"Get in the boat, Rose."

The veneer of civility that was holding the Titanic's passengers together was falling apart. Even those in first-class were starting to panic as they realized the end might truly be near. For Jack and Rose, this state of mind had been going on since that fateful moment when they fairytale romance ran aground on the iceberg. Not even an hour ago, they'd been planning their lives together in America, now it was becoming increasingly clear that if they were going to survive, they needed to get into a lifeboat now. There were a few complications in this plan however. For while Rose's mother Ruth was no longer an issue, having already been safely lowered away what felt like an eternity ago, they still had to deal with one Caledon Hockley, whom Rose was still technically engaged to. And so it was that the odd party of three had made their way to another boat. By now, as passengers began to understand the severity of the situation, seats were filling up like they hadn't been earlier in the evening. If Rose was going to be on this boat when it lowered, she needed to be on it as soon as possible. There was another problem though, and it was an insurmountable one for Rose. She had no intention of going anywhere without Jack.

"No, I can't." She pleaded with Jack, completely ignoring Cal's glowering face.

"Come on, Rose, please, for me. Get in the boat."

"Yes, Rose, get into the boat," Cal remarked nonchalantly although on the inside he was seething. This was so ridiculous, he thought. Rose's life was worth far more than Jack's ever would be, why on earth would she stay behind for him? Cal didn't understand it. Would she have done the same for him? Deep down he already knew the answer, he just didn't want to accept it. He couldn't accept it. He was Caledon Hockley. He always got his way. No one rejected and humiliated him like this.

"Not without you," Rose said again to Jack, ignoring Cal.

Jack cupped his hands around Rose's cheeks, "I'll be alright, you've just gotta trust me on this. I'm a survivor, okay?"

"You're a terrible liar, Jack," Rose whispered as tears glistened in her eyes.

"Are there any more women and children! This boat is leaving!" The officer bellowed somewhere behind them. He had to yell to cut through the ceaseless sounds of women begging to stay with their husbands, children crying for their fathers, and the pandemonium of the massive throng of people who were realizing that their hopes of getting off the sinking ship were shrinking to next to none.

"If no other women and children come forward, I am ordering this boat to be lowered!" The officer shouted again.

Jack turned back to Rose with a renewed sense of urgency, her life was the most important thing right now. He would never forgive himself if he didn't get her to safety after all the things he'd done to put her in harm's way.

"Rose, you have to get in now, I promise I won't abandon you, I won't forget you. We'll be together again, you just have to trust me. Do you trust me, Rose?"

Rose looked down at the wood paneled deck, unable to face either Jack or Cal as she made her decision. Just a few days ago she hadn't even known who Jack Dawson was, now she couldn't imagine a single moment without him. His assurances were soothing, and she knew he was capable of taking care of himself, but what if he was wrong? What if Rose got into the boat and never saw Jack again? Would it not be better to die with him than live without?

"Listen Rose," Cal interjected as calmly as possible, "I've made an arrangement for both myself and Jack to obtain seats on another lifeboat. We'll be safe, but we need you to get in."

"See?" Jack pointed out, silently thankful to Cal for the assist as much as he hated him. "I've got my own boat to catch. Now go on."

Rose looked back and forth between Jack and the lifeboat. There were so many possible paths that she could take right now. Her heart was saying to stay with Jack, her head was saying to get in the lifeboat. But in the end, the choice was made for her.

"Step aboard, miss!"

In all the commotion, Rose had ended up close enough that the officer was able to reach out and take her by the hand, leading her into the crowded lifeboat. Rose desperately reached out one last time to touch Jack's hand. For a brief moment they were interlocked once more, in perfect unison, then they were torn apart again.

"Lower away!" The officer screamed, and the other crew began the slow process of lowering the boat. In all that time, Rose's eyes never left Jack's.

Just hours ago, Rose had looked into those eyes and seen a future. A future where they got off together in New York and ran away. Away from Cal, from Ruth, from the suffocating demands of high society. A future where Jack would take her home with him to Chippewa Falls, where they would live a long and happy life together. None of that would happen if Jack died tonight.

