Chapter 4

Rose woke up to light pouring into the hotel room. It was late, she could tell, just based on how refreshed she felt. She reached for Jack, but found the bed empty beside her. She searched the room, finding it empty. Where was he?

Out of the corner of her eye, Rose saw Jack standing on the terrace of their hotel room, a cigarette in hand. Wrapping a sheet around herself, Rose stood from the bed and walked toward Jack, wrapping her arms around him from behind. "What are you doing out here?"

Jack smiled, turning around and kissing her cheek. "I needed some air," he answered. He stroked one of her curls, smiling at her ever so slightly. "But I wanted to be here when you woke up."

Rose touched Jack's cheek, staring into his eyes. She could tell something wasn't right with him, but she didn't know what. After only a moment, she remembered what the day was, and what they would be doing later that day. "Are you nervous?" She asked. "To see your family?"

Jack shrugged. "I didn't think I would be," he answered. "I thought it would just be what we did, and that it wouldn't be something I'd worry about. But here I am, worrying about going there."

"It's okay to worry, Jack," Rose told him, wrapping her arms around him. He was wearing his trousers and no shirt, so Rose could feel his warm chest beneath her fingertips. "It's normal to be nervous sometimes, especially since you haven't seen them in so long." She planted a kiss against his chest, then rested her head against him. After only a moment, she pulled away just enough to see him. "We don't have to go. It's not too late to change your mind."

Jack shook his head. "It's okay. I have to go back at some point," he smiled down at her, stroking her cheek. "Besides, you need to recover. We both need to, really. At least emotionally." His eyes were darker, and Rose could tell he probably had a bad dream or flashback. After a moment, he seemed to snap out of it. "We should get dressed and head over."

Rose nodded, following Jack inside. She flipped through the clothing that she had, albeit she didn't have much. "I don't have anything appropriate to wear!" Rose complained. "Your parents will take one look at me and realize I'm not good enough for their son."

Jack laughed, walking over to Rose, sitting on the chair near the cupboard and pulling Rose onto his lap. She laughed, then looked down at him, placing one hand on his shoulder. "You look wonderful in everything you wear," Jack assured her. "And they'll love you no matter what."

Rose smiled at him. "You promise?"

Jack nodded. "I promise." He gave her a kiss, then Rose jumped off his lap and went back to the closet. Jack watched her flip through her dresses, and he spotted a light blue dress that would look beautiful on her. "I like the light blue one," he told her, hoping to at least take off some of the pressure of picking an outfit. "It'll look beautiful on you."

Rose gave a relieved smile, pulling out the light blue dress and holding it against herself while she looked in the mirror. She smiled at her reflection, then began to work on her hair and makeup. Meanwhile, Jack disappeared into the bathroom to get ready himself.

When he came out, Rose was all dressed in the light blue dress. Her curls cascaded down her back, the color of the dress accenting the color of her hair. Her makeup, though Jack knew she didn't need it, looked perfect. "Wow," Jack stared at her. "You're beautiful."

Rose walked back over to the mirror, trying to fix her hair. "I can't leave my hair down," she told him. "It's not appropriate. Especially since I'm going to be back in a high society household. Especially because I'm meeting your family!"

Jack walked right over to her, gently taking her hands from her hair and placing them at her sides. He then wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing the side of her neck. "Look at yourself in the mirror," he whispered. "You're so beautiful. You're perfect. Everything about you is perfect." She smiled and placed her hands on top of Jack's. "And I love your hair down." He could see Rose blush, and he chuckled, kissing her cheek. "My parents don't care about a lot of the high society things that you're used to. They'll abide by it when they go to parties or galas, but that's it. When they meet you, they will judge you based on who you are, and how much we love each other."

Rose smiled, turning around in his arms and kissing him. "Thank you," she smiled. She leaned back for a moment, knitting her eyebrows. "So you do admit… they'll be judging me."

"Just a little bit," Jack laughed, and Rose laughed too. "Judging isn't the right word. But they're my parents, and they've never met anyone that I've been with. They'll want to know that we're right for each other. And after meeting you and seeing us together, they'll know it's right." Rose smiled. "But their opinions of you and us together won't be decided based on something as trivial as how you wear your hair."

Rose nodded, then glanced at herself one last time before grabbing Jack's hand. "Let's go." Jack smiled right back at her, leading her to the door.

xXx

"Just a few minutes further," Jack promised Rose. They hadn't been walking for long, but the day was hot, and Rose was not wearing a protective hat like she was used to. "Sorry, it's a longer walk than I remembered."

Rose squeezed Jack's hand, giving him a warm smile. "It's okay." They continued walking silently for a few moments, both worried about what would happen when they arrived at the Dawson estate. "Are you nervous?"

