On our own

Summer was coming up and Rose was getting excited she'd get to spend six or so weeks with Alec and he'd told her that he had a surprise for her and to be ready when he and John got there. John had talked him into letting him drive them down to Broadchurch but they had to make their own way back so Rose was going to have to be warned not to take too much with her.

That was proving difficult as she held the phone with one shoulder and she had stuff spread out on her bed a few days before their arrival. Alec had given the impression John was going with them so he had no idea how to convince her.

"So, why can't I take as much as I normally do?" Rose complained to him.

"Rose, you never wear half of it," he began to tell her. "Just take t-shirts and jeans and a few things to go out in?" he suggested, hoping she would finally get the hint.

"So, are ya gonna tell me where we're going and why your dad's not going with us?" she asked him.

"Rose, he only did it the last few years, he says he can trust us, with John going with us. Besides, with working Saturdays, I can afford it."

"Well when we get back, we'll just have to be careful, yeah?" Rose told him.

John had been listening to Alec's side of the conversation, well the end of it since Alec had hinted he wanted to talk to Rose on his own.

"She'll never go for it, when I sneak off," John grinned. "Her mother said I could stay overnight before driving back here so I'll get off after dropping you in the town, then you can explain where I've gone."

Since Alec finished college on the Thursday and John was taking the day off, they set off early Friday morning and Rose was waiting their arrival, wondering if they were going to surprise her and set off the night before and hoping she'd see them before she set off for college.

"You're gonna be late Rose," her mother reminded her. "If they were going to be early, they'd have been here by now."

Rose had to give in and go for the bus, she didn't want to spoil her record of not being late.

John was teasing Alec about remembering the way to her college as they got near London and Alec was worried they'd not get there in time if Rose was told she could leave early. They had been told they could go at lunch time if they wanted or take extra classes so she opted to wait, unlike her friend. She was sat near the window so she could see the visitor's car park and the teacher, who clearly didn't want to be there either noticed.

"Got somewhere else to be Miss Tyler?" Mr Taylor asked her, Rose wishing John would get a job there.

"Sorry, Sir. I was just watching out for someone," she replied, having hardly mentioned Alec to anyone.

"Your boyfriend," one of the other girls laughed, setting those remaining off laughing as well.

"Enough," the bored teacher tried to silence them. "Right, let's have a quiz then shall we? Who knows which is the largest lake in Scotland?"

Rose tried not to put her hand up but no-one else was either so she tried putting it up slowly.

"You again Miss Tyler?" she was asked. "Go ahead."

"Sir, it's called a loch," she reminded him, getting some sniggers. "Also, if depends what's meant as the largest, there's the deepest, surface area or by volume Sir."

Everyone who had stayed behind was now enjoying this and still laughing.

"Everyone quiet," the frustrated teacher warned them and knowing Rose never normally tried to be smart, was a little surprised. He wasn't going to be outdone though. "So, you're an expert on Scottish lochs then? Name all three and by type then."

Everyone started giggling again, thinking Rose was going to come unstuck and have to decline to answer or get them wrong. No-one there knew she'd lived in Scotland for three years and had the advantage of having John and Alec to teach her.

Mr Taylor indicated for her to stand, Rose leaning her hands on the desk but he also indicated for her to step forward. Rose could see he was enjoying her challenging him and thought he had caught her out and it being the last day of term, give the other pupils something to torment her with when the next term started.

The others stared open-mouthed as Rose began to reel them off.

"Loch Lomond has the largest surface area 71 sq km, Loch Morar is the deepest loch at 310m and Loch Ness is the largest loch by volume it contains more water than all English and Welsh lakes together."

"Sit down Miss Tyler," the embarrassed teacher insisted. "And pray tell me how it is you have taken such notice?"

"Sir, I lived in Scotland for three years, in Paisley," she had to admit, not really wanting to but the teacher wouldn't accept any other excuse, judging by the look on his face.

"I might have known," he muttered mostly to himself as the others were trying to get their notebooks out and remember what Rose had said, for future reference.

