Getting nervous

A/N: DW fans may recognise a new character!

Alec remained seated, his aunt going off.

"So you told them then?" she was asked.

"They would have guessed, those two are clever," she replied. "Alec's on about going to college in London, to be with Rose. I can't say I blame him but he doesn't think she'll agree."

"Why not?"

"Because he's better off up here. I'm sure there's nothing wrong with the colleges down there but the one he'll need, Rose would never get in," she told him. "When will you find out about that agreement Rose's mother made? It's been a while now."

"I know but if she doesn't want her mother involved, it takes time Mary," he replied, going back to his evening paper. "I'm glad John and Alec know, Alec needs him but I'm surprised Alec hasn't worked it out before."

John had sat opposite who was now his half brother.

"Well, we shouldn't be that surprised," he told Alec.

"I suppose not? I'll tell Rose when we see her, no point in telling her over the phone. She'll get a surprise," Alec replied.

"You're telling me," John laughed. "We should have known. Mum will have to tell Peter I suppose? She didn't seem to want to say much about it though?"

"I expect she wants it to sink in first?" Alec wondered.

"That's how I knew to look after you and Rose in school," John told him. "I wonder why your mum never told her to tell us?"

"You mean your mum?" Alec smiled. "I expect she thought it was enough telling your mum? This is confusing now."

"You're telling me," John smiled back. "What do you think Rose will make of it? I hope we get told a bit more."

"So do I. I'd best go home and tell my dad we know. I expect it will be a relief to him?" Alec wondered.

"Yeah, I expect so. Well, for once, I'm lost for words. Guess I can't call you little cous any more then?"

"Yes but don't go around calling me little brother instead," Alec laughed.

Alec finally went home and his aunt had already called his dad to say he knew.

"She was honest with me when we met," his dad told him. "John was old enough to be told but she didn't want to upset him or Peter, how did you both guess anyway?"

"It wasn't that difficult Dad, the way John would volunteer to take me and Rose places and help us arrange things and the way I would go to him when I wanted to talk," Alec replied.

"Yes, I should have known," his dad smiled. "Maybe after your mother died, it would have been better if we'd told you both, then John may have stayed home a bit more?"

"He was finishing his teaching course I expect?" Alec replied. "Then it was just lucky he got my school. Besides, when I think about it, guessing who Rose was kept me occupied."

His dad had to smile at the thought.

"Yes, I expect she did? It's a shame you never got up the courage to see who she was?"

"Dad, I never even knew I liked girls back then," Alec laughed. "Anyway, I said to John I should tell her in person, not over the phone, just like I should tell her I wouldn't mind going to college down there."

"Think carefully about that Alec. Rose wouldn't want you to risk not getting in the police just for her," his dad reminded him.

"Well, people manage to get in the police down there Dad," Alec replied. "I expect she's worried my accent will let me down? Just like she was afraid of talking when she came up here."

"I expect so? Well talk to her when you see her then? It won't be long before it's the holidays. Is John still taking you?"

"He's not said anything. I don't think I'll feel as bad about him offering to take me now?"

Before he knew it, he was rushing around after school on the Friday they broke up as they had decided to travel overnight when it was quieter and Alec wished they could do the same going back but they would have to be at school. Alec was waiting for John to arrive and was getting nervous at seeing Rose again.

"Sit down Alec," his dad suggested as he leaned on the back of a chair.

"It's just seeing Rose again," Alec grinned.

"She won't have forgotten you," his dad smiled. "You talk to her every night you know?"

"That's different Dad. I think I may have changed a bit since I last saw her. John says I've got taller and I need a haircut."

His dad laughed. "He's playing the big brother, now he can. Rose might like you with longer hair? As for being taller, John's tall, it's only natural. He was saying last Sunday that you were worried about seeing her again, I honestly don't know why, you have nothing to worry about."

