"How do I look?" Rose asked as she twirled around in her black dress, she was feeling a lot fresher now she had gotten rid of the sand on her.
"Perfect," Stephen smiled, who had also changed, this time he was wearing a white shirt and dark trousers, "what about me?"
"Oh, you'll do," she teased and kissed him, "now, come on."
X
"Nice," Stephen commented as he and Rose walked in to the reception, which was of course decorated to the max.
"Yeah," Rose nodded and noticed her Mother approaching her, amongst the crowds of people, it seemed as though half of London had turned up.
"Rose!" she smiled as she pulled Rose in to a bone crushing hug, "Mickey said you weren't coming, something about behind, stuck at work."
"Oh!" Rose nodded, she didn't have to come then, "Oh, Mickey-Mickey said that did he?"
"Yeah, but, anyway, you're here now," she grinned, and noticed Stephen standing next to Rose, "You must be Stephen?" Jackie guessed and looked back at Rose, "taken you long enough to introduce this one."
"Yeah well, you know, been busy, work and stuff."
"Well," Jackie smiled and looked up at Stephen, "Nice to finally meet you." Jackie said and walked away after a few awkward moments.
"That wasn't so bad..." Stephen whispered in Rose's ear as Jackie walked away, but Rose simply raised her eyebrows. "Or maybe it was...?"
"You don't know her... she's worse than she looks..." Rose trailed and looked around the room, at what seemed to be hundreds of people, none of them she recognised at all and as she scanned the room, she found the bar, "Come on," she smiled and grabbed his hand, "I think we need some drinks."
X
Rose scanned around the room whilst she, Mickey and Stephen enjoyed the luxuries, free luxuries of the bar. She scanned round and stopped as she found her mother, dancing, as always in the middle of the dance floor, with a man on her arm, but this time it was her new, well, sort of new husband. To Rose, she looked happy enough, happier than she had ever seen her. Stephen watched Rose as she smiled, watching her mother and 'father' dance.
"Fancy a dance?" Stephen asked a he noticed Rose staring at the dance floor and she came out of her trance.
"What?"
"Do you want to dance?" he asked again and smiled, but Rose tried to edge away, "Come on, it's a slow song."
"Okay..." she gave in eventually and dragged herself on to the dance floor and began to slow dance with Stephen and cringes slightly, "I haven't danced in years... well, not properly."
"And you think I have?"
"Yeah but... I mean years." She tried to emphasise how long it was, but even she said now long ago it was, he would never believe her, it was so long ago, 1941, Rose smiled as she remembered the memory, her and Jack dancing next to big Ben.
"Rose?" Stephen whispered after of moment of them dancing in silence.
"Yeah?"
"There was something Connor said to me...earlier."
"Well... he does say a lot things..."
"Okay, let me be a bit more specific, he was talking to me about how honesty is important in a relationship... and it got me thinking about how I need to be honest with you and how I need to tell you something..."
"Wh-what?" Rose whispered, panic filling inside her, thinking of the worst.
"It's about Helen... she came to see me today." Stephen began.
"And..."
"I kissed her, well, she kissed me." He began to explain, and soon as he said it, he saw Rose's face fall and she took a step back.
"You kissed her? When I asked you, if you had seen her... you said you hadn't..."
"I haven't..." he defended, and realised how it sounded, "I found her in my flat..." he began to explain but Rise just shook her head and began walking away.
"Just forget it Stephen... just..."
"Rose..." He yelled and ran after her, ignoring the faces watching them as he rushed after her, "Rose... listen to me."
"Go on then. What exactly happened before you shoved your tongue down her throat?"
"It wasn't like that... she took me by surprise."
"Right and let me guess... it wasn't your fault?"
"Rose...please," Stephen begged, "Listen to me... just let me explain?" he asked and looked down at her, his eyes begging as she nodded, but stayed silent, "Right, Helen came to see me, she was already in my flat when I got home... she was trying to persuade me of something.. I wasn't buying it..." he began to explain, but before he could finish Rose interrupted him.
"Hold on, hold on... is that where you were getting this whole Lester traitor thing from?" she asked, remembering back in the dessert, someone was betraying the team, for some reason he thought it was Lester. Rose looked up at him, but he didn't answer, "Stephen?"
"Okay, maybe I bought it slightly... I don't know, it just seemed to make sense at the time."
"And you believed her..."
"It wasn't like that... Rose... it wasn't. I promise." He looked in to her eyes and Rose stayed silent for a moment and eventually spoke.
"Okay. Can I ask you something? And be honest..." she whispered and Stephen nodded at her, "Do you have feelings for her?"
"No." He answered quickly, perhaps a bit too quickly, "I don't... And I know that because I do have feelings for someone..." he explained and shifted uncomfortably, "Well, you know who..."
"Well... I might not..." Rose smiled slightly as she began to wind him up.
"Rose.. I've told you how I feel..."
"It doesn't count," she grinned again and looked up at him, "I mean, you thought i was going to die... last words and all that..."
"Well, this time, you are certainly not dying and there's no danger and no cliffs and no last moments or last words? Now, I...love...you." he smiled down at her.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Well... "Rose grinned, "I guess... I love you too." She teased and reached on to her tiptoes and kissed him, "Now, let's just enjoy one night of peace and fun.."
"Until someone rings with an anomal-"
"Shush. No work... just for tonight...deal?" she asked and Stephen nodded.
"Deal."
A/N; I am so sorry for how long it's been! You have no idea how hard this chapter was to write...even though it's not that good. Anyway, I'm trying to get back in to the writing again...anyway... let me know what you think and review!
Amy