AN: The original version of this story was posted a few years ago. I've taken down all of my old stories and am working on editing/rewriting them. The goal is to eventually have everything posted under the same account, so my old and new stories are together.

The last of the desperate screams had faded away, but Rose hadn't noticed. She stared up at the sky and imagined she was a star, millions of miles away, burning brightly. Burning. Hot. What did heat feel like? She wasn't sure she could even remember, though there must have been a time when she felt something besides this numbness that gripped her body. She closed her eyes and suddenly she is on the deck of the ship again, her head tilted up, warm sunlight spilling across her face. "Are you going to sit like that all day?" Jack whispers, his breath tickling her ear. She smiles and lowers her head. His honey blonde hair shines in the sun. A pair of bright blue eyes peer out at her from beneath a few stray locks. His mouth is curled into a grin. She grabs his hand. He's warm. He's so wonderfully warm. His skin is lightly tanned-there's no trace of blue. It's all okay- "Is anybody alive out there?"

Rose snapped out of her dream. The cry came again, louder this time. She lifted her head and turned to look in the direction the voice was coming from. She couldn't believe her eyes. It was a boat. Jack had been right; the boats really were coming back for them. She rolled over to face him. "Jack?" He didn't respond. She shook him. "There's a boat Jack." Still nothing. "Jack?" she cried, summoning all the strength she had left. It was no use. He was gone. As the truth sank in, a pain unlike anything she had ever known wrapped itself around her...

"Miss!" Trudy shook Rose. "Miss, wake up. You're having a nightmare."

Rose's eyes popped open. She jumped up and tried to bolt out of the bed, but Trudy held her back. "Miss, you have to calm down," she said soothingly. "It wasn't real."

"Jack! I have to find him!" Rose cried hysterically. "I have to!"

"Calm down and breathe for a moment, and then you can," Trudy said. Rose took a deep breath. Her mind began to settle. It had all been just a nightmare. None of it was real. Jack wasn't dead. The ship hadn't sunk. Jack wasn't dead.

"I just had the most vivid dream," Rose said. "It was so real. I've never experienced anything like it."

"You sounded like someone was killing you," Trudy said.

"What day is it?" Rose asked, ignoring her comment.

"It's the 14th." Trudy sounded confused. "Why?"

"The 14th…so there's time," Rose said to herself. "There's still time, if I hurry." She climbed out of bed and rushed past the startled Trudy. She flung open the doors of her wardrobe and slid her hand along the dresses hanging inside. The small part of her that clung to the belief that it really had been just a dream after all gave up hope as her hand landed first on the dress she had worn that afternoon and then stopped on the one she had worn that night. It was no use telling herself it was a coincidence, that she had dreamt about dresses she actually owned because she had seen them before. She knew it wasn't true.

"Trudy," she said, pulling the second dress out of the wardrobe. "If anyone asks, tell them you haven't seen me at all today." She turned around. Trudy stared at her with an expression that was a mix of shock and confusion. "Please?" she added. "I need you to do this for me."

Fifteen minutes later, she hurried down the main stairs and into Third Class, determined to find Jack, but as she looked around at the crowd she realized she didn't have the first clue where he might be. She had found him by pure chance the first time. She didn't know what number his room was or even who to ask. Fortunately, chance-or possibly something else-was on her side again. As her eyes scanned the room Jack started down the same stairs she had just come down herself.

"Rose?" he said, his voice rising in disbelief. She spun around. "Jack!" she cried. She ran toward him. They met in the middle. "What are you doing here?" he asked, overjoyed.

"I came to find you." Rose smiled up at him, her mission temporarily forgotten.

"Why? Are you okay?" He touched her shoulder. He refused to let himself believe she had come purely based on a desire to see him.

"I'm fine. Jack, can we talk? Alone?" she added.

He nodded. "Yeah...come on." He took her hand. He led her back down the stairs and through a door and then through what looked to Rose like a never ending maze of corridors. Finally he stopped and unlocked a door. "I don't think anyone's in here," he said, sticking his head inside to check. "Okay, it's clear." Rose followed him inside. She shut and locked the door behind them.

"Rose-" He didn't get the chance to say anything else before Rose threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. He was paralyzed. Rose's body was almost pressing against his; Rose's mouth was on his. It couldn't be happening, could it? He decided he didn't care. He let his hands find the small of her back. He pressed her against him and deepened the kiss.

