Donna was keeping it quiet that she'd got her cousin a job, especially to Rose, who was now wondering what all the fuss was about as the other girls in her department were huddling by the dressing rooms and laughing. She thought now was her opportunity to exercise her new-found status as deputy supervisor, since she'd got the title and never even told Alec or been bossy.
"What are you lot laughing at?" she asked as she crept up behind them.
"Playing at being boss?" one of them asked, since no-one thought Rose was taking her new status seriously.
The new girls hadn't believed how long she'd been there anyway.
"Watch it Jasmine," Rose chastised the tall brunette. "Well, get back to work before Mrs Freeman comes back from her break," she warned them. "So, what's going on?"
"You mean you don't know?" another girl laughed. "You've not heard about the new bloke in the electrical department?"
"Donna mentioned someone was leaving," Rose recalled. "So, who did they get?" she wanted to know, checking no-one was smuggling dresses or tops under their coats.
"Don't know his name but he's dishy," Jasmine giggled. "He's tall and his hair has a mind of its own."
Rose stood for a moment. So Donna had wangled her cousin into getting the job? The girls could only be talking about James Noble. When had that happened? Had she missed something or had he sneaked in for an interview? More importantly, why had Donna not told her earlier?
"All the girls are planning on asking for his phone number," one of them told her as they wandered back to the rails.
Rose silently wished them good luck. From what she knew of James, he always tripped up around women after his bad break-up with his long-term girlfriend. Donna had told her a few things about the stuck-up French blonde he'd been with for several years and they weren't good things either, especially the way she had dumped him – by text message.
She met up with Donna at lunchtime but she heard a voice behind them in the queue waiting to be served.
"Hello again Rose," James greeted her as he peered over her shoulder at Donna.
"Make sure you fill your plate," Donna teased him. "Honestly James, you're as skinny as a rat."
Rose tried to suppress a laugh.
"You might as well laugh too," he told Rose. "Even my aunt keeps having a go at me."
"Aw, never mind James," Rose tried to console him. "I'm envious of you, being so slim."
"Really?" James got his hopes up. "See Donna," he ha'd at her.
"Spaceman," Donna replied as she paid the cashier with a lunch voucher, since the canteen was open to the public and they had to pay full price otherwise.
"Why haven't I got any vouchers?" James asked Rose as she got one out of her pocket.
"Sorry, you get them with your wage packet," Rose replied. "Just tell them you're new and they'll give you a discount for now."
"Ah, can you help me with that?" he appealed to Rose, seeing the look on the cashier's face.
Rose let out a laugh. "Hey Jenny, he's new," she indicated to James.
"You want me to discount him then?" the large woman asked, James thinking that was rather obvious as they'd just been saying.
Rose waited by the cutlery tray as James got sorted then they went to sit with Donna, well Rose assumed he'd be sitting with them and Donna wasn't telling him to go away. She sat next to her friend, hoping Donna wouldn't insult James for almost an hour.
"Food's good," James remarked, trying to think of something to say.
Well he'd never had a proper conversation with Rose being present before.
"Don't you go out or anything when you've eaten?" he continued.
"Not much time really," Rose replied, wondering why Donna was being so quiet. "Sometimes we pop out for twenty minutes or so, don't we Donna?"
"Only when you wanted to buy your boyfriend a present," Donna replied. "Don't suppose you'll be doing that for a while, if at all?"
"Thanks for reminding me," Rose sounded annoyed.
"Sorry," Donna apologised. "Did ya try calling him over the weekend then?"
"What's the point Donna? I ain't calling him to have that woman answer. He never called me back to deny anything."
"So, you broke up?" James sounded concerned.
"Keep up spaceman," Donna told him. "Stop flicking your hair around, the girls are staring at ya."
Rose couldn't help but smile at Donna's last remark.
"I heard some of them this morning. Watch out James, they're out to get your phone number," Rose teased him.
James didn't want any of their phone numbers, he wanted Donna to give him Rose's but had never actually dared ask. He'd been jealous of Rose talking about this Alec, who was Scottish and for some reason, hadn't joined Rose in London when she'd chosen to stay there.
He knew from Donna talking to his aunt that Rose was unhappy and often wondered why they'd stayed apart.
Up in Paisley, Alec had woken up and decided he should go do some grocery shopping then maybe meet up with John before going to work. He'd been wondering all weekend what to do about Tess, who was being most persistent but he'd not had chance to do anything about it. He'd just got dressed and was making something to eat when his door buzzer went.
