Mickey was not going to let that just slide, he knew he couldn't start a fight or he would get thrown out but he was going to watch the man. He knew Rose would have seen and be angry he had shown up after all this time but he was going to go backstage and talk to her or wait by the door for her.
Rose was leaving the stage and putting her robe on, stunned at what had just happened. How on earth had Mickey discovered where she was working? Then she had seen him approach Alec and was afraid that one of them would start a fight or get thrown out at the very least. She went back to her dressing room and went to her locker, giving Alec time to get to the stage door to meet her or he may just come backstage again. She was about to go in the door when Mick called her.
"Rose, you'd better come here." Bouncers were not allowed in the dressing rooms.
Rose went to see what he wanted. "Your boyfriend nearly got in a fight, best warn him to keep out of it next time, some other punter took the huff when he put money in your garter."
"Yeah, thanks Mick, I saw what happened, I'll tell him but he didn't start it."
"I know but rules are rules, you know that Rose. He had the sense to back off but I'll let him in when he comes round."
"Thanks."
She went into her dressing room and quickly got changed, waiting to see if he was going to come round or just wait by the door. Her friend had just come in when there was a knock on the door. Alice went to answer it.
"Hey Alice, tell Rose her boyfriend's here will you?"
That amused Alice, who turned around to see a red-faced Rose Tyler.
"You been holding out on me Rose?" Alice laughed. "Not that dishy bloke from last night?"
She turned back to Mick. "Yeah, I've told her and you were holding out on us, not saying Rose had a boyfriend."
Mick laughed. "Oh yeah, well here's some more juicy news."
Rose stopped him. "Mick, tell him I'll be out in a minute, thanks." Then she scowled at him for almost spilling the beans that Alec nearly got into a fight with her ex.
"Sure thing Rose but there's more, the other bloke was asking Jerry to let him in but he wouldn't pay and you know Jerry, he held him at arms length and told him you didn't accept visitors but he had just seen your bloke being let in by me. So he's still at the other door ranting and raving saying if you don't see anyone, why was he being let in and Jerry said it was your call as to who you let in."
"Did you tell Jerry that you let my boyfriend in?"
"No, course not, like I said, it's up to you who you let in, you let one bloke in all the time you've been here, I say that's cause for celebration."
Mick grinned then went out, winking to Alec who was waiting just outside and seeing the other bouncer at the other end trying to keep the man who had picked on him at bay. A few minutes later, after worming her way out of telling Alice she had gone home with the man last night but he wasn't her boyfriend, Alice sincerely doubting she was telling the whole truth, Rose came out and greeted Alec with a kiss on the cheek. She would have let him inside the dressing room but Alice was getting changed.
"Hi, sorry about what happened earlier, I saw what went on. You ok?"
"I'm fine. Are you ready to leave?"
Rose reached up and put her hands through his recently cut hair then onto his chin. "Looking good Alec, I'm impressed."
Alec smiled. "My car's out front, I don't know how you get around to the other entrance."
"Oh, it's easy, it's just on the corner, I'll show you, I can't walk through the club."
She took his hand and walked towards where Mick and Jerry were now seeing the other girls out to their cabs.
Then she heard a familiar voice. "Rose, wait. I wanted to talk to you."
Was he kidding? After over two years and him now picking a fight with Alec, he wanted to talk to her?
"Well I don't want to talk to you. Mick, will you keep him until after I've left?"
Mick grinned, it had been two days since he actually threw someone out and he was itching to go. He just lost out earlier so he was ready. He faced Mickey. "You heard her mate, on your way before I remove you myself, go back into the club, you're not getting out this way." Mick knew it would take the man a while to make his way back through the club and Rose would be gone.
Mickey shouted after her. "What's he got that's so special about him, why did you let him back here?"
Rose was going to turn around and answer but Alec put his arm around her and stopped her. He whispered in her ear.
"A difficult ex boyfriend Rose? You could have warned me, I thought he was going to punch me out there."
Rose smiled and relaxed into his arm and shoulder and let him lead her out into the street. They crossed over to Alec's car, an SUV type, Rose couldn't tell the colour very well under the street lamps and instead of asking her where she lived, since this morning she'd had a cab sent to just Rose's apartment, Alec guessing she was using the taxi firm that serviced the club Rose just let him drive, guessing they were going to his place.
She didn't mind, after all if he still had to work even though it was Saturday, it made sense, she could get a cab home. They drove into a district of the town and reached a tree line street and he pulled into a driveway and in front of a block of flats. Alec went to help Rose out and they walked up to his flat and kissed as soon as he closed the door.
"I'll make us some tea, then you can tell me why I almost got in a fight over you."