Neither of them knew how long they'd been standing there when Rose pulled away. "I have to tell you something," she said. "And I want you to try to believe me."

"Okay." He was sure he could believe anything she said.

"The ship's going to sink tonight."

"How do you know?"

"I dreamt about it. I know how it sounds, but it's true. I can't explain why or how, but I just know it's all going to happen, exactly the way I dreamt-unless we change it."

"Did you dream this?"

"No. In the dream this didn't happen until sunset, and we were outside... we've already started changing things. I woke up, and all I could think about was getting to you."

Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You wanted to get to me?"

"Yes. In the dream-in what would have been reality-I wasted so much time trying to convince myself I didn't feel something, and when I woke up I knew I couldn't make that mistake again." She laid her palm against his cheek. "I love you."

Jack's mind was reeling. So much was happening so quickly. "Did you say-did you say you love me?"

"I love you, Jack," she said, kissing him again.

He pulled away before the kiss intensified. "You-you really mean that?"

"I mean it."

And just like that he realized he believed everything she'd said about her dream. He couldn't have explained why. He just knew it was all true. But more importantly he realized he didn't have to keep trying to deny his feelings anymore, no matter how little right he had to them in the eyes of the world. "I love you too."

…..

They hurried down a First Class corridor. Jack felt uneasy about being there, not just for his own sake but also for Rose's. He knew it wouldn't go well for either of them if they were spotted by the wrong person. Rose held his hand like a vise, the only indication she gave that her mind was on anything but their mission. She stopped suddenly and peeked around a corner. A sign above them read "Chapel" with an arrow pointing ahead. "He should be in there," she said. "We'll stay out of sight until they start coming out." They flattened themselves against the wall, trying to become as invisible as possible, and settled in to wait. Jack grew more and more nervous every time a person passed, though few bothered giving them a second glance. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he heard the low murmur of a crowd. "Sounds like they're coming out," he said. Rose nodded. She pressed her cheek against the wall and peeked around the corner again. She saw her mother and Cal go by. Her mother's smile was tight. Cal's face wore its customary expression, but there was a new tension in his jaw. Rose held her breath until they were out of sight.

And then, finally, there he was. "Jack, come on," she whispered. He followed silently as she hurried over to a good looking, older man. Jack had a feeling he'd seen him somewhere before. "Mr. Andrews!" she said, her voice low but insistent.

Thomas Andrews turned from the man he was talking to. "Rose?" he said, somewhat startled by her sudden appearance. "Your mother said you were ill. Are you alright?"

Ah. She'd been wondering what they would say when they discovered she was missing. "I'm fine, thank you," she said quickly. "Mr. Andrews, we need to speak with you. Right now."

Something in her tone told him not to argue. They didn't know each other very well at all, but in the short time since they'd met he had developed a strangely compelling affection for her. He didn't know what she could possibly need from him, but whatever it was, he was willing to give it. "Alright," he said. "Alone, I'm assuming?"

…

He stared at them in disbelief. They were sitting in the small study that was part of his suite. Jack and Rose were perched on two chairs they had pushed as close together as possible, their hands clasped tightly. "Rose, your story is..." Thomas didn't know what to say. He'd never heard anything like it. "You claim you dreamt the ship struck an iceberg and sank, but that doesn't mean it's actually going to happen."

"I know how it sounds," Rose said. "But you have to believe me." Her eyes were wide, pleading. "It will happen if someone doesn't do something now to stop it."

"Even if you are wrong-and forgive me, dear Rose, but I just don't understand how you could possibly know any of this-I suppose it couldn't hurt to look into getting the ship back to normal speed," he said slowly. "Though as you well know, this ship is unsinkable."

She looked deep into his eyes. "I don't think you really believe that," she said quietly.

Something in her gaze frightened him. She was right. The ship was designed to be unsinkable, but under the right circumstances it could end up on the bottom of the ocean just as easily as any other. It wasn't unsinkable. It was just very cleverly designed. "Fine. I'll look into getting the ship slowed down."

Rose sighed in relief. "Thank you."

"I said I'd look into it. I'll see what I can do, but I'm not promising anything."

Rose nodded. She and Jack stood up to go. "I understand," she said quietly. They headed toward the door.

"Rose." They turned. "I'll try," he said.

"I can't really ask for more, can I?"

Once they were safely out of the First Class section and walking along a Third Class part of the deck, Jack spoke. "So in your dream we saw the iceberg?"

"Yes. We were out on the deck when it hit."

