Later that Day
4:30 pm

"Rose, sweetheart, I'm home!" Jack yelled as he walked into the house. He was glad to be off work for the day and be able to spend the evening with his wife and daughter. The smell of food being cooked caused Jack to go into the kitchen, where he saw Rose cooking dinner while watching Molly, who was sitting in her high chair and playing with a doll. Daisy, hearing Jack come in, ran up to him and jumped on him immediately, making him laugh. "Hey there, Daisy," Jack said to the excited puppy. He bent down and scratched Daisy between her ears before continuing to walk to the kitchen, Daisy following behind him.

"Hi, sweetheart. How was your day?" Rose asked as Jack walked into the room. He walked up to his wife and gave her a soft kiss on the lips before responding. "It was alright. Work was pretty uneventful. How was yours?"

"Oh, it was alright," Rose said as she stirred some vegetables in a pot. She didn't want to tell Jack about her mother's arrival right away. He deserved some time to relax after a long day at work before she dropped such a bomb on him. Rose knew Jack would be shocked to hear that his mother-in-law was not only in Chippewa Falls, but had come by their home earlier in the day.

Jack smiled and kissed his wife again before going over to where Molly was sitting and picking her up. "And how's my little girl today?" Jack asked as he swung Molly into his arms. Molly just laughed in response, happy to see her father.

An hour later, Jack and Rose had sat down for dinner. Once they began eating, Rose decided that she should tell Jack about the confrontation with her mother. She took a deep breath and started to speak, causing Jack to look up from his dinner and give his wife his undivided attention. "Jack, my mother is in town. She came by the house today."

"What?" Jack asked. He was completely shocked. They hadn't heard from Ruth Dewitt-Bukater since the night the Titanic sank. What was she doing in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin? "What is your mother doing in town?"

"Well," Rose started to say. "Evidently, the Hockleys kicked her out. Since I was no longer going to marry Cal, they no longer had any use for her. They gave her a bit of money and told her to buy a train ticket out of Philadelphia, and since she was forced to sell our home to pay off our debt, she had nowhere to go and decided to come here. We had a long talk."

"Well, that doesn't shock me. The Hockleys don't strike me as the kind or caring type. What did you guys have a talk about?" Jack asked curiously. He had hoped that someday Rose and her mother would be able to reconcile, since she was Rose's only parent and Molly's only living grandparent. However, he didn't know if Ruth would ever be able to change her stuck up, condescending attitude. If she couldn't, Jack definitely didn't want her around where she could hurt Rose or Molly.

Rose explained the entire conversation that she had had with her mother, from the time that Ruth started yelling at Rose until the time that Ruth had actually apologized for some of her actions. When she finished telling Jack all about their conversation, she was exhausted. Talking about her mother was never easy.

"Wow. I can't believe she said all of that," Jack said, not knowing how to respond at first. He wasn't surprised that Ruth had said such horrible things about him to Rose. She clearly didn't take a liking to him aboard the Titanic. But to not accept her own granddaughter? That was low, even for Ruth Dewitt-Bukater. However, Jack was shocked when Rose had finished her story by saying that her mother had apologized for some of her past actions and had asked Rose if they would ever be able to fix their relationship. Ruth had never struck Jack as the type to admit any wrongdoing or apologize for anything. Maybe she had changed. However, Jack didn't like the way that Ruth had treated Rose in the past. In fact, the thought of it made him sick. He hated that Ruth had hurt his beautiful Rose. However, she was his mother-in-law, and if she could change her ways, he would be more than willing to accept Ruth into his and Rose's life. Jack was never the type to hold grudges, and he was usually more than willing to forgive.

Suddenly, Jack had an idea. Maybe he could stop by the boarding house where Ruth was staying and talk to her. Somewhere under her cold exterior had to be a kind, accepting woman. Ruth had already showed Rose some of her warmer side, and Jack was determined to get through to Ruth completely. Maybe if he could explain where his life to her, she would come to understand him better and maybe even accept him. "Rose, what if I went over to the boarding house and talked to your mother? Maybe I can get through to her."

Rose smiled. Jack was always so willing to try anything to make her happy. "Jack, you're welcome to try, but I'm not sure how much good it will do. She's so stubborn."

"Well, I'll see what I can do. I'll go over there after dinner," Jack said. Rose nodded, agreeing. She was hopeful that maybe Jack could get through to her mother somehow. Maybe, just maybe, they could all have a fresh start and become a happy family.

An hour later, Jack walked into the boarding house. His mother-in-law sat in the lobby, reading a book. She clearly hadn't noticed that anyone had walked in. Jack stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. He was completely struck by Ruth's resemblance to Rose. They both had the same fiery hair, green eyes, and pale complexion. However, their personalities were as different as night and day. Where Rose was kind and loving, Ruth was cold and bitter. Where Rose was modest, Ruth was arrogant. While Rose wondered what she could do to help others, Ruth wondered what she could do to help herself.

Jack quietly stepped closer to his mother-in-law, not wanting to startle her. "Mrs. Dewitt-Bukater?" Jack asked quietly.

Ruth's head shot up from her book. "Mr. Dawson!" she exclaimed. "I wasn't expecting you."

"I know. I'm sorry for just dropping by like this, but I wanted to talk to you. About Rose and I. I want to make things right with you."

Ruth looked surprised. What could Jack Dawson have to say to her? She was surprised that Jack was even willing to speak to her after the way she treated him aboard the Titanic. Ruth had spent all afternoon since she left the Dawson residence thinking about the way she had acted. She truly did regret her past behavior, and as difficult as it may be, she wanted to try to accept that Jack Dawson was her son-in-law. "Oh, it's quite alright. Why don't you sit down?" Ruth asked. Jack nodded and sat on the sofa across from her.

