Once the shock over Jack and Julie's reappearance had worn off, the memorial had turned into a homecoming party, welcoming the two teens home again. Rose refused to leave Jack's side as both he and Julie piled food upon their plates and happily sat among their family and friends, talking about their stay on a deserted island. It had been an adventure that neither would ever forget.

"Wow, that would have been so scary if it had been me and Derrick," Annabelle popped a blueberry into her mouth, listening to Jack and Julie's tale with wide eyes.

"It was scary, but we stuck together and now we're back where we belong," Jack chuckled, squeezing Rose's shoulder, frowning when he felt how thin she was. "Rose, I swear you weren't this skinny during the cruise. You're skin and bones sweetie…."

"That's because she became so obsessed with looking for you guys, she was barely taking care of herself," Trudy spoke up before Rose could come up with some excuse, earning a glare from the girl in question.

Jack frowned. He didn't like the thought of Rose not taking care of her own health. He definitely didn't like how thin she had become. He looked at her, his eyes sad. "Rose, you have to eat."

"I couldn't Jack...I can't explain it. I just could not eat anything when I knew you were alive, but weren't with me."

He suddenly got up and walked over to the buffet and piled food onto a plate and returned

Knowing she was beat, Rose accepted the plate. "I won't be able to finish all of this..."

"Just eat what you can," Jack grinned, picking up his own plate.

"Jack you were the one stranded all week on a deserted island. You should not be taking care of me, it's me who should be taking care of you," Rose sighed, feeling awful.

"We should take care of each other. What kind of fiancee would I be if I wasn't concerned over my girlfriend who right now looks like a gust of wind can blow her away?"

"Rose," Julie spoke up, looking at her own plate, feeling very self-conscience. "I want to apologize for my past behavior this month. I shouldn't have blamed you for Jack's accident. It wasn't your fault."

Rose couldn't believe her ears. She had never even entertained the thought of Julie apologizing to her. She was almost tempted to refuse. But then she thought of Jack. He had been furious with Julie, but he had cared enough to try to save her and they had obviously worked out their differences. Holding a grudge would only hurt Jack and she didn't have it in her to do that.

"I was wrong," Julie sighed, looking straight at Rose, trying to read her. "I'm saying that I was wrong."

Rose sighed, feeling everyone's eyes on her, knowing that they were expecting some kind of reaction. So she simply nodded, accepting the apology. "Alright."

At first, Julie looked like she was going to say something sarcastic, but her eyes drifted to Jack and she sighed, accepting that an alright was all she was going to get from Rose. She just nodded in response.

Jack was happy about the apology. No, he did not expect Rose and Julie to ever be friends. That ship had sailed a long time ago, but he felt better knowing that they would at least be civil to one another and didn't actually hate each other anymore. "This is good, Jules. After all, Rose is as good as family."

"Oh yeah, mom and dad. Jack and Rose got engaged on the ship," Julie announced, sensing that Phil and Beth didn't now yet.

"It's just an engagement. We won't tie the knot until we both feel ready," Jack smiled at Rose, sensing his Aunt and Uncle's shock. "We're not getting married right after graduation."

"I always liked the idea of long engagements," Beth smiled and reached over and petted Rose's hand. "Nevertheless, we already think of Rose as a member of the family. Engagements and weddings are just formalities."

Rose blinked, feeling tears swell up in he eyes unexpectedly. To hear Beth say that she thought of Rose as a member of the family meant a lot. She had thought that her chance to have a real loving family had died with her dad and Katarina. She was touched to find that it wasn't true. That there was a loving family here just waiting or her.

…

Two hours later, mostly everyone was gone. Derrick was staying with Julie, while Rose remained with Jack, sending Trudy home with Helga. Right now, they were sequestered away in Jack's room. They laid on the bed, with Rose cuddled against Jack's side, her head resting on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. He held her close.

They didn't speak. What was there to say? Jack knew how what she was feeling, just by the way her arms tightened around him, every time she thought that he was going to move away from her. By the wetness on his shirt from her tears, the tears that she had held back for so long this past week. From what Trudy had said, it's been an exhausting week. Rose hadn't even slept much. Which is something that he hoped she'd do now, with him here by her side.

It was Rose that broke the silence.

"They almost broke me, today Jack. At the memorial...before you and Julie came in...I almost gave in accepted that you were gone," her voice was low and at the edge of tears. "I almost gave up..."

Jack kissed the top of her head and gently stroked her hair. "It's alright, Rose. You had no reason not to accept it. In fact, I'm surprised that you hadn't accepted it before then. You had no way of knowing that I was alive..."

"Yes I did. I felt it. I felt that you were still alive...I had just been letting everyone else's grief get to me. It was covering up what I felt deep inside."

"Well it doesn't matter now. I am back and I will never leave your side again. Wild horses won't even be able to drag me away," Jack chuckled. "We're together now. That is all that matters."

"I just feel so guilty for letting them get to me like that."

"Don't. Like I said, it was completely reasonable. You know, this calls for a change of subject," Jack opened the drawer to his night stand table and took out a small black box. "It's time we made something official."

Rose's eyes widened at the sight of the box, unable to believe what she was seeing. Was he serious? "Jack?"

"I was able to salvage my mother's engagement ring from the fire. I know that she'd want you to have it," He opened the box to reveal a silver band with a perfect solitaire diamond settled in the middle. "It's not engraved or anything, but my father gave it to my mother and I know she'd love it if the woman I intended to marry would wear it as well."

Rose was struck speechless. She almost didn't know what to say. His mother's ring. That was huge!

"I know it's not much when compared to what guys like Hockley can give you but..."

"It's beautiful...the most beautiful ring in the world," Rose quietly replied, fresh tears streaming down her cheek.

"So will you wear it?" Jack asked, not sure what the girl's answer would be.

Rose just smiled and nodded her head. "Of course I'll wear it! There is no other answer than yes!"

Rose held back her tears of happiness as the ring was slipped onto her finger. She looked at it in the artificial light of the room and smiled.

"It its perfectly. Like it was meant to be worn by you," Jack chuckled.

"Maybe it was. I do know this. I love you Jack. I love you more than anything and I'll never lose faith in you...no matter what," She sealed the vow with a deep kiss.

It was one of many vows that Jack and Rose would make to each other over time. The one vow that never came close to being broken. No matter what, Rose knew that there was one thing, one person that she could always count on. Jack and their never ending love for one another.