As they drove towards Dorchester, Alec could see she was getting nervous but he didn't know what he could possibly say to make her feel any better about it. Yes, she had accepted it was partly her own fault for getting in this state, she'd admitted that even though she'd tried to resist Kilgrave, she'd given in but only because of what she feared he might do. There was no easy way out of this, he didn't want to say the wrong thing and she'd do something stupid, like he feared she might throw herself in the river in an attempt to take the decision out of her hands.

He knew she hadn't wanted to wait even another few days, despite him telling her umpteen times it didn't matter to him the baby she was carrying wasn't his, she had done what she had to do and there was no going back. He found the hotel which he'd booked for them and sitting Rose down, went to the desk and checked in, just signing his name and since he'd never officially changed his address put his chalet down since it would look odd putting the caravan site but they were still undecided as to where they would live.

For all he knew, Rose might get in a very low mood and demand he take her back to London or she'd call Jake to pick her up, it could be the end of what they'd shared the last few days. He just hoped she wouldn't end up in therapy again. He found the room, putting the bag on the chair by the door, Rose crossing to the window, which overlooked the garden.

"Seems comfortable enough," Alec remarked, checking the bathroom though why that was the first thing people did when they stayed in a hotel was beyond him.

"Yeah, was this your idea?"

"Miller suggested it but she was right, you may feel too uncomfortable to drive back to the caravan tonight, it may be late anyway."

He went to join her at the window, putting his arms around her waist and kissing her cheek. "I would have thought about it though, probably."

Rose smiled and turned to face him. "I'm not gonna change my mind Alec."

"I know love, I am not even going to suggest it. Why don't you transfer the funds to my account and I can settle the bill for you? They may want you to pay afterwards and if someone from your stepfather's accounts department see it, it may get back to your mother."

"Yeah, I'll do it now, how much will it cost?"

"Oh, I have no idea. Maybe we should leave it then?"

"Well if I pay on my debit card, it won't go to the accountants, there's enough in to pay whatever it is but the bank will know."

"Then maybe you should go to the bank and withdraw some cash?" She leaned on his shoulder. "Rose, I'm sorry, I wish I had enough to cover it though I can go up to a certain amount, it all depends."

"Then let's see how much they charge?"

All too soon, Alec was pulling into the car park of the clinic after they had just laid on the hotel bed holding each other, Rose having broken down at the reality of what was about to take place. He drove around the back, hoping most of the staff had already left, it was almost five thirty. The rear door opened and a uniformed nurse came out as Alec got out of the car.

"DI Hardy?" she asked, recognising him from the Latimer case.

"Yes, I will just get Miss Tyler, I hope you can trust your staff not to reveal she has been here?"

"Yes but if she pays by card, it will go on her statement, unless you're paying? DS Miller never gave many details as to if the police were involved officially."

"No, she was doing it as a favour, Rose is too distraught to think about finding somewhere where she won't be noticed."

"Well no-one will hear it from us."

Alec went to help Rose out of the car, she usually got herself out but she was still upset. The nurse led them inside to the reception area.

"You can pay now or later, I've prepared a bill for you but it depends which method of treatment you want to use. Since it's evening and one method may take several hours, I would expect you just want to get it over with?"

Rose nodded as the consent forms were handed to her. She had to put Pete as her next of kin but put Alec down for contact, well since he was there with her.

"I want him to be kept informed during the procedure, if things start to go wrong. I would have preferred the other method but since you pointed out it's late."

They were led to a changing cubicle, Alec waiting outside and taking her clothes that had been placed in the basket, then they were led to a waiting area. Rose was called in and was given a quick health check and the nurse listened to her heartbeat, then she was asked some questions about allergies and her general health.

Alec was pacing up and down, to the amusement of the head nurse.

"Nervous?" she asked, much as he'd asked Rose on the way there. "She'll be fine, we'll take the greatest of care of her, it's not like the old days when it was all back street and illegal. If she'd come along on Tuesday, she would have been given the option of the other treatment but everyone is different, that could take anything over two hours though she's not that far on."

"Could she still not go for that?" Alec asked, not wanting Rose to suffer.

"Well she could but it's up to her if she wants to ask for it, it can get quite painful, almost as bad as labour itself, I'm sure she won't want that."

"Maybe not then, let's see what she has decided."

Rose came out and sat beside him. "Well, that's the easy bit over then, now for the hard bit."

"Do you have any questions Miss Tyler?" the nurse asked.

"How long does it take?"

