A/N: *disclaimer* James Cameron owns Titanic and it's characters!

This is a story that I'm starting as sort of an experiment, just to see if anyone likes the idea, because I'm not sure what I think of it yet. Basically I'm going to write the first chapter to get my bearings with this idea I'm grappling with, and if enough of you guys ike it, I'll probably continue it...not sure yet.

*The Rich Man's Necklace**20 April, 1912*

It had already been about five days since the RMS Titanic sank. After the Carpathia dropped the survivors off in New York, Jack and Rose had waited for their friends who were registering at Ellis Island (which had taken about a day and a half), before making any plans.

Fabrizio had decided to go with Helga and her parents to their large family farm in Minnesota, where most of their family members from Norway already resided. Tommy had bid them all farewell before heading off to Chicago to look for a steady job, so he could send money back to his family in Ireland. So ultimately, Jack and Rose were left alone.

Now on this particular night, it was once again cold and rainy, just like when they had first docked. Jack and Rose were wandering the crowded streets of New York City, huddled together in their cold and wet clothes. They were tired and hungry, and knew they desperately needed some money if they planned to survive.

Jack couldn't even look at Rose without feeling a pang of guilt washing over him, so he kept his eyes focused straight ahead. He'd been so sure that he would be able to take care of her, but now he was starting to doubt the choices they had both made, because they couldn't even afford food...much less a hotel.

For the past couple of days they had been living like street urchins, sleeping anywhere they could find free shelter, and they hadn't eaten a thing since the Carpathia. Hearing Rose sniffle in the cold, Jack finally looked at her, and his heart sank even more.

She looked so much weaker than she had before. Her vibrant red hair was now soaking wet and tangled, her piercing emerald green eyes had lost their sparkle, and she still wore Cal's ugly coat over her soaking wet dress. She hadn't spoken much either, and Jack could tell she was starting to feel sick from lack of proper food and rest.

"I'm so sorry Rose..." Jack sniffled, wiping his runny nose on his thin sleeve. He still wore his ragged white shirt and tan suspenders that he had on during the sinking, and had a tired and hopeless look in his usually bright seafoam eyes.

"For what?" Rose asked, blowing a strand of her soaking wet hair out of her face.

"I thought I'd be able to provide for you better, but look at us...we can't even afford a hotel," Jack mumbled, running a hand across his sopping wet shaggy blonde hair. He avoided eye contact, looking down at the sidewalk in shame.

Rose didn't say anything for a few seconds, and then abruptly squeezed his hand. "Jack...I'm still happier than I'd be if I had stayed with Mother and Cal. Of course I'm hungry and would like to get out of this rain, but I'm not blaming you for this miserable situation. You saved me, I'm grateful for that," she told him, and she really meant it.

Jack looked back up at her, and managed a faint grin. "Rose...I'll fix this, I promise. I will find a way to get us some money," he said sincerely.

Suddenly, an idea popped into Rose's head, as her hand closed around something cold and heart-shaped in her coat pocket. She immediately grabbed Jack and spun him around so that he stood directly in front of her. "Jack...I'm still wearing Cal's coat," she whispered, a mischevious smile danced across her lips.

"So?" Jack asked, not understanding what she was getting at.

"So...let's sell the necklace," Rose replied, playfully rolling her eyes at him.

Jack's eyes went wide in this glorious realization, and he pulled Rose into a tight and passionate hug. He knew the Heart of the Ocean necklace was well over ten million dollars at the current time. If they sold it, they still wouldn't be as rich as Rose's old life, but they could definitely buy an apartment and clothes and still have enough money left over to eat like kings.

They decided to go and find someone willing to take it off their hands. Things were starting to look up for them, even the rain had lessened to the extent of a mere drizzle. As they walked along the streets, past the tall skyscrapers that illuminated the night, they thought about what they would do first with the money.

"Look Rose!" Jack exclaimed, pointing to a shop up ahead. It was a small building and it's sign lit up 'Traders' Paradise', an OPEN sign hung crookedly in the large glass window. "Maybe we can sell it here," he suggested.

"I suppose we could go and see," Rose agreed. Linking their arms together, they walked down the sidewalk a few more steps, and entered the shop. It was filled with old dusty knicknacks of all shapes and sizes, and sure enough, a glass case for fine jewels was attatched to the front counter. Rose noted that it smelled like perfume worn by elderly rich ladies, and disliked how it reminded her of her old life.

"Excuse me, Sir!" Jack called out to the man behind the counter, walking over towards him. Rose followed closely, occasionally glancing around at all of the weird objects. It appeared people sold anything from instruments to chandeliers.

The man behind the counter looked to be in his thirties, with salt and pepper flecked hair, and owl-like eyes covered by a pair of spectacles. "How can I help you?" he asked in a heavy New York accent.

Rose reached into Cal's coat and pulled out the Heart of the Ocean necklace. She held it out for the man to inspect. "We'd like to sell this necklace in exchange for money," she explained.

"Holy moley..." the man breathed in awe. "May I?" he asked, nodding towards the necklace in Rose's outstretched hand.

"Of course," Rose replied. "It's called the Heart of the Ocean, or, Le Coeur De La Mer in French," she told him in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Is it real?" the man asked, as if it were too good to be true.

"Yeah," Jack interjected.

"How much is it worth?" the man wanted to know.

"I'd say around ten million, five hundred thousand, one hundred...I don't have an exact value but that's the rounded value," Rose answered.

"How many carats?" the man asked.

"Fifty six. It was first worn by Louis the Sixteenth of France," Rose replied. Jack nodded.

"Where the hell did you two kids get a piece like this? Did ya steal it?" the man asked in disbelief, not understanding how people of their appearance could own such a thing.

"Not exactly...it was accidentally left in the pocket of this coat given to me by my ex fiancé," Rose explained, shifting awkwardly on her heels.

"Ex fiancé...?" the man looked completely baffled at this point.

"It's a long story," Jack cut in. "Can we sell this to you or not?" he asked.

"Yes. I'll give you ten million, five hundred thousand, one hundred United States dollars for it," the man agreed. He brought the sapphire-like diamond up close to his left eye, removing his spectacles, noting that it sparkled in the dim lighting of the shop.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Sir," Jack grinned. The man bent down behind his counter and grabbed a large black-wooden box, and placed it on the counter. He opened it to reveal stacks of dollar bills encased in rows of emerald velvet. He counted out the money and handed it to Jack, who double checked it to make sure they weren't being scammed.

Once all the money was counted and double checked, Jack and Rose bid him goodbye, and practically danced back outside into the chilly New York City night air. It had stopped raining. "Come on, let's go find a place to stay, and some decent food!" Jack grinned.

Rose nodded excitedly. "And clothes," she added. They skipped off into the night, happy to be able to start their lives together. Rose had sold her last reminder of Cal and the misery she'd endured on the Titanic.

The thought that had completely escaped their minds, however, was that Cal was still alive and looking for them. And that he'd be furious if he found out what they had done.

A/N: What do you guys think?