After that little display of Rose's, the quiz was forgotten and the defeated teacher told them to get their English books out and study instead. Rose was sure he was going to challenge her on the way out. Alec and John were making their way towards Rose's college and finally drove into the car park and since everyone who had stayed had been told they could go when they wished, Rose gathered her things and put her hand up.

"Yes Miss Tyler? Forgotten to name a Scottish loch for something else?" she was asked.

"No Sir, I'd just like to leave now," she replied as she got up.

"Bet her boyfriend's just arrived," the girl at the next desk nudged her friend. "Have ya seen him?"

"Yeah, he's a babe," her friend agreed, getting a frown from Rose that said he was spoken for.

Once outside and reaching John's car, Alec got out to open the door for her, expecting his usual kiss.

"What's wrong?" he wanted to know as he got in beside her.

"Nothing. Well we might be being watched, from up there," she pointed to where she'd just been.

"Been looking out of the window?" John laughed.

"I might have been showing off, well just a bit," she admitted, leaning to kiss Alec's cheek and trying to get used to the fact he had to shave more now and he'd been travelling all day.

"Rose?" both Alec and John said at the same time.

"Aw, it was nothing, I was just givin' 'em a Scottish geography lesson," she grinned, taking Alec's arm.

John just shook his head and wished he hadn't asked.

The next morning was chaos, Rose having not heeded Alec and John's warning and Alec saying she could only take one suitcase and a holdall, he already knew she stuffed her personal things in her shoulder bag.

"You never told me why I had to cut down," Rose was arguing as his case had been re-packed the night before.

"Rose, just take when you need, yes? Now hurry up, John's waiting to set off," Alec told her, watching her trying to close the case and wishing John was collecting them as well.

Not that John hadn't offered, in fact he'd offered to stay with them but keep out of their way but Alec had insisted he wanted to do this without any help. Rose decided she was still tired after Alec had woken her up early, his excuse being he had missed her and wanted to make up for it so she got him to sit in the middle seat and leaned on his shoulder after she realised which direction they were heading in.

"Ya thought I wouldn't recognise the way," she yawned.

"Thought you were going to sleep?" John raised his eyebrows at her through the mirror.

Rose made a face at him and closed her eyes, Alec's arm around her.

She had to be woken when they stopped for a break, John getting her a strong coffee to wake her up. It did the trick and he wished he'd not given her it as she and Alec were chatting in the back seat.

"I know where we're going Alec," she whispered to him on seeing John watching them.

"I was hoping to surprise you," Alec replied, thinking the chance would be a fine thing.

"Aw, ya are Alec," she grinned, clinging hold of his arm.

Alec saw John was smiling through the mirror at them. A while later, John was driving alongside Broadchurch harbour, then turned into the caravan park.

"Are you staying?" Rose asked John as she and Alec got out but he remained.

"Ah, well. You two go get booked in," John insisted.

"You're not, are ya?" Rose quizzed him.

"Come on Rose," Alec insisted as he held his hand out to help her.

"What's going on?" she wanted to know as Alec led her to the office. "If John's not staying?"

"Got you," he whispered as they went up to the counter and a woman turned around.

Alec handed his confirmation to her and she turned around again, coming back to face him with an envelope in her hands and Rose could see 'Hardy' on the front as she placed it on the counter. The woman emptied the contents out, which included a keyring with two keys, a map and two passes.

"Welcome to Broadchurch, Mr Hardy," the woman spoke to him as she put everything back, Alec hoping she wouldn't question how old he was. "There's just the two of you?"

Alec managed a nod, Rose taking the envelope and knowing she was going to take charge.

"Yeah, is that gonna be a problem?" Rose dared ask in her as Alec called it bossy voice.

"You are both over eighteen?" the woman wanted to know.

"Yes, we are," Alec told her, thinking they looked old enough.

"Enjoy your stay then and if you need anything, we're here to help," the woman smiled at them.

