He had read about her, the parties and dinners she attended and being photographed with some hopeful from a reality TV show but they were probably taken out of context so he shouldn't really judge on that score. He got a shock when he walked into the new chief's office on Monday morning when Rose Tyler was already there drinking coffee, well he imagined it would be coffee.
"Ah, Alec, nice of you to join us," the chief greeted him, gesturing for him to sit next to Rose and stop gawking at her.
Not that he was aware his mouth was open and no sounds were coming out anyway.
"Alec, meet Rose Tyler. I've asked her to join us as I've had a directive from the chief of police for the area at the meetings I attended last week. I can now reveal what they were about. Miss Tyler will be joining your team, as a liaison between us and Torchwood."
"Why, have we been invaded and no-one told me?" Alec asked sarcastically but thinking it was a fair question, considering who Rose was.
"If we had, no-one told me either," Rose replied to him.
"Really Alec?" the chief questioned him. "You have no choice in the matter anyway as neither have I, the director of Torchwood himself has requested she be placed on the south coast and Miss Tyler thought the town suitable for a trial period."
"Doing what? Watching for flying saucers and little green men?" Alec asked.
Rose wasn't going to encourage him by laughing but failed.
"Not everyone who comes to Earth is so obvious," Rose informed him.
"You've met some them?" Alec replied, the chief getting annoyed with him again.
"Some are as human looking as you or I, they're not all green. We don't let the public know though, we dread to think what would happen after the Cybermen incident. Anyway, I'm here only to go between the police and Torchwood, to provide a backup should the police need it if anything strange occurs," Rose began to tell him, though the chief had heard it before.
"As a way of thanks, the director also places Torchwood resources at your disposal, such as lab facilities and agents who have experience dealing with the public, who can help with door to door enquiries etc. Your chief has all the details."
"Is this just a trial then?" Alec asked her, hoping she might be gone sooner rather than later.
"Alec, this is just the beginning," the chief tried to tell him. "Other police forces will also get the benefit if it's a success here. I expect your full co-operation on this, when Miss Tyler starts here, she will go through any old cases to see if she can help in any way. In such cases anything is found or newly reported, I expect you to work alongside her."
Great, he thought, just what he needed.
"Why can't DS Miller work with her?" he objected.
"Because you are the most senior officer around here Alec," the chief reminded him. "Miss Tyler will use the office next to yours when she's here, which I believe will only be for a few hours a day, am I correct?" she asked Rose.
"Yeah, it should be enough, I still have my Torchwood work to do as well. I'm not here on holiday, DI Hardy," Rose told him.
"How long is this trial period likely to last?" he wanted to know, hoping it might only be a week or two.
Could he put up with her for a short time?
"I'll have to see how it goes, it's up to the director if he wants me to stay here or not," Rose told him.
Who was she kidding? If she had suitably annoyed Alec Hardy, her stepfather would make her give up and if he didn't, her mother would, especially since the irritating detective resembled someone she had loved long ago.
"Miss Tyler, I can assure you, you will get our co-operation, won't she Alec?" the chief asked him. "You can show Miss Tyler to the office next to yours and have a junior officer at her disposal, for making sure she gets files on any unsolved cases."
Alec knew just the person the newly promoted DC Harford, who already got on his nerves and tested Miller to her limits. If the chief hadn't taken her on, she would have remained where she was as a uniformed officer, she was a liability.
Rose was escorted to an office next to Alec's and he left her to get organised. The office wasn't used much any more, he told her she may have to vacate for the odd meeting but she would more often than not be present when the crime scene unit leader had some information to share.
Alec had the pleasure of telling Katie Harford she had been chosen to help Rose. When he'd gone back to his office, she turned to Ellie.
"He has to be kidding?" Katie objected.
"Like it or not Katie, someone has to do it," Ellie told her. "You know who she is?"
"Some special ops?" Katie asked.
Ellie thought maybe Hardy was right about her after all? She had tried to defend the young junior officer when he'd come back.
"Yes, special ops and we need you to give a good impression, Katie," Ellie told her. "Try not to let us down?"
Ellie thought if anyone let them down, it would be Hardy, since he'd opened the spare office door then left as soon as he could. This could be interesting, she thought.
Over the next few days, Rose got on with mostly everyone, she made friends with Ellie, whom Alec was rather relieved she'd got herself together and gone back to work there so he didn't have to break in a new DS. Ellie though had been a little sceptical that the two of them could work side by side when Rose and Alec completely ignored each other.
The conversation had been interesting though, CS Clark thought, since she was unaware how Rose had met her new detective inspector, well new to her when she'd taken the job.
"So, Miss Tyler, have you already met DI Hardy?" CS Clark had asked her before Alec had joined them, the chief thinking he was late on purpose.
"Yes, the other day, when I went to the letting agency. He wasn't happy I beat him to a place to rent," Rose admitted.
"I'm sure he'll get over it. If you have any problems with him, DS Miller will help you, she's used to him," Rose was told.
That though wasn't helping by Wednesday when Ellie went in to see Rose.
"Are you two talking yet?" Ellie smiled at her.
"Not exactly," Rose admitted.
