April 15, 1912, Atlantic Ocean.

Rose stares up at the stars in a trance like state. Seeing yet not registering. Jack holds onto the side of the board, seemingly asleep. Rose has a hand above her head, clutching his hand. The screams, had turned to shouts, which had turned to cries, which now turns to silence. There is nothing. Only silence. Near all voices were now silenced by death. The board is slowly drifting and bobbing around in the water, so the sky of stars Rose sees is slowly turning. She slowly starts to sing, "Come Josephine...in my flying...ma-chine,...And its up she goes...up she goes. ...Come Josephine." A faint light shines on her face but she barely registers it. The is moves away from her face.

"In my flying..." The light hits her face again, brighter this time. She moves her eyes to the light and slowly turns her head. He frozen hair ripping from the board as she does so. Her breath is raspy and off. She hears a distorted voice and she can barely pick out what it's saying "Hellllo! ...A...one ...ive ou... ...th..re!?"

Everything is blurry and in slow motion. At first she wonders if she is dead and thinks, "Is it an angel to take me to heaven? Am I dead? Is it a boat?"

Her vision clears a little and she can clearly make out the boat. She lightly shakes Jacks hand and whispers "Jack."

Rose smiles, knowing they have been saved. He doesn't move. She lifts her head and reaches to tap his hand with her free hand. She whispers as loud as she can manage, "Jack."

Silence, "Jack!"

She looks back at the boat and sees it turning away. She grabs Jack's arm and shakes it, "Jack! There's a boat!...Jack."

He still remains completely still. There are ice crystals frozen in his hair, on his eyelashes, and under his nose. There are no puffs of warm air coming from his mouth or nose. Rose's face falls as the realization hits her. He is not asleep. Jack, her Jack, is...dead. No. It can't be not after surviving so much. She shakes his arm harder and his head rocks right and left. She grabs his hand again, "Jack."

She shakes it furiously and as loud as she can manage, she croaks out, "Jack!"

Her tears begin to fall and she knows he is not coming back. She twists his hand and sobs, "Jack. There's a boat, Jack...Jack?"

She looks up at the boat again and sees them rowing in the opposite direction. She closes her eyes and rests her head on her and Jack's hands, ready to accept her fate with Jack. Then she remembers. The promise. Her eyes fly open. She can't die. She can't not try. It was Jack's dying wish that she not give up, "Come back."

She turns her head and looks at the boat rowing away. He voice is so weak she can barely hear it herself, "Come back!"

She lifts her head from the board and croaks, "Come back! Come back! Come back!"

The officer shouts in the other direction, "Hello! Can anyone here me?!"

He clearly has not heard her. With all her strength she tries to shout. It comes out a whisper, "Come back! Come back!"

She looks down at Jack. She has to leave him. She rips her hand that is frozen to his out and pulls his hands from the board. She holds them in hers, "I'll never let go. I promise."

Rose kisses his hands and lets them go. She watches his face disappear into the depths of the Atlantic. He looks so peaceful as though he really could be sleeping...a sleep he would never wake up from. A sob escapes her throat. She squeezes her eyes shut and then opens them with a determined look. She turns her head to the side and begins to inch her way off the board. She plops into the freezing waters and gasps in shock. She begins to swim, shivering and shaking to Officer Wilde. Dead and clinging to a deck chair with a whistle frozen in his mouth. She pulls herself half onto the chair and rips the whistle from his mouth, shoving it into her own. She uses all the strength she can to blow. She keeps blowing and she hears the officer shout "COME ABOUT!"

Rose continues to blow and blow. She is blinded by the light shined in her face as the boat turns around but she keeps blowing. The boat reaches her and she recognizes the officer as Fifth Officer Harold Lowe. He reaches his hand out to her and she stops blowing. She takes his hand and he pulls her into the boat. Out of the freezing waters. Away from Titanic. Away from the bodies. Away from Jack.

