Chapter 35

November 23, 1921

Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

I had lost count of the number of times my sleep had been interrupted by the sharp cries of a newborn nextdoor. One moment, I was asleep against Jack's chest, warm in our bed. The next, we'd both suddenly wake to loud wails. Jack would always try to get up and take care of Joseph so that I could sleep, but I always ended up awake with him.

The number of times we woke up each night had decreased significantly, and now Joseph only woke up once a night. Waking up with a baby never bothered me, not with Mia and not with Joe. Now I knew from Mia, one day those wake up calls would end, and I would desperately want them back.

This was one of those very few nights when Joseph had woken twice. The first time was before Jack and I had gone to sleep, around eleven o'clock. Now it was the second time, and Jack and I were fast asleep. His cries filled my ears as I whined quietly, slowly waking up. "I have to get him before he wakes Mia."

I got myself out of bed and out the door, down the hall and into the nursery. Laying in the crib was the squirming little baby, crying loudly. I placed my hands on his small frame, right under his arms, and he immediately stopped crying. He simply looked up at me, and I instantly smiled. "Hi, baby." I lifted him into my arms and carried him to my bed.

As I slowly reclined on the bed, I accidentally woke Jack, who had fallen back asleep after I left. He lifted his head, pieces of hair falling into his eyes, and smiled. I laughed quietly. "What are you so smiley about?"

"Nothing," Jack whispered, propping himself up onto his elbows. "I can take him this time if you'd like." His eyes were glued to Joseph, who was suckling away. Aside from waking up in the middle of the night, Joseph was a very easy baby. He would always take a bottle, he would never fuss for too long, and he'd sleep when he was supposed to. Most of all, he loved his older sister.

Mia loved to stand over him and make faces, and Joe would always laugh. Jack and I would laugh too, getting so much joy from our children playing together, even while Joe was so young. Winter was starting to pick up again, and most of our time was spent in the family room by the fire, all spending time together. I was grateful for every minute with my husband and children, both knowing to appreciate every day and knowing how much it took to have the life I had now. It would never be something I took for granted.

"That's alright," I whispered back, smiling down at Joe. He was the spitting image of his father, with ocean blue eyes and sandy blonde hair beginning to form. I felt Jack move closer to me, wrapping his arm around me and kissing my temple. "Sometimes I have moments, when everything, all of the business, kind of stops, and I just think about how lucky I am, and how grateful I am to have this life with you… with Mia and Joe."

Jack stared into my eyes and nodded. "I have moments like that too." He took his free hand and touched Joe's tiny arm, tracing his finger down his tiny body, all the way to his foot. "Sometimes I wake up, and it takes me a moment to remember that I'm not alone anymore. That I have you, Mia, and Joe. That I have a family."

I looked up at him and touched his cheek. "And you always will," I whispered. I leaned over, about to kiss him, when Joe started to squirm and fuss in my arms. "He's fussy tonight," I acknowledged. "He isn't usually like that. Mia was the fussy one." I slid down on the bed, holding him securely in my arms.

"What are you doing?" Jack asked.

"This is something I used to do with Mia," I explained, lifting Joe and placing him on my chest. "She would fuss, and I would always put her against my chest, and she would sleep. She'd always fuss a bit more at first," just as I said it, Joe began to fuss. "But then, she'd finally calm down, and… she would sleep." Joe gripped the neckline of my nightgown in his fist and finally fell back to sleep.

I smiled down at the baby, then back at Jack, who leaned forward and planted a kiss in my hair. "Are you tired?" he asked. I could tell that he wasn't, that he was offering to take Joe so I could sleep a while longer.

I had a better idea. "No, I'm awake now," I replied, wanting to spend time with him. It was true; usually, if I was awake long enough with Joe, I wouldn't want to go back to sleep. "How about you?"

"I'm awake," Jack answered, his eyes bouncing back and forth between my eyes and the sleeping baby on my chest. His eyes quickly filled with concern. "Do you need another blanket? It's getting colder, I'm sure he's cold-"

"We're fine, Jack. I promise." I smiled and touched his cheek. I slowly rotated my body so I could rest against Jack's chest, in his arms. "Jack, you remember walking along the deck after the steerage party on Titanic, right?"

Jack's chest bounced ever so slightly as he chuckled. "How could I ever forget?"

