ELUDING DESTINY
Chapter Nineteen

"Where is he? Where is he?" Rose murmured to herself desperately. She could feel it. He was it danger. They were connected as if they were one, and she could feel desperation, a matter of life and death. She felt Fabrizio take her hand and lead her down the dark, hot, narrow stairs. Tommy was right behind them. They had already checked half of the engine room. And she was ready to go crazy. If they had to search this whole ship, from top to bottom in order to find her Jack, she would do it.

"You have to calm down, or we no find Jack," Fabrizio murmured to her. It calmed her, hearing Jack's best friend. "Jack is a survivor, no?"

"Yes, he is. He'll make it." They hurried down the stairs.

All of a sudden, she felt the cold steel of a gun pressed to her head. "You shouldn't have come down here, sweetpea." Caledon Hockley said her name mockingly.

Fabrizio bumped her, and quickly she passed him the gun secretively. He had it now. She knew she couldn't aim and hit her mark if her life depended on it.

"Now you will get to see your beloved murdered, Lovejoy and I run for it, and you get the blame put on all of you. What a shame." He started to drag her, but she dug her heels in.

"Caledon Hockley, you are not--"

"Shut up, Rose! I have waited much too long to do this. The plan was perfect, you hear me? Perfect! And you had to go mess it up, searching for your precious lover. You are still my fiancée, Rose. Do not forget that. I don't care what your mother says. I don't care what you say. I want you, and I will have you. Caledon Hockley always wins, one way or another. I promise you."

"Let me go!" She struggled, kicking him in the shins and punching his face.

He loosened his arm, suddenly yelling. "Rose DeWitt Bukater, you--"

"No, Cal! I have dealt with your furious ranting and raving as you beat me! I have dealt with your cruelty to me, my mother, Jack, Fabrizio, Tommy, your servants, and Lovejoy! I won't take it anymore! Behind that tough mask of yours, you're nothing but an evil, horrible, man! It--"

He slapped her across the face. A shot rang out and she felt him go backwards against the hot metal. A furious look ran across his face, and she saw an evil expression replace it.

"You think you're so smart, Rose. You think you can stand up to me and get away with it. Well, I'm telling you what, you can't! All you women are good for is children and bossing around. All you're good for is to make me look good in the eyes of everyone. Women are things that are to be controlled. And you, Rose, are not fitting my mold. I am not happy about that, and I'm going to do something you'll regret for the rest of your life!"

What Cal did not realize was that Fabrizio was behind him, which was a mistake on his part. Fabrizio was capable of almost anything when he put his mind to it. She saw him raise the gun and aim. Another shot rang out and he shot Cal in the other shoulder. Cal fell on the ground.

"You will learn not to mess with me. You treat Rose like a dog! You are a cruel, evil man! You will never touch Rose again! And now, Mr. Hockley, you will be left here to die." Fabrizio turned around and motioned for Tommy and Rose to follow him.

She could feel the hatred through Cal's eyes on her back. "And also, Cal, if you mention one word about this to anyone, I can have you put in jail for the rest of your life. Remember that," she said in a singsong voice. She knew it would make him even more furious, if that was possible, but she didn't care. She had to get to Jack.

"Rose, here--"

"Shut up, Dawson," she heard Lovejoy murmur hatefully. He knew Fabrizio had shot Hockley.

Fabrizio and Tommy also heard Jack. She relaxed the slightest bit. They had found him. And he was alive. And Lovejoy couldn't do a thing if Cal didn't tell him to. What a set-up. Perfect, yes. They tiptoed towards the voices, hearing them get louder every second.

"You know, Lovejoy, with Cal shot and everything, you can’t do a thing when they try to get me."

"I thought I told you to shut up, Dawson."

"What are you gonna do about it, huh, Lovejoy? You have to sit there until Cal can give you more orders. Isn't that right, my man?" Jack was riling him. And enjoying it.

Lovejoy was getting angrier by the second. "He told me to make sure you lived so he could kill you himself. That means keeping you here, too."

"Nope. It means that in order to let yourself and me live, you're gonna have to let me go. You know that, don't you? When Fabri and Tommy get here, you're gonna have to let me go. What if they shoot you? How are you supposed to keep me here?" Jack was thoroughly enjoying his game. It was so like Jack to try to have fun when he could possibly die.

They got there, and Rose saw Jack on the floor in a fetal position. She wanted so badly to run to him, but Tommy kept her back.

"You can't yet," he whispered.

Fabrizio turned around quietly, and said, "I have to shoot Lovejoy in the shoulder."

They all agreed. There was nothing else to do. He had a gun, and would shoot whether or not Cal was there to tell him to. Another shot. Rose saw Lovejoy jump and clutch his shoulder. He swore as the red stain became bigger and seeped through his fingers. Jack had a chance to slide the gun to himself after Lovejoy dropped it when Fabri shot him in the shoulder. They watched quietly as Jack kicked it in their direction, knowing where they were. It was then that Lovejoy passed out and they were able to rush to Jack.

Rose knelt quickly beside him. "Jack! Oh, God! I'm so sorry! It's my fault you're in all this trouble. Oh, God, are you all right? Did he hurt you at all?" She kissed his face over and over, and when Fabrizio finally got his hands undone, they were able to hold each other.

"Oh, Rose...I thought I was gonna die and not see you again. I thought you were gonna wake up thinking everything was okay and come looking for me, and I wasn't going to be there--"

For the first time, she saw tears in Jack's eyes, and she hugged him to her the next instant. "Jack, I'm here...I'm all right. I promise--"

He kissed her, and she could feel him putting all of his love and desperation from the past hours into that one kiss. He pulled away and looked at her, and seeing the tears on her face, he kissed them all away. "I love you, Rose. Oh, God, I love you so much!"

"I love you, too, Jack."

She had his shirt clutched in her fists. His hair was over his eyes and forehead. He was breathing heavily and looking at her, drinking in the sight of his precious, fiery-spirited Rose.

Tommy cleared his throat. "We have to get out of here and tell the Master-at-Arms to lock these two up before they awaken."

*****

They were walking hand-in-hand down the promenade deck towards the stairs to the bow of the ship. He was taking her flying again. He felt the chills run up his spine as he thought about last night. It had been too close. But they had lived.

They got to the bow, and he whispered ever so softly in her ear, "Close your eyes."

He took her hands again and led her to the railing. The smile grew on her face as she felt his hands on her waist, gently lifting her to stand on the rail. He climbed behind her and pressed against her back.

He put his mouth to her ear. "Open them."

She sighed. He put his head down and softly, slowly kissed her neck. The shiver that ran up and down her spine gave him enough courage to take the kiss up to her jaw, and then to her mouth. Her hand came behind his head as before.

She pulled away and looked into his blue eyes. "I can't wait to get off of this ship and start my life with you," she whispered, enjoying the fire that came into his eyes.

"I want to spend eternity with you, Rose."

"And I with you."

They smiled as they flew into the sunset together, dreaming of their future.

The End.

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