Thanks so much for the reviews! I'm so glad you all are liking the story so far. I should say here that I'm not getting anything from this other than the enjoyment of writing my version of Rose's feelings. Everything else is James Cameron's and rightly so.

Chapter Five

"You jump, I jump"

Tightly I held on to the rail as I extended myself out. What was I doing? Was this really the answer to my problems?

"Don't do it."

I spun around when I heard someone speak. It frightened me as well as startled me. "Stay back," I ordered in my fear. I saw then that it was a young man. He was dressed rather shabbily with scruffy blond hair and clear, blue eyes. Something was familiar about him but I was too confused to know why. I found my voice again although it did sound strange in my own ears. "Don't come any closer."

He started walking towards me with his hand out. "Come on, just give me your hand and I'll put you back over."

"No! Stay where you are. I mean it," I shook my head. "I'll let go." I threatened so as to let him know I was serious about what I was doing. I watched him as he held up his hand while he took another drag on his cigarette. Then he pointed the cigarette toward the back of the ship to let me know he was going to throw it away. With one flick he sent it flying and then stepped to the side and put his hands in his pockets.

"No, you won't," he answered calmly.

I stared at him for a moment confused by his manner. Who did this grubby looking boy think he was? "What do you mean, no, I won't? Don't presume to tell me what I will or will not do. You don't know me."

"Well," he slightly shrugged. "You woulda done it already."

Frustrated, I tried to defend my obviously not well thought out plan. "You're distracting me. Go away!"

"I can't now. I'm involved. You let go and I'm gonna have to jump in there after ya." Even as he spoke those words he was pulling his coat off.

"Don't be absurd," I replied, taken aback at his answer. "You'd be killed."

"I'm a good swimmer," he answered as he bent to untie his shoes.

"The fall alone would kill you," I said trying to make him see what he was saying.

"It would hurt. I'm not saying it wouldn't. To tell you the truth I'm a lot more concerned about that water being so cold."

He lifted a boot off and threw it aside, but he was watching me the whole time. I glanced down at the churning, black water below me and realized that I had not given that any thought. "How cold?" I finally asked him.

"Freezing," he answered immediately. "Maybe a couple degrees over." He finished this by taking off the other boot.

I was beginning to sway in my decision now. It was obvious that my rash decision held consequences that I had not considered.

"You ah, you ever been to Wisconsin?" he suddenly asked.

"What?" I asked confused by his sudden change of conversation. What did Wisconsin have to do with anything?

"Well, they have the coldest winters around. I grew up there near Chippewa Falls. I remember when I was a kid, me and my father went ice fishing out on Lake Wisota… ice fishing is you know where you-"

"I know what ice fishing is!" I exclaimed with a huff. Why was he going on and on about ice fishing? Couldn't he see that I was facing something more important than this nonsense he was going on about?

"Sorry," he held up his hands. "You just seem like, you know, kind of an indoor girl." He paused for a moment before he continued with his story. "Anyway, I fell through some thin ice and I'm tellin' ya, water that cold, like right down there… it hits you like a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body. You can't breath, you can't think… at least not about anything but the pain." He stopped and looked over the side grimly. "Which is why I'm not looking forward to jumpin' in there after ya." He stepped back then and pulled off his worn vest. "Like I said, I don't have a choice. I guess I'm kinda hoping you'll come back over the rail and get me off the hook here."

I stared at him, not sure what to make of this disheveled young man who was trying to tell me, in his expressive way, that he was willing to risk his life to save mine. I was confused now and not sure of what I was doing. Why did he have to keep talking and make me doubt myself?

"You're crazy!" I threw out and turned back around to face the water.

"That's what everybody says, but with all due respect Miss, I'm not the one hanging off the back of a ship."

I felt him come closer behind me as he lowered his voice to a soothing tone. "Come on," he implored. "Come on give me your hand. You don't want to do this." He reached around and offered his hand to me.

I let out the breath I had been holding. No, I really didn't want to do this. I didn't want to die, I wanted to live. As quickly as I had made the decision to end my life, I as quickly made the decision to live it. Somehow he had penetrated my scrambled thinking and made me see that no matter how desperate I was, this was not the answer.

I let go of the rail and gripped my hand in his. It was somewhat rough but it made me feel safe when I took it. I slowly turned myself around to face him and that's when he smiled.

"I'm Jack Dawson," he introduced himself as if we were standing in the middle of a ballroom instead of in the middle of the Atlantic in the situation we were in.

"Rose DeWitt-Bukater," I answered in return. His smile turned in low chuckle.

"I'm gonna have to get you to write that one down."

I couldn't help but laugh myself. It caught me off guard and I couldn't believe he had made me laugh considering what had occurred up to that point.

"Come on," he said as he lifted my arm.

Without any further hesitation I started my climb over the rail. I lifted my foot and pushed myself up but before I even knew what had happened I slipped and was suddenly hanging off the back of the ship! I screamed as I felt myself fall but Jack grabbed me with both hands to prevent me from going further.

I was gripped in fear so intense I could hardly breathe! I was dangling precariously over the black churning waters I had wanted to jump into earlier but now desperately wanted to avoid. Oh God, this wasn't happening! It couldn't! Screams rumbled in my throat as I looked up at Jack who was trying hard to pull me back.

"I gotcha! Come on!"

I grabbed the lowest rung on the rail and tried to pull myself back up but I wasn't strong enough. In spite of my efforts I slipped again! I screamed hysterically in my fear this time. I didn't want to die! "Help me please, help me please! Please, please help me!"

"Listen, I've got you!" Jack yelled down to me. "I won't let go. Pull yourself up, come on!"

With a strong tug he pulled on my arm. I don't know if it was my fear or the fact that I knew I could trust him, whatever it was I found the strength to grab the rung again. This time I felt myself going up. With each rung on the rail I was gaining ground and Jack was holding on tightly encouraging me all the way.

Finally I made it to the top! Oh thank God! Thank God! Jack grabbed me around the waist and with one final, hard pull of his strength he had me over the rail! With a thud we both landed hard on the deck, but I didn't care. I was safe and alive!

The sound of approaching footsteps interrupted the scene as three sailors ran up and looked at us, the shock on their faces clearly evident. Besides the fact I was on the ground with Jack nearly on top of me, my dress was torn from the knee down where I had slipped. Had I been thinking clearly I would have told them what happened, but I was still so frightened I couldn't find the words.

"Stand back and don't move an inch!" One of the men yelled at Jack, who did as he was told. He then turned to his crewmates and pointed. "Get the Master at Arms!"