"Yes, I do Dad, I met that Mickey she talked about," Alec replied, wishing John would hurry up so he'd stop feeling nervous. "She has to pass by where he works every day and she said when they had the shutters open, everyone would start winding him up about her."

"Maybe they do Alec but you have to trust her. You both chose to continue your relationship when she had to move Alec, you both have to keep your agreement. One of you could have given in but you didn't and that counts for something. Think how you would be feeling now if you had given up on her or she on you?" his dad asked him as a knock came on the door and John let himself in.

John had started doing that now, they had easily accepted things had changed between the two of them and Alec's dad had had told John to start treating their house as his own. Now though, with John staying put the last few years, he was looking for a place of his own, his who were now his adopted parents saying if he did, they were going to sell the house and maybe move.

They'd said the house would be too big for them and they may even move further north, to the Highlands somewhere. John had agreed they should, if his adopted dad sold his business and retired.

John was helping Alec put his things in the car after they'd said goodbye and John reckoned with a couple of stops, they'd get to Rose around five in the morning, John laughing they'd have to wake Rose up.

"No way," Alec laughed as John set off. "I don't think she'll be able to sleep at all tonight. I bet she'll stay up in case we are early and she'll be tired tomorrow. I'm glad we're setting off tonight, I get the whole day with her tomorrow."

John had to laugh.

Rose had been having a boring time waiting for Alec to come back after the summer holidays. She'd got tired of having to pass the garage Mickey worked in and even walking on the other side of the street had not stopped the men working there from shouting over to her.

She had thought of reporting them to their boss but he'd most likely just tell them to get back to work and they'd do it again the following day. Shareen had suggested going to the police and two days before Alec was due to visit, Rose decided she'd had enough and called at the local police station.

"Just wait until Alec joins the police," Rose huffed to Shareen as they waited in the police station.

"He won't be able to give ya special attention," Shareen replied, checking her nails. "What are we doing here Rose?"

"What I just told that desk sergeant," Rose replied. "It's against the law for a builder to wolf-whistle at a woman now."

Shareen burst out laughing, getting a look from the desk sergeant, who thought Rose was winding him up when she said she wanted to report sexual harassment, since they didn't get many women coming in voluntarily. He thought that had to be a first, they usually got dragged in by their mothers.

"Yeah, you wish Rose, where did ya hear that?" Shareen asked instead.

"I heard it on the news Shareen, keep up. Alec would go crazy if I told him, he warned Mickey off but he can't take on the whole garage, they'd beat him up. I've put up with it for weeks Shareen, enough's enough. Looks like they finally dragged someone out to see me," she nudged towards a man who looked like he didn't want to be there.

She then noticed his face changed when he saw Rose and Shareen sitting there.

"Ladies. I apologise for keeping you both waiting, I wasn't told two beautiful young women had come to report something. Come to the interview room with me, then I'll take your statement. I'm detective inspector Billy Shipton and you two are?"

"I'm just with her," Shareen suddenly decided to say.

Rose nudged her friend, since she'd brought her for some moral support. The officer seemed amused Rose thought and he was clearly flirting with them, some good he was going to be.

"I want to be taken seriously," Rose insisted, unfolding her arms and picking up her school bag.

"Yes, yes, of course," the DI told her, gesturing for them to go first.

Rose rolled her eyes at her friend as if to say why had she bothered.

As they followed the man down some corridors, Rose hoping they wouldn't need a map to get out, she was beginning to think this was a waste of time but it needed stopping. While she thought Mickey was partly innocent in all this, he'd done nothing to stop his workmates from harassing her every time she walked past, to the point they still called over from the other side of the road.

They finally reached an interview room and they were indicated to sit down, the DI going to get a sheet of paper.

"I'm told this is about harassment?" he asked Rose, since she'd made it clear it was her making the complaint.

"Yeah, every time I walk past Manny's garage in Cross Street, they all start shouting things to me," Rose complained.

"Well, have you done anything to encourage them?" she was asked, getting a snigger from Shareen.