The whole world seemed to have gone silent for Rose in this moment, dangling far above the pitch black ocean and beneath the pitch black start filled sky. Nothing registered in her mind any more. Not the creaks and groans of the davits, not the cries of her fellow passengers, not the shouting of the officers or the sound of exploding flares or the shrieks of Titanic's metal as it fought a losing battle against its own immense weight. The only thing that mattered was Jack. He had to live. And if he died and she lived, how could she live with herself? Suddenly a crazy thought entered Rose's mind. What if she jumped back onto the ship? There was still time. The boat was being lowered at a slow pace to avoid it tipping over and spilling all it's inhabitants into the Atlantic. If she moved now she might still make it back onto the promenade deck. Then she could run to Jack's arms and...and...and what? It had just occurred to Rose that Cal was also watching the boat's descent. Surely he would be furious if he saw her jumping off the lifeboat. He wouldn't just let Jack take her. It occurred to Rose that leaving the boat might put Jack's life in greater danger.

But I need to be with him. I need to see that he'll be okay.

Yes, that was it. Jack was saying all tbe right things, but Rose was not as stupid as some people thought she was. She could read between the lines. Jack was not going to live if she let him go now. That settled it in her mind, she was going back.

Do you trust me?

The words hit Rose like a bucket of the icy water she was being lowered into. They felt so real that she almost thought Jack had said it again, but his mouth hadn't moved. It didn't have to. Rose already knew what Jack would say. And she already knew it was true. In her heart of hearts she knew.

Jack would never leave me. He knows what he's doing.

Jack knew because he'd done it before. Time and time again he'd proven that faith was the most powerful bond two people can share. If Rose would have had faith in Jack and stood up for him when Cal accused Jack of stealing the Heart of the Ocean, maybe they wouldn't be in this situation right now. Maybe they would already be in a boat, safely away from here. She'd always known he was innocent, so why hadn't she said anything? Was there still something inside of her that was afraid to break away from Cal and her mother's expectations?

Do you trust me?

That's what Jack had asked her on that first night, when she had felt nothing but despair and the desire to end it all. She hadn't known him at all then. Had no idea if he was a good man or just another pretty boy con artist. Yet something in his gentle voice, his cool demeanor, his calming touch, had brokem through the layers of social training, of frustration, of anger, of fear and loneliness. His caring heart had breathed life back into her, and she had realized in that moment that for maybe the first time in her life, someone was trying to do something for her and only her. Not for appearances, not for money, not for social standing. And that was when Rose had made the startling realization that yes, somehow she did trust this stranger.

But now he wasn't a stranger. He was Jack Dawson, the love of her life. And if she could trust him then, she could trust him now. She took one last glance at the promenade deck as it slowly rose from view and turned into the black hull of the Titamic. Her last chance to leave had come and gone. For better or worse, Rose had decided to trust Jack to keep his promise.

Wherever you go, whenever you are. Find me. I don't care if it's in the middle of the Atlantic, on a different ship, or in New York. Just find me.

Jack and Cal watched as the lifeboat descended farther and farther until finally it touched the surface of the water and its crew began to row it away. They watched stoically as Rose looked back up at them, with eyes only for Jack surely.

Jack hadn't been able to stop looking at Rose either. A part of him, an irrational part, had fervently wished that Rose might had somehow decided to jump back to the ship to be with him. It was absurd of course. And it was selfish of him to want to keep Rose by his side and put her life at risk. Jack knew he had made the right choice. Still, he felt a great sadness in his heart. He knew, in truth he'd known all along, that he would never fulfill his promise to Rose. His fate was to die on the Titanic. At least his final act had not been in vain. Rose would survive.

"There's, um, no arrangement, is there?" Jack asked rhetorically. He was resigned to his fate.

Cal sighed. This should have been his time to gloat in this insolent steerage boy's face. He'd gotten everything he wanted. Rose was safe, he had an arrangement with Murdoch to get himself a seat in a boat, Dawson was already accepting his own death. It should have been cause for celebration. So why did it feel so hollow?

