Chapter 20

The couple bobbled in the freezing water, as peoples' cries and pleas diminish as time passed. One lay on a piece of paneling, the other in the water.

"I love you, Jack..." Rose says, as a feeling of despair began to hang over her.

"No, don't say your goodbyes, Rose. Don't you give up. Don't do it." Jack says, shivering as most of his body was in the water, despaired he couldn't get on the piece of paneling himself.

"I'm so cold..."

Jack looked at Rose, as if she might just give up, right there in the middle of the cold Atlantic. He tries his best to give her hope during this difficult situation. "You're going to get out of this...you're going to go on, and you're going to make lots of babies and watch them grow, and you're going to die an old lady, warm in her bed. Not here, not tonight. Do you hear me?"

Rose could no longer feel the cold air, as if she could feel she was slowly dying. "I can't feel my body."

"Rose, listen to me. Winning that ticket was the best thing that ever happened to me. It brought me to you. And I'm thankful, Rose, I'm thankful. You must do me this honor...promise me you will survive...that you will never give up...no matter what happens...no matter how hopeless...promise me now, and never let go of that promise."

"I promise..." Rose could feel a tinge of sadness coming through her.

"Never let go." Jack reminds her.

"I promise I will never let go, Jack..I'll never let go..."

Fifth Officer Lowe had just finished transferring passengers into the next lifeboats, then goes searching for any survivors.

"Hello! Can anyone hear me?!" he yells at the now eerily quiet sea, as the echoes only answered him back.

"Careful with your oars." another officer says. Lowe continues to search for anyone still alive, even though he knew the chances were pretty grim at this point.

"There's not one alive, sir." one officer says.

Well, keep looking! Keep checking them!" Lowe barked, as officers carefully rowed their boat through the now deceased passengers. "Keep checking them!"

Something catches his eye in the corner, Officer Lowe shines his light. He sees a man, lying on a door, as his hand slowly goes up.

"Row over there."

"Careful, now, lads." They carefully made their way through the frozen corpses, even moving some, until they came to Jesse, barely conscious, and very close to death. They quickly check his pulse.

"Bring him in. Quickly but carefully lads!" Lowe ordered, as they slowly and carefully lift Jesse's nearly lifeless, frozen body into the boat, then carefully laying him down on the seat. The rowing officers quickly take off their heavy coats, for they were fully warmed up, then they carefully wrap him up.

"You're alright now, son. You're safe here now." They softly told him, as all they could do now was pray for him at this point. One of the officers almost immediately recognizes him, as he gently strokes Jesse's once beautiful face, and had a tear in his eye. He remembered how he was extremely nervous at the sight of this man, while he was sifting through his soft hair for lice and checking his papers before he boarded. The rowing officer stifled a sob at this once beautiful young man, as he had a lot going for him, but now, he was laying lifeless, and nearly frozen, fighting for his life.

Wait until the White Star or the Board of Trades hears about this! the officer thought, as Lowe continues calling out to anyone who are still alive, even if they're clinging to life, like this young man.

"We've waited too long, sir." one officer says, as they continued rowing; past a frozen mother and her baby.

"Well! Keep looking! Keep checking!" Lowe barked again, then swallows hard, looks back at Jesse, then continues, "Is there anyone alive out there? Can anyone hear me?"

Around them, the dark, frigid night was eerily still, the freezing water still lapping around them. The only thing keeping these two lovers alive up until this point are the sounds of the water lapping around them and a song, and Rose's determination.

"Come Josephine, my flying machine…" Rose's once beautiful voice, now barely an audible squeak from the cold as she looks above at the stars. The stars she wanted Jack to take her to, that he promised her just only hours prior, before the ship collided with the infamous iceberg. Now it felt like it had been a long time since it happened; it didn't feel like it was recent. So much had happened since that time. Everything she remembered is now at the bottom of the frigid Atlantic.

"And it's up she goes, up she goes…"

"Is there anyone alive out there…?" a voice called, seemingly faraway. Rose slowly turns her head, with a slight ray of hope. A light scans the sea of graveyard.

"Can anyone hear me?" Collecting herself, she begins to shake Jack.

"Jack, there's a boat." She says as she tries to get up herself. Her hair tearing away from the frozen wood, she shakes Jack again. "Jack, wake up. There's a boat…" she began.

"Please, Jack." she begins to sob, trying to shake him awake, hoping his cuffs would help. "Jack, wake up." Rose's heart begins to break.

He can't be dead, not tonight! No! Even though it felt like it had happened a long time ago he had promised her all the things they would do together once they disembarked Titanic in New York. Trips to the Santa Monica pier, drinking cheap beer, riding the roller coaster rides until they threw up, riding horseback on the beach, the stuff she'd rather do than be a rich girl, as she was already leading a rich life with Jack, and Jesse.

Slowly, Rose puts a finger on his neck, trying to feel even for a slightest pulse, and was relieved he was still alive, but he was barely clinging to life. He told her he was a survivor after losing his family, and then making it out on his own. Jack began to mumble incoherently, though very softly Rose could barely understand what he was saying. She slowly leaned in closer, just in time to hear him say, "Can't a man get some sleep?" until he mumbled some more. Rose felt ecstatic, but she knew she had to act fast.

The light begins to fade, just like the hopes of Jack surviving the night.

"Come back." she squeaked. "Come back. Come back." She knew she had to help herself, and Jack at this point, or she might really lose him once and for all.

"I'll never let go." She lightly kissed Jack's hand, before mustering all her strength to get off the piece of the ship's paneling, and at the same time holding on to Jack, so she doesn't lose him in the water.

With all her might, she swims to the dead officer, where she takes the whistle out of the man's mouth. She blew on the whistle with all her might to attract the boat, as she knew both of their lives counted on their survival.

"Come about!" Lowe shouts, before returning the boat to the couple.

First, they reached Rose, who was nearly frozen, then they gently pulled her in the boat, after trying to plow carefully around the deceased people in the sea.

"…Jack…" Rose says, very weakly, as officers remove her heavy water-logged lifebelt, and throws it overboard, leaving her extremely vulnerable to the cold now.

"What's that, love?" one of the officers asks, but Lowe quickly shined a light, as Jack was moving very lightly, just barely enough to catch their attention. They quickly but carefully row to Jack's position.

"He's just like this young lad. Quickly lads, but carefully now! Pull him in!" And just like they did to Jesse, they carefully lifted Jack out of the water and laid him down on the seat next to Jesse, then quickly wrapped him up too. Luckily, they had some extra blankets from the previous passengers, who were now warmed up from the rowing they endured.

"Better say a prayer for these two young lads." an officer says, as he was wrapping blankets on both Jack and Jesse's bodies, to try and retain whatever body heat they had.

"Put these three together, so they can share what body heat they have left over." They give Rose an extra blanket, wrapping her in it, and carefully lays her down between Jack, and unknowingly to her, Jesse, on the seat, and the officers covers the three people with blankets again. Jack lightly shifts, as if settling in the blankets, before laying still once more, as the boat begins to move again, and the officer thought he saw a small smile coming from Jack. Soon, Rose begins to see daylight, the stars begin to fade and soon gave way to purple-orange morning glow. As she lays there, between Jesse and Jack, she was lulled by the voices of the officers that went on, sounding almost like one continuous noise, and the rocking of the boat made her sleepy. She was relieved she had Jack by her side now, and all she needed to do now was rest.

They had made to salvation, but unbeknownst to her, this was just the beginning.

A/N From here on out, it truly gets into the alternate universe. While some things will stay canon to the movie, such as Lake Wissota (1917) and the amusement park at Santa Monica (1916), the rest will stay true to history.