COLLIDE

Chapter Five

Jack watched his mystery woman carefully from his chair next to the bed. Through his artist eyes, he surveyed the features of her face, the soft texture of her hair, the slight smile on her lips. Ever since he had brought her back to his room after she had fainted, he had realized that none of his drawings had done her justice. She was far too beautiful to capture on paper. He had been watching her for almost the entire night and now it was nearly morning, but he wasn't the least bit tired. He was rooted in his chair, unable to draw his eyes away from the vision sleeping on his bed. If only she would open her eyes…

The dawn is breaking
A light shining through
You're barely waking
And I'm tangled up in you
Yeah

Suddenly, the angel's eyes began to flutter open, as if she had been reading his thoughts in her sleep. She turned slightly, now half-awake, and began to rub her eyes slowly. Then she shot up in bed, now well aware that she was not in her own room. She began to look around frantically until her eyes collided with deep blue ones.

"Jack." Her voice was almost inaudible and he had to strain to hear her.

He nodded in response and found enough courage to sit on the edge of the bed. She shied away from him slightly, and moved closer to the opposite side of the bed. Taking her obvious hint, he quickly took his previous seat and ran a hand through his hair nervously.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I just don't know what to do."

He smiled weakly and replied: "Neither do I."

Several awkward moments passed between them. Neither of them really knew what to say. Rose could only contemplate the fact that he didn't know who she was while Jack realized that this woman had all the answers. He didn't know how he knew this, he just knew. He also knew that there was something else there between them. They definitely had a past. But what was it?

Finally, in a gracious act, Rose broke the uncomfortable silence. "Well I suppose I should introduce myself to you," she paused, then laughed sarcastically before continuing. "My name is Rose Dewitt Bukator."

He put out his hand and she shook it in spite of herself.

"Nice to meet you, Rose. I'm Jack Dawson."

"I already know who you are." Rose replied with a smile.

He easily returned her smile, feeling more at ease now that the ice was broken between them.

She patted the spot next to her on the bed, despite her pounding heart, and he cautiously sat back next to her.

"Rose, I don't even know where to start…"

"It's ok, Jack. I understand. You don't know who I am and I get that."

He was silent, and at that moment, he realized something that he had missed before.

"When I met you in the park, the woman you were with called you Miss Dawson. But just now you told me your last name was Dewitt Bukator. Why is that?"

"It's a very long story, Jack. One that I don't think I'm ready to tell."

He paused, yet again, and tried to gather up his thoughts. There was definitely something with Rose. He just couldn't place it. He couldn't figure out exactly what his connection was.

"Well, you see the thing is, I've been having dreams about you. Every night actually. It never fails, it's almost like you're haunting me. I've drawn you at least once a day and I can't get your image out of my head. I know there's a reason for this. And you're the only one who can answer my questions."

Rose sat still, shocked yet touched by his words. So he did remember her, to some extent at least. It was comforting to know that he hadn't completely forgotten about her. There was still a connection. After all, he was having dreams about her as frequently as she dreamt of him.

I'm open, you're closed
Where I follow, you'll go
I worry I won't see your face
Light up again

"Jack, I don't know how to explain it to you. We only spent a few days together, but there's so much to tell."

"You mean you don't know me that well after all?"

"I've only known you a few days, but I feel like I've known you all my life."

Jack sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Suddenly, he wasn't sure what he was going to hear. Yet, he wanted to. He needed to hear what she had to say. He needed the answers that only she could give.

"Tell me, Rose. Tell me everything."

Rose sighed and began her recollection: "We met on the Titanic. I was a first class girl, engaged to be married actually, and you were in third class. I remember the first time I saw you. You saw me from the third class deck and just stared. I couldn't help but stare back."

She paused, trying to determine if he was remembering any of what she was saying. "Do you remember any of this, Jack?"

He shook his head sadly before replying: "I'm sorry, Rose. I wish I did, but I don't."

She nodded in understanding and continued their story: "I tried to jump off the back of the ship later that night. You pulled me back over. You talked me out of it. That moment changed everything for me. That was the moment you gave me a second chance. I suppose the rest is just details really. What's most important is that you taught me how to live, you taught me how to love. We fell in love, Jack. Deeply in love. I even told you I was going to get off the ship with you. But then the iceberg happened and we were separated in the water. I thought you were dead."

Jack sat next to her in complete silence. Her words slowly registered in his brain and he felt tears forming in his eyes. They were in love. He had loved her. She had loved him. But everything was different now. But then again, the only thing that had really changed was his memory. You don't remember feelings, you just experience them. He still loved her. His dreams and drawings were clear proof of that.

"Did I ever tell you that…"

"No, we never said that. But I always knew. It's what's gotten me through the last couple of months. Some days were harder than others, though, because I've never known for sure how you felt, how you feel about me."

He swallowed nervously, in a poor attempt to slow his racing heart.

"Rose, I…"

Then something took over him. He couldn't understand, but maybe he didn't have to. He leaned forward and kissed her with all the love and passion within him, as if to make up for lost time, as if to tell her that he still had feelings for her, that he still loved her. Rose was surprised at his move at first, having not expected him to get that close to her. But she quickly returned the kiss and met him with equal love and passion. The kiss seemed to go on forever, and without either of them realizing, he slowly moved on top of her and the kiss intensified.

To her horror, Rose remembered her 'delicate condition' and quickly pushed Jack off of her. He wiped his mouth and could only stare at her in a mixture of pain and confusion.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I just think we're moving too fast for now. It's been so long. I just want to take this slow."

He nodded and pulled her closer to him, and kissed her lovingly on the forehead.

"I'll wait as long as you want me too. I'm not going anywhere, not anymore."

She smiled and was quickly engulfed in a hug from Jack. But her smile faded as she remembered that sometime she would have to tell him. And then he wouldn't want her anymore. He wouldn't hold her like he was now. He wouldn't kiss her like he had before. He wouldn't want to have anything to do with her. But she didn't have to tell him right away. She wanted to savor these moments for as long as she could, because she knew that once she told him that she was pregnant with another man's baby, he would kick her to the curb faster than she could comprehend.