Rose had come to California almost immediately after the sinking. She wanted to get as far away from her old life as possible. Too many haunting memories and painful regrets kept pushing her westward, so that's where she went…for the horizon. Even though Jack was gone, Rose wanted his legacy to live on- even though Rose now had more than just memories to remember Jack by.
Rose often went down to the local park to relax and let her mind drift into lands of fantasy and adventure. Though her days of adventure were on hold for the moment. Ever since she had had the twins about five years ago, her time and attention was completely directed towards them.
Little James and Anne Dawson were born early one cold day in January 1913. When Rose first found out she was to have Jack's child (little did she know at the time- children), she was filled with joy but yet sorrow. Many nights she'd lay awake, thinking about her only love and the child he never see. Sometimes she'd wonder if she were even fit to be a mother yet. After all, she was only seventeen- nearly eighteen. But worries soon drifted away whenever she felt the warmth of Jack's presence.
She never could figure it out though. Sometimes she thought she felt him watching her and sometimes she just thought it was just going crazy. Whatever or whoever it was, she knew that it was watching over her and her baby. Rose sat in the park reading one of her many dime novels. She had been daydreaming when she suddenly felt a tug on her sleeve. She looked up to see a shaggy blond boy with two beautiful blue eyes looking up at her.
"Mommy? Anne keeps on taking my art supplies. Please tell her to stop. Tell her to play with her own toys!"
"Ok dear, why don't you share with your sister?"
"But…well…oh, I suppose I could." James moaned.
"That's a good boy James. It's getting late. Five more minutes and we'd better head home."
"Awe shucks!" And with that he ran off to find his sister. Rose watched as he ran to Anne and disgustingly told her the news. She displayed a disappointed look on her face for a brief second, then focused her attention back to the drawing in front of her.
~THE NEXT DAY~
"Mommy?"
"Yes Anne dear?" Rose said as she tied back her daughter's auburn curls with a ribbon.
"May we please go to the park today?"
"We'll see. Mommy's awfully tired today. Maybe tomorrow."
"Oh please!"
"Oh yes please mommy!" James chimed in.
"We'll see. I still have to make a trip to the market. Would you two like to come with me, or would you like to stay with Mrs. Martin?" Mrs. Martin was their next door neighbor who usually watched the children while Rose was at work. She was old, experienced, and was a stickler for manners. The children dreaded staying with her, but Rose had no other choice.
Both James and Anna wrinkled their noses and shook their heads back and forth. "No! We'll go with you mommy!" Rose smiled to herself as she grabbed the children's hats as well as her own and shooed them out the door.
As they made their way down the street, Anne skipped along merrily while her brother James balanced himself on the curb of the street.
"Annie, James…please stay with me. I don't want you to get lost in this crowd of people."
"Yes mommy." Both youngsters said together.
They arrived at the market within minutes. James kept tugging on Rose's skirt, begging to be able to look at the comics while Anne practically dragged her mother across the store to the candy aisle.
"Mommy look there! Oh, can we please get some! Oh please mommy, please!" Anne begged.
"Well…hold on…"
"Mother! Can I PLEASE go look at the comics? Oh please!"
"Now…just wait until I get the shopping done ok?" Anne and James groaned in disappointment, then were suddenly distracted by entertaining themselves. Rose grabbed a shopping basket and started to scan the different aisles.
"Tag, you're it!" James yelled as he tagged his sister and ran around to the next aisle. Anne laughed as she chased after him. Rose whirled around to see her children missing. Then she could hear their laughter on the next aisle. She sighed to herself as she turned around to go find them. She finally found them chasing one another on the other aisle. She noticed a young man with his back turned towards her on the end. Anne and James kept on running oblivious to the other shoppers. Rose tried yelling out to them, but it was to no avail. Before any of them knew it, James jumped back from Anne and into the young man at the end of the aisle. The young man turned around towards James. Rose couldn't make out his face too well since his back was still turned to her. He seemed to be talking to James.
"You ok there kid?"
"Yes, thank you. Gee, I'm really sorry sir! I didn't mean to bump into you!"
"Oh, it's ok." The young man looked down at the twins. He noticed the young boy's familiar blue eyes and blond hair. The little girl even had beautiful red curls just like…oh, it seemed absolutely ridiculous. He looked around as to find the parents of these two youngsters. "Say, where's your mother? I think she may be looking for you." James looked around to see Rose nearly running towards them.
"James! Anne! Didn't I tell you two not to run off?"
"Yes. Sorry mother."
"I'm sorry mommy."
"Yes well, why don't you apologize to the gentleman that you so rudely bumped into?"
"Oh, it's really…ok." For the first time, the young man looked up at the beautiful woman who stood before him. Rose seemed to look up at the very same moment. "Oh God…"
"Jack…is that really you?"
"Oh my God Rose!" And for the first time in over five years, Rose held her Jack once again. Jack stroked her curls as she cried on his shoulder. James and Anne were completely confused by the whole situation.
"I thought you had died Jack! All this time you've…you've been alive!"
"God Rose! I searched and searched for you after we reached New York but…I just couldn't find you."
Rose was still in Jack's embrace when she felt a tug on her dress. She looked down to see James and Anne looking up at them with curiosity and pleading looks. Rose looked back at Jack. His eyes seemed to be asking a silent question: were these children really hers? Rose nodded in reply. Jack quietly pulled away.
"Jack…I…"
"Well Rose," Jack laughed a nervous laugh "I see you've moved on with your life."
"Well, ugh...not exactly. Jack, I think you should know something…"
"Don't worry about it Rose. I'm glad you found someone." Rose smiled.
"Oh Jack! I'm not married!" Jack looked dumbfounded at the two kids standing before him.
"But…"
"Jack, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. The truth of the matter is…is well…Jack Dawson, you're a daddy." Jack's baffled face immediately directed towards the twins. He looked them over, just now noticing the almost identical resemblance they had to him.
"You mean…they're…mine?" Jack could barely choke out the words. Rose could only nod as tears streaked her face. Jack could only imagine the pain and suffering that she must have endured during these past six years. "Oh God Rose! And to think you've been alone for all these years! Oh I'm so sorry my sweet, sweet Rose! How'd you ever do it?" Jack whispered into Rose's ear as he held her close.
"Well Jack, all I had to do was think of you. That kept me going."
"Oh Rose…" Jack pulled her even tighter, keeping her safe and secure in his loving arms.
"At least we're together at last." Jack pulled away and looked into Rose's magnificent eyes.
"You know something?"
"What?"
"For the past six years, I've always regretted not telling you something while I had the chance."
"And what's that?"
"I love you."
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