TOMORROW'S APRIL
Chapter Seven
With the Dawn
The dawn broke brightly through the little
porthole in the room, the sunny rays of early morning flowing over Rose's face,
waking her slowly. For a moment, she wondered where she was, but turned over
just in time to see Jack's sleeping form beside her. She smiled to herself,
pressing her cheek to the pillow, and inched towards him, snuggling as close as
she could.
She didn't want to wake him- not yet. They'd
talked so late into the night, that she couldn't even remember when she'd
fallen asleep. She had poured her soul out to Jack last night- they both had.
The stories of the last eight years- the struggles and the successes. But most
of all- the empty place in each of their hearts, that had finally been
refilled. They'd dwelled for awhile, it seemed, on why they had not been able
to find each other, on the Carpathia. And fate had obviously worked
mysteriously there too, because of the many ironic twists-
But she and Jack had come to the conclusion,
somewhere between 2 and 3 in the morning, that what was done, was done. And
that wondering why wouldn't work for them anymore. They had so much to live for
now- so much to make up for-
Rose propped her head on one of her hands,
studying Jack's rhythmic breathing. "Oh, Jack..." she smiled and sat
up slowly, deciding that he deserved just a little more sleep. There was no way
of knowing when he had finally dozed off himself.
She realized then that her roommates were
probably wondering, just what had happened to her. Rose could barely hold back
a giggle, when she remembered the almost ridiculous smiles of the two young
women from Louisiana. But now she almost understood how they felt. Because the
pure and unadulterated happiness that she felt this morning, could match, if
not surpass, their anticipatory excitement of an ocean voyage-
"I'll have to go back eventually, to get
my things...." Rose mumbled to herself as she attempted to shift to the
floor without making much noise.
Her wrinkled dress seemed so uncomfortable,
having slept in all night, and she made her way to Jack's suitcase, opening it
cautiously. "He won't mind.." she whispered to herself, scanning the
contents of his neatly packed bag. He had given her some idea of how well his
art was doing, but the contents of his leather suitcase certainly proved the
fact. She gingerly reached for one of his shirts, revealing a black portfolio
on the bottom. She took a quick glance toward him, and seeing that he was still
fast asleep, lifted the beautiful folder from its place. She smiled as she
opened it, breathing in the scent of mahogany and spice. Inside was a complete
set of charcoals, half of them already quite used, and a stack of papers, some
finished sketches, some only doodling. Many of them were simply of posed
objects, others of open fields and flowers. Landscapes- beautiful scenes of the
places he'd been.
"He does landscapes..." Rose bit
her lip, holding back a giggle. She thought about that night - the drawing. She
had been so nervous, yet so sure. She remembered the slight pigment of red in
Jack's cheeks- the light in his eyes. Now he was also doing landscapes, obviously.
To this Rose could only blush herself-
Her fingers traced his signature on the
bottom of each one- the familiar JD she had always cherished. These had been
done recently, she could tell from the dates. Probably in Paris. But just as
she thought she had reached the end of them, she discovered the pocket at the
back, and pulled several folded papers from it-
Rose gasped as she opened them, completely
wide-eyed at what stared back at her from these pages. For she felt as though
she were looking into a mirror. They were all of her. And just as he had that
night in her suite, Jack had copied her soul unto them. So much so that it
almost shocked her. She had always wanted to be able to transport his image
unto a page, because she had never had a photograph of Jack, but now, she
realized that that gift belonged to him alone.
One in particular held her gaze for awhile.
Her hair was flowing in the wind, pushed to one side of her face. And right
above her ear, was the butterfly comb she had always loved. The one that she'd
worn that afternoon on the bow. Judging from these pictures, Jack had
remembered every detail, just as she had-
"Whew." Rose closed the folder,
placing it gently on top of his clothes, knowing immediately that she wanted
him to share them with her when he awoke. She stood from her kneeling position
and reached behind to undo the snaps of her dress. It fell to the floor, and
she unfolded the shirt she'd taken, slipping into it and placing her own dress
on a hanger she noticed in the closet.
"Thank God it wasn't a dream Rose."
She jumped at his voce, turning around. The look on his face was one of relief,
she could tell. She smiled gently and crossed the room, her arms folded across
her chest. Jack sat up and reached for her hand, pulling her down to sit next
to him. He threw his head back to smooth his hair, and looked down a minute
before he began to talk.
"Rose, when I woke up and you weren't
beside me, for a moment, I wondered if it was, you know, like you
said...."
"A dream Jack?" Rose's eyes looked
serious, and she leaned in toward him further, her eyebrows creasing.
"It's not a dream Jack- not anymore. I
had this dream every night for eight years, and it's finally real."
Jack sighed and looked up, smiling as he
talked. "You too?"
Rose laughed, pushing herself more towards
him.
"You really haven't changed Jack. No
matter how much you said that last night- you haven't. And I should know."
Jack's blue eyes brightened as she said this,
and he pulled her even closer, taking a moment to survey the room.
