A/N: Some "Sissi" floating around in my head in this chapter. Hope you enjoy!

Ruth felt a hand on her shoulder, at first thinking that it was Ella.

Had she changed her mind or better had Roger changed his?

Slowly Ruth turned around, gasping, when she detected just who was standing behind her.

I'm dreaming.

"Hello, mother," Rose said her voice serious.

And I thought that I would never fall asleep at this time of the day.

There was this boy again and the ghost, her daughter, was holding his hand. Ruth stood up, one hand resting on the table in the edge.

Rose looked up at Jack, who chuckled with his shoulders, like not really knowing what to do. Somehow he had expected that Ruth would just be thrilled and happily hug her daughter. He hadn't been able to foresee this.

"Mother, it's I, Rose," the phantom told her.

I surely shouldn't have drunken so much wine. I'm not used to it. I've to stop it.

Jack realized how uncomfortable Rose must've felt right now and released his grip on her hand, instead placing his arm around her back. Rose seemed to be in great distress. However, she wasn't about to give up.

"Mother, you remember, Jack, right?"

Ruth's eyes only stared blankly into space. She had to admit to herself that for being dead, both of them appeared to be in very fine shape. She dimly recalled him from the ship, shouting something like – I didn't do it – to her now deceased daughter.

What was it again that he didn't do?

Rose was getting even more nervous. What was wrong with her mother? She didn't seem to be very pleased to see her.

Ah, yes, steal the diamond!

"Mrs Dewitt Bukater…"

The other ghost speaking…Ruth was surprised that he still remembered her name.

Maybe dead people had some kind of inner knowledge about everything? Of course they could observe everyone from above.

Mr Hockley…he's never going to believe me, when I tell him.

"I know you must be shocked to see me here with your daughter, but you've to believe me, when I say that I've only had the best intentions concerning her. I still have."

You mean with letting my daughter die with you?

It's your fault, isn't it?

Jack watched her, wondering about the sudden hatred in her eyes. He knew she disliked him with a passion, but he would've thought that she at least would keep her feelings about him to herself, while Rose was around.

The door opened unexpectedly.

"Ruth, I wanted to ask you, if…," Lettice spoke up, stopping dead in her tracks, when she noted Jack and Rose standing there and the strange looks they were giving each other. "Mr Dawson, how nice to see you again…," she said and Jack couldn't help, but notice the sarcasm in her voice. Great, now he had two women detesting him and two men hating him. Literally the day couldn't get any better, now could it?

"Maybe you and your fiancée would want to join us?"

You and your fiancée..? His fiancée…but wait, why did she even acknowledge them? Weren't they invisible to anyone but her?

Instead of Jack, Ruth cried out now totally confused.

"Wait, you can see them too?" Ruth asked her perplexed.

Lettice looked her like she had lost her mind.

"Sure, why wouldn't I?"

At hearing this Ruth's eyes flamed up, glaring at both of them, spinning around in such quick manner that Lettice actually got afraid of her friend. The next thing everyone knew was Rose touching her now red cheek, shocked about what her own mother had done.

She has slapped me.

Jack was probably even more upset than Rose, whose eyes showed more bewilderment than offense. She couldn't believe what had just happened.

"How could you do this to me?" Ruth hissed angrily at them, while Rose was helped by Jack, who had supported her before to keep her from falling backwards. Rose gave him a thankful look of gratitude.

"Are you alright?" he questioned her concernedly.

Rose nodded silently, Jack turning his attention back to Ruth.

"Mrs Dewitt Bukater, I don't think that…"

"Shut up!" she screamed, amazed by herself and her harsh reaction, startling not only Lettice, but Rose as well. She had never seen her mother like this. Ruth on the other hand had never reacted like this – like a common woman from the street – but when seeing this boy again, realizing what he had done, understanding that it was all his responsibility, she couldn't help for anything she had held back for so long to come out at once.

'Mother, may I introduce you to Jack Dawson.'

'Darling, you remember Mr Dawson?'

'Goodbye, mother.'

And now he even had the guts to look at her and talk with her like nothing had happened, like he actually wanted to be friends with her.

Disgusting…

Rose was stunned and confused.

Wasn't her mother happy to see her?

"Ruth?" came Lettice's silent voice.

She had recognized by now that her friend was in great agony and that it had something to do with the two people in front of them. She moved over to Ruth, reaching out for her hand.

Ruth ignored her glaring at Jack instead.

Now everything about him came back to her at once. If it hadn't been for him, Rose would've never left her; she would've never run away from the lifeboat, if it wouldn't be for him.