One Year Later, April 13th, 1913, Santa Monica

Rose takes a deep breath and looks up at the gate of the Santa Monica Pier. She has tried her best over the past year to keep up with the promise she made Jack almost a year ago. It is that promise that keeps her going and keeps her getting out of bed everyday: The promise that Rose would live on, move on, keep going, fulfill all her dreams, make each day count, and...find love again. That last part is what worries her most. Jack had been the love of her life. How is she expected to find another, and to find another because her love for Jack lives on. She just doesn't know how.

The rest of it has been alright. Rose had gotten some acting jobs and is beginning to make a name for herself in the industry. With that and a side job as a seamstress, mending clothes poor people couldn't afford to replace, she is doing just fine. Rose is happy with her life but she still has a gaping hole in her heart that has not been filled and she doesn't know if it ever will be. Then again, it's barely been a year since the hole was torn open and it will take time to heal, if it ever does.

Now, a year since Jack had promised to take her here to Santa Monica Pier, to drink cheap beer, ride roller coasters till they throw up, then teach her to ride like a man, she has decided to fill that promise herself. Well, not really by herself. Jack will be with her in spirit. Rose knows her heart will break five times over today with the flood of memories and she will cry herself to sleep tonight but she has to do it.

Rose purchases herself a ticket and, soon enough, is inside the amusement park. It is such a happy place with rich and poor alike laughing and chatting on the streets. She looks to be on the poor side, which in a way she is, dressed in her simple yellow day dress and only a small, plain necklace. She has her hair swept up on her head in the same style it was a year ago when she walked on deck and talked the day away with Jack on Titanic.

Now, she stands, not sure where to go. Rose had imagined Jack being here as her guide. To show her everything from top to bottom, but he wasn't here. He wouldn't be here, not ever. Rose simply stands there as the crowds of people shoved past her. To them she was simply an 18 year old girl looking for some fun on a Sunday. No one would guess how much this Sunday means to Rose Dawson. No one would ever know that the man who promised to take her here and show her the world is now dead at the bottom of the Atlantic. Then again, there are a lot of things people don't know about Rose and a lot of things people never will know.

It is near to noon and Rose realizes she is rather hungry so she finds a small diner and walks in. She orders her food and starts eating, daydreaming of Jack and how life would be if he was here. She shakes her head. She's got to stop this. Whenever Rose is alone, and sometimes even with people, she finds her mind on Jack. Dreaming of him, missing him, feeling guilty of his death, seeing his face slip beneath the waves, or imagining what life would be like with him here. No matter how hard she tries she can't move on. Barely a day has passed this year whee she hasn't shed a tear for Jack. She mutters to herself, "Stop, Rose, stop. Jack wouldn't want you like this. Not now, not ever. You're here to have fun like he would want. To enjoy the things he promised you would. What would he say right now if he had a moment with me? He would say, 'Remember the promise. You promised me you would move on. Have fun, lift your chin and smile, I always wanted you happy even if it's without me. You have to live your life, it can't stop because I'm not there.' He would lift my chin and give me a light kiss before the moment ends. Now, he's not here so stop pretending he is. Move on, Rose."

Rose sighs and puts her hands in her head, trying to keep in the tears. Why was life like this? Why do all the good people die and the selfish snobs, like Cal, live on? She takes a deep, shaky, breath before realizing she feels a pair of eyes boring into her. She looks up and sees an old lady, sitting in the corner of the diner at a table by herself, staring at her. Rose stares back at the woman then shakes her head and goes back to her food. She glances back up at the lady to find she is gone. Disappeared without a trace. Rose raises her eyebrows. That was weird. She finished eating then goes back out to the pier.

Rose decides to ride a few smaller attractions than the roller coaster until her food has settled. After a few hours, Rose purchases a cheap beer and chugs it. It's rather disgusting but she was determined to stomach it. If Jack could do it, so could she. She then gets tickets for the roller coaster and stands in line. The longer she stands, the more nervous she becomes. She wishes Jack was here to hold her hand and either tease her for being a chicken or tell her it would be fine. Eventually, she reaches the roller coaster and gets in. As the safety strap is secured she finds herself more nervous then ever. The cart lurches forward and her hand flies out as she grabs the hand of the man next to her. She turns her head to him and sees him, a man of Jack's skin tone, with dark brown hair, almost black, about Jack's age, raising his eyebrows at her. She blushes and pulls her hand back, holding the safety bar instead. They are moving very slowly and she lets out a breath saying quietly, "This isn't so bad."

