The cool breeze flowed through Rose's hair as she looked down at the garden below. The leaves of the trees blew in the wind, making Rose wish she was down there, reading under the sky or taking a walk with Jack. Instead, she was sitting on the deck with Anna, Betty, and a wedding planner, discussing the upcoming nuptials.

Rose enjoyed that she got to plan the wedding this time, but she couldn't seem to switch out of the mindset of everything being "proper"; as Jack had told her, everything could be whatever they wanted and didn't need to abide by some ridiculous societal standards. She desperately tried to make decisions based on her taste, but after seventeen years of decisions being made for her, she didn't even know what her taste was.

Looking out at the garden below, Rose spotted Jack, sitting under a tree with his portfolio. He looked up at her and smiled, waving at her happily, and Rose waved right back, a smile forming on her lips.

"Rose, is that alright with you?" Anna asked, and Rose paid attention to the discussion once again. "The meeting with the florist is next week now. I assume you'll be available?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Rose said, shaking her head. "Yes, I am available then."

Arms wrapped around her from behind, and Rose immediately smiled, knowing who the arms belonged to. "Just as long as the flowers are roses, to remind me of my Rose," Jack said in her ear, then kissed her cheek. He smiled at his mother and sister, who were watching them happily. "Would you ladies mind if I steal my fiance away for a few minutes?"

Anna smiled at her son. She knew he loved Rose, but it still amazed her how kind, caring, and loving he was to her. "Not at all," she answered. "We're done here anyway. We were just discussing the next steps." Rose smiled, mouthed thank you to Anna, and stood, taking Jack's hand. "Have fun, you two!"

The couple walked together, hand in hand, and walked down the stairs from the deck to the garden. Once they were out of view, Jack wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him and kissing her passionately. "I could tell you were bored," he grinned, his crooked smile causing a mirrored expression on Rose's face. He sat on the grass, pulling Rose to sit next to him and kissing her once more. "Is the planning getting monotonous?"

Rose shrugged. "No, not at all," she lied, though she was getting sick of having meetings all the time. She didn't see why everything had to be decided in a long meeting, but farbeit for her to complain. After all, she was getting exactly what she wanted. She was planning her own wedding.

Jack knew she wasn't telling him everything. He stared at her, tucking a curl behind her ear. "You know, you can tell me the truth," he answered. "I know it must be tiresome for you, and I know that I haven't been helping as much as I should've-"

"You've been at work every day this week," Rose told him. "You shouldn't have to work when you get home as well. You need your free time. You need to work on that art that I love so much."

"You need free time too," Jack reminded her. "And you haven't had as much of it lately. It's okay if you miss that. You know you can tell me anything, Rose."

Rose sighed, leaning closer to him. She kissed him again, pulling him closer to her, refusing to let go for even a second. Finally she did, though their arms were still around each other, their legs a mess of limbs on the grass. "I just… I don't know," she let out a single chuckle, looking out in front of her, then back at Jack. "Our wedding is feeling more like a chore, I suppose," she admitted. "I know it'll be special when it comes, and I know once we've finished the planning, I'll look forward to it." Jack's eyes were glued to her as she spoke, the concern clear in his gaze. "But I don't want it to be something stressful anymore. I don't want to be a basket case the whole time. I want to spend time with you and count down until we get to be husband and wife."

"So… why are we doing this?" Jack asked. "I don't need this big wedding, you don't need this big wedding. Why are we doing it?" His tone was curious, not cold, as if he was having an epiphany.

"I think we're expected to, aren't we?" Rose asked. "You're high society. You're a Boston Dawson. I'm high society. If we rushed into a wedding, people would think it was because I'm pregnant. Not because we're so in love that we don't want to wait."

Jack shrugged. "Who cares?" He stared at Rose, at the incredulous look on her face. "Look, the way I see it, the only people who matter when it comes to planning are me and you. So we invite who we want, we get married where we want, and we do it when we want, societal rules be damned."

"Are you sure about this?" Rose asked. "I don't think your parents will be thrilled."

"They're thrilled I'm marrying you," Jack told her, touching her cheek and leaning forward to kiss the tip of her nose. "They love you, Rose. They'll be happy we're happy, and they'll just be glad we didn't elope. Because honestly, we could've very easily done that."

Rose nodded. "Okay, then," she smiled. "Let's do it. Let's just… plan it ourselves."

