Alec hadn't expected the reply Tess had just given him.
"You had best tell me the rest," he told her when he'd processed what she'd just told him. "What made you think I was lonely?"
He thought whoever had told her he was single should have bothered to check first.
Tess wasn't prepared even now to tell him the truth about her moving to Scotland.
"I'd rather leave it at that Alec," she replied.
"Well fine, for now but I do want the truth Tess," he agreed.
Tess was hoping if she left it long enough, he would forget about it.
Alec wasn't about to though as he made a note to ask her again at some point and it was about to resurface when their transfer was granted. Tess had wanted a change of name so her own transfer wouldn't be refused to go back to her home town. Alec was about to wish he'd never let Tess lure him into her trap.
At first, all was quiet. They'd been found a small flat inbetween the two police stations they'd been assigned to and for obvious reasons, Tess had wanted to go to the one she'd not worked in previously. Alec wasn't that bothered, he'd not wanted to move anyway and he was worried about his aunt.
He'd been in contact with John.
"So how are you getting on?" John had asked Alec.
"Well at least we don't see each other during the day," Alec thought was a good thing.
John had laughed as poor Alec told him it was strange moving to another new town and that he'd be stuck there.
"There is a way out," John reminded him.
"Don't even say it," Alec told him. "I already know it was a big mistake but what could I do?"
"You know what I think Alec," John replied.
"I tried to get to see her, those times I had the chance to go to London," Alec recalled.
"I know you did, maybe Rose moved out?" John wondered.
"You mean with her friend's cousin?" Alec asked him.
John had really felt sorry for his half brother.
"Yeah, sorry," John apologised.
"I know but I can't really blame her but has she done so because he maybe looks a bit like me?" Alec replied.
"Well she never said anything about it, did she?" John wanted to know.
"She didn't have to, I'm sure I saw him when I went to pick her up from the store," Alec told him.
"So are you giving up?" John asked him.
"I don't know? Maybe for now? Maybe one day she'll come looking for me?" Alec wondered.
"Yeah, you never know?" John agreed. "In the mean time, are you going to make the best of it with Tess?"
Alec didn't need to answer him, John knew Alec's heart had been broken when he let Rose go and let Tess win. Maybe Alec thought it was what he deserved? Alec thought he would try his luck and maybe get to know why Tess had been so keen to move up to Scotland, just not letting Tess know he was asking.
Rose and James were now doting parents to her baby and Jackie visited as often as she could, staying over some weekends. James had been surprised she'd actually accepted him even though he and Rose had remained engaged. Jackie though was trying to talk Rose into getting married.
"Well Jamie has his name," Jackie had reminded her after Jamie's birthday.
"I know Mum, we're fine as we are," Rose had reminded her.
"Well don't let James get away," Jackie told her.
"James is fine with it Mum," Rose had replied.
"Well time's ticking by Rose," Jackie was insisting.
"Well maybe it's time we talked about it?" Rose was beginning to wonder.
James was delighted when she finally told him maybe it was time they got married. So they set a date for late in August and Jackie had agreed to stay for a few days to let them go off afterwards. Donna was getting more excited as the day drew nearer and had told them it wasn't before time and they'd kept her waiting all that time.
They had a simple wedding, going to Paris for a few days and had thought about trying for a baby of their own but Rose was having no luck and even had some treatment that James insisted on.
Tess however wasn't that keen on having any children, wanting to further her career but she had found the opportunities not as good as where she'd been so she had remained a detective sergeant. It was now well over two years they'd been married when Tess discovered she was pregnant.
They had been out and Tess couldn't believe she was actually going to be a mother.
"Well now you will have to stop spending Tess," Alec had warned her.
"I already know that," Tess had told him. "I need to get things for the baby though."
"Yes, we can plan for that," Alec told her. "You can just keep working while you're able to."
Tess didn't like the idea, she wanted to use the time on other things but she managed to work until she was six months. Alec wasn't present at the birth, he'd been called out on an urgent case and was slightly late, even though he'd booked the time off.
Tess had been annoyed he'd be working up until the day she was due. She had thought she was going to be early but he dropped her at the hospital the day she was going in where she was meeting her mother.
"I will be there as soon as I can," he'd told her as he helped her out of the car, seeing her mother waiting at the entrance.
"You had better be Alec," Tess warned him as she let go of his arm.
When he had finally got there, Tess was already in the process of delivery and he'd decided to stay outside.
"You can go in you know?" a nurse reminded him as he sat with his head in his hands.
"Ah, well her mother is in there, we don't really get along," he admitted.
He'd thought how could he get on with Tess's mother when he remembered how well he'd got along with Jackie? Why couldn't he forget the past and concentrate on the future? Now he had another person to worry about. They'd decided that if she had a girl, the baby would be named Daisy, after they had gone through various other names though Tess had slightly objected and had ruled out calling a girl Rose.
Alec had thought he didn't want to anyway, it would be a constant reminder.
