After several weeks of announcing their engagement, things had finally died down but in their place, sad news had been broken about a young boy who had been found on a beach in a seaside town down in Dorset and now the killer had been caught, there was talk of the trial.
"Rose, ain't it funny that detective looks like John?" her mother asked her.
"He doesn't find it amusing Mum," Rose had to smile over breakfast as Jackie glanced at the news headlines.
"Not amused about what love?" John asked as he joined them, having spent twenty minutes trying to get his hair to stick up.
Jackie passed the paper over to him.
"Nah, he's got a beard," Rose pointed out as she teased John.
"Good job as well," John objected as he flicked his hair.
"I'd better go see what's keeping your dad and Tony," Jackie decided.
"Don't go mixing me up with that detective, will you?" John asked Rose.
"Ha! Had ya going there," Rose laughed.
John was well used to Rose constantly teasing him.
"As long as there's nothing in the gossip columns that speculates when we're getting married?" John replied as Rose moved the paper away from his face and went for a kiss.
Jackie disapproved of them forever kissing in front of people, especially Rose's younger brother.
"Watch out Rose, before your mother comes back," he reminded her.
"Are you two snogging again?" Jackie asked when she came back holding Tony's hand.
"What's snogging Mum?" Tony asked innocently.
"Never you mind," Jackie told him. "Now see what you two have done?"
Rose decided to ignore the remarks and went to serve herself and John some breakfast. She wondered if he'd been relieved her mother had almost caught them? Was he beginning to feel trapped? Well he had been only too pleased to finally get together so she didn't know what the problem was.
Maybe it was the fact her mother was forever talking about wedding dresses, flowers and cakes? She needed a break from it and the reporters lurking around corners trying to get photos of them when they were out.
"Hey John, how about a holiday?" Rose asked out of the blue.
John put his knife and fork down.
"You mean now?" he asked as he drank his coffee.
"We can get a last minute one?" Rose wondered.
"Ah, well?" John pondered. "There's lots to do at Torchwood love, maybe we should wait a while?"
"If ya wait too long the two of ya will be going on your honeymoon," Jackie told them.
"Mum's right," Rose agreed.
"Well, why don't you go somewhere?" John then suggested. "Maybe I can join you?"
Rose knew that was never going to happen but what harm would it do going off on her own for a few days? Then she thought of the perfect place to hide where all the press had left town. So the following Monday morning, she was packed and ready to leave but John was going to work as usual.
"Ya will miss me?" Rose asked him on the way downstairs.
"Yeah, I will miss you," John tried to assure her.
"Well it's only so you'll get some peace and quiet," Rose reminded him.
"Yes, your mother does seem to go on a bit?" he had to agree.
In Broadchurch, Alec Hardy was just reading yet another letter from the hospital telling him he was on the waiting list for a pacemaker. This time though it was to say if he travelled a bit further, he could have it done at the hospital in Exeter. Funnily enough, that was where Joe Miller's trial was taking place next week.
The town had been bitterly disappointed that Joe Miller had the nerve to stand in front of a judge and say he was not guilty. At least he'd sort of made friends with Miller, it had given them common ground. Now it had been in the paper though, Claire would probably start calling him. He wasn't going to let her get to him though and he was keeping himself occupied by teaching new recruits at the police collage.
He got up to go make himself a drink and never saw Rose passing on the harbour road and into the caravan site, not that he would have guessed she had and that they would come across each other shortly. Rose checked in and got her keys then went to the local store to get a few things, spying a fish and chip shop opposite and thinking she'd go later on.
After unpacking, she decided she'd go for a wander around and was sitting at the end of the stone pier watching the boats in the harbour just as Alec was passing, since he needed a bit of exercise every day. He was still on call if anything urgent came up though only in a supervising capacity so as he spotted a figure at the end of the pier all on their own, curiosity took over.
He was almost at the end when Rose was aware someone was approaching and thought if anyone was thinking she couldn't defend herself, they had best think again. Then she recognised who it was, thinking he'd have left town by now.
"Miss Tyler?" Alec recognised her. "May I ask what you're doing out here on your own?"
"Just watching the boats," Rose replied, thinking that should be obvious.
"It will be getting dark soon," he hinted.
Rose thought she had better humour him.
"Yeah, I was gonna make my way back anyway, to get something to eat," she told him. "Wanna join me?"
Alec didn't think it was such a good idea, seeing who she was and she was engaged but he was feeling rather hungry himself and as long as they were in public? Rose thought if anyone were to spot them, they may think she was with John. That though was also worrying Alec. Then he wondered why she was on her own and as they sat on the wall, he dared to ask her.
"I just needed a break from it all," Rose admitted to him.
"Why here of all places?" he wondered.
"Well after all that was going on, I figured the press would have left town," Rose told him.
She wondered if he was still on active duty and he was just doing his job.
"I also came to get my mother to back off about weddings," Rose smiled.