Jack grinned and grabbed Rose's hand, both of them stumbling to their feet and running up the stairs to the deck. "Hey, Ma?" He called for her, and found her just inside. "Rose and I don't want the big wedding that's being planned. We want a small one, just the people that we care about."

Anna looked back at them in shock, trying to register what Jack had told her. In the meantime, Rose explained. "I appreciate everything you did to help plan the wedding, we both do. But I just found that I was worrying about how soon the wedding was coming instead of being excited about marrying the man I love." Jack wrapped his arm around her, holding her close. "I know we got far with the wedding plans, but I think we'd both just prefer a smaller ceremony."

"And soon," Jack added, smiling down at Rose.

Betty stared at them as well. "Are you pregnant?" She asked.

Rose laughed. "No, I'm not pregnant," she replied, looking up at Jack as if to say I told you so. "I just love Jack, and I want him to be my husband." Jack leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

"Huh," Betty stared at them. While Rose found the moment comical, she couldn't help but feel bad for Betty, who had never experienced true love before, and would never be able to without complications. "Well, whatever you do, I'm happy for you. As long as I get to be a bridesmaid."

"Of course you'll be a bridesmaid," Rose rolled her eyes dramatically. "As if there's anyone I'd rather have. I really do feel like I've gotten to know you, Betty, and now I know that if there's one person who will tell me that I look hideous in my dress, it's you."

Betty crossed her arms. "Well you hadn't bought it yet," she countered. "It's better than telling you on your wedding day."

Jack laughed, interrupting their playful sparring match. "Do you want to go back down to the garden?" He asked, knowing that it was her favorite place to be. "Maybe we can talk about our wedding plans?"

Rose smiled and nodded, taking Jack's hand and following him back outside. He led her back down the stairs, and down to the garden. Rose couldn't help but feel lighter than when he had taken her down there earlier. A weight had been lifted off of her chest, and in its place, a gift was given to her.

Jack sat on the grass first, and Rose jumped on top of him, laying her head on his chest. She closed her eyes, listening to his heartbeat, feeling his warmth beneath her fingertips. "I love you, Jack," she whispered, and she felt a tear leave her eye and land on Jack's shirt.

"Hey," he said quietly, rubbing her back gently. "What's wrong? What's bothering you?" Just hearing his tone just caused more tears. "Rose, talk to me. I can't stand knowing you're upset and not being able to help you."

Rose picked up her head and turned it the other way, so she could see his face. "I'm just so glad I have you," she told him, and Jack wiped her cheek. "If I would've told Mother or Cal that I didn't want a big wedding, they would've called me foolish or told me that I don't get a choice in the matter," she explained. She smiled at him ever so slightly, wrapping her arm over his frame. "You're the first person to care about my feelings, to give me what I want, and to love me for who I really am. And I'm so grateful for that. And I love you so much."

"I love you too," he whispered, lifting her hand and kissing it. "And get used to it, because I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. You're not going back there ever again, and you'll never again have someone who dismisses you." He touched her cheek, wiping her tears. "Onto happier things. Where would you like to get married?"

Rose thought about it for a moment. "What about here?" She asked. "I love it out here, you have the gazebo, and we spend most of our time here anyway. We should get married somewhere that means something to us. Not just… some ballroom."

"I think that's a great idea," he smiled at her. "It is beautiful out here. And I know you've always loved gardens. Almost as much as you love me." He grinned at her, and Rose laughed.

"Nothing can ever come close to you," she told him. "Nothing ever will."

Jack smiled. "I feel the same way about you, Rosie," he said quietly, and they just stared at each other for a few moments. "The only people I want there are my parents, Betty, a few friends, maybe a couple of distant relatives."

"Do you have any family in Chippewa Falls?" Rose asked suddenly, not knowing why she never thought to ask before. "How did you come up with Chippewa Falls?"

"We have some cousins who live out there," Jack explained. "I stayed with them one summer, when I just needed to get away from here. And I knew when you were standing there, on the wrong side of the rail, I wanted to be for you what Chippewa Falls was for me: an escape."

"I like that," she smiled, placing a kiss on his chest.

"Is there anyone you want to invite?" Jack asked. "Anyone from Philadelphia?"

