John's call to Rose had failed, Rose refusing to take the phone from her mother so Alec didn't get to speak to her. Seeing Alec was despondent, John suggested they went down when Alec could get a week off.
"There's no point," Alec was insisting as he and John sat in the kitchen.
"Well if you're going to give in that easily," his aunt interrupted. "Only a few years ago, you were both here and were so happy."
"He knows that Mum," John grinned, still calling his adopted mother that. "Well all you can do is wait another few years, see if she comes to her senses and gets the train up here on her 25th birthday. Then she'll have no fear Bob can go after her. I've a good mind to pay him a visit and tell him what trouble he's caused."
"Don't do that," Alec replied. "That was what he wanted, he always tried to keep Rose away from me. Wait until I'm a proper detective, then I'll confront him."
"Maybe that's what he wants?" Alec's dad suggested as he got up to join Alec's uncle in the living room.
"So that means he'll always get away with it?" his aunt asked.
"I spoiled his plans, right from the start," Alec told her. "He lured Rose's mother up here and never expected for Rose to meet me, I got in his way and made Rose rebel against him. Goodness knows what he would have got her into."
"Oh I don't know," John grinned. "Rose is clever enough, she wouldn't have been caught up in it."
"Wouldn't she?" Alec put his chair away as he got up. "There were a few times I thought she would be tempted."
"Don't think that Alec," his aunt went to put her hands on his shoulders.
"Sorry Aunt Mary but you saw what she was like, when I first met her," Alec apologised.
"Well she didn't give in, be thankful for that and though it's very hard, she's been keeping out of his grasp. Maybe all these years you've been apart, he's already given up, since she's not been tempted to come back?" his aunt suggested.
"Go down and see her Alec," his dad tried to encourage him. "Then can't you get transferred down there?"
"I tried to tell him that," John told him.
"What's the point? If I get transferred and she won't see me?" Alec asked again.
Alec went off up to the room that had once been his, then Rose had stayed over a few times. He laid on the bed, trying not to think Rose was there. He'd finally lost her, the thirteen year old rebel who at first wouldn't talk but then had been determined she wouldn't get caught in Bob's trap.
Well the man had finally won and neither of them had her. Should he do as had just been suggested and wait to see if she'd return on her own, when she thought it was safe to do so? They'd talked about him transferring anywhere over the border, would she still agree to it, if he could manage it?
At Rose's flat, her mother was tired of trying to talk to her through a closed door, having told John not to stop calling and Rose would finally come to her senses.
"I don't know about keeping on calling her," John had told her. "I don't think Alec wants to bother you every week."
"For goodness sake, tell him it's no bother, he can call every day if he wants," Jackie had told him.
"Well I'll try to encourage him then?" John had replied, not that he thought Alec would want to bother her any more.
"You tell Alec from me, he's not to give up on her, do ya hear?" Jackie had insisted.
Then as she was about to stop trying to make Rose see some sense, Rose opened the door.
"I don't wanna talk to him on the phone Mum, I want to be with him," Rose told her, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Then stop being pig-headed and get yourself up to Aberdeen or wherever and tell him, then get married," her mother replied.
"Is he still in Aberdeen?" Rose asked, wiping the tears with the back of her hand.
"Yeah, he said the last time though that he was seeing his chief about gettin' a transfer, he could end up in the Outer Hebrides on some tiny island," her mother laughed. "Now call him back."
"I can't Mum," Rose told her as they went back to the Christmas special of a soap opera Jackie had been trying to watch.
"Now look what ya've made me miss," Jackie sounded cross as the theme music was playing. "I'll have to watch it later now, I forgot how to programme that stupid video recorder again."
"Mum, I've shown ya a dozen times," Rose tried to sound cheerful. "I've seen these devices where ya just put the programme number in, from the TV magazine and it sets the recorder going. I'll get one for ya."
"Yeah, I'll pay for it, if it stops me forgettin' something," Jackie laughed.
