Chapter 43: Freedom

Rose wakes up, expecting to be in her old room back to Philadelphia, her bed empty and cold. Instead, as she opens her eyes and see's Jack' beautiful face laying next to her. Her heart soars in happiness being back with him. It was clear to her that they were meant to be together because not even a sinking ship could get in their way. They were going to be parents and they could live a life of freedom together. Forever and always.

Rose tries to move and the pain of her ankle comes back, reminding her of the incident that brought all of them back together last night. She winces slightly and lets out a groan of pain.

Immediately, Jack's eyes open. He looks at her with concern.

"Are you okay Rose?" Jack asks.

Rose smiles.

"I'm fine, now that you're here," she says before kissing him. Jack runs his fingers through her curls and holds her close. Once again the pain comes back when she turns towards him and she winces.

Jack immediately backs off.

"Sorry," he said.

"It's okay," Rose says. "Just hold me."

Jack wraps his arms around Rose gently, laying his chin on her shoulder. He embraces her scent; he hasn't felt this wonderful since their night together in the car in the cargo hold. She fits so well into his arms, it's as if they truly were meant to be together. He kisses her cheek and feels her warmth.

"You sleep okay?" he asks.

"Best I've had in a long time," Rose replies.

"Me too," Jack says. "I could never sleep in peace if I knew you weren't here next to me."

Rose blushes and smiles again. She never wants this moment to end.

Suddenly, there are tiny footsteps pounding around the upstairs hall. Rose and Jack look at each other.

"Aunt Emma, Uncle Peeta are you awake yet?"

"Who's that?" Rose asks. She knows that Sybil was young, but she wouldn't be able to walk yet, let alone talk.

"Must be Holly's kid," Jack says. "I saw a ring on her finger and a bunch of kids toys that didn't look like Sybils on the floor last night."

Rose holds out her hands and looks at the engagement ring Cal had given her. In all the chaos of last night, she had forgotten to take it off.

Jack feels a surge of guilt in his stomach. He would never be able to buy Rose a ring as nice as the one she had on. He realized that he wouldn't be able to give Rose a lot of the things that she had, something that scared him from the beginning. He did have the money from the auction, but that would go more towards their house or food or clothing, things that were more important. He did want to buy her a ring, someday soon, but the world is a hard place, he knew that first hand. Society would not treat her the same if she was with him and things would be tougher, making ends meet and such and he wondered if Rose was ready to give up everything she knew just to be with him. He knew that she had sold a lot of her things to make money for herself, and their baby, but it was still going to be hard for her to adapt to a completely different life. He shifts uncomfortably in the bed.

"You okay?" Rose asks, sensing Jack's sadness.

"It's nothing…"

"Don't lie to me, what's wrong?"

"I'm just worried that I won't be able to care for you."

Rose rolls over to look at Jack's blue eyes. She gives him a smile.

"Remember what I said on the bow?" she asks him.

Jack tries not to shudder as that was a few moments before the iceberg hit the ship. He nods.

"I meant what I said then and I mean it now. You're my everything, Jack. You're giving me the things that Cal never could, respect, passion, care, and love. I value those more than all the diamonds in the world. I don't care about money or power or fancy things. I don't care if we end up under a bridge somewhere or on the ends of the earth… all I want is you…You jump I jump right?"

She pulls him in and kisses his fiercely, with ever ounce of strength in her body. She doesn't care if her ankle hurts, he is here. She never let go then, she's not letting go now.

"We have each other and that's what matters…" she says, caressing her thumb across his high cheekbone.

A piercing cry echoes through the house.

"That sounds like Sybil," Rose says.

"Be glad that you don't have to get up…" Jack smirks.

"That will be us in eight and a half months, though," Rose says. Jack's hands go around to her abdomen. Rose meets his hand there.

"I can't believe we're going to be parents."

"Me neither,"

"Have you given any thoughts to names yet?" Jack asks.

"Not really, but I have thought about what he or she will look like. I want the baby, if it's a boy, to look like you."

"Really?" Jack laughs. "If it's a girl, I want it to look like you."

They both chuckle to themselves.

"How about Tommy for a boy? or Fabrizio?"

