Disclaimer: Buffy and Company are the property of Warner Bros. and Joss Whedon. Rose, Jack and their Titanic story line are property of Paramount Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron.
SPOILERS: This fan fic gives away some very important parts of the ending to Titanic! If you haven't seen Titanic you may want to consider watching it before reading this story!
Note: This story takes place after the werewolf episode.
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Part Two
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The doors to the library flew open as Buffy, Xander, Cordellia and Jack walked in the room. "Okay Giles we've found him," said Buffy.
"But I would like to note that the vampire welcome wagon beat us there," said Xander.
"You mean there were vampires hunting outside the Metal Center?" asked Giles.
"No, he means they were inside dragging Jack off," replied Cordellia.
"What? That doesn't make any sense," said Willow.
"Uh, Jack was it. Do you have any idea why vampires would attack you?" asked Giles.
"No," answered Jack. "I didn't even believe in vampires until they attacked me and Buffy told me how she was the Slayer."
"Buffy! You told him you're the Slayer?" said Giles.
"Look, I figure that if we send him back it's not going to matter in his lifetime if he knows I'm the Slayer. And if he's stuck here he might as well know because he'll be with us until he figures out how the world works in the here and now," explained Buffy.
"We'll discuss this later," promised Giles. "Now getting back to the vampire attack."
"Right," said Buffy. "Let's rephrase the question. Do the names Drucilla, Angel or Spike ring any bells?"
"Spike?" said Jack.
"What? What about Spike? You know him?" inquired Willow.
"Well, I did run into a man Spike in my travels, but he couldn't be alive today."
"Well he's not a man. He's a vampire and he's very much alive, in that dead kind of way," explained Cordellia.
"Now why would Spike have this interest in you?" asked Buffy.
"Well it's kind of stupid," responded Jack.
"Then Xander should have no problem following," commented Cordellia as Xander sneered at her.
"Go ahead and tell your story," urged Willow.
"Okay, here goes. I was in Paris for quite a while before I ended up on Titanic. While I was there I did portraits for ten centimes a piece."
"So you're an artist?" asked Buffy.
"Yeah," replied Jack.
"What's a centime?" asked Xander.
"It's currency in France," answered Giles. "A hundred centimes make a franc the same way a hundred pennies make a dollar here. Not exactly a hefty sum to live on though."
"You take what you can get when you're a poor guy," said Jack. "Anyway, one day this lady came up to me and asked me to draw her picture. She brought me to this apartment building and I started to draw. Before I could finish her boyfriend walked in. He went ballistic and I barely got out alive. I was lucky he was so mad that he didn't fight very well. After that I heard from some fairly reliable sources that his name was Spike and that he'd sent his men out to kill me. So I packed up the few possessions I had and got the Hell out of France."
"He must have saw Jack's picture in that tabloid," said Willow.
"But why would Spike go ballistic over a portrait?" pondered Xander.
"Who knows, maybe he was jealous," said Giles. "At any rate, you're probably lucky Spike did show up or Drucillea would have finished you after you were done your drawing. Now we've got to find a way to send you back before he tries again."
"Good call. What do we know?" asked Buffy.
"Quite a bit," replied Oz. "We think Jack was brought here by some sort of time warp that was triggered when the Titanic sunk. You were in the water when it happened right Jack?"
"Yeah," replied Jack. "The ship sunk and I was sucked under the water. When I got back to the surface I was in this time."
"We think all those wanting to be anywhere but here feelings that the passengers had probably created it. It was the escape they all wanted. You just happened to be in the right place," said Willow.
"Yeah, I remember those feelings," said Jack with a far away look. He shook the thought aside. "But wouldn't that have put me in the Atlantic?"
"Hellmouth," said Buffy, Willow, Oz, Xander and Cordellia in unison.
"That's uh, basically the idea. Even though the original entrance to the time warp was in the Atlantic the exit has manifested itself here off the coast of California because of the tendency of such things to gravitate towards the Hellmouth." said Giles.
"What, there was no Hellmouth in Jack's time?" asked Buffy.
"The Hellmouth was there, but it wasn't nearly as active as it is now. I imagine that's why the exit of the time warp is so far away from the location of the entrance."
"Well that's all well and good, but how do we send him back?" asked Xander.
"If our research is correct, we just have to get him back into the same body of water he was found in and cast a counter spell," answered Willow.