"Mrs. Dewitt-Bukater, I know you aren't fond of me. I know that you wanted Rose to marry Cal. I know you think that I messed up their engagement, and therefore messed up your life. I'm sorry if you think that, but I love your daughter. I love her more than anything in the world. I know that we didn't meet under the best of circumstances, but you have to know that I wouldn't change a thing. Your daughter is the best thing that's ever happened to me," Jack said, his voice almost a whisper towards the end.

Ruth studied the young man who sat in front of her. He was good looking, clean, well-spoken. His long, blonde hair had been cut shorter since she had seen him last. He had been working steadily at his job since he and Rose arrived in Chippewa Falls, and he clearly had a lot of respect and love for her only daughter. Maybe Ruth's first impression, which had been clouded by her desire for Rose to marry Cal, had been wrong after all. "Maybe he isn't so bad after all," Ruth thought to herself before responding. "Mr. Dawson, I –"

"Jack. Just call me Jack. Mr. Dawson was my father," Jack responded. Ruth noticed the bit of sadness in his eyes that appeared at the mention of one of his deceased parents, and her heart went out to him.

"Jack, Rose told me a bit about your life, why you were traveling so much. I just worry that you're a bit of a vagabond and that you might run off on Rose, leaving her alone to take care of your child herself. I've always wanted security for my daughter, and I just hope that you're giving her that. What if you decide that you're no longer interested in settling down and wish to go back to your travels?"

"Mrs. Dewitt-Bukater, I love Rose and Molly more than anything in the world. I would never even dream of leaving either one of them. I enjoyed traveling, but I always wanted to settle down with someone. I just never found the right person. I never had a serious relationship before Rose – with her, things were just right. I would do anything for Rose and Molly; they're my world. Without them, I would be lost."

Ruth nodded, taking this all in. Jack did seem to truly care about Rose. After all, he came all the way to the boarding house to try to make things right with Rose's mother. Ruth had been nothing been rude to Jack in the past, and here he was, being nothing but kind in return. Ruth knew she was not deserving of Jack's kindness. She knew that Jack didn't owe her any explanations. Jack's kind and caring behavior spoke volumes to Ruth. She knew what she had to do next – she had to apologize for her behavior and try to get Jack to forgive her.

"Jack," Ruth whispered, taking a deep breath. Could she really apologize for her behavior? She was certainly going to try. "I'm sorry for my behavior aboard the Titanic. The way I treated you was unacceptable. I was just so desperate for Rose to marry Cal so that we could maintain our lifestyle. I didn't stop to think about how miserable she was. I was so selfish. You know, I'm glad she met you when she did and was able to get away from how Cal and I treated her. When I saw her today, I saw happiness in her that I hadn't seen since before her father died. That was when I realized that I had been wrong all along. I hope you can forgive me."

Jack smiled. He couldn't believe that Ruth Dewitt-Bukater was apologizing to him. However, he was more than willing to accept her apology and welcome her into his and Rose's life. Now, Molly could have a real grandmother, Rose could have a mother who cared about her, and Ruth could have her daughter back. This could be a fresh start for everyone.

"Mrs. Dewitt-Bukater, I forgive you. You know, I'm not the type to hold grudges. Plus, I have something to be thankful to you for. You brought Rose into the world, and she truly is the best thing that has even happened to me," Jack said. He couldn't stop the grin that was on his face.

"Jack, I see now that you really do love my daughter. Just take care of her and my granddaughter for me, please?" Ruth asked.

"I'll take care of them everyday for the rest of my life. And Mrs. Dewitt-Bukater, I think that you should come back to our house with me. There's no need for you to stay in this boarding house when you have family here," Jack suggested.

Ruth immediately smiled. Jack was willing to let her stay in his home, even after everything she had done? This was almost too good to be true. Now she would get the chance to truly make things right with her daughter. She would be able to get to know her son-in-law and her granddaughter. "Jack, are you sure? I wouldn't want to intrude.."

"I'm positive, Mrs. Dewitt-Bukater. You and Rose need to spend sometime together, and don't you want to meet your granddaughter? I know you saw her earlier, but I don't think you were able to actually meet Molly. She'll love you, I'm sure. She's just like Rose – same red hair, same fiery personality." Jack's eyes shone with pride as he talked about his daughter.

"You… you want me around Molly?" Ruth asked quietly. She was shocked that Jack would trust her around his daughter.

"Of course," Jack smiled. "You're her only grandparent, after all. Now, how about you go get your things and we'll head home?"

"Home," Ruth thought to herself. A place where she could be with her new family – her daughter, her son-in-law, and her granddaughter. A place where she could have a fresh start. "Alright. Let me go get my suitcase, if you don't mind."

"Of course, Mrs. Dewitt-Bukater. I'll just wait here until you're ready to walk home."

Ruth nodded and started to walk towards her room in the boarding house. Before she disappeared down the hallway, however, she turned around to say one more thing. "It's Ruth, Jack. Just call me Ruth."

Jack smiled and nodded as Ruth disappeared down the hallway towards her room. He couldn't wait to see Rose's reaction when he came home with a changed Ruth Dewitt-Bukater in tow.

A/N: I think I'm going to end this story soon. With school starting soon, I simply won't have time for writing like I used to and I don't want to completely abandon a story. However, I'll probably write a sequel to this story as soon as I have more time if ya'll would be interested! Thank you so much for all of the reviews, favorites, follows, and messages that I have received regarding this story. It all means so much to me! So, the end is coming soon, but there might be a sequel later!