Sarah-Jane made Rose sit down, Alec sitting beside her and Jackie just staring at John.
"You had best tell us," Alec suggested.
"I'd been attending a conference and I was on my way back," John began to tell them. "You know those things can go on for ages," he then smiled at his wife.
"I'm used to it," Sarah-Jane smiled back.
"Yes, well," John cleared his throat. "I had no idea Rose, I mean that you lived nearby. I stopped at a late night garage and was just pulling in as who I thought was my double was just getting into his car at the other side of the petrol pump. I don't think he noticed me as he drove off."
"John, get to the point," Alec urged him, knowing how he liked to go on.
"Sorry. Well ten minutes later when I was nearly home, I heard all these sirens in the distance. Sorry Rose. If I'd known it was James, I would have said something to him, maybe asked him if he'd seen you, since I'd no idea you'd got married to him," John explained.
"You weren't to know," Jackie told him, standing behind Rose.
"I could have delayed him, maybe?" John told them sadly. "I thought nothing of it at the time, never even mentioned it, did I Sarah?" he asked her.
"Well I was asleep when you got back," Sarah-Jane told them. "I'm so sorry Rose, maybe John could have delayed him, wherever he was going? Alec, have you looked into the accident now you've found Rose again?"
"I wasn't sure Rose would want me to?" he squeezed Rose's hand. "They may have missed something."
"Leave it Alec, please?" Rose urged him. "You may not have done any good John."
What if he'd taken it the wrong way? Would he have come back to me, she wondered.
"Don't get upset Rose," Jackie patted her shoulder. "Leave it Alec."
Alec put his hands up.
"Fine. John, we know you mean well but Rose was told everything at the time but we appreciate your concern, don't we Rose?" he asked her.
"Yeah, sorry John but it's how I feel. Besides, it'll just upset Jamie," Rose agreed, taking Alec's hand.
She wasn't ready to admit to anyone else what had taken place before James had stormed out that night.
"Best go see what the boys are up to," Sarah-Jane changed the subject. "Rose, want to come and see John's invention?"
"Can't wait," Rose tried to cheer up.
Alec had seen John's 'Super' talking computer before and Jackie wasn't interested so Rose followed Sarah-Jane upstairs.
"So Jackie, it was you I saw recently?" John told her. "Sarah thought I was seeing things!"
"Well I thought that," Jackie laughed. "Alec, I'm worried about Rose. I mean all these memories coming back."
"She's strong Jackie, she will be fine," he insisted. "We won't mention this to Jamie, not until he's older."
"Is Rose going back with you then?" John wanted to know.
"She will be sorting things out and I will be trying to get out of Sandbrook. I don't want Rose and Tess in the same town. I hate to think about them meeting, I may end up arresting Rose," Alec smiled at the thought.
"I'd like to see ya try," Jackie laughed.
"So would I," John agreed. "Tess has a lot to answer for."
"You're telling me," Jackie laughed again. "I'd like to get my hands on her as well."
"Jackie, she knows Rose is back. She lost," Alec told her. "The best thing I can do is try to make it up to her."
Upstairs, the two boys were in the attic and Rose and Sarah-Jane joined them.
"Look what uncle John made Mum," Jamie was admiring the large computer console. "Can I come round here all the time?"
That made Rose smile. All this time, Jamie had a cousin who could maybe have helped him get over losing James. Could she take him away now? Alec would soon want an answer, if he was talking about them getting engaged again. She wanted to marry Alec now, more than anything, she'd loved James but she'd never stopped loving Alec.
"Well, there are gonna be some changes Jamie but for now, if it's okay with your aunt and uncle?" Rose agreed.
"He's fine, he can come round any time, just drop him off and we'll get him home," Sarah-Jane offered. "You'd best give us your address, oh and your mobile number. John was so excited when Alec told him he'd met you again and that he had a son."
"When I saw him on the news, I just knew I had to go and find him. I had no idea if he was still with Tess or not," Rose admitted.