"No Jack, there is no arrangement. Not anymore."

"Not anymore?" Jack looked up, mildly surprised at Cal's answer, and evem more surprised when he saw that Cal actually looked contrite.

"The arrangement was for me, not you. I was going to let you die on this ship, and truthfully, I would still like to. You humiliated me, you dishonored me, and you stole her from me. You will never comprehend in a thousand years the hatred I feel for you, Jack."

The words were angry, but the tone in which he spoke them was anything but. It sounded distant and melancholy, not at all like the Cal that Jack knew. What was going on here?

"It takes a lot for a man to admit he was wrong, even a boy like you can understand that," Cal continued. "I never believed it. I never believed a woman as beautiful and sophisticated as Rose could fall for a mangy troublemaker like you. I never believed you were honorable enough to put her life above your own. Just now, both of you proved me wrong."

"Excuse me, sir, I'm not sure I'm following," Jack couldn't believe he was hearing this. Was this really the same Cal Hockley who had him falsely accused and imprisoned? Who went to such great lengths to keep Rose away from him?

"I saw the way she was looking at you and the way you looked at her. I saw it in her eyes, Jack. She was going to jump back on the ship."

"No..." But Jack had seen it too. He'd seen that overwhelming desire in her eyes as the boat slowly slid past the lower deck. For just a split second, he had thought she might actually do it.

"But she didn't. She stayed in the boat. Do you realize what kind of fortitude you would need to be able to do that? The amount of trust you would have to have in someone?"

"You don't know that that was for me, sir," Jack replied, still sensing that this might somehow be a trap by Cal, that as soon as Jack let his guard down, he would pounce.

"It certainly wasn't for me. She loves you, Jack. Not because you have money, not because of your family name, but just for you. You must understand this is a concept we of the first-class are not familiar with. We do not marry for love. But that was my mistake. I tried to make Rose become something she wasn't. I was blind. I thought she could learn to love me. But no matter how many lifetimes we lived, Rose would never look at me the way she looked at you. She would never have that sort of trust in me."

"I appreciate this, I really do, but...why are you telling me this now?"

Cal looked out at the cold sea, contemplating his next words, knowing there would be no going back.

"It's ironic, isn't it? I intended to leave you here to die, but instead I'll be the one to perish with the ship. You, as much as I loathe you, as much as I would like to see you suffer for what you've caused me, must live. Go to the starboard side, Murdoch is letting anyone who shows up get into a boat. Go to Rose. Do right by her. Do not make the same mistakes I did, do I make myself clear, boy?"

"Yes sir," Jack answered, and he had made it a few steps when he heard Cal's voice calling out to him again.

"And Jack!"

"Yeah?"

"I told you before that you could almost have passed for a gentleman. It appears on this I was also wrong. You are a gentleman, Jack. When it comes to Rose, you are more of a gentleman than I ever was. Good luck to you."

That would be the last time Jack Dawson ever saw Caledon Hockley. As soon as they parted ways, Jack ran over to the starboard side as Cal had instructed, and that's when he saw Tommy and Fabrizio along with another sizeable crowd of passengers anxious to get seats in the last remaining lifeboats. Murdoch was keeping the crowd at bay by shouting orders. And it seemed Cal had been right that Murdoch was going by a first come first served policy rather than the strict women and children first policy of Officer Lightoller on the port side.

"Fabri! Tommy!" Jack shouted to be heard over the screams and cries of other passengers.

His friends seemed startled at first to hear his voice, then they were pushing their way towards him.

"Jack, are you a sight for sore eyes, boyo. 'Ey, where's Rose?" Tommy asked, as he suddenly seemed to notice that she was missing from Jack's side for the first time tonight.

"She's in a boat, she's safe," Jack answered.

"Well thank Christ for that, 'cos we've got another problem, these boats are almost gone!

"Jack, we thought we lost you!" Fabri exclaimed in his thick accent as he fiercely hugged his friend, who reciprocated.

"I'm sorry Fabri, I don't know how we got separated..." Suddenly he had a thought, something that had happened before they broke through the gate, someone they had been forced to leave behind. It was something they probably couldn't have done with Rose still here, but now that he knew she was okay...