"Well I admit I used to, when I was thirteen," Rose had to admit, getting a smile from the DI. "Are ya writing this down?" she added.

"I will be doing," the DI replied, taking the grin off his face. "So it started when you were thirteen? Why has it taken you three years to think about reporting it? I would say you're around sixteen?"

"Because I went away for three years and I only came back in May," Rose huffed, wondering how he'd guessed how old she was. "Okay, my mum moved us up to Scotland for three years, it didn't work out so we came back. I know one of the blokes, I used to wind him up but since I came back, the others decided they'd wind him up, then they started harassing me. Can't ya do something about it?"

The DI scratched the back of his head. "Winding someone up is not a criminal offence," he told her. "What exactly are they saying?"

Rose looked at the clock on the wall, wishing she had one of those mobile phones because she was supposed to be calling Alec and she'd not told him she was going to complain about the blokes who worked with Mickey. She'd promised Alec she'd stay away from Mickey but not told him how bad it was when she walked past.

"The usual," Rose replied. "Mickey, the one I know, he stays quiet while the others egg him on, telling him if he doesn't want me there are plenty there that do."

"Well, whatever your name is, seems like they are aiming it at the bloke you know?" the DI told her. "Have they called you by name? What is your name anyway?"

"It's Rose Tyler. No, they've not called my name but they shout loud enough to hear them across the street," she replied. "They shout stuff like why don't I pick a bloke or say they wouldn't mind getting to know me. I thought there was a law that men weren't allowed to harass women?"

"There should be but they don't seem to be making sexual insinuations," the DI replied. "Can't you find another way home?"

"That's not the point, is it?" Rose sighed. "So, ya can't do anything about it?"

The DI saw her looking at the clock.

"You have somewhere to be?" he asked her.

"I should be calling my boyfriend," she admitted.

The DI looked disappointed at the news but she was sixteen at the very most and he shouldn't be looking but old habits died hard. He was married now, to Sally and it was weird because he'd suddenly found himself in 1969, in a tunnel and a weird bloke with some home-made contraction in his hands he'd laughingly called a timey-wimey detector had told him he had to take a message back to 2007 and it would take him a long time. Now, he should believe anything.

He'd decided to still remain in the police, even though he'd had a job offer in a video company. The way things were going though, he may just wait until technology advanced and get away from petty things like men hitting on a sixteen year old blonde, who may or may not have encouraged them in the first place. After all, the saying went 'Boys will be boys' but the said blonde was looking at him.

"Okay, what's the name and the address of the garage and I'll get an officer to go around and say there's been a complaint, okay?" he asked her.

Rose nodded as he passed her the piece of paper.

"Will ya keep my name out of it?" she asked as she began writing.

"Geez Rose, they'll know it's you," Shareen laughed.

"Can't ya say you're going round all businesses?" Rose disagreed.

"I suppose so? So, you have a boyfriend? Doesn't he live near you?" the DI asked her.

"No, he lives in Scotland and he'll be here early on Saturday morning. I want to tell him I'm doing something about it, otherwise he will and they won't go easy on him," Rose replied.

DI Shipton thought she wasn't wrong there, a young Scottish boy in the east of London telling a bunch of mechanics to stop harassing his girlfriend. More likely than not, it would get violent, she was just trying to protect him.

Rose wrote everything down and passed it back to him.

"I'll see what I can do then? Did you leave your telephone number?" she was asked.

"My mum will kill me for coming here today," Rose sighed.

Shareen nudged her as the DI was watching her.

"Come on Rose, Alec will wonder why you've not called him."

"Yeah, I'll tell him when he gets here on Saturday. He said he's got something to tell me," Rose replied as they got up.

"On top of asking ya something?" Shareen laughed.

"Bye ladies," the DI smiled. "I will call you when an officer has spoken to those involved."

"Geez Rose, you're really gonna make them worse. They'll know who sent the police," Shareen warned her.