"Well," I began, swallowing hard. "That night, we talked about what we'd wish for, we placed wishes on the shooting star. And you asked me what I wished for. I realized I never gave you an answer, though I suppose it was obvious, even then, what I was wishing for." I turned to face him, to look into his eyes. "I wished for you, for a life with you." I remembered when I finally told him to take me to the stars, to take me to where my dreams would come true, and he finally had. Here I was, in bed with him, with two beautiful children, living the life we wanted to live. "Thank you for making my dreams come true, for bringing me to the stars."

Jack smiled. "You brought me to stars that I didn't know existed," he answered, stroking my cheek. "You brought me to stars that I never even knew that I wanted. And now that I have them, I can't ever live without them again."

•••

I stood in the kitchen, trying to prepare dinner. Jack had been teaching me to cook for the last few months, and now I felt confident enough to cook dinner. Mia was sitting at the kitchen table reading out some of the instructions to me, which both helped me and gave Mia an opportunity to practice reading.

"Okay, the next step is to stir the pot," Mia read slowly but effectively. I had been slowly teaching her for quite a while. That was one thing that kept me occupied throughout my pregnancy. "Mommy, do you really know how to cook?"

I smiled at her, then picked up the long spoon to stir the pot. "Yes, I do know how to cook," I told her. "You know, I lived alone for a few months before marrying your f- marrying Cal. So I know how to cook some things, plus Daddy taught me a bit."

"If you say so," Mia shrugged. She picked up Bear and held him on her lap, petting his head and laughing as he moved around. "Hi Daddy!" She exclaimed.

I turned around, surprised to see him home so early. "Hi Mia," he ruffled Mia's hair, then walked over to me. I put my arms out and wrapped them around his neck. Jack wrapped his arms around my waist and gave me a quick kiss. "Hi," he whispered. He released me, getting a glass of water as I turned back to the stove. He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and kissed my shoulder. "What are you cooking?"

"Dinner," I said, as if it was obvious. "Have we forgotten Thanksgiving again, Jack? I'm fairly certain if you forget twice, they stop letting you celebrate it."

"I didn't forget," Jack whispered. "That's why I'm home early. I came home to cook dinner, but you seem to have beat me to it." I placed my hand on top of his, squeezing it. "What can I help with?"

"Everything's really done," I answered. "I just have to check on everything every few minutes. Other than that, everything is finished." I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned close to him, about to kiss him when the baby started to cry. "So close," I whispered. I let go of him. "I'll be back."

I went upstairs to find Joseph in his crib, squirming a bit in his little onesie. "Hi baby," I whispered, lifting him into my arms. I held him against me and carried him downstairs so I could sit with Jack while holding the baby.

I sat on the couch and cradled him in my arms. He was already three months old, and he had started squirming more and laughing. Watching Jack as Joe accomplished these things was one of the best parts of it. He would gasp, his mouth would turn into an "O" shape, and he would whisper, "Did he just…?"

It gave me so much joy to watch Jack fall in love with his son, the same way he fell in love with Mia. He loved Joe from the start, but we both fell more and more in love with both of our children with every hug, funny little comment, and lovely moment we shared with them.

Mia skipped into the room and stood in front of me. I touched her cheek, trying to pay attention even while I had the baby in my arms. "Can I sit on your lap?" Mia asked.

I sighed sadly. I wished I could pick her up and put her on my lap, but I had Joe in my arms and I didn't know where Jack was, so I couldn't give him the baby. I had been worried since the baby was born that Mia would feel abandoned or replaced now that there was a new baby.

Before I could answer her, Jack swooped her off the ground and sat down on the large leather chair with Mia on his lap. Jack continued to tickle her, while Mia laughed hysterically. I used to dream about this while laying in bed at the Hockley mansion, but I brushed it off, since I was sure it would never come true. Now, here I was, with a loving husband and two beautiful children; I had more than I could ever ask for.

•••

"Can you believe it's been a year?" I asked. I was setting the table, while Jack was holding the baby, bouncing him carefully in his arms. Mia was in another room, playing with Bear.

"It's flown by, it really has," Jack smiled at me, then looked back at Joe. "One year ago, your mommy and I had our second first kiss… and a few other things."