Rose smiles. "And if it's a girl, Cora? Or Josephine?"

"Come, Josephine, my flying machine…" Jack laughs, singing to her.

The two lay in bed until the smells of breakfast waft upstairs to their room. Rose's stomach growls. It's certainly not easy being pregnant.

"Ready to get up?" Jack smiles.

"I wish we could lie here all day, but I don't think the baby will let us."

"And we've put him or her at enough risk already."

With difficulty, Rose sits up, Jack with her the entire way. Both get themselves dressed and with some help, the two limp down the stairs. The two make their way to the kitchen.

Emma is standing over a warm pot of oatmeal, stirring it frequently, while Peter is brewing himself some coffee. Holly is unsuccessfully trying to feed Sybil some oatmeal, but the tiny tot simply wants to play with her food, getting it on everyone and everything. Little Thomas sits at the table, playing with his favourite car next to his own bowl of half-finished oatmeal.

"Mommy, who's the pretty lady and man?" Thomas asks. "She looks like a princess."

Jack grins and nudges Rose, who is blushing. Jack helps her to a chair and then sits down himself. Peter puts a cup of coffee in front of Jack, while Emma serves up two more bowls of fresh, hot oatmeal.

"Thomas, these are friends of ours from the ship we told you about," Emma answers for Holly. "Jack and Rose. Rose and Jack, this is Thomas, Peter's nephew."

"Hello there," Jack says.

"It's nice to meet you," Rose chimes in.

"I'm Thomas and I'm three. I can say the alphabet and count to almost fifty. I have my own baseball and bat and I can play Gin Rummy."

"That's quite an impressive resume," Rose smiles. She digs into the oatmeal in front of her, it warms her right up. "This is delicious Emma,"

"Thank you," Emma says. "My secret ingredient is a pinch of cinnamon."

Jack eats some of his, he too is warmed up, having not had good oatmeal since his parents were alive. Thomas drives his car around the table, making engine noises, much to his mother's dismay as she tries to coax him to eat his breakfast. He runs around the entire table in excitement is until he knocks his bowl over onto Rose and himself.

"THOMAS!" Holly gasps, her face turning red in embarrassment. She pulls her son back, oatmeal dripping everywhere. "I'm so sorry Rose."

"It's okay Holly, I needed a bath anyways," Rose says in good humor. She licks her fingers childishly and Jack can't help but laugh.

"Well, you're not the only one," Emma says, pointing her thumb over to Sybil, who is in a similar state. They all watch as Sybil dumps an entire bowl of oatmeal on her head and wears the bowl like a hat. Everyone laughs.

…

Wendy sips a bit of coffee and nibbles on a slice of toast. She and Tommy are eating at a restaurant across the street from the hotel, watching the morning traffic and for any sign of Rose.

"So what do you do Mr. O'Donnell?" Wendy asks.

"Please, call me Tommy," the man says, drinking his own coffee.

"Okay, Tommy, what do you do for a living?"

"I work in stocks and bonds mostly. I moved away from the family farm to come to the city and make my fortune."

Wendy smiles, knowing full well that everyone comes to the city to seek their fortunes. Her father had felt the same way when they moved from Chicago to Philadelphia and so did she, but yet her dream still felt as far away as any. She gazes out the window, deep in thought.

"What are you thinking about?" he asks.

"To be honest, what to do next. With Miss Rose missing and the fact that I knocked out Mr. Hockley, I'm sure I've lost my job with the DeWitt Bukaters."

"Why not stay in the city?"

"I'd love that, but I don't have any money or a place to go."

Tommy swirls his spoon in his coffee and swallows hard. "Why don't you stay with me?"

Wendy nearly faints right there in the restaurant. Sure, she liked this man, but they had just met. He made her feel safe, and he was kind and respectful. She certainly liked his company, but to stay with a man before they were married was unthinkable and very scandalous.

"I…I…" Wendy stutters. Her face becomes flushed and Tommy himself is also rather embarrassed.

"It'd be okay, I mean, it's small, but my roommates and I are looking for someone new."

"But is it proper?" Wendy whispers, not wanting to be overheard.