"It's Tess," he heard a voice when he asked who it was.
"Tess, I was about to go out," he insisted, looking at his toast. "Well after I've eaten."
"I was going to the supermarket, I thought I would call in," she replied. "Are you going to let me in, I'm getting funny looks out here."
Against his better judgement, he pressed the button to release the door. Even now, doing so reminded him of when Rose used to let him into her apartment. He knew he had to discourage Tess from calling in whenever she felt like it, especially as Rose could call at any time.
The times he'd looked forward to Rose calling were fading fast, now it was if she called and slowly, he'd stopped calling Jackie just to ask if she could get Rose to talk to him. He was counting the days to when he got some time off to go down and see if he could talk Rose into finally coming back with him.
The date of the trial was also approaching and hopefully be over with before he went to visit, then he could tell her it was now finally over, Bob would be punished and placed behind bars. He didn't know about in England but in Scotland, judgement was swift and they didn't mess around with child abusers. He hoped they had a solid enough case against them all.
"Finish your breakfast," Tess told him as she went to help herself by making another mug of tea. "Don't you ever drink coffee?"
"Not really," he replied, sitting down and nudging the chair next to him a safe distance with his foot, before Tess sat herself there.
"Well you could get some at the supermarket," she suggested as the kettle switched off.
He had this dreaded feeling that Tess was trying to take over and he should stop her. The trouble was, he didn't know how to. Before he knew it, Tess was getting into his car and they drove just outside town to the supermarket. There had been a lot of changes in the town while he'd been away but he'd been glad to see the library was still there, where he'd first seen Rose, almost twelve years ago.
As they went around, Tess insisting they shared a shopping trolley, he hoped he wouldn't see anyone he knew. Then he heard this booming voice behind him.
"Alec!" the male voice got louder.
Alec turned around to see a man with long curly hair holding his hand out.
"Ah, do I know you?" Alec asked, not recognising the man shaking his hand.
"It's Peter, remember?" the man sounded disappointed. "We went to school together but I was in the other class, same year though."
"Right, of course," Alec replied, still not able to recall the man.
"This can't be Rose?" the man looked at Tess.
"No, I'm not Rose," Tess replied, sounding insulted.
"Yes, Rose was blonde and stuck to Alec like glue," the man laughed. "You could never get to see them apart. Remember when Billy used to tease the two of ya?"
Alec didn't need reminding, the man slowing becoming familiar to him as one who stuck with Billy's gang in their younger days.
"What happened to her Alec?" he was asked.
"She went home, she left school, remember?" Alec snapped, not wanting to think about it.
"Sorry man," Peter apologised. "So this is your new girlfriend then?"
"No, she's not, we just work together," Alec corrected him.
Tess looked suitably insulted at Alec's description of her and the way he'd looked when reminded Rose was gone. She could also see she was going to have to still compete with Rose even though she was hundreds of miles away and he hardly ever saw her or spoke to her.
His former school friend made his excuses after introducing his wife but Tess was still holding the trolley.
"You could have said I was your friend Alec," Tess chastised him.
Alec just gave a 'huh' and walked off towards the delicatessen counter, Tess following him.
Once back at the car, they loaded the shopping in the back and got in, Alec sitting with his hands on the wheel.
"Don't grip so tight," Tess tried to tell him, going for his hands.
"What are you playing at Tess?" he wanted to know.
Tess let out a little laugh. "You must have got it by now Alec?"
"You want to replace Rose, don't you?" he suddenly realised. "Well I have news Tess, I'm not looking to replace her, I'm still going down to London to see her."
"I don't get it Alec," Tess told him. "Why don't you let her go and get on with your life? That trial's coming up and maybe they'll all get at least ten years, then what? Rose is always going to be looking over her shoulder if she comes back."
"She will have got justice, for him using her mother and trying to get to her," Alec replied as he started the car.
"That may not be enough for her," Tess reminded him. "I've read the reports Alec, I know what they tried to get her involved with and that must have got to her, when she was younger. How did she even live in the same place as him?"
"She had no choice Tess. Her mother would never listen to her but Rose was clever. We were all proud of the way she fought back and when she was sixteen, we planned that she was going to go live with my aunt, since she was old enough to leave home but two days after her birthday, her mother said they were going back to London. That was the second worse day of my life," he admitted.