"Then do what I did, invite him over for dinner. Mind you, that didn't really help, he admitted he had another heart attack when he got back to the hotel."
"Crikey, well it s a good thing he got himself fixed then?" Rose replied. "Was he so bad?"
"Yeah but the stupid idiot did nothing about it at first."
"So why did he leave then come back?" Rose wondered, not wanting to say he'd mentioned something in the letting agents.
"You'll have to ask him Rose," Ellie smiled. "He won't thank me for telling you. Just ask him, you never know?"
"He's mad at me for taking the cottage he wanted," Rose admitted.
"I thought it would be something like that, no wonder he's mad with you then?"
So before she got ready to leave for the day, she took a chance and let herself into Alec's office.
"Something I can do for you?" he asked, looking over the top of his rimless specs.
"You've hardly spoken to me all week, Alec," she reminded him.
"I was told to co-operate with you on cases, you never brought any to my attention," he just replied.
"Does that mean you have to ignore me?"
"I never wanted to disturb you and so I left you to it. Everyone else here manages on their own."
"Are you still mad at me, for taking that cottage, Alec?"
"Do you have to keep saying my name?"
Rose thought that must be one of his pet hates then? Right, he'd asked for it.
"You are still mad at me. Let me make it up to you?"
"How? Are you planning on moving out already?" he asked hopefully.
Rose grinned at him. "Nope. If my mum comes with my younger brother, he may slip into the water if I take that riverside shack."
"Well he may fall down those steps," he reminded her.
"Once he's up there, Alec, he won't be going out, trust me. So, about making up for it? Can I invite you to dinner one night?"
"So I can see what I'm missing, I mean in the way of the cottage," he hastily added.
"No, as a peace offering maybe? I doubt you have much company for dinner at the hotel?"
Why did she have to remind him, he wondered.
"It's not a good idea," he replied, thinking back to his invite to the Miller house and he ended up in hospital. He bet Miller had already told her about that. "We work together."
"I wouldn't go as far as to say that, Alec. Just say yes?"
"Yes, okay, if it stops you asking me. I doubt you will give up?"
"Nope. See, that wasn't so difficult, was it? Shall we say Saturday, half seven? No need to give you the address."
Alec wondered why she had to be such a smart ass.
When she got home, she called her mother, who wanted to know how she was getting on.
"Fine Mum. So when are you and Tony coming down then?"
"Maybe later on in the school holidays? I'm not sure about being so high up though."
"Mum, it's better than stepping out at the side of the river," Rose reminded her.
She wondered if her mother would even last that long, Tony broke up from school in a few weeks, she'd cave in then.
Alec still didn't say much to her the next day so Friday morning, she asked him for a meeting.
"Giving up?" he asked hopefully.
"No, should I? Can you think of anything we should discuss?" Rose replied.
"You leaving town? Seriously, why choose this place?"
"If you think I chose it because you were here, think again. As far as I knew, you'd left town. Anyway, it was the thought of it being quiet here, not like other seaside towns in the area. Well, if there's nothing you can think of? Are you still coming over tomorrow night?"
"I said I would. Don't go telling anyone, understand?"
"Not a word," Rose smiled, wondering what all the secrecy was.
Ellie saw her smiling on her way out.
"Did you ask him then? Only I thought if you weren't busy tomorrow night, maybe we could have a girls night out? I've got my dad staying with me so I've already got a babysitter."
"Sorry Ellie, I have something planned tomorrow night. Maybe another time?"
"You did ask him!" Ellie laughed. "Don't let him fool you Rose, I bet he's looking forward to having some company."
"I sure hope you're right Ellie," Rose admitted. "He doesn't seem so keen though."
All day Saturday, Alec was trying to come up with excuses to get out of his dinner 'date'. He still knew no-one in town all that well and Daisy had laughed and said if he didn't start dating soon, she was going to make him join the latest dating 'app' to which he'd told her not to dare set him up with a blind date.
He'd called her the night before and Daisy had asked if he'd met anyone yet.
"Daisy, I've not been back long," he had to remind her.
"That's no excuse, Dad. What about any women on holiday?" she suggested.
"That's not going to work," he told her. "Anyway, I sort of have a dinner date on Saturday."
"Really?" Daisy had to laugh. "Well, who is she?"
How could he say it was with the famous Rose Tyler? She would never believe him in a million years.
"Just someone who started work here a few days ago," was all he was going to admit.
"It's a start," Daisy told him. "I'm really pleased Dad."
He thought she would be, when she found out who it was but it was just an odd dinner date and Rose would probably hate him even more afterwards.
Rose went shopping on the Saturday morning, bought a new dress as well as food shopping and hoped she would impress her dinner guest, since he'd hardly spoken to her all week. What was it with him? She was hoping he would lighten up a little when he arrived later that evening.
Alec was having a debate with himself as to if he was going to forget Rose Tyler had forced her way into the station on the pretence of working and enjoy her company for the evening. Taking the bottle of wine and the expensive box of chocolates from the back seat of the car he had commandeered while the chief had been away and he'd half expected her to confront him about it, he remote locked the doors and found his way to the steps up to the white painted cliff cottage, thinking maybe it was better she'd got the place instead of him.
