A few days later, Rose was sitting at her kitchen table on her laptop, looking up two bedrooms to rent in Broadchurch. Her mobile began ringing. She picked it up and looked at the caller ID. It was Jackie. She swiped her finger across the screen and answered the call. "Hi, mum."
"Rose, have you seen the Daily Mail today?" Jackie asked, her tone cool.
"Can't say that I have, no. Why?" Rose replied.
"Do me a favor. Get on your computer, go to the Daily Mail's website, and do a search for Vitex. Go ahead, I'll wait."
Perplexed, Rose clicked to open a new tab and entered the web address. The page loaded, and she typed Vitex into the little search box at the top of the page. It took a minute, but the results popped up. Rose swallowed heavily, reading the title of the first result: iVitex Heiress Dating Dead Fiance's Doppelganger/i. It had been posted three hours ago. She clicked on the article. At the very top of the page was a picture of her and Alec standing on her porch, locked at the lips and wrapped in a tight embrace. Judging by their clothes, she could tell it had only been taken the day previously.
"Care to explain yourself?" Jackie asked, her voice rising. "I thought he was supposed to be locked in another universe!"
"It's not what you're thinking, mum. It's not the Doctor. His name his Alec Hardy, and it's just a really strange coincidence that he looks like the Doctor. Just like there were doubles of Pete and Mickey and you in this universe...there was apparently a human double of the Doctor, too," Rose said, biting her lip.
"And I suppose it was just coincidence too that you happened to end up moving to the town where this man lives. Tell the truth Rose-is he the real reason you decided to move to Broadchurch?"
"Mum, I had no idea he even existed before I came here. I'd never heard of him before. The first time I met him, I thought he was the Doctor!" Rose defended herself. "But they couldn't be more different, mum. They're really nothing alike."
"How long have you two been involved?"
"We were friends for a while first. We started dating on New Year's Eve. It just sort of...happened," Rose finished lamely. "I didn't tell you because I figured you'd freak out."
"What about John? He hasn't been dead that long. Rose, people are going to talk," Jackie admonished.
"Oh, like they talked when Pete Tyler married a woman who looked exactly like his dead wife? Bugger what other people think. I'm happy, mum. For the first time since John died, I'm happy, and don't you think he'd want that? He told me once before, have a fantastic life. I'm trying to do that."
"Suppose you would know. You were the only one that understood that mad alien," Jackie relented. "I want to meet him, then. This Alec Hardy. Think you could manage to squeeze a visit into your busy schedule?"
"He's a cop, mum. He can't just up and leave. He'd have to request off. Maybe we could come up to London for my birthday. I'll have to talk to him," Rose said.
"Your birthday's over two months away!"
"Well then I guess it will give you something to look forward to," Rose said, determined not to be steamrolled by her mother.
"I'd like to see you before then."
"Well, you're welcome to come to Broadchurch whenever. I've got a job, I've got stuff to do around here. And honestly, long car rides are starting to become uncomfortable," Rose admitted. "It seems like I have to run to the loo every five minutes these days."
"Well, I guess I could leave Tony with your father for the weekend," Jackie said uncertainly.
Rose pinched the bridge of her nose. She wasn't wild about the idea of her mother descending on Broadchurch to give Alec the third degree, but she didn't see how she could avoid it. "If that's what you want to do, mum."
"Well gee Rose, don't sound so excited," Jackie said sarcastically.
"It's fine. Really. Are you going to stay at the cottage? There's only the one bed."
"No, I won't put you out. I'll get a room at a hotel or something," Jackie replied.
"Alright. So...guess I'll see you this weekend then," Rose said, twisting her hair around her fingers.
"Yeah, alright. I'll call you before I get there, so you'll know when to expect me."
"'Kay. Bye," Rose said, ringing off. She let out a deep breath. How had the media even found out about her and Alec? No one knew she was in Broadchurch except Jake and her family, and they wouldn't have sold her out to the press. No, someone local must have tipped them off. The only time she could recall being recognized was that one day at the shoe shop, but that had been ages ago. It didn't make sense that the clerk would have waited this long to say something to the media, and besides that he wouldn't have known about her and Alec, unless by some coincidence he had seem them out together. She was still pondering that as she dialed Alec's number to warn him.
"Rose, is everything okay?" he answered immediately, sounding concerned.
"Not exactly. I'm afraid the cat is out of the bag. The media somehow found out I was here. They published an article about you and me in the Daily Mail this morning. The only thing I can't figure out is how they found me. No one knew I was here."
"Son of a bitch," Alec swore. "Tessa. She must have recognized you. This is obviously her way of getting revenge because I turned her down."