It was now the year 2000, a new century and a new millennium. Rose's son already had James's name and now they were married. Rose had finally got over the fact Alec had just walked away without facing her but she knew deep down she still loved him and James had accepted she probably never would stop altogether but he knew she still loved him.
What Rose hadn't told him was that she had boxes still in her wardrobe with items Alec had bought her, along with photos. As both Rose and Alec settled down to family life with their partners, Alec still regretting letting Rose get away, life was relatively peaceful until Tess decided she wanted to go back to work when Daisy was of private nursery age.
"I spoke to the personnel department," Tess was telling him. "They said I can go back during nursery school hours."
"Tess, it will cost more than you earn," Alec argued. "Why pay for strangers to look after our daughter?"
"You're not at home with her all day," Tess argued back. "What about if it's only mornings?"
Alec shook his head, wondering what that difference was going to make.
"I have to get out Alec," she then told him. "I might be able to persuade my mother to take her for a few hours, until Daisy starts proper nursery?"
"I thought you did not want to go back there?" Alec reminded her. "Why can't you give a reason instead of hiding it?"
Alec was going to regret discovering the truth as to why Tess got him to split from Rose – she was using him to get back to Sandbrook.
"I got involved with a DCI, a married detective chief inspector when I told him I wanted to be a detective. He told me he could help me."
"Oh, so you used him to step up the career ladder?" Alec got angry.
"He used me as well," Tess tried to plead the innocent. "There were a limited number of places and male officers were getting picked above females. He said he'd stuck his neck out and got me a place and he wanted certain favours in return."
"He forced you?" Alec asked.
"Well not exactly Alec, I would have done anything back then to get out of being a lowly WPC and I wanted to show my friends I could do it. So I accepted. We'd meet at hotels and when his wife was out of town. It was two years before she found out and all I got out of it was a bit of extra training and a promise he'd put me in for the sergeant's exam," Tess continued to explain.
"She drove you out of town?" Alec now seemed amused, to the dismay of Tess.
"I had friends in the office, they heard about the training program up there and just in time. The woman had money, a rich father who was on the police commission for the town. She threatened to expose our affair if he didn't end it. She also advised I left town so I put in to train up there."
Alec was pacing the floor, trying to decide who to be mad at.
"He's left now Alec," Tess admitted.
"That's not the point Tess. You made me break up with Rose because you wanted to come back?" he asked angrily.
"That's right, bring her into again Alec," Tess told him.
"I have every right Tess. You did it deliberately. What do you think it did to her?" Alec wanted to know. "Does anyone remember?"
"Not so far. If they do, they've not said anything to me," Tess tried to convince him.
"You had best hope not Tess. You could have told me this before," he added.
"How could I?" Tess replied. "Well, you know now. What would you have done?"
Alec had just shaken his head, not wanting to tell her he would never have left Rose if he'd known.
So after a bit of persuasion, Daisy went off to Tess's mother's house, Alec dropping them off then Tess was getting a ride from someone she worked with. Then Tess got some bad news just after she'd gone back. There was going to be a big shake-up and some officers were getting transferred to the other station.
"I can't go back there," she was pleading with the chief.
"I'm well aware what happened there Tess," the chief half sympathised. "Orders from above. I'm sure people will have forgotten and you're married now. Tess, the person who you had to leave for has left himself, he took early retirement."
"You mean I could have come back earlier?" Tess wanted to know.
"You were bringing a baby up Tess," the chief reminded her. "Besides, the changes have just come into effect. So if you want to stay, you'll have to go work with your husband."
Tess thought that wasn't such a good idea. It had taken some getting used to but they managed to keep out of each others' way the few hours Tess was working. Luckily, there had been a big change in personnel at her former station but a few did remember her. She had managed to keep a few friends who had thought Tess had been treated unfairly before she had left.
One of her friends caught up with her and asked how she'd met Alec.
"Just after I got up there," Tess had told the woman. "He was in a long-distance relationship but it didn't seem to be working."
"So you stole him then?" her friend had laughed.
"Well maybe a little?" Tess had to admit. "It didn't take much really. I moved in with him so he can't have been that bothered about her."
"You were lucky then?" Tess was asked.
Tess rather thought luck had nothing to do with Alec being vulnerable at the time.
Rose hadn't wanted to go back to work but found herself with free time on her hands when Jamie started nursery school. So she had found herself a few hours work each day in a local book store and she was enjoying it plus she was able to get time off for school holidays but luckily managed to get Jamie in a private nursery.
No-one had ever learned that Jamie wasn't hers and James's but they decided to tell the boy earlier if they thought he would understand. That though was going to change again as time went on. James was trying to talk Rose into adopting another child but she wasn't keen on the idea.
"We've tried everything James," Rose had reminded him when they were told the treatment wasn't doing any good.
"I know that love," James replied. "So how about we make some enquiries, about adopting? There are adverts all over the place, especially for fostering. Hey, what about doing that!"
So they applied to the local council to be considered for fostering and they had passed all the checks and were about to be interviewed at home. The woman arrived at their home during a school holiday and Rose was getting nervous.
