Chapter 78

April 12, 1913

It was a big day at the harbor, as thousands of crowds lined up to see the R.M.S. Olympic once again back in service, and is docked at the New York harbor, Pier 59, for the first time, where the Titanic would have docked a year prior, if it weren't for the unfortunate disaster that claimed hundreds of lives that terrible night.

Jack, Rose, little Tommy, Fabrizio, Jesse and Marion were all scrunched in the back seat, as Jon and Jessica looked in awe at the ship that will be taking their family and friends to Europe once more, while little Jack sat between his parents, gleefully pointing at the Olympic. Henry followed behind in a cab, along with Ruth.

"Mommy, look, a big boat." Jack happily squeals, clapping his hands and bouncing in the seat, as this was his very first time seeing a ship of any kind, while Jack and Rose smiled at each other, and Jesse and Marion held hands and kissed each other.

"No, son, it's a ship." Jon corrects his son, as Rose began to get her clothes ready, like she had done before the Titanic had set sail, only this time, she was with a man who loves and respects her. Both Jack and Jesse prepared to once again sail the sister ship that had nearly killed them, and had escaped with their lives. Jon parks the car, and puts on his hat while everyone began to get out. Jesse helps Marion out of the car like a gentleman, and Jack does the same for Rose, as she adjusts her hat. She looks up, then notices small details on the ship, such as a gold stripe running the entire length of the ship, just below the OLYMPIC nameplate. There were also more lifeboats than what the Titanic carried before.

"I don't see what the fuss is all about, Jack. It doesn't look any bigger than the Titanic." Rose says as she adjusts Tommy in her arms before she looks back at Jack, then turns her attention back to the Olympic. She had never heard of the Olympic, nor seen the ship until this very day. Jack had also never seen the ship, since the day Jesse told him all about it back on the Titanic.

"Trust me, Rose, there are more luxurious accommodations inside than what you see on the outside. I heard there's a swimming pool in there as well." Jack kisses Rose, as he studied the brochure and the newspaper advertisements of what the Olympic contained, as it was called "The New Olympic", and it was refitted with the latest safety features that the Titanic lacked a year prior, such as a higher watertight bulkheads, obvious signs like more lifeboats on the deck, and a double hull was created, as these were created in the events that the ship will survive a collision more easily, which Jack had read from the advertisements in Jon's newspapers. Rose was beginning to have second thoughts of boarding the sister ship, until Jack reassured her that nothing will absolutely go wrong on this voyage, but he was careful in not mentioning it was unsinkable, as a lesson learned from a year prior. Behind them, Jesse and Marion bid a tearful goodbye to Jessica and Jon, including little Jack, and promised they will be back in less than a month, after he was finished with work and the honeymoon. Mr. Williams also gave a final hug to Ruth, then tips his hat, before boarding with his son. Ruth tearfully made her back to Jessica and Jon, before returning her gaze at the behemoth.

After saying a tearful goodbye to his family Jesse and Marion were getting ready to board, first class tickets in hand, until somewhere a reporter appeared out of nowhere who had recognized Jesse from a year prior, as he was being carried on a stretcher from the Carpathia to a waiting ambulance. He wanted to know why Jesse was boarding, but he brushed the man away, then turns his attention to the attendants and stewards where his luggage will go in their rooms. Back at the car, the attendants were unloading Jack, Rose and Marion and Jesse's belongings from the car and then loading them into the Olympic's crane, including the homemade trunk from the farm house that Jesse and Marion had used to bring their belongings, and people began to wonder where they had gotten such a thing. Jack, Rose and Fabrizio also bid a tearful farewell to Jessica and Jon, for helping them out and being there for them through thick and thin, and told the same to Jesse's father, even though he was boarding with them. Rose also hugged her mother, thanking her even though their relationship was at best rocky, but nonetheless, they were still there for each other.

They embraced for the final time, before they made their way through the cheering crowds to the gangplank. Jack remembered the year prior he, Fabrizio and Eric all ran to the ship, as they had a five-minute timeframe to make it to the ship, just moments before it departed. This time he properly boarded, and courting a woman he loved, and was going to marry inside this magnificent vessel. Rose, meanwhile, was finally looking forward to this voyage, as she no longer saw the ship as a slave ship, but she saw a ship of her dreams, one that will make memories, not chained to some maniac who had no love nor compassion, as he only cared for money or status, and that she would no longer be scream on the inside, only to not be heard for her cries for distress of being dragged aboard a 'slave ship'.