"I know but what choice do I have?" Rose asked her. "They'll get worse if I leave it, maybe now, they'll be so annoyed they'll ignore me."

"Well, ya used to just wind Mickey up, I suppose it got out of hand?" Shareen suggested.

Billy Shipton shook his head as the two of them left. As Rose Tyler got older, she was going to have more problems than just walking past a garage, especially if her boyfriend was up in Scotland.

Rose and Shareen went back to the estate and Rose went to phone Alec, who was wondering why she was so late calling him, since it was her turn. When the phone rang, it made him jump and he hoped it was her.

"Rose, why are you so late? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine, I just got delayed on the way back. Ya know I was having trouble walking past where Mickey works? Well I went to do something about it."

"You did? Rose, I asked you to ignore them," he reminded her.

"Yeah, I know but it's not that easy Alec. I went to the police station, they said they'd get someone to call at the garage."

"Rose, it will only make things worse," Alec warned her. "John and I could have dealt with it for you next week. Anyway, see what happens eh? Guess what though Rose? I have something really exciting to tell you when I see you."

"Hey, you sound cheerful," Rose laughed, forgetting about the garage. "Tell me you've found a way for me to go back with you?"

"No, I'm sorry Rose, I just wish I had. I wanted to talk to you about that though, something to think about but this bit of news, well I suppose it may not come as much of a surprise. I'm not saying anything until I get there, it's just one more day after tomorrow, I can't wait until we set off. Will you be awake?"

"I'll stay up all night Alec, it doesn't matter what time you arrive, you have the code to get in, just come up but don't knock too loud, will ya? I probably won't sleep anyway, there's no point in me going to bed. What time are ya setting off?"

So the following evening as Alec was getting into John's car and they set off, Jackie was getting ready to go out with her friends to the pub for a few hours.

"Come with us Rose," she suggested as she picked up her handbag.

"No, I'm gonna wait and see if Alec rings when he gets a bit nearer to London. I've missed him so much Mum."

"I know you have sweetheart and ya make the best of it, that's the main thing. At least you'll be able to go out next week though?"

"Yeah. Alec says he's got something to tell me and something he wants to talk about. I bet ya anything it's about him going to school and college down here. What do ya think Mum? I know I miss him but can I let his education suffer just to be with me?"

"Rose, I know ya want him down here but it's what's best for him. I know ya tried to catch up at school but ya wasted all that time before ya got there. You have to face it Rose, ya tried ya best but he had all the advantages."

"He's clever Mum, just like John is. He's gonna make a great detective," Rose smiled. "You get going Mum, I want to be here if he calls. I just know he wants to talk about going to college here but I can't let him. I know there are the better colleges on the other side of the city but he'd never fit in there any more than he'd fit in around here. I dread to think what the students would think of him being from Scotland."

"Yeah, I suppose ya have a point?" her mother agreed. "I don't know how you got away with it up there though? Well I'm off now and make sure if they arrive in the early hours of the morning, tell them to be quiet."

So Rose waited and just before her mother got back, Alec called from a service station.

"Where are ya?" Rose wanted to know.

"Somewhere in England," Alec laughed, since John had gone to get some cartons of coffee. "It's taken us a while to cross the border."

"Geez Alec, ya make it sound like ya need a passport," Rose laughed.

"Yes, I'll apply shall I? I might need one some day. Anyway, we're on a motorway, John figured it would be easier but he complained it was one you had to pay to use part of it but he said he's heard there were road works the way we came last time and they ll do most of it at night."

"Well, if they close some of it off, you may have to take a longer diversion. Mum said when ya get here, keep the noise down," she joked.

"Yes Rose, we don't want to upset your mother," Alec joked back.

A few hours later, Rose was in the kitchen, trying to see any cars arriving and parking where John had done the last time. She was tired, she'd been dozing in the armchair for a while but she couldn't sleep properly, not until they got there.