Rose considered this. It was the only thing that made sense, especially in light of Tessa's ominous threat to Alec: ithis isn't over/i. "This is probably only just the beginning. Now that they know I'm here, it's only a matter of time before more of them show up, looking for a story. What are we going to do?"
"Oh, believe me, after Sandbrook and the Latimer case, I've gotten quite accustomed to dodging the media. We'll deal with it. It's going to be alright," he reassured her.
"I hope you're right. Oh, and there's something else. My mum wants to meet you. She's coming to Broadchurch this weekend," Rose said anxiously.
"This weekend, huh?" Alec said wryly. "Exactly how worried should I be?"
"Have you ever seen Meet the Parents?" she asked.
"Yeah. But how is that relevant?" he asked, confused.
"My mum is like Robert De Niro in Meet the Parents."
"Oh," he stuttered. "Well...that's encouraging."
"What should I wear?" he asked her, rifling through the left side closet, a towel wrapped around his waist. He was fresh out of the shower, and his hair was looking wonderfully tousled.
"I don't know. Wear whatever you want," she said from her spot on the bed. She'd just gotten off the phone with Jackie. She was about an hour away.
"Should I wear a suit? I don't want to seem like I'm trying too hard, but I don't want to look like a slob, either," he fretted. He emerged from the closet, holding a hanger with a blue suit on it. "What do you think about this one?"
She frowned. She'd never seen him wear anything other than black or grey suits. She wasn't sure if she was prepared to see him in blue. Blue reminded her of John, and she was not trying to make comparisons between the two of them. "I'm not sure about the blue. Why don't you just wear a jumper and trousers?"
"Suppose I could do," he said, replacing the blue suit and peering back into the closet. "How about chinos and a button down shirt?"
"Yeah, I think that'd probably be fine. Quit obsessing over it."
He looked put out. "I just want to make a good first impression," he pouted.
She got up and put her hands on his shoulders. "It'll be fine. Really. She's not a monster, she's just a little intimidating, that's all. I'm sure you've met worse. Besides, just be yourself, the you you are around me, and she won't be able to help but like you."
He kissed her. "I'll do my best."
"Good, now that that's settled, drop that towel. It won't take you long to get dressed, and we've got time to kill," she said with a grin.
They were still in bed together when the doorbell rang about 45 minutes later. Alec stopped the naughty things he was doing with his fingers. They exchanged a panicked look with each other. "Shit!" they said in unison. Rose sprung from the bed, picked up her knickers from the floor and pulled them on as Alec rushed to the closet. She hopped into jeans and pulled her jumper on over her head, not bothering with her bra. She dashed out into the hall, closing the bedroom door behind her. The bell rang again just as she was flinging the front door open. "Hi, mum," she said, a bit too breathlessly.
Jackie took in her disheveled appearance-the mussed hair, the pink cheeks, the too tight jumper stretched tight over her protruding belly. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked archly.
"No, sorry. We were snuggling and we fell asleep," Rose said.
"Right," Jackie replied, raising her eyebrows.
Rose flushed. "Listen, I sleep all the time now. It's not like it's unusual for a pregnant woman."
"I'm not saying anything," Jackie replied. "Now, are you going to invite me in or not?"
"Of course. Come in, mum. Alec's getting dressed. He should be out in a minute," she said, stepping back from the door to allow her mother entrance. Jackie swept inside and Rose shut the door behind her. Together, t hey went into the living room.
"It's a bit spartan, innit?" Jackie observed.
"I hadn't noticed," Rose said flatly. She sat down on the couch, and Jackie plopped down beside her.
"Well, you're looking healthy, at least," she said.
Rose rubbed the swell of her stomach absently. "Yeah, the doctor says everything is proceeding well. The baby is healthy. I find out the gender at my appointment next month."
Alec picked that moment to emerge into the living room. He saw the two women squeezed in next to each other on the couch. "Let me just grab a chair from my study," he said, disappearing back down the hall. He returned a few moments later pushing a rolling desk chair. He pulled it up in front of the couch, leaving a few feet of space between himself and the women. "So, you must be Mrs. Tyler."
"Just Jackie will do. Mrs. Tyler is my mother-in-law," she said.
"I'm Alec Hardy," he said, extending his hand to Jackie. She didn't take it, and uncomfortably, he withdrew.
"God, it's weird. You really look just like him," Jackie remarked softly.
Rose cleared her throat. "But he's not, mum. He's not John."
"I know that," she replied curtly. "I'm not stupid. It couldn't be him."
"No one's calling you stupid, mum," Rose said, trying not to sound exasperated. This visit was already off to a great start.
"So," Jackie said, her hands clasped in her lap. "Tell me about yourself, Alec."
"What do you want to know?" he replied, leaning forward.
"Tell me the basics. Like the kind of stuff you'd put on an online dating profile," she said.
