlocked his mailbox, smiling down at the girl as he did so.
"How's my best girl?" he asked.
"Good, Jason," Gretchen responded, smiling at him.
He pulled out his mail, tousling Gretchen's hair as he walked out of the mail room. Bills, junk mail, and what's this? He wondered, staring at the plain white envelope. It was addressed to him, the logo of "Harrison School" in the upper left-hand corner.
A flash of recognition made his blue eyes open wide. Harrison School. That's where I applied, hoping that they'd accept me and be my ticket out of this dump. I hope they liked my artwork. He managed to contain to contain his curiosity until he was back in his apartment. He tore the envelope open, quickly scanning the letter.
"I got in!" he cried, reading the letter again to make sure he hasn't been imagining things. "I got in!"
*
There was a knock at Katherine's door, and she looked up from the book she'd been reading.
"Come in," she called, a trace of annoyance in her words.
One of her family's maids, Samantha, entered, carrying an envelope in her hand. "For you, Katherine. It arrived a few minutes ago."
"Thank you, Samantha," Katherine said, then dismissed her.
She stared at the envelope. Harrison School. The art school. I wonder if I got in. She smirked. Mother won't like that. She's adamant I be the ideal fifties type of wife. Not me. She opened the envelope, reading the letter it enclosed. As she read, a grin spread across her face.
"I got in," she whispered.
A/N: I don't own anything from Titanic. It belongs to Paramount, and whatever else is related.
Chapter One:
"I love you, Jack," the woman said, her words slurred by her chattering teeth.
"Don't you do that. Don't you say your goodbyes, not yet. Do you understand me?"
"I'm so cold," the girl said softly.
"Listen, Rose," The boy said. "You're going to get out of here. You're going to go on and you're going to make lots of babies, and you're going to watch them grow. You're going to die an old, an old lady, warm in her bed. Not here. Not this night. Not like this, do you understand me?"
"I can't feel my body," Rose said.
"Winning that ticket, Rose, was the best thing the ever happened to me. It brought me to you, and I'm thankful for that, Rose. I'm thankful."
The girl started to cry, her tears icicles on her already freezing face.
"You must—you must...you must do me this honor—you must promise me that you'll survive, that you won't give up, no matter what happens, no matter how hopeless. Promise me now, Rose, and never let go of that promise."
"I promise."
"Never let go," the boy said, his teeth chattering.
"I will never let go, Jack, I'll never let go."
With a gasp, Katherine Townsend sat up in bed, her heart pounding. That dream haunted her. She didn't know who they were, only that they had been freezing, and one of them, the boy, was dying. As always, she woke up heartsick, her cheeks stiff with tears that she had cried during the night. She wasn't sure why that dream should mean so much to her. She knew that she'd never known anyone named Jack, much less promised him anything. She pulled the covers off of her, swinging her legs to the bare wooden floor. She padded softly into her bathroom, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She had curly red hair that fell to just below her shoulders. Her green eyes glittered like emeralds in the mirror, and her skin was creamy, with a sprinkling of freckles.
She smoothed back her hair, and as she did so, the engagement ring on her left hand caught her attention, and she scowled at herself in the mirror. The ring meant a life with Colin Bates, son of one of the wealthiest men in Maryland. I don't want to marry him, she thought, staring at the ring. Damn the fact that I have to marry some stuck up man I don't like, saving friendship. But, according to my mother, it's the life I was born into. Her green eyes filled with tears, and she sobbed unhappily into her arms.
*
"Dammit! When will they fix the damn roof?" Jason Patterson grumbled, as drops of water began to drip down onto his dirty floor. "I'm sick of this dump!" he yelled.
He placed a pan underneath the leak, then grabbed his keys and stormed out the door, going down to dirty, creaky staircase, smiling at Gretchen, the daughter of his neighbor, Anne. Anne was arguing heatedly with the superintendent, while Gretchen sat on the floor of the mail room. Jason unlocked his mailbox, smiling down at the girl as he did so.
"How's my best girl?" he asked.
"Good, Jason," Gretchen responded, smiling at him.
He pulled out his mail, tousling Gretchen's hair as he walked out of the mail room. Bills, junk mail, and what's this? He wondered, staring at the plain white envelope. It was addressed to him, the logo of "Harrison School" in the upper left-hand corner.
A flash of recognition made his blue eyes open wide. Harrison School. That's where I applied, hoping that they'd accept me and be my ticket out of this dump. I hope they liked my artwork. He managed to contain to contain his curiosity until he was back in his apartment. He tore the envelope open, quickly scanning the letter.
"I got in!" he cried, reading the letter again to make sure he hasn't been imagining things. "I got in!"
*
There was a knock at Katherine's door, and she looked up from the book she'd been reading.
"Come in," she called, a trace of annoyance in her words.
One of her family's maids, Samantha, entered, carrying an envelope in her hand. "For you, Katherine. It arrived a few minutes ago."
"Thank you, Samantha," Katherine said, then dismissed her.
She stared at the envelope. Harrison School. The art school. I wonder if I got in. She smirked. Mother won't like that. She's adamant I be the ideal fifties type of wife. Not me. She opened the envelope, reading the letter it enclosed. As she read, a grin spread across her face.
"I got in," she whispered.