"I don't think it would have mattered to him, I think he would have left her if he'd not already split with her. John told me everything," Sarah-Jane replied. "Including how everyone was so against him taking up with her in the first place. I never liked her."
"Well I never met her but I can't forgive her for what she did," Rose told her as the boys were occupied and laughing in the corner. "She kept Jamie away from his real dad but James took the job."
"You were lucky then," Sarah Jane replied.
"I'm going back to Sandbrook for a few days, Alec doesn't want me to though but I can stay well away from Tess," Rose smiled. "He's trying to get a transfer, I suppose he thinks they'll be a fight if I bump into her."
"I'd love to see that," Sarah-Jane laughed. "So, where will you go?"
"Hopefully to where we used to go on holiday," Rose told her. "A special place for us."
They went back downstairs and had lunch then Jamie wanted to know if he could stay over.
"It's fine, we'll bring him back," John promised.
"We were off to see Donna tomorrow," Rose explained. "She knows Alec's back and she knows James wasn't Jamie's real father."
"How did she take it?" John wondered.
"Better than I thought," Rose replied. "I told her about Jamie a few years ago. I wish I'd told Jamie then."
"Well he seems fine," Jackie assured her.
"It shows how well you both brought him up," Sarah-Jane agreed. "What are you going to do if he wants to know about James's accident?"
"He's not asked yet," Alec replied for her. "I will talk to him, should he ask. He's my responsibility now."
They stayed a while longer then left Jamie with them, thinking it would do him good to be have someone of his own age to talk to.
"Did you mean that, about talking to Jamie?" Rose asked him on the way back.
"You don't have to worry about him now," Alec tried to assure her. "We have a lot to sort out, including when I get a transfer. Then what to do about the house."
"Am I gonna have to move?" Jackie wanted to know.
"I need ya to stay with Jamie," Rose told Jackie. "We were talking about asking Donna about the house. I can't sell it to just anyone Mum."
"Well you could always come with us, I am trying to get transferred to Broadchurch," Alec told her.
Rose called Jamie later on, who said he was having a great time learning about his new family. She dreaded to think what John was telling him about her and Alec when they were together. Alec seemed to relax more that night, it had bothered him the night before that Rose had shared the bed with James. Rose had noticed but thought Alec had just been tired.
"Does it bother you?" Rose decided to ask him when they had kissed for a while.
"That I am sharing what was yours and James's bed?" Alec replied, folding his arms behind his head. "At first but you had a life with him Rose, you were happy, were you not?"
"Yeah, I was happy but I never forgot about you," Rose assured him. "James said you would want me to move on and be happy and that Jamie had a father. He could have just left me to get on with it."
"I doubt he would have done, from what you told me about him. I think he would have been bitterly disappointed if you had turned down his offer to look after you."
"Yeah, he maybe would?" Rose agreed. "I don't know why he never gave up with me."
Alec thought that was quite obvious. The man had already fallen in love with her but kept out of the way. James had not seemed the type who would force his way between two people.
"Well he did a good job raising Jamie with you," Alec assured her. "Will you be okay when I leave?"
"Yeah, I have plenty to do Alec, I'll be fine. I wish I knew what mum wants to do though."
"Maybe re-connect with her old friends?" Alec wondered. "What about Donna? Will she be interested in taking the house off you? Rose, if it bothers you, well let me consider getting transferred here? It is much easier now."
"I thought we were going to Broadchurch?" Rose tried to look at him.
"I could come here for a few months, maybe enough time to get sorted? It would save Jamie moving to a new school or college and he can get to know Luke better," Alec suggested. "Talk to Donna first but your mother and Jamie can stay here for a while longer. I will take care of things for them."
"Thanks. It might be difficult for you to transfer twice though," Rose replied as she rested on him.
"I don't want you being near Tess," he told her again.
"I promise not to start a fight with her," Rose joked.
