Chapter Forty-Four
It was daybreak, and Rose was sound asleep, beside Jack. Rose's birthday had been, by far, one of the best days in her life. After they had finished eating their cake in the restaurant the morning before, Fabrizio had taken them to his apartment, once he was on his break, and had given Rose a statuette, which was of an angel. She was fragile, since she was made out of glass, and her golden wings were spread out, as in her hands, she held a crystal. Her long, white dress, which also was made out of glass, glistened in the light. The skirt of the dress circled around the wooden base, as her golden hair went down her back. Her crystal blue eyes looked up, as a crown was placed on her head. Rose had refused the gift, seeing at how expensive it had appeared, and hadn't wanted to take it away from him, but Fabrizio had refused, saying that it was meant to be hers. Rose then embraced him and thanked him, saying that it was one of the best gifts that she had received that day. Rose treasured the angel, and once she had arrived home, had placed it on the dresser, in the bedroom, beside her jewelry box.
Later that night, Jack had taken her to private candlelit dinner, in the same restaurant that Fabrizio works at. They were placed in a room, away from the public area, where the table was set with candles, that were lit, and a perfect meal. Jack and Rose had enjoyed their meal, and had just stared into each other's eyes. The candlelight had put a warm glow to Jack's face, and had brightened Rose's face up. After they had their dinner, Jack and Rose headed back to their apartment, where they shared several kisses, and had gone to bed, where they cuddled up and had a dreamless slumber.
The sun shone brightly in the room, causing for Rose to stir slightly under Jack's embrace. She brought a hand to her face, as a shield, and slowly opened her eyes. She looked up, noticing that the sun was out and that it was Christmas morning. Rose stretched quietly and let out a soft, inaudible yawn, while she covered her mouth politely. After awhile, Rose turned to face a still sleeping Jack and smiled. His closed eyelids made him seem younger, as his hair fell upon his face. His mouth was partially open, as his chest rose and fell, taking shallow breaths. Rose smiled tiredly, and scooted closer to him, pressing her lips firmly on his own, as she felt him stir, but kiss her back in response. Pulling away, Rose gazed into a pair of blue eyes, which shone with love.
"Merry Christmas," Jack said, his voice hoarse, as a small, tired smile came upon his lips.
Rose smiled in return. "Merry Christmas, Jack," Rose said. "This is our first Christmas together."
"Yeah, it is," Jack said, stretching. He then leaned on his elbow, as his cheek rested on his hand. "What a beautiful way to be awaken. An angel, kissing me."
Rose smiled, and felt blood rush up to her cheeks. "Well, I do have my way to romance you," Rose said, running her fingers over his jaw.
"As do I," Jack said, leaning over, urging to steal a kiss from Rose.
Rose smiled as she pressed her lips on his, while Jack had given her a passionate kiss, which grew with intensity and love, as Jack had wrapped his arms around her. Rose placed an arm around his neck, as she felt Jack pull her closer to him. Jack then hovered over her, from under the covers, their lips still connected, and his arms still around her.
"Wanna go to the parlor room to see what Santa Clause had got for us?" Jack asked, smiling.
"Why not?" Rose said, smiling, as she uncovered herself, and slipped on her robe.
Jack slipped on his pants, and remained shirtless, while he placed two hands on Rose's shoulders, as he led her into the parlor room, where the bottom of the tree was filled with presents.
"Seems to me that we've been nice this year," Rose joked, as she looked up at him.
"Seems so," Jack said. "Why don't we open them?"
Rose giggled, as Jack let Rose sit on the sofa, as he scurried towards the Christmas tree, and took out a present, which was thin and light. Jack then sat beside Rose, as he handed her the gift.
"What's this?" Rose asked, perplexed. "It seems so…paper like."
"Just open it, and you'll see," Jack said, watching Rose with a smile on his face.
Rose looked over at him, then down at the present. Rose had then began to unwrap the gift carefully, revealing a few sheets of paper.
"Jack, what's this?" Rose asked, looking up at him.
"Read it," Jack urged, as he waited for her reaction.
Rose read the papers and immediately, a wide smile came across her face. "Oh, my God, Jack, we have our very own house!" Rose looked up at him, finding that he held a bright smile on his face, and moments later, she threw her arms around him, and held him close.
