Chapter 18

Rose yawned as she and Jack walked up the stairs, both ready to go to bed. Between the traveling, the news regarding Cal, and taking care of a heartbroken Betty, they were both exhausted.

"I think I think I could probably sleep standing up," Jack said, slurring his words together. "If I just stopped walking, I could…" He fake-snored, causing Rose to laugh. He opened his eyes, smiling at her; if Rose was laughing, it was impossible for him not to smile.

"Come on, it's just a little further," Rose pulled him along, and they finally reached the top of the stairs. Rose began walking towards the room they had stayed in before, but Jack stayed in place. She turned back to face him, confusion coating her expression. "What is it?"

Jack smiled at her for a moment. "That's not our bedroom anymore," he told her, watching as her confusion disappeared, replaced by a smile. "Come on, I'll show you the new one."

They made their way down the long hallway, away from where their old bedroom was. They arrived at double doors, a dark wood with gold paint forming vines with leaves and flowers. Jack pulled both doors open, revealing a large living room. It had two large couches, bookcases going all the way to the ceiling, and a small table.

Rose looked back at Jack in disbelief. "This is all ours?" She asked.

Jack nodded. "All ours," he smiled, looking back at it. "Come on, I'll show you the rest." He reached for her hand, taking it as they walked to another door, which led to a short hallway. There were two doors inside, and Jack reached for the one on the left, opening it to reveal an empty room. Well, almost empty, other than the crib in the middle of the room.

"The nursery?" Rose asked, releasing Jack's hand and walking over to the crib, feeling the soft wood. The room was quite large, with a big window overlooking the gardens below. The curtains were drawn, but Rose separated them, looking at the view.

"I thought about setting it all up, so that you could see it all done, but I realized that it could be something fun we do together, so I just brought in the crib," Jack explained. "That crib has been in my family for generations. It was mine and Betty's, and my mother had it brought here for us."

Rose smiled, walking back over to Jack, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You're amazing," she whispered, touching her lips to his. "You're the most wonderful husband that has ever existed. I'm so thankful that I get to be married to you, and that our children will have you as a father."

"Children?" Jack asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Well… not yet," Rose smiled. "But eventually, yes." She took Jack's hands, playing with his fingers. "We're going to need another child to fill that other bedroom, aren't we? And besides, imagine just the one child doing cartwheels alone in Santa Monica. Quite a sad picture, don't you think?"

"We can have as many as you want, sweetheart," Jack answered, just thrilled to see that Rose was imagining their future. Perhaps it was a sign of her settling and accepting that the future was theirs. "But if we only have one, I'll do cartwheels with them."

Rose threw her head back and laughed. "You'll do cartwheels?" She asked.

Jack smiled and nodded excitedly. "I am great at cartwheels!" He exclaimed. "Tomorrow, we're going down to the garden, and we'll do cartwheels."

"You can do the cartwheels with Betty," Rose answered. "I think if I did any cartwheels, the baby would be tossing and turning." She placed her hands on her belly, feeling quite protective over the life she was growing.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, we'll save the cartwheels for after the birth," he answered, kissing her cheek. He reached for her hand, holding it in his. "Come on, I want to show you our room."

They walked back into the living room, then through another door on the opposite side, which opened into a large bedroom. The large bed looked so comfortable that Rose just wanted to collapse against it. On either side were small bedside tables; on Rose's side was a note, one that Rose couldn't wait to read. There was a short hallway that led to the closets and bathroom.

"I can't believe this is all ours," Rose said quietly. Jack's arms wrapped around her waist, and Rose placed her hands on top of Jack's, tightening them around her as Jack kissed her neck. "I can't believe this is our life."

"Me neither," Jack whispered. "But it is." Rose turned in his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. She leaned forward, touching her lips to his, then put her head down on his shoulder, hugging him tightly. Jack's arms tightened around her, rubbing her back gently. He planted a soft kiss on her shoulder, smelling the lovely scent of her hair. "I love you so much," he whispered.

Rose smiled, bringing her hand to the base of his hair, playing with it between her fingers. "I love you too, Jack," she whispered. "I always, always will."

xXx

Finally laying in bed after the exhausting day they had, Jack's arms found Rose's waist, pulling her close to him. The bed was even more comfortable than it looked, and Rose wasn't sure if it was because it was actually comfortable or if it was because she was so tired. Regardless, Rose closed her eyes, finally relaxing.

