Sorry about the crappy summary to this chapter… It was just… eh… Oh well. The rest of it is pretty interesting. And you so you all know, I just finished Chapter 23. You guys have A LOT to look forward to. I really hope you're enjoying it. And again, sorry for my lack of reviews on the stories I've subscribed to, I just haven't had the time…. I promise I will soon, though! I pinky swear! Keep reading and loving. 3

~Jillianna

Disclaimer is on Chapter One

The rest of summer went by uneventfully, for the most part, and Rose, though now able to swim, was still weary of the ocean. As Jack's summer vacation came to an end, he found himself passing the time by drawing, smoking and helping Rose. She found it increasingly hard to keep a clean house and despite her best efforts, her cooking skills were less than satisfactory. She constantly thanked her lucky stars for a husband who knew how to successfully do both.

September, 1912

"Jack?" His head was resting in Rose's lap as she sat on the couch, gently touching his face and playing with his hair. "Hm." His eyes were still closed and she knew he was tired, probably so much so that he wouldn't properly comprehend what she was saying. That wasn't exactly a bad thing… "How do you feel about having kids?" She held her breath, almost fearing his response.

The topic had been bothering her for some time, now, and Rose needed to know that Jack would be okay with it.

He groaned sleepily rolled from his side to his back so he faced Rose, though his eyes were still closed. "Yes," Jack muttered, obviously too tired to even respond correctly. Rose smiled to herself, brushing his hair delicately out of his face. "Me too," she said, answering his nonsense with nonsense of her own.

Rose stroked Jack's face, her fingers dancing from his chin, around his cheekbone, past his gently closed eye up to his hairline. His mouth slowly curved into a smile and she touched her fingers to his lips. He responded by playfully and softly biting them. She giggled and touched his nose. His eyes fluttered open.

"Hey, sleepyhead," she whispered as he blinked lazily, looking up at her. "Hi, Rosie." He lifted his head slightly, sticking his lips out and indicating that he wanted a kiss. Rose smiled, leaning down and gently touching her lips to his. She was almost surprised when she felt Jack's hand on the back of her head, pressing her lips more deeply into his.

When Rose finally pulled away, several long seconds later, Jack sat up and rubbed his eyes with his palms. "What time is it?" he asked, bending down to put on and tie his shoes. "Almost seven thirty. You should get going, Mr. Dawson. You don't want to be late to class on the third day of school, now do you?" Jack smiled sheepishly. "It wasn't my idea to get up at five so we could see the sunrise. A sunrise which we did not see."

Rose stood, grinning and pulled Jack up with her. "That was your fault, Jack. You seduced me, remember?" Jack scoffed, pulling her close. "I did no such thing." He kissed her lips before moving to her cheek, her neck, nuzzling his face into her shoulder… "Jack," she warned, pushing him away, much to both of their dismays. "Remember where that got us this morning?" Jack grinned guiltily and kissed her forehead quickly before walking to the door and grabbing his hat and briefcase.

"I'll see you at noon," he said lovingly, glancing at her one last time before leaving, shutting the door behind him. Rose sighed and sat back down on the couch. She needed to talk to Jack.

J&R

The lunch bell rang, signaling that it was noon, and the classroom full of students gathered their belongings and left the room in a mob. Jack sat back in the chair at his desk, blowing the hair out of his face in a heavy sigh. His eyes were closed and he didn't notice that someone had entered the room until he heard the door close and lock. Opening his eyes, Jack smiled at Rose as she advanced. He stood and walked around his desk, taking her in his arms and kissing her.

"Hey, sweetheart, I was gunna come home and get you." Rose smiled, walking around him and leaning against his desk. "I was running some errands in town and I thought that I'd stop by and we could go out for lunch. There's something rather important I need to discuss with you."

Jack nodded thoughtfully, sauntering towards her. "Important, huh?" he asked, kissing her hard. She moaned in surprise when he pulled away and wrapped her arms around his waist, locking her hands on the small of his back. He tangled his hands in her hair and put his face close to hers. She could smell his breath, the cigarette he had no doubt smoked while walking to work that morning.

Within seconds, they were too involved in kissing each other to hear the door unlocking or opening. They did, however, both hear the clearing of a throat and an uncomfortable shuffle of feet. Rose dropped her hands immediately, which had dropped a bit lower than Jack's back and he whirled around instantly, oblivious to the smudge of lipstick on his chin.

The man at the door was tall—taller than Jack, at least—and had a head of grey hair that matched his beard and mustache. "Ted?" Jack's voice cracked, and Rose desperately tried to suppress a laugh. She slid off the Jack's desk, which, during their kissing session, she had ended up sitting on, and stood next to Jack, whose cheeks were almost as red as the lipstick on his chin. "Sorry, Jack… I, uh… I didn't think anyone was in here. Frederick forgot his notebook and the door was locked, so I unlocked it for him and…"

Jack nodded, running his hand nervously through his hair as Frederick, one of Jack's students, scurried to his desk to retrieve his notebook. He was out of the room and down the hall before anyone could make another move. Rose, in an attempt to save Jack from any more embarrassment, moved forward, her hand extended. "I'm Rose, Jack's wife."

Ted seemed caught off guard, if only slightly, and grasped Rose's hand tightly, shaking it firmly. "I'm Ted; the other teacher who works here." Rose smiled genuinely before turning back to Jack. "Honey, where were you going to take me for lunch?" Jack looked up from his shoes, which he'd been staring at intently, and Rose saw that his cheeks were still very much red.

"For lunch?" he repeated, as though he hadn't been listening. "Oh… I, uh… Let's just go to that diner down the street." Rose nodded, taking Jack's hand in her own and leading him past Ted and into the hallway. "It was wonderful meeting you, Ted," she called over her shoulder before engrossing herself in conversation with Jack.