COLLIDE

Chapter Two

"Miss? Miss? Come on, when am I going to get my food?"

Rose sighed and wearily walked over to the angry yet very annoying customer.

"I'll bring it out as soon as it's ready, sir."

"You took my order fifteen minutes ago. This is only a café, how long does it take?"

Rose bit her lip, trying desperately not to snap back that he was an impatient jerk. But she needed this job too much. Calm down, everything's going to be fine.

"I'm sorry, sir. But it's not ready yet and as I said before, I'll bring it out as soon as it's ready."

She didn't wait for his reply for fear that she really would snap at him if he made any reply at all. And that's how her days went, some were better than others, but all in all, her days were long and exhausting. Sometimes, she truly missed the maids and not having to do anything all day, but then, she had to remind herself that if she went back to her old life, she would be chained again. Then Jack's death would be in vain. Then she would be breaking her promise to him. That's what kept her going everyday. Jack's face, his voice filling her mind. It was comforting to know that that would never subside. He would always be there for her, even if it wasn't in the flesh.

Tired from yet another long day, Rose laid face down on her bed and let her mind run. It was hard to believe that her life had been so different only a month ago. A month ago, she was engaged, wealthy, and had tried to kill herself. Now, she was much happier away from that old life, but something was missing from truly being able to enjoy it. At least she could take everything Jack had taught her and put it to good use.

She reached underneath her bed and pulled out one of her most treasured possessions. She ran a finger across the picture. It was so vibrant and alive. The clear blue water reflected the exhilarating image of the roller coaster and the pier just ahead of it. She could almost imagine herself there, almost feel the sand between her fingers. She had an image of herself riding a horse right in the surf, and like Jack had said, riding like a man. It made her smile just to think of everything she was going to do. She had to do it for the both of them.

She exhaled loudly and carefully placed her picture back in its spot. Then she willed herself to sleep. She needed rest for another day's work.

"Jack, when did you draw all these?" Tommy asked, gesturing to the pile of papers on Jack's bed.

"Oh…uh…I've been drawing for the last month. I've just kept them with my things. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left them on the bed." He replied, moving to clean up his mess.

"Don't worry about it, Jack. Do you mind if I take a look at them?"

"No, go ahead."

Tommy flipped through each drawing, catching glimpses of experiences Jack had had on the ship. He recognized the third class dining room, their room, the dance hall on the ship. It relieved him to see that Jack was slowly remembering. The doctors on the Carpathia had told him that it was very likely that Jack would get his memory back; it was a question of when. When his eyes grazed across picture after picture of Rose, he felt a chill run down his spine. He had been to the White Star Lines office several times that past month. Rose wasn't on the survivor list. He had even seen headlines in the paper about Caledon Hockley mourning the death of his fiancé. Rose was gone.

Jack watched Tommy carefully as he looked through his drawings. There was something Tommy wasn't telling him. He was almost positive about this. Just the fact that Tommy seemed to get very nervous whenever he mentioned the woman was enough proof for him. Tommy knew exactly who that woman was, he just wasn't telling him. It was eating him up inside, having these dreams of a beautiful woman that he didn't know. He needed his answers and Tommy had no right to keep that from him.

"Who is she, Tommy?"

The drawings in Tommy's hand trembled slightly and Jack could see him take a deep breath.

"Jack, I already told you. I don't know."

"Damn it, Tommy! You're lying to me! I know it!"

Tommy shook his rapidly, as if trying to convince himself that he didn't know who Rose was.

"I told you, Jack."

Jack angrily slammed his hand against the wall, creating a furious echo throughout the entire room.

"You're lying."

"Jack…"

"No…you know what? I'm leaving. I don't need this. You're not helping me if you're not going to tell me the whole truth."

Jack began throwing his belongings into his bag and tore his drawings from Tommy's hand.

"Jack, stop. I'll go. Besides, I've told you everything I know. How much more can I help you? And if you don't want to be around me anymore, well, that's alright. I should be moving on anyways."

Jack took several moments to ponder this new development and finally realized that if Tommy was willing to go, then he should let him. Surrendering was far too easy and he really didn't feel like trying to find a new place to stay. Sighing, he set down his bag and sat down on his bed.