"I feel so awful for Betty," Jack whispered, deep in thought. Rose opened her eyes and looked at him, finding him laying on his back, staring at the ceiling. "She got a taste of what it was like to be happy, and it was taken away from her. She'll never be able to have what we have, and it breaks my heart."

Rose nodded, resting her hand on his chest. "I know," she whispered, wishing she could take both of their pain away. "What we had was a forbidden romance, but really, nothing bad would have happened to either of us. Our relationship was never a crime."

Jack placed his hand on top of Rose's, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I wish I could find a way for it to work out between her and Liza, but I keep coming up empty," he explained, and Rose could see he was deep in thought. "I don't see a way a relationship could work for her and anyone, ever."

Rose began to think about it as well. "I don't know," she whispered. "Maybe that's why she was trying to have an arranged marriage, so she could do what she wanted professionally, and be able to have a child."

"But she shouldn't have to choose!" Jack said frustratedly. "She shouldn't have to choose between love and success. She shouldn't have to sacrifice one or the other."

"I know, but Jack, look at us," she said finally, and Jack looked over at her. "If you weren't in high society, I would've had to sacrifice the life I grew up with in order to be with you. And that's a sacrifice I would've been willing to make. I would've been happy to make that sacrifice." Jack nodded. "Her sacrifice is very different from mine, I know, but the bottom line is, she made a decision, and while it's hard, she did it. She made the decision the day she told your father she wanted an arranged marriage, and she made it again when she left Liza."

Jack nodded. "You're right," he said quietly. "I just wish you weren't. I wish she could have it all." He turned to her, touching her cheek. "You and I ended up with everything: the life we wanted, the person we love, a child, everything. And she'll never have that."

Rose took his hand and kissed his palm. "I know," she whispered. "But you're exhausted, and you can't possibly fix any of this tonight." She moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around him, resting her head on his chest. "For now, just close your eyes, and try to sleep."

xXx

"You can't be serious, Rose," Jack said sternly, sitting on the couch with the newspaper. It was the next morning, and after the long overdue night's sleep in their new bedroom, they both had regained their energy. In this case, it meant more energy for arguing.

Rose sat next to him, her arms crossed over her chest. "Well, why is it so ridiculous?" She demanded. "I need this, Jack. I need closure. I need to be able to put this whole nightmare behind me, and this is the only way I can think of."

"It's ridiculous because the way you want closure is by going to a prison to see the man who abused you and shot your husband," Jack answered, and once Rose put it that way, she did see how he could be upset. "You're pregnant. You've been sick. And you've been through a hell of a lot the last few weeks, not to mention this year as a whole. I'm not comfortable with you putting yourself in another dangerous situation!"

"Jack, I love you, and I would never dream of doing something that would ever make you uncomfortable. But I think I need to do this." She touched his arm, trying to get him to soften. "Don't you understand that at all?"

Finally, Jack turned to look at her, his eyes softening. "I understand, Rose. I do." He touched her leg, regretting how harshly he had spoken to her. "But you also have to understand why I don't want my five-month pregnant wife who was abused by this man to visit him in prison."

"What if you come with me?" Rose asked, taking his hand. "I know you're worried, but you could be there the whole time. I just want to see him for a minute. That's all. And if you're there, you don't have to worry as much. You'll be with me every second."

After a moment, Jack nodded. "Okay," he said finally. "I guess that's okay with me."

Before Jack could change his mind, he and Rose left for the prison. "I can't believe you talked me into this," Jack said quietly, his arm secured on Rose's waist. He hadn't released her hand throughout the day: the conversation about going, walking to the car, even the drive over. Rose knew it was a sign of love and concern, and she was worried herself. She knew that this would not be enjoyable or fun, but she had Jack, and that was all that mattered.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dawson," the chauffeur got their attention. "We've arrived."

Jack stepped out of the car and walked around, opening Rose's door and reaching for her hand. She took it, stepping out of the car. She wrapped an arm around one of Jack's, walking next to him. "I know you didn't want to do this, so I just wanted to say thank you," she squeezed his bicep lightly, and he smiled at her. "Thank you for understanding why I need to do this. I love you."

"I love you too," Jack smiled, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. "I don't like the idea of you going, I don't think it's smart, but I understand. Just don't do anything stupid, and don't believe anything he says."

