A/N: Thanks once again for the reviews for the previous chapter, please keep reading and reviewing, and I hope you continue liking the rest of the chapters of this Rose, Cal and Jack love triangle!
Cal and Rose were walking around Queenstown, as the Titanic had stopped there as planned. They both had taken in some shopping, some sightseeing while there. Cal had bought Rose anything and everything that she saw and wanted, in Queenstown, no matter how expensive, both of them were having a pleasant time, however Cal still couldn't get out of his mind, how he had to miss his meeting with Mr. Ismay, just to be with Rose that morning, however, Rose's constant chatter, didn't keep his mind on it for too long. They were sitting down at an outside diner, enjoying ice cream, their last visit in Queenstown, before they went back on Titanic.
"Truly thank you Cal for buying me all of these clothes, the jewelry and things today," Rose said with a smile. "I knew there was a reason why I love you."
Cal laughed briefly.
"You don't have to thank me, Rose." Cal said with a smirk. "I'd buy you the moon if I could."
Rose laughed and blushed lightly.
"So, when we leave off Titanic, what will we be doing?" Rose asked with a smile. "Hmm, maybe we can travel to California. I've always wanted to go, Cal!"
Cal smirked as he took a lick of his ice cream.
"California, that's a far away place from New York, sweet pea, honestly." Cal said. "However, I'd love for us to go, spend three weeks in the sunniest place in America."
Rose laughed and bit her lower lip and looked at Cal with nervousness.
"Well, I was hoping, Cal, I'd like for us to move there." Rose said with slight hesitance.
Cal looked at her with an eyebrow raised, his smile slowly fading.
"LIVE there?" Cal echoed.
Rose nodded with a brightened smile.
"Yes, see Cal, I—I want to be become an actress," Rose began, "and the best place to start that is in California."
Cal looked down and frowned slightly.
"You can't become an actress in New York?" Cal asked. "On Broadway?"
Rose's smile slowly faded and she blinked heavily.
"Yes, but your mill is Philadelphia." Rose said, seriously. "How can I be on Broadway and you be working in Philadelphia? Its not like you're going to let me stay in New York by myself and then come home to Philadelphia on the weekends or something."
Cal shrugged and looked at her with perplexity.
"Why wouldn't I?" Cal asked strongly.
Rose looked at him with surprise.
"What?" Rose asked with a confused frown.
"Well, why wouldn't I, Rose?" Cal asked. "I mean, as I told you yesterday morning, I want to be a man who trusts you now, I don't want to be the man who tells you not to go here or there and then you leave me. So, if you want to go to New York to live out your dream as an actress, I trust you, Rose. Why not go off on your own?"
Rose looked down and frowned deeply.
"Yes, but I wanted you to be there WITH me." Rose said in a low tone.
Cal stared at her and saw the sadness in her face. He had to do something to make her sadness, joy. He sighed and leaned forward closer to her, after finishing off his ice cream.
"How about, I take two months off and then I can spend those two months with you in New York," Cal said with a smirk, "helping you, supporting you with your dream of becoming a beautiful actress."
Rose looked up at Cal with a cold look, that wasn't what she wanted.
"Yes, but I want to LIVE in New York, Cal." Rose said. "I want to live where my career is, can't you—put someone in charge of your mill business."
Cal sat back slowly in his seat, and sighed with frustration. Him spending two months with her in New York wasn't even good enough for her. He was quiet quite a while, which made Rose slightly nervous. She knew that quietness well, it was the quietness that lead into anger and rage. She was instantly worried that he had slipped back into the 'old Cal.'
"Are you alright, Cal?" Rose asked, seriously.
Cal looked at her and nodded slightly. He knew to say no to her, meant him possibly losing her, and that was something he didn't want, not because he couldn't get any other lady, because with his good looks and great, suave, boyish charm, he could, but he didn't want any other lady, he only wanted Rose and he didn't want to lose her.
"Alright, um, say—say we move to New York." Cal said, "we can but every once in a while I'd have to come back to Philadelphia to check on the mill, but—but if what you want is for us to move to New York, then we can, I'll hire someone to be in charge, while I'm away from the mill."
Rose raised an eyebrow at him and looked at him sternly.
"Well that's great Cal, it really is," Rose said, "but why can't you just let your father run the mill and you stay in New York with me and not return back to Philadelphia?"
Cal looked at her as if she were nuts.
"Rose, are—are you serious?" Cal asked. "I—I can't do that, you know that. Working at the mill is my job, without that, what am I to do? Besides, never return to Philadelphia? My father and my family is there. Are you saying I can never see them again?"
