Chapter 49

September 9, 1912

Caledon Hockley paced around his detective's small office, anxious to hear of the whereabouts of his Sweetpea, if anything at all. The detective flipped through the pages of the folder, then takes a brief look at Cal. The detective takes the butt of the cigar out of his mouth and snuffs it in a silver ashtray, then sets the files down on his desk, before looking once more at the nearly unkempt man in front of him. The detective thought he could smell a hint of gin from the man as he continued to pace nervously.

"So, have you heard of anything new?" Cal leans on the man's desk, his hair falling over his forehead.

"I'm afraid not. All we have known is that your maid has been spotted somewhere in Queens, possibly at a new development that is nearby. We're not sure if she's there, or we've been given a small description-"

"Well. Did you check there?!" Cal asked, becoming more agitated.

"No. We don't know if-"

"Dammit!" Cal backed away from the desk, then rubs his face with his hands, to prevent himself from slamming his fist on the desk, or the wall. All he wanted was to have Rose back, and Jack dealt with, even if by force.

"Sir, if you please calm down-"

"How can I calm down if my fiancé is running around with that-that-" Cal stammered, his palms outstretched, then rubs them in his face once more. The stress of losing his fiancé was too much he could bear. And he didn't know what to call Jack in front of the detective either. The chair creaked and groaned as the detective leaned back, putting his weight into the chair, kicked his legs on the desk, then took off his hat. He threw it on his desk, before he lit another cigar, taking a couple of big puffs, then crossed his arms.

"What was the man's name? Who took your wife?" the detective asked, putting his feet down as quickly as he had propped them on his desk, then he reached for the files before going through the contents once more. Cal couldn't believe he had to tell this stranger his personal life.

"I'm waiting." he tapped his cigar ash into a small tray, then closed the folder.

"She ran with this man. Dawson. Dawson was his name."

"Dawson?" The detective looked up, and raised an eyebrow.

"Jack. Dawson." Cal says with uneasiness. Now he needed something to drink, to calm his nerves. The detective reached for a little pad, then scribbled something in there.

"Interesting. And this other one. Jesse. How was he involved in all this?" The P.I. put his pencil down on his desk, then leaned on his hands, after he pushed aside the files. He blew out another thick puff of smoke.

"He was on the Mauretania almost a year ago. I don't know what he was doing there in the first place. That's when my fiancé approached him, and they talked. I lost it, and he has not been seen since, until the maiden voyage of Titanic."

"And you're certain he's dead?" the P.I. continued to take notes in the little pad.

"Most certain. I've seen his body being thrown overboard back on the rescue ship." Cal cleared his throat, then places his hands in front of him. The detective puts his pencil down for the last time, gets out of his chair, grabs his hat, then placed a hand on Cal's shoulder, before leading him out of the room by gesturing with his hat towards the door.

"Tell you what. I'll keep with the case, but my fee will increase. For the sake of finding your wife." The detective took a big puff of his cigar, and Cal shook hands on that agreement. The detective put his hat back on, tipped it in favor to Cal, stepped back into his office, then the door closed.

September 16, 1912

The New Mexico State Fair had arrived, following a new name change from Territorial Fair a year prior. Both Jack and Rose watched eagerly as Jesse led a horse from a nearby barn behind his business. It was fully bridled, and saddled, and was ready to go for a ride. The same horse that kicked Jesse on his lower back, but despite that, he wanted to keep the animal, and to hopefully break the horse in, and succeeded one year later, before he left on his first Mauretania trip to Europe, with his father and sort-of benefactor. They were finally talking and being friends once more after a long three week intense argument that Jesse was the most stubborn man. During those days Jesse either stayed at the shop or the hotel while Rose and Fabrizio wanted Jack to work things out, and they did. They vowed never to speak of the day ever again.

The horse blustered, then shook its head, as Jesse led it to the couple who were leaning over the fence.

"She's beautiful." Rose looked at awe to the horse. Jesse looked at his horse.

"It's actually a male. This is the one that kicked me in the back while I tried to put shoes on him. He put me in that corner of the fence over there." Jesse pointed to a section of fence that had been repaired with new boards. "He gave me a kick the second time around as I tried to crawl over, and that was here." Jesse turned, then rubbed over his back. Jack winced.

"Where did you find him?" Jack asked, after he gathered his composure, then lighting a cigarette.

