Fifteen Years Later...

      "Come on, Wolfy. Let's go to the park," Rose called to her dog.
Wolfy ran up to her and began to scratch the door. Rose tied a leash around him as they walked outside. When they arrived at the park Rose sat down on a bench as Wolfy ran sniffed around trying to find a good place to do his duty. Suddenly, Rose heard a voice. As the voice came closer she saw a man with another dog. Wolfy looked up and stared at the other dog. And then he ran towards it. They huddled up together and lay down. Rose laughed.
     "Looks like love at first sight."
     The man smiled. "Sure does. I don't know if we're gonna be able to separate them for a while." He sat down next to Rose. "Hi, I'm Jack Dawson. And you?"
     Rose raised her eyebrows. "What did you say?"
     "My name is Jack Dawson. What about you?" he repeated.
     "No, really."
     "I'm Jack Dawson. Who are you?"
     "Oh my god."
     "What?"
     "Jack, it's Rose. Rose DeWitt-Bukater. Do you remember me?"
     "Rose? It's really you? That's amazing! I thought you had died on the Titanic."
     "I thought you had died!"
      Rose hugged Jack. She knew this would be the best day of her life.

But the sun dwindled and became one frozen speck among thousands in a sky of ink; the once loving sea turned cold and unforgiving; she found herself hopelessly lost and overcome with pain, with bitter loneliness, with fear. She jerked herself awake and listened to the strange, hollow beating of her heart and the hungry lapping of icy water until her panic, too, was frozen.

She guided her heavy eyes to her hand, entwined with his in a sculpted and unspoken embrace. They had both stopped shaking long ago, and now she felt his reassuring touch more with her mind than with her body. She didn’t know if it had been minutes, or hours, or days, since he had last spoken aloud to her, but now his eyes encouraged her, soothed her, told her what his lips wanted to say but couldn’t. There was still that fire, though frighteningly dim, in his eyes, and it gave her hope as her spirit faltered.

She’d promised.

The silence rang in her ears, and her mind was suddenly filled with painful regrets. She didn’t dwell on the past; she mourned for the future. She was on the brink of tears as she thought of how much she wanted to give him, how much she wanted them to share. Any uncertainties or reservations she might have had before were banished from thought; only her love remained. They could have been so perfect, so perfect. As she lay there in the darkness, she saw her life flash before her eyes; a life she’d never known. She was finally real, living, breathing, flying,and he was right there beside her, loving her, guiding her.

Don’t leave me. Promise me; don’t leave me, Jack!

I won’t leave you. His eyes were unwavering.

She was desperate, painfully fearful again, her gaze pleading. You know I can’t do it without you...

You won’t have to.

She was enveloped with calm, then, with a sort of understanding. There was life ahead of her, life that was the very essence of Jack.

And she knew that when she saw that distant shore again, he would be lying close beside her.