Jack, realizing that this wouldn't go on smoothly, demonstratively tightened his grip on Rose's back, not taking his eyes off of Ruth.

He had lost too many battles already, he wasn't about to be defeated in this one.

"If they're disturbing you, I can tell them to leave," Lettice added, believing that they were some old colleagues of hers. Ruth's face had changed from being white with shock to red with anger.

"It's all your fault…," she spat out at Jack.

Clearly she remembered the Titanic now, him with her daughter at deck, him at dinner, him shouting at her…he, who had betrayed Mr Hockley, tried to steal the diamond and worst still tricked her daughter, an innocent young girl, into believing him.

Surely he had convinced her into pretending to having died.

Jack shook his head.

"Look, I don't care what you think of me…but Rose here, she's your daughter and I do believe that she deserves some explanation."

"Your daughter…but I thought that…?"

Once more no one paid attention to Lettice.

"She deserves some explanation? She…and what about me?" she almost shouted now her voice high-pitched.

Rose, by now, wasn't certain anymore, if her mother was still mad with her, had retreated to being wretched or if she was simply playing a part again. Dimly she remembered her youth and her mother putting up tears, whenever something wasn't going on like she wanted.

"She made me believe that she died. And you think that she deserves some explanation?" Ruth laughed out cynically.

Jack was about to say something in return, but wondered what it should be, having to confess now that he could understand her anger a little bit, even if Ruth had of course overreacted. In spite of everything she was her mother. After all what would his own one have said?

He dimly remembered how his father had slapped him, after he broken into the lake.

'You do realize how shocked we have been?' he had shouted, both of them of cause knowing that it had nothing to do with him not loving his son.

His gaze was moving over to Rose, who seemed still to be in a kind of trance. Her head spun around, looking up at him, but she couldn't bring herself to think clearly.

Had her mother really just hit her and told Jack to shut up? Her mother, the ice queen…it seemed kind of impossible to Rose. Her vision was blurred, as was her mind.

"I want to speak alone with you," Ruth now calmly told her daughter, knowing that she wouldn't stand another second with this boy in the same room. His very own presence made it difficult for her to control herself.

"Rose?" Jack asked her worriedly.

Despite Ruth being her mother, he wasn't so sure about leaving the two of them alone.

"I'm fine, Jack," she tried to reassure him. "She's my mother."

"If you say so," he told her though not sounding very convinced, but still following Lettice outside.

Ruth wasted no time in closing the door behind him, mumbling a relaxed phooey.

"Did you think that this was particularly funny, young lady?" she called out, her head shooting sharply back at her daughter. "If so I've to give you some credit for it…ha, ha…," she laughed up shrilly.

Rose meanwhile had turned her eyes to the floor. God, she was so tired and she all she wanted to do now was sleep, think about nothing.

Why had everything concerning her family be so complicated?

She remembered the last time she been with her mother alone like this.

'You're not going to see that boy again.'

Obviously her attitude towards Jack hadn't changed a bit. She still hated him with a passion.

"I thought that you would be happy to see me again," Rose choked out looking up at her mother, whose mouth unexpectedly formed into a little smile.

Ruth came over to her, taking her daughter's head in her hands, kissing her forehead. Not that she wasn't glad to see her it was just…

I simply don't want to see her near him anymore.

"Come on, let's sit down first make yourself comfortable," she said mentioning to the bed.

Reluctantly Rose went along with it, moving down beside her. Ruth got hold of for her right hand, squeezing it. Unlike with Jack doing the same thing very often, her mother's touch wasn't as appeasing. Quite the contrary it made her even more nervous.

"Mother, I…," Rose shyly spoke up.

"Shh…let me first…," Ruth stopped her. "Look, I understand that we…that I shouldn't have slapped you. I'm sorry about that. But you see when I saw you with him…"

She spat out the last word like referring to some illness, reminding Rose once more of her attitude towards Jack.

"To answer your question, of course I'm happy that you're still alive," she said kissing her forehead slightly.

Rose saw her mother smiling at her, but instead of feeling relaxed, her edginess only grew.

Is it normal that my own mother is making me this tense?

"Of course, we've to think of what to do about your marriage," Ruth spoke up after a while.

Rose looked at her perplexed.

Her marriage?

Was her mother speaking of Cal? Didn't she know that this wedding would never take place?

"Cal and everyone else thought that you were dead. Of course we need to tell them the truth in time, better sooner than later. I think that…yes a great summer party will be just the right place to do. Don't you think so?" she asked her seemingly not insisting on an answer, because she went on in a rush. "I believe that the dress you received from your fiancé last March will be just…"

"Mother…," Rose interrupted her.

