Bodyguard: Hide No More

Rating: General Audiences

Pairing: Eleven/Rose

Other tags:Bodyguard AU, Human AU, Vitex Heiress Rose Tyler, Established Relationship

Warnings: None

Summary: John truly loved his job as a bodyguard for the Tyler family. Yes, he was the secret boyfriend of Vitex Heiress Rose Tyler, but that was a fairly recent development. Neither of them expected her father to be so perceptive.

Day 18! While this daily updating thing will never be my MO, I'm proud of what I've written so far. Thanks for sticking around.

Word Count: 1,265

John held back a sigh as he followed Rose down the street. If she did any more shopping he was going to ask Pete for hazard pay from all the walking. Well, no, he wouldn't. But he would certainly like to. Jackie's friend's daughter was getting married in a week, and of course that meant Rose was dragged by her mother to every store in London in search of a dress, something Rose and John both hated. He forced himself not to laugh when she looked over her shoulder at him with a "help me" expression on her face.

He'd been working as Rose Tyler's bodyguard for the past 5 years, since they were both 22. Her parents had been hesitant to hire someone so young, but he'd proven himself two weeks in when Jimmy Stone had stopped Rose on the street one day. That evening, Stone was in prison, and John had earned himself a permanent place in the Tyler household.

To Rose and John's frustration, Jackie ended up buying a dress that was in one of the first stores they'd gone to that day. Rose looked like she wanted to strangle her mother, and John had to fight the urge to laugh. Upon arriving at the house, John spoke with Pete briefly about the wedding. As Rose's bodyguard he'd been invited, and Pete promised to pay for the tux rental. John thanked him profusely before shaking his hand and leaving. As he was walking from Pete's office to the door, John suddenly felt his arm being grabbed, and he was pulled into the nearest room. He was about to grab the person into a headlock when suddenly a familiar mouth was on his. He half-glared at Rose as she pulled away.

"What did you do that for? I could've seriously hurt you!" He quickly cut of any reply with by giving her a quick kiss on the lips. "I can't stay long darling, only a minute or two. I need to meet up with Amy and Rory. Their baby shower is in a few weeks, and I told them that I would help plan it." Rose groaned but stepped back.

"Oh alright, I guess I can share you with your cousin. Go on, I'll see you tomorrow. I love you." She gave John one more kiss before leaving, looking around for other members of the household staff as he went. Neither one of them saw Pete Tyler standing at the other end of the hallway.

~~~~~DW~~~~~

John whistled as he walked up the driveway to the Tyler mansion. He was thinking about what he should get Rose for their first anniversary in two weeks. He didn't want to make a huge deal of it (they couldn't really, with the nature of their relationship), but he also wanted to make sure to get Rose something nice. Even with how well her father paid him, there was no way he'd be able to afford the quality that she was probably used to. But he knew that Rose wouldn't care about that. She was very much a believer in "it's the thought that counts," something he was grateful for. Then again, he wouldn't be with her if she was that shallow.

What he really wanted, however, was to be able to take Rose somewhere public. But that would never be a possibility until he was no longer an employee of the Tyler family, and it wasn't as if there were job offers out the door waiting for him. He needed this job, and Pete paid well. He just wasn't sure how much longer either of them would be able to keep their relationship secret, or what would happen if/when it became known.

John entered the house and stood in the front hall, waiting for Rose to come down like she always did. Usually she was alone, but this time he saw that Pete was with her. He was about to smile and greet them when he saw the look on Rose's face. It was a mixture of nervous and afraid. He looked between father and daughter.

"Is everything ok? Did something happen last night?" Something must have happened, but John couldn't think of what. Rose had seemed fine when she'd texted him goodnight. He looked towards Pete with confusion on his face. His employer simply gave him a neutral look before gesturing down the hallway.

"Why don't the two of you come into my office and we can talk?" It was then that John noticed the curious looks from passing maids. He learned early on to never ignore when the staff was paying attention. Something had happened, something big. He tried to catch Rose's eye as they followed her father, but she refused to look at him, making his stomach sink. When they got his office, Pete stood behind his desk while Rose and John stood in front of it.

"So, when did this start?" He raised an eyebrow as John shared a confused look with Rose. "You two aren't nearly as subtle as you think. I realized it a few weeks ago. But it turns out Donna's known for almost a year." John's eyes widened when he relayed what Pete was saying. Though, in hindsight, the two of them should've known better than to think they could keep something from Pete's personal assistant. That fiery ginger woman could sniff out gossip like a bloodhound. He kept his eyes downcast while speaking to his employer, sure he was about to get the sack any minute.

"Just under a year, sir. Um, it just … sort of … happened." Something in his and Rose's faces must've struck something in the man, because his face softened slightly.

"I'm not mad at the two of you." They both looked up sharply at him. "In fact, I'm a little surprised this hasn't been going on for longer. John, you have always been respectful of Rose. You protect her, not because it's your job, but because you genuinely care about her. That being said, I can't have my daughter dating her boyfriend." John's heart rose as Pete spoke only to break in pieces. His employer was still speaking, and he forced him to listen.

"I can, however, allow my daughter to date my deputy head of security. Quite honestly, your job won't really change. But it does come with a fancy new title and the responsibility of helping Jake arrange security for the larger events we hold. Oh, and it means that you'll be attending Lisa Newberry's wedding not as Rose's bodyguard, but as her date." He smirked at the twin looks of astonishment he received. "Like I said, I've known for weeks. I was able to get some last-minute changes made." He winked at them. "Don't worry, Jackie showed me Rose's dress. I have enough sense to make sure you guys match."

~~~~~DW~~~~~

They made quite the stir at the wedding: the Vitex heiress was dating her former bodyguard, now her father's deputy head of security. James almost felt bad for Lisa and her groom, but it felt so nice to finally be able to have Rose on his arm in public. The week after that they're in public again, this time at a nice restaurant for their anniversary. Oh, how the tabloids went wild. There were headlines, there were rumors, there was one lawsuit for defamation. But to John, that was all in the background. He was finally able to hold his girlfriend's (and three years later his wife's) hand in public. And that was something he'd never take for granted.