"Who's to say? You are a respectable woman and you can always find a new job with your experience. The rent is cheap and there is plenty of room. You could also have a quiet space where you could write and try to publish your work. There'd be nothing…scandalous about it," Tommy says.

Wendy takes a long sip of her coffee. She certainly likes the idea of staying the city, far away from her family's influence and she could be anything she wanted. Now that she could read and write, she could be a secretary, a typist or something of that nature, she could escape service forever. Her heart pounded at the opportunity, plus she could get to know Harry better. Perhaps even…

"I…I'm not sure, I don't have very many things here and…"

Tommy's heart sinks. He likes Wendy and wants to get to know her, maybe even court her. It kills him to think she'd leave so soon, but now his impulsive actions have gotten the better of him again and he's scaring her off. He looks down at his feet and wants to beat himself up. Every time he acts impulsively, he ends up regretting it. It cost him his Olympic dream and now it's costing him his chance at… love?

Wendy suddenly spies a woman with red curls getting out of a taxi across the street. She knew without a doubt that this was Rose. She seemed to be in the company of a young blond man. She immediately gets up and hurries across the way. Tommy watches her go and sighs, his heart sinking, thinking he'd likely never see her again.

Wendy rushes up towards the couple as they enter through front doors of the building.

"Miss Rose!" the maid says frantically.

Rose turns to see Wendy, Jack supporting her as they go towards the front desk. The two had decided to go to the hotel to pick some of Rose's things, while Emma went to the office and Peter stayed at home with his sister and the children. They took a cab to the address and Rose was nervous that she might find Cal there. Clearly, she was in no shape to run if he saw her. She was also worried for Wendy, her friend and what might happen to her since the maid knew of her plans to escape.

Wendy embraces Rose.

"Oh, Miss Rose what happened?" Wendy gasps at Rose's bandaged foot.

"It's nothing to worry about, Wendy. I'm fine now," Rose reassures her.

Wendy's eyes go from her mistress's face to the handsome man standing next to her.

"Who is this?" Wendy asks.

"Wendy, this is Jack Dawson."

Wendy's jaw drops and her face goes pale. Jack holds out his hand and Wendy reluctantly shakes it. "Nice

"Nice to meet you," he says pleasantly.

"Y-You mean…"

"Yes, he survived after all," Rose says, trying to calm Wendy down. "We found each other last night at the event."

Rose explains the whole night in detail as the three of them take the elevator up to the women's floor and make their way down the hall. Wendy unlocks the door with the key and Rose stops short when she sees the room.

"Wendy… what…?"

Rose doesn't even have to finish the sentence, knowing full well what happened. She turns to Wendy and gives her a hug.

"Oh god! I'm so sorry, Wendy! I should've called or come back to warn you, it's just things happened so quickly…"

"It's alright Rose, I had some help and Mr. Hockley has been arrested."

"You're kidding?" Jack gasps, trying not to laugh or smile. After all the things the millionaire did to Rose, Emma, Peter, Sybil and himself, Cal was finally where he belonged, behind bars and wearing stripes.

Wendy explains what happened the night before and how Tommy had come to her rescue. Jack swallows a lump in his throat at the mention the name of his old friend who went down with the ship. She told them she wouldn't be pursuing charges for assault so he might be released very soon, which scared all three of them. They all knew first hand what Cal was capable of and fear began to grow within them.

"We need to go," Jack says. "There's not telling when he'll be back."

"Just let me gather up my things, but Wendy where will you go?" Rose asks.

Wendy swallows hard and turns red. Rose takes it as a sign that the two women should talk in private.

"Uh…Jack, could you give us a few moments to pack?" Rose asks politely.

Jack nods. "Sure, I'll just be outside."

Once he shuts the door, Rose sits down on the bed. Wendy sits down next to her and begins to cry. Rose puts her arms around her friend and comforts her. Just like the night when she told Wendy about Titanic and Jack, Wendy was her rock and confidant, and now Rose had to be one for the maid.

"What's going on Wendy?" Rose asks.

Through the tears, Wendy tells Rose about this morning and how Tommy asked her to stay with him in the city. She describes how scared she feels about being on her own. Rose listens and comforts her friend. She knew exactly how Wendy feels, she was going to be in a similar situation very soon, she and Jack on their own, navigating the world she was unfamiliar with and leaving all she ever knew her. But still, as long as Jack was beside her, Rose knew she could face anything.

