Chapter 19 Another long sigh escaped his lips and he shook his head briefly before fiddling with his damp shirt on the rack. That was the past and this was the future...and the future held Rose. There was no use in grieving over something so hopeless as his parents' deaths when he now had Rose to look out for. Since the accident with the Delaware River just mere hours ago, both were soaked to the bone, wet and cold as they slowly made their way back to Jack's darkened home. They immediately changed into warmer close, Rose wearing one of Jack's over-sized dress shirts and Jack cuddling up next to her by the fire in a pair of flannel pajamas. They both huddled together on the large, plush couch in the study, making themselves comfy with half a dozen throw pillows and a comforter to warm them. "I don't suppose we'll ever dry." Rose said exhaustedly as she fiddled with a strand of her damp, curly hair. Yawning, Rose sank back into one of the feathered pillows and closed her eyes. Neither of them had seen the likes of sleep for hours now and it was finally taking its toll. "Jack," she said without even opening her eyes. "Stop fussing over the clothes and come back over here. They'll dry eventually. After all, it's only water." Jack turned back around to see Rose snuggled comfortably into a pile of pillows, her knees bent under her body. He couldn't help but smile at her as he diligently made his way back to her, careful not to disturb her. Pulling the comforter over her bare legs, Jack gently brushed a strand of Rose's hair off of her face. Bringing his hand back down across her cheek lightly, Jack smiled and rested his head on the back of the sofa as Rose gently kissed his fingers as they glided across her lips. A slight grin appeared on Rose's face as she slowly opened her sleepy eyes to focus on Jack. "I love you Jack." She said in a whisper. Her hand brushed up against his cheek, stroking it lovingly. Grinning, Jack placed his hand over hers, bringing it over to his lips and kissing it gently. He kissed it repeatedly, making Rose shiver with excitement. Jack finally settled on holding her hand out in front of them, their fingers intertwined with each other's. "And I love you Rose, now and forever." He said, kissing her hand one last time. "You're so good to me Jack." Rose smiled and curled up against his chest, finding comfort in hearing the steady beat of his heart against her ear. She felt his arm wrap around her waist as if to hold her there forever. Silently kissing the top of her head, Jack reached over with his free hand to carefully turn down the kerosene lamp until the only thing illuminating the room was the fireplace. The gentle crackling of the wood combined along with the warmth that it provided was enough to make Jack finally relax, something he hadn't had the opportunity to do until now. Within minutes, both were fast asleep- Rose all cuddled up next to Jack and Jack resting his head on the back of the couch, his hand gently stroking Rose's back as he drifted off into a well deserved slumber. The next morning, Rose awoke to find herself completely stretched out on the over-sized couch with Jack behind her, his supportive arm holding her close. Straining her neck to look back at Jack, Rose couldn't help but smile at his puppy dog like expression. Strands of blond gently fell over his eyes and his face had taken on a relaxed and content look, making him appear to look more like a young boy rather than a young man of twenty. It made Rose wonder what Jack must have looked like as a young boy; probably a lot like she saw him today. Turning herself slightly around, Rose brushed the hair out of his face and gently ran her delicate fingers through his ruffled hair. This caused him to stir and a sweet smile spread across his face as he continued his journey through Dreamland. Brushing his cheek slightly and giving him a peck on the cheek, Rose carefully worked her way out of Jack's embrace. She stifled a giggle as she listened to Jack mumble something in his sleep and pull the covers closer for warmth. Taking one last glance back over at Jack, Rose silently opened the door to the study and found her way to the kitchen. Knowing that any of Jack's servants would have today off because it was Sunday, Rose continued about the house still in Jack's dress shirt. She looked about the kitchen curiously, wondering if she'd actually be able to pull off such an amazing feet as preparing breakfast for them. Of course, she did have some experience in a kitchen thanks to the fine boarding school she had been sent to years ago. Rose quickly made her way over to the icebox in the corner of the kitchen, pulling out various necessities such as eggs, some meat and a pitcher of fresh squeezed orange juice. She then began to diligently pull down other items from cupboards and lit the stove after several attempts with matches. It wasn't long before she had gotten into the swing of things, making a pleasant and appetizing aroma filter throughout the house. "And she cooks too! What can't you do Rose?" Jack smiled as he whispered into Rose's ear, coming up behind her and wrapping his loving arms around her waist as Rose continued to busy herself over the stove. Rose smiled to herself and turned her head up at Jack, giving him a quick kiss followed by a much longer one. This left Jack completely content and he rested his chin on Rose's shoulder as she continued. "I'm afraid it's not quite what you're expecting. I don't think this can actually qualify as cooking. If you think I can actually cook, you've got another surprise comin' to you." Rose giggled as she continued to scramble the eggs. Jack smiled. He absolutely loved the pure honesty and life that Rose seemed to be so natural with. "I'm sure it's not half as bad as you think it is. Besides, it smells delicious." Grinning, Rose simply replied, "Well just you wait until you try this Mr. Dawson. Then we'll see if it tastes as good as it smells." Jack chuckled and kissed Rose's cheek again. "I love anything that has to do with you, edible or not." Rose giggled and pretended to be insulted by him, pushing away slightly. Jack just laughed and wrapped his arms around her again, completely surprising her by picking her up. Rose gasped and quickly set down her spatula, wrapping her free hand around Jack's neck. "Jack! What on earth do you think you are doing?" Jack looked down at Rose, kissing her sweetly on the tip of her nose. "Nothing any sensible guy wouldn't do..." Rose smiled and turned her head away, gently pushing Jack away playfully. "Jack, put me down right this instant. The eggs are going to burn." Jack just smiled and began kissing her. "Then let them burn." He said in between kisses. In turn, he recieved a smile from Rose and a hand full of kisses. Jack gently set Rose down, their lips still planted firmly against one another's. Rose broke apart first and looked up at Jack, fiddling with one of the buttons on his shirt. Her heart melted as she looked up into his eyes which shined nothing but pure devotion and love. "How did I get so lucky Jack?" Rose asked gently as stroked his cheek with her hand. Jack's lips curved slightly as he looked down at Rose seriously. "You know? I was just about to ask you the same thing." In the background Rose could hear the deep sizzling of the eggs in the frying pan that she had left unnattended. She quickly turned around, letting out a deep sigh of frustration. She suddenly began stirring them once again as she felt Jack's presence by her side. "See Jack? What did I tell you?" Both began to laugh as Jack came back up behind her once more. "It was worth it." Rose smiled smugly and continued to attempt to salvage the eggs. She glanced at the clock hanging in the corner and shook her head in amazement. "Did you know that it's nearly 1:00 in the afternoon already?" Rose giggled as she looked back over at Jack who just smiled at her innocently. "I sure hope you got enough rest." "Well…we had a long night. It wasn't 'til around 4 in the morning until we finally fell asleep. We both needed the rest." He said as he found amusement in kissing her neck over and over until he heard a peel of giggles escape Rose's lips. Her hand found the back of his neck and he raised his head in order to look her eyes. The happiness and love reflected in them was evident to see. Snuggling in closer to Rose's neck, Jack placed a few more gentle kisses on her cheek, making her smile with delight. "Jack?" "Hmm?" "Tell me that we'll be like this forever." "Like what…happy? Content? So hopelessly in love with each other that we'd be lost without the other one?" Both shared in a smile before Jack continued. "You know what I think? I think, that even when we're old and even our own children have grown tired of us, we'll still share the same love for each other that we have today. It'll be forever Rose…even if I live to be a hundred and one, I'll still go on loving you even more with each passing second." Chapter 20 | Story Index | Post Your Review | Email Author | Home |