"Not long, it's straightforward enough, there should be no complications. You read and understood the admittance and consent forms?"

Rose nodded, clinging hold of Alec's arm. "Can we have a few minutes?"

"Of course, just go through that door over there when you're ready. That is unless you prefer the non-intrusive method?"

"Is it too late to go for that?" Rose asked, looking at Alec.

"No, we are prepared for either, I'll let you discuss it but please, try not to take too long."

When she had left, Alec took Rose's hand. "It's up to you love but if you ask me, the quickest would be the best way, you already feel bad enough and if you take too long, they may have to operate anyway."

"Yeah, you're right. Walk me to the door?"

They walked across and Alec leaned down to kiss her. "I wish you had been with me when I had my pacemaker fitted."

"So do I, you'd have had it fitted a lot sooner, never mind you passing out on the decking."

"Don't forget when I collapsed in my hotel room."

Rose held him tighter. Alec knew she didn't want any of this so he let go of her and pushed the door slightly. He walked her inside, the table waiting for her looking like something from a torture chamber, Rose wondering if they were going to knock her out or make her watch. The nurse saw she looked worried.

"Don't be scared Rose, it looks worse than it is. Graham here is going to put you to sleep and monitor you, Mary is going to hold your hand until you go under and I'll be doing the procedure."

The two staff smiled at her, Graham with a needle all ready to use on her, the breathing mask close by.

"I want Alec to hold my hand until I go under," Rose declared, being helped onto the table that was more like a chair at present.

The nurse nodded and handed Alec a green gown to put over himself, which he quickly did. Once Rose was settled, he took her hand.

"I'll be right here when you wake up love."

"Yeah, I know you will," Rose smiled back as the injection started to take effect.

Alec let go as the mask was put over her and feeling he no longer belonged there, he took the gown off and went to the door, glancing back as the small but efficient team started going about their tasks. He went to sit down, no-one else was around but whom he presumed had given Rose her pre-op came out of the office and gave him a smile.

"Don't worry, she'll be out in no time."

He hoped she was right. He got his phone out of his pocket and got Ellie's number.

"I didn't expect to hear from you," Ellie told him, trying to feed Fred.

"She's had to go for the surgery, she wasn't that keen on the idea of suffering for hours using the other method."

"Like I told Rose earlier, it's all done routinely these days, she'll be fine."

"Easy for you to say, I just left her in there Miller."

"What was the alternative? Have you called her stepfather?"

"I will, it's up to him if he tells her mother or not, best wait and see what happens."

He hung up and got Pete's number, waiting for him to answer. Pete was in his study having just got back from Torchwood, he only went in a few hours a day to oversee operations and was thinking of cutting it down to a few days.

"So, she's in there then?" Pete asked, thinking that was rather obvious.

"Yes, are you going to tell her mother?"

"Call me back when it's over, I haven't made up my mind yet."

He got up and went to find Jackie, not knowing what to do for the best. On the one hand, Jackie would be livid if he hadn't told her and something went wrong but if it did, Rose wouldn't thank him. He was spared as his phone rang again, it was Castle.

"Hey Pete, how's things?"

"Fine Rick, how's things with you? Have you found that Jessica yet?"

"That's why I'm calling. Carver had a bit of luck and sent some details to Kate, I think I've found her but it will have to wait until Monday now, I have a phone number, I'm gonna give her a call and arrange a meeting."

"Well I'd be grateful if you kept Alec out of it, maybe Carver too but you need to tell her what happened to Rose and about Hope."

"Leave it to me Pete, I'll keep them out of it as much as I can but she may ask questions such as how we got on to him."

"Well as long as Carver stays where he is and Alec remains here, there shouldn't be any problems. It's Kilgrave you should feel sorry for if she catches up with him or if my wife gets hold of him."

After saying goodbye to Castle, Pete went to join his wife and son in the kitchen, Jackie fussing over the boy.

"Now you've done it Pete."

Pete had a nasty feeling she'd found out about Rose but wanted to confirm it.

"Done what?" he asked innocently, ruffling the boys hair.

"Did you think you'd get away with it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw the website you were looking at, that caravan site and next weekend, what did I tell you about Tony?"

Pleased he had got away about Rose, he agreed he would make the booking for the next holiday weekend, for a week. Rose owned him that much. He picked up the pad he'd left earlier that Jackie had switched on and changed the date, noting there were still some vacancies. Now all he had to do was wait for Alec calling him back and tell him they were closer to finding Kilgrave although the damage had already been done.

