This is before the ship hits the iceberg. It slots in after they had made love. They didn't run out onto the decks where the lookouts would see them, they continued to third class with intentions of running to Jack's bunk. Think of it been around 11.30pm, April 14th.

So here we go, with a little Metallica inspiration :-)

Nothing Else Matters.

She shivered even though it wasn't so cold. His hand came up to her shoulders and he gently rubbed them causing even more goose-bumps to appear than before. Her eyes found his in the dim light of the corridor. It was late on the Sunday night but neither knew of the time. Neither cared.

''Did you see the look on that guys face?'' Jack still couldn't believe they had almost been caught; naked in a Renault which no doubt belonged to some rich bastard. They had dressed as quickly as they could and ran until they had found a more civilised area of the ship. It was on the same deck as his bunk when they had stopped to catch their breath. There was no one about, hinting it was later than perhaps they thought.

As he ran his fingers down her arms once more he linked their fingers loosely, like had at the bow, except his grip then tightened. ''Jack, what do you plan to do when this ship docks?''

His face fell serious. He cleared his throat. ''I don't know.'' He answered honestly. His stomach sank as he realised this conversation was about to affect everything.

''I was to go back to Philadelphia and to marry a man I never have loved, nor will I ever.'' Her eyes shone with unshed tears thinking of that bleak future.

His left hand came up to touch her face. ''That isn't your future, Rose.''

She swallowed the lump in her throat. She, from somewhere, found the strength to speak. ''Jack, when the ship docks, I am getting off with you.''

In that moment, realisation hit him hard. She wanted a life with him. ''This is crazy.''

''I know it doesn't make any sense.'' She couldn't help but laugh. ''But I trust it.''

He couldn't not kiss her. She was giving up everything for a life with him. It wasn't soft, it was full of passion. Their initial hesitation had worn off and now his hands were in her hair and pulling her as close as could be. They didn't care who saw them and they didn't care what anyone else would think.

''Are you sure you want this?'' Jack whispered against her forehead as he kissed it gently. He felt her nod.

''I have never opened up this way before, I have never trusted anyone like I do you.''

''I have nothing to offer you, you know that.''

''You have the life that I want. Every day there is something new and I want to live that life with you.''

He had pointed out the day before to her just how hard that life could be. There isn't any hot water and hardly ever caviar. He had teased, to be met with a response which had floored him. He had no right to judge her life on the basis of what he had heard of the upper class. It turned out Rose was not one of them.

''I couldn't have walked away from you. Not knowing just how trapped you are in that little world. I never expected you to be anything more than a poor girl I helped leave her old life.''

''I couldn't walk away either. When you came to me earlier and offered me a way out, I wanted to take that chance but the truth is I had to lie then, I had barely any strength to walk away. My Mother warned me away from you, Cal was so angry at breakfast and then I went to tea with my Mother and her circle of friends,'' she paused hearing their chitchat circle around her head, ''all they did was speak of the damned wedding, of bridesmaids dresses, colour scheme and flowers I had never even heard of and I just turned to see a young girl, no older than four and her Mother was teaching her just how to eat cake, to put a napkin on her lap and to lay it out neatly.'' She narrowed her eyes, ''I never want that for my children and that was how I was brought up, with a tight hand around my throat, threatening to close in whenever I put an accidental foot wrong. I had my Mother's grip and then Cal's which would have got stronger after we married. I didn't want that for myself or my future children.''

''I couldn't watch that happen or let it.''

She was silent for a moment.

''What did you mean Cal was angry?''

She lowered her lashes. ''Lovejoy saw us dancing last night below decks. Cal must have sent his manservant to look for us.''

Jack couldn't help but smirk. ''Is that why the arrogant son of a bitch wouldn't let me speak to you at church earlier?''

''You were at church?''

''I came to speak to you but that guy Lovejoy wouldn't let me in. He offered me $20 to stay away from you.''

Rose raised her eyebrows. ''That's a lot of money.''

''You think $20 would keep me away from you? $1000 wouldn't have stopped me coming back to see you. That whole diamond wouldn't keep me away.''

It was never about money with Jack and that she decided was his best quality. He saw beneath everything and she might have even fallen in love with him. She sighed. ''Well, Cal will see the diamond, along with the drawing.''

''Why?''

''I wrote him a note and put it with the picture.'' She saw his face turn. ''I decided I was leaving him before Lovejoy came back to the stateroom, I already knew.''

''He will be angry.''

Rose shook her head. ''He was angry this morning. I was scared, I thought-I thought-'' she paused.

''You thought what?''

''He might hit me. I have never seen him so angry. He threw the breakfast table across the promenade deck, he threatened me.''

He closed his eyes for a second, allowing the anger to rise before taking a breath to subside it. ''He won't come near you again. Not if you don't want him to.''

''No. I only want you.''

No one had ever said to that him before. He felt wanted, needed. Sure, he had talked to girls, flirted and even kissed a few but nothing amounted to anything and then there was Rose…

''I will never lay a hand near you. My folks taught me better than to lay hands on a woman, to not lay hands on anyone.''

''Why couldn't I have been brought up amongst your kind? The people who are kind and thoughtful. Who treat everyone so equal.''

Jack didn't have an answer. Instead he touched her face. ''I'll take you to them people, Rose. We can go wherever you want to once this ship docks.''

''What about Cal? If he comes to us before the ship docks.''

Jack softened. ''Do you want to go back to that life?''

''No, of course not.''

''Then that is all you have to tell him. I imagine he is the jealous kind, he won't take too lightly the fact that you have left him just weeks before you marry.''

Rose laughed. ''You have met him once and yet seem to know him so well.''

''I know his kind, they will always be men and women who are ruled by money, success and social status. His outward appearance and reputation is all he will ever care of.''

''Yet behind closed doors all he wanted was to take me to bed.'' She laughed, shaking her head as she remembered just two nights before when he had invited her into his bed and she had refused, wishing to wait until they had married and then this morning, his words had made her skin crawl; I had hoped you would come to me last night. She had feigned exhaustion not knowing he had known of her whereabouts below decks with Jack.

''Did he ever?'' Jack couldn't help as the words flew out of his mouth. It was none of his business of course and yet he had made love to her not an hour before. She had timidly but broadly showed her body and he had sensed her nerves but also a quiet confidence. He hadn't expected to take her in the backseat of the Renault.

''No, Jack. I wished to never go to bed with a man until I was a married woman,'' She told him quietly. Her hands fell upon his chest and she felt his deep breathing, ''until you.''

So he was her first. He tilted his head and leant forward to kiss her hair but he couldn't stop. He continued to trail kisses down her neck and she clung to him for her life. How could one want someone so badly after just one hour of been apart? The intensity between them was magnificent.

''Not here.'' She whispered, remembering that in the boiler room they had to break apart after their first passionate moment for fear of been caught but neither were prepared for what had happened afterward.

''I couldn't let you go back, not to him, to that life.''

''I'm not going back. This is it.''

He kissed her gently. ''Nothing else matters.'' She told him in between kisses.

Jack kissed her, with such fire and passion. This was the beginning of their lives together. He didn't care who saw them they were too lost in the moment.

They failed to hear the ships bell ring three times above them on deck. Not knowing their journey was about to be halted and the path which they had planned was about to change, forever.