Atticus guided Rose onto the dance floor and swooped her off her feet, gliding her across with every smooth motion of his hands and her hips. He twirled her out of her grasp and she grinned to her ears until she met the front of the stage.

There, playing the trumpet, was her ex fiancee, Jack Ross.

Rose stood there, looking up at him and shivering. Jack just stared back.

Atticus walked up to them with a confused look on his face and rubbed Rose's arm. "Hello, i'm Atticus Aldridge," he grinned uneasily and shook Jack's hand. "Do you know Rose?"

Jack abruptly looked up and coughed, than answered with a, "mhmm, yes."

Rose slowly turned around towards Atticus and pressed a hand to his chest. "H-he's my ex-fiancee."

Atticus went white and scratched the back of his head uneasily. "Oh..."

"Jack, this is my husband, Atticus. Atticus, this is Jack."

A sharpened knife couldn't cut the tension in the room. Mary turned around and put a hand to her mouth in surprise, spilling her drink on the floor and slightly stumbling to the side.

"Husband." Jack said blankly. "Y-you know, I was going to be in your place," Jack said to Atticus in between a rude laugh.

"Well, you're not," Atticus replied back, out of turn.

Rose shook her head and sulked. "Please, do not fight over me like an object!" she pressed her in- gloved hands between the two men. "You're my past, and you're my present and future. That's just how it is."

Jack abruptly dropped his trumpet and dived onto Atticus. Gasps filled the room as Jack got on top of him and grabbed Atticus' tuxedo jacket and starting pummeling him. Rose ran and tried to get Jack off of her partner, but it didn't help. Atticus rolled over and started kicking at him and finally, punched him in the eye. He got up, shook lint off his coat, took Rose's arm and left the building.

***at Downton***

"I cant believe he would do that!" Rose shook her head and took her handkerchief out to clean up Atticus' nose bleed. "I can't believe you fought back."

"Serves him right, that ni-"

Rose stepped back and dropped her handkerchief to the floor. "No, no no NO!" Rose stomped her foot. "I don't care if he hurt you or you were trying to protect me, but you will NEVER use that word in front of me. Go sleep in the bureau!"

Rose's face dampened with a sea of tears as Atticus passed her and slammed the door to the bureau. Rose picked up her handkerchief, wiped her face, and ran out of the room to the nursery.

Wow emotional!

XX Katy