"I…I just don't know what to do…" Wendy whimpers.

Rose takes in a deep breath. "I think you should do it, Wendy?"

"What?" the maid gasps.

"I think you should, you have that chance to be free, you shouldn't waste it by going back into service. This is your chance to be an author and you have someone who cares about you and wants to help you."

"B-But your mother…"

"My mother has no power over either of us, not anymore. If you need a good reference, I will give it to you, but don't waste your one chance at freedom. I almost did and it nearly cost me, Jack."

"B-But Rose…it s-seems so crazy," Wendy says.

"Many things are crazy Wendy, but if we don't follow them, we're nothing more than butterflies in jars, flying in circles and only allowed to watch the world go by."

Rose pulls Wendy to face her. "You can't spend your whole life hiding and playing it safe. If Jack has taught me anything, it's that life is a gift and you need to live every day to the fullest, take that risk, jump off that cliff into the ocean. Life is too short to waste it dreaming about what might be when you should be doing something about it."

"But I-I'm scared."

"And so am I Wendy, but the world waits for no one and as long as you have someone there to support you, you can't miss…"

Wendy looks into Rose's eyes. Her heart is pounding very hard, her hands shaking, and she's sweating slightly; it all seems so scary and yet…so exciting. She glances over at her notebook, where she's been writing down her poems and other ideas. She stands up and goes to the window, looking down into the vast and seemingly endless city. There were so many places she could explore, the things she could try, the people she could be. She had always longed to be free, free to chase her dreams and free to be someone else. She had that chance and to do it with Tommy.

"Okay…" Wendy says. "I'll do it."

Rose smiles and Wendy comes over to give her mistress a hug. They both begin crying slightly and laughing, out of joy and out of anxiety about what will come next.

"You'd better hurry, before this Tommy O'Donnell leaves," Rose adds.

Quickly, Wendy finds their bags and helps Rose pack. She packs their dresses and all the things they brought from Philadelphia. Rose finds her money in the leather purse and Wendy finds the remains of the book she was reading. Rose tries to hand her friend some cash to pay for it, but Wendy refuses, she insists she will explain everything and the library will forgive her.

Jack comes in and helps Rose down the hall, while Wendy carries the bags.

Once they are outside in front of the hotel, Rose and Wendy hug for a long time.

"Thank you so much, Rose," Wendy says, tears in her eyes. "For being my teacher and my friend."

"Thank you, Wendy, for being my friend and, someone I could talk to," Rose says, equally emotional. "I wish you all the luck in the world."

"You too Rose and congratulations on your baby."

"Thank you," Rose says.

Wendy looks across the street in search of who she wants as a companion. To her great fortune, he stands across the street, clearly waiting for a bus. Wendy grabs her bags, shakes Jack's hand and hugs Rose once more before crossing the street towards Tommy. Her heart pounds loudly in her ears, but she can feel the excitement in her stomach. She's making her dreams come true.

When Tommy sees her walking towards him, he smiles. He embraces her and they get into the waiting vehicle.

Jack and Rose hold hands and watch as Wendy waves from the window of the bus. Tears are rolling down Rose's face, so happy for her friend.

"What did you tell her?" Jack asks.

"I gave her the same speech you gave me, that life's too short and you shouldn't waste it," Rose smiles. "How things seem so crazy, but that's why it makes sense."

"I guess I can be considered a crazy man for encouraging such morals."

Rose kisses Jack. "You're my crazy man and you are right. You always have been."

The two flag a cab and put Rose's bags in the trunk. They climb in and begin to take off back towards Peter and Emma's place. When they reach the Brooklyn Bridge, however, Rose tells the cab driver to stop.

With some difficulty, Rose gets out of the car goes to the edge of the bridge. Jack follows her, worried at first. Couldn't she be trying to repeat the incident on Titanic?

"Rose what are you doing?" he asks over the wind and honking horns.

"Leaving my old life behind!" Rose calls out. She removes Cal's engagement ring from her finger. "It's time for me to start flying…"

And with great joy, Rose chucks the ring over the side of the bridge and into the water.