Witness Protection

Author's Note: This is a complete AU, again. I've been rewatching Broadchurch, specifically the second series, and I've become inspired. None of the characters mentioned from Doctor Who and Broadchurch are mine, I've simply borrowed them for this fan-fiction. This is also an AU where Rose never meets the Doctor.

Chapter One

"It won't be for too long." Pete Tyler assured his daughter, as he turned to pull up in the driveway of the newly bought house in the quiet seaside town. "It'll just be temporary, until the situation calms down."

Rose sighed in defeat, leaning back in her chair as she unbuckled her seatbelt. "You mean until I stop being stalked?"

"Well, I suppose." Pete conceded, getting out of the car. "But it's not a forever thing, and please don't feel as though it's a punishment either, it could do you good, getting out and seeing somewhere different. At least give it a try, for me?"

"I'll try." Rose agreed, unable to deny her father. She'd always been a Daddy's girl growing up, where her little brother Tony was definitely a Mummy's girl. She sighed wistfully, helping Pete pull out some of her bags of the car and towards the house. She was going to miss them all, even if Tony did drive her up the wall most of the time.

The house itself was small and quaint, but had enough necessities for Rose as she would be living alone. When she walked through the front door, the staircase was to her right to the bedroom, and to the left was a cosy living room that was already furnished. Following another short hallway led to the kitchen and open plan dining area, with floor to ceiling windows and sliding doors that showed a small, private garden.

It didn't feel like 'home' yet, but with a few personal touches here and there, Rose had to believe that it would in no time.

Several hours later, Rose was mostly unpacked, to the point where Pete didn't need to help her. She stood awkwardly in the living room, not wanting Pete to leave.

"Dad, are you sure this is a good idea?"

Pete hesitated, before pulling his older daughter into a tight hug. "No," he admitted. "I'm not. We're only doing this because we believe you'll be protected. You won't be harassed anymore, and you'll be far away from Lee Ashworth. He's dangerous, and so is Claire. They won't know that you're here. Oh, and before I forget." He handed her a thick, black file. "You'll need to put these somewhere safe. This is the paperwork that contains your new identity."

Rose accepted the file and opened it up, seeing her own face staring back, but with a different name. "Lily Maxwell? Seriously?" She scoffed. "Sounds like a name from a bloody fantasy novel. Do I really have to use it?"

"This is what witness protection is all about, Rose. You've only just turned nineteen, and legally you're still underage. This is for your security and safety. Please don't do anything reckless that could land you in hot water, and I've already taken a lot of lashings from your Mother. Use the new identification, try to lay low. Your college classes will be starting soon, and you'll be able to work from home and go to college one day a week."

"What am I supposed to do about money? If I get a job, I can't lie in the interview, they'll do a background check and it'll flag up straight away."

"Don't worry about money." Pete calmed her. "In the file there's a section containing financial details. We've set you up a new account, and there's a portion of your trust fund already waiting. The next six months rent and other bills have been paid for in full, so you don't need to worry. You'll be fine. Lay down low and try not to make too many connections with people, you never know who you can trust. Be careful, love. I'll contact you soon."

With that, Pete was gone, and Rose was left alone, to start a new life.

For the next few days, Rose set up her new house, decorating it to her liking. She was routing through a box on the living room floor, and came across a hand painted box with some photographs and memorabilia inside.

A lot of the memories inside the box were part of the reason why she had to leave.

Rose pulled out a pink photo frame, which contained a photograph of herself at twelve years old, with her best friend, Pippa Gillespie. Ever since meeting her at primary school, the two became fast friends and inseparable. They saw each other all the time, and every other day they took turns having sleepovers at one another's houses, with Pippa's older cousin Lisa sometimes babysitting, when Rose and Pippa's parents went out for the night.

Tragedy struck however, when both girls were fourteen, and one was killed in a horrific accident that should never of happened. Rose was never the same after Pippa died. Gone was the vivacious, youthful girl with so much life and love to give. What remained was a shell, and after going through a rebellious stage during the grieving process, Rose was finally ready to try and move on and live a routine life as possible.

That was sometimes easier said than done, given the trauma Rose had endured at such a young age. Even two years after the tragedy, the trauma would follow Rose in frightening ways. She started receiving anonymous letters in the mail, with threats of staying quiet. That was why she had to leave, especially when the threats escalated and concerned her little brother.

Rose let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding, and placed one of her prized photographs on the centre of the mantlepiece. She hoped that wherever Pippa was, she was at peace. Eventually, Rose hoped to be at peace soon too.

The following morning, Rose set about exploring the town she was now residing in. It was called Broadchurch, and had the necessities one might need for a charming seaside town. She got herself some groceries, and went to try out the local coffee shop.