"It'll take me a bit of time to finish translating the spell. In the mean time I suggest you take this opportunity to rest and prepare," said Giles.
"Great," said Jack as he took a cigarette out of his pocket. "Anyone got a light?"
"I do," said Buffy. "But you got to smoke outside."
"Why?"
"Because that's really gross and it would make this whole place reek," explained Cordellia.
"And it's kind of against the law now too," added Willow.
"I'll walk with you just in case Spike's men decide to visit you again," said Buffy as she lead Jack out of the library.
They came out at a side entrance of the school and Jack lit up his cigarette. Buffy sat on the steps in front of the door and Jack joined her.
"You know, you're taking this really well," said Buffy.
"What do you mean?" replied Jack.
"Well, this whole vampire thing is pretty unbelievable on top of the fact you've been dropped here in the future."
"I've always rolled with the punches. This isn't any different."
"From what I understand quite a few have been thrown at you. It must have been awful when the ship started to sink."
"Yeah, it was. But the worst part was finding a way to be with Rose when fate seemed against us all the time. My world and her world kind of collided and almost got us both killed in the process."
"Yeah, I've been there. Only someone did get killed when my world collided with his."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. It's mine."
"Did you love him?"
"What? Why are you asking me that?"
"Why do women have such a problem with me asking that question? Did you love him?"
"Of course, but..."
But what? If he loved you and you loved him then there's no reason to blame yourself. He understands."
"But he's gone."
"No. He's watching you still."
"Why would he do that?"
"Because he's waiting for you."
"You sound so sure."
"Why shouldn't I be? After all, Rose is waiting for me whether I make it back or not." He took a last drag on his cigarette and tossed it. At that same moment Oz appeared in the doorway.
"Guys, Giles wants you to come to the library," said Oz. "Willow has something that she really needs to talk to you about."
"What Oz?" asked Buffy as Jack and her got up to follow him.
"Well, I uh, I think you'd better hear it from her," replied Oz.
As they arrived in the library Oz quickly sat down next to Willow and Giles asked that they do the same. Everybody sat in silence as Willow began to explain. "Jack, I didn't want to mention it until they had gotten you out of the Mental Center, but I think it's only right that I tell you now."
"What? Is it something bad?" asked Jack.
"Yes and no. If we send you back you save Rose and she goes on living and has lots of kids including the mother of our friend Jesse."
"Right. So what's the problem?" asked Jack.
"You, you..." attempted Willow who was unable to finish the sentence.
"I what?" asked Jack.
"You die in the process," explained Giles.
Jack slumped back in his chair. "Why are guys you telling me this? You seemed so eager to send me back. What makes you think I'd still go now?"
"Nothing," said Oz simply. "But we're not God. It's not our job to say that this time line is any worse than the old one. I mean, you could be some kind of super hero or something that we'll really wish we had here in a few years."
"Since we don't know which time line is better, we have to go by what we can know," said Giles.
"And what's that?" asked Jack.
"Do you choose to go back and die or do you choose to stay here and live?" asked Giles.
"Giles!" said Buffy. "How can you ask him a question like that?"
"Because he has to," replied Xander. "Jesse wouldn't want to be part of this world knowing that we sent Jack back to die without him knowing it. It's not our place to decide. It's yours Jack."
Jack looked around at the room full of people who he barely knew whose concern for his well being had been put above any goals of their own. He smiled sadly and wished he would have the chance to get to know them better. He rose to his feet slowly and said, "Let's go."
"You realize what this decision entails?" asked Giles.
"Yes, but the decision was made well before I met any of you. Rose needs me. I'm not going to abandon her."
"So be it," confirmed Giles as everyone in the room slowly sprung to life. "Now we've got to find a way to get Jack out into the deeper part of the water."
"Why? Can't we just get his toes wet? He's technically in the same body of water that way," said Cordellia.
"We need enough water to make the same kind of time warp as the original. We'll have to be out quite a ways to have any chance of doing it," replied Willow.
"My Dad has a motor boat. I think we could borrow it," suggested Oz.
"Great. Xander, Cordellia, Oz and Willow will get the boat and Jack, Giles and I will go to the docks and find someplace to launch it," said Buffy.
"Agreed, but let's hurry. The longer things stay the way they are the less likely they are to be reversed," said Giles as everyone exited the library to tend to their appointed duties.
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