AN: Thank you for all the great reviews everyone, they're really keeping me going! Reviews are what make me keep wanting to write! :) Hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Chapter Five

"Rose? Rose!"

Rose ignored the voice that was calling her, and rolled over again, burying her face in her pillow. She was so tired.

"Ro-ose!" Whoever was trying to wake her had dragged her name into two syllables. And Rose hated that.

"What?" She snapped, sitting up. Lizzie was standing next to the bunks, a worried frown on her face. Her brow smoothed a little when she saw Rose sitting up, no matter how disgruntled her expression was.

"You're okay!" She said merrily, reaching up and patting Rose on the head as though she was four years old, and not eighteen.

"Of course I'm okay," Rose groaned, flopping back onto her pillow.

There came the sound of the cabin door opening, and there were footsteps as someone came in.

"Is she alright?" Rose recognised Sally's concerned voice.

"She's fine -" Lizzie started to say, but she was interrupted as the cabin door opened again.

"Is Rose awake?" It was Kitty this time. "Is she -"

"I'm fine!" Rose said loudly, knowing she sounded like a spoilt and insolent child.

Someone let out a giggle.

"Rose, the only reason I was waking you was to tell you that they're going to stop serving breakfast in twenty minutes. You'd want to hurry up if you're going to eat."

"What? What time is it?"

"Almost ten," Sally said helpfully.

"What? Really?" Rose sat up so quickly that she hit her head on the low roof. "Ow!"

"Actually," Kitty began quickly. "Sally and I are supposed to meet Sean and Peter now, so -" The two girls left quickly.

"Are you -" Lizzie started.

"FINE!" Rose nearly yelled, rubbing her head.

"Someone's touchy…" Lizzie mumbled, turning away.

Rose bit her lip. She clambered down from her bunk with difficulty. Her arm hurt.

"I'm sorry, Lizzie," She said softly, touching her friend on the shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Lizzie sniffed. "No," She said snappily, and Rose moved her hand away as though Lizzie was on fire.

Lizzie turned to Rose a moment later, and she was grinning. "You seriously need to stop being so grouchy. One of these days I'm going to mean it when I say no!"

Rose laughed. "You're getting good at that. And there aren't many people who can fool me!"

"Really though, Rose…" Lizzie's face went serious. "How are you this morning?"

Rose shrugged, and immediately regretted it, as pain shot through her right shoulder and down her arm. "I'm okay," She said, rubbing the shoulder in question. "A bit stiff. And I think I drank too much. My head hurts."

Lizzie smiled, but it faded quickly. "Rose… you need to tell me. You did fall, didn't you? That man didn't try to…" She swallowed, her face ashy. "…to hurt you or anything?"

Rose looked at Lizzie, her mouth agape. "No! No, Lizzie, of course not! Why would you think that?"

Lizzie shrugged and turned away, looking embarrassed. "I don't know, I just… it seemed like a bit of ridiculous story."

Rose smiled. "Maybe I'm a bit of a ridiculous person. Lizzie, I promise you that I fell. If it wasn't for that man, Dawson, I would be dead."

Lizzie nodded and swallowed hard, her eyes blinking rapidly.

"Lizzie…" Rose hesitated, unsure of what to say. "Is there something you want to tell me? About… about the baby, or anything?"

Lizzie turned to Rose, her expression one of surprise. "Why, no, Rose! Everything's grand. Do you want to go and get some breakfast now?"

Rose nodded uncomfortably. She'd known Lizzie for a long time now. They were like sisters. And Rose was sure that Lizzie was lying.

Part Two

"Ugh, I can't eat anymore!" Nan pushed away her plate, which was still full of shirred eggs and cold ham.

"Try and eat a little more, Nan," Vanessa coaxed, her own plate almost empty.

Nancy stuck out her bottom lip. "Why should I? Jack hasn't eaten any of his."

Jack was pulled out of a reverie by the sound of his name. It was true - his white china plate was full of food, barely a mouthful gone.

"Jack," His mother scolded gently. "Try to eat something."

"I'm not hungry, mother." Jack said, taking a mouthful of orange juice, and resisting the urge to reach for his cigarettes.

They were breakfasting on the private veranda just outside the suite, and the sun was shining warmly down on them. Nobody was in particularly good form. Lillian was still resting, Vanessa had been crabby and resentful all morning, Nancy was behaving like a brat due to a bad bout of seasickness, and Jack was off in another world completely.

The glass and oak door to the veranda opened, and Ingrid, the family's maid, stepped out.

"Mr Dawson," She said, approaching Jack. She held a folded slip of paper in her hand. "Miss King has left a message for you. She's requested that you join her in her suite for midday tea."

Jack took the note and scanned it quickly. "Thank you, Ingrid. Please tell Katherine that I will not be joining her this morning."

"Jack!" Vanessa Dawson looked appalled. "What on earth do you mean? Ingrid, please tell Katherine that Jack will join her, at exactly midday!"

