Chapter 52

October 20, 1912

Back in Santa Monica Jack and Rose are having the time of their lives, from touring the town to sitting down at the newly built benches at the brand new pier, that was overlooking the beach and the Pacific Ocean. In between these things they had visited a local doctor to check on the status of Rose's baby. Jack pats his shirt pocket, as he had placed the ring there for the right time to propose to Rose. Suddenly he grabbed her hand.

"No Jack! Wait! Jack!" Rose cried, as Jack had a grip on her. They stopped at the entrance to the roller coaster.

"I don't know, Jack." Rose says, a little nervous, as they stood in line. "What about the baby?"

"This is going to be its first thrill ride of its life." Jack says, half-jokingly, as Rose frowns at him. He hugs Rose even closer. "Remember what that doctor said back there? You're now in your third trimester, so you should be fine. You just can't have any beers in the meantime." he continues, then kissed her cheek for the final time, as they approached the ride.

"Next please." The operator says, standing up from his seat before taking out a crude toothpick from his mouth, and throws it aside. Jack hands his ticket to the operator, then steps in the car without hesitation, then holds out his hand to Rose. Rose hesitantly stands in the crowd's way, as they await eagerly, and for some, annoyed, for their turn in the ride.

"Are you really sure about this?"

"Trust me. It'll be fine." Jack says, his hand still outstretched.

Rose reluctantly takes Jack's hand, and climbs in the car, where she is seated close to Jack, as they are strapped in their seats. Rose could feel her heart pounding faster, her throat was drying, and her stomach slowly tying itself in a knot. She hoped the knot feeling isn't hurting her baby in any way.

"Don't forget to scream." Jack says, laughing.

"I don't think they taught me how to scream at the school I went to." Rose says, dryly.

The coaster jerks as the cars begin to move, and Rose clung next to Jack as the coaster makes it way up the grade. The cars' wheels rattle and clack as they get to the top, and Rose felt her stomach drop when they make it to the top. The cool yet salty breeze from the ocean was billowing behind her.

"Throw your arms up." Jack smiles as he lets go of Rose, and throws his arms up, preparing for the drop. "It's more fun this way!"

"Jack! Wait! No Jack! Jack!" Rose was in shock and before she could do anything, the cars drop. She felt her arms shooting for the air and she gasps. The adrenaline rush was nothing like she ever experienced before; much more than that chase through the Titanic that night. She opens her mouth to scream, only laughter replaced her fear. With every steep drop of the coaster, the screams become louder and louder, with laughter following along the way. When the ride ended, Rose felt slightly dizzy and was afraid she might vomit, at the same time she was filled with excitement. She waited at a nearby trash can in case she needed to vomit, just to be sure.

"You're just slowly getting over your morning sickness, and I knew that ride did it for you." Jack says knowingly, then smiles at her as he brushes his blond hair from his eyes.

"Maybe the next time I'm not pregnant, we could do that again. That was really fun." Rose says, laughing. Her red curls were a total mess, like the carefree girl she is.

Jack points towards the horse carousel. "Maybe we should take things a bit slower. Of course you can still ride it like a man."

Jack helps Rose onto the wooden horse, helping her 'sit like a man' on the wooden horse, then he takes his place next to her. They laugh and giggle along with the other children as the mechanical horse goes up and down in a circle. Rose laughs as Jack continually smiles, before planting her a kiss.

Afterwards they stroll among the rides and games, with laughter, screams abound from the various rides around them. Jack hugs Rose as they stroll around, and are hoping Jesse and Marion are having the same amount of fun back in New York. They come across a carnival game, and Jack sees a teddy bear hanging among the other stuffed animals. He manages to win the teddy bear for Rose, before finding a place to sit down.

"You starving?" Jack asks.

"Yes, the baby is starving." Rose pats her stomach.

"I'll get us some hot dogs and fries." Jack suggests as he gets up from the bench.

"What are those?" Rose was puzzled.

"You mean you never had them?" Jack asks, pretending to be shocked.

"Ladies aren't supposed to eat anything that will dirty their clothes." Rose says, almost in a prissy-like manner, as she spreads her skirt in front of her.

"That's…uhm…" Jack says, then goes to the food stand. "Two please." Moments later Jack comes back with a scrumptious meal of fries and hot dogs, covered in ketchup and mustard. The fries were large, so he combined them to make one package of fries, then hands Rose the hot dog.

"Here you go, one hot dog with all the fixins'." He passes the fries to Rose as well. She finishes the hot dog, the warmth of the dog along with the sweet ketchup and mustard made Rose lick her lips after she was done. She pats her stomach, as she knew the child inside her was happy it was satisfied to eat as well.