She sent her Mother a message of reassurance that she was alright, and wasn't in the queue for very long when she heard a customer in front griping at the poor server.

"How bloody stupid do you have to be to work in a place like this?" He all but snarled, a strong Scottish accent seeping through. "All you need to do is take orders correctly and make sure the fucking drink is the same! I asked for an all American black coffee, no milk or sugar, and instead you put bloody creamer in there!"

The poor server was so flustered, that Rose spoke up in her defence before she could react.

"Oi, leave the poor girl alone!" Rose barked, surprising the angry Scot. He span around to face her, only to be stunned to see a younger girl standing up to him. "She's probably been on her feet for the past eight hours, being paid a pitiful wage and having to deal with shitty customers like you who's pissed because you have creamer in your bloody coffee! Don't be such an arrogant asshole." She pulled out a five pound note and handed it to the server. "Can you please make -" Rose glanced at the man, looking for a name.

"Alec."

"- Alec another Americano black coffee, please? No creamer this time." Rose asked politely, much to the servers relief. "And a caramel latte for me, please?" She added some more money on the counter. "Thank you." She shot Alec a sideways glance. "Was that really necessary? What's pissed you off recently?"

"No, you're right, I'm sorry." Alec mumbled, and Rose was pleased to see a slight blush form across his cheeks. "I've uh - I've not had the best of starts to the day, and I get easily irritated."

"That's not obvious." Rose snorted. "What sort of job do you work in that gets you so worked up?"

"Um, I'm a detective inspector for the local police force."

"Oh, really? I wanted to work for the law enforcement once upon a time." Rose confessed, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

"You're a bit young, aren't you?" Alec asked, looking her up and down. "Why on Earth would you want to work for the police?"

"I lost a friend when I was younger." Rose explained, leading the way out of the coffee shop. "She died when she was fourteen. At first I believed it was an accident, only later I learned it was intentional. She was murdered."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Alec told her, wondering how someone so young could have endured so much. Little did he know however, that was barely scratching the surface. "Did the police ever find out who committed the crime?"

Rose shook her head. "No. Last time I checked it was considered a cold case. They had suspects, but there wasn't enough evidence to convict. Every year on the anniversary of her death, I always go and visit my friends grave. It gives me some sort of closure, but I hope one day there's some sort of justice."

"If you want I could have a look into it once this current trial is over?" Alec offered. "Call it an apology for being an asshole back there?"

"I'd appreciate that." Rose smiled, respecting him a little bit more. "Tell you what, I'll give you my number." She told him, pulling out her notepad and jotting the number down. "Then whenever that time comes you can give me a call and I'll tell you what I know."

"Thank you." Alec pocketed the paper and stopped by the steps of the police station. "Well, this is me. It was nice meeting you, Lily Maxwell."

Rose cringed inwardly at the name, but forced a smile and shook his hand. "You too, DI Alec Hardy. It'd be nice if next time you weren't such an asshole."

Alec chortled, heading up the steps. "I'm not making any promises."

The following evening, Rose was on the phone to her parents, once again checking in.

"How's it going down there, sweetheart?" Rose's mother, Jackie, asked.

"Fine I suppose, I've got things ready to start my college classes." Rose informed her, eager to get started. She was looking forwards to getting started, and was ready to develop her artistic skills. "I've explored the town a little bit, and I've been thinking about getting a job."

"Rose, are you sure that's a good idea? The whole point of sending you down there was to keep you safe."

"I know that Mum, but if I don't do something more productive soon then I'm going to go stir crazy. I'm not meaning like a job in a shop or anything public, but something like babysitting." Rose held up the newspaper closer to see the advertisement. "It's literally around the corner, and would mostly be in the afternoon to early evening, looking after one little boy who's two years old. It's whilst the mother is working."

"That sounds brilliant for you love, but there's just one problem. You've got a new identity. If you went for an interview, you'd have to use the new name, but when they do a background check your actual name will pop up."

"Couldn't I just use my actual name? It would save the hassle. I could just explain that it's for security purposes because Dad's a wealthy business man? I could ask them to keep it confidential, and it's only babysitting. It's not like a corporate company."

"Let me speak to Pete, and I'll see if he can pull some strings. I know you don't need to get a job, but I can understand your reason for wanting one. It'll do you some good to get out of the house. Give me a chance to speak to him when he's not busy, and I'll get back to you. I have to go now sweetheart, Tony's trying to get into the cookie jar thinking I can't see him. Stay safe, and I love you."

"Love you too. Bye Mum."

Rose hung up the phone, and went about her evening routine, completely unaware that somebody was watching her through the blinds of her living room in the darkened shadows. Rose didn't even realise the danger she was in.