Jack glared at his mother.

Ingrid stood nervously wringing her hands, glancing between Jack and his mother, clearly unsure of who to obey.

"Ingrid." Vanessa snapped at the nervous girl. "Go immediately."

"Mother," Jack said furiously as Ingrid curtsied and left. "There's no need for that."

Vanessa glared at her son, her blue eyes flashing dangerously. "What has gotten into you lately, Jack?"

"Nothing," He said sullenly.

Vanessa raised a hand to her eyes. Her shoulders tensed for a moment, as though she was trying to control herself. When she dropped her hand, her expression was blank, her face smooth.

"Jack," She said, and he could tell she was trying really hard not to lose her temper with him, "Katherine is your fiancé. She will soon be your wife. She requests your company, and you will attend to her."

Nancy looked between her mother and her brother. "I don't like Katherine," She added in what she probably thought was a helpful manner.

Jack snorted.

Without another word, Vanessa stood and left the table.

"Why don't you like Katherine, Nan?" Jack asked his sister.

Nan placed her chin on the heel of her hand, her elbow resting on the table. "I don't really know, Jack. I mean, she's so beautiful, but she's snobbish and conceited, and to be honest, I really doubt whether there's anything other than air in her head!"

Jack bit his lip in order to hide his laughter. "Nan, you shouldn't say things like that! She's probably going to be your sister-in-law someday."

Nancy rolled her eyes. "Oh, Jack. If that was the case, you wouldn't have said 'probably'. You'd be declaring your love and defending her honour and goodness knows what else."

Jack didn't say anything.

Nancy, encouraged by Jack's silence, kept going. "Why don't you just call off the engagement? I don't think you want to marry her. Why did you propose in the first place?"

"That's enough." Jack's tone was suddenly sharp.

Nancy sat back in her seat and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Don't you have piano practise or something?" Jack said snappily.

Nancy just looked at him, her mouth turning down. "I was only trying to help," She mumbled, and Jack could tell he'd upset her.

"Oh, Nan. I'm sorry." He reached out and took her hand. "I don't know. Things are… confused for me. I'm just trying to figure some things out."

Nancy nodded, but tears spilled over from her eyes and trailed down her cheeks. Jack pulled her into a hug, and kissed the top of her head.

"Everything'll be okay, Nan."

Nancy looked up at Jack, her brown eyes large and trusting. "You promise, Jack?"

He didn't hesitate in replying. "I promise."

Part Three

"Urgh." Rose plunged her spoon into her bowl of congealing gruel. "I can't eat this."

"I'll have it!" A scrawny looking boy was sitting a few seats away.

Rose's stomach churned as she shoved the bowl down the table towards him. The boy immediately began shovelling the cold gruel into his mouth. Rose looked away. The dining room was almost empty, apart from a few late risers, most of them hung-over young men.

"You okay?" Peter, the brother of Sean, Sally's husband, asked Rose.

"Remind me never to drink that beer again," She groaned. "I hurt all over."

Peter laughed, raising an eyebrow at her. "I've a feeling it doesn't have much to do with cheap beer. Didn't you nearly go overboard last night?"

She glared at him. "Who told you that?"

He laughed. It was a great laugh, one that seemed to go all the way to his feet. "Well, Kitty told me. But it's all over the ship anyway. One of the sailors is telling everyone about the steerage girl saved by a gentleman." He snorted derisively. "It was probably the only brave thing he ever did in his life."

Rose glared at Peter. "Don't be so insulting!" She said sharply. "That man saved my life."

Peter looked a little embarrassed as he realized he'd said the wrong thing.

Rose pushed herself away from the near-empty table, and stalked outside to the fresh air.

Part Four

Jack looked at his reflection in the huge gold-framed mirror hanging in his luxurious bedroom. He picked an ivory comb up from his things and ran it through his hair, before deciding he hated that smoothed back look, and running his hands through it instead. It stuck up at all different angles and Jack snorted at himself. What a rebel he was! He smoothed his trousers and waistcoat, and then slipped his arms into the sleeves of a black coat. He then left the cabin and headed towards the one that Katherine was sharing with her family.

Men lifted their hats at him as he passed, and women he knew bobbed their heads while smiling. Jack knew how he effected women. He also knew he could have had any woman he wanted.

So why had he chosen Katherine?

They'd known each other since they were children, and he'd been courting her since he was sixteen and she even younger. He had loved her, he had when he asked her to marry him, at least. He just didn't love her any more. Not in the way that he should.

He rapped on the heavy mahogany door, and it was opened quickly by a small dark haired girl who curtsied when she saw him.

"Morning, Marietta," He said to the maid.

"Good morning, Mr Dawson," She said a little shyly. "Miss Katherine is waiting for you on the veranda."

Jack nodded his thanks and crossed the magnificent suite towards the door that led to the veranda.