"Mum, ya still have to remember to put the code in," Rose seemed to cheer up.
Alec went back to Aberdeen, disappointed Rose didn't want to talk to him, even on Christmas Day, which had been a special time for them. He remembered their first new year together, when they had kissed and he'd always remember it.
He got a birthday card from Jackie, who had signed it from her and Rose but to Alec, it wasn't the same. He was still stuck in Aberdeen, the only offer for a transfer being further north, in Inverness, not that he had anything against the place but Rose had thought Aberdeen was far enough away and it wouldn't encourage her, were she to change her mind and join him.
Maybe he'd gone overboard, saying for them to get married so suddenly? So he called Jackie on Rose's birthday.
"She wanted to work, Donna suggested she changed her day off," he was told when Jackie answered.
"I thought she would have stayed home," was all Alec could say. "Wish her happy birthday for me, tell her I still love her and think about her, every day."
"I will. She'll come round Alec, she'll see some sense," Jackie tried to comfort him.
"When though?" he wanted to know. "When she's twenty five?"
"It might not take that long," Jackie laughed. "I'll try to get her to call ya when she gets home, yeah?"
"Tell her after ten, that's when I get off, I just came back to call her during my break," Alec told her. "Tell her I hope she likes the present."
"Yeah, I will. I know it's heart-breaking Alec, I feel so sorry, for the pair of ya. You were so happy, the last time you were here. Can't ya transfer down here, then at least ya'd be closer?"
"I'll have to go over my training again, to comply with English law," Alec replied. "Once I finish here though, I'll have gone through all that. Do you think Rose will wait for me, for another two years?"
"I can't answer that," Jackie replied.
Donna had dragged Rose out after work to go for something to eat and have a few drinks.
"Did I tell ya? My dad was having some tests today," Donna wandered off the subject of if Rose had heard from Alec recently.
Rose was glad Donna had changed the subject.
"Why, what's wrong with him?" Rose asked, glancing out of the window and wondering why she'd let her friend drag her into the same chicken franchise she used to go in with Alec.
"Same as last time. Are ya paying attention Rose?" Donna asked her.
"Sorry. Me and Alec used to come in this place, in Paisley. What should I do Donna? I bet there's a card and present waiting when I get home and he'll have called my mum."
"Well for starters, stop being stupid and get on the next train to Aberdeen," Donna laughed.
"I can't Donna."
"Then tell me why?" Donna turned all serious.
They left the chicken franchise and went into a bar, Donna saying the drinks were on her.
"Well?" Donna asked, putting a glass in front of Rose. "Come on, I've put up with this for years and I want to know why you're still here and not gone off to marry Alec."
"You like me that much?" Rose laughed. "Sorry. It started when I was just turned thirteen, this bloke came to work on our estate. Anyway, my mother started seeing him and brought him back to the flat. Then she was cooking for him and he was staying over and he started saying I had to tidy my room and help her with the cooking and cleaning."
"Yeah, I can see that being a problem, for a teenager," Donna laughed.
Rose frowned at her.
"Well the next thing I knew, he'd practically moved in with us. Then I saw the workers packing up and I thought he was leaving. He was but they'd not said anything to me about us following him back to Paisley. I had to leave all my friends behind and I hated doing that."
"Yeah, it must have been tough," Donna sympathised with her. "So, what's stopping ya going back?"
"I'm gettin' to that. I thought I was going hate it but I met Alec, at the library, well sort of. Then he helped my when I started school and we became inseparable. Things weren't too good where I was living though. Bob was makin' me do everything and he was trying to make me stop seeing Alec."
"Well that didn't work, did it?" Donna pointed out.
"He was makin' me go to the pub with them, on Saturdays and a load of his mates were there, with their kids. He used to try to make me join them, to sit with them and play on the video machines with them. Then they started coming round to where I lived and he tried to make me talk to them, to sit with them."
"Geez Rose, were they up to what I think they were up to?" Donna asked seriously.