Jack chuckled, and held Rose close. "Yes, Rose, I bought a house," Jack said. "But read on. You'll find out where I bought the house."
Rose looked back down at the papers, and continued to read the last page, and suddenly her eyes widened. "We're moving to Santa Monica?" Rose looked up at Jack.
"Yep," Jack said. "We are. Once the baby's born."
"Oh my God, Jack!" Rose cried, as she embraced him again. Her eyes filled with tears as she held him close. "You did as you said you will. Oh, Jack, this is the best Christmas I ever had!"
"I promised you that I would get a house in Santa Monica, and I did," Jack said. "I don't break my promises. The Dawson's never break their promises."
"Well, I'm certainly glad that you're a Dawson," Rose said, her face bright with happiness. "I love you Jack!"
Jack chuckled. "I love you as well, my love," Jack said, caressing her curls. "And I'm glad to be a Dawson, just as I'm glad that you are too."
"I'm more than glad, Jack," Rose said, looking up at him. "I'm honored. There's nothing more I could ever want to be, than a Dawson. To me, being a Dawson, is like being crowned by a king or a queen. A Dawson, in my eyes, is a person who cares and loves a person for who they are, not what they are, and a Dawson is a person who keeps their promises, and does not break them. And most importantly, a Dawson, is a person who is free. Free to do what they will, when they will. They are never controlled by someone they hate or dislike, rather. That is why, I'm proud to be a Dawson."
Jack's lips curved into a small smile, as he brought his face closer to her, where he devoured her lips with his, while he had given her a lovely, passionate kiss. After he pulled away, he gazed into her eyes and smiled.
"And I'm glad to have you as my wife," Jack said.
Rose smiled and looked down at the papers. Her smile broadened, as she set the papers carefully on the coffee table, while she got up and went towards the Christmas tree, where she lifted a gift and looked up at Jack. She then waddled back towards him, where she handed him the present, and sat herself down beside him.
"Now, this is my gift to you," Rose said, smiling.
"Wonder what it is…" Jack said, looking down at the gift, turning it over.
"Well, open it and find out," Rose said.
Jack smiled, and did as he was told. He ripped open the wrapping paper, and revealed a square looking box. He pulled the lid open, as his smile grew. He looked up at Rose, his eyes shining.
"Rose…" Jack said, lifting a little silver plate, which had a message engraved onto it. It had a shiny surface, as a wooden base held the plate in place. "This is…beautiful."
"I had a message engraved," Rose said. "Read it."
Jack smiled and looked down at plate. "Jack Dawson, you are a man who has saved me in more ways than one. You are the man who has made me feel loved and cared for. You are the man who has taught me to live my life to the fullest, and that I should make each day count. You have freed me from my gilded cage, which had locked me in throughout my seventeen years that I have not known of your existence. You have made me know what it feels like to be free. Free as a bird. Having the ability to fly through the horizon whenever it feels like it. Just as you have taught me to fly on that magnificent, yet dreadful night. But one thing that you are, and always will be, Jack. You are my husband. My lover, my soul mate, and my best friend. You are there for me when I need you the most, and you're always by my side when I need a loving embrace. I love you Jack. I love you for who you are, in the inside, and I love you for who you are, in the outside. Either way, you're still the same Jack that I have met in the back of a ship. This is my message to you. I love you. From, Rose," Jack looked up at Rose, his eyes shining with kind laughter. He glanced down at the plate, then back up at his wife. "This is by far, the best Christmas present I have ever received. Thank you so, so much, Rose."
Rose smiled and nodded her head. "I knew you'd like it," Rose said. "I just saw that plate in a department store, and couldn't help but purchase it, and have a secret message engraved. Or, in that case, it's more like a letter, but it's still the same. There's just so much more I could do to express my love for you. And this is one way I could."
Jack shook his head, as he set the plate carefully on the coffee table. "There's no need for you to express your love to me, for I already know that you do. Just as you should know, that I love you just the same, if not, more," Jack said, caressing her cheek. "Rose, my love for you is probably worth more than the money on this world, and probably worth more than any diamond that have been made. I can't describe the feeling I have for you, nor could I describe the way I love you. It's more like a wordless meaning. Something that can't be defined in words, but in feeling and with our hearts."