The man laughs,"Yeah you're right. That's cause we haven't started. Wait a minute and you'll be screaming."

She looks at him, puzzled, and is about to ask him what he means when the cars reaches the top of the hill and drops down at an incredibly fast speed. She screams at the top of her lungs and, unwittingly, grabs the man's hand again. The roller coaster twists and turns. Rose is screaming and laughing simultaneously, along with everyone else on the ride. Rose has never felt anything so exhilarating in her entire life. Well, that is, unless you count the final plunge of Titanic and it's breaking in half, but that contained only fear and no pleasure.

When the ride is over Rose is laughing uncontrollably and the man next to her is as well. Workers come by, releasing the straps and opening the gates. Rose stops laughing and steps out of the car. She turns to wait for the man next to her to get out as well so she can apologize for grabbing his hand. He steps out and looks at her. Rose opens her mouth to say something but nothing comes out. This man has some sort of odd effect on her that she had never felt before. She closes her mouth and takes a deep breath, "Forgive me for grabbing your hand. I didn't mean to. You see, I've never been on a roller coaster before and I was a bit frightened."

The man raises an eyebrow upon hearing her high society accent. Her posture, accent, and complexion all scream of high society but such a high up woman would never come to a place like this unaccompanied. He says, "It's quite alright. Now, if you'll excuse my I've really got to get back to work. I was only taking a short break"

She smiles, "Of course. If you wouldn't mind me asking, what is your job?"

He grins, "I'm an artist. I draw and paint landscapes of Santa Monica for souvenirs. I can do requests or people can buy ones I've already done. Feel free to drop by my stand, Miss. I sell custom for 50-80 cents a piece and pre-made ones range from 10-20 cents a piece."

Rose forces a smile. The mention of being an artist, along with the grin that reminds her of Jack, almost pushes her over the edge, thinking of Jack. She forces out, "Perhaps I will."

The man nods. He notices that the smile is forced and assumes that she wont, "If you do it's down by the ocean. I bit away from the stables."

Rose nods and smiles a more real smile this time. With that the man turns and walks away. Something about the man intrigues Rose and, even though she knows it will cause her pain, she makes up her mind that she will go visit the man at his stand after she rides a horse on the beach.

...

Eventually the sun begins to set and Rose makes her way to the stables. She had ridden the roller coaster two more times before she threw up the cheap beer. Then she had ridden several attractions and had an early dinner so she could ride a horse at sunset. Rose rents a horse for thirty minutes. She had done everything from walking to galloping sidesaddle on a horse, so how hard could cantering while "riding like a man" be?

As it turns out, Rose was right. They give you a quick lesson to make sure you are safe before letting you ride on the beach. Within a few minutes Rose was able to canter easily "like a man." She walks the horse out to the beach and looks at the setting sun. It's absolutely beautiful. She only wishes Jack was here with her. Rose sighs and urges the horse forward. It picks up a trot and with one more small kick and a tap of the crop she was given the horse takes off.

Rose had taken her hair down and put it in a ponytail, leaving her shorter curls down. Not the ponytail bounce on her back and the other curls flew out behind her. She had never felt anything more wonderful than this. She rides the horse up and down the beach until her half hour comes to an end. Then, she walks the horse back to the stable. A man asks her is she would like her picture takes for five cents and she agrees.

Another thirty minutes later she is searching for the artist's stand. She eventually finds it and makes her way over. By now there aren't many people left in the park and he is beginning to pack up. She stands a foot away and clears her throat to get his attention. He looks up and smiles when he sees her, "Hello, miss!"

"Hello again. I decided to stop by and see what you had."

"Well," he motions to the works of art surrounding him, "Here you are."

She observes the pieces then spots, leaning on one of the two chairs in the middle of the display, a portfolio that looks much like the on Jack had. Her heart skips a beat and she motions to it, "May I?"

He nods, "Of course!"