"I never joined in, I sneaked off to my room. Sometimes, mum would cover for me while I went round to Alec's, he didn't live far away. Things got worse but Alec used to call for me though Bob insisted I was back before everyone left. One time though, well Bob had been tryin' to steer me towards going out with this awful boy and I told him I was going out with Alec."
"You should have reported it," Donna told her, taking a big swallow of her drink.
"I didn't want to get mum into trouble. She had no idea what was going on and she was so gone with him. Anyway, I had Alec and his family on my side, I used to stay out as much as I could. Then this Bob, he made my mother sign something, about me and she swears she didn't take much notice of it," Rose finally admitted.
"What sort of signing? Signing as in legally binding?" Donna wanted to know.
"That's just it Donna, we never knew. She told me one morning we were leaving and I had a few hours to tell Alec. His uncle tried to find out but mum said she didn't know much about it, only it concerned me and if I ran off from her, Bob was to take charge of me."
"What? You mean she signed it?" Donna gasped.
Rose knew this had been a big mistake.
"That's just it Donna. He tricked her, not letting her see what she was actually agreeing to but Alec's uncle got information from someone that it was if I ever returned anywhere in Scotland, I was to be handed over to him. We thought it was only until I was eighteen but he changed it, to twenty one. Then we couldn't be sure he'd not changed it again but Alec's uncle said it couldn't be over twenty five."
"So, let me get this right? You can't go back until then?" Donna asked her. "That's a cheap nasty trick to pull. I suppose it's meant to keep you away from Alec?"
"Yeah, well it didn't work, since Alec was coming down here all the time, then when he joined the police, he couldn't get away as much," Rose replied. "That's just it Donna. When he asked me to go up there and get married, I'd given my name at that guest house, Bob would get to know and get the police to send me back to him."
"Well, couldn't Alec do anything about it?" Donna wanted to know, picking up the empty glasses.
She went off for more drinks, leaving Rose wondering about it. Alec could get into trouble for admitting she'd even visited.
"He couldn't admit I'd been there Donna."
"Well duh, his name and your name were recorded at that guest house and nothing's happened," Donna reminded her. "The police station where he is will know about it. I'm guessing they got involved, in taking ya back to this Bob?"
"I guess they didn't check all the registers? I can't risk it again Donna."
"Not even to get married? Rose, they won't get ya as ya cross over the border," Donna laughed. She saw Rose wasn't laughing as well. "Oh, so that's what all this is about? You're scared the first place ya stop off, they'll be alerted, if the police have your description? Can't Alec find out if that's the case?"
"Ya mean him admitting I'm his fiancée? Well I was, I don't know about now," Rose replied.
"Of course ya still are. Have you broken up?" Donna sounded surprised. Rose shook her head. "Then get him to find out, talk to him. Honestly Rose, you're such a dunce, Alec still loves you."
"If he finds out, what then? No Donna, I can't go back yet, I can't get Alec to find out. They might think he's been hiding me."
Donna shook her head.
"What are ya gonna do then? I mean when you can go back?"
Rose didn't know. She'd not spoken to Alec for quite a while, would he still want her to go back? There were still two years before she could safely go back.
Alec kept on calling Jackie every week, hoping for some sort of news that Rose would call him back. Just before Christmas, the sergeant he was working with suggested he take some compassionate leave and try to sort it all out.
"I want to see her but I may go all that way for nothing," Alec told the sergeant.
"Well the least you could do is try?" the sergeant suggested. "When are you going to tell me why she can't come up here? I know it's more than you're saying."
"I can't. It's not that she doesn't want to, it's something she's afraid of," was all Alec was willing to say.
"Is she afraid of the Loch Ness monster then?" the sergeant laughed as they worked late one night.
Alec tried to smile.
"No, we've been to Loch Ness, when she lived up here. She lived near me, for three years then her mother took her back to London," he admitted. "The man her mother had lived with, well she discovered something and wanted to get Rose away from him. She's scared if she comes back, he'll go after her."
That was the shortest version he could come up with at such short notice.