Rose scoffed and lightly rolled her eyes at him.
"Oh Cal, none of your family members like me—not even your father, so why would you want them around you for anyway?" Rose asked.
"Um, because they're my family, Rose." Cal said strongly. "Honestly, I think you're being a bit unreasonable."
Rose looked at him with surprise.
"Oh really? I am?" Rose asked almost coldly. "I'd think you do this for the woman you love. Why not leave the mill, why not join me on Broadway, you too could become an actor."
Cal looked away from her and laughed briefly.
"An actor, really sweet pea," Cal said with a brief smirk, "I'm not actor material, I don't know a THING about acting, I've worked at the mill since I was eighteen and once father—expires, the mill will be all mine's and then I can sell it and take the money from it and get into the business I really want to be in—real estate and then we can go live wherever and we don't have to be tied down to staying in Philadelphia. All I ask is for you to give me some time, Rose, alright? Father has been sick for a while now, so it won't be long before he expires—a month or so, maybe three tops."
Rose sighed angrily and sat back in her chair, finishing off her ice cream and stared down at the table with an angry expression. This didn't please Rose at all, she wanted what SHE wanted, nothing less.
"Fine Cal, you make the decisions around here," Rose said coldly. "Stay in Philadelphia at the mill while I'm in New York, with any luck, we'll grow apart and I'll find someone new and we won't be together anymore."
Cal frowned at her and shook his head quickly. He was trying his best not to retort back to his old self, where if Rose were acting the way she was, he'd reach across the table, violently pull her to him and coldly tell her that what HE said went and that there would be no further discussion about it, but Cal knew he couldn't do that. He knew that would scare her tremendously and she'd run off and away from him and he'd lose her. Cal sighed, he once again knew what he had to do and say.
"Rose, I SAID, I'd spend two months with you in New York," Cal said calmly, "but—fine, how about six months, I'll take a six months vacation with you in New York—or—as I said, I'll live with you in New but I'd have to take every now and then to travel back to Philadelphia, to the mill, it wouldn't be often though, just every now and then."
Rose looked up at him with anger and coldness.
"I don't WANT that, Cal." Rose said coldly. "I want you to FORGET the mill completely—for—for one YEAR and spend the year with me—in New York."
Cal's eyes widened with shock.
"ONE YEAR?" Cal said shockingly. "Rose, that's—that—I—I couldn't do that, all the work would be left on whomever I hire PLUS my workers at the mill and that would be such a hardship on them—not that I particularly care about them—but if they have hardships while on the job, it will bring heavy struggles on me and my father's mill and what would my father think about me taking off for a whole year and bringing struggles and problems to the mill because of my year's vacation? I can't do that for a whole year."
Rose looked at Cal with sadness and disgust, she shrugged carelessly.
"Fine Cal, see this is just what I meant." Rose said in a cold, low tone. "You care more about that mill than about my happiness and about me. I—I don't see how we can be like this, I—I just don't."
Cal stared at her with a brief, angry frown and then briefly closed his eyes and sighed. Damn it, he hated when she did this, he hated when she made him feel guilty, but she was, and it only started the previous morning, when he told her he'd do anything not to lose her. And he would do anything not to lose her—even if it involved causing havoc and problems at the very mill that he and his father cherished. Cal looked at her with an almost sad look.
"Alright, a year it is, Rose." Cal said in a low tone. "I'll take a year off to be with you in New York, alright? Happy? What's a year off to be with the woman I love, so that I won't lose her?"
Rose gasped and smiled happily.
"Oh thank you Cal! This is going to be so fascinating!" Rose said as she got up quickly and ran over to him and hugged him tightly.
Cal smiled briefly and kissed her on the cheek.
"I'm glad you're happy, sweet pea." Cal said with a smile. "That's all I want, I love you."
Rose smiled warmly at him.
"I love you too Cal, honestly." Rose said warmly.
"Oh come on, we're going to be late, for boarding back on Titanic." Rose said as she got up and dashed away from the table.
Cal stared down at the table with an overwhelmed look. How could he tell his father that he'd be taking a year away from the mill? His father would be furious with him, more so what would he do for a whole year in New York, while Rose was off pursuing her dream? This year off was something Cal didn't want to do, he wanted to do what HE loved, for the time being—working at the mill, why couldn't he? Because if he did, he'd lose Rose. Rose was that important to him, that he'd do anything—ANYTHING not to lose her, including sacrificing his own happiness, which was what he was doing and it was killing him inside – slowly.