They eventually make their way to the beach. Jack sits on a rock as he removes his shoes, then rolls up the cuffs of his pants before helping Rose with her shoes. They walk along the beach barefoot, and Rose playfully kicks some sand at Jack, then giggles as the sand tickles her toes. There were several other people at the beach, most were soaking in the fall California sun, laying on the sand. A few sailboats sailed in the distance, along the smooth surface of the Pacific Ocean, setting the scene for an artist. Jack wished he brought his sketch book, as he left it back at the hotel. Rose already picks up, as she knew Jack wanted to draw her. Jack wishes Jesse was here as well; he had a knack for his sketches. It's like he was his own camera, taking in images and then putting them down on the paper later, and doesn't need his subjects to pose for long periods. Rose knew what was going on in Jack's mind, as if she could tell he wanted to draw the scene around them.

"Did you want to draw me like your French girls?" Rose asks.

"No. I just want to draw the real Rose. My sweet, glowing beautiful Rose, just like a rose flower."

Rose blushes at his remark. They sit on a blanket they had found, watching the waves rolling to the sand. The sun begins to set as the couple makes their way back to the pier, and the carnival rides. Jack asks for a cotton candy, something Rose had never eaten in her life.

"What do you think, Rose?"

"I love how it melts in your mouth." Rose says, as she licks her lips. "It's delicious, and very sweet. Just like you." She kissed him, and they watched the sunset. They are both reminded of being back on the Titanic for the last time as the sun set in the horizon, when Jack taught Rose how to fly back on the bow. It was getting a bit nippy, and the beach was clearing. A loud whistle rings out behind the couple, startling them. They are reminded of being back on the stricken liner, as the officers desperately try to attract nearby ships to rescue them. They lean even closer as their lips touch, behind a backdrop of colors and as the summer months begin to wind down. They were glad they came out to Santa Monica, even though winter was close approaching.

Jack becomes more nervous as the time drew closer, as he isn't sure when to propose to Rose. He felt his ring in his shirt pocket, as it felt like it began to weigh him down, even though it was a simple band. He must tell her he loves her with all his heart, no matter how he does it. He thought of Mr. Williams's words as they began to play out in his head. He also wished he had bought a bigger ring to symbolize their love and devotion for each other, but he knew Rose would settle just for being who he is, and won't settle for nothing more, nothing less.

The moon begins to rise, as the air becomes cold, just like they were back on the North Atlantic, but without being in the water. The beach becomes empty, just the sound of waves washing ashore from the Pacific. The crescent moon illuminates over them, as Jack's heart begins to hammer. A shooting star races across the starlit sky.

It's time. he thought as he swallows hard, then took a deep breath. Jack slowly stands back up, then Rose soon follows.

"Is it time to leave now?" she asks curiously.

"No. Not just yet…" Jack begins, turning to face Rose, holding both her hands.

"Rose, you are the most beautiful girl I have ever met. You're feisty, but loving, and above all, passionate. When I first met you, you were no picnic, but I knew you had so much more to live for. You were a girl trapped in a future you didn't want to take part of, and I made that choice to get you free from there. You wanted someone to listen to you, to care for you, and above all else, to love.

"When I took you out to that dance I knew were destined to be together. The way you laughed, composed yourself back there, I knew I couldn't live without you, not even for a second. We've had our many ups and downs, but that's what made our relationship even stronger. Not even a sinking ship could break us apart. But in the end, we are both saved. When I see you in sadness, I want to take you in my arms and never let you go, no matter what. I want to make you happy again, and to make sure you were never ever sad again…"

Jack gets down on one knee, and with slightly shaking hands he pulls out the ring from his shirt pocket. The moonlit sky glistened on the gold band.

"Rose Dewitt Bukater, I love you very much. Will you allow me to make you happy, in sickness and in good health? Will you take that plunge into love and passion? Rose, will you marry me?"

Rose could feel her eyes begin to tear, as she manages a big smile she could muster. She leans down to kiss Jack deeply and with passion. The inferno has gotten bigger now that she would be with the man who would be with her.

"Yes! Yes!" She cried, as Jack hugs her hard. He slides the ring on her finger, as she laughs hard and loudly, against the silent night, except for the waves crashing against the beach, and lovingly hugs him again. They make their way back to the hotel, hand in hand, as they walked on the sandy beach. Rose sniffles, and Jack hugs her tightly. She puts her head on Jack's arm, as she lets a few tears roll from her eyes. She knew she was free from the oppression she was trapped in, he taught Rose how to fly, and now she had her wings spread, soaring above everything she had hated in her past. Jack leans in for a kiss, while hugging her tightly. He loved her very much, and never wanted to let go ever again. His excitement and happiness was in every kiss he gave to Rose, as they walked to the entrance of the hotel lobby, then back to their room.