Jack immediately stood in front of Rose, making himself a barrier between her and Cal. "What the hell do you want, Cal?" Jack asked. He couldn't believe that Cal had decided to show up in his and Rose's life.

"I've came for what's mine, Dawson. I want my fiancé," Cal responded, not taking his eyes off of Jack.

Before Jack had a chance to respond, Rose walked in front of her husband and stared right at Cal. "I'm not your fiancé, Cal," Rose said, surprising both Jack and Cal with her boldness. "I'm in love with Jack, and I'm married to him. I would never, ever consider marrying you or even being anywhere near you. I hate you. Now, I suggest you leave us alone and move on with your life."

Cal laughed and grabbed Rose's arm, wrapping his fingers tightly around her wrist. "Sweetpea, you're coming with me. You deserve better than this steerage trash," he said as he tried to drag her away.

"Let go of me, Cal!" Rose screamed. Jack immediately pulled Cal off of his wife, taking him and shoving him into the wall, making Cal slump down to the ground. Before Cal had an opportunity to stand up, Jack walked over to him and held him down. "Don't you ever lay a hand on my wife again." Rose stood a few feet behind her husband, trembling from the way Cal had grabbed her. Thank goodness Jack was there to protect her. Who knows what Cal could have done if he wasn't?

Cal stood up casually and brushed himself off, not wanting to show that Jack had defeated him. "This isn't over, Dawson. Rose is mine, and she will be married to me."

Jack laughed before taking Cal by the throat and pushing him up against the wall. "Did you not hear her earlier? She's married to me. She doesn't want anything to do with you, Cal." Jack let go of Cal and walked over to his wife. "I suggest you leave now, and never come anywhere near Rose or I again."

"That's fine. I don't need a whore like her anyway," Cal laughed before he walked towards the back exit of the theater. "I hope you enjoy your time together."

Jack watched Cal walk out the door before turning to Rose, who was still shaking and crying. "Shh, Rose. It's okay, he's gone."

Rose collapsed into her husband's arms. "Oh, Jack.. why did he even come here? Why can't he just leave me alone?"

"I don't know, sweetheart. But he's gone, and everything will be alright," Jack whispered before pulled out of his wife's embrace. He looked at the bruise that was forming on Rose's wrist from where Cal had grabbed her. "Oh, Rose. I'm so sorry. Are you okay? Does it hurt?"

"I'll be fine, Jack. Thank you. If you weren't here, who knows what he might have done…"

"Don't think about that. We're fine now. I'm sorry you had to see that, but I wanted to get the message across that he needs to leave you alone."

"It's okay, Jack," Rose said as Jack wiped the tears off of her face. "He got what he had coming to him. Who the hell does he think he is, showing up here and interrupting our lives?"

Jack hugged Rose again, pulling her close. "I don't know, Rose. I'm just glad you're alright. Let's get you home."

Rose nodded. "Okay."

Jack and Rose walked home in silence, both of them thinking about the events that had just transpired. Both of them were extremely grateful that Lilly, Charlie, Anna, and Paul left right after the play ended to give Jack some time to talk to Rose alone. What their friends thought was just an act of courtesy turned out to be a blessing, since none of them had to witness the interaction with Cal.

Rose was starting to wonder if her and Jack should tell Lilly and Charlie about the Titanic – including Rose's past with Cal. They were bound to ask questions when Jack and Rose got home, considering the fact that there was a huge bruise on Rose's wrist and her face was covered in smeared makeup and tears. "Jack…" Rose started to whisper, making Jack grip her hand tighter and look at his wife with concern in his eyes. What was wrong? Before he had a chance to say anything, Rose spoke again. "Should we tell Charlie and Lily about Titanic?"

Jack was shocked. She definitely had had a harder time with the tragedy than he did. Although it affected him and he still thought about it daily, he didn't have the nightmares and flashbacks that Rose had dealt with in the early months after the tragedy. Jack thought he would be the one to first suggest they discuss the tragedy with their friends, but here Rose was, suggesting that they discuss it. "What? Why, Rose?"

"Well, look at me. They're bound to ask questions when we get home – I'm a mess right now. And they need to know who Cal is, in case he shows up at the house or something. We all need to be careful."

Jack nodded, knowing that unfortunately, Rose was right. There was no telling if or when Cal would come back into their lives, and Charlie and Lilly needed to know who he was and how dangerous he could be. What if he showed up at the house when Jack and Rose weren't there? "You're probably right. Maybe it will even be good for us to talk about what we went through."

"I agree, Jack. We can tell them tonight, if they're still awake."

"They probably will be. It's only been thirty minutes since they left the theater."

Rose nodded. "Jack, thank you for coming tonight. I'm so sorry for how I treated you last night."

Jack put his arm around his wife as they walked. "It's okay, Rose. I understand. You were nervous, and I should have been more understanding. And I'm glad I came tonight, too. I wouldn't wanted to have miss your acting debut for the world."

"I was so nervous, but when I saw you sitting with our friends, it completely calmed me down."

"Well, you did wonderful tonight, Rose. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, Jack. I think I want to keep acting in plays and whatnot, or maybe teach an acting class. I had a lot of fun doing this."

"You should, if that's what you want," Jack suggested. He wanted his wife to follow her dreams and be anything that she wanted to be. He didn't want to hold her back, or tell her what to do, like some husbands might do. Jack felt that his role as Rose's husband was to simply encourage her to follow her dreams and support her in whatever those dreams might be.

Rose smiled. She loved how supportive Jack was of her. "Maybe I will. I should probably wait until after the baby is born, though. I'm starting to show and I don't know if anyone would want to hire a fat actress."

Jack laughed. "Rose, you aren't fat. You're beautiful. But, whatever you want to do, whenever you want to do it, I'll support you. I promise."

Rose stopped walking and turned to her husband before giving him a long, loving kiss, not caring that they were outside. "I love you, Jack," Rose whispered before pulling away from her husband.

"I love you too, Rose. Let's get home," Jack said as they started to walk again.

A/N: I know it was a short chapter, but I wanted to update fast after that cliffhanger! :) I've been really busy lately, but I'll put the next chapter up soon. Thanks for reading, everyone!