Back at the clinic, Alec had sat himself down, head in his hands. He couldn't lose her, not now and statistically, these procedures had a very high success rate, well according to Miller but what had she been filling Rose's head with? He sat up, eyes fixed on the door where he'd left Rose, the love of his life because she was now, he'd not known why he'd been spared when he should have died on the operating table himself or several times before, as far as he knew Rose hadn't heard about the night he'd chased Miller's husband and been rushed to hospital, she would be horrified.

It had only been an hour but it seemed a lifetime before the door opened and Rose was being wheeled out. Alec was up like a shot, rushing to her side.

"How is she? Did everything go ok?"

"Yes, everything went fine, we'll just take her to the recovery room, you can go with her. It's best you're there when she wakes up. She'll be out for an hour, maybe less and as soon as she feels well, she can go. If you come with me, we can settle what you owe."

"Yes, by all means but you may have to wait for her to pay, depending on what the charges are, being out of hours."

"I only agreed because of who she is, we don't normally do this sort of thing but DS Miller said it was most urgent and judging by her nervousness when she came in, she may have changed her mind by Tuesday."

"No, I don't believe she would have, it would have only made her worse, being left over the weekend."

They had reached the reception desk, Alec being handed a piece of paper with a breakdown of the costs. Seeing the total, it wasn't that bad, considering so he got his bank card out and trusted Rose wouldn't want him to pay for the hotel in the morning, there was still a week until payday.

He got the receipt and went back to where it was indicated Rose would be, the other nurse sitting at a desk.

"You can sit by her bedside until she wakes up, it helps if you take her hand, she'll wonder where she is."

Forty minutes later, he felt her moving. He'd sent Pete a message as well as Ellie to say she was out of the theatre, Pete sending him one back to say they needed to talk later. Alec hoped it wasn't about the fact he'd had to tell Jackie Tyler.

"Hey, you're still here."

"Where would I go?"

"Did you pay?" Rose asked, trying to sit up but still feeling dizzy.

Alec sat on the bed, supporting her. "Yes but you are paying for the hotel tonight Rose. How do you feel?"

"Weird but I don't really feel sick any more. Can I go now?"

The nurse was just bringing her a cup of tea.

"Drink this first and take your time, we don't want you getting dizzy, do we now?" the nurse smiled. "Can I get you anything?" she asked Alec.

"Tea would be appreciated, it's been a long wait."

The nurse went off.

"Did you call Ellie and Pete?"

"Yes, Pete wants to talk to us, when we get back to the hotel."

"Don't tell me my mother found out?"

"Not as far as I know, it must be something else, she has not been calling you. How do you really feel love?"

"I'll be fine but I'll probably have a scar."

"Well that is the least of your problems, I promise not to notice."

"Yeah, well just you remember that and the fact I'll be rather delicate for a while."

Rose was allowed to leave and they went back to the hotel, Rose forgoing the evening meal but insisted Alec still ate, just catching the dining room being open.

"Have some soup," Alec insisted as the waitress brought his.

Rose nodded in agreement and Alec passed his across.

"Mmm, smells good since I've not eaten properly for ages."

"Have you been living on potato wedges?" he asked, raising his eyebrows as his own soup arrived.

"So, what did Pete want?"

"We should find out later. Let's hope it's not to say your mother has found out. Are you ever going to tell her?"

Rose shook her head. "Would you have told her, if she'd called you?"

"I may be a detective Rose but I have my limits."

They went back to their room, Rose feeling a little sore as the anaesthetic wore off completely and Alec insisted she got undressed and into bed even though it was early. He put the TV on low volume and called Pete back.

"So, she's ok?" Pete asked him.

"Do you want to speak to her?"

"No, just tell her Castle may have found Jessica Jones, Carver came up with a few things so Castle is trying to arrange a meeting with her. I've asked him to keep you out of it Alec."

"For which I am grateful. Let us know if he gets back to you."

An hour later, Rose was asleep, Alec sat up on the pillows comforting her. All that mattered was now, she could maybe put it all behind her.

The next morning, they got back to the caravan, Alec making a fuss over her. Daisy called to say she was setting off and Alec insisted Rose rested on the seating area while he tidied up and they made a shopping list.

"So, are you going to let Daisy choose her own food?"

"If she wants to. No tonic water then?"

Rose threw a soft cushion in his direction. "Don't go reminding me of that. We really need to talk now, did you think I wouldn't want to?"

