Emerging

A/N: I couldn't resist it turning out the new teacher was actually Alec's cousin - sorry!

Alec was torn between catching up with his friends and throwing Rose to the wolves – namely Kristy and Moira but they seemed occupied standing with a group of first year's so she should be fairly safe, until the girls started walking off one by one, leaving the two ringleaders virtually alone.

"What?" Alec realised Rose was saying something else to him.

"Jamie's looking over," she whispered, looking across the dining room. "Shush, don't say I'm talking to ya, not yet," she reminded him.

"I would never do that Rose," he replied.

Didn't she trust him, he wondered.

"Alec, coming to sit with us?" Jamie asked as he avoided two first year boys tugging at each other's school bags.

"Jamie, Rose has been having trouble with those two over there," he nodded to the doorway where the two troublemakers were waiting for fresh victims to wander in. "They tried twice yesterday and Rose hasn't quite got her voice back yet, have you Rose?" he asked.

Rose shook her head in agreement but she knew it wasn't fair he was still covering for her. She reached over to whisper to him.

"Tell him if ya can trust him."

"Are you sure?" he wanted to know. Rose nodded. "Jamie, come and sit with us a minute," he told his friend.

They found a table and Alec hoped the noise would cover what he had to say.

"Jamie, Rose isn't from around here, she doesn't want to talk in case those two over there might make something of it and tell the whole school," he explained.

"When you say not from around here?" Jamie asked. "She's not from outer space is she?" he joked.

Rose wanted to give him a kick under the table for being a smart-arse.

Alec leaned closer, just in case as Rose continued getting her lunch bag out.

"She's from south of the border, more or less from the same place as the new teacher," he told his friend, not wanting to say John's accent was put on.

"No way," Jamie replied, looking over at Rose. "No wonder she's not talking but no-one seems to bother about the new teacher, you'd get away with it Rose. Hey, I'm sorry I was so hostile yesterday, both of you but you should have told me Alec. You won't get away with it much longer Rose."

Rose already knew that. Alec had been really good to her so far, she couldn't have him sticking up for her all the time once she started talking. If anyone picked on him, she'd be down on them like a ton of bricks, no-one bothered her friends.

"She knows that Jamie. Rose, will you talk to him?" Alec asked her. Rose shook her head, she didn't trust Jamie yet. "He's been my best friend since junior school Rose, he's okay, he won't tell on you, will you Jamie?" Alec asked him.

"No, I won't say anything Rose, honest but you'd better watch those two, if they get you mad, you may give the game away," Jamie warned her, seeing Kristy and Moira sitting a few tables away.

"I think Rose might surprise us," Alec grinned. "Eh Rose?" he asked her.

Rose gave him a smile back.

Billy and the rest of Alec's friends were wondering what was taking Jamie so long to come back.

"Seems we've lost him as well," one of the boys remarked.

"Yeah, you can't trust anyone," Billy agreed, going back to eating.

Kristy and Moira though were watching the three of them with interest.

"What are those three up to?" Moira asked her friend.

"I bet the new girl is seeing how many boys she can make friends with, just to show us up," Kristy replied. "We have to get that other new girl on our side, if she's supposed to be making friends with her."

"I don't need reminding," Moira huffed. "She's going to be trouble, just you watch, once she comes out of her pretending to have lost her voice."

"How do you know she's pretending?" Kristy wanted to know as Moira stared at her.

"Think about it," was all Moira said. "We have to be more careful where we talk in future, she might have been hiding last night, since Alec Hardy was waiting around."

"You think she heard us?" Kristy asked.

Moira wondered how her friend had managed to get the reputation she was in charge.

As everyone started making their way outside, Jamie decided to tag along. At least he wasn't actually going to lose his friend but it now seemed like he was sharing but he only had himself to blame he supposed. It was him who had goaded Alec in the library to go talk to Rose so he probably deserved it. They went to the bench where he and Rose had been sat earlier, just on the corner but Alec saw his cousin walking towards him. So much for keeping it quiet they were related.

"Well, what have got here?" John grinned. "The three Musketeers?"

Sometimes Alec wished they weren't related, especially since John had kept his accent but at least no-one now may believe they were cousins.