"He was found out in the wild, in those woods there, then brought over, to see if we can tame and break him in." Jesse pointed over the hills in the northwestern direction. "That's where he came from." Jesse began stroking the horse's neck, then scratching between the ears. The horse twitched its left leg as Jesse ran his hand, then quickly withdrew, as if it might kick him once more.

"Whoa." Jesse coaxed, then patted the horse once more. Jack knew Jesse was a competent man, running his business on his own, while he was worried about his father's whereabouts. He had taken another business trip to Europe, during which they were in that intense, ugly argument, and that they almost fought each other. Jack shook his head, then looked at the horse, longing to be in the saddle, but with the way the horse acted, he wasn't sure if he wanted to ride. Jack took a final drag, then stomped on the cigarette, before he asked Jesse if he wanted to ride the horse.

"Sure." Jesse handed the reins to Jack. Jack tried unsuccessfully to mount the horse, when he heard a couple of the men's stifled laughter in the background.

"Don't listen to them. They're afraid of ol' Betty in the barn." Jesse ran a hand through his hair, then glared at the men, as they began to slowly back away from the fence, before sprinting to a nearby building.

"Who's Betty?" Jack asked with a hint of uneasiness, as he finally sat in the saddle. Soon, they could hear something thump in the barn, followed by a deep, long low.

"She's this 500 lb. of a beast. A big, black bull. Very hard to restrain, especially this old barn won't keep her for long. We've been trying to sell it since I came back from the Olympic's unfortunate incident. With no luck, of course. Don't ask where that name came from, but all I can say is she was found behind those hills, about the same place where this horse was found. These people are afraid of her, so I'm the only one around here to feed her." Jesse says, still holding onto the reins, and patting the horse's neck. As soon as Jesse let go of the reins, the horse let out a big whiny, then stood on his hind legs, while Jack walloped, clearly in amazement. The horse returned back, then blustered, before beginning to eat whatever grass was in front of him, in the drying desert sand, now that the rains had subsided.

"That. Was. Amazing!" Jack walloped. Then he turned to Rose, her green eyes were wide, and was clearly in shock at what she had just seen.

"See? This is what I mean, Rose. None of that side-saddled stuff. Come on. I'll take you for a ride. This will be a warm-up for the Santa Monica beach." Jack held his hand out, while Jesse held control of the horse.

"No Jack. Wait, Jack-" but it was too late, as Jack pulled her onto the horse's back, and Jesse let go of the reins.

"This will be the baby's first ever ride." Jack says, gently rubbing her baby bump as he took ahold of the reins. Soon, they were galloping gently around the large pen, as Jesse hopped over the fence, sat on the top, and watched as the couple embraced each other while the horse ran around the large pen. For a moment, they appeared to forget that they were being chased by the madman months prior, as they enjoyed each other's company. Rose wrapped her arms around Jack's waist, while Jack carefully turned, and their faces met. He slowly kissed Rose's lips, with building passion as the horse trotted around the pen.

...

The state fair was in full force, with people of all walks of life being a part of it all. Jack and Rose were the first to appear, followed by Fabrizio, all on horseback. Karl and Jesse would be the last to arrive, as Jesse had to close the shop for the day. He finally received a telegram from his father that he was staying somewhere in the state of Maryland, but he didn't elaborate what has happened. From where they were Karl could see the lights and hear the faint sounds as the fair was underway. He was too excited, but finally, Jesse closed the last of the doors. Together, they went to the barn, where Jesse left his horse, still saddled from earlier in the afternoon. The horse blustered as the two men approached. Jesse gave a small whistle, as he slowly approached the horse in the twilight, while Karl waited nervously at the gate. Back in Finland he had heard such things, but here he was, up close and personal, as Jesse patted his horse, then grunted as he mounted. He guided it out of the pen, while Karl nervously walked around the gate.

"Mene eteenpäin sulje se." (Go ahead and close it.) Jesse says. He hopped off the horse, then led him as Karl closed the gate, followed by rustling and thumping deep inside the old barn.

"Come on." Jesse says, as Karl looked intimidated by the animal. It shook its head, while Karl backed away slowly. Eventually, he walked slowly to the horse, even going as far as learning how to pet the horse.

"Valmis? (Ready?)" Jesse asked. Karl nodded slightly, though he was still afraid. Jesse instructed his friend where to grab the saddle, on the horn and the cantle, and to pull himself up by putting the foot in the stirrup, and sit on the saddle. Jesse soon went first, then held out his hand to Karl. Karl took, and slowly climbed on the horse's back, as the horse moved forward slightly.