"Don't worry love," James had tried to tell her before the woman was due. "We'll do fine."
"Yeah, maybe we will?" Rose had tried to believe him. "What have we got to worry about?"
"What's worrying Mummy?" Jamie started asking her as he looked up from playing a game James was trying to get the hang of.
"Nothing sweetheart," Rose tried to avoid answering the curious boy.
Jamie had progressed well at school, getting really good grades and was very popular, particularly at sports.
"Am I getting a brother or sister?" Jamie continued.
"Well not exactly," James tried to explain. "We just might have another boy or girl staying with us for a while. Some might be older or even babies."
"I don't think I'd want to foster a baby," Rose admitted. "I wouldn't want to part with it."
"Well we may have to take one urgently, if the parent or parents can't look after one," James reminded her.
"Yeah? Well we have to get accepted first," Rose smiled, knowing that if they were presented with a baby to look after, they would treat one as their own.
The interview seemed to go well, Rose showing the woman around and where a child would sleep. James had stowed all the baby equipment in the loft so they wouldn't have to buy anything.
"Well, that's it for now," Rose was told as they went back downstairs. "We'll get back to you. Have you any questions?"
Rose had plenty but had lost her nerve.
"See, I said it would be fine," James told her as they watched Jamie at the kitchen table with some of his building bricks.
So over the next few years, they took in small children and the occasional baby and were sad to see them go but they were about to take a new-born whose mother wouldn't be able to cope with her at first and it would mean a lot of contact sessions and working closely with social workers. Rose wasn't so sure about it though. She was now driving, James having left teaching her to the experts but Rose thought it was going to mean a lot of contact with the baby's mother.
"It'll be fine Rose," James tried to assure her yet again. "What's bothering you about it?"
"I don't know James, I'm just uneasy about it. I mean what if the mother doesn't want to hand the baby back?"
"The worker will make sure she does," James tried to put her mind at ease. "You managed fine with Jamie."
"Yeah. Well I guess we give it a go then?"
Things were not going to go well though as they waited for the mother to have the baby. They had agreed to take who was now going to be a girl and James was in the loft gathering the last of the baby items and the cot.
"Rose," James was shouting down to her as she was sorting clothes out. "Is there anything to come back up?"
"I haven't sorted them yet," she called back up from the doorway.
Jamie was in his room, since he'd been told a baby was arriving and wasn't sure about it. Rose had been assuring him the baby wasn't staying long and they would be just looking after her for a while, like the others. James was looking around the loft and spied a pink floral box, Rose having put it there a while ago while he'd been at work. Wondering what it was, he decided to take the cot down then come back and have a look.
When Jamie had gone to bed, James decided to ask Rose what the box was there for.
"It's just some of my old stuff I got from my mum's," Rose explained.
"I'll bring it down then shall I?" James asked her after they'd watched the evening news at ten.
Thinking nothing of it, Rose followed him back upstairs, trying to remember what she'd left in the box. Then it dawned on her and she prayed he wouldn't open it before she got to it. James did open the box and found a few more trinkets Alec had bought her while they'd been on holiday but it also contained earlier photos of Rose and Alec. James sat on an old stool that had been left there and took a handful of photos, staring at them. All he could think of was it could have been Rose with himself, not Alec.
He stared at a few more then saw Rose standing in front of him.
"Why did you never tell me Rose?" he asked her, trying to remain calm.
"I didn't know how to James. I'm sorry," Rose replied as she felt tears in her eyes.
"That's no excuse Rose. I've been more than understanding about Alec just leaving you with no explanation. You do know this could be us together? Well?" he asked her.
"I don't know what to say. James. How could I ever tell you?" she replied tearfully.
"I don't know what to think," James told her. "Were you ever going to tell me?"
"I don't know? James, that's not why I married ya."
"Really? I don't know how I think about it Rose. I loved you, even when you were with him and I waited," he began to tell her.
"I know," was all Rose could say through her tears.
"I knew you were heartbroken when he left you but how could you not think of telling me?" he wanted to know.
Rose ran back down the attic stairs and into their bedroom so James left the box and went after her. He stood leaning in the doorway as Rose sat on the bed.
"I'm sorry I never told ya," Rose told him again.
"How can I believe you Rose? I made allowances for you, I knew deep down you still had a special place for him but for me to look like him?" James reminded her. "I'm sorry Rose, I can't get my head around this."
He turned around and almost ran down the stairs, Rose going after him as she heard the side door opening.
"Where ya going?" she called after him.
He stopped for a moment and faced her.
"To clear my head," he replied. "I don't know how I feel right now," he replied.
Rose watched him close the door and she reached for the nearest chair, not knowing he had his car keys in his pocket. James had got in the car but had just sat there, thinking about what he'd just discovered. He still loved her, he knew that but how did she really feel about him? Had she still been seeing Alec in him?
As Rose left the kitchen light on for when he came back, she decided to just go to bed and he would come back when he had sorted his feelings out after his discovery. She didn't hear him drive off as she went into the bathroom, looking in the mirror and trying to dry her tears.
