Twenty minutes later, Rose was waiting outside for him but he didn't come down the steps. A few of the others did and so did Ellie Miller and she saw Rose and went over to her.

"Rose, if you're waiting for DI Hardy, he's still in his office and he wasn't looking too good when I left. I asked if he wanted anything but he told me to leave. You'd best go up. It's no good pretending with me, I know you two have something going."

Rose thanked her and ran back inside taking the stairs two at a time as the desk sergeant called after her. She was soon in the main office and looked over to Alec's. He was sat with his head on the desk and Rose burst in, shouting his name and thinking the worse. He looked up, running his fingers over his face and his hair and Rose breathed a sigh of relief as he said her name.

"Alec, are you ok? Ellie said you weren't looking too good. What's wrong?" Checking no-one else was in the office she asked if he'd taken his medication.

"Yes, I'm fine, it's just been a rough day and I've taken my medication but it's not having the effect it should. I think you should take me home Rose, back to your place, we'll have to leave the newspaper for tonight. Go downstairs and tell them I need a driver and I'll meet you down there."

"You're coming down with me, we'll get a car together. I've left now, remember? We'll call at the hotel and I'll go get your things while you wait in the car, just the things you need, we can get the rest later. You just need some rest and you need to phone your friend, maybe he can help. Come on, I'm not leaving you."

He got up and put his jacket on and turned out the light. They got downstairs and told the desk sergeant to send a car round to the rear and five minutes later, they had stopped outside the hotel and Alec told the driver to wait in the carpark. He went upstairs with Rose helping him and she packed his case while he got his things from the bathroom, Rose checking all the drawers as Alec said they may as well take everything while they had transport. She said she'd carry his case downstairs and he had to reluctantly agree then Rose went round and took his key back, making sure the press weren't around. Becca was a bit surprised but didn't say anything.

The police driver dropped them at Rose's flat and offered to carry the case up for them but Alec said they'd manage and swore him to secrecy, under threat, not to tell anyone where he'd taken them. Once inside, Rose pulled all the blinds down, taking no chances that the press were lurking around somewhere. She phoned the newspaper and re-arranged for the following evening and Alec called his friend who said he was going to come down and they arranged to meet, Alec saying he wanted him to meet Rose.

She made him lie on the sofa while she put some dinner on, something quick and easy to prepare and went to unpack his case. She told him she'd get him another key tomorrow and made him promise to take it easy, she was worried about him.

Rose called him from the kitchen as she was dishing out the food. "What brought this on Alec? It wasn't that little show you put on for the kiddies in the office was it?'' she asked, smiling. "'Cos that was quite a show, you almost had me believing you except for the fact you never called me for any files and there was only one piece of paper in it, which I shredded, by the way. I'm on unpaid leave now, she wouldn't accept my resignation and said she doesn't object to us seeing each other but not just now. Ellie Miller said she knows about us as well. She's the one who said you didn't look well. We'll have to tell her you were just tired." She walked into the living room with two plates and set Alec's on the coffee table.

He looked tired but he got up and picked up his fork to wrap some spaghetti around it. Rose just smiled at him and sat beside him. He ate his food and took a drink of water she'd brought in then lay back on the sofa with his feet on the table as Rose cleared the dishes away. When she came back, he'd put his legs back on the sofa and he moved them to let her sit down, wagging his finger for her to get closer and leaned forward to kiss her.

"You do know now that I'll have to break in another tea lady?" he joked as he sneaked another kiss.

"Just so long as you don't invite her out for a drink then end up moving in with her," she joked.

"Never, I love you Rose, now come here and give me your full attention 'cos if my heart's going to give out, I'd rather it be because of you, not this lousy job." He leaned forward and pulled her towards him and unbuttoned her blouse.

"I suppose trying to persuade you to take it easy is out of the question?" Rose asked. He nodded. "Guess I'll have to take the lead again but this time, we are going to take it easy. I don't want to have to phone an ambulance and have to explain exactly what you were doing."

They got up and Rose led him into the bedroom and unfastened his shirt and let him finish undressing her as he laid her on the bed, leaning over her and kissing her, telling her how much he loved her and she was the only reason he was getting through this. Rose moved over so he was laid on his back and then moved onto him, telling him how much she wanted him and that when his operation was over, she really wanted him to show her what he was capable of. They fell asleep holding onto each other, arms and legs around each other.

Alec felt much better the next morning. His new place of residence was a bit further down than the hotel so he'd rung and asked for a driver to pick him up. The case was no nearer being solved and now Rose didn't know what was going on, she'd have to rely on the bits he could tell her. She'd not officially left, she was just on leave so he could tell her some things. They met up at the newspaper office and Alec gave them the information about him and Rose and that she was now officially on leave, they were not having an affair because neither of them were married to anyone else and his ex had remarried and Olly Stevens had to admit he'd picked up on it when he'd see Rose with Alec and she'd been linked to him because he'd been jealous that she had turned him down several times.

The newspaper editor made Olly apologise to the both of them and Rose said was it any wonder she'd turned him down when he did childish things like that? Then Alec was asked about his failed case and said he'd tell them on the condition that no other names were printed. Maggie, the editor said he had her word.

There were several breakthroughs over the next few days but one sad event. The local newsagent near the harbour had been falsely accused and some of the locals had hounded him and he'd taken his own life. Rose attended the funeral with Alec, no longer hiding the fact they were together and the press were leaving them alone. Rose was concerned when the woman reporter who had hounded him from his last case had the nerve to try to speak to Alec when they went back to the hotel afterwards. Rose was immediately by his side and took his hand. The reporter looked surprised as she had seen the article about them but they were now inseparable even in public and the whole town knew about them, there was no gossip, both were single and it was no-one else's business and not news any more.