What was he going to tell Daisy though? That he'd failed to find a place to rent because the Vitex heiress had beaten him to it? His daughter would never agree to live in the riverside cottage, even if he could afford it so maybe he could talk her into living in a caravan if he had to find somewhere in a hurry?
He reached what he thought was the back door and decided to bypass it, thinking she may not answer it anyway, even though she was expecting him. He knew from looking up the place it had a patio door so he walked behind the cottage, passing some windows at the back and seeing garden lights placed on the side of the cliff above the brick wall and then passed one patio door, the curtains closed and surmised that was one of the bedrooms.
He went to the next one and could see the living room and knocked on the double-glazed door. Rose was in the kitchen, nervously looking at the kitchen clock and wondering if he'd changed his mind at the last minute. Then she heard him knocking and turned around to see him standing at the patio door.
Alec was trying to brush his hair back as he looked at his reflection and forgetting it was now short again, putting it down to the tension that had been building up all day and his internal debate as to if he should cancel. That though would prove her point, that he didn't like her much so he'd told himself he could at least make the effort.
"Hi Alec, come on in," Rose greeted him as she unlocked the door, Alec pleased she had the sense to do so.
"I wasn't sure which door to use. Ah, these are for you," he replied, holding out the fancy box, the bottle still tucked under his arm.
"Oh, thanks. Come on through, I was just finishing off. Can you open the wine?" she asked, going to the kitchen drawer for the opener.
He'd called for it as late as he could, hoping it wasn't too warm. He took the opener and placed the bottle on the counter top. He wasn't sure if he'd even brought the right type.
"Hope you like Italian?" she asked him as he looked nervous and taking his time opening the bottle.
"Ah, yes, now I can eat it again. I had to watch my diet back when I was ill. You look very nice by the way, you need not have got dressed up for my visit."
"This old thing?" Rose laughed, pointing to her floral dress. "Well, you only see me in slacks and a work shirt normally. I thought you would have dressed more casually though? Don't you go out anywhere?"
"In this town?" he tried to joke as she turned to the stove.
He picked up the wine and thought he'd best retreat and leave her to it, going to pour the wine into the two glasses already on the table by the window. He looked out of the window and saw why she'd wanted the place.
"Nice view," he remarked as she brought some dishes in.
"I know you were disappointed when I beat ya to this place. I thought about what you said Alec but I can't let my brother near the river. I mean he can swim but my mum wouldn't be too pleased. Have you found anywhere yet?" she asked, going back for some more dishes.
"Not yet. Maybe I was hoping you would give this place up?"
"Sorry. I'm sure you'll find somewhere Alec, there's still a few weeks to the holidays. I'm not sure when my mum's coming down though, she'll probably just spring it on me. Well, let's eat then?"
The dinner seemed to be going well, so Rose thought. He complimented her on her cooking, she said he'd chosen just the right wine when he said he'd not been sure about it and she was clearing the dishes when he offered to help.
"Leave them to soak," Rose insisted as she poured water into the bowl. "I got some Italian dessert as well, hope you like it."
Alec was at a loss what he should talk about when he arrived but he talked about Daisy, how he'd gone back to try to make it up to her for him leaving home and Rose felt sorry for him when he told her Daisy still hadn't decided.
"You have to keep trying Alec," she encouraged him. "So if she comes to visit, how long is she planning on staying?"
"More than a few days I hope. If I have to, I'll go get a caravan for a few weeks and I'm sorry for hinting you should take the other place so I can have this, I was a bit annoyed someone had just beaten me to it."
"You're forgiven," Rose smiled. "Actually, when I think about it, maybe my mum would be better off getting a caravan for their stay, Tony could go swimming and to the kids club. I'll have to mention it to her when I call her."
She somehow doubted her mother would go for a caravan though, given one of her male friends had lent them his in Clacton for a week and they were glad to get home.
"May I ask you something Rose?" he wondered, using her name for the first time all evening.
"Yeah, sure."
"Do you think I've been ignoring you all week?"
"Have you?" she smiled. "Maybe we got off to a bad start, fighting over this place?"
"I did not know at the time we would be working together. I thought you were just on holiday."
"Taking the place for more than a week?"
"I wasn't to know," he replied in his defence.
"So, if you are not mad at me, can we at least be friends while I'm here?"
"I will try to be more friendly. How are you getting on with DS Miller?"
"She suggested we have a girls night out," Rose grinned. "She had better not ask Katie."
"You don't like her?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "Take my advice, don't go drinking with Miller. She took a suspect out from an old case of mine and she got wrecked."
"Thanks for the warning then. Was it you who assigned Katie to me?"
Alec remained silent.
"You did, didn't you?" Rose laughed, hitting his arm as they stood in the kitchen.
"I thought you two would get on well. Okay, I apologise, I deserved that," he replied rubbing his arm.
"Well ya could make it up to me?" Rose suggested, taking a step forward.
"How would I do that?" he wondered.
Rose leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "You'll figure it out, Alec."
He raised his eyebrows and put his hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sure I will," he replied as he leaned to close the gap and went to kiss her.