Allan Collins was a man of thirty-five, with curly dark blond hair and large green eyes. His usual serious demeanor always seemed to disappear when Miss Dawson was around. At first she had frustrated the hell out of him with her stubbornness, but he soon realized she wanted to know the truth and would stop at nothing to find it. He had come to think of her as a little sister and thought her much wiser than her seventeen years. He had taken her under his wing when he discovered she had no one in the world and that her only family had perished on the Titanic. He felt there was much more to what happened to her on the Titanic, but he would not pressure her to talk about it. He could tell it pained her deeply; when he really looked into Rose's eyes he could see a sorrow that never went away.

Rose marched into his office and said "Good Morning, Mr. Collins, I have come to thank you for the job and to tell that I will be leaving as of this morning."

Allan was a bit taken aback. He became extremely concerned. "Rose, what on earth are you talking about? Where do you plan to go?" he asked her.

"My work here is finished. I have another job or promise I need to fulfill," she replied.

"What do you plan to use as money?" he asked, now more alarmed.

"I have some money saved and I will be fine, you don't need to worry about me," she answered. She was becoming annoyed with his interrogation.

"Rose, forgive me, you have come to be like a little sister to me, and I just want to make sure you will be all right. And I have a few concerns about you picking up and traveling the world with no source of income and no place to go," he said to her. He saw the look of shock on her face as soon as he had finished his sentence, and was totally baffled with her reaction.

Tears came to her eyes as she remembered the last time someone had said that to her. She was instantly brought back to the gym of the Titanic when Jack had said, "I just want to make sure you will be all right." She could see the look of concern and love for her on Jack's face. She had hurt him badly at that moment. She regretted it now, but at the time, she had been in what seemed to be an impossible situation with her Mother and Cal.

Coming back to the present moment, she saw Allan looking at her as if she had some sort of spell. "Well, I will be fine. Really, " she answered him.

Realizing he wasn't going to win this argument, just like all the others that he had had with her, he changed his approach. "Rose, we need someone like you working for us and I would be willing to keep your job open until you return. Also," he said, "since you would still be employed, you would still receive a small salary from us on a weekly basis."

"No, Allan, I can't do that, it wouldn't be right. I would be taking money for a job I am not doing," she answered him.

"Rose, I insist. You did an excellent job rounding up the steerage survivors for us and I would hate to lose such a valuable employee."

Rose was shocked, but she realized this was the only way he would have peace of mind and know that she would be fine. She felt an obligation to him for all the kindness he had shown her. Rose had become quite fond of him also, and looked up to him as an older brother that she never had. "Okay, Mr. Collins, I will accept your offer," she answered.

"You do realize that I have to know your whereabouts so I will be able to contact you and also know where to send your paychecks," he said.

"Yes, sir, I understand," she answered, "and thank you once again." With that, she gave him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek and out the door she went. "You will be hearing from me very soon," she promised.

Allan knew he could not stop her when she had her mind made up. But he felt better knowing she would have some money going to her on a weekly basis. He did not like the idea of her traveling with no consistent income. He would miss her; he was an only child and he liked having a younger sister. At least he would be able to keep an eye on her and make sure she was okay. After all, he would be paying her out of his own pocket.

Jack was in awe of her. She was even more amazing than he had realized. He watched the scene play out and couldn't believe it. Only Rose would be able to win someone over to that extent. He was very proud of her. Last night when she had said, "No more pity," he had become very angry. Not at how Rose talked to him, but he felt she would start to forget him. He had blocked himself off so she couldn't feel what he was feeling and cried. He knew she had to go on with her life, but it felt like a slap in the face.

Mr. Andrews, who always seemed to come around when needed the most, came and sat next to Jack. "You know, Jack, you did a fine thing for young Rose, but you can't expect her to wallow in pity for the rest of her life. It wouldn't be fair to either one of you. She is not telling you she is forgetting about you. She is saying that she needs to find some sort of happiness and she can't if she is constantly feeling sorry for herself. You wanted her to go on. Well, she can't if she keeps reliving the past and what might have been. She needs to move forward. But moving forward does not mean forgetting you. It means keeping that promise you asked her to keep," Mr. Andrews explained tenderly.

Jack looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. "I guess I was so busy thinking only of myself that I never considered what she was feeling. Thank you," Jack said as he wiped away his tears. He felt like a spoiled child who could not have his way and needed a parent to reproof him.

"You knew already, Jack, you just need some reassurance. No thanks are necessary," Mr. Andrews said as he patted Jack on the back and walked into the clouds.

Rose was packing her belongings when she felt him. Her heart soared. She had thought he might be angry with her for last night.

"Rose, I am so sorry. I was being selfish," she heard him say in her soul.

"Don't be sorry, Jack. I just need you to understand. I will always love you, but I can't keep your promise if I keep going over what should have been."

"I know, Rose. I am very proud of you. You have done so well. You're making it count. I told you I would always be with you, but I have to take a step back. Otherwise, it will be too hard on both of us. It will make it easier on you to live life more fully," Jack said, fighting back the pain of his words.

Rose's eyes brimmed with tears, but she knew he was right. For a minute she started to panic -- she couldn't do this alone. Then she thought, ‘I will never be alone. Jack will always be in my heart.'

"I agree, Jack," she answered. "You are safe in my heart, never doubt that I love you," she said in a whisper as she walked out the door, her suitcase in one hand and clutching the "Heart of the Ocean" in the other.