"Maybe a friend or two," Rose shrugged a shoulder. "There are only a few people I'd actually care to invite. No family. Just a few friends I made over the years."

"I have a great idea," Jack told her, and Rose looked up at him questioningly. "What if we went on a trip after the wedding?" He asked. "Like a honeymoon? We could go anywhere you wanted."

Rose grinned. "I love that idea," she told him. "Truthfully, I love the idea of being able to spend the night together anywhere, and not having to sneak around your parents' house."

"We could leave soon, you know," Jack told her. "You're not sick anymore. We could travel. We could settle down wherever we wanted. After the wedding we could just… go."

"I love it here, Jack," Rose answered, and Jack smiled. "I love your parents, I love Betty. I love that you're happy, and that you're not worrying about making ends meet." She looked at him and touched his cheek, then his lip. "If you want to go, we can. But I'd be happy staying here, too."

Jack smiled at her. "We can stay. I like it here too. I don't think I realized how much I missed my family until I returned," he told her. "We could also travel a bit now, then settle down here. Whatever we wanted to do, we could do."

Rose smiled at that. "I'd like that," she whispered, kissing his chest once more.

xXx

The air was sticky, dense, unmoving. It latched itself to Rose's skin, making her sweat. She opened her eyes, finding Jack looking down at her from far above. "Wh-What happened?" She asked, finding that it was hard for her to even speak coherently.

"You have a fever," Jack explained, his expression grim and reflecting his concern. She tried to move, to comfort him, to take his hand, but her attempts were futile. "Don't try to get up, just stay still," he told her, taking her clammy hand in his. "The doctor is on his way."

Rose's eyes moved around the room, and she was able to figure out where she was. She was in Jack's room; she had fallen asleep there the night before, and Jack probably woke up to find her looking ill. "Jack, I'm… I'm okay." She tried to focus her eyes on him. "I'm all right."

She saw a tear leave Jack's eye, and wished she had the strength to hold him. "You will be," Jack answered, his eyes persistent. "You'll be fine. The doctor will be here soon, and he'll take care of you."

"Jack," Rose whispered, trying to talk to him. But she didn't have enough energy, especially as a chill washed over her, causing her to shiver.

"Shh," he wrapped his arms around her, holding her against his warm body. "You're going to be okay, Rose. I promise." He kissed her damp head and held her close.

The doctor knocked on the door, entering. "Sorry I took a while," he began, placing his medical bag on the chair. "I had another house call quite far away. Anyway," he put his glasses on, looking at Rose. "I understand she has a fever?"

Anna and Betty were there, hoping to help any way they could. "She was diagnosed with pneumonia a few months ago following some mild hypothermia. She's been fine since then. She never had another fever until today."

The doctor took out a thermometer, taking Rose's temperature. He did a full examination after that, checking her for other possibilities. "Alright," he said, and Jack looked up at him. "She's fine. I'm not sure what caused the fever but it's possibly unrelated. Pneumonia can also cause some fevers throughout the recovery. But keep an eye on her, give her warm fluids, make sure she rests, and call for me if her condition worsens."

"Thank you, Doctor," said Jack, relieved that Rose was fine. He looked down at Rose, touching her cheek. "You're going to be fine, Rose. You just have to rest for a while."

Rose opened her eyes and stared at him, and Jack instantly smiled at her. Nothing seemed quite as bad when he was with Rose. "Stay with me," she whispered, reaching for his arm.

Without hesitating, Jack climbed into bed next to her, laying down and wrapping his arms around her. Her head was against his chest, her eyes were closed, and her breathing got smoother. "I'm going to stay here," he told his mother and sister. "Tell Pa I'm not going into work today."

Anna nodded, leaving the room, followed by Betty. Jack looked down at Rose and stroked her cheek, smiling at her beauty. Even while sick, she was perfect. Jack wondered if it was even possible not to think she was stunning.

It was only once he saw her sick again that Jack realized how afraid he was of losing her. He had almost lost her before, but it had been a long time since then, and he took having her in his life for granted. He started to forget how possible it was for him to lose her again.

"I'm alright, Jack," Rose whispered against him, opening her eyes and smiling ever so slightly. "You'll never lose me. I promise."

Jack leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead, holding her as tight as he could without hurting her. "I'm holding you to that," he whispered back, thanking whatever god or universe had led him to the person who gave him a life he was afraid to lose.