I blushed. "Jack!" I walked over to him and kissed the baby's head. "You're not going to remember any of this, right?" I spoke in a baby voice. "You're going to forget everything your very naughty father just told you." I stared at Jack fake-angrily, while he just laughed. "Let's try not to scare our children, alright?" I gave him a kiss on the cheek before returning to setting the table.

"It feels so quick now, looking back," Jack said, and I turned to look at him. "You arrived, and then only a week later, we were back together and knew we were in love. Then, soon after, we talked about how we wished we could get married and have children together, and how we knew we couldn't do those things… we obviously didn't know that this little guy was already there."

"Well, we fell in love in three days the first time," I answered. "That does feel rather quick, but it was real… all of it was. I knew from the night of the steerage party that I didn't want to marry Cal, and leaving that night without kissing you was damn near impossible."

"I wanted that too," Jack admitted. "But you know what? You were worth the wait." he walked over to me, wrapped his arm around my waist, and took my lips in his. I smiled, leaning against Jack and staring at the baby.

The baby looked more and more like Jack every day. He had a few blonde hairs on the top of his head, so light that they were almost invisible. He had bright blue eyes, even shaped just like Jack's. I hoped his personality was his, too. I could picture him carrying a portfolio under his arm and just wanting to draw everything. "He really looks exactly like you, Jack."

"Oh, come on," Jack chuckled. "He looks like you too."

"Maybe a little bit… not really, though," I smiled as I touched Joe's face. "It's alright. I already have a child that looks exactly like me. This one can look exactly like you. Besides, I wouldn't mind if he grew up to be just like you, too." I kissed Joe's chubby cheek, then Jack's lips. "Mia, dinner is ready!"

Mia came skipping in and took her seat at the table. I took Joe from his father and placed him in the bassinet we had set up in the kitchen. Jack sat down in his seat, and I started taking the food over to the table. "Do you need any help?" Jack asked.

"No, I've got it." I carried the plates over one by one. "You've been making all of our meals, taking care of this family all on your own for a long time now. The least I can do is take care of Thanksgiving dinner."

"If you insist." Jack smiled at me as I carried the dishes over and placed them on the table. "Rose, you made all of this yourself?" Jack asked, and I nodded. "It looks great."

"Thank you," I smiled. I looked at Mia and smiled. "I told you I knew how to cook," I told her, and she nodded. I took my seat at the table, glanced over at the baby to make sure he was okay, then looked at Jack and Mia. "Let's eat, shall we?" I picked up one of the serving utensils and turned to Mia. "Can I make you a plate?"

"Yes please." I picked up Mia's plate and started serving the food, giving her a bit of everything that I made. "Are we gonna say what we're thankful for like last year?" She asked. "I have my answer ready."

I smiled at her and put her plate down in front of her, then started to serve myself. "Well go ahead then," I said. "What are you thankful for this year, Mia?"

"I'm thankful for Mommy and Daddy, and my baby brother," she said happily. "And I'm thankful for my mommy to be happy, and I'm thankful to be Mia Dawson and not Mia Hockley."

Just like the year before, I found myself struggling not to cry. Mia was still innocent in many ways, but she was also so intelligent and mature. "I love you so much, Mia," I said finally, as I wrapped my arms around her and held her in a tight hug. I let go of her, then looked at Jack, who also looked quite emotional. "Jack would you like to go?"

"Sure." He cleared his throat. "You know, last year, we sat in this exact place, but in a very different situation. Mommy was married to Cal," Jack often called me 'Mommy' now in front of Mia and Joe, which made my heart melt. We were parents now, raising our children together. I never thought I would be in this place. "We didn't know where we would end up or when Cal would show up… and now," he smiled finally as he looked at us. "Now we're a family, we're safe and happy and healthy, and I couldn't ask for more than that. So I'm thankful for my family and the life we have together."

I smiled and reached my hand out for Jack, and he squeezed it gently. "I think if I went through all the things I was grateful for, we'd be here until next year," I chuckled. "So, I'll just keep it simple. I'm so grateful for my wonderful husband, my amazing daughter, and my beautiful baby boy." I smiled at Jack and Mia, then looked down at Joe, who was asleep in the bassinet. "I love you all so incredibly much."