"You should know, huh?" He smiled
down at her, and to this she only nodded happily.
"Rose....you looked through my
sketches?" Jack noticed the folder atop his opened suitcase, and stood up,
walking across the room and bringing it back to the bed, where Rose sat
worriedly.
"You don't mind d-"
Jack laughed and placed his finger to her
lips. "Rose you think too much. Of course I don't mind. I want you to see
these..." His eyes were now filled with an almost child-like excitement.
And Jack himself felt as though he were showing Rose some kind of window- into
the time they'd spent apart.
She watched as his hands ruffled through the
ones on top, and the hesitation in his eyes, when he got to the pocket in the
back. The stack of folded sketches she'd just been looking at were now in their
creator's hands, and Jack opened then gingerly. He shifted himself toward Rose,
motioning his head downward to them.
"Did you see these?"
Rose looked up at him through anxious green
eyes.
"Yes," she said, barely audibly,
and nodded her head. "Tell me about them Jack, please."
Jack smiled wistfully for a moment, as if
remembering something, and picked up the sketch on top. "These, Rose- I've
been drawing these since I was in New York, right after the sinking," his
eyes glazed over, "some of them, I think, I draw over and over, repeating.
But every time, I remember some new detail. Another emotion I could remember
feeling. And I'd add it. I wanted everything on paper. Can you understand that
Rose?"
Rose sat amazed, speechless at his touching
words, and attempted to catch her breath, moving closer to him.
"I..." she croaked, regaining her voice, "I always wished that I
could do this- Jack, I always wanted a picture......of you.....I don't even
know what to say."
"Wait until you see my apartment
Rose," Jack laughed lightly, his eyes dancing along with his playful
smile.
Rose gazed up at him questioningly.
"What does that mean, Jack Dawson?"
Jack lowered his head and smiled up through
his blond hair, almost sheepishly. "Let's just say, Rose- there
are....some walls...well...devoted to you actually." He finished his
sentence shyly and watched for her reaction-
Rose looked at him in awe. "Jack, you're
unbelievable. But really, I feel so special, Jack, so special..." Her
hands calmly pushed the thick folder from his lap, and it landed neatly next to
him. Jack swallowed quickly when he saw the look in her eyes. He'd almost
forgotten this look, with all this talk about the future, about the lonely time
in his life. It seemed impossible, but the fire, the desire he saw in Rose's
eyes seemed the same- the very same as they were in the backseat of the
Renault, eight years before. Her red hair was framing her eyes as she moved
over, pushing a pillow behind her head. Her eyes never left his, and she took
his hand, as Jack watched wide-eyed, and pulled him toward her. The collar of
his shirt that she wore, moved up and down as her chest rose and fell. Jack
leaned down until their lips were a mere inch apart, poised for a kiss.
"Rose," his voice cracked at her
sudden nearness, and he pressed his cheek to hers, his eyes closing to the
passion he could already feel.
"Rose, if we do this.....I'll never be
able to let you go again......." He shifted his face so that his eyes
gazed directly into hers. The look he saw there immediately washed away any
hesitancy he might have had. Because there he saw a trust and a love, but most
of all- he saw himself. Just like he had the night of the sinking-
And as if she were reading his mind, Rose
smiled, her eyes lighting up at his statement. "Jack, don't tell me you
have a problem with that. Because I certainly don't." Jack shook his head,
smiling the handsome grin that filled Rose with even more longing than she
already felt. He looked up, wrapping his arms tightly around her. As if he were
succumbing to the inevitable-
His forehead creased in thought, and Rose
held her breath, as he gazed down at her with that look of his. This time he
seemed so serious, and his eyes, pools of blue as they were, drew her soul in
like the tide. His power over her, had not lessened with time-
Jack blinked once, a sigh escaping his lips.
Rose watched in awe as he lifted his hand from his side, resting it on her
cheek, ever so softly. She closed her eyes to the touch, as his thumb moved
over her cheekbone. She was transported- back to the gym, aboard a certain
ship, when Jack had first professed his feelings for her- This time it felt
almost the same, but in a completely new and exciting way- Because she knew,
finally, that this was forever-
Her breath shuddered, and she could hear
Jack's own breathing become irregular, his body drawing nearer to her. His
mouth finally met with hers, in a deep kiss that seemed to silently seal their
commitment to each other-
"I love you....." Jack whispered
huskily, his words muffled as his lips made their way from her ear to her neck.
Rose smiled to herself, running her hands
through his hair. She closed her eyes and pressed herself to him. She sighed,
feeling the safety as Jack's arms tightened around her. Now it was time- time
to finally return to the stars, where she always wanted to be-
The morning shone brightly now- the sun
filtering in shades of yellow and white, making patterns across the floor.
Outside, the gentle hum of the waves was interrupted only by the sounds of
love. And the brilliant rays of light coming through the glass were matched
solely by explosion of passion, that only Jack and Rose could share-