Rose was rather relieved when it was time to leave.
"See ya at work tomorrow Donna?" Rose dared ask, not sure if they were still best friends after hers and James's revelation.
Donna was still trying to recover that they'd kept this from her. She took Rose to one side as poor James was trying to get away from his aunt.
"Rose, how could you?" Donna asked her, Rose wondering what she meant.
Did Donna mean keeping it from her or supposedly going with James on the same night Alec was supposed to be there.
"I was upset, James was nice to me. Fill in the gaps Donna," Rose decided to stick to what James had suggested, mainly so it was easier to keep up the pretence.
Was Donna trying to catch them out already, Rose wondered as she tried to judge her friend.
"I don't want all the sordid details Rose," Donna huffed. "I meant why didn't you come to me when you thought you might be pregnant? Don't lie to me Rose, is it Alec's?"
James heard and went to Rose's rescue.
"Leave her be Donna," James told her as he escaped from his aunt. "It was my fault, things got out of hand that night."
"Even so James?" his aunt questioned him as his uncle and granddad looked on.
"Leave them Sylvia," Wilf spoke up for them. "You two at least told us," he turned to James, who now had his arm around Rose.
"Thanks Granddad. We should get going now," James told Rose.
"We don't wanna fall out over this," Rose tried to tell them.
"Who said anything about falling out?" Donna wanted to know. "I only asked a simple question. Is the baby yours James?"
"How can you even ask that Donna?" James wanted to know. "At least I'm prepared to do something about it. I could have walked away."
"I'm sure Donna's not suggesting that you would James?" his aunt defended Donna.
"James wouldn't leave me, unlike someone," Rose now defended James.
"We should all calm down," James's uncle suggested.
James saw that as a means of escape.
"Anyway. Rose is doing fine, aren't you Rose?" James asked her. "Come on love, let's go home."
"Are you two moving in together?" Donna was still trying to find out after Rose had been denying it for weeks.
"We're working up to it," James replied, hoping Rose would give in soon.
In Paisley, Tess was now trying to get Alec to agree to a dinner party on Saturday night, as an alternative to going out. That just proved to him Tess really was stuck up.
"Tess, I know nothing about dinner parties," he protested, even though he knew she was determined to go ahead.
"Really Alec, there's nothing to them. You just have a few of your colleagues or friends around."
"I don't know anyone that well," he admitted.
"Well I can invite some of mine then. The idea is, someone else then invites you back. They can introduce you to other people and you widen your circle," Tess explained.
That was all he needed, he thought. Widening Tess's circle of friends more like? Would they all be as stuck up as she was?
"We can start off with one of your colleagues and one of mine," Tess suggested. "Why don't you invite George Carter and his wife and I'll ask one of my friends who's married?"
Why did they have to be married friends?" Alec wondered.
The rest of the week consisted of Alec working on the stake-out and on the Thursday, Sergeant Carter mentioned his new wife had accepted a dinner invitation.
"I never thought Jeannie was in Tess's circle of good friends?" George was asking Alec.
"Tess is trying to prove a point," Alec admitted. "She's protesting because I won't take her out to dinner on Saturday nights."
"Is she now?" George replied. "Best not tell my wife that then?" he laughed. "Poor Jeannie suddenly thinks she's well off enough to be in with Tess. Come on Alec, you don't agree with it, surely?"
"I have very little choice," poor Alec admitted. "I expect Tess already has the menu planned. What the hell do you do at a dinner party?"
"Don't ask me mate," George had to laugh.
"Well I am glad I'm not the only one who is lost then?" Alec replied. "So we just go along with it?"
"Something like that," George was still amused. "Maybe the men retire to the sitting room and drink port and smoke big cigars," he laughed.
Alec did have to admit the sergeant was becoming one of his friends. Maybe he'd cut himself off because he wanted Rose back so badly now, he couldn't face being friends with anyone in case they noticed.