"A little," Jack admitted. "The first few minutes might be hard or uncomfortable, but in the end, they'll be glad I'm back. And they'll love you. Almost as much as I do." He rubbed his thumb over Rose's hand, seeing the slight black mark on her fourth finger where she had drawn a ring while in the hospital. He smiled, deciding that as soon as things were settled, he would get her a new ring and propose to her for real.

They walked up to a large house, one with a large gate in front. Jack rang the doorbell, and a valet came out to answer. "Hello, sir, miss. Can I help you?"

Jack paused nervously, and Rose squeezed his hand, trying to support him as much as she could. "Uh… I'm Jack Dawson. I'm hoping to see my parents?"

The valet's eyes widened, but he tried to hide it. "Of course. Please come in."

Rose followed Jack through the gate and up to the front door. "I still can't believe this is how you grew up," she whispered. "It's just so… not you."

Jack looked back at her. "I know." They walked through the door, and Rose tried not to gawk at the large entryway. There was a crystal chandelier hanging in the middle, shining a soft light on the marble floor.

The sound of footsteps interrupted them. A moment later, a young girl with long blonde hair and eyes like Jack's came into view. "You're back!" She ran right toward him, hugging him tightly.

Jack smiled and hugged her back, smiling as he did so. "I'm back," he told her, and he looked at Rose. She was watching them, smiling at the interaction. "I missed you, sis."

They released each other and smiled at each other for another moment. Jack remembered that Rose was there, and snapped out of the moment. Before Jack could introduce them, though, his sister noticed Rose standing there. "Who's this?"

Jack walked over to Rose, wrapping an arm around her waist. "This is Rose… my fiance." He looked down at Rose and smiled. "Rose, this is my sister, Elizabeth."

"Betty," his sister corrected him. "No one calls me Elizabeth." She reached out her hand, and Rose shook it. "Wait… did you say fiance?" She looked back at Jack and laughed. "You're engaged? Ma and Pa are going to flip!"

Jack laughed, smiling down at Rose. He knew what she was trying to say to him: See? Everything is fine. He nodded, kissing her temple. He looked back at Betty, who was smiling at them both. "Where are Ma and Pa?" Jack asked.

"They're sitting in the reading room. I was just upstairs, getting my book from my bedroom, and I saw you out by the gate and ran down. I can't believe it's really you!" Betty smiled at Jack, then looked over at Rose. "And I can't believe you're getting married! I never thought you would."

They began to walk to the reading room. "Well, what can I say?" Jack asked rhetorically. "I met Rose, and I just knew. I had to marry her." Rose smiled at him, squeezing his hand.

They arrived at the reading room, and Jack opened the door slowly; Rose could sense his nervousness as he did it. Sitting there were Jack's parents: his mother, a beautiful, blonde woman in an elegant blue dress, and his father, a man with brown hair, sitting in an expensive suit. They both looked up at him, both in shock. "Jack?" His mother's voice shook ever so slightly.

Jack smiled nervously, and Rose continued to grip his hand. "Hey Ma."

His mother quickly jumped up and hugged her son, tears running down her cheeks. She released him, cupping his cheeks in her hands. "I can't believe you're back," she said incredulously. "I missed you so much."

Jack's father stood and approached, and Rose could tell Jack was nervous. "Glad to see you, son," he shook Jack's hand, then hugged him.

"You too, Pa," Jack smiled.

Once all of the greetings were over, Jack's parents looked over at Rose. Jack took Rose's hand, then looked back at his parents. "Ma, Pa, this is Rose," he smiled at her. "My fiance."

Rose smiled at them politely. "How do you do?" She put out her hand, and Jack's father shook it.

"You're engaged?" His parents said in unison.

Jack smiled at them, then looked at Rose. "Yes, we're engaged," she kissed her temple.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Dawson," Rose smiled politely. "Jack has told me so much about you. It's an honor to finally meet you, and to be marrying into your family."

"The pleasure is all ours," Jack's mother smiled. "And please, call us Anna and William. We're very casual." She opened her arms to embrace Rose, then released her and stared at her. She couldn't help but notice that Rose looked like she grew up in high society, which she was sure wasn't Jack's type. Still, she didn't say anything, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. After all, she just got her son back, and she didn't want to do anything that could possibly push them away again. "So… when are you getting married?"

Jack and Rose looked at each other and smiled. Both his parents noticed that they couldn't keep their eyes off each other. "We haven't planned anything yet," Jack answered. "I haven't even officially proposed to Rose yet."

William watched the way Rose looked at Jack and recognized the look they shared. It reminded him of when he had first fallen in love with Jack's mother, and the love that they still shared. Still, he worried that she was taking advantage, just as his father worried when he had fallen in love with Anna. He had been angry at the time, but now that he was a parent, he saw that it was sometimes necessary to do what was right for your children, even if they don't agree. He knew what he would need to do.