"Fine, Tommy."

Tommy nodded, knowing that it was probably best anyways. He didn't feel right about lying to Jack about Rose, but he felt it was the only thing he could do. After he had packed his things, he walked up to Jack and they shook hands.

"I'm sorry things worked out like this, Tommy. And thank you for everything you've done."

"It's alright, Jack. I understand; I really do. I hope your memory comes back soon."

Jack nodded and watched Tommy walk out of the door and out of his life. Sighing, he threw himself on his bed, suddenly feeling very empty and alone. Without a second's thought, he went downstairs and headed for the first bar he could find.

"Miss? Why haven't you brought my food yet?"

Rose closed eyes and forced herself to paste an insincere smile on her face. She turned around and found herself face to face with the customer. She felt his eyes run along the length of her body and she felt vomit rise in her throat. It never failed…almost every day she encountered this.

"Sir, I'll bring it out as soon as it's ready."

The man nodded and she noticed for the first time that he was considerably older than her. She barely held back a shutter and somehow managed to keep the fake smile plastered to her face.

The man reached out in attempt to touch her hand and she quickly reached for the pen in her pocket. Thwarted but not completely defeated, the man smiled slyly and tried to start up a conversation.

"So…you've been working here long?"

Rose eyed him suspiciously and quickly decided that this needed to stop now.

"Not very long, sir. And I'm not interested so you can stop, ok?"

"God, lady…I was trying to give you some attention. You look like you need it."

She just nodded and walked away. She knew it was the only thing she could do yet the man's words continued to roll through her mind. Was it true? She quickly ran her hands through her unruly curls and straightened her dress. She knew she didn't look that bad. But she was lonely. She guessed that was evident on her face to even a stranger.

She was sick and tired of the constant passes at her from male customers. She wasn't leading anyone on yet it still continued. Even if a decent man should ask her out, she didn't think she would be able to bring herself to do it. It just felt like a betrayal even though he was dead. The pain was still too fresh and she missed him more than she could ever express. It was worst at night, when there was no one. She was really alone at night. There was no one to hold her, no one to kiss her. But she didn't want just anyone. She knew who could fill that hole in her life and cure her loneliness. But he was gone.

"Want another one, Mister?"

Jack eyed the scantily dressed woman with disdainful eyes. He had absolutely no interest in what she was scandalously suggesting with her emotionless eyes. Despite this, he raised his shot glass so she could pour him another one.

"And miss? I'm not interested in any of your…favors, so you can just quit, ok?"

The woman snorted and haughtily replied: "Fine, mister. But you don't know what you're missing."

"No, I think I do." He shot back as he gulped down the drink. He smirked in his drunkenness as the woman walked away, swaying her hips to try to find the next potential customer.

"Don't worry about her, she's just working."

Jack turned around and was met by soulful brown eyes. The woman smiled good-naturedly and moved a little closer to him. Suddenly, he was severely uncomfortable and found himself inching away from her.

"What's your name?"

Jack cleared his throat and forced a smile.

"Jack Dawson."

"Abby Taylor."

They shook hands and Jack ran a hand nervously through his hair. He wasn't really sure how to act in these types of situations, yet he wasn't sure he wanted to either. While Abby started talking again, her brown eyes were replaced by vibrant green ones. Her blonde hair transformed into red curls. He found himself imagining that woman again. For some reason, talking to Abby made him feel like he was committing a betrayal. There was some connection with the green-eyed, ruby-haired beauty and he couldn't shake her image from his brain. Every woman seemed to transform into her to him and Abby was no exception.

"Listen, Abby, I really gotta go home now."

"Oh…why?" Her eyes showed her sincere disappointed and they seemed to plead for him to give her a reasonable excuse.

"I…uh…have to start looking for a job tomorrow. I really can't do that if I'm drunk, now can I?"

Abby laughed and said a quick goodbye to a relieved Jack. Without looking back, he walked out the door and headed back to his room. The effects of the whiskey still clouded his brain yet those eyes…that hair…that image was still perfectly clear and he fell into a drunken sleep, dreaming of that image.