"I still miss Rose," Alec suddenly admitted as George was watching out for any of the counterfeiters to show up.
"Sorry to hear that mate," George sympathised. "Why don't you tell her then?"
"I can't. I'm too involved with Tess now, Rose wouldn't be able to forgive me," Alec told him.
"Well, you could try?" George suggested.
"It's not as simple as that," Alec replied. "Rose still won't come back up here, even though the man she feared almost got locked up."
"You never finished telling me about that," George reminded him.
"It's best forgotten about. About this dinner party? Tess says we should widen our circle of friends," Alec admitted.
"So in other words, she's showing off?" George smiled.
Yes, that was exactly what Tess intended, Alec thought as they waited in the car.
"This is a complete waste of time," Alec decided.
"What? Sitting here or you agreeing to hold a dinner party with Tess?" George wanted to know.
Friday night after work, Tess dragged Alec around the supermarket to buy the finest ingredients for the recipe she was trying out on Saturday night. She'd got Saturday afternoon off on some pretence or another and was considering switching to having the weekend off. So going around the supermarket on the outskirts of the town, Tess was trying to convince Alec of the benefits.
"Just think Alec, we can have dinner parties, go out and visit our friends or even have the weekend away. There is no end to what we can plan," she was telling him.
That was what Alec was afraid of.
"So you want to put in for both of us to have the weekend off?" Alec wanted to make sure.
"Well of course Alec," Tess sounded cross. "It's no good me just having them off. There's not much happens on Saturday anyway."
Alec recalled Saturdays when he and Rose used to go around the town. He didn't really want to spend the day with Tess. Then he told himself it would be punishment for him betraying Rose. It was something he now had to live with. Why hadn't he held out and gone down to see her that weekend? Tess wasn't even hiding the fact she already had plans, was she?
The following evening, Alec got home to find the living room table all laid out and decorated and Tess was still in the kitchen.
"Watch this for me," Tess grabbed him when he'd taken his jacket off and he saw her stirring something on the stove.
"What for?" he wanted to know.
"Because I need to go get changed," Tess replied. "Are you going to change?"
"Why? Tess, I am not getting changed because of some friends you made are coming round," he told her.
"Well at least don't wear your work shirt," Tess wasn't taking any excuses.
"Fine, when you've finished then?" he gave in, knowing he wouldn't win this.
He wanted to wait or Tess would probably pounce on him and they'd be rushing around before the guests arrived, not that he wanted Tess to pounce on him.
First his partner at work came round with his wife and then another female officer he recognised as one Tess talked to arrived with whom Alec assumed was her husband, only he wasn't her husband, the man was some other woman's husband. Who the hell did Tess keep company with? The woman, who he found out was called Morag was soon bragging, although the man looked like he didn't want to be there at all.
"It's so much better, having a married lover," the woman was laughing over drinks after they'd eaten.
Tess looked like she wanted to say something, well so Alec thought. What secret was she hiding then? When the guests had left, he was determined to find out.
"So come on Tess, what were you going to say?" he asked her.
"Nothing Alec, it's in the past now," was all she would admit.
"You know about my past Tess, yet you somehow got me to leave Rose," he reminded her as they finished cleaning up.
"It was your choice," Tess turned on him.
"Excuse me, you never gave me much of a choice. I'm not debating it with you. Either tell me what happened or not but don't do that to me again, it was embarrassing, she was showing off to say the least. I felt sorry for the man with her," Alec told her.
"You would take his side Alec," Tess stated. "You know where I came from? It's a town call Sandbrook and I joined there as a woman police officer but that wasn't for me," she started to admit. "I wanted to put in for a promotion but it was very hard, they were very old-fashioned there."
"So how did you get promoted to detective constable?" Alec wanted to know.
"I don't want to talk about it Alec. It wasn't easy, trust me. Why do you think I came up here?" Tess replied.
"I will leave it for now but you had better tell me one day Tess," he agreed.
Tess didn't really feel like telling him at all.