"I am more worried what she will try," Alec replied, kissing her hair.
"To stop the divorce going through?" Rose was worried.
"Just let her, I will drag in the fact she took up with someone before you came back to me," Alec assured her. "She won't win if she does try."
"I know Alec, we'll get through it. Anyway, the big question is, how will you get on meeting Donna?" Rose giggled.
"That's not funny Rose," he smiled to himself.
The next morning, Rose missing Jamie being there, Alec went off to the local shops to get flowers and chocolates for Donna and Sylvia and a bottle of brandy for Donna's grandfather while Rose and Jackie were making plans for Rose to go off when Alec came back next weekend.
"Me and Jamie will be fine," Jackie tried to assure Rose. "John said he'll pop round while ya go off."
"Yeah. It was so good seeing him again," Rose replied. "He always did take such care of me and Alec. Sarah-Jane's lovely, isn't she? Alec said all his family love her, unlike Tess," she pulled a face.
"Rose, I said ya should have fought her for him," Jackie reminded her. "All the fight went out of ya, just 'cos ya'd have to go back up there."
"I know Mum but she could have caused so much bother back then," Rose recalled. "Especially for Alec's career."
"Yeah, maybe he wouldn't have got promoted?" Jackie wondered. "I hope Jamie's back on time?"
"I could call John and have him take Jamie round to Donna's," Rose suggested. "Or get Alec to call in while he's out?"
She picked up her mobile and hoped if Alec was driving, he'd use the hands-free kit she'd seen in his car.
"I will call John, I was just leaving the store," Alec told her. "Want anything else sweetheart?"
She had already told him she no longer took any precautions since she'd lost James, she'd had no need but he hadn't offered since they'd got back together. There was something he had to ask her now they had seemed to have picked up where they'd left off. He'd missed being with her when she had Jamie, would she be willing to consider having another, so they could bring a baby up together?
Would she think she was now too old to start again? He hoped not.
"What did ya have in mind?" Rose teased him as she left the kitchen.
"Something we never discussed maybe?" he replied as he stood near the car. "Methods have improved you know?"
"I know. We need to talk about it Alec, just go get Jamie, yeah?" she asked.
"I will call now but Jamie may not want to leave," Alec smiled to himself.
"Yeah, bet ya have trouble," Rose agreed. "I'm really glad he gets on with Luke, he has friends but there's nothing like having a cousin. You would have thought Donna and James were twins, the way they always went on."
"Well having John when I lost my mum helped a great deal but I wish I had known he was more than a cousin," Alec admitted. "I had best set off, see you soon love."
Jamie and Luke had just gone downstairs as Alec called John.
"Your dad's coming for you," John told Jamie. "You can come round after school, if you can get here."
"I think the school bus comes this way," Jamie told him. "I wish Luke and I went to the same school."
"I'm surprised you don't," Sarah-Jane smiled at him. "It's really nice having you here."
She wiped her hands on the towel and went to give him a hug.
"You and your grandmother can come for lunch next Sunday, if your mum's still away," she suggested. "Your uncle can come and collect you both."
"Thanks, I'll tell gran. I wish they had told me about you," Jamie replied.
"She will have had her reasons," John told him. "We had some good times when your dad and I used to come down to visit. Ask her about what she used to plan for your dad's birthday and the first time when I took them to see your dad's favourite group."
"Ooh, I want to know as well Dad," Luke laughed. "So who are his favourite band?"
"A Scottish one," John laughed back, ruffling Luke's hair, just like he use to do to Alec.
"That narrows it down," Sarah-Jane patted him on the shoulder. "John, you could have taken Jamie to his cousin's."
"Well Alec said he was already out," John told her. "So how are you getting on with your dad then?"
"Fine, it was a bit of a surprise," Jamie admitted. "I'd like to know about when mum and gran lived in Scotland."