Rose sat on the sofa. "I'm really sorry Alec but there was nothing to tell you. I've not seen him for over two years, I swear I haven't. Mum keeps telling me she's seen him but I wasn't interested. I had no idea he knew where I was working. Now he'll tell my mother and she'll disown me and never speak to me again."
Alec sat down and put his arm around her, kissing her cheek. "It won't make any difference to her Rose, not if she loves you. Tell her first, before he has the chance. Will she still be awake?"
"I doubt it, I'll call her in the morning and go meet her somewhere and tell her. Best not tell her about you yet though, might be a bit too much."
Alec smiled. Rose noticed how much younger he looked.
"You're not going to keep me a secret as well are you?" He kissed her cheek.
Rose lay back on the cushions, pulling him down for a proper kiss. "No but she'll go ballistic about my job, I don't want her to take it out on you."
"Best get it over with Rose, come clean about everything and get it out into the open. You never said if you really like my new look Rose."
"I thought I'd made that clear when I snogged the life out of you just then," she joked, ruffling his hair.
Alec smiled. She liked it. "I have to work in the morning so why don't you meet me for lunch? Talk to your mother, get her to meet you early then I'll come and join you. I wanted you to come with me to pick out a new suit I saw, see what you think."
"Really? Yeah, I'd love to and maybe get you some tight jeans and some t-shirts while we're at it."
"Hold on, I didn't say I was buying a whole new wardrobe you know, I'm not quite ready for that yet."
Rose giggled. "Well maybe just a pair of extra tight jeans then, to show off your cute bum."
"Oh, you think I've got a cute bum? Well it's not as cute as yours and believe me, I've spent two nights staring at it."
Rose picked a cushion up and threw it at him.
"I'll go make that tea now before I have to arrest you for assaulting a police officer."
Rose giggled again and threw her jacket onto the chair and took her shoes off. Alec came back with the tea.
"You got some music, so I can dance for you?"
"Oh yes Rose, I have music and I would love you to dance for me. First though, I want to be the one to undress you tonight."
Rose let him undress her until she was in just her underwear. Then she turned around for him to unfasten her bra. Alec went to put the music on and Rose began to dance for him, getting nearer so he could put his hands on her hips as she moved in front of him, his hands wandering down.
Rose leaned and ruffled his hair again and Alec grabbed her and pulled her on top of him, letting out a wicked laugh. Rose pretended to battle him but he turned her around until she was against the cushions. She pulled him down for a kiss.
Then she whispered, "Enough dancing Alec, I want you."
"Oh Rose, you'll be the death of me at this rate, I won't survive your dancing if you keep doing this to me. What am I going to do with you?"
She pulled him down again, putting her finger on his lips and whispered back, "Anything you like Alec."
He got up and turned the music off and pulled her up from the sofa. Leading her into his bedroom he whispered back, "You might regret saying that Rose."
Rose climbed into his bed and watched him take his shirt off. He definitely looked younger than last night, maybe it wasn't just the shave and the new hairstyle, maybe he just needed someone who cared about him. He left his shorts on, figuring they could maybe fool around for a bit as she went to lay on him.
They kissed and Alec wanted to try to be the one on top but Rose wasn't having any of it.
"Don't be daft Alec, it's ok, really, I don't mind. You're still amazing and it's a long time since I felt like this so just relax. You don't have anything to prove to me. I happen to like being the one that's on top so when you get better, you're going to have to fight me for it. That's if you want me to stick around?"
Alec thought he was hearing things. "Yes, I do want you to stick around but maybe after I get better, you might just have your hands full."
"Alec Hardy, you are so full of yourself."
With that she kissed him again and by mutual agreement, got down to being serious as Alec smiled wickedly at her, knowing what she was going through.
Rose pulled herself away slowly, savouring every moment of the aftermath and moved over onto her back. Alec was still reeling, he never even thought it was possible any more and was trying to calm himself without reaching for his pills. After a few moments, Rose was on her side, looking rather concerned he hadn't yet moved but knowing he was ok, her hand was on his chest, he was breathing steadily.
Alec was glad she wasn't repeatedly asking him if he was ok, he'd never felt better in his life and it would be easy to forget he was ill around her. He felt her finger drawing circles on his chest and grabbed her hand, then moved onto his side to face her.
"Hi, are you ok Alec? I didn't go to fast for you did I?"
Alec smiled. "Are you inferring something by any chance?"
Rose bit her lip. "No, not at all. Seriously Alec, whatever you are working on is not worth the risk and I wouldn't want you to leave it until it's too late to do anything about it. You have to get help and soon." She leaned across to suck on his bottom lip. "I've just found you, I don't want to lose you. I'm not done with you yet."
Alec smiled, feeling his bottom lip starting to swell slightly. That would take some explaining in the morning unless it went down and he swore she'd done it on purpose.
"I should hope not