Ch. 13: Revelation (Rose's POV)

After the dream, Rose and Bobby became closer as a couple. Even though they were getting closer, Rose was still somewhat hesitant. She knew she was being stubborn, but she was slowly dropping her defenses around Bobby.

Rose remembered that Cal had asked her to open her heart to him, but she couldn't. When Rose had first gotten engaged to Cal, she really did try to fall in love with him. But she felt nothing for him; there was no spark for her. Cal made no effort to improve the relationship either; he ignored her since he was so confident that he could buy her love. Jack broke down through all her defenses and had fallen in love with the woman she truly was. Jack had accepted all her flaws, while Cal tried to control her. Rose knew it was crazy how quickly she had fallen in love with Jack, but she had no regrets. Jack made her a stronger person; he gave her the confidence she needed to leave her oppressive life.

Every day Rose wondered how different her life would be if Jack had survived… they probably would have gotten married, traveled the world together, and eventually settled down to start a family. The thing that surprised her that everything she wanted to do with Jack, she now wanted that possibility with Bobby.

Just like Jack had predicted in the dream, Bobby indeed had fallen in love with Rose. Bobby wanted to marry Rose one day, but he knew that she wasn't ready for that yet. Bobby quickly realized early on that Rose was the type of woman that didn't reveal her feelings until she was ready. Bobby also realized that Rose never revealed too much about herself, unless it was absolutely required. He figured something major must have happened to her; something that she was not ready to reveal to anyone.

It was a quiet day when Rose finally told Bobby more about her past. They were walking along the beach, when Bobby decided to broach the subject about their future. Bobby asked, "Rose, where do you think our relationship is going?" Rose was surprised and said, "What do you mean by that? I thought that our relationship was going quite well." Bobby let out a soft chuckle and said, "Oh, Rose… it is. I really care about you. I mean, do you see a future for us?" Rose said, "Bobby… actually I do. I can see us living a happy life together, but it scares me sometimes."

Bobby looked Rose straight in the eye and said, "Rose, I love you. I hope that you feel the same about me; I just wish I understood why you are so scared to love. You are so mysterious sometimes… you don't reveal anything until you are ready."

Rose said, "I'm afraid that if I told you more about my past, your opinion of me would drastically change." Bobby said, "Rose, everyone has a past. No one is perfect… not even me. I don't care what you did in the past; I love the person you are now. That won't change no matter what you tell me."

Rose said, "Well, I told you that I was born in Philadelphia to old money. I wasn't always Rose Dawson… my birth name is Rose Dewitt-Bukator."

Surprise hit Bobby's eyes… Bobby recognized that last name from the society pages. He tried to remember where and how recently he had read it, when Rose decided to continue. Rose saw the hint of recognition in Bobby's eyes and said, "I figured that name would be familiar to you due to the society pages. Yes, I am a former high society heiress, but I want you to know that life never made me happy."

Bobby said, "So how did you end up as Rose Dawson?" Rose chuckled and said, "It's a long story Bobby; and not a happy one." Bobby said, "Rose, we've got nothing but time. And I promise I won't judge you."

Rose said, "I was born in 1894 to Frederick and Ruth Dewitt-Bukator, and lived somewhat of a sheltered life in Philadelphia. My father was a businessman, while my mother ran our home. I loved my parents, but I was closer to my father. My father died when I was 15, and his death devastated me and my mother. We discovered after my father's death that we were heavily in debt; my mother called it a legacy of bad debts, hidden by a good name."

Bobby said, "Your mother sounds like a piece of work." Rose smiled and said, "Yes, she was. After our debts were discovered, Mother became obsessed with finding a way to solve our financial ruin. Since I was 15, Mother decided that it would be up to me to save us. She shipped me off to finishing school, to return home at 17… ready to marry a wealthy man."

Bobby gave Rose a sad look and said, "That's terrible… how could a mother do that a daughter? Is it like that for all high society women?" Rose said, "Sadly, yes. Women in high society have no say in their lives… everything is decided for them by their parents. Marriages aren't based on love… they are used to form alliances or to save fortunes. After I returned home from school, my mother started to show me off to her high society friends in her hopes to find me a husband… we attended many social events when I finally met a suitor that caught my mother's eye."

Bobby suddenly realized that Rose was finally going into more detail about the bastard ex-fiancé that she had been engaged to… he decided to remain quiet so Rose would continue. Rose said, "I met Caledon Hockley, the most eligible bachelor in Pittsburg and Philadelphia. The heir to a powerful steel company." Bobby's eyes widened in shock as he remembered reading about the Pittsburg steel tycoon… the Pittsburg heir had just gotten married, but had lost a fiancé in 1912! A fiancé that was believed to be long dead… he never expected that his Rose was the former fiancé of one of the most successful and powerful businessmen in the country.