She picks it up and flips through. The works are incredible. The landscapes range from lakes to cities to the ocean. She looks up at him and he sits down on the chair next to her. Rose says, "This is incredible work. You really do have much talent."

He smiles, "Ahh, I've seen better."

She shakes her head, "You artists are so modest of your works."

Rose flips to one of a girl riding on the beach. The date is April 13th 1913, today. She looks at the curls and the outfit that matched hers. She smiles, "And who might this be?"

He blushes and says quietly, "You."

Rose's smile grows and her cheeks turn a light shade of pink. There is a silence and Rose breaks it by saying, "Do forgive me. I haven't introduced myself. Rose Dawson. It's been a pleasure to meet you."

The man smiles, "Calvert. Micheal Calvert."

They shake hands and Micheal says, "You said your last name is Dawson?"

Rose nods and he continues, "It must be a common name. I once knew a man with the surname Dawson. A few years back he worked with me here. He would sell portraits for ten cents a piece though they were worth more than a dollar. Then one day he decided he wanted to see more of the world and lit on outta here. Hasn't been back since. His first name was Jack. Jack Dawson. I wonder what became of him. He's probably famous by now."

Rose's face looses all color. She stands up and grabs the back of the chair to steady herself. She squeezes her eyes shut as the flashback threatens to take over. Micheal is in from of her looking worried. Rose opens her eyes. He is saying something but she can't hear. She can only see his lips moving. She hears a scream. Then another and another. She hears Jack shouting at her, "DO NOT LET GO OF MY HAND!"

She slams her hands over her ears and falls to her knees. The flash back subsides after she sees Jack disappearing into the ocean and she opens her eyes. She tentatively removes her hands from her ears. She sees Micheal kneeling in from of her, "Are you alright, Rose?"

Tears fill her eyes as she looks at him and she runs away. She doesn't know where but she just has to get away. She feels almost like she did the night she tried to kill herself on Titanic. Trapped, alone, and suffocated. Rose reaches a place the goes out over the ocean and runs all the way to the railing. She slams into it and gasps for breath. She looks down over the ocean the out at the sky that is now filled with stars. A sob escapes her throat, "Oh, Jack. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I just can't do it. You're my life. You kept me going on that ship but now I'm not sure the though of you is enough. I need you. All of you. You were the love of my life and there will never be another. You only get that once and I had it. Then I was stupid enough to lose you and I'll never get you back. I'll never stop loving you Jack. I'll never let go. I'll keep trying for you. I will."

She steps up on the bottom bar of the railing and looks down into the water. Then the image of Jack disappearing appears and she closes her eyes. Instead she pictures his face smiling when they walked on deck a year ago and looking at him when she fell into his arms at the party. She bites her lip to keep from crying again. A voice interrupts her thoughts, "Don't do it!"

She gasps and clutches the railing till her fingers turn white. She is determined not to slip into that far off world again. She forces out, " I'm not. I'm not even on that side of the railing. Don't worry."

She sighs and steps down from the railing. She turns to face Micheal, who's face is pale, eyes are wide with worry, and his hand is stretched out towards her. She looks at her feet as he lowers his arm. She brushes a stray curl out of her face and wipes a tear from under her eyes, "I suppose I owe you an explanation."

He nods, "I think you do...Though I don't want to you to have to be in pain. I-I-You don't have to."

Rose shakes her head, "No. It's only fair you know. You see...Jack and I...we were lovers. I met him year ago on board a ship and he saved me. You see, back then I was lost in life. I hated my life so much I was about to kill myself and he stopped me. Then I met him the next day again and got to know him. That day was a year from today exactly. On that day he promised to take me here and told me about how he sold portraits here for ten cents a piece. That night I acknowledged my growing feelings for him and almost kissed him but I didn't because I knew that would only bring pain to both of us, I was engaged. An arranged marriage and the cause of my misery. The next day both my mother and fiancee forbid me from seeing Jack. I had no choice but to obey. Later Jack snuck into first class and told me he loved me. I shut him out though, despite my feelings for him. I later realized I had to go back to Jack. I met him at the bow of the ship and we shared our first kiss. We spent the rest of the night as lovers and I fell madly in love. I had never felt so strongly about a man before. I told him I would leave the ship with him-"

Micheal interrupts her, "You didn't did you? You left him and broke his heart?"

