A/N: Thanks to Amelia for your reviews!
Cal grabbed Roger drawing him away from Jack, who instantly fell back onto the floor. Roger struggled against Cal trying to wriggle out of his grip.
"What the hell…"
"Mr Lindsay, I think that's quite enough…"
Roger vaguely remembered the voice. It belonged to Caledon Hockley, Rose's ex-fiancé. Cal didn't have little trouble to control him as he fought back very harsh.
"Mr Lindsay…"
"You should be happy that I'm helping you. Have you forgotten what he did?"
Surely Cal couldn't reject the fact that Jack had betrayed him too.
"I'm not denying anything, Mr Lindsay," he spoke as he held back the other one's arms "…but I'm not stooping so law to kill someone, who's already deadly ill. That's not how a real gentleman acts. There aren't rules for a duel for nothing…"
"I don't care about those…," Roger grumbled. "Rose is mine…she's carrying my child and I've…"
Cal was taken aback at this.
Rose was pregnant?
Not that this should've surprised him. He had known already that she and Dawson hadn't just been holding hands, but he was amazed that she had actually allowed another man to touch her in this way.
He wondered what Dawson knew of this.
Roger saw Cal's astonished look.
"See, Mr Hockley…I guess you're learning more and more about your so-called lovely fiancée…"
Jack meanwhile had leaned against the wall, his hand moving up to his neck. He could feel the blood spilling on to his clothes and covering the floor in red too.
Cal looked at him momentarily having forgotten about him as he tried to keep Roger under control. But now he back at it.
"Hey doctors…I…we need help…," he shouted outside.
He thought that he saw Jack smiling at him in gratitude.
Not long after and a few nurses followed by a doctor and some policemen appeared in the room. The policemen then took hold of Roger.
"We're taking care of him now, Sir," they told Cal, who just nodded glad that this task was taken from him.
The nurses and the doctor meanwhile had begun to treat Jack's new wounds.
"Oh, Mr Dawson, I'm happy to see you alive," one of the nurses said.
Jack ignored her looking at Cal instead.
"Mr Hockley…I…I want to…"
Cal knew what he was trying to tell him.
"Oh no, Dawson, please don't say it. Out of your mouth it's…well you know…," he tried to look stern, but still a small smile appeared on his face.
"Mr Dawson, you shouldn't be talking at all…"
Once more Jack disregarded her advice.
"Where…where's Rose?" he asked towards Cal, who was playing somehow nervous now, with his jacket buttons.
"Well you know, Dawson. I thought it better to let her stay behind and not to accompany me. I mean no one of us wants her in danger."
Jack gazed at him. He knew Rose already long enough.
"So she's here."
"Ahem…yes," Cal answered.
"Mr Dawson, please, if you would just keep still now…"
"Jack!"
Rose…
God how he had missed her…
"Rose…you shouldn…"
Rose pushed forward the nurses moving away, hugging him and kissing him. When she felt Jack weakly hugging her back she tried to stop her tears from falling, but realized that it was no use and that she didn't really care at all.
By now Jack's wounds had been bandaged up.
Jack and Rose seemed to have forgotten the people around them just staring at each other lovingly.
"Jack…I'm so…"
Jack grinned at her, touching her cheek, to which Rose responded by leaning deeper into his hand.
"Hey everything is alright now," he told her soothingly.
"Mr Dawson, you really should get back into bed. You've just recovered from…," the doctor stepped forward.
"He's right, Jack, come on, I'll help you…"
Once Jack was sitting in bed again, he instantly remembered Fabrizio.
"Just rest now, Mr Dawson."
"Wait…what about Fabri…"
Cal bit his lips.
"What…?"
"I think that he may have gone up to this Mrs Pearson."
"But then I've to…," Jack started being held back by Rose and the doctors. "He's my friend. I can't let him…"
Clarissa had by now also appeared behind Cal.
"Cal…is everything…?" she wanted to know moving up to him.
Jack gazed at her with questioning eyes.
"She's Cal's love interest," Rose whispered into his ear.
"I'm certainly going to regret this…," Cal mumbled under his breath. "But well, Dawson, I do think that I may go up to…now well to…"
Jack look at him wide-eyed, not believing what he had just heard.
"You're really…you're helping me?"
"Don't flatter yourself," he grumbled. "No, I would never dream of doing so, Dawson. I just want to get my diamond back," he protested though both Jack and Rose knew that he was lying.
Clarissa followed Cal outside the room as did the hospital stuff.
"I guess he's had a kind of a soft spot too," Jack spoke up once they were alone.
"Yes, he does, but don't you tell him," Rose giggled.
…
Cal stormily knocked on the door and not being used to waiting he just moved past the girl that opened the door to him.
"Sir, it's common here to first take off the coat and…," she stumbled after him.
"I don't care what's common here. Where's Mrs Pearson?" he angrily wanted to know.
Just then – she herself showed up at the staircase.