Rose continued, "Cal and I met at a charity ball; afterwards my mother revealed that my father had been a former business partner of Cal's father. My mother was thrilled that Cal took a liking to me right away, and we started to attend more social events that the Hockley family attended. Not long after, Cal began to court me; I suspect my mother made a deal with Cal's father… I would be the perfect little wife for Cal in exchange for help in clearing our debts."

Bobby said, "I still can't believe that you were engaged to that man… I just saw his wedding announcement the other day… he married a Boston Dawson. I read what a playboy Caledon Hockley was before he got engaged in 1912."

Rose laughed, "Oh, he was. He still had a bit of a wandering eye while we were engaged. He always thought so highly of himself; always so sure that he could use his vast fortune to buy whatever he wanted… including my love and affection."

Bobby said, "Let me guess… you thought that you could love him, but once he started to reveal more about himself things changed."

Rose said, "Yes, I honestly tried, but there was something that just didn't click between us. We weren't right for each other… there was a huge age difference between us. I was seventeen; he was thirty. He was handsome, but I wanted something more than that."

Bobby said, "Did he even love you, or did he just see you as a trophy to show off?" Rose said, "I honestly don't know. I think a part of him did love me, but he made no effort to show it. Like I said, I think he honestly thought he could just buy his way into my heart. He did have his moments; but those were few and far between. He just wasn't the type of man that I always dreamed of marrying."

Bobby took this as a hint that Rose was falling in love with him, but she was still struggling with her feelings. Rose said, "Even though it appeared that I had everything, I was never quite happy. I was engaged to a man most women could only dream of marrying, but I didn't love him. Cal and I became engaged the fall of 1911, and began planning for a wedding in the spring of 1912. My mother took over most of the planning; she wanted the wedding to be one of the grandest and most expensive weddings in our society. It was nothing of what I wanted… I dreaded what was supposed to be the happiest day of my life."

Bobby asked, "So how did you manage to escape your old life?" Rose said, "Do you remember reading about the Titanic disaster?" Bobby said, "Yes, it was all over the papers for the longest time." Rose said, "Cal, my mother, and I were first class passengers on that ship."

Bobby said, "Oh my god, Rose! I can only imagine what you went through." Rose slightly chuckled… if only he knew. She went into the details that Cal had whisked her away on a fancy European vacation to celebrate their engagement, when Cal had booked the tickets on Titanic for their return trip home. That once they returned home, there was to be a huge engagement gala and then their wedding the following month. Rose didn't tell Bobby about Jack… she didn't want to hurt him with the tale of her lost love.

As Rose told her tale, Bobby couldn't believe that Rose went through that horrible disaster. Rose revealed that it was a miracle that she survived; that she hid among the third-class passengers and changed her name so that her mother and Cal would never find her. After she was done, Rose felt relieved that she talked somewhat about her experiences on Titanic. She still couldn't talk about Jack; especially with the man that she was beginning to fall in love with. In that moment, Rose vowed that Jack would remain her guarded secret. Jack would live on as a beautiful memory locked away in her heart. It wouldn't be fair to Bobby if she told him about Jack; she feared that Bobby wouldn't understand and she didn't want him to feel that he was competing with a ghost for her love.

To Rose's surprise, Bobby was quite understanding after hearing her story. Bobby now understood somewhat of why Rose was so scared to love. Bobby also sensed that Rose had only told him the bare bones of her story… he sensed there was more to the story, but he didn't want to push her. He felt that it took a lot out of Rose to tell him about what she went through in her past, but at least she was beginning to share more about herself with him.

Rose felt happier after talking to Bobby; even though she didn't share her whole story, she felt that she did let go of her grief. Bobby was so kind and understanding… it made her feel glad that she could share things with him. She was happy that he had accepted her past. Now she could move forward in her relationship with Bobby… maybe they could have a loving and happy marriage someday. Rose still wasn't ready for marriage, but she was now was open to the possibility.

Well, I got Rose to open up some to Bobby! I am still in 1915, so I plan for Rose and Bobby to eventually marry by 1920; Rose will also start working more as an actress by then since Bodine revealed she was working as an actress in the 1920s in the movie. I also believe by 1920, Rose will be more mature and ready to settle down. I've got some ideas floating around in my head, so I'm trying to get them written. I already started on the next chapter, and if everything goes well I will update soon! I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far... thanks again for being so patient with me.