Tess put her hand on his.
"I'm sorry Alec, I didn't know. I assumed her mother got tired of her boyfriend and decided to leave. Why didn't you go after her when you were old enough though?"
"I'd applied for police college," he replied as he checked the way was clear. "Rose insisted I went and we managed at first. I don't want to talk about it Tess."
"I saw that Rose's mother finally realised what was going on and that was why they left. At least she got Rose out of it but it must be deeper than that Alec."
"It was, which is why she won't come back, not even if Bob gets locked up but I have to at least try Tess. I have to go tell her and try to assure her."
Alec went to drop Tess back home but she tried to talk him into going inside.
"I have to get ready for work Tess and so do you," he reminded her.
"You have an hour to spare," Tess told him. "You could help me up with my groceries."
Alec knew he shouldn't fall into her trap but maybe he could do just that, carry one of the bags of shopping for her. He followed her upstairs to her apartment, Tess handing him the other bag while she got her key out. He knew he shouldn't go inside so as the door opened, he tried to hand the bags back.
"Carry them into the kitchen for me," she asked, going in first.
With his hands full and Tess taking off her coat in the hallway, he kicked the door closed behind him. Then, just as suddenly as Tess had taken her coat off, she was reaching for the shopping bags but instead of taking them to the kitchen, she put them down, grabbed hold of his jacket lapels and planted a kiss on his lips.
Alec tried his best to resist but he was missing Rose so much now and he still didn't know if she was going to agree to come back with him.
"Tess, I can't," he tried to tell her.
"Why not?" Tess was confused, since he'd just kissed her back.
Alec was trying to come up with valid reasons whilst trying not to blush.
"Well, we work together," he started to say.
"You've moved to another division, don't use that as an excuse Alec. It's time to move on. What if you go all the way down there and she doesn't want to see you?"
She tried again to get him to respond, going to kiss him and he found himself giving in. Yes, he missed Rose but Tess had purposely not told him she'd rung and now, Rose would surely think he had a new girlfriend. He'd been mad at Tess but why hadn't Rose believed him when he'd said they just worked together?
Maybe he should call Jackie and see what was going on? Now, Tess had led him to the sofa and he'd let her pull him down on the cushion and she was going for his shirt buttons, despite him trying to pull her hand away.
"Tess, this really is not a good idea," he tried protesting again.
"Don't you miss having someone Alec?" she asked him.
"Let's just wait Tess, until I've been to see Rose," he suggested.
Tess tried to get up, Alec moving aside.
"What's wrong with me Alec?" You still want Rose? Well I have news for you, she's not here and she'll never come back if she thinks she's still in danger. Why can't you settle for someone more obtainable? Fine, go down and see her then if it doesn't work out, maybe you'll appreciate someone who is here."
Rose got home from work and asked if Alec had called.
"No sweetheart," her mother regretted to say. "Maybe he's waiting for you to call back?"
"He had someone there Mum, he's the one who should call me back and tell me I've nothing to worry about," Rose replied. "I am worried Mum."
"I know Rose. Do ya want me to ring him?" her mother offered.
Rose knew her mother meant well but it would only make things worse. Alec wouldn't be able to fool her mother and she'd tell him so. After all, Jackie had watched the two of them grow up together, she'd know what was really going on and she'd tell Alec to stop fooling around and get a transfer to London and finally marry her daughter.
"No Mum, leave it," Rose urged her. "You can't fix this, no-one can."
Jackie wasn't so sure about that. She knew Rose wouldn't listen to her though so she planned on calling Alec the next morning to find out what was going on and who had got Rose upset by being in his flat so early in the morning, on his day off. She wondered what he thought he was doing, putting his relationship with Rose in jeopardy, well such as it was she supposed.
Alec had managed to get home and get ready for work, then set off, hoping to get in before Tess so he didn't bump into her. He'd left after she had told him he should get himself sorted out but how could he? He still had very strong feelings for Rose but he had to face it, was he ever going to get her back? Should he be prepared to dare ask for another transfer so soon and hope to get one near Rose?
He thought he should at least know what his chances were so he went to see his new boss.
"Are you being funny Hardy?" he was asked as both his boss and the sergeant blew cigarette smoke at him.
"Sorry, Sir but I need to know my chances. How long would I have to wait? I have some leave coming, I would like to tell my girlfriend down in London that I could transfer down there." Alec explained.
