Disclaimer: Titanic is owned by FOX and BioShock is owned by 2K and Irrational Games. I own nothing.
April 1912
New York. She was finally here, after years Rose was finally back. Once she got off this boat she would fulfill her promise to Jack and live her life to the fullest, but not as Rose DeWitt-Bukater rather as Rose Dawson. Giving that name to the attendant would ensure that she had died during the sinking of the Titanic as well as ensure her mother and Cal wouldn't try and pursue her. Not to mention it gave her a sense of comfort to have Jack's name. Their time spent together had been short, but she found more happiness in those few days with Jack than she did her entire engagement to Cal.
Her main concern was how she was going to make it in America. She was starting over completely her family's money was all but gone, hence her betrothal to Cal whom she refused to ever see again.
There was always her dream of becoming an actress and it could be her first step in fulfilling her promise and living her own life. But the fact still remained that at the moment she had no place to go and little to no money. The only option she could think of now was such a long shot that it would probably end up getting her nowhere, but she had to try, she knew the chances were slim but she still had to know for sure.
When her father had still been alive he had once mentioned that a small branch of the family had expended most of their wealth and were now facing financial turmoil. Many of them had taken the news rather hard and opted to either flee the country or take their own lives. The only one her father knew to still be alive was working in New York as a detective, but due to a strained relationship with that branch of the family contact was non-existent.
If this man was still living here there was the smallest of possibilities that he might be able to help in some way. In order to find him Rose made her way to a phone booth and asked the operator for the address of detectives with the surname DeWitt. The operator told her that there was only one man with that name working in the detective agency and gave her the address to his apartment.
With what little money she had on her she took a taxi to the address she had been given. Her first impression of the complex was that it was in need of improvement. Windows on the lower floor were cracked and dirty, the bricks were chipped, and it smelled like cigarette smoke.
Taking a deep breath she walked in and found that it was even worse on the inside. The wallpaper was peeling, floor tiles were missing, and the ceiling light kept flickering which would most likely result in her getting a headache. At the front desk sat a short balding man reading a newspaper, not even acknowledging Roses presence.
"Excuse me," Rose said to the man she assumed to be the building manager. "I was looking for a Mr. DeWitt. Is he here?"
"Third floor," the man said not even looking up from the paper. "The elevator is busted so take the stairs."
Rose would have said thank you, but it probably would have fallen on deaf ears so she began her ascent to the third floor. Once there she spotted a door with the writing: Booker DeWitt. Investigations into matters both public and private. She reached out her hand and knocked three times in quick succession.
The sound of footsteps was heard and the door open just enough for Rose to come face with a young woman around her age with dark hair tied in a low ponytail, and large blue eyes. "Hello," the other girl said. "Can I help you?"
"I was just wondering if Mr. DeWitt was in," Rose explained.
"Anna," a man's voice called from the other side. "Who is it?"
"Someone for you dad," the girl now known as Anna answered back. "Come on in," Anna told Rose as she opened the door fully to allow her entry.
The room itself was of modest size there was a bed in the far right corner that covered rotting floorboards, a table for two and an oven on the left side next to a closed door, and to the back a desk where a man with wavy brown hair and a fair amount of stubble sat drinking from a coffee mug whilst reading the paper.
Anna went over to the table grabbed one of the chairs and put it in front of the desk. Booker looked up his paper and nodded in thanks to his daughter. Anna nodded back as she gestured for Rose to sit down before opening the closed door and entering the room.
As Rose sat down a look of recognition seemed to cross Booker's face for a moment and gave Rose the distinct impression that he seemed to know who she was. Impossible considering this was their first meeting.
"So," Booker said starting the conversation, "who are you and how can I help you?"
"Well you don't know me Mr. DeWitt, but my name is…," Should I give him my real name? Rose thought. She was starting over as Rose Dawson now, but if there was the slightest chance he would be able to help…, "Rose DeWitt-Bukater."
A passive and thoughtful look worked its way onto Booker's face, but in the blink of an eye it vanished. "Is it alright if I just call you Rose?" He asked.
"Yes," she quickly answered. "I would prefer that actually."
"Well judging by your last name I take it you're from that other branch of the family?" Rose nodded. "Huh, well after that falling out and those financial troubles I thought I would have been forgotten." He shook his head. "Enough about that. What can I do for you Rose?"
"You see Mr. DeWitt I was on the Titanic."
"Oh," Booker said but he didn't seem too surprised. "I heard about what happened. Sorry you had to go through something like that." Rose just nodded as her mind drifted to the memory of her and Jack floating in the freezing water of the North Atlantic. "Is there anyone you want me to see made it out?" However the way he said it gave Rose the impression he already knew the answer.
"No," She told him. "I already know the answer."
"You don't even want me to try and contact your mother?"
"I never said my mother made it off."
"No, but considering your class and her gender she would have made it on a lifeboat," Booker explained. "A detective is quick to pick up on these things. I only asked because I thought you might want to see her. Anna's mother died shortly after giving birth you see, and Anna was always asking about her."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Rose told him. "But if I met with my mother I wouldn't get to live my own life."
"So you're looking to start new? Looking for a place to stay until you land on your feet then?" Booker quickly guessed. "And you think I can help?"
"I would never mean to impose Mr. DeWitt, I would only need a place to stay until my career takes off."
"We're pretty tight on money as it is," Booker told her. "With Anna attending university we plan on moving out in a few months so the best I could do is spare a few dollars. It's not a lot but it's all I can do."
"Oh, I understand Mr. DeWitt," Rose said. "Thank you." As she made to get up from the chair the Anna emerged from her room.
"You know I might be able to help."
"Oh," Booker said raising an eyebrow. "Eavesdropping were you?" he said with a hint of playfulness.
"It can hardly be called eavesdropping when the walls are paper thin," Anna quickly quipped back. "But if you need a place to stay I made a friend in university who has her own apartment and is looking for a roommate. If you want I can give her a call."
"You would do that?" Rose asked the other girl.
"She's too much like her mother," Booker remarked. "It's not in her nature to not help someone." He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a few coins which he tossed to Anna. "Go give her a call. You too Rose go see if you can set up a meeting or something."
"Thank you," Rose said. "Both of you this, this really means a lot to me."
Booker only nodded his head as turned his attention back to his paper as the two young women went to leave the apartment. "Oh one more thing," Booker said stopping Rose before she could leave. "You might want to tuck that chain in your coat pocket. You wouldn't want anyone taking it, it's probably worth more than decent cash."
A/N: I decided to include a second chapter to the story based on the ending to Infinite and the idea of the different realities existing. Thank you for reading.