Jack, Rose and little Tommy entered the ship, as they were greeted on board, then a steward guides the couple to their new room. Another steward by the name of Violet Jessup takes Jack, Rose and Tommy into their room, a less-fancier first class cabin, but nonetheless was significantly larger than the third-class cabin Jack was in back on the Titanic, as they roomed in C deck. Meanwhile, Jesse's cabin was paid for by a mysterious Mr. Smith, who was a frequent visitor to his father's shop, as he and Marion had the lavish staterooms, as they were also guided by Violet Jessup, after she was done escorting Jack and Rose to their rooms. Jesse was familiar with this room, as he and his father had once stayed while on his return journey to America, when the unfortunate incident happened after they had collided with a British cruiser, and that incident when the ship lost a propeller, as he could feel the unbalanced vibrations throughout the ship, as it made its way back to Southampton.

Jack and Rose began to settle in their room as he unpacks their luggage, while Rose puts Tommy to nap in a small bassinet, before she helps Jack unpack their belongings. Soon after, they snuggled together in a single bed, with Jack brushing Rose's red curls in his hands. They go in for a kiss, as they are still snuggle in the bed.

"I love you, Rose. You are the most beautiful girl on this earth, and I am thankful I met you back on the Titanic, and for winning that ticket, and look where we are. If I hadn't met you, I would've been a penniless drifter, and you would have been married to that monster by now. But we're both happy now, and that past is forgotten, and we're ready to move forward now, and thanks to Jesse, we're on the ship he's familiar with." Jack goes in for another kiss, before remembering to meet his friends before the ship left on its voyage back to Europe. In the year since the disaster he had forgotten to write that 'strongly worded letter to the White Star Line', as he was now on the Olympic. Just then, Tommy begins fussing once more, before they decided to get out of bed and see everyone off at New York.

Jack, Rose and Tommy made their way through the crowded corridor as people were being shown to their rooms, and it sort of reminded them of being back on the stricken liner as it was going down, but here, everything was more orderly and calm. They made their way to the Grand Staircase, where Rose was suddenly flooded with memories as they were making their way to the dinner back on the Titanic, and where she fell for Jack even more, after she saw him in his tuxedo that Margaret 'Unsinkable Molly' Brown helped him into. They made their way to the landing of the Boat Deck, then Jack looks up at the magnificent dome over the staircase, then started to wonder where Jesse and Marion were among all these people. Later on, they emerged, arm in arm, as Jesse points to the couple and the baby at the landing to the Boat Deck. Both Jack and Rose knew Jesse was taking Marion on a tour of the ship, as they made their way to the Turkish baths and the swimming pool, reserved for the first class as themselves.

"We're you going to see off the people as we leave New York, too?" Jesse says, then turns to kiss Marion. Rose looks at the happy couple, then looks back at Jack, as he brings her in closer, and gives her a kiss, and a kiss for his son as well.

"Yeah, let's go up on deck. I hope there's room for all of us as well." Jack chuckles, as the four people make their way to the boat deck. Outside, people were cheering, as a man held his hand for Rose, as he found a space for the couple to be at.

"This way, miss." he says, as there were enough for the two, between the row of lifeboats, which now occupied the decks since the disaster a year prior. Rose then remembered Cal back on the Titanic as he said the deck was already cluttered with the measly amounts of boats that were on the deck, and that they would only carry half of the passengers from the ship, regardless if anyone made it to the boats. Rose looks over in the distance of two boats, as Jesse points with Marion, then he waves among others. She knew how well Jesse's eyesight were, as he could pick out among the details that would stick out, and she assumed Jesse was saying goodbye to Jessica and Jon, and little Jack back on the harbor. Suddenly Fabrizio comes from nowhere, and he was smiling, as he and Jack finally embraced once more. He had boarded as second class, along with Mr. Williams as they shared a room, then he got lost as he was trying to find his way around the ship to the boat deck, as he tried to find either Jesse or Jack.

"Signore Williams is boarding with me. He says he's tired of the first-class." Fabrizio says, and everyone laughs.

Fabrizio guides the couple over to Jesse, thus making them complete once more. Both Jack and Fabrizio were astonished as Jesse could pick out where Jessica and Jon were standing amongst the crowd of cheering people, as Marion was blowing kisses to the crowds below. The Olympic started to move, as it blew a horn, then a slight gust of breeze blew as Jack watched Jesse's thick hair fluttered with the wind. The Olympic reversed from the pier, then going forward with the aids of the tugs, before finally pulling to the open sea ahead of them.