"I thought Tess Henchard was your girlfriend," the sergeant laughed, it being more of a statement than a question.
"No, she's not," Alec denied.
"If you say so," the DCI replied, picking up Alec's file. "About this leave though, it may coincide with that trial."
Alec shifted in his seat.
"Do I have to cancel it?" he dared ask.
"Get ready to," his boss replied. "I wouldn't tell her if I were you. Maybe you should get her up here to attend the trial? The more evidence we have, the better."
"She will never agree Sir, she won't involve her mother. Mrs Tyler made a big mistake, she had been on her own a long time and she was taken advantage of."
"That's exactly the kind of evidence we need," he was reminded. "Still, we managed to hunt down a previous victim of his, he seemed to be the only one who picked up women with teenage daughters."
Alec was amazed to hear such a thing. So Jackie hadn't been the first one after all? If that was the case, why hadn't he figured it out?
"Do we know what happened Sir?" Alec needed to know.
"You should have been at his interrogation," the sergeant told him.
There had been times in the last two days he wished he'd stayed where he was. This was the first full shift he was officially working with his new division, he'd been spending a few hours with them, hoping Rose hadn't been trying to call him because he knew Tess would deny it.
"Can I read the file?" Alec wanted to know. "I need to know how many others there had been. Rose and her mother were with him for three years, how long were the others?"
"You really had no idea there had been others," the sergeant couldn't believe.
"Maybe Mrs Tyler knew and never said anything?" his boss suggested.
Alec already suspected that Jackie hadn't told Rose a lot of things.
After digging around in a pile of folders on his desk, the detective in charge tossed one to Alec.
"You can read this but you can't confront him about it Hardy. If you do, you could jeopardise the conviction. The prosecution service are already preparing the trial and no new evidence can be presented unless it's already been mentioned," Alec was warned.
"You mean getting Rose and her mother to testify?" Alec wondered.
"Yes, that's been factored into it when you told us about them, plus what the others admitted. They were keen to put all the blame on him, they said he was desperate to join them. He kept it quiet about having someone else but was keen to let them know about Mrs Tyler and her daughter."
Alec got up and went to his new desk with the file. That explained a few things, he thought as he opened it, seeing both Jackie and Rose's names mentioned but with a sticky note over them saying they weren't to be mentioned or contacted.
So Bob had basically gone to London looking for a replacement and found Jackie but had only taken up with her because of Rose? He thought it a pity he couldn't express his disgust to the man who had not only driven Rose away but had kept her away all this time and had used her mother to get to her.
He could only guess that firstly, Bob had seen Rose on the estate, then seen her with Jackie and had plotted to get close to Jackie to ensure she'd follow him. He dreaded to think what had happened to the woman before and if she'd also had a daughter, what he'd tried to do with her. He must have got rid of them quickly to have no fear Jackie would come face to face with whom she was replacing.
He looked up as he noticed someone standing in front of his desk.
"How are you getting on Alec?" his old sergeant asked him.
"Fine Sarge, I was catching up on the case of those child abusers."
"You mean the man who drove your girlfriend away?" the sergeant smiled.
"He had her mother replacing someone," Alec told him.
"You're too close to it Alec, try not to let it get in the way of your judgement," he was advised.
"That's why I can't go near any of them," Alec replied.
"Aye, that's right. I thought I would warn you that Tess just asked me to change her day off to the same as yours, now you're not working with us," the sergeant warned him. "She means business Alec so if you're going to visit your girlfriend, you'd best bring her back with you and even then, Tess's jealousy may drive her away."
"I think it already has Sarge," Alec admitted. "Tess called in one morning and Rose called me, she knew someone was there. I should be mad with Tess but she talked her way out of it."
"Be very careful Alec, Tess means to get on and she also asked about the sergeant's exam, she wants to be a DS in as little time as possible."
"You think she will pass?" Alec wanted to know, forgetting the file.
"Aye, I think she will Alec. Best get on with taking yours then?"
Alec already knew there had only been a chance of one partner taking the exam at a time so Tess had barely waited until he'd got transferred to make her move. He'd just asked about a transfer, how would asking to go ahead with a promotion go, he wondered as he heard his boss and the other sergeant laughing at something.
The next morning, Tess was waiting for him in the entrance.
"Give me a ride home?" she asked. "Or are you going to invite me to your place?"
"That's not a good idea Tess," he told her as he opened the car doors.