"Yes, my dear? Do you want to wear a new one? Of course you're right that's an even better idea. We could buy something here in Boston. I hear they've quite good tailors…"

Ruth had completely forgotten about Clarissa or simply didn't care anymore. She only knew that the marriage could now take place as planned. Hopefully Cal wouldn't be too angry with her daughter. After all he had every right to.

"Mother...," Rose tried once again.

"Of course we've to think of something to do this boy. Mr Hockley earns some clarification about you pulling off with him."

"You mean Jack?"

Ruth looked at her daughter, shocked. Why would she be annoyed now?

"Yes, him…Rose…," she began. "You're lucky to have found someone like Mr Hockley, who is as forgiving as can be.

Cal forgiving? Did they talk about the same person?

"But Cal is…," she didn't get any further as her mother was talking on.

Don't you know what he did?

"Look, I realize that he isn't easy sometimes…,"

Now this was a very light way of telling the truth.

"However you've to understand that he has very many things on his mind, business to worry about for instance…I think it's only fair that he wants a loving wife at home, supporting him. Don't you think so?"

Not wanting to answer this, Rose silently looked down, biting her lip. She was sure that Jack hadn't gone far and was most likely waiting outside the door. For a moment she thought about just going out, just leave her mother alone to be in his arms again.

"Whatever happens between you and Mr Hockley…you've to assure me at least one thing, will you?"

Rose silently nodded, really knowing what her mother wanted to say.

Luckily Jack had thought about this before.

"Give me your word of honour that you won't marry him. He isn't good for you," Ruth said.

This time Rose looked up sternly, every word she said was spoken clearly. She wanted her mother to understand everything.

"If it's nothing else, this promise I'll give you with pleasure. You see, I can't marry him anymore," Rose told her.

Ruth looked at her happily signing relieved before Rose finished her sentence…"I can't marry him, because we already are wedded."

"Rose, quit joking!" Ruth spoke up.

"I'm not, mother. Jack and I got married today…see…," Rose said to her seriously, showing up her wedding ring. Surely it was nothing compared to the one Cal had given her, but it was worth of very much more, solely, because it came from Jack.

Again Ruth watched her daughter and once realizing that she indeed was being sincere, she jumped up from the bed, glaring at her. Rose had never seen her mother that angry before, not even on the Titanic.

"Don't you know what you did?" she hissed.

Marrying the person I love?

Wasn't her mother interested in hearing about the details? Wasn't she wondering about how she survived the sinking?

"You ruined our reputation. What will people think if they hear…it'll be a scandal…no more than that…," Ruth went on, taking her eyes off of Rose, her hand moving up to her head as if deeply thinking. "We've to think of some way to get you out of this."

What if I don't want to?

She started walking around in the room and Rose was sure that it she had been Cal now, she certainly would've lit herself a cigarette.

"I know, we could say that…no…but…first we've to get rid of that boy…," she stopped at this suddenly, looking at Rose.

When her eyes met her daughters, she was surprised, when she couldn't make out any immediate approval.

"Rose, what's wrong?"

Rose wanted to laugh. Did her mother really not know? Was she this alien to her own daughter's feelings?

"I don't want to," she simply stated.

"You don't want to do what?"

"Get rid of my husband," Rose answered emphasizing the last word.

Ruth couldn't believe what she had just heard. She sat down beside her daughter, once more taking her hand in hers.

"Rose," she started slowly like if speaking to a young child. "You know how important this is to all of us? You know how vital it is that you're marrying well?"

"To whom it is, to me or to you?" Rose felt committed to say.

Ruth had seemingly forgotten that she wasn't talking to her child anymore. She signed, before continuing.

"Rose, you understand what this marriage…your marriage to Mr Hockley means to us…to our family, don't you?" she patted her hand while speaking.

It wasn't comforting though, but in fact Rose didn't care anymore.

Instead she smiled inwardly, her mind now as clear as could be, her eyes having been focused on the bed sheet, slowly spun up again to look directly into her mother's face.

"For me, it means nothing," she stated calmly turning her eyes aside to the window.

Indeed her feelings about Cal had neither changed for the better nor for the worst. They simply were nonexistent. She couldn't even hate him anymore.

"Rose, you come from a prominent family. People envy us. Still for being born into the bright side of life, we're expected a certain sense of duty, don't forget that," Ruth told her daughter with composure. However, realizing that she wouldn't get any further today, she stood up again, opening the door, coming face to face with Jack.

She looked at him, like someone would gaze at a dangerous virus. Jack didn't bother, not wasting any time in moving past her, Rose falling against him once she felt his most welcome arms around her.