"Whoa." Jesse coaxed the animal, as he gave a friendly rub on his neck. He soon tied a bandanna around his neck, before he covered his mouth, and another to hold his hair away from his eyes (a la Kim Taehyung).

"Hang on." Jesse says. Karl nervously wraps his arms around Jesse's waist, but Jesse makes him grab tighter, before yelling to his horse. Together, they rode towards the fairgrounds along with the crowds of people who were still arriving. Meanwhile Jack scoured the fair, which wasn't nearly as extravagant as the ones back at Santa Monica. For one, it doesn't have a roller coaster, but this will have to do for now, until the time finally came. People watched in awe as the couple walked past; even Fabrizio began to be noticed, as girls scoped him out after he passed them by. Soon, Jesse and Karl entered the fairgrounds, after he tied his horse at the main entrance, then lowered his bandanna around his neck. There were new things at the fair than in years past. Both Rose and Jack soon saw Jesse and Karl, as Rose broke away from Jack's grip. She slowly snuck behind Jesse, then covered his eyes as she stood on her tiptoes. Jesse broke into a smile, before turning to meet whomever was covering his eyes. Still standing on her tiptoes Rose gave Jesse a quick peck on his lips, her arms over Jesse's shoulders. Jesse blushed, then rubbed the back of his neck, where he met Rose's hand. Even though Jesse was very tall, she managed to sneak in a small twirl. Jesse caught her, as if in a tango of sorts, then standing her back up. Rose herself was astounded. She never knew Jesse caught on with a little ballroom dance. Unbeknownst to the couple, a small crowd of people had gathered, and cheered, as Jesse looked about.

"That was my little dream. To become a dancer, or an actress." Rose says, still looking up at Jesse, as he returned her gaze. He hugged her, then led Rose back to Jack, as she spun around while Jack held her hand. Still people clapped and cheered, even though the only music that resonated nearby was the fair's organ."

"Your fair doesn't have much of anything." Jack says, still holding onto Rose's hand.

"No, it doesn't. Not like the ones back at Coney Island. Besides, if I brought Jack along, he would be bored, like riding a donkey." Jack nodded, then broke into a smile. The thought of little Jack sitting on a donkey sort of struck him in a funny way. They looked to where the farm animals were located, just in time to see a blue ribbon handed to a little girl who had a nice, fat pig, and everyone gave a round of applause to the blue ribbon winner.

"Hey, Jess. You should do something like that, to your cow." Jack thumbed back at the farm exhibit, with a small smile playing across his face.

"That cow is not mine. But it'll be nice though." Jesse says. Soon, Karl and Fabrizio joined the trio, after exploring the entire midway, and riding some of the carnival rides. Karl pointed to a place in the fairgrounds that Jesse didn't know they had. Jack, Fabrizio, and Rose all agreed to follow Jesse and his friend, where they came to a rodeo grounds. The group of five made their way across to find their seats, as the show was underway. Jesse didn't know this place existed, as they watched cowboys roped a calf, and another jumped from his horse to tie the calf's legs. Everyone cheered, including Karl, who had never seen something like this anywhere. A gunshot was heard, and soon everyone was drawn to a gate that had opened. A rider came out, with a horse trying to buck the rider off, as he held on with only one hand, and the other was in the air. Soon, everyone cheered, as the man successfully finished his round, as he waved his hat in the air.

With the rodeo still going on, Jack, Fabrizio and Karl were at the edge of their seats while Rose had her head buried in Jesse's jacket, while he looked on. Jack couldn't help himself as he stole a few glances at Jesse, who had his hair in his hands, before letting it fall over his eyes. He gave a flick, then looked down at Rose, who had now fallen asleep on his stomach. He gave a light tap, and soon, Rose woke up, still asleep and trying to comprehend where she was. Jack carefully took her hand, then looked as Jesse tied his hair back with the bandanna once more, as they prepared to go home for the night.

...

Back in New York, Cal stood in front of the window, looking westward. He wondered where Rose would be, as he returned to the couch. There was nothing much he can do, the case was all in the detective's hands now. He decided to give an old friend a call back in Philadelphia.

A/N Some parts of this chapter may sound a bit corny-ish, but hang on, it get better from here on out.