"Uhhh, well I've never online dated before, so you may have to be a bit more specific than that," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck.
Jackie rolled her eyes. "Just tell me about your life, you plum."
Alec tried not to look too offended at the insult. "Well, I was born and raised in Glasgow. Middle child, only boy. I married my childhood sweetheart and joined the police academy when I was twenty and I'm a DI now. I've been divorced for about two and a half years. I have a sixteen year old daughter named Daisy. I like to read and I like to run, but other than that, I don't have too many hobbies."
"How old are you then?" Jackie asked.
"I'm 38," he replied.
"Ten years older than Rose. Though I suppose that isn't much of an age gap in comparison to...oh, nevermind that. What are your intentions for my daughter?" Jackie questioned.
"I'm sorry?" he said.
"Your intentions for my daughter. What are they?" Jackie said flatly.
Rose and Alec exchanged an uneasy look. "Well, we only just started dating about seven weeks ago. But we're exclusive. I'm not seeing anyone else, nor do I want to. I care a great deal about your daughter," he responded earnestly.
"And what about the baby? It's not yours, you have no reason to stick around. Are you going to go swanning off as soon as it's born?" Jackie pressed.
"It was never my intention to abandon Rose because she's pregnant with another man's child. If I cared about all that, I wouldn't be involved with her now. I care about Rose, and I care about this baby, as much as if it were my own. Whatever she needs, whatever they need, I'll support them. I can promise you that much," he replied.
Rose was shocked by the sincerity of his words. They had never really talked about the specifics of their relationship, or how serious they were about each other at any great length. They just took one day at a time-that was all they were really able to do. He reached out and squeezed her hand, and smiled reassuringly at her. She couldn't help but smile back.
"Satisfied, mum?" Rose asked lightly.
"Suppose so. But I'll warn you, Alec Hardy, if you hurt my daughter, they'll be lucky to find pieces of you," Jackie threatened.
"Honestly, there's no need to be so melodramatic," Rose said, rolling her eyes.
"It's alright Rose. She's just looking out for you. That's a mother's job," Alec replied, stroking his thumb along the inside of her wrist. "Although now I see where the fire inside you comes from."
Both women laughed. "Quite right," Jackie said, the scowl on her face finally melting away.
"So," Rose said as they were getting ready for bed that night. "As bad as you were expecting?"
"Not at all. The way you talked about her, I was figuring it would be dragon lady territory. She didn't really ask anything I wasn't already expecting. It's obvious she was just looking out for your best interests. Honestly, I'd probably do the same to a boy that wanted to date my daughter," Alec answered, folding back the covers and climbing into bed.
"This feels like more than just casual dating, though. What you said, about supporting me and the baby...that's serious," Rose said.
"Move in with me," Alec blurted suddenly.
"Wait, what?" Rose said, turning to look at him.
"We already spend five nights a week together, six if you count Thursdays at Ellie's. I've got a key to your place, you've got a key to mine. I moved all my clothes into the left closet so you'd have space for your stuff. We already share the housework. And so far, you haven't been able to find a two bedroom in Broadchurch that you really like. This house is technically a two bedroom. The only thing I've got in the study now is my computer desk, but there's room in the living room for that. We could paint the study, turn it into a nursery," he replied. "What do you think?"
"You'd really want to do that?" she asked, still in a state of disbelief. Then again, her first Doctor had given her a key to the TARDIS after they'd only known each other for a couple of days, and it wasn't like they were together at the time. She trusted Alec, and he trusted her. Maybe this was just the natural progression of things between them.
"Rose, you're the first thing I think of when I wake up in the morning, and the last thing I think of before I go to bed at night. I'm 38 years old, I'm not getting any younger. I'm looking for a long-term relationship, not a casual fling. I don't want to just be casual with you. I want to wake up next to you every day," he said, taking her hands in his.
"You've obviously put a lot of thought into this," she said.
"I would've asked you sooner, but I didn't want to freak you out. These last seven weeks with you...they've just been incredible. I can't remember the last time I was so happy," he said, resting his forehead against hers. "Of course, if you don't feel the same way…"
"No, I do. I definitely do. You just took me by surprise, that's all. I mean, we said we'd take it slow, but I don't know...sometimes when you know, you just know," she said, brushing the hair away from his brow.
"So does that mean you'll move in with me?" he asked hopefully.
She smiled back at him. "Yeah. I do have a few conditions, though."
"Name them," he replied.
"One: we split the rent and utilities two ways. I'm not a charity case, I don't want to do this just to save money. Two: you agree to let me replace that natty old couch of yours. And maybe buy a few armchairs, too," she said.
"Is that it?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Suppose so, yeah. That alright with you?"
"Rose Tyler," he said with a grin. "You've got yourself a deal."