He knew his daughter was one of her followers on social media and was waiting for the news. Maybe Rose might let slip they had a date and he could get back in favour with Daisy? Maybe it would take more than that but Rose wouldn't give him a personal invitation to her wedding, which would be what would appease his daughter.
"I would have thought you would have a date already in mind?" he dared ask.
"Ha, my mother would!" Rose laughed. "Wanna know the truth?" she asked him. Alec nodded. "We really can't decide and John's always busy with something."
She didn't want to add he was busy trying to get a piece of coral from the other Doctor's Tardis to grow in a special lab he'd set up. Between that and the cannon project being fired up again for short periods that was pretty much John's day. John had one lab assistant after Mickey failed to come back with them. He'd been hoping Mickey was remaining but given that John had grown out of The Doctor's hand, it shouldn't have come as a surprise. Poor Tony couldn't understand at the time why his uncle Mickey didn't come to see him any more and they had to keep telling the boy Mickey was working away a lot.
"Well according to the papers, they think you will set a date shortly." Alec told her as he got up off the wall.
He held his hand out to help Rose up and took the carton she'd been eating out of from her. Rose wished John would do little things like that sometimes.
"It was nice meeting you Rose," Alec told her when he'd deposited the rubbish in the nearby bin.
"Yeah, it was nice to meet the detective who got that boy's killer," Rose replied. "I'm just in the caravan park over there, I thought I'd get more privacy there than a hotel."
"I have that blue cottage by the river," Alec gestured across the harbour.
"Ooh, that sounds nice," Rose smiled. "You were lucky to get that. I think I'm jealous."
"Don't be, there have been a few times when it rained I thought I would need a boat to get to it," Alec admitted. "I don't like boats or being on the water."
"Then why did ya choose it?" Rose wanted to know.
"I have no idea. I suppose it was that or the white cottage on the cliff," he replied.
"I didn't see that when I arrived. Ya never know, that might be the next place ya live?" Rose wondered.
"Ah, not quite. I think I will be leaving after Joe Miller's trial. It would have all been over if he had stuck to his plea of guilty," Alec told her.
"Yeah, I wondered why he'd changed his plea," Rose admitted. "I told my stepfather we should pay him a visit and get him to tell the truth."
Alec didn't know if she was having him on or not until he saw another smile on her face.
"Be careful Rose, I may yet take you up on that," Alec told her.
"Then call and ask for me?" Rose suggested.
"They put calls through when anyone rings?" Alec wondered.
"Sometimes, if the receptionist doesn't think someone's playing a prank," Rose told him.
They were standing on the corner by the entrance to the caravan park by now.
"Hey, I'd love to see your cottage sometime," Rose admitted.
"Then if you are passing and see me sitting outside, wave to me and cross the footbridge around the corner, then through the gate," he replied, wondering why she was inviting herself.
"I might take ya up on that?" Rose laughed. "I'm on the third row of caravans, number twelve."
He then wondered why she was telling him that?
"Wanna come back with me for tea or coffee?" she then suggested.
He didn't know if she was just being courteous or not.
"Are you allowed visitors?" he then wondered.
"Who's gonna tell? Besides I put down John might be joining me at some point, if he can tear himself away from his projects," Rose sounded disappointed to him.
"Your fiancé cannot tear himself away from his work to spend some time with you?" Alec queried, hardly believing the man wouldn't want to holiday with his fiancée.
Daisy had constantly teased him that if he spiked up his hair, he would look like Doctor John Smith, which had prompted him to grow a beard.
"Seems not?" Rose looked sad as they walked along the roadway.
"May I see you to your caravan?" Alec tried to be polite.
"Yeah, thanks. Sure I can't tempt you with a hot drink?" Rose replied.
Alec was sure she would think he was being rude if he didn't accept.
"Well maybe some tea then?" he gave in.
They entered the caravan, which was quite cold and Rose went to the heating thermostat, looking puzzled.
"Alec, can ya take a look at this for me? I had hot water earlier but there's no heating on."
Alec got his specs out of his pocket and took her place, turning the dial until he heard a 'click' when it was towards the central heating.
"Give it a few minutes but I will look at the boiler, someone may have turned it off?"
"Well the park just re-opened, maybe it was boiling hot weather the last time someone used this caravan?" Rose asked.
"Maybe so? Are you going to tell me the real reason you are here on your own?" Alec wanted to know.
"I told ya. My mum hi-jacked our wedding plans and she was drivin' me crazy," Rose admitted.
"Very little was said about your wedding plans Rose. My daughter was following everything that was going on a good while ago and she was complaining there's been no news since," Alec told her. "Her mother kept telling her you must be keeping it all secret."
"Wanna know the truth?" Rose asked him as she leaned against the kitchen counter.
"Very much so. Only if you feel comfortable explaining it to me. I promise not to tell my teenage daughter," he assured her. "Daisy thinks I resemble your fiancé."
Rose stepped up to him and ruffled his hair, Alec leaning forward.