"I bet you didn't find it as hard, since you'll be taking the sergeant's exam before me?" she asked him as she tried to put her arms around his neck.
Alec tried to back off but she had him.
"Jealous?" he asked her as she tried to kiss him. "Or are you settling for second best?"
"I have no idea what you mean," Tess denied as she tried again.
"Yes you do Tess. You can't get a promotion yet so you take up with someone who can."
Tess tried to back off as she raised her hand to slap his face but he managed to dodge her. He knew he had hit a raw nerve.
"How dare you say that Alec? I work as hard as any male detective," she defended herself.
Alec had seen no evidence so far, especially when they had worked together. He recalled how she used to let him do all the hard work, saying it was more of a man's job. If that was her attitude, no wonder she wasn't getting far.
"I hope your friends were suitably impressed," Alec changed the subject.
That was what Tess was after. She was trying to climb the social ladder and picking on him hadn't been a coincidence. He was keen to keep on getting promoted until he at least attained the rank of detective inspector. Once he'd done that, he was determined to get the man who had scared Rose into staying away – on any charge he could but Tess didn't know that.
Going after Bob again was personal. That man was the reason Rose was still down in London and they weren't married and he could never forgive Bob for that. A few days later, before Alec knew it, he was getting a phone call from personnel to say he was approved for changing his mid-week day off to Saturday.
He went out of the office to where Tess was and waited to get her attention.
"Why did I just get a call about days off?" he wanted to know when she turned from talking to her new partner.
"Alec, keep your voice down," Tess chastised him. "Oh, has it gone through already then?"
"You planned this without asking me if I really wanted to change my day off?" he asked, not believing they would take Tess's word he actually wanted the change.
"Well it's from next week," Tess told him.
"That's beside the point Tess. What if I have to do anything midweek?" he wanted to know.
"Then you can always ask for a few hours off. Really Alec, what's all the fuss about?" she asked him.
"You are unbelievable," Alec told her, shaking his head.
"Well it means we can plan things now," Tess defended her actions.
Alec dreaded to think what that meant, besides she could control him more than she was already doing.
"I am going in there and changing mine back, you can please yourself Tess," he told her.
"You can't Alec. I asked for both of us and it was on the premise that we didn't change it back and mess them around," Tess informed him.
"You changed yours to coincide with mine," he recalled.
"What's wrong with that?" Tess's partner asked him. "I think it's rather sweet, having the same days off."
Alec walked off back to the office. At least when he'd been on the stake-out he'd been able to get home late, on the pretence the relief had been late. The operation had been scaled back since nothing was happening and now plain-clothes officers had been put in their place.
"Tess again?" George Carter laughed.
"You could say that? It means you get to put up with me for an extra day, she just changed my other day off to Saturday," Alec replied.
"Great, that's all I needed," Carter joked.
"You think that's bad enough?" Alec joked back. "I have to put up with her two days in a row."
George got up and patted poor Alec on the back.
"Bad luck Hardy, you have my sympathy then," George told him. "How did she manage to do that anyway?"
"You tell me? She mentioned it the other day but I never thought she'd get it approved," Alec admitted.
"She has friends in high places," Carter laughed. "If personnel wasn't mainly run by women, I'd say she was sleeping with someone to get them."
"She might leave me, if she were?" Alec wished.
"You should be so lucky mate," Carter laughed some more.
"What are you two standing around laughing for?" their boss suddenly appeared to ask them.
"Sorry. Hardy just found out Tess swapped his day off so they have weekends off," Carter explained.
"Really? You have my commiserations then Hardy. Now get some work done, both of you," they were told.
"Alec didn't seem so happy?" Tess was being asked.
"He'll get used to it. Just because he's almost a detective sergeant doesn't mean he can't have weekends off," Tess defended her actions.
"What's he complaining about then?" her friend wondered.
"You tell me? Some men are just so ungrateful," Tess replied.
