Covington, Kentucky

Why this small town in the state of Kentucky, Rose could not say. After the three week stay in the luxury hotel that Molly had set them up in, she felt it best that she and Lily go somewhere far from such opulence so they could get a real start in their new lives. Somewhere far away from New York and especially Philadelphia. Somewhere no one would ever expect to find them. This small town across from Cincinnati Ohio seemed to be as good of a place as any. No one from her former life had ever been here, so she had the freedom to move around and get used to life as a normal, everyday girl with a child.

"I'm hungry," Lily's pouted, tightly clinging to Rose's hand.

Glancing down at the little girl, Rose noted how weary the child seemed. It was no wonder, they just spent days riding coach on a train. This was their first time on solid ground since they had left New York. It would indeed be nice to eat some real food and not some of the train fare that they had been forced to endure.

"There must be a cafe or diner around here somewhere. We'll get something to eat and then find a place to stay," Rose reassured the little girl, again feeling the weight of responsibility on her shoulders. Not for the first time, she again wondered if she had done the right thing taking Lily with her. Her life was anything but stable right now. Maybe the child would have been better off in an orphanage. Then again, who was to say if the child would have been adopted? It could have been a life in a children's home instead of being raised and loved by someone who wanted only the best for her. Rose may not have much now, but she did have love to give and the potential to give the child a good life. Her life may not be steady at the moment, but it was a lot better than an orphanage, that was for sure.

Wordlessly, keeping Lily's small hand in her slightly bigger one, Rose began to walk, not for the first time wondering if this was what Jack would do. It had been a constant thought since she had left the Carpathia. What would Jack do? Her heart would ache at the thought, reminding her that Jack was no longer on the earth. That the world was missing his bright smile and optimism. That it was a darker world now that he was gone. Then she would remind herself of the promise he had her make and she forced herself to carry on by imagining what he would do and follow through with it. Jack would take advantage of Molly's kind offer of the three-week hotel stay, but not too much. When the three weeks were up, he would be on his way, which was what she did by packing up Lily after those three weeks and deciding to leave New York as soon as possible, which she did by buying a train ticket to nowhere. Now that they had reached nowhere, the question had to be asked again, what would Jack do if he was with them now?

"Can we go home first?"

Lily's question brought Rose out of her own thoughts and made her push back the gathering clouds of grief that threatened to overtake her each time she thought of the kind artist that had changed her life.

"Home?" Rose stared at Lily, trying to understand what the child meant by that.

"Papa used to say home was where you take off your shoes. I want to take off my shoes," Lily explained as if this was the simplest knowledge in the world.

"Hmm...I suppose you're right. Home is where we can take off our shoes. I suppose it would make sense to find that home first, right? There should be a room for rent around here somewhere," Rose bit her lip, her eyes scanning the streets for any sign of a hotel or boarding house. Anywhere that could give her and Lily shelter, at least for the night.

Relief filled Rose once her eyes finally fell upon a sign advertising a vacancy plopped in the middle of a lawn of a white Victorian house. The sign read: Room for Rent, enquire inside. That was perfect! One room was all that was needed for herself and Lily. Somewhere to take off their shoes until something better came along.

"Come along, Lily," Rose lifted the little girl up in her arms, hoping to make herself look more maternal to anyone who may wonder why a young woman has a child, but no husband. "Remember, call me mama, not Rose. That's who I am for you from now on, okay?"

The child simply nodded, not understanding any of this. She just knew that her old life with her real parents was apparently over and she only had this nice red-haired lady to take care of her. By all appearances, this lady was her new mama.

"Okay. Let's go home," Rose smiled, feeling an odd optimism that she hoped would pan out.

Rose stepped up onto the porch and ringed the bell, not wanting to just barge into the house without permission. It was a middle-aged woman with blonde hair that was pulled back into a bun and smiling blue eyes that answered the door.

"Yes, may I help you?" The woman questioned, eyeing Rose and Lily up and down. "Are you here about the vacancy?"

"Yes. My daughter Lily and I are new in town and we're in need of a place to stay and I noticed your sign in the yard there," Rose nodded to the sign as she adjusted her hold on Lily as the child seemed to grow a little heavier.

"Oh yes. We have a room with two twin beds, so it'd be perfect for the two of you. Would you like to see it?"