"Hey, what if we went back to find Helga

"Helga?" Fabrizio asked, pain still clearly in his voice over the loss of the norwegian girl he had fallen for. "We cannot, her parents..."

"Aye, it's a terrible thing," Tommy intervened when Fabrizio was too devastated to continue. "But we saw what happened with her old folks. They're probably still trying to find a way out. I think your little friend was there too with her mum and dad. They're bloody trapped just the same as we were."

"Cora?" Jack felt a sudden chill run down his spine. How could he have forgotten about Cora? When they'd broken through that gate, they hadn't even thought to go back and tell the other steerage passengers. What if they were still trapped down there?

"We've got to go back and get them." Jack said suddenly.

"What? We can't go now, the lifeboats will all be gone!" Fabrizio objected, fear in his voice.

"He's got a point, mate. We can't afford to lose any more time."

"We can do this, come on guys. When I was in need, Rose found me. She saved my life. We can't turn our backs on them now."

Tommy and Fabrizio nodded silently in understanding. They'd gotten by all this time by relying and looking out for each other.

"If one of us dies, a part of all of us dies. We have to do this."

"Right then," Tommy said. "I think I remember where they were. Let's hope they're still there. And that it hasn't completely flooded by now."

So the three of them ran, not towards the safety of the boats, but back into the belly of the dying ship. One way or another, in life or death, they were going to find their friends and be together in the end. Tommy led them through a series of empty corridors that had already been long abandoned. After what had seemed like ages of running, they finally made it back to the gate they had originally broken through to make their escape onto the boat deck. Thankfully, the water was still only at a little above ankle height, but it would be rising quickly, and the panicked sounds of steerage passengers trying to get through the gates was a grim reminder that time was short.

Cora didn't understand why the officer was refusing to open the gates. Didn't he want everyone to make it out okay? From her vantage point on her dad's shoulders, she could see no reason for the gate not to be opened. Her parents assured her that help would be coming soon, but soon had turned into minutes, then half an hour, and still they were no closer to freedom. Panic was starting to set in amongst some of the others, and even Cora's parents, normally so calm and steady, were starting to fret, although they tried to hide it for their daughter's sake. It just didn't seem fair to Cora. She'd heard some parents explain to their children that the crew were loading first-class passengers first. It was confusing and Cora didn't understand it. Were their lives worth more than those of her and her parents and all the other nice people she'd gotten to know here? Were they worth more than-

"Uncle Jack!"

She'd never been happier to see the older boy she'd come to see as her Uncle Jack. He'd taught her how to draw, danced with her, become her friend. She was his "best girl". Now he'd finally come back, just like she knew he would. His presence now was comforting. Surely he would know a way out of this.

"Cora!"

Jack, Fabrizio, and Tommy pushed their way through the crowd until they reached Cora's parents.

"Mr. Cartmell, Mrs. Cartmell, thank god we found you," Jack exclaimed.

"It's awful, Jack," Mr. Cartmell answered. Even Cora's parents were on a first name basis with him by now. "They won't let us through, it's bloody classism if I've ever seen it! They're going to let us die!" He seemed to temporarily forget that Cora was there, a gentle touch from his wife reminded him. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be sorry, sir. We've come to get you and your family out of here."

"Helga! Where are you Helga?" Fabrizio shouted while Jack was still addressing the Cartmells.

"We broke down a gate earlier," Jack explained. "We need to get everyone to go through that gate up to the boat deck."

"It's no use, lad, panic's already set in, they won't listen to you," Mr. Cartmell remarked sadly.

"They'll listen to me," Tommy said, then bellowed out "I need everyone's attention right now! You all need to follow us! If you know someone who doesn't speak English, translate that for 'em. Use bloody sign language if you have to. Just tell 'em to follow us!"

"Helga! Helga!" Fabrizio was still shouting, looking everywhere until suddenly, as if it was fated, he bumped into a young woman from behind who turned out to be Helga. She looked stunned at first, then leapt into his arms.