At the department store in London, Donna had got over her initial shock her cousin and Rose were going to have a baby. She was still somewhat puzzled as to how it had happened so fast and Rose wasn't helping by evading her question of when it had taken place and exactly how far on she was.
They had gone to Rose's mother's for Sunday lunch, James saying for now, they should go alternate weeks to Jackie's and his aunt's. Now, it was just a week since they'd gone to the clinic and Rose had practically moved in with James.
"You may as well go get the rest of your things, don't you think?" James had asked Rose as they were going shopping.
"I'm gonna need new stuff soon though," Rose admitted.
"Then we will go to that baby store and get some. We can also look at some baby outfits?" James offered. "Or would you rather go with your mother?"
Rose knew he'd be disappointed if she did.
"Nah, she'll have me gettin' things I don't need. I think I'd rather go with you? I mean if ya want to?" Rose wanted to make sure.
"I'd love to go with you," James grinned. "That's what it's all about Rose. I mean me, taking an interest."
"Well ya could go to the library and look in the big book of being a parent," Rose teased him.
"Only if you read it with me love?" he teased her back as he helped her into the car. "We'll get the food shopping when we've looked around?" he then suggested.
"Are we getting any clothes or items today?" Rose wondered.
"We have to make a start. We'll get some paint for that small bedroom. Let's get natural colours like yellow and green? We could get some animal stickers for the walls, the baby would love that!" James got all excited. "We could get sky blue as well, then make one wall like the jungle and once like the desert?" he suggested.
"Does Donna want to help?" Rose asked him.
"I could call her tonight?" he offered. "She does have a point of how she'll be related?"
"I gave up tryin' to work it out. James, she's gonna find out if I keep avoiding her questions," Rose told him.
"You said you could do it Rose," he reminded her.
"Yeah but now, I don't think it's gonna be that easy," she had to admit. "I might need some help from you."
"Then I will do my best love," he smiled as he headed to the shopping centre.
He had decided if he was going to do this, he was going to do it properly, not halfheartedly. If Donna caught them out, he'd have some explaining to do but it they were careful, they might just pull this off.
Donna went round later that evening and James showed her what he had planned for the nursery walls as he sat down and made sketches.
"I think it's a great idea," Rose agreed in principle.
"You can be in charge of putting the stickers on then," James told her.
"I'm just surprised it's not all gonna be stars and spaceships," Donna laughed.
"Well if I have a boy, ya can change one wall?" Rose suggested.
"Hey, are ya gonna find out what you're having?" Donna wanted to know.
"I don't know yet Donna," Rose told her. "It'll be a while before they can tell anyway. I don't think we're bothered, are we James?" Rose put him on the spot.
"Oh. Well no love, I'm not really bothered," James sounded all flustered.
"Well who would have thought you two would get together?" Donna asked them. "I mean after all that? You were always going on about Alec, Rose and James was just being love struck."
"Donna," James said her name as a warning.
"It's okay James, I knew ya were disappointed when I kept going on about him. Do ya know what? You're here now. I'm having this baby with you."
After James dropped Donna back home, Rose thought they'd done well.
"It won't be the last time she'll ask questions," James reminded her.
"We'll just have to face them then? James, I meant what I said. It's you I'm having this baby with, you're the one who's here."
"I want to be here for you Rose. You didn't deserve to be left on your own. I know you would have struggled and done your best but I can be here for you. If you feel like giving up working, just say," James told her.
"I think I'll carry on for a while, I'll go mad at home," Rose admitted.
Rose continued to work for a few months and then when she got to six months, James declared enough was enough when her feet and back hurt and he had to comfort her when they got home. Their relationship had grown stronger but all the time, it wasn't easy not letting on he looked so much like Alec. James had asked her if she was putting the baby's name as Tyler or Noble and Rose was undecided.
Then when she had only three months to go, she had to make the decision. They were at her mother's one Sunday and Rose had agreed to hear James and her mother's arguments for the surname she'd choose.