Rose gives Micheal a piercing look, "I did leave the ship with him. I only left him for a moment. You have no idea what I've been through."

Micheal looks at her questioningly and Rose says, "Tell me, Mr. Calvert, how many people have you seen die?"

Micheal raises his eyebrows, "One."

Rose laughs a cold laugh, "I wish I could say the same. For me, it's 1,500."

Micheal's jaw drops open, "Go almighty! I'm so sorry."

Rose gets a far off look, "There was a terrible accident that night and Jack saved me. I saved him first then jumped back into the mess because I refused to leave him. Jack was willing to sacrifice himself for me and it did come to that. Jack Dawson is dead."

Micheal stares at her, "H-he's dead?"

Rose gives him a look cold as stone, "Yes. And don't you say you don't believe me. I watched the love of my life die for me. I could only watch as he slipped farther and farther away. I saw his face disappear into the abyss as I let him go. I would have gladly stayed with him and died myself but he made me promise I would try. It is my love for him that keeps me going and living."

Micheal opens his mouth then closes it, "I'm so sorry for doubting you. Thank you for telling me what happened."

Rose nods, "Good night, Mr. Calvert. Also, let me make this clear, if I ever see you again you will never again speak of this 'accident' that killed your friend and my lover."

"Of course. Good night, Miss Rose."

Rose turns back to the water and listens to Micheal's footsteps fade away. She looks up at this sky, "I love you, Jack. I always will."

She is about to turn away and go home when she sees something, a shooting star. She watches it till it disappears. She smiles, "Should I wish on it? I wish that I could go back in time to April 10th 1912 so I could save Jack. May it be by stopping him from boarding, stopping the ship from sinking, or some other way. Just a chance to save him."

With that she turns and starts to walk away when a voice stops her, "Did you really mean that wish? Do you really want it to come true?"

Rose turns to see the old lady from the diner. She answers confidently, "I'd give anything for it to come true. Even my life."

The lady smiles and nods, "Good."

Rose shakes her head confused. She turns and continues walking. She glaces over her shoulder to see the old lady has disappeared once more.

That night Rose goes to bed but thoughts keep her awake. She thinks of Micheal. She wanted to see him again but was also upset with how he had accused her of leaving Jack. She missed Jack and felt that by seeing Micheal again she was betraying him. Then again, Jack did want her to move on didn't he? Still, there would never be a time where Rose wouldn't choose Jack.

Then, he comment from the old lady disturbs her as well. What did she mean by it? Wishes like hers couldn't really come true right? Rose imagines being able to save Jack. There was nothing she wouldn't give to be able to do that. Her thoughts drift to Jack and the tears come again. Rose cries herself to sleep.

...

The next day Rose awakes to light flooding her room and a voice calling, "Miss Rose! You must get up! It's a big day today and we can't miss the ship."

Rose's eyes fly open. Trudy? That can't be! She's dead! Rose stammers, "T-Trudy?"

Trudy appears over her, "Yes, miss?"

"Wha-What's going on?"

Trudy frowns, "Don't you remember? We have the ship home booked for today. Are you feeling alright? You're pale as snow!"

Trudy places a hand on Rose's forehead. Rose stammers, "I-I'm fine. Would you mind telling me what ship we are taking?"

Trudy removes her hand and raises her eyebrows, "Now I'm worried. Mr. Hockley has been talking about it constantly. Titanic, of course!"

Rose's face grows even paler. Titanic? How could that be? Then again how could she be talking to Trudy. Then she remembers. The wish. Could it have possibly come true? There is only one way to find out, "Trudy, forgive me, what is today's date?"

Trudy gives Rose a quizzical, "Miss Rose, it's April 10th, 1912."

(A/N: I have seen many writers start stories with a similar prompt, so to speak, on several sights. Most are unfinished and I want to go a rather different way than those I have read. I hope you enjoy and please review!)