Rose simply nodded. "Yes, please. That would be wonderful."

Rose kept Lily in her arms as she followed the woman up one flight of stairs and to the far room on the right. The room was brightly lit with floral wallpaper, a desk on the far wall, and two twin beds sitting parallel to each other. A closet was positioned at the left side of the desk. It would do for a while. A week or two or maybe a month.

"How much are you asking for?" Rose asked.

"Four dollars down payment and two dollars a week after that. We have rules here. No men up here at all. All gentleman visitors are to be met in the sitting room, chaperoned. Even though, I have a feeling that won't be a problem. And keep your room clean. I am not your maid. I will not be cleaning up after you."

Rose took a deep breath. This was going to be her first real home out in the real world, away from high society, yet she felt just as restricted somehow, but it was a good temporary home for Lily. For a couple of months anyway. They could always move on at some later date. Right now, it was all about getting a steady start in this new life she had chosen for herself. She smiled at Lily, wanting her opinion.

"What do you think? Can this be home?"

Lily took one look at the room, smiled, and nodded her head.

"We'll take it," Rose smiled, sitting the little girl on her feet so she could open the small purse she carried for the money needed.

"Splendid! There is also a small cafe around the corner that our guests frequent for hot meals and a market place two streets down for grocery shopping. My name is Mrs. Tallington."

"I am Rose Dawson and this is my daughter Lily. My husband died in a terrible accident, so right now, Lily and I are looking to start anew somewhere away from all the sad memories. We're hoping that this place may be it," Rose felt bad for telling such a lie, but she felt like an explanation was owed. Besides, it wasn't a lie. Not really. She mourned for Jack as if he had really been her husband...like she really was his widow. After all, the Dawson name was his and she believed that he would have made it official if he could.

"I am so sorry for your loss. I do hope that you two can find healing and happiness here in Covington. Being right across from Cincinnati, we have the best of both worlds. Little town feel with metropolitan activities to enjoy."

"Hmm, I like that. I am sure that Lily and I will be very happy here," Rose made herself smile in agreement. Honestly, she doubted that any healing could be had from the loss of Jack. Right now, his absence felt like a huge gaping hole in her soul. She didn't even want to contemplate on what Lily must be going through, having lost her entire family.

"Well, I'll leave you two to settle in and get used to the place. Feel free to ask if you need anything such as fresh towels. Oh, which reminds me, the bathroom is right down the hall and it's shared with the rest of the house. there's a sign that you can hang on the doorknob letting others know that it's in use."

Rose simply nodded, handing over six dollars out of the money that she had found in Cal's coat pocket, right before they had disembarked the Carpathia. Rose had fought with her own conscious about using it but figured that the man owed her for all the pain he had put her through during their ill-advised engagement.

"Thank you very much," Rose smiled, relieved that so far, she was doing pretty good as a young, new mother on her own. Jack would be so proud of her.

"Enjoy your stay, ladies."

Rose closed the door as soon as they were alone and smiled at her new daughter who gave a tired yawn. "I guess we can take off our shoes, now. So what do you want to do next? We can go to that cafe or we can take a much needed, stationary nap?"

Lily rubbed her eyes, feeling more sleepy than hungry. Really, she preferred sleep. She got to see her momma and poppa again when she slept.

"I'm sleepy."

"So am I," Rose sighed, realizing that she was indeed exhausted from the long train ride and she was ready to lay her head down and dream...dream of Jack. Like Lily, it was the only way to see the man she loved again. "Come on. Let's lay down and take a nap. Then we'll eat when we wake up."

Lily nodded and allowed Rose to lift her onto one of the twin beds and tuck her in. She drifted off to sleep, listening to Rose sing a lullaby that her own father had once sung to her.

Once she was sure that Lily was asleep, Rose settled down in her own bed, thinking about what all that had happened to her since the sinking. She had fallen in love, survived a disaster, lost the man she loved, and now she was a mother herself, hoping to be the kind of mother that her own could never be. It was a lot to happen in such a short time to someone not even in her twenties yet. Rose hoped that she was doing the right thing, not only for herself but for Lily as well and she hoped that wherever Jack was, he was watching over them with pride, happy to see Rose make sure that his sacrifice was not in vain.