AN: WOW! So it's been over a year. I had hoped to update LONG before this, but life keeps getting in the way. I'm not going to attempt to promise another update soon because in all honesty, I don't know when the next one will be. But thank you so much for sticking with me!

The remainder of the voyage aboard the Carpathia was dull and uneventful. The captain had hoped to reach New York by daybreak, but rough seas prevented that. It was nearly seven in the evening before it was announced they were approaching New York.

Jack and Rose, along with Tommy and Fabrizio all stood on the deck as the ship prepared to dock. The Statue of Liberty loomed before them, slowly getting larger. It was raining, but rather lightly compared to some of the thunderstorms that ship had sailed through. They all wore old coats, donated by other passengers. Rose felt as though she was swimming in her oversized one, but was warm and didn't mind if she looked silly.

A steward was going around, taking names in an effort to release a final survivor list. "Can I take your names, please?" he asked Jack.

"Dawson," Jack said. "Jack and Rose Dawson." Rose smiled. She had been using Rosalie in an effort to hide, but with Cal dead and Ruth out of the picture, she no longer had to hide. She kept Jack's name though. Though they hadn't discussed it at all, Rose knew that one day she would take Jack's name.

"Look at that crowd," Tommy said, pointing. Throngs of people stretched out in every direction. Flashbulbs went off constantly, as the ship finally docked. "That's not going to be fun to get through," Tommy said.

"We need to stay together," Jack said. "We'll just hold on tight to each other and shove our way through." Jack looked at Rose. "Are you ready to be on dry land?"

Rose nodded. She didn't care if she ever set foot on an ocean liner again. She was sure that something would come of this, remembering that Titanic did not have enough lifeboats. She looked to the crowd again and it began to sink in. The reporters were there to do their jobs. Most everyone else was there looking for loved ones. She realized that the majority of those people were there with false hope, and would head home, wallowing in heartbreak.

It took some time, but finally they were allowed to disembark. The crew of the Carpathia had spread the news that many of the hotels in New York were allowing Titanic survivors to stay in them at no cost. No one said anything about it, but they were all relieved to learn that they would have a warm bed to sleep in. Jack grasped Rose's hand. Rose grasped Fabrizio's and Fabrizio grasped Tommy's as they began to push their way through the crowd, single file.

The flashes were blinding up close. Rose did her best to keep her head low, letting her curtain of red curls cover her face. The last thing she wanted was to show up, alive and well in the papers and have her mother come looking for her because Cal's will would then be null and void. She wanted to make sure that Ruth was completely out of her life, once and for all.

"Excuse me!" Jack yelled, as he shouldered his way through. Here and there a few complaints could be heard about how rude he was, but none of them cared. All of them were tired, physically and mentally. Rose had been thinking about a nice hot bath earlier in the day, but right now all she could picture was a warm bed.

At long last, the crowds began to thin. The reporters were far behind them. The rain began to pour down once more as Jack ushered them all across the street. They all rested against the wall of building, which blessedly had awnings.

"Where next?" Fabirizo asked.

Jack shrugged and looked to Rose. "How well do you know New York?"

"Not that well," she confessed. "We were so determined to get out of that crowd that we didn't think to ask anyone for directions." With that, she giggled. Her tired mind was getting to her. "We can always walk back and ask someone," she suggested.

"We'll go," Tommy said, volunteering both himself and Fabrizio. Fabrizio nodded in agreement. "You two wait here."

Jack wrapped his arms around Rose and she leaned into him. She closed her eyes for a moment and just listened to the sound of his heart. She sighed.

"Are you okay darling?" he asked.

"I'm fine. I was just listening to your heart beat." She never lifted her head to look at him. "I'm just trying to block everything else out."

Jack understood and kissed her wet hair. He rested his chin on her head and scanned the crowd, waiting for their friends to return. They remained like that until Tommy and Fabrizio returned, with Molly Brown following close behind.

"Molly!" Jack and Rose called in unison, surprised and happy to see her.

"Hey you two!" She wiped her rain soaked face. "These lads here tell me you have no idea where to go?"

Rose shook her head. "No. We had heard that some hotels were putting up the survivors for the next night or two, but we don't know which ones."

"Do you know?" Jack asked.

Molly shrugged. "I honestly don't, but let's not worry about it. Come on." Molly led them down the sidewalk and around the corner to the neck corner. There she was able to wave down a cab, and the five of them piled in the tight space. No one complained. They were tired, cold and hungry. It beat the hell out of walking.

"Where to ma'am?" the driver asked.

"The Plaza Hotel," Molly answered.

"Molly, no. That is far too much," Rose protested. She remembered the Plaza. She had stayed there with Ruth before they sailed to Europe to meet with Cal. It was beautiful and expensive.

Molly waved off her protest with a wave of her hand. "Don't argue Rose, dear," she said sweetly. "After what you've all been through, I think you deserve this."

Rose pressed her lips together and then smiled. "Thank you Molly."

"You're welcome." She looked out the window. "Here we are," she declared as the cab pulled to the curb. They filed out of the cab and in the main entrance. Tommy and Fabrizio were amazed at the elegance, even Jack was impressed.