Rose didn't have any words to say at the moment. She just looked over at Jack, and pasted a small, loving smile upon her face, where she closed her eyes and just felt Jack's fingers gently graze against her skin, as she cherished his touch. Her eyelids opened, and Rose couldn't help but smile up at him. She brought her hand over his and gripped onto it lovingly.
"Why don't we go up to mother's apartment," Rose said. "We could spend our morning there, then tell her the news, and then we'll head over to Annie's, then at Michael's…then, we'll have the night to ourselves."
"Hmmm," Jack said, smiling. "Sounds good to me."
Rose smiled and kissed Jack upon his lips. "I'll go get dressed," Rose said, as she got up, waddling towards the bedroom door.
"I'll go with you," Jack said, getting up, and following her.
"Of course you will," Rose said. "As you always do."
Jack chuckled, as he closed the bedroom door behind him. "I can't blame myself when I enjoy watching a beautiful angel getting dressed," Jack said, as he set himself down on the bed.
"Beautiful?" Rose asked, turning around, a smile spread across her face. "How in the world to you find me attractive?" Rose looked down at herself. "I'm practically a watermelon!"
"Well, you're carrying our child," Jack said. "And you're beautiful, no matter how you look. And you know as well as I do, that looks aren't as important as they seem to be."
"Well, still, I look like an ugly, fat, pregnant woman, who has a belly as the size of a watermelon, and may I add, weighs about a watermelon as well!" Rose said, rummaging through her dresses, as she pulled out an evergreen dress, with a velvety texture, and a silk sash. She then placed the dress on the chair, as she removed her robe, along with the nightgown she wore.
"You're not ugly, Rose," Jack said. "Stop saying that about yourself. You're beautiful, and just leave it at that. One more time you say something bad about yourself, you're gonna get it pretty bad later tonight."
"Oh, really?" Rose asked, her brow raised.
"Really," Jack said, stepping closer to her. "I don't like it when you say bad things about yourself. It makes me wanna make love to you more and more, until you feel more beautiful about yourself."
"And that's a bad thing?" Rose asked, looking over at him with a teasing smile upon her face.
"Well, not entirely, but still," Jack said. "I don't want you to say bad things about yourself. You know you're beautiful. I know you're beautiful. But your beauty is at the bottom of the list of things that I love most about you, for your beauty could be taken away, and I could still love you just the same. I love you for you, not for your looks. You should feel the same about yourself." Jack looked down at her, his hands on her waist.
"Okay, Jack, I will," Rose said, smiling. "I love you."
"Love you too," Jack said, pressing his lips on her forehead. "Now go on and get dressed. We don't wanna stay here all day, bickering over nothing."
Rose laughed and shook her head, as she went over to the mirror, to brush her curls.
As the two got ready, they made sure that everything was in place, before they got their gifts that they would give to Ruth, and left their apartment, heading up the staircase, to spend Christmas with Rose's mother.
The day passed by quickly, and before anyone knew it, it was already ten o'clock at night. The two had a wonderful day at Ruth's apartment, as well as Patricia's, and they had a big Christmas dinner. They had then given their gifts to Ruth and Patricia, and watched as they opened it. Rose had gotten a new dress for her mother, and Jack had given her a drawing of her, which he had drawn several days before. Patricia had received a dress and a drawing from Jack as well. The two gave them their gifts, which was a new jacket for Rose, and a new pair of pants for Jack. The two thanked them, and spent the rest of the day chatting.
Now, they were heading back to their apartment, where they were getting ready for bed. They were both exhausted and could hardly wait to sleep on their warm beds, cuddling against each other, as they usually did. Rose dressed in her nightgown, as Jack just removed his outer clothes, and slipped under the covers, beside Rose. He placed an arm around her shoulder, as he kissed her.
"Goodnight, my love," Jack said, smiling.
"Goodnight," Rose smiled. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas," Jack said, before shutting off the lamp, and lying down, pulling Rose close to him.
Minutes later, the two fell fast asleep, cuddled against each other, as both were glad to have spent a wonderful Christmas together.
A/N: I know it's short, but I'm sure you guys will LOVE the next chapter...review!