"Why were we out there? I mean, what all did we do in your dream?"

"Well..." Rose blushed a deep scarlet as she remembered just how much they'd done. The implications of her blush weren't lost on Jack. "Oh." was all he could say. They came to an empty bench and sat down, a slightly awkward silence settling over them. Suddenly Jack was more aware of her body than he had ever been. He wasn't blind. He knew how beautiful she was. He'd just done his best to avoid thinking about it. No sense lusting after someone he couldn't have.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Huh?" He had momentarily forgotten where he was. "Oh, um-" I'm just trying to imagine what your skin tastes like, that's all. "Just going over everything that's happened this morning. What are you thinking about?" he added.

Jack wasn't alone in his distraction. Just picturing you naked. Wondering if the real thing compares to what I saw in my dream. She shoved the thought from her mind. "Actually," she said, a new realization dawning on her, "I was trying to figure out what we should do until tomorrow." He hadn't thought about that. They had a whole twenty-four hours or so to fill until the ship docked in New York. They were both choosing to believe the sinking would be avoided. Well, I know one thing we could do-SHUT UP.

"I'm sure they're both furious," Rose said, interrupting his internal struggle with himself. "But I'm not going back," she added, a determined edge in her voice.

"You don't have to," Jack said, wrapping an arm across her shouders. "You're staying with me." They looked at each other, both suddenly aware that they had known that was what she was going to do all along. "Though you might need some more clothes," he added.

She glanced down at her thin dress. "You're right. I should have grabbed some before I left. I never even thought about it. I was so focused on getting to you."

Jack squeezed her shoulder. "You don't know how happy hearing that makes me."

"What if I said...I love you, how happy would it make you to hear that?" Rose asked, a mischevious glint in her eyes.

He kissed her. "There aren't words."

"I love you."

"I love you."

They gazed at each other blissfully, each unaware of anything but the other. "I guess I'll have to go back after all," Rose said, breaking the spell.

"Well, you're not going alone."

"Jack, you don't know what might happen," she protested. "If we run into Cal, and it's anything like what happened in my dream-"

"And that's all the more reason for me to go," he insisted. "I don't know what he did in your dream, but I know what he's going to do in real life. Nothing. Because I'm not giving him the chance to do anything else. If you go back, I'm going with you."

Rose sighed. "Fine. We should wait until dinner then. My mother would die before she missed a meal, and I'm sure Cal feels the same way. That just leaves that supposed valet of his to worry about."

"Supposed?"

"Well, considering he sends him out on spying missions-and I don't even want to know what else-the title seems like a bit of a misnomer."

"Wait, he sends him on spying missions?" Jack couldn't help but laugh.

Rose giggled."I know, it's absurd! He sent him to watch us last night," she added once the laughter dispersed.

"How did this guy even know where you were?"

Rose shrugged. "I don't know how he does it, but no matter where I go or what I do..."

Jack pulled her closer. "Let him find us. I'll deal with him when he does." A heavy breeze blew across them. Rose shivered. "Are you cold?" he asked.

"I don't think this was the best dress to wear outside without a coat," she said. "At least not today."

He stood up and offered her his hand. "Let's go inside and get you warm then." He hoped his statement didn't sound to her the way it sounded to him. If it did, she didn't seem to mind. She took his hand.

A few minutes later they found themselves sitting on Jack's bunk. In his empty room. In awkward silence.

"So..." Rose tried desperately to think of something to say. Any words would do. Take off my dress. Except those. What is wrong with you?

"Yeah..." Jack flexed his hands and avoided looking directly at her. Say something! Just open your mouth and speak! When do you have trouble talking to people? "Um..uh..." He flexed his hands again. Could I kiss that little space, the one right between your throat and the neckline of your dress? But that's not what he said. "Are you still cold?"

"Oh no. I'm-I'm quite warm." Terribly warm. Now come over here and get this dress off me! But she didn't say that.

Jack looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She caught his gaze before he could turn away. "Jack-" "Rose-" Before either of them could get anything else out, they lunged for each other.

They kissed frantically. Jack's hands were on Rose's waist. Rose held him by the shoulders. He slowly pulled her closer, giving her time to stop him. He must have been moving too slowly because she groaned and pushed him onto his back, bringing herself down on top of him. I can't believe this is happening, he thought as her weight settled on him. Rose was thinking the same thing.