"Mr Hockley," she began playing around with her boa. She was weary what looked like a kind of bath robe. "Now nice to see you again…and I see you've brought company with you…"
"Miss Ayton is my friend," he stated matter of fact looking her sternly in her eyes.
"Ah, of course…the please come with me…you and your…ahem friend…," she laughed wickedly.
Cal took Clarissa hand as they went after Mrs Pearson.
"Now…what can I offer you two…"
"Mrs Pearson, I just want to know where my…this Italian is."
Mrs Pearson grin dropped slightly.
"Is that so?"
"Well then…I guess I've no other choice then, but…," she spoke softly moving up to Cal's neck whistling something in her fingers. "I'm just a poor woman, Sir," she rolled her eyes him. "You've got to have mercy with me," she got out wanting to sound innocently.
Cal, however saw that coming and pushed her away in time, grabbing the paperknife out of her hands.
"Now, what do we've here…," he quickly got rid of the knife throwing it into the edge of the room. "So, you're a little poor woman?"
"You've to get up earlier, Mrs Pearson, if you want to watch with me," he told her having grabbed her wrist.
She growled angrily.
"And what do we do now?"
"I think it's time for you to play with open cards. Come on, after you. Show me where you've kept him."
Mrs Pearson realized that she was defeated.
…..
Jack and Rose still lovingly at each other tough both daren't to ask the other one a certain question.
"Are you…?" they got out at once.
"Alright, you first," Jack then told her running his arms up and down her back.
Rose gulped, asking herself about the best – easiest – way to sort things out.
"I…I still can't believe that you're…oh god, Jack I'm so sorry…," she exclaimed throwing herself into his arms.
She felt his embrace on her tighten and couldn't help to start crying again.
"…Roger…Mr Lindsay and I…I don't know what to say…can…can you forgive me…?" she looked up at him with tearstained eyes.
Jack gazed at her lovingly.
Of course he would forgive her.
"Rose, I…"
"…because you know I only wanted to help you and…"
"Rose…," he tried again.
"…and…and Roger…you know he…at first…he was really nice and…"
"Rose…"
"I'm sorry, Jack…yes?" she finally stopped her outburst.
"Would you care to let me finish my sentence?"
Rose nodded.
"Of course…," she mumbled.
"You've gotten yourself into trouble, Rose," he began letting her string along. "...and you know not only yourself, but your mother as well and…"
"…I know Jack…"
"…but of course I forgive you," he suddenly grinned up at her.
"…oh Jack, you're unbelievable…," she pretended to be angry, but Jack knew she wasn't.
"…so are you, Rose…so are you."
Both smiled at each other, their lips moving towards each other.
…..
Cal and Clarissa followed Mrs Pearson into the room where Fabrizio was being held.
"What are you waiting for…untie him."
When she didn't move at first he repeated his request with more urgency.
"Now!"
Mrs Pearson then untied the ropes.
"Fine, what now?"
Fabrizio couldn't believe what he had just seen.
"Mr Hockley…"
"Fabrizio, come on, tie her down to the chair."
Fabrizio didn't have to be told twice.
"With pleasure…"
Being drawn to the chair herself now, Mrs Pearson though still didn't think of giving up.
"Mr Hockley honestly, I don't know what you want from him. This is my house after all and I believe that I've the right to defend it against everyone," she said mentioning towards Fabrizio.
"Sure, you've…," Cal started. "…but this one here…," he held up the Heart of the Ocean. "…was still mine that last time I saw it."
With a quick movement he opened up the fastener of the necklace and afterwards tossed put it into his coat-pocket.
"It was my reward from this damn girl."
"I guess you mean Rose by that," Cal grumbled – angrily?
Fabrizio looked at Cal and then at Mrs Pearson.
"Mrs Pearson…I…," Robert suddenly appeared in the room stopping dead in his tracks when he saw Cal standing there.
…
Rose had told Jack everything that had happened since the day he was brought here.
"I suppose, I should call the prison so they let mother out," she indicated about to get up, but was held back by Jack.
She's giving me what she refused to give you.
Rose instantly noticed his distressed state.
"Jack, my god, what's wrong with you? You've wanted to ask me something as well, haven't you?"
Jack instinctively drew her closer.
"Jack?"
"Are…are…?" he stammered looking down on her.
If Rose really was pregnant by the man then there was no way they could ever shut them out of their life forever. Roger would demand to play a role in his child's life. Moreover albeit detesting him for what he had done, Jack found that he himself, wouldn't want for this baby to never know it's father…after all everyone had a right to know about his origins.
Rose followed his gaze to her belly, all of a sudden aware of what he wanted to ask her.
Then she at first slowly, but then with more determination began to shake her head, looking Jack straight in the eyes.
"I didn't know what else I should do…to…to keep him away from me."
Although not saying it out aloud, Jack had still understood. Silently he reached for her hands, gently taking them in his and bit by bit started to kiss up her arm-length until his got to her cheek and finally to her mouth.