"Well, if ya call the baby Tyler, it saves explaining every time that it's his name," Jackie was telling her as she pointed to James.
"Yes Jackie, we get that bit," James was arguing his case. "What if one day, Rose wants to change her name to mine?"
"What? You're gonna get married?" Jackie asked.
"I'm here ya know?" Rose reminded them. "Mum, we talked about that. James and I haven't discussed it, have we James?"
"Well no, not yet," James admitted. "Who says we won't talk about it again? I mean when the baby comes?"
"James, we both wanna be sure," Rose told him.
"I know and I get why you never married before, well I get most of it, though why you won't tell me exactly why you wouldn't go back to Scotland?" James reminded her she'd never told him the whole story.
"That involves mum," Rose replied.
"Don't let me stop ya tellin' him," her mother told her. "Ya've lived with him for nearly six months, ya can tell him."
"Yes Rose, why won't you tell me what had you so scared of going back?" James wanted to know.
"Mum?" Rose wanted to be sure.
"It has to do with me following a bloke up there and draggin' Rose with me," Jackie started to tell him. "I didn't know why he'd picked me out until it was nearly too late."
"Well that's a start," Rose told her, finding her fingernails interesting.
"Why did he pick you out Jackie?" James wanted to know. "Who was he?"
"I thought he was a decent, hard-working bloke," Jackie replied. "He had a good job in the building industry. Then I packed up and we went to live with him and Rose tried to warn me."
"Ya never used to listen Mum," Rose reminded her.
"I know but you told Alec and his family," Jackie recalled. "It's a good job ya did as well. I was completely taken in by him, he kept tellin' me about being a family."
"What are you trying to say Jackie?" James went all serious. "Was he into something?"
"If I hadn't have had Alec and his family, no-one would have even noticed," Rose told him. "I begged them not to report him, I had no idea what he'd do to my mum. We didn't have any proof anyway."
"Then I went and did something stupid," Jackie admitted. "He told me he wanted to take responsibility for Rose and I went and signed something. He never even gave me time to read it properly but finally, when he'd gone away, I dug the paper out and glanced at it. We left the next day, came back down here."
"I don't think I need to hear any more Jackie," James decided.
"Do ya wanna call this off?" Rose asked, seeing the look on his face.
"What? No, I don't want to call this off. Sorry. I'm just trying to fathom this out." James tried to tell her. "Blimey, no wonder you didn't want to go back?"
"He tried to take control of Rose, if I ever left him and Rose set foot in Scotland, he'd have her returned to him," Jackie explained. "He would have done as well."
"He tried to make out that it'd be classed as me running away and mum couldn't control me. We had no idea what age until, I didn't know the law up there," Rose told him.
"Maybe you did the right thing, staying away?" James wondered. "Why did Alec never come to live down here though?"
"He wanted to be a detective, so he could find Bob and arrest him," Rose explained.
"He could have done that down here," James replied.
"He'd been accepted to the police academy up in Glasgow," Rose replied. "Then he got chance to train on the job."
"That's still no excuse Rose," James told her. "If he knew you were scared of going back? Don't defend him Rose, he left you."
"It wasn't like that James, he used to come down during the holidays but then he had to work more," Rose replied.
"That's even worse, I remember some of the times. You had no idea how I felt about you Rose, even back then. I looked for any sign that things weren't working out between you," James admitted.
"I know, Donna used to make a point of telling me," Rose smiled. "Ya were too stubborn to give up."
She got up and went to sit in his lap.
"Just as well I didn't give up?" James asked, kissing her cheek as Rose put her arms around his neck.
"Seems to me it was?" Jackie agreed. "I mean just as well ya never gave up?" she corrected herself.
"Well, I'm here," James added. "So, what about the baby's name?" he asked, hoping she'd choose his.
If she did, he knew she'd finally left her old life behind and they could be a proper family when he or she came along. Did he want to know what Rose was having or did he want it to be a surprise?