Alec sat down again, pretending to throw the cushion back at her but holding onto it.

"I had no idea how you would feel love but if you want to talk, then that's what we will do. Do you want to go home?"

"Why would I?" she asked, moving across to him. She leaned into his shoulder as he put his arms around her.

"I thought maybe you would want to see your mother after all."

"I'll see her when she comes down, I've put them off until the next holiday, I hope."

"Then there is nothing to talk about, is there? We just have to decide where we go when we leave here."

"Don't you trust me by the river?"

"Well I do now, I had my doubts though. I was only thinking what was best for you. Now, can we leave all that behind?"

"Yeah, I know I've got you to help me. Shouldn't you be walking over to meet Daisy?"

"Yes, I will bring some lunch back, potato wedges perhaps?"

"Don't you dare, just something light though maybe?"

"Anything you want love and I will explain to Daisy on the way over."

He kissed her goodbye and walked the short distance to the bus and coach stop, just across the bridge. Daisy had said goodbye to her mother, Tess asking her about how she felt, meeting Rose.

"Who wouldn't want to meet Rose Tyler? I still can't believe she's really dad's new girlfriend, you should have heard all my friends yesterday when they'd been in the papers."

"Yes, well your father is quite capable of getting in the papers on his own without her help. I bet he never even gave that statement, it will have been written by her stepfather's PR team and as for that rubbish about what happened to her in New York?"

"Leave it Mum, I'm sure they'll tell me the truth when I get there. Here's my coach, I'll see you on Tuesday."

As she made her way to Broadchurch, she wondered why her dad had been so mysterious when he'd last called to make the final arrangements that he had something he wanted to talk to her about but she didn't know since then that things had changed.

Alec had been going to tell her that Rose was pregnant, the result of her being held captive but that was no longer the case though Rose would still not be her usual self over the weekend. As the coach turned off the main road and made its way to the harbour, Alec was sat on the wall by the bus shelter, Beth Latimer, who was out for a walk with her baby daughter seeing him.

"Waiting for someone inspector?" Beth asked.

"Yes, my daughter is coming for a visit, she will be here soon."

"Oh I think Ellie mentioned something about it. Where did you two get to when you both left town, Ellie wouldn't say much."

"We were on a special assignment, we can't discuss it."

"So, it's true then? Rose wouldn't say much when Ellie brought her to see me."

"Yes, no doubt you will see us around the town together anyway, we are not going to hide the fact now the press have been given a statement. Ah, I believe this is the coach I have been waiting for."

"You and Miss Tyler should come over for Sunday lunch sometimes, maybe next week?"

"I will ask her and thank you for talking to her the other night."

Daisy was just getting up, seeing her dad talking to a woman with a pram. She got her bags from the rack as the driver called out their destination and she made her way to the front, Alec standing by the steps waiting to help her.

"Daisy, welcome to Broadchurch."

He gave her an awkward hug as they moved away from the coach.

"You're not taking me to that chalet are you Dad?" Daisy asked as they walked to the gap leading to the footbridge.

"I have to call in for a few minutes and check the place, Rose may want to come back here when you leave."

He opened the gate and Daisy followed, wondering what the appeal was, her mother hadn't been very favourable about it after she'd brought him back from the hospital.

"Take a seat Daisy, I won't be long then I have something to tell you."

"Don't tell me, you've not got her pregnant already have you?"

"Why do teenagers always ask such stupid questions? No, I did not but it's something to do with that. When she was being held in New York, well she got involved with the man who was holding her."

"So she is pregnant? You're still with her?"

"Rose went to a clinic last night and aborted it but don't you dare tell your mother."

"Wow, that's a hell of a secret to ask me to keep Dad."

"Well even her mother doesn't know about it, only her stepfather, myself, my DS and now you."

"So is she ok?"

"She will be now it's over."

Well at least he hoped she would be but once the dust settled, then what? They walked across the road bridge and into the caravan site, stopping for food and to pick up Daisy's entertainment pass for the weekend.

"So will Rose be ok to go out and things?" Daisy asked as they approached the caravan.

"Maybe not today but you and I are going shopping after lunch, I don't want her walking around the supermarket."

"So I get to choose what I want then?" the teenager laughed.

"Aye but there's not much room in the fridge I can tell you, I'm going to have to buy tinned and packet food mostly so no filling the freezer compartment with pizzas."

"Yes Dad, whatever you say but maybe we can just eat out?"

"We will see what Rose wants to do. You are ok with this?"