"Nothing ever is Alec. I put in for a promotion, when are you going in for yours?" she asked as they set off, Tess dismayed he headed in her direction.
"Can I entice you to come in?" Tess offered as they stopped outside her apartment block, after an awkward silence between them on the way.
"I need to go home Tess," he replied, trying to resist.
"Afraid I'll keep you awake?" she teased him.
She leaned over to kiss him, Alec trying to resist.
"I might miss a call from Rose," he tried to tell her.
"You might not," Tess insisted.
"Tess, you said you'd wait until I'd been to London," he reminded her.
"What if your leave's cancelled?" Tess asked him.
"How do you know that?" he wondered.
"Has it? I was just giving an example Alec."
"It's not been cancelled yet, it depends on that trial. I should go home Tess," he replied.
"How much longer are you going to resist?" Tess wanted to know, fingering his jacket lapels.
He tried to remove her hands but she took hold of his. He had to ask himself the same question – how much longer could he hold out?
"See you tonight Tess," he told her, letting go.
While he was trying to get away from Tess, Jackie kept trying his number, getting no answer. Had Rose been right and he had someone else and he was either still out or she was with him? She thought she'd best not mention it to Rose though, it would only make things worse.
She thought she'd leave it until later, before Rose got back and Alec went to work.
Alec got home and went to bed, wondering what the hell was happening to him. He still loved Rose, even though it had seemed ages since they'd last been together and he was letting Tess entice him into staying with her. It seemed she didn't care he still wanted Rose to come back to live with him but Rose would tell her in no uncertain terms where to go.
Now, he had new information about what Bob had tried before Jackie had met him, should he keep it to himself or tell Rose? Meanwhile, Rose was trying to avoid James again. Some of the girls weren't talking to her because she'd been sitting with him and Donna. She was trying to find out why they'd turned against her.
"Aren't ya supposed to have a boyfriend?" one of them asked her.
"He's in Scotland, keep up will ya?" another one laughed. "Besides, Donna must already know him."
"Ya think?" another replied dryly.
Rose just shook her head and concluded they wouldn't be talking to Donna either. At home time, she found James hanging around the staff exit, flicking his hair and making the girls giggle at him on their way out.
"Hi Rose," he called as she was talking to someone.
"Hi James, I have to dash, sorry. See ya tomorrow?" she replied.
She didn't see the disappointed look on his face as Donna went up behind him, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Face it spaceman, she's not got over her boyfriend yet."
"I can tell," he admitted. "Can you talk to her? You know what I'm like with women and I wanted to ask her out."
"Yeah, you're clueless you are," Donna laughed. "Tell ya what though, the staff trip to Brighton's coming up soon, maybe she'll be more used to ya by then."
"What good will that do?" he asked as they went to his car and he kept turning around.
"Do I have to do all the thinking?" Donna wanted to know. "She's not been going on them but I'll keep going on at her, then the rest is up to you – spaceman."
Jackie was just trying Alec's number again. Tess had just got out of a taxi and was buzzing Alec's apartment.
"What are you doing here Tess?" he asked her as he answered.
"Let me in Alec," she just replied.
"I was just getting ready for work," he told her as he pressed the door release.
Tess made herself at home, looking at various pictures of Alec and Rose but as he was going into the bathroom, the phone rang.
"I'll get it," Tess offered as he had a towel in his hand and hoping he'd come out of the bathroom wearing just that. "Hello?" she spoke into the phone.
All she got was silence as Jackie couldn't believe a woman had answered.
"Hello?" Tess asked again, hoping it wasn't someone being stupid.
"Is Alec there?" Jackie finally found her voice.
"Sorry, he's in the shower," Tess replied, assuming that was where he'd gone.
"Tell him Jackie rang, ask him to call me in the morning," she told Tess.
"He knows who you are?" Tess asked her.
"Of course he does, he's engaged to my daughter, whoever you are," Jackie got slightly cross.
Tess took no notice and said she'd tell him. She knocked on the bathroom door.
"Alec, you had a phone call, someone called Jackie."
The door opened and Alec was standing there in just a towel, drying his hair.
"Is she still there?" he asked.
"No, she said she'd call back," Tess replied, forgetting what the caller had said as she stared at him.
Alec realised and tried to get past her but she teasingly grabbed at his towel.
"Stop it Tess," he tried to tell her as he went to hold onto it.
"You'll give in Alec, how much longer can you hold back?" she replied.