Rose had thought they were never going to get away with it and wondered how Alec had managed to keep it from her that he'd done the booking. Alec knew she would want all the details of how he had planned this. It had worked though so she should be pleased with him.

They found the caravan then once they had taken everything inside and Rose seeing John hadn't much with him anyway, they were left in the town itself to get what they needed from the supermarket. Alec knew this was going to be the start of many tests, there would be more to come like when he was boarding at the police college and only going home at weekends and they wouldn't be able to talk for as long each evening.

This test though was living together for a whole week and Rose not staring back at everyone who dared stare in their direction because they were on their own. They were getting a bus back down to the harbour, with two bags of groceries when Rose nudged him.

"We could always pretend to be married," she whispered, being mischievous.

"Stop it Rose," he whispered back, hoping no-one would hear her.

"Well we could, we were gonna talk about getting engaged," she reminded him.

He knew they were getting older and maybe Rose would want to talk about it now more than he did. She did but she had tried hard not to mention it too much, just in case he got the wrong idea and thought she was being over keen about it.

They couldn't afford to go out every night so they just walked around the harbour, right to the end of the east pier and would just sit, sometimes Rose talking non-stop about college and about him changing his. Then sometimes, they would sit arm in arm and just watch the boats moving around, Rose's head on his shoulder and just be silent.

It was on those evenings, Alec would think she was growing into the most beautiful young woman, not that she hadn't been so when they'd first met but maybe he'd not taken quite as much notice as he was doing now. He hated Bob, whose surname he'd never learned but as soon as he joined the police properly, he was going to find out and make the man pay for splitting them up for long periods of time.

He nudged her on the Wednesday night.

"Rose, if you want to get engaged, we can, before I have to go back," he told her.

Rose had her eyes closed.

"I thought we were gonna wait and talk about it?"

Alec had to smile.

"You were talking a few days ago about us pretending to be married. I mean it Rose, lots of couples get engaged a lot younger."

"Yeah and round near us, there's an engagement party every week, then ya hear they've already split up a week later. I don't want that to happen to us Alec."

"Is that why you're so reluctant?" he asked, trying to get her to face him.

"What? Well maybe, just a little? We're so far apart all the time Alec, it scares me to think about it. This is all Bob's fault, we could have stayed together and already be engaged," she replied, suddenly breaking free and getting up.

Alec followed her to the edge of the pier, putting his arms around her from behind and seeing she was now shivering. It might be August but it still got chilly in the evenings and she'd not brought her jacket with her. He took his own denim one off and put it around her shoulders, holding it in place.

"Why couldn't he just have left us alone Alec?" she continued. "He deliberately went after my mum to get to me, why won't she turn on him and report him?"

"We've already been over this Rose, I thought we were going to try to forget about it?" he wanted to know. "I hate him too Rose and I will make him pay but you have to tell me his surname."

He knew why she wouldn't. It was so his uncle, his dad and John wouldn't go round to the apartment and have it out with the man and make charges against him to the police. Men like Bob were very well organised and he'd tell a different tale about Rose and her mother and Rose would never drag her mother into it.

"I know you want to protect your mother Rose but she's also protecting you," he added.

"Leave it Alec, please? She went through enough back then, I just didn't see it. Deep down, she must have known something wasn't quite right but she didn't know what to do about it, she was so scared of him and losing the lifestyle she'd got used to."

"Some lifestyle Rose," he reminded her as she took hold of his jacket and he moved to her side.

He led her to sit on the wooden blocks at the edge of the pier, stopping her from facing the water.

"He led her to believe that was what she wanted," Rose replied sadly. "Hey, how do ya feel after doing almost a week of domestics?" she tried to change the subject.

He knew what she was trying to do.

"What, you mean living in a caravan?" he joked.

"Ya know what I mean Alec. I mean we do it when mum's out but this is different. There's no wondering when she's coming home for her lunch or her being in while we watch TV. We bump into each other in the kitchen area and laugh about it when ya sneak up on me and ya sneak a kiss. That's what I want it to be like, when we get engaged, not you being hundreds of miles away."