You can't really be doing this, she told herself. You've declared your love for this man and now you've literally thrown yourself at him. Do have any idea what you look like right now? She did. And she didn't care. She loved Jack-and she wanted him. Before her dream she would never have dared do anything like what she was doing right then, but her dream had changed things. She knew it hadn't been real, though she still believed it very well could have become real. And that was enough. The things she'd done in her dream felt real enough, even now. She had looked her feelings in the face and acted on them then. And she was going to now.

"Rose," he murmured, pulling his mouth away from hers. She moved her head slightly and reclaimed it.

Jack was torn. Did he stop her now before she made what might turn out to be a mistake-to her- or did he let things continue as they were? He tried to slide out from under her, but her hand on his leg stopped him. She isn't...He shuddered. She was.

He was saved from any further internal struggle by a knock at the door. "Jack!" Rose pulled away from him. They both stared at the door. "Jack! Are you in there?"

"Tommy?"

"Yeah-what're you doing down here in the middle of the day?"

"I'm just...napping," he answered lamely. Rose giggled. He shushed her quietly. "Want me to tell him?" She shook her head, still smiling. There was a part of her that wanted him to, though fortunately it wasn't the part in control. She didn't understand where this new part of herself had come from, but she liked it. It was frightening. It was unfamiliar. It was everything she knew she was never, ever supposed to be. And she liked it.

"Um...okay...you comin to lunch?"

Jack looked at Rose. "I haven't eaten yet today..."

"Neither have I."

"Yeah, I'm comin. I'll meet you there," he called.

"Okay," Tommy called back. He stared at the door for a second before walking away, confused. Jack sounded...strange, he thought as he headed to the Third Class dining hall. He's probably still hung up on that girl.

Suddenly Rose was all too aware of her position. "Oh..I'm sorry," she said, quickly climbing to her feet. She smoothed her dress, feeling Jack's eyes on her as she did so. She knew he was about to say something about what they'd just been doing-just been about to do-and she didn't want to talk about it. Not yet, at least. "Are you coming?" she said brightly, moving toward the door.

Jack was puzzled by her sudden change in behavior, but he chose not to question it. It was obvious what she was avoiding. He moved to stand up. And abandoned the effort before he had even lifted his body more than a few inches off the bed.

"Jack?" Rose took a step toward him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he said. "Just had a little trouble standing up is all." He didn't move.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine..." He was staring at the ceiling. Rose looked up and tried to see what was holding his attention. "Okay," he said a few moments later. He jumped to his feet. "So, we were going to lunch?"

"Are you sure you're really okay?" Rose asked as they made their way to the dining hall.

"I'm sure." He flashed her his customary grin and squeezed her hand. "Trust me, I'm fine."

Rose's eyes widened as the dining hall came into sight. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. It was a big, open room with row after row of rectangular tables in the middle. Against the walls were lines of people waiting their turn to get food. Jack noticed her stunned expression. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. He knew Rose wasn't a snob, but that didn't mean she was ready to be plunged into something so different from what she was used to.

"Jack, come on," she said eagerly, tugging at his hand.

Or not, he thought, following her into the dining hall.

Watching her interact with his friends during lunch, Jack couldn't believe he'd ever doubted her. She fit in as though she'd lived among them her entire life. Tommy had raised an eyebrow and shot Jack a questioning look when the two of them had sat down across from him and Fabrizo. Jack had replied with a grin. He knew what Tommy was thinking, and he didn't care. Fabrizo didn't seem to notice the exchange. He was too busy staring at Rose. He'd seen the way Jack had looked at her that afternoon out on the deck, but he'd never imagined this would happen. But if anyone could do it, he thought. If anyone of us could get someone like her. He'd spent a year traveling across Europe with Jack, and in that time there wasn't a lot he'd seen that Jack couldn't do if he put his mind to it.

"What are you two planning to do?" he asked. He and Jack had never talked about what would happen when they reached America. There had never been a reason to. Until now.

Jack gulped down some water. "Do?"

"Do," he repeated. "In America."

Jack looked at Rose. What were they planning to do? "We're getting married," Rose said. Jack couldn't believe his ears. "We are?" he asked, sounding more overjoyed than anything else.

You weren't supposed to say that out loud! "If you still want to," she said, trying to make it sound to the others as though Jack had already asked her.

"Of course I want to!" he cried, throwing his arms around her. He smiled into her hair. "I've never wanted anything so much in my entire life."

Rose could feel people staring at them, but she didn't care. She tilted her head up and kissed him. "Me either."