"Any more trouble Rose?" John asked her, since he'd decided if she was a friend of his little cousin, he'd watch out for her as well, without her knowing of course.

"No Sir, they've left Rose alone so far," Alec replied.

"Let her speak for herself Alec and I said you could call me Doctor, remember?" he asked his cousin.

"Sorry, Doctor," Alec corrected himself, getting a smile from Rose and a confused look from Jamie, who was perched on the end of the bench behind Alec. "It's okay Rose, you can talk to him."

"Yes Rose, you can talk to me. You're not from around here, are you, mmm?" he asked her. "Shall I let you into a little secret?" Rose nodded. "I just put this accent on to get through teacher training. I thought I might get away with a few things."

He wasn't sure about Jamie, he'd let Alec decide if he wanted his friend in on their little family secret but Alec must have mentioned that he had two cousins, well since Peter had disappeared, it seemed Alec now only had one.

Alec knew what those few things were, namely going off and doing travel reviews to fool everyone. He had thought John had been just trying to surprise everyone though and it had worked.

"Well, Rose?" John asked her.

"No Sir, no more trouble, thanks for the rescue yesterday," Rose replied as quietly as she could, making Jamie almost fall off the back of the bench but the wall stopped him.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" John grinned at her. "Are you in one of my classes today?"

"Yes. We have science later, Sir," Jamie chirped in as he recovered.

"Good, see you all then and Rose, don't worry, take your time eh?" John asked her.

He walked off smiling, Alec's new friend was just being selective but he'd bring her out of her shell sooner or later but he was still worried about the two troublemakers.

"I'll leave you two then?" Jamie asked, getting down.

"Jamie, don't tell the others about Rose yet, will you?" Alec asked his friend while glancing across the playground.

"No but they expected some answers Alec, they want me to spy on the two of you but I'm not going to do it," Jamie replied. "I'll just tell them Rose was whispering to you and I couldn't hear from where I was sitting. Friends Rose?" he asked her.

Rose nodded then went for her notebook and wrote a 'Thanks'.

Jamie nodded back and went across the playground to the picnic tables on the edge of the grassed area.

"It's okay Rose, he won't tell on you but you have to start talking," Alec told her.

She knew he was right, then she could tell that Kristy and Moira they had some competition and they weren't going to walk all over her or Alec for the term. She had been so confident at her old school but she had Shareen back then and wasn't the odd one out in a new school plus now, she had Bob to contend with and what made it worse was her mother wouldn't listen or hear anything wrong about him. What possible hold did he have over her?

Billy was sat on the table as Jamie joined them.

"Well, did you find out anything?" he asked Jamie, the others looking at him.

"No, she was just whispering, I couldn't hear then the teacher came along and spoiled it. We'll just have to wait for her to start talking," Jamie replied.

"Yeah and by then Alec will have forgotten about us," Billy told him. "What's he want to make friends with a girl for?"

"My older brother says it happens to us all," Jamie reminded them.

"Seems like it's too late for Alec," one of the other boys laughed, looking in their direction.

They all joined in the laughing though Jamie was just pretending but still feeling a little jealous. He decided if he was invited back to Alec's house and Rose was going, he might tag along just to see how they reacted towards each other out of school. Maybe his older brother was right, Alec was just starting to prove that.

"You could have gone with him Alec, ya don't have to stay with me," Rose reminded him.

"They'll just be talking about nothing, I'm not missing much," he replied.

"And we're not?" Rose smiled. "Just wait until I find my feet, I'll show those two," she nodded to where Kristy and Moira were talking to some boys, having decided to try a new tactic as it seemed to be working for Rose.

Rose had to laugh when one of the boys pushed his way past Moira and she would love to hear what was being said.

"Be careful with them Rose," Alec warned her. "They caused a lot of trouble last year."

"Huh, they've not really met me yet, have they?" Rose replied. "I bet they think by going after the boys, they'll get some protection?"

"You think I'm protecting you?" Alec asked her.

"Aren't you? You were so good to me yesterday Alec, no-one stuck up for me at my old school, that was what made me tough. You have no idea what I'm really like, you thought you were helping me because I was shy and lost."

