I'm going to try to speed things up a bit towards the meeting of Jack and Rose. I hope this will be to your liking, I've thought about the meeting for quite some time now. I'm also going to try to write more about Cal and Ruth here and there, but they won't be part of the plot until later on. I had a severe case of writers block for a while so I'm very sorry it has taken me this long! I originally wanted to start out with a scene between Cal and his father Nathan about the diamond but I couldn't get a good dialogue scene going. Ugh -_-

On with Chapter 6!

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Jack looked at Calvin and knew he had to explain everything that had happened. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably and began telling his story, from the time he won the ticket all the way to when he arrived in Chippewa Falls. He told Calvin the need-to-know parts, leaving out more of the graphic parts of the sinking. Jack looked up from his coffee cup, waiting for Calvin's reaction.

Calvin exhaled and finally spoke. "That's quite an ordeal, Jack. I'm sorry you had to go through something like that. Is there anything I can do, or something you might need?"

Jack cleared his throat and replied, "Thanks Calvin but I'm okay for now. I'm just trying to concentrate on finding Rose. If she somehow ended up back to Cal I'm not sure what I'll do. I don't think she would go back willingly I know that for sure."

"This Cal sounds like a dangerous character Jack, just be careful whatever you do. I'm here if you need me, I've got your back."

Jack smiled and nodded his appreciation. "Thanks Calvin it means a lot, I'll keep that in mind."

"You want to go into town with me? I've got to run by the hardware store to pick up a few things and I thought you might want to stop and get some new clothes, it's on me."

"Oh you don't have to do that, I wouldn't want to be an imposition."

"C'mon now Jack I can't let one of my good friends keep wearing the same clothes he survived a disaster in now can I? It's not an imposition at all."

"Well if you insist, I'll pay you back when I get on my feet."

"Nonsense, it's a gift." Calvin smiled and put their two cups in the sink and made his way outside, followed by Jack. They walked into town on their errands, the hardware store first on their list.

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Rose and Mrs. Bailey were just finishing their morning cup of tea when Mrs. Bailey couldn't hold her curiosity back any longer and asked Rose the question she'd been wondering since they sat down.

"Rose, I apologize if I'm being too forward but I have to ask, why such an interest in the history of Jack Dawson?"

Rose, not surprised by the question, sat her cup down and looked up at Mrs. Bailey.

"I met Jack a little over a week ago, on Titanic." Rose exhaled as she said the last word and tried to go on. "As you've probably heard, the ship sank and I survived but I had the most wonderful time with Jack on the ship, all except for when the sinking actually happened. He told me a little about his life here, but I wanted to see where he had been for myself. I want to be closer to him any way I can. I hope you can understand that."

Mrs. Bailey gave Rose a gentle smile and put her hand over top of hers. "I'm so sorry Rose. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories of your tragedy. You know you can stay here as long as you like."

"Thank you Mrs. Bailey. Your company was comforting to have today. I think I may go for a walk and get some air."

"Of course dear, I'll leave the outside light on for you in case its dark before you return."

Rose gave Mrs. Bailey her thanks and walked outside and headed towards the end of town. Mrs. Bailey had told her about where Jack and his family had lived and Rose wanted to see it for herself, even if she didn't think she could bear it alone. She pulled a shawl around her shoulders, covering herself from the chilly evening air.

Just at the edge of town, sat a run down house that had been long abandoned. Parts of the house were damaged from what looked like a fire and remnants of a barn of the same demise behind the house just a short walk away. Rose walked up to the house and stopped, taking in what stood before her. A porch swing had long sat unused, the paint coming off of the wood and its chains starting to rust. Some of the shutters were falling apart, paint fading and some were torn half way off from wind damage. She found herself looking at each window on the top floor and wondered which one Jacks room might've been. Thinking of Jack, she couldn't help the tears that started falling, and she sat down on the bottom step of the porch.

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Nathan Hockley sat at behind his desk with his glass of brandy, glaring at his son. "What I'm wondering is, how you could've been stupid and careless enough to give her the diamond."

He took a puff from his cigar and waited for Cal's response.

"If you had been there maybe you would be able to understand that I did what I had to do and I needed insurance to carry out my plan." Cal slowly paced in front of his father. "I have every intention of getting it back father."

"Well I surely hope you do, son. Or your days as a wealthy man may be numbered." Cal looked at his father, almost surprised at his revelation.

"Surely you don't expect me to bring Rose back after she's been with...him."

Nathan stood from his desk and finished off the last of his drink. "Caledon, I don't give a damn if you marry that girl or not, just bring back the diamond and find some other girl to charm and everybody is happy."

"So you expect me to just forget about her?"

Nathans annoyed look on his face increased at the sound of Cal's question. "Well Caledon, it sounds to me like she wants you to. There are plenty of young girls around Philadelphia for you to court. Maybe if you hadn't been such an asshole to the girl, she wouldn't have run off." Nathan smirked.

"I can't believe your defending that tramp!" Cal was starting to get irate, and he couldn't believe what he was hearing from his own father.

"It's in your best interest to not forget your place and not raise your voice at me, son."

Cal stepped back and sighed. "Alright father, I'll bring the diamond back. Just find somewhere for her mother to stay, the woman is driving me insane."

Nathan put on his coat and hat and nodded to his son. "You just worry about that diamond and leave everything else to me." Nathan walked out of his den, leaving Cal with his thoughts.

"If Rose won't have me, then I'll be damned if Jack Dawson will."

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Jack and Calvin arrived back shortly before dusk. Jack retreated to his room to freshen up and change clothes and he couldn't ignore this nagging feeling of wanting to walk to his parents house. He wondered what condition the house would be in or if it was even still standing. I could fix it up with Calvins help and maybe stay put for a while. He thought of Rose and how wonderful it would be to have her touch added to the house.

He came down from his room, walking quietly outside and began the hike to his parents house. He didn't know what good it would do being almost dark, but he was determined to see it nonetheless. Remembering how he felt coming back home to the barn on fire, and one side of the house, almost made him sick and he had to stop and take deep breaths to clear the nausea. Jack had blamed himself since that tragic evening, for the side of the house that was on fire was where his father had been resting from pneumonia, and his mother had been in the barn tending to the animals.

Walking past the open wheat fields, Jack couldn't help but wonder what Rose would think of all this. I'll bet she's never even seen a wheat field, not like this. He smirked at the thought of Rose's reaction to the first time seeing so much open space. She would feel free here, I know she would. Sighing and continuing his walk to the house, Jack couldn't tell if he was hearing things, but he swore he could hear sobbing in the distance. He stopped for a moment trying to listen where the noise was coming from. The nagging feeling he felt earlier was starting to subside and he noticed the closer to the house he got, the more the feeling went away.

The house was starting to come in to view now, and his stomach was in knots just from its presence. He kept walking and noticed the sobbing he heard was definitely coming from the house. The front porch was somewhat hard to make out, the grass having grown almost as high as the hand rail. As he walked closer to the front of the house, he could almost feel his breath leaving his body. The curly red hair, once so vibrant and beautiful, had lost its luster. When she looked up at him, he felt as if he were in a trance.

After what felt like an eternity to Jack, her beautiful voice finally filled his ears...