Alec was feeling better. His friend had come to visit, mainly because Alec had sent him some evidence to analyse and he'd introduced Rose to him as his partner, a sign that they had made a commitment to each other. It had been almost six weeks and the town was returning to some normality. Rose was still on leave, Alec was paying the bills and they were managing ok, he'd said he had some savings because he'd not spent much prior to arrival so they were going to have to stick it out until the end.

Now the newspapers were easing up on Alec, Rose was asked to go see the chief and was asked if she wanted her job back as her replacement was going on leave herself. She asked if she was allowed to keep her relationship with Alec and was told as long as they stayed professional at work there was no problem but she was warned that people would still talk about the two of them.

Then just days after Rose went back to work, ignoring all the stupid remarks, defending Alec on more than one occasion and deliberately finding excuses to make him tea or take files into him, the novelty was eventually wearing off, there was a major breakthrough in the case late one night when there was a break-in in at what they believed was the murder scene and Alec was called out. Ellie had called and a driver had been sent for him and Rose was worried about letting him go but he'd seemed a lot better the last week or two under Rose's tender care and he got back safely but whoever had broken in had got away before backup had arrived. Alec seemed a bit off when he got back but his medication was working again and he'd let his DS do most of the chasing after the suspect but he'd had to stop when he started getting pains during the chase itself. He thought now that Miller suspected something was wrong and he was called to see the chief the next morning and he had to admit he had a problem and was referred to the chief medical officer the next day.

Alec told her that he was so close and he wasn't leaving until it was solved and went back to work, saying he was on medication and was going for an operation in just over a month so the chief said depending on what the police doctor said, he might be able to stay on just on light duties if he could prove he was scheduled for surgery.

He told Rose what had happened and she said he'd been lucky he'd not ended up in hospital and begged him to be more careful and said she'd go with him for his examination the next morning. He didn't want her to go with him though but showed her he was now feeling ok by insisting on having an early night.

Alec was in the medical room being examined and was told that in view of his pending operation he was put on light duties only and that he took leave as soon as the case was solved. He told Rose when she brought his tea and then he went out to meet DS Miller who was down on the beach. While he was out, she got a call to say that the murdered boy's missing phone had been used and Alec closed in on the killer.

The whole station was in shock when it was revealed who it was. Alec came back into the office and asked Rose to go with him and led her to the interview room where DS Miller was interviewing someone. Everyone looked as the two of them left the office together. He thought it would be better having her with him than being on his own. They broke the news to Ellie, Rose had her arm around her as Ellie was in shock as Alec told her. He then asked Rose to go with Ellie to collect clothes for her boys and to a hotel where they had been taken. Rose went with her but they hardly spoke. When they got to the hotel, Ellie called her sister who arrived shortly and Rose went back home, giving Ellie her address if she needed to talk to Alec.

Just after ten when they were about to go to bed, the intercom buzzed and it was Ellie, so Rose let her in and made some tea then went into the bedroom to let them talk. Half an hour later, Alec came into their bedroom and just wanted to go to sleep in Rose's arms. He was tired and relieved it was all over. Rose just held him and they kissed for a while until he fell asleep.

The whole town stopped on the day of the boy's funeral. Alec and Rose sat together and went to the family's home after the service. Later that night, beacons were lit along the coast and Rose was asked to light one which she was honoured to do.

It had been exactly two months since Alec had arrived in Broadchurch and still another month before he could have his operation and keeping him quiet had not been an option. So he went for a check-up and was told he may have to wait a bit longer and they would re-assess him in four weeks and providing there was no more stress, they may be able to go ahead with it. Rose was going to have her work cut out for her as he was going to have to give evidence at the trial so she asked the chief if she could accompany him and she agreed that Rose could attend to keep him from getting too stressed. No-one else knew about his condition thankfully.

The trial was finally over, Rose persuaded Alec to take some time off and stay at home. There was just a week before he found out if they could go ahead with the operation and he was banned from all strenuous activities including their sexual ones that had to be toned down much to Alec's dismay but only on the promise from Rose that they make up for it afterwards because he said he'd been restraining himself and she hadn't experienced him when he was well. Rose said she looked forward to it.

Rose took a few days off to go to the hospital to see if he could have the pacemaker fitted. He was fortunate he was given the go ahead so he was admitted and scheduled for two days later on the condition he stayed in hospital and didn't discharge himself. Rose said she'd tie him to the bed if she had to and Alec just said was she trying to kill him and not to make such promises. Rose was allowed to visit when she liked so she stayed with him most of the time, going home late. She was there on the morning of his operation and never left until it was over, sitting outside the theatre until they told her it had been successful.

A few days later, he was allowed home, under Rose's care and he asked her how she felt about making their relationship official.

"Alec Hardy, are you asking me to marry you?"

"Well, that was the idea. What do you think? Do you think you can handle me now I'm well again because if you can't, say so now before it's too late because Rose Tyler, I want to marry you. Now I'm well again, you have no idea what you've let yourself in for and I don't want us to just live together. So what do you say? Or do I have to go find another tea lady?"

"I don't think that will be necessary, I'm quite capable of handling you, I've been going easy on you. I want to marry you Alec, I love you."

To be continued in 'Rose defends Alec Hardy again'