We had finished eating, but we were still sitting at the table. Mia had squirmed her way onto my lap, then promptly fell asleep in my arms. I looked over at the bassinet, where Joe was fast asleep. "We should take them up to bed… even though it seems like a shame to move them."

"We have to move them eventually," Jack whispered. He stepped over to me and lifted Mia from my lap.

I took the baby from the bassinet, waking him accidentally in the process. I shushed him, holding him against me as we both walked upstairs. Jack took Mia to her room, while I put Joseph down. He squirmed a bit and reached up to touch the mobile that Jack had made for him. He was such an easy baby; if he wasn't ready to go to sleep when I put him down, he would just stare at the mobile until he fell asleep. "Good night, Joe," I whispered, touching his soft cheek.

I walked to Mia's room, where Jack was sitting and telling her a story. This time, it was The Little Mermaid, and Jack had told her the clean version, as he always did. I stood by the door and watched as Mia fell asleep against Jack, while he had his arm wrapped around her. "So what happened in the end?" Mia asked.

"Well, the little mermaid ended up with the man she loved and got her voice back," Jack said quietly. "And the lesson of this story is… don't ever be with someone who takes away your voice. Be with someone who supports what you believe in and encourages you to continue speaking up."

I smiled at them, not wanting to interrupt their moment. "Alright, how about you try to go to sleep now?" Mia nodded, and Jack stood up and tucked her in. "Good night, Mia."

A smile appeared on Mia's lips while her eyes remained shut. "Good night, Daddy." Jack leaned down and kissed her forehead before turning and seeing me in the doorway. He smiled as we both backed out of the room and closed the door.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. "Hey," he whispered, and he leaned in for another kiss. "Come with me, I want to show you something.

Jack led me downstairs and had me sit at the kitchen table. "Alright, now close your eyes," Jack whispered, and I closed them. "Don't peek."

"I'm not," I smiled.

I heard Jack walk away from me, then the fridge open and close a moment later. I felt him put something in front of me, then I felt his arms wrap around me from behind. "Alright," Jack whispered in my ear. "Open your eyes."

I opened my eyes, and sitting right in front of me was a small cake with the words "Happy Anniversary" squished onto the top. The 'happy' was written quite large, and the first few letters of anniversary were properly spaced, but the last few were squished into the last few inches. Jack left my side and walked around to take a seat next to me. I looked up at him and smiled. "Apparently my art talent doesn't translate to cake decorating?" Jack gave me a crooked smile.

I laughed. "It's perfect, Jack," I placed my hand on Jack's and squeezed gently. "Thank you."

"I didn't know which anniversary we would be celebrating," said Jack. "You know, we've got April twelfth, the day we first met, April fourteenth, the day we had our first kiss on Titanic, November twenty fifth, when we got back together, or our wedding day."

I took a bite of the cake. "I think, if I get cake for each anniversary, we should celebrate four times a year," I grinned. "Who's going to tell us we can't?"

"Alright, four times a year it is," Jack leaned over and kissed me. "This year… a lot of it has been messy, but it has still been the absolute best year of my life." I blushed and looked down at the cake. "We've been to hell and back together, Rose, and I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else."

"Me neither," I smiled. "When I took Mia from Pittsburgh and ran, I thought I was losing everything, and instead, I ended up with everything I have ever wanted."

Jack smiled and leaned closer to me. "I love you," he whispered, before giving me a kiss that made my heart flutter in my chest.

We continued to talk and eat cake when we heard light footsteps pitter-patter down the stairs. Mia was still awake, making her way downstairs and into the kitchen to find Jack and I. I knew Jack didn't mind when Mia came downstairs past her bedtime, knowing that putting a child to bed was a key part of what it meant to be a parent. It sometimes tired me out, but Jack never got sick of it. He would always put out his hand for mine and gave me a smile. He would always say "You know you love putting her to bed," and I always realized once he said that that I really did.

She came into view then, standing in her baby pink nightgown, holding her stuffed bunny rabbit tightly against her chest. Her auburn hair was in pigtails, her porcelain cheeks were a pale pink. One look at that beautiful little girl melted my heart; it was no wonder Jack fell in love with her so quickly. She was six years old: an innocent little girl who loved bunny rabbits and grilled cheese and building snowmen, who finally had a father who loved her. "Mommy? Daddy?" She said quietly with that lovely high pitched voice.