"Nah, it takes John twenty minutes or so to get his hair spiky," Rose grinned. "The truth is Alec that we were fine just being engaged, it was my mum who tried to rush us into getting married. Me and John knew each other ages ago but lost touch with each other. It was only after he came back from travelling around and came to work at Torchwood again that we got back together again."
"That was in the papers Rose," he reminded her as the kettle switched itself off but Rose remained where she was, in front of Alec. "Where did you first meet then?"
"When Pete was holding a birthday party for his first wife," Rose admitted, sticking mainly with the truth of that night, with a few agreed alterations they had all come up with. "John helped me and Pete escaped when the Cybermen gate-crashed the party. We couldn't save the other Jackie though. She was taken and we found her, already converted in the cyber factory."
"That must have been a shock?" Alec wondered. "I take it you weren't guests?"
"Nope, I was temping for an agency and got the job as a waitress for the night, John was gate-crashing. He worked freelance for Torchwood, he was tryin' to make contact with Pete and knew something was going on so he dressed as a waiter. We were having a laugh before the Cybermen smashed all the windows and rounded everyone up," Rose recalled.
Alec was getting interested at this point. Very few people had survived that night and no-one ever spoke of it, especially Pete Tyler. He waited for Rose to continue and moving her to one side, got two mugs from the cupboard and some teabags out of a glass jar.
"Please go on Rose. Everyone wanted to know what happened there that night," Alec told her.
"He grabbed my hand and after trying to stop the president getting himself killed, pulled me towards a window when everyone started screaming. Jackie ran off in the other direction. Pete jumped out afterwards but he wanted to go back for her. John told him we had to get away and we bumped into a group of freedom fighters who took us with them. The rest, everyone knows. We helped the others stop the Cybermen converting millions more."
"So did you and he stay together?" Alec wondered.
"No, he stuck around while things were cleared up but then he went off somewhere," Rose told the alternate version of what had happened. "I never told him I loved him."
Alec was beginning to feel sorry for her. He made the drinks and they went to sit down, finding himself sitting opposite her.
"So, you know more than anyone else did about that night," Rose told him.
"Then I am honoured. So you got up the courage to tell him when he came back?" he asked, suddenly feeling jealous of the other man.
Where had that come from, he asked himself. She wasn't likely to tell him, was she? They finished their drinks and Rose got up.
"It's getting late, I should be going," Alec decided as they stared at each other for several minutes. "Still want to see my cottage?"
"Yeah, why not?" Rose managed to smile as he broke her stare. "What you asked me? Yeah, I told him when he came back. Like I said, things were fine, even when we got engaged but all this with my mother taking over, I think he finds it a bit much to be honest," she admitted.
"Then that is a shame," he told her, touching her arm.
"Thanks. I mean for listening," Rose managed to smile.
"I promise I won't sell your story to the trashy papers," he smiled back. "Come over tomorrow evening, I will make something to eat?"
"Yeah? Then I'll look forward to it?" Rose agreed as he followed her to the kitchen area.
"Goodnight then," Alec began to tell her. "Until tomorrow? If you pass earlier on in the day, give me a wave? We can maybe get something from one of the food stands?"
"Yeah, I will, if I'm passing. I thought I might drive up to the next town and have a look around," Rose replied.
"Yes, you do that, you may as well look around?" Alec agreed, wondering if that was why her fiancé wasn't with her.
Maybe the man objected to being dragged around stores selling trinkets and displaying the name of the seaside town on stickers and sweets. He thought he had best leave before he said anything else like was the other man crazy for letting her go off on her own?
"Night then Alec and thanks, for thinking about me being on the end of the pier on my own," Rose told him.
"It was nothing Rose, I expect it's the police officer in me?" he wondered.
"Are you okay now?" Rose suddenly asked him, remembering he'd collapsed after chasing a suspect, so the papers had said.
She was sure the press had made that up, even though he'd admitted there was something wrong with him.
"Ah, well. I still have a bad heart but I am waiting for surgery," he admitted. "I have an irregular heartbeat. I'm fine at present, I take medication on a regular basis," he smiled.
"Ya mean ya didn't before?" Rose smiled back.
"I thought I could manage without it but I was wrong," he further admitted.
"Sorry but isn't that a bit daft?" Rose wondered.
"Indeed but I learned the hard way. I assure you, I am fine now," he told her once more.
Then he took her hand and placed it on his heart, startling Rose as she remembered The Doctor had two hearts and she'd not believed him and he had placed her hands on them. She flinched slightly as she felt his heart beating fast then slowing down over what seemed like several minutes.
"Satisfied?" he asked her as he held her hands as she tried to back away. "I had a letter about it just this morning, if I go to the hospital in Exeter, I can get it done sooner. I have to go over there to attend the trial, I can get it done in less than two weeks."
"Do ya have someone to go with you?" she sounded concerned, unaware he was still holding her hands.
"I don't need anyone Rose, really," he tried to brush it off, wondering if he could tell Tess he could do with her being there, in case it all went wrong.
She may say no but there again, she would probably turn up if Daisy found out. He certainly couldn't ask Rose Tyler to go with him, that was for sure.