"I'm sure they will tell you," Sarah-Jane assured him as she put her arm around his shoulder. "You have our phone number, you can call us any time you want."
"Thanks. I wish mum wasn't going off again though," he admitted.
"She and your dad have a lot of catching up to do," John reminded him. "They'll be doing a lot of talking about you."
Alec arrived and took Jamie back home, trying to find out how Jamie was coping.
"I'm fine with it Dad," Jamie was telling him. "Some of my friends remember my other dad, they might give you some strange looks."
"I can cope with it," Alec assured him.
They picked up Rose and Jackie and went off to see Donna. This was going to be a test for Alec, wondering if they would accept he'd come back into Rose's life, after she'd been married to James. Donna was warning her mother and grandfather about him.
"Why did Rose never say anything?" Sylvia wanted to know.
"Why do you think?" Wilfred asked her.
"When she used to come round, she could hardly tell us in front of James, could she?" Donna wanted to know. "I'd seen Alec pick her up a few times at the store but never up close. James can't have done either. I wonder if she ever admitted it to him?"
"It's doubtful," Wilfred told her. "James may not have gone after her, if he'd known."
"That's right Granddad," Donna agreed. "Mind you, the way he used to go on, I doubt it."
"I don't know how poor Rose managed, when she started seeing James," Sylvia recalled.
"Well as far as I know, that's not why she married him," Wilfred told them.
"We know that Dad," Sylvia argued. "What was James supposed to do? I still don't know how it happened so fast, I mean the night she was expecting Alec."
"Well he never arrived, did he?" Wilfred reminded her.
"Oi, you two, I have news for you," Donna got their attention. "I was trying to think of a way to tell ya both. Jamie is Alec's."
Her mother staggered to sit on a kitchen chair and Wilf stood behind her.
"Well, how about that?" he told Donna.
"I said it was too soon," Sylvia still insisted.
"I'm sure they planned it carefully," Donna defended her cousin and Rose. "What would you have made of them if they'd admitted it?"
Her mother didn't reply but Donna knew the answer. They wouldn't have got the attention over Jamie that they'd had, that was for certain.
"Anyway, Jamie will get to know Alec's family now," Donna reminded them. "Don't say anything to Alec when he arrives, will ya?"
"Not a word," Wilf promised, not certain Sylvia could keep from blurting out how James could have been Alec's twin.
"They could have told us the truth," Sylvia was still going on about it.
"They would have told Jamie when he was old enough," Donna reminded her mother. "We'd best get ready Mum."
"I'll take Jamie up to my allotment," Wilf offered. "Give you time to talk to Rose."
"Yeah, he'll like that Dad," Sylvia agreed.
"Not many stars to see during the day though," Donna laughed.
Everyone arrived and Wilf was asking Jamie how he felt about having other family. Jamie still called Wilf his granddad and no-one had tried to explain it to the boy. James had always called Wilf that and Rose had never stopped him. After all, he didn't have one on her side and at the time, they'd never told Jamie about his other family. Wilf took him out and asked if he'd got over the shock while Donna and her mother had other questions to ask Alec, such as why he'd gone off in the first place.
"Leave him alone," Rose defended him. "How was he to know?"
"It's okay Rose, I can answer that question," Alec told her. "Had I known Rose was pregnant, I would have been snapped out of being deceived by my ex wife. You see, Tess had it planned all along, to use me to get what she wanted, which was returning to her home town with a husband. I thought Rose had given up on me, just as she thought I had abandoned her, after I failed to visit that last weekend. More importantly, at the time, I thought she would never forgive me."
"I would have done," Rose answered quietly, taking his hand.
"Yes, I know that now but Tess had a very strong hold on me, she would not have let me go," he admitted.
Donna was taking it all in. No wonder her cousin had jumped at the chance of taking Alec's place.
"So, did James know everything?" Donna asked Rose.
Rose looked at Alec, who squeezed her hand.
"It's okay Rose, I would have expected nothing less," he assured her.