Rose nodded. "I promise, I won't." She rubbed his arm as they walked inside and over to the front desk, where an angry looking woman was sitting. "Hello, my name is Rose Dawson. I would like to speak to Caledon Hockley please."

The woman nodded, then stepped away and picked up some paperwork, handing it to Rose. "Fill this out, please. You can wait over there." She pointed to a small waiting area just behind them. "I'll call you when he's ready."

They sat, and Rose began filling out the paper as Jack wrapped his arm around her, holding her tightly. She looked up at him and smiled. "Are you nervous, Jack?" She asked.

Jack nodded. "Of course I'm nervous," he said quietly. "You're my entire life, and this is dangerous. And besides," he paused, looking around and then leaning closer to Rose to whisper in her ear. "This place scares me."

Rose smiled, putting her hand on his leg. "It'll be over soon," she said quietly, kissing his cheek. "Everything will be fine, you'll see." She filled out the paperwork while Jack's hand remained on her waist, holding her close.

"Rose Dawson?" Someone called, and Jack and Rose stood, handing the guard the paperwork. "Come with me, please." They walked down a hallway, and the guard opened the door to an empty room with a table and two chairs. Sitting on the other side was Cal in a gray jumpsuit. "You have fifteen minutes."

Cal looked up at the couple entering the room. His eyes focused on Rose, and on her swollen abdomen. "So it wasn't a lie," he said, realizing that Betty was telling the truth. "You've gotten fat."

Jack opened his mouth to respond, to scold Cal for saying that to his wife, but Rose gripped his forearm, holding him back. "Cal," she said finally, taking her seat. "Glad to see it's really you behind bars."

A cold chuckle escaped his throat, and he stared at Rose with narrow, stern eyes. "The whore and the gutter rat," he said, his eyes moving from Rose over to Jack, whose free hand was in a tight fist. "To what do I owe the displeasure?"

Rose took Jack's hand in hers, holding it tightly. "I just wanted to make sure it was really you in here," she said nonchalantly, her voice icier than Jack had ever heard it. "And I also wanted to tell you that you could've had a different life. You could've treated me with kindness and respect, and we would've been happy together. Personally, I like it better this way, but you may have liked it the other way." She stared into his cold eyes, for the first time not afraid of him. "But I'm glad you finally learned that your actions have consequences."

"All of this is your fault," Cal argued back. "You were always oblivious to the way the world worked. Your father made a deal with me, and that should have been the end of the discussion. But of course, you had to resist." He stared at her coldly, and Rose realized that there was some truth to his cold statement. "You were the one who embarrassed yourself, your mother, and me. You were the one who got your poor little gutter rat trapped below decks. You were the one who got him shot. And before you blame it on me, you should realize that plenty of men would act the way I did, protective over their fiances."

Jack reached for Rose's hand beneath the table, giving it a comforting squeeze as if to tell her that what happened was not her fault. "Protective?" Rose repeated. "Is that what we're calling it now?" She rolled her eyes and laughed darkly. "You always loved to think you were the innocent one, and that anyone who didn't agree with you was the enemy." Her eyes narrowed at him. "You were always so concerned about your precious reputation and the way I made you look. Well, guess what? Everyone knew what a vile, snake of a man you always were. When they saw me with you, they thought, 'well, he must have been lonely, that's why he acted that way'. But when I left you, when you showed your true colors, you proved everyone right." She turned to Jack, smiling at him. "Ready to go?" She asked, and he nodded, standing with her.

While walking toward the door, Jack wrapped his arm around Rose again. Cal stopped them before they could leave. "Oh, sweetpea?" He said, sending chills down Rose's spine as she turned around. His eyes narrowed, staring at her. "I should've shot you when I had the chance. You never did know how to behave."

Jack stared at him angrily as Rose opened the door, walking out without looking back at Cal.

Once the door was closed behind them, and they were walking down the hallway, Jack reached for Rose's hand. He squeezed it gently, looking at her concernedly. "Are you okay?" He asked.

Rose smiled and nodded, picking up his hand and kissing it. "I'm perfect," she said happily. "I have the closure I wanted. Thank you for doing this for me. And thank you for doing this without really liking the idea."

"Of course," he smiled, rubbing the top of her hand with his thumb. "I'll do anything for you, Rose. You know that. Even if I don't like it." Finally happy with the weight lifted off of them, Jack and Rose walked outside and went home, leaving the past behind them.