The lobby was comfortable, though extravagant. A huge chandelier hung from the high ceiling, casting a warm glow. Dark wooden chairs surrounded a matching coffee table to their left. The place was empty except for a couple of men exiting the building. Molly steered them to the right, where a well-dressed gentleman waited for them to check in. He smiled at Molly.

"Hello Mrs. Brown. How wonderful to see you again." He looked at the rest of the group and found himself confused. "How may I help you this evening?"

"Charles, I'll be needing four rooms tonight." She looked to the four of them and then back to Charles. "We just disembarked from the Carpathia," she said with a serious edge in her voice.

"Oh my goodness, ma'am! Were you aboard the –"

"Yes. We were," Molly said, cutting him off. "Excuse me, but it has been a trying journey and we would like to get some rest."

His cheeks burned, but Charles quickly recovered and grabbed a black book and flipped it open. He ran his finger down the page until he found what he was looking for. "Alright ma'am, I do have four rooms available. Is it just for tonight?"

"Let's make it two nights. If we should be staying longer, I'll make the proper arrangements." Charles nodded and penciled in the information.

"There is no cost for any of you. When we were informed of everything, the manager decided to let everyone stay for a night or two at no cost." Charles smiled at the group as he retrieved keys from a drawer. "You'll all be on the eighth floor," he said, handing the keys to Molly. "And there will be a complimentary breakfast in the morning, just down the hall here and to the left."

"Thank you Charles. Have a good night." Molly turned and handed a key to Jack, one to Tommy and one to Fabrizio. "Shall we?"

The five of them found the elevator and rode up in silence. Rose rested her head on Jack's shoulder as he twirled one of her curls in his fingers. They were all exhausted and weary, and focused on a good night's sleep. The elevator slid open at the eighth floor and they filed out.

"Thank you Molly," Rose said sleepily as she and Jack stopped at their room. "You have no idea how much this means."

Molly waved her hand dismissively. "Don't mention it. Go on now," she said, nodding her head at the door. "Get some well needed rest. I'll see you at breakfast." Jack yawned just then, having given up on trying to stifle it. Molly chuckled. "Or perhaps at lunch." She looked at her key. "I'm in eight-oh-eight if you need anything. Good night." She smiled once more at the couple and then turned to walk to her room.

Tommy and Fabrizio looked at their keys to discover their room numbers and then bid Jack and Rose a good night.

If Jack had had the energy, he would have let out a low whistle as he shut the door behind him. The hotel room was large, perhaps as large as Rose's suite on the ship. And like on the ship, it was multiple rooms. They stood now in the sitting room, immediately to the left were the bathroom and then the master bedroom. To the right there was a smaller 'guest' bedroom. Rose stood there, seemingly dumbstruck. He placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

Rose smiled. "I am but I'm not." Jack looked confused and she laughed softly. "I can't decide if I want a nice hot bath or if I should just go to sleep. I don't know if I can muster up any energy to bathe myself."

Jack encircled her waist with his arms. He kissed her neck gently before resting his chin on her shoulder. "I'll tell you what," he began. "Why don't you go into the bedroom and get undressed? I'll prepare a warm –"

"Hot," Rose corrected.

"Hot bath for you." He leaned his mouth to her ear. "If you want, I'll even bathe you and wash your hair."

Rose spun in his embrace and gaped at him. "You would do that?" she asked.

Jack smiled at her. "Of course I would. Did you think I would not?" he asked, brushing a stray curl away from her eyes.

"I didn't think about it at all," Rose responded. She kissed him lightly. "I love you."

"I love you too." He dropped his arms from around her waist. "Go on. Go and –" he pointed to the direction of the room and made a random swirling motion with his hand.

"Get naked?" Rose offered with a smile. Jack dropped his hand and sighed.

"Yes."

Rose shook her head as she walked to the bedroom. She turned before entering, a smile still playing on her mouth. "Will you ever tire of the thought of me naked?" she teased.

Jack shook his head. "Never."

Rose's eyes sparkled. "This could make for a fun bath then," she stated before disappearing into the bedroom.

Unfortunately, Rose never made it into the bath. She didn't even make it out of the bedroom. The bed had looked so inviting. Rose pulled the covers back when she finished undressing and laid down.

"Rose darling!" Jack hollered.

"I'll be there in just a moment!" she hollered back. She closed her eyes, swearing that she would only let herself lay there for a moment. She didn't hear Jack call out to her again just a minute later. More curious than concerned, Jack pushed the partially closed bedroom door open.

Rose was on her stomach, arms stretched over her head but under the pillow. She hadn't pulled the blankets over her and Jack forced himself to stare at the headboard as he pulled him over her. He kissed her temple but she didn't flinch. He smiled at her sleeping form. Quickly he darted to the bathroom and pulled the stopper out of the tub before hurrying back and undressing.

Jack didn't think about it as he did so and soon he and Rose had matching sleepwear. He slipped between the sheets as quietly as he could and lain his arm across Rose's back. His leg spread out over hers. He kissed her shoulder blade.

"Sleep well, my sweet Rose."