"Hey," Jack smiled, motioning her over. Mia walked over and sat on his lap. "What are you doing awake?" His voice was so gentle and kind, perfect for talking to a child.

"I can't sleep," Mia answered quietly. I saw her grip her stuffed animal tighter, hugging it for protection, the way we did when we were still with Cal. "I wanted Mommy to tuck me back in." She rested her head against Jack, closing her eyes. I smiled, my heart breaking as I saw the emotions in his eyes.

Jack nodded, smiling down at her. "I'm sure Mommy would be happy to put you to bed," he whispered. He smiled at me and took my hand. "Why don't you go with Mommy upstairs to bed?"

I stood up from the table and wrapped my arm around Jack's neck from behind, bringing my lips to his ear. "I'll go put Mia to bed, and I'll meet you in the bedroom," I whispered. "Turns out I have a surprise for you too."

Jack turned around and smiled mischievously, while I walked over to Mia, reaching out my hand to take hers. "Come on, sweet girl, I'll take you to bed." Mia's small hand gripped mine, and we started making our way upstairs. I lifted her into my arms and held her close, missing the feeling of holding her since I couldn't while pregnant. Jack usually was the one who carried Mia up to bed. She was getting heavier, and I had been pregnant, so I would watch as Jack carried her up to bed, following behind them. Jack loved Mia so much, and I loved watching them do everything together, from cooking to reading stories to building snowmen. Jack was the father that Mia deserved all these years.

Finally, we arrived in Mia's bedroom. I gently placed her down on the edge of the bed and knelt down to light the oil lamp on one of her bedside tables. The lamp provided a dim light, enough to make out everything in the room. There was a simple bed with a lavender bedspread, her name painted in purple paint over her bed. Stacked upon the carpeted floors were all of Mia's stuffed animals that Jack had gotten her every time he had an opportunity to do so. Of course, the bunny rabbit was still her favorite: Mia was still just as obsessed with bunny rabbits as ever. "Why are you still awake, baby?" I asked, stroking her cheek.

"I couldn't sleep," she shrugged. She held one of my hands in her two little ones, playing with each of my fingers and then twisting my engagement ring around in circles. "It's nice that I don't hafta worry about making anyone angry when I come downstairs." She looked up at me and smiled, and my heart burst with happiness.

Jack didn't even realize how much he had done for Mia, how much he had changed her life. Mia changed from an anxious, sad child to one who was almost always happy and happy-go-lucky even. Whenever I tried to tell him, he either brushed it off as nothing or deflected, saying how amazing I was. I hoped he understood how he gave me back my daughter, who just needed someone to see what a beautiful, intelligent, kind, loving little girl she was.

"It is, isn't it?" I smiled as I picked her up and placed her under the covers. I picked up the bottom of my burgundy red dress and sat on the edge of her bed. Mia's room made me so happy, to see how much more natural life was here than in the Hockley mansion. As long as we were here, in this house, nothing could hurt us. "You know you can always find us no matter what. We're always right next door if you need us." I smiled and tried to remind her that no matter how much had changed, we were always there for her. "How about you close your eyes now, and try to go to sleep, hmm?"

I could see her eyelids growing heavier as she nodded. I helped her lay down and pulled the covers over her, stroking through her silky auburn curls. "Mommy?" Mia asked.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

She opened her eyes. "I didn't get to say at dinner what I was really thankful for," she whispered. "I'm thankful for you saving us from Cal and bringing us here. I'm thankful for you giving me a real daddy and a baby brother. And I'm thankful for you loving me when no one else did."

Tears appeared in my eyes as I stroked her cheek. "Of course," I smiled. "I love you so much, Mia. I'll always love you and take care of you. I promise." I leaned down and kissed her cheek. "And Daddy will too. You have us both now, forever."

Mia leaned her head against me, wrapping one arm around me. "Can you sing to me?"

I smiled. "Sure," I cleared my throat, knowing exactly what song I would sing. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away…"

The End

A/N: That's the end of this story! I can't believe it's finally done after so long, and I definitely will miss working on it, but this is it! There is a one-shot sequel that I will be posting shortly, but I hope you enjoyed this! I'm about to start school again, but I've been writing a bit, so there should be a new story coming soon. Stay tuned!