SCENES OF LOVE
Chapter One

I saw my whole life as if I’d already lived it...an endless parade of parties and cotillions, yachts and polo matches...always the same narrow people, the same mindless chatter. I felt like I was standing at a precipice, with no one to pull me back, no one who cared...or even noticed.

Seventeen-year-old Rose DeWitt Bukater stared blankly ahead, her food untouched, hearing nothing of her mother's conversation.

Her life flashed before her eyes. Her entire life...the same people...the same talk...parties, cotillions, yachts, polo matches. She had the life so many people only dreamed of. And yet, she hated it. She dreamt of freedom. She dreamt of being away from all this. She glanced about.

This was it. She felt something inside her snap.

They were strangling her. Killing her. She was screaming and no one looked up. Nor cared.

This was it.

She could take no more.

Her heartbeat quickened.

I'll be there soon, Daddy, she thought.

Rose removed the napkin from her lap and gently laid it on the table.

Her mother looked at her.

"Rose, dear, what are you doing?" Ruth asked, gently reaching out and taking her daughter's wrist as she stood. Rose stared down at her mother.

"I'm just going to take a stroll on the boat deck, Mother."

"In the middle of supper, dear? Stay. Then we can all take a leisurely stroll together," she said, motioning to the Countess.

"No, thank you, Mother," Rose said, gently pulling away. "I think I would rather be alone right now."

"Rose," Ruth scolded quietly. Rose looked indignantly down at Ruth.

"Good-bye, Mother."

It would not be the last time she said those words.

And Rose turned, quickly making her way out of the dining room.

She started slowly at first. Walking at a casual pace. But her mind swirled like some great hurricane within her. That anger--anger at Cal, at her mother, at society, at herself. Then the pain. The pain of losing her father, of losing her freedom, losing everything that a human longed for.

I'll be there soon, Daddy.

Faster. Her feet gained speed until she was running. Running as fast as she could in the heels she was wearing. Tears streamed down her face as she ran over the decks, toward the stern of the massive ship. She paid no heed to those who cursed her as she pushed past them. She didn't care. What would it matter?

Rose DeWitt Bukater would be dead the next day.

She stopped, slamming against something. Her tears blurred her vision so she could not tell what.

Rose stared ahead. Stared out to the black waters, rushing out behind the great ship as she flew across the water like a bird across the sky. The sea and sky seemed to merge into one.

She slowly made her way to the railings, wrapping her delicate ivory hands around the cold white rails. The icy air whipped around her as she lifted herself onto the railings. She struggled to climb over.

Climb to her freedom.

Rose finally settled on the railings, her arms straightened, and she leaned far out. The water churned from Titanic's great propellers.

Father, Rose thought, staring down at the black sea. I love you. I love you so much. Help me now, Daddy. Just help me with this.

She inhaled, preparing herself to let go. To plunge into the waters below.

And then, "Don't do it!" tore through the air.

Rose's head snapped around to see her guardian angel standing behind her.

Part of her wanted to come back over the rail that instant. But then...she was so very miserable. Her father wouldn’t have wanted her to have a life like she had. Daddy, she thought. Just give me the strength to let go. Please.

Rose spoke to the young man now. "Stay back! Don’t come any closer!"

His voice was very calm. "Come on. Just give me your hand. I’ll pull you back over."

It wouldn’t be that easy; Rose didn’t want the life she had, not any of it. All she wanted was to be with her father again. "No! Stay where you are! I mean it. I’ll let go."

But Rose found herself watching him calmly as he did indeed come closer, tossing his cigarette over the rail. Then he glanced at her, cautiously, sideways.

"No, you won’t."

Rose was instantly angry. "What do you mean, no I won't? Don’t presume to tell me what I will and will not do! You don’t know me."

Rose could see that the young man, whoever he was, was less sure of himself now. He hesitated a moment, obviously trying to think of the right words. When he did begin to speak again, he looked directly at her. It was then Rose saw he had the most wonderful eyes...she forced this thought from her mind, and concentrated on what he was saying.

"Well, you would have done it already."

Now Rose was even more angry, mostly because she knew he was right. And, she wondered, why did he, a total stranger, care what happened to her? Especially when even her own mother didn’t? She forced herself to turn back to gaze at the ocean, using the sternest tone she could muster.

"You’re distracting me! Go away!" She sounded more frightened now than determined to go through with this, and she knew it. From the young man’s tone when he spoke again, Rose could tell he knew how frightened she was, too.

"I can’t. I’m involved now. You let go, and I’m gonna have to jump in there after you." Rose knew he meant this, because he took off his coat, obviously preparing to go into the water. This made no sense. Why did he care? Why? And maybe, if this complete stranger could care, there was still hope after all.

"Don’t be absurd. You’ll be killed." Even though that was what was about to happen to her, Rose could not bear to think of someone else dying because of her.

"I’m a good swimmer," he answered calmly as he took off one of his boots.

"The fall alone will kill you." At least she hoped that would be true, for herself. She wanted everything to be over as soon as she hit the water. But, what if it wasn’t?

As if in answer to her question, he said, "It would hurt. I’m not sayin’ it wouldn't. To tell you the truth, I’m a lot more concerned about that water bein’ so cold."

This was just what she had dreaded hearing. She looked down at the water again, truly afraid now. Rose’s heart was torn. She had been so sure...now she found she was nothing more than a coward. I’m sorry, Daddy. I can’t...she thought.

It was then she heard he father’s voice. It echoed through her mind, filling her up. Don’t be sorry, Rose. You are meant to stay. Please trust this young man. He will show you the way. I promise.

"How cold?" she asked, tentatively, looking over at him.

"Freezing. Maybe a couple degrees over." He paused. "You ever--ah--ever been to Wisconsin?"