"You looked it Rose, admit it," Alec told her, not sure what he'd let himself in for.

He had felt sorry for her, after weeks of seeing her in the library. He'd never bothered watching out for a girl before, one he had no idea who she was and he'd finally found out and she needed his help but Rose was coming out of her shell and strangely enough, instead of it putting him off, he thought she was going to be fun to be with.

Little did he know Rose was putting on a tough act, even more so now she and her mother were living with Bob. Before she had left her home, she had been tough but the last few weeks living in a strange place and seeing her mother acting like a different person was beginning to take its toll on her.

Rose knew she needed a friend and Alec seemed to be it, even Sandra had still been a bit distant though she'd seemed okay in class. Maybe she was jealous of her being friends with Alec and was backing off? Still, Sandra didn't live near her like Alec did. Now it seemed Jamie wanted in and she couldn't bring herself to stop Alec being friends with him, it was his choice.

"So are you coming round to do your homework later?" Alec asked her as he sat on the top of the bench, something Rose had noticed he liked to do after yesterday in the park.

"Yeah, I can stay a bit longer but what about Jamie?" she asked.

"The kitchen table's big enough for three Rose," Alec laughed.

The bell went for end of lunchtime and science was their second lesson but Rose had decided to remain silent, well that was until John decided it was now or never.

"Someone other than Alec," John grinned, looking around the room, getting no other volunteers. "How about you Rose? How's that voice of yours? You seemed okay earlier talking to someone."

Rose was furious, he'd said take her time now he was tricking her into talking. Alec was glancing across to her and Sandra was nudging her.

"The game's up Rose, get it over with."

"Well Rose?" John was asking her. "Do you know the answer? We all know you're new around here, well I've got some room to talk, so am I," he laughed. "Are you hiding something, I'm sure we all want to know where you're from, don't we class?"

Rose thought if that had been Mickey, she would have decked him.

"I know!" John declared. "Let's all pretend this is the geography class eh? Who wants to guess where Rose comes from and don't anyone say Outer Mongolia or a parallel world," he grinned, looking at Alec for the last one.

Alec wanted the desk to swallow him but no-one was taking notice.

"Alec, you've made friends with her, want to take a wild guess?" John asked, trying not to give too much away.

Alec was trying to think what he'd asked her yesterday, trying to keep to this side of the border. He finally went just a little bit further.

"Carlisle?" Alec replied, making the class laugh and John think that was the end of the science lesson for today and he'd have to give them some homework instead.

"Is that right Rose?" John asked her. Rose shook her head. "Blimey, guess it's a bit further south than that then? Anyone else?"

He got no takers until Sandra put her hand up after some consideration. John pointed to her.

"Go for it Sandra."

"Sir, I think she may be from London and she's just shy."

Rose wanted to say thanks a bunch to her supposed friend, even Alec hadn't given her away and she would have rather it had been him. Still, if it had been Alec, everyone would think she'd told him, if they'd seen the two of them talking and Jamie definitely would.

"Well, well, well," John continued. "Want to say if she's right, Rose? Don't be shy Rose, in case you've not noticed, I don't sound like I come from around here, do I – Alec?"

Alec was trying to look away, what was John playing at? If he was trying to throw suspicion off them being related, he wasn't making a very good job of it, was he?

"No Sir, you don't sound like you come from around here," Alec agreed, knowing what his own voice sounded like.

"So, who thinks Sandra is right?" John continued as most of the class put their hands up, then Alec and Jamie joined in after Jamie nudged him.

"We're all waiting Rose," he reminded her. "We don't mind you coming from there, do we class?"

All of a sudden, everyone turned towards Rose and she thought she would never hear the end of it, all her fears of going there coming true as they chatted to each other.

"Hands up all those who think Rose should just be herself?" John asked them.

Rose was relieved all but one hand went up and that was Billy, who was still trying to figure out why Alec had made friends with her.

"Right, let's leave it at that shall we and your homework for today is the question I was asking which was: Two identical strips of nylon are charged with static electricity and hung from a string so they can swing freely. What would happen if they were brought near each other? I want the answer the next lesson," he told them as the bell went.