"I know Rose. We can make plans though?" he asked her.

"Yeah, we can make plans. Hey, maybe I should leave college next year and get a proper job, so we can save up for a place of our own? I mean when you start your proper training?"

He knew he had to give her something to keep her busy. Was sacrificing her education fair though?

"Yes Rose, we can do that. I don't want you giving college up this next year though, promise me?"

Rose squeezed his hand.

"Yeah, I'll struggle on another year, okay?' she teased him. "You find it all so easy Alec. I've tried to make up for missing out before, ya know I have but it doesn't come easy to me."

"Rose, you did try hard and I wish I was here all the time to help you. We can get some revision in while I'm here, if you want?"

"Well, not too much or we won't have any fun," Rose relented, nudging him.

Alec smiled to himself. He and John had really done their best trying to help her but all that time she had messed around had done some damage. He knew it wasn't entirely her fault, it was the culture she had grown up in and Rose was a natural rebel.

On their last day in Broadchurch, they went swimming in the park's pool, which had just be refurbished then went down the beach to a quiet cove. Alec insisted on taking some photos of her in her other swimsuit, Rose pretending to be embarrassed but they both laughed about it.

After they had packed then cleaned the caravan, they got some food from the nearby takeaway and sat watching the boats.

"I'd love to live here some day," Rose told him as they sat arm in arm on a low wall.

"Well I've not seen a police station here," Alec joked. "Maybe it's hidden up in the town somewhere?"

"Well we said before, maybe they'll build a new one, right on the corner," she pointed to some spare land. "I wonder what was there before?"

"Maybe it was never used before? My dad said there used to be nothing much here, then people started coming and the railway was extended. I'm glad it's not got too big though or it would have been spoiled," Alec replied.

"Yeah, it escaped being a mini Blackpool," Rose laughed.

Alec was also grateful.

"We have to catch that early bus in the morning to get to the railway station in Dorchester," he warned her.

"Yeah, so much for the disused railway station here then? I wonder why they closed it?"

"Too many cars?" Alec wondered. "Anyway, we have to get our tickets so we'd best have plenty of time."

He half expected John to arrive later or in the morning but maybe his older half brother had decided he should leave them to it. He had also expected Rose to be grumpy when he woke her early the next morning, so finishing the rest of the bread, margarine and milk in the coffee, he made her some breakfast while she went and cleared the bathroom.

Seeing she was half asleep, he checked himself, getting a scowl from her as if to say didn't he trust her? They put the key in the collection box outside the office and walked to the bus stop in the square outside the amusement arcade, Rose sitting on the wall and Alec standing beside her.

"I hope this isn't the last time we come here Alec," she told him as she saw the bus making its way along the harbour.

"We can come next year, if you want?" he replied, picking up the cases while Rose got the bags.

Their train arrived on time, Alec having got the tickets and was amused that Rose got comfortable in the double seat she'd found so they didn't have to share if it got busy towards London. It did get busy, people standing in the aisle now and Rose pretending to be asleep so she didn't stare back at the envious standing passengers.

She did hear one older man complaining that the younger generation had no respect for their elders and Alec had to whisper to her not to reply, to which she just pulled a face and said loud enough that they had probably paid more than the man had.

They finally arrived in London, Alec relying on Rose to get them across the city.

"I've done this before ya know," she laughed as they walked up the steps from the station.

Alec wished he'd not mentioned it, she had made a similar journey after leaving Scotland.

Once on the bus, Rose realised what he'd meant.

"It's okay Alec, we couldn't have stayed there. It would have only got worse if I'd stayed. He could have done something even worse like claim me and throw my mother out."

"Would he have gone that far?" Alec wondered.

"Look how far he did go Alec," she replied sadly.

Alec didn't want reminding Bob had gone too far and was now keeping them apart and Rose being stubborn in not letting him stay. He often debated defying her wishes and take his chances in the police in London but maybe that would just make her mad.