Rose's eyes had wandered back out to the sea as the great ship flew over the water, but now, she snapped her head back to look at him. "What?" she asked irately.

Unrelenting, he continued, "Well, they have some of the coldest winters around. I grew up there, near Chippewa Falls. I remember when I was a kid, me and my father, we went ice fishing out on Lake Wissota. Ice fishing is you know where ya--"

"I know what ice fishing is!" Rose snapped.

The young man raised his hands and shrugged. "Sorry. You just seem, you know, kind of an indoor girl. Anyway, I fell through some thin ice, and I'm tellin’ you, water that cold, like right down there, it hits you like a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body. You can't breath. Can't think--at least not about anything but the pain..." He gazed over the rails, seeming to be recalling that terrible memory. "Which is why I'm not lookin' forward to jumping in there after you. Like I said, I don't have a choice." He slipped out of his jacket and inched toward her. "I guess I'm kind of hopin' you'll come back over the rail and get me off the hook here," he said calmly.

"You're crazy!" she exclaimed, turning back to the water.

"That's what everyone says, but with all due respect, Miss, I'm not the one hanging off the back of a ship here. Come on. Come on, give me your hand. You don't wanna do this."

No, I don't, Rose thought, and neither does Father. She inhaled deeply and cautiously reached over, taking his hand. With painfully slow, careful moves, Rose turned around to face this young man, this guardian angel that had been sent to her.

"Whew!" He smiled. "Jack Dawson."

"Rose DeWitt Bukater."

"I'll have to get ya to write that one down."

She laughed shortly.

"Come on," he said, tightening his grip on her.

She lifted her foot.

And all of a sudden, a blood curdling scream escaped her as her shoe slipped on the train of her dress.

Jack's grip clamped down on her wrist.

"I gotcha! Come on! Come on!" he urged.

"Help, please! Please help me!" she screamed desperately.

"Come on. Pull yourself up!"

Rose reached up, grabbing her rail, pulling herself up. But her palms were sweating, and she couldn't hold on. She screamed again as death licked at her, pulling back toward the water.

"Listen! Listen, I've got you! I won't let go! Come on, try! You can do it! I've got you!" he urged, pulling with all his might. Rose reached up, grabbing the white rails once more, this time refusing to let go. Finally, she flung herself back onto the deck, Jack falling on top of her, her dress falling back and revealing her stocking leg.

"What's all this?" a startled crewman muttered, finally reaching the place where screaming had been coming from only moments before. Jack looked up, dumbfounded. Rose could do nothing but shake. "You stand back and don't move an inch! Fetch the Master-at-Arms!" the man demanded. Jack obeyed, standing back. The man helped Rose up, and in only a minute, Cal, as well as Colonel Archibald Gracie, the Master-at-Arms, and the other seaman joined the scene.

Immediately, a blanket was put over Rose and handcuffs on Jack. The colonel helped Rose to sit down.

"What made you think you think that could put your hands on my fiancée?!" Cal spat at Jack. Jack looked to Rose, but Cal demanded his attention back. "Look at me, you filth!" he shouted.

"Cal!" Rose began.

"What do you think you were doing?"

"Cal!"

"What gave you--"

"Cal, stop! It was an accident!" Rose said, almost shouting as she stood up.

"An accident?" he repeated, looking dumbly down at her.

"I was leaning over and I slipped!" He stared at her. "I was leaning far over to see the ah--ah--ah--ah--ah--" She moved her hand in circles, trying desperately to make this lie work. She couldn't let them know what had really happened, and she owed her life to this Jack fellow. She couldn't let them take him away.

"Propellers?" Cal suggested, a strange expression crossing his face.

"The propellers! And I slipped! And I would've gone overboard, but Mr. Dawson here saved me and almost went over himself!" she said, secretly congratulating herself on saving herself--saving her own hide.

"You wanted to see--she wanted to see the propellers!" Cal said, turning to the others.

"Like I said, women and machinery do not mix!" Colonel Gracie exclaimed, walking toward them.

"Was that the way of it?" the Master-at-Arms asked, looking harshly at Jack.

Rose looked desperately at Jack. "Yeah. Yeah, that was pretty much it," Jack muttered. The Master-at-Arms removed the handcuffs from Jack's sore wrists.

"Well, the boy's a hero, then! Good for you, sir! Well done! So then all's well, and it's back to our brandy," the colonel said, starting away.

"You must be freezing! Let's get you back inside," Cal said, gently rubbing Rose.

"Perhaps a little something for the boy?" Colonel Gracie suggested, seeing Cal was prepared to leave it as it was, and not say another word to the man that had just saved his love.

"Of course. Mr. Lovejoy, a twenty should do it," Cal said to his manservant.

"Oh! Is that the going rate for saving the woman you love?" Rose challenged, looking up at Cal.

"Rose is displeased. What to do?" The couple studied each other. "I know!" He started toward Jack. "Perhaps you could join us for dinner tomorrow evening. To regale our group with your...heroic tale!" Cal said, smiling smugly at Jack.

"Sure. Count me in," Jack said with a voice that Rose could not place.

"Good. It's settled then," Cal said walking away. "This should be interesting," he mumbled, leading Rose away.

Rose frowned, realizing how odd it felt for Cal to be touching her again. She turned back to glance at Jack, seeing him take a cigarette from Lovejoy. Part of her wanted to run back to him, to wrap her arms around him and sob onto his shoulder, but of course she couldn't do that.

Cal led her back to her cabin and only stayed long enough to be sure she was all right--physically.

But as she lay in her bed that night, all she could think about was Jack Dawson.

And she knew, she knew that he had been brought to her for more than to simply pull her back over the rails. He had been sent to her to pull her back to earth--to keep her there.

Chapter Two
Stories