Katherine was standing against the railing, looking so beautiful in the late morning sunshine. She was dressed in a beautiful yellow dress, with seed pearl buttons up the side and on the three quarter length sleeves. Her golden hair was swept up into a delicate chignon, and there were ivory and mother-of-pearl combs in it. So beautiful, and yet Jack felt nothing.

"Jack!" She said when he came out, her expression relieved. "I wasn't sure if you would come!"

Jack smiled a little. "Of course I came. I'm a man of my word, Katherine. You should know that by now."

She smiled at him. It was true - he never broke promises. She left the railings and walked close to him. He embraced her, but when she tried to kiss him, he turned away. He pretended not to see the hurt look on her face.

She pulled away from him and went to sit and the small table in the middle of the veranda.

"Would you like some tea?" She asked him, her voice calm.

"Please," Jack said, resisting the urge to leave all together.

He sat across from her. She poured some steaming amber liquid into a china cup and slid it across the table. He looked blankly at it for a moment before adding some milk and a teaspoon of sugar.

Katherine sipped from her tea. They sat in silence for a few moments.

"Jack -" Katherine began to speak, and then she stopped. She took a deep breath as if to steady herself. "Jack, we need to discuss the wedding. There are many things to be organized."Jack sighed heavily. "Oh, yes. The wedding." He closed his eyes. It was a mistake. When he opened them again, Katherine's lips were trembling and her brown eyes were glistening with tears.

"Don't you want to get married Jack?" She exploded, her voice shaking with emotion as tears began to stream down her cheeks. "Because any time I try to talk about it, you clam up. In fact, ever since you proposed you've been acting strangely! You never talk to me any more, you never want me to kiss you - have I done something, Jack? Are you ever going to tell me?" She placed her face in her hands and her shoulders shook with her sobs.

Jack rubbed his jaw uncomfortably, unsure of what to say. He knew he was being horribly unfair to her.

Katherine looked up at him, her eyes red with tears. "Can you just leave, please? I can't talk to you right now!"

Feeling more relief than he should have felt, Jack stood up and left the veranda.

Part Five

Jack walked briskly down the First Class promenade, and stepped down onto the lower deck, before opening the gate to second class. The men and women grouped there watched him as he passed, knowing he didn't belong where he was going. He continued down until he'd left second class altogether, and was standing on the Third Class part of the ship. There were no fancy polished floorboards here, the ground was smooth cold iron. There were young boys kicking around an old soft ball, in comparison to the newly stitched leather ones the boys in First Class had. The little girls down here carried around tattered straw-stuffed dolls that had been absolutely loved to death, in comparison to the starchy, unused, human-like china dolls carried by the well dressed girls in First Class.

The atmosphere here was relaxed; men and women sat in groups big and small, chatting and enjoying the sunshine.

It amazed Jack how small the space was, and how many people were crammed into it. The area in First Class was huge, and yet there seemed to be hardly any people.

Jack stood near the gate and scanned the small area. He knew what he was looking for - a head of vibrant red curls. He was disappointed when he saw nothing but a sea of dark browns and dirty blondes, along with a few orange-y reds, but nothing close to the colour of Rose's hair.

There was a young pregnant woman standing next to the railings, her chestnut hair blowing in the breeze coming off the sea. She looked pensive, thoughtful, and Jack frowned, trying to place her.

Suddenly he realized - she was the sister of Rose, the girl he hadn't stopped thinking about in the twelve hours since he'd saved her life. Jack stood watching the girl for a moment, before he worked up the courage to approach her.

"Excuse me?" He said, reaching out and touching her shoulder.

She turned to him, startled.

For a moment, Jack was taken away by her beauty. She wasn't breathtaking in the sense that Rose was, but there was something in her pale skin, softly curling chestnut hair and extremely blue eyes that was very appealing.

"Yes?" She said a little suspiciously.

"You're Miss Rose's sister, yes?"

The girl laughed. "We aren't sisters. We're friends. But it's easier to travel when you say you're with family."

Jack frowned a little. "And your husband?"

"Is dead," The girl said, looking out to the sea.

"I'm sorry," Jack said, a little uncomfortably. "I'm Jack Dawson, by the way."

"Elizabeth O'Toole," She said, shaking the hand he offered to her.

"It's nice to meet you."

"And you." Elizabeth replied. She watched him for a moment, before turning her eyes back to the ocean.

Jack cleared his throat.

"Is there something I can help you with, Mr Dawson?"

"Well…" Jack began.

"You're looking for Rose," Elizabeth stated.

"I… Yes," Jack admitted. "Do you know where I can find her?"

Lizzie shrugged unhelpfully. "She could be anywhere. This is a big ship."

Jack raised an eyebrow at her, but before he could say anything, there came a call from behind him.

"Lizzie?"

Lizzie and Jack turned at the same time.

And there stood Rose.

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