"Helga, please come with me," Fabri gestured wildly with his arms, anything that might get the message across. "We can go now, we get in the boat and leave! I won't lose you again!"

"I need everyone to follow me! There's an open gate this way!" Jack was shouting.

Fabrizio took Helga's hand and they started running alongside Tommy, Jack, and the Cartmells as they led a winding trail of steerage passengers to freedom.

"There still won't be enough room for them you know," Tommy reminded Jack with with sadness once they reached the boat deck again.

"I know, but at least they'll have a chance to live now."

By now, there were only a couple of boats left on this side of the ship. Murdoch was still letting all people in as long as they did so in an orderly fashion. Jack, Fabrizio, Tommy, the Cartmells, and Helga quickly made a beeline for one of them.

"All of you, in now or yield your place to another," Murdoch waved them in quickly, and they complied.

Jack, Fabri, and Tommy climbed in first, then the helped the Cartmells and Helga get in. But just before Murdoch ordered the boat to be lowered, an older couple started running towards them. It was Helga's parents. They were visibly upset and yelling something at Helga. Were they telling her to get out? Whatever it was, she wasn't giving in as easily as she had the first time, as she began arguing back with them and pleading. Finally, after nearly a minute of this intense standoff, including a warning from Murdoch that he was going to lower the boat with or without Helga's parents, they seemed to surrender and allowed themselves to be helped into the boat. The last aboard was one of the junior officers who would be in charge of piloting the boat.

"Lower away!" Murdoch belted, and immediately the creak of the davits indicated that their descent to the Atlantic ocean had begun. Jack took one more moment to look up at Officer Murdoch, and for a brief moment, their eyes locked. Murdoch gave a small salute, then looked away. Jack knew Murdoch would never get off the ship alive. He had sacrificed himself to save lives, their lives, and for that he would always be a hero to them.

Jack also thought of Cal, and the seemingly remarkable change of heart he'd undergone. Was it true? Had he really seen the error of his ways? Or was he simply so humiliated that he would rather kill himself than see Rose with the likes of Jack? What if he had been lying about staying behind and had just got into another lifeboat anyways, would he continue to cause trouble for them?

The cynic in Jack couldn't help but wonder these things. After all, a man like Caledon Hockley doesn't change overnight. But there was another side of Jack Dawson, a side that wanted to believe that Cal meant what he said. That he had finally realized that the way to make Rose happy was to let her go. Jack had learned this too, when he sent her away on that lifeboat, not knowing what the future would hold, nor she, but each believing that they would find the other. Jack smiled despite himself. He couldn't hold a grudge. As far as he was concerned, Cal's final act may not have made up for all that he did before, but it at least earned him the benefit of the doubt.

Rest in peace you arrogant bastard

"That was bloody fine work, boys," Tommy said, although his trademark cheerfulness was replaced by a melancholy at the realization that so many lives had still beem lost. "We did it, Jack. We kept our little gang together."

Jack looked around, at Tommy, body silhouetted against the sinking liner in the background, at Fabrizio and Helga, holding hands and kissing while her parents watched somewhat bewildered, and at Cora, snuggled up with her parents. They had really done it. They'd saved as many as they could. It would never be enough, but it could have been far, far worse. At least they had each other

"Yeah...yeah we did. Almost everyone."

"Uncle Jack," Cora chimed in, as if reading his mind, "Will we ever see Rose again?"

Jack sighed as he tried to cast a glance at the other lifeboats. They were so far apart that it was impossible to make out who was in which one. But he knew this much, Rose was alive. And as long as he knew that, he would never stop looking for her. They would be together one day.

I will keep my promise to you, Rose. I'll find you, no matter what it takes.

"Yes, Cora, we will see her again."

"How do you know?"

"I don't. But I believe in it. I trust her and she trusts me. We'll find a way."

"Tis a beautiful thing, ain't it?" Tommy said dramatically as he climbed down and sat next to Jack. "You really love her, don't you boyo?"

Enough to cross an ocean for her. To wait for her and overcome any obstacles that may arise.

"I do, I really do."