John was making his was across London, they were both tired but Rose had assured John that her mother would avoid the living room to let him have a few hours sleep.

"Getting nervous about seeing Rose?" John broke the silence between them.

"A little. I don't know what she'll say when she finds out about us," Alec replied. "I still have a lot of questions about it."

"Yeah, I expected you to so I'll tell you what else I was told, when we get to Rose's, she may as well know as well, she'll be asking questions knowing her," John laughed.

"Did you find out why mum never let on before she died?" Alec wanted to know.

"Yes, I'll tell you that as well. Peter didn't take it very well when we finally got hold of him. I suppose it explains why we were never that close," John replied as he tried to remember how to get behind Rose's block of flats.

"I was never that close to him until mum died, he stuck around for a bit but then he went off. Then you came back, like you knew I needed someone to talk to."

"Then you found Rose," John smiled. "Maybe you didn't need me that much?"

"Don't say that," Alec replied as he saw the now familiar playground. "I bet Rose is looking out of the kitchen window."

John let out a laugh.

"Just look for the window with the light on. Alec, I didn't meant it like that, that you didn't need me. Something made me give up travelling and finish the teaching course and goodness knows how they picked me for your school but they did and I'm happy I could help you and Rose settle in. Look over there, if that's Rose's block of flats."

Rose had spotted the red lights of a car, who else would be out at this time around here? Her heart was fluttering and she had knots in her stomach. She wanted to go down but thought she'd best not as she could make out two figures at the back of the car.

She went into the living room and sat in the armchair and waited for a tap on the door. Her Alec had come back and she knew she was going to find it hard to let him leave again. If she were that way, if he said he'd get transferred down here and go to school and college here, she'd jump at the chance but she couldn't let him and he knew it.

No matter how much they both wanted to be together all the time, she knew it was impossible until she was eighteen and then it was going to be risky, she may still have to face Bob if she went back. John had been given some disturbing news before they'd left but he didn't want to spoil their time together, it had been bad enough the last holiday.

His who he thought was his father had got to know from a fairly reliable source that not only could Rose be faced with being forced to live with Bob if she went back to Paisley, she may be returned to him if she set foot in Scotland again. If she registered for a school or anything else and it was passed on to the police, she could be declared she'd run away from home and placed with Bob.

John had been sad to learn it, as had his who he thought was his mother had, who had told Alec's dad and they'd decided not to say anything unless Rose was planning on trying to return when she was eighteen, which was still in some doubt but this would be a major disappointment to both her and Alec.

The other news had been that if it had been Rose this source had got to know about, which they all thought must be a certainty, she was under this threat until she was twenty one. They had all hoped they'd got it wrong but John had an awful feeling they weren't. How could they tell Rose or Alec they could be kept apart for even longer if Rose wouldn't give in and agree to Alec going to school and college near where she lived? Now, John had to smile as Alec refrained from running across the playground to get to Rose, then as Alec let them in and they climbed the stairs to Rose's floor, Alec's heart was pounding.

He was wondering how he'd managed not seeing her for weeks on end and how long he could do it but he knew Rose felt the same way. He tapped lightly at the door and Rose was up in a shot, going to unlock it.

"Hi! Well come on in but be quiet, mum won't be happy if ya wake her," Rose smiled, taking a box from Alec and wondering what it was.

"Hi Rose, that box is for you," he told her when they got to the living room.

She opened it and gasped.

"My records! Thanks. Well come here then."

John tried not to blush as Rose hugged Alec but then she turned on him.

"Thanks for offering to stay and take us out," she told him.

"Oh, it's nothing, really. Best try and get some sleep for a few hours then? I hope your mother won't be rattling pots and pans when she gets up?" John grinned.

"You've been here before," Rose reminded him. "I brought the duvet out for ya."

"Yeah, thanks. Alec, let's tell Rose our news after we get some sleep eh?" John suggested.