"Wasn't he reported?" the sergeant wanted to know, getting up to make yet another cup of tea. "I wish we could get one of those microwave ovens, then I could warm up my cold tea or the tea in the teapot," he joked.
"My aunt won't have one in the house," Alec replied. "No, her mother was scared to report him, she just wanted to get Rose away."
The sergeant went off and came back with two fresh mugs of tea, though Alec thought he could do with some coffee to keep him awake. He was glad to see the tea hadn't been warmed up though but he could just imagine if Rose's mother got a microwave, she'd be the first to see if it would make tea for her.
What was he supposed to do? Keep calling Jackie every week, hoping Rose was still wearing the engagement ring he'd given her? She had been so excited when he'd put it on her finger so why wasn't she willing to risk coming up here? Should he risk asking if the police would even look for her if she did venture back?
"Alec, take the leave eh?" the sergeant sat across from him.
"I can't Sarge, if I waste it by her not seeing me and she changes her mind, then I won't get any more," Alec replied. "I'm grateful for the offer though."
"I've seen you like this, since that Christmas she was here. You were so looking forward to her arrival, I thought you would bounce off the walls," the sergeant laughed. "I shouldn't tell you this but I think you'll be going for your sergeant's exam earlier, you've done really well. Maybe you had an incentive eh?"
"Yes, I did. I want to get qualified so I can apply for a transfer, maybe back home for now. Maybe that would encourage her to forget her fear?"
"Let's hope so lad, though we'll be sad to see you go," the sergeant replied. "Well, let's hope we have a quiet night then?"
Since he'd passed his driving test and bought a cheap car from someone at the police station, he headed for Paisley on Christmas Eve, hoping Rose would answer the phone when John insisted he called her. He was feeling miserable at the thought of not being with her yet again and wondered if she was feeling the same.
Rose and Jackie had been invited to Donna's house on Boxing Day, since some transport was running and Donna had passed her driving test and offered to drive them home, since she was now sharing a car with her mother. The phone rang, on Christmas Day and Jackie held back from answering it, hoping Rose would.
"Get the phone then," Jackie encouraged her.
"I know who it is Mum. I can't talk to him."
"Ya have to at some point," Jackie told her, going for the still ringing phone.
She wasn't surprised it was actually John.
"Merry Christmas Jackie," John sounded cheerful when she answered. "Is there any chance I can talk to Rose, before I forget what she sounds like?"
"Yeah, I'll see. Thanks for the cards and presents," Jackie replied. "Take this call Rose, it's John."
Jackie went over and grabbed Rose's hand, pulling her off the chair she and Alec always used to sit on.
"Hello John," Rose spoke quietly at first.
"Rose! Good to hear your voice. How are you doing?" John asked excitedly.
Everyone looked across at him, since he'd bought a cordless phone and they were all in the kitchen.
"I'm okay, thanks. How's everyone up there?" Rose replied.
"Fine, well most of us," he looked at Alec. "Still working at that department store then? Have you talked your mum into getting a cordless phone yet?"
"Nah, not yet. So how's your mum and dad then? How's Alec?"
"They're fine, Alec and his dad are both fine. Do you want to talk to my mum, or maybe Alec?" John asked hopefully.
Rose thought this was a conspiracy between her mother and John.
"You can put your mum on, if she wants to talk to me," Rose agreed. "I'm not ready to talk to Alec, tell him I'm sorry."
John wasn't listening though and shoved the phone into Alec's hands.
"Talk to each other," John told him. "You've got no excuse, you can go talk in the hallway if you want."
Alec could hear Rose's voice, his heart leaping because he'd not heard from her in so long.
"Rose, it's me. Talk to me, please or do I have to wait two more years?" he asked her nervously.
"Alec, I'm so sorry. I just couldn't find anything to say, I thought ya'd keep on asking me why I couldn't go up there to be with ya."
"Then I won't ask. All I do ask is that you'll keep thinking about it. However long it takes, I'll wait for you."
