The Course of True Love Did Never Run Smooth

First Meetings

That night at dinner, Jack still couldn't get the image of that girl out of his head. She looked to be about third class, not that he was the expert on these kinds of things. But there was a certain aura about her that made him instantly like her.

She was beautiful, too. Callie was beautiful in more of a flashy way, but this girl's beauty seemed to come from somewhere else. It was more exquisite, more rare.

He wanted to see her again. Maybe he'd strike up a conversation, or ask if he could draw her. Although, he wasn't sure if her beauty could be captured on paper.

After an overly long dinner, Jack stripped off his jacket and dress shirt, leaving only his suspenders, and a white undershirt. He grabbed his sketchbook and, careful not to disturb the ladies in the other room, snuck out to the back of the ship.

The night was quiet, and the stars were glittering like jewels in the hair of the night sky. Jack leaned against the railing. He wasn't sure why he thought that the girl would come here tonight. Anyways, even if she didn't show up, he still had an opportunity to check out the back of the ship.

Engineering had always fascinated Jack, even if he had never been particularly good at it. The propellers on this ship were probably huge. He climbed over the railing to see if he could see them better from that angle. Sure enough, there was a clear image of the massive blades steering the ship to America.

"What are you doing?"

The female voice startled him. He turned to see the redheaded beauty from earlier. She had a concerned look on her face.

"I was just looking at the back of the ship. It's fascinating stuff you know."

She smiled. "For a moment I thought you were going to jump off the back of the ship."

He chuckled. "Not up my alley. I was actually hoping to see you when I first came out here."

The girl gave him a strange look. "Why would you want to see me?"

"Well, I saw you earlier, and I, well... I wanted to know if you would let me draw you?" Jack said all this bashfully, blushing as he gripped the railing.

She smiled. "That's sweet of you. You're an artist?"

"Yes. I do portraits," Jack said, grinning back.

"How fascinating," the girl said warmly. She put her hand on his. "I'd like you to know that you're free to draw me whenever you feel like it."

He reached to touch the hand on top of hers. "Thank you."

"I'm Rose, by the way," she said.

"Jack. Jack Dawson," he said, removing his hand to shake hers. But all of the sudden his other hand slid off the rail, and he flailed helplessly in the air, positive he would fall to his death.

But Rose's hand shot out just in time to catch his arm. She held onto it, and helped him pull himself up. When Jack climbed to the last rung of the railing, he slipped, and fell on top of Rose. The fall made a loud clanging noise, and both Jack and Rose cringed.

But neither of them wanted to get up. They just stared into each other's eyes, the feelings in their hearts almost unbearable.

"What in heaven's name is going on here?"

They both turned their heads to see two sailors, a large man smoking a cigar, and Jack's fiancee in a pale white dressing gown, all staring at them.

Callie was pale. She pulled the gown tighter around her. "Jack. What on earth are you doing with this-this steerage girl?"

Jack and Rose quickly untangled their limbs and got to their feet, brushing themselves off.

One of the sailors grabbed Rose's arm. "Were you seducing him, girl?"

She glared at him. The other sailor stroked her face. "Wouldn't mind being seduced by this one. She's pretty for a third class girl."

"And you're smart for a man," Rose snapped back.

Jack bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. Rose had fire!

The sailor scowled, and started to drag her away.

"Wait!"

The sailor stopped, and looked back at him.

Jack moved toward them, and removed the sailor's hand from Rose's arm. She stepped back, knowing that Jack was about to save her skin.

"This girl saved my life," Jack said. "I was looking at the propellers, and I slipped and fell. She was walking by, and grabbed my arm to keep me from falling to my death."

The large man looked at Rose. "Is that what happened?"

She nodded. "Yes. That's exactly what happened."

The man took another drag out of his cigarette. "So the girl's a hero then!"

Callie stepped forward and took Rose's hand. "You should come to dinner with us tomorrow. Think of it as a thank you for saving my fiance's life. It would be lovely to have another girl around."

She was smiling, but Jack could see the ulterior motives behind her mask. Callie and her other rich friends would likely enjoy seeing someone like Rose try to 'fit in' among high society. It would give them something new to gossip about. Little did they know that she was probably better than all of them.

He wanted to warn her, but then again, he didn't know when he would see this girl again. Maybe after dinner they could talk some more.

"Yes," Jack said, looking into Rose's eyes. "You should come."

She smiled at him, her green eyes cutting into his heart. "Okay. I'll come."

"Wonderful!" Callie said jovientally. "Now darling, if you'll excuse Jack and I, we have a few things to discuss."

She took Jack's arm, and steered him back to their cabins. Jack looked over his shoulder at Rose, and she was grinning at him and shaking her head.

He turned back to Callie, still smiling. There was something about Rose that made him happier than normal.

When they got back to their cabins, Jack sat on his bed, just thinking about what had just happened. He could have died tonight, but Rose took action and saved him. He doubted a girl like Callie would have done anything like that. Sure, she would have been sad, but she wouldn't have done anything.

He was awoken from his thoughts when Callie's maid knocked and entered.

"Mr. Dawson, Callie would like to see you."

Jack got off his bed, and followed the maid to her room. Callie was sitting at her vanity, brushing her long, dark hair. She spotted Jack in the mirror.

"Come over here Jack. I wanted to show you something."

As Jack approached her, she set down the brush, and reached for a black velvet box that was lying next to her many bottles of lotion and perfume.

Callie opened the box to reveal a necklace with a massive cobalt gemstone attached to it. It was cut almost in the shape of a heart.

"Isn't it lovely?" she asked, laying the jewel across her collarbone. "I bought it when we were in France. It's a very rare diamond. The Heart of the Ocean."

Jack nodded. "It looks lovely on you Callie." That was an overstatement. The jewel looked out of place on her, like a flower in a rock garden.

She turned to look at him. "I was thinking I'd wear it on our wedding day," she said softly. Callie reached out and stroked Jack's cheek. Then, abruptly, she removed the necklace, and put it back in its case.

"Well, I'm tired. It's been a long day," she said, stretching her arms out and almost hitting Jack in the nose. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight Callie," Jack said as she went into her bedroom. He left the room as fast as he could. Once he was safely in his bed, tossing and turning to try to fall asleep, his thoughts turned once again to Rose.

How was it that he had met her once, and now all these feelings were racing around his mind? Jack's last thought before he went to sleep was that the diamond would have looked better on Rose.