Thankfully it was break time and everyone headed outside but Alec was waiting for Rose, thinking she'd never talk to him again. He saw her coming out, trying to ignore Sandra who was telling her it would have come out sooner or later and now it was out in the open.

"Sorry Rose but it was easy to guess," Sandra told her. "So, say something."

Rose wanted to tell her to forget being friends but once Kristy and Moira found out, she'd need all the friends she could get.

"I don't blame you Sandra, I was just trying to hide it, I didn't know what to expect," Rose replied, seeing Alec.

"Go on, I'll let you off," Sandra grinned. "He can be a better friend that I can but I'm here if you need me," she nodded towards Alec.

Rose was going to walk past him but stopped.

"Happy now?" she asked him as they walked off. "I thought I could trust that teacher?"

"He did it for your own good Rose," Alec defended his cousin. "How long could you have kept it going?"

"Maybe a few more days," Rose protested as the sun hit her eyes and she shielded them.

"It's best to get it over with, now you don't have to hide it," he reminded her.

"Yeah? I told ya Alec, you have no idea. You don't know what started because of him," she replied, meaning John.

"Are you going to be mad at me?" he asked as Rose walked to the grassed area and claimed a bench.

"No. It's just you might not like me when you really get to know me. Alec, at my old school I did everything and my friends followed me. I was like Kristy and Moira only twice as bad, they're like a couple of two year olds compared to what I was like and do you know why I went shy when I came here?" she asked him.

"I'm your friend Rose, well I want to be. You can't have been that bad, those two are just getting into the swing of things," he replied.

"Yeah? Do they eat chewing gum in class and get into trouble for shortening their skirts?" she half smiled. "That's only the tip of it Alec, the rest would make you cringe."

Alec though wanted to hear more.

"No, it won't. So why did you go shy then?"

"Really? Try being dragged away from your home and your friends to somewhere that might as well be on an alien planet Alec, then on top of that, your mother shacks up with a bloke you hardly know and you go to live with him. He's creepy, he never leaves my mum and me to talk once he gets home, he expects his dinner on the table, my mum thinks her cooking's not up to his standards and…." She trailed off.

"Rose, I'm sorry," Alec told her. "You only told me part of it yesterday, why?"

"I'd just met ya Alec, why'd ya think? I could have lost the only person who was kind to me."

"No, you wouldn't have lost a friend Rose, I want to help you. I want to join the police when I'm old enough, to help people, I told you that. You could have trusted me to tell me the rest. I want to hear the rest Rose, really."

"Not here, I'll tell ya later but if those two start on me, you might disown me or get dragged to the head's office with me."

Alec almost burst out laughing, Rose was turning out to be a rebel and would give Kristy and Moira more than they had bargained for if they started on her. She was still troubled by her home life though, he could tell she was still putting on a brave front.

"Rose, then let me help you? I mean with home, tell my dad or John," he suggested.

"They can't do anything Alec, my mum's gone blind to it, she thinks it's the perfect life even though instead of working for herself, she works from nine to half five, five days a week and gets me to do the housework 'cos she's not used to it. It was his idea, he's on good money but I suspect he's not giving her any of it and she only agreed to work to keep me and herself. I wish she'd never met him Alec, I really don't like him."

Alec wanted to put his hand on her shoulder but everyone would see and it was bad enough they were spending a lot of time together. He wanted to help her, if she would let him.

"Then talk to my dad tonight Rose, he'll know what to do," he told her.

"Can he get me back home Alec?" she asked him.

"If you went home, I'd lose a friend," Alec replied.

"You have Jamie," she reminded him.

"He doesn't need help like you do. John keeps telling me to practice being a detective, you could help me and I could help you, if you want?"

The bell was going so they got up, Alec still waiting for an answer. Did she want his help? If she did, what could he do about it except get advice from his dad and his cousin? There was only one more class, Rose sitting next to Sandra but still not talking. She expected by the time school was out, the word would have gone around that not only was there an English sounding teacher, who was really Scottish but a real live English pupil and she was going to be out of her depth so the tough act it was going to have to be.

She just didn't want to drag Alec into it.