"I have to be, don't I? Don't worry, I'll not tell mum about what happened, I expect you want to keep it out of the papers?"

"Rose has been in them enough lately."

"I thought she would be used to it."

Alec turned at the side of their caravan and opened the door, Rose was still laid on the seating but sat up when the door opened. She was still feeling sore but that would soon pass, the worse was over now but when she thought about having to go the whole weekend, she shivered.

"Rose, we're back sweetheart," Alec called as Daisy went in first.

"Hi, nice to see you at last," Rose greeted the girl, wondering if she'd go for a hug or not.

"So have I got one of those awful twin rooms? I've been looking caravans up online."

"No, you have the smaller of the two double rooms, Rose and I share so get used to it," Alec told her.

The teenager rolled her eyes, just what she needed, her dad and his girlfriend getting smoochie with each other all weekend, she may as well have stayed at home and watched her mother and that loser Dave. Alec dished up the food then he and Daisy went off to the supermarket and Rose took the opportunity to call her mother.

"Well you've been quiet all week," Jackie remarked as Jake was chasing Tony around the house.

"Not much to say, been settling in. The caravan's nice enough, better than being stuck in a hotel room."

"So what's his daughter like then?"

"She's a teenager Mum, what ya think she's like?" Rose laughed.

"Well I hope the two of you get on or the weekend's gonna seem a lot longer for all of you. Got any plans?"

She had no idea, they'd not even talked about where they were going to go because until yesterday morning, they were going to have to take things easy but tomorrow when she felt better, that would no longer be the case. She was sure there would be plenty of places to keep Daisy amused. Up at the supermarket, Alec was being careful what he chose, due to lack of storage and his dwindling bank balance. Rose still hadn't got around to paying him back, not that it hadn't been worth it but it was something he'd not expected and after paying for her hotel and the caravan, he would be glad when it was payday.

After Rose talked to her mother, she went on the internet and to her bank account. Alec had begrudgingly left her his account details so she transferred the amount she owed for the clinic plus some extra for the nights in the pub. Alec had been right though, it was best the clinic didn't show up on her bank account but maybe they had a discreet way of it not showing up on bank statements.

They had a quiet few hours to themselves after Daisy and Alec got back then walked down to the club bar later on, Daisy wanting to call and see the swimming pool she planned on using.

"Want to come with me tomorrow?" she asked Rose as they peered through the windows, Alec pulling faces at the thought of going in.

"Can we leave it until Monday?" Rose groaned, not really feeling she could show herself off yet.

Daisy went ahead of them.

"I'm not doing very well, am I?" Rose asked Alec, putting her arm in his.

"It's not the easiest of things for either of you, she will come round."

"When she's ready to leave?" Rose smiled back as the teenager turned around in the entrance to the bar.

When they all got back, Rose decided to have an early night.

"You two have a lot to talk about, I'll get out of your way."

"Rose, it's fine, you can stay, can't she Daisy?"

Daisy just shrugged her shoulders. This was not what she'd been expecting her first weekend with her father to be like since he'd left home and it was going to be a long and difficult one for all of them. She'd not decided about how she felt yet, Rose wasn't really that much older than she was, maybe ten years or so and it was taking some getting used to but the man her mother was playing house with was older, her dad had to be about the same age as Dave was, maybe just a bit younger.

She still wondered how her dad and Rose had taken to each other, he'd only been going over to New York to help find her, not shack up with her when they got back so how had it happened so fast?

Alec followed Rose into their bedroom, putting his arms around her.

"I won't wake you when I come to bed love," he told her, kissing her neck.

"It's ok, you can do but maybe no mucking around yet?"

"Still feeling delicate?"

"Yeah a bit but I'll be fine in a few days then I'll find the health centre and get covered."

"There is no need to rush you know."

"I know but I made you think you'd be waiting for ages."

"It does not matter, I can wait a bit longer, until it's all sorted. I took your advice and didn't sneak anything in with the shopping."

Rose smiled, letting him kiss her shoulder.

"Well if we go out tomorrow, maybe I can distract Daisy for an hour or so and you can sneak off on your own?"

Alec just smiled to himself as he nuzzled against her. Any doubts she was going home or say she didn't want to be with him were fast disappearing and he was thankful she was talking about them finally being together properly, once she had recovered from what happened last night. The sooner she forgot about Kilgrave and the sooner he was caught by either the police or Jessica Jones the better and as he kissed his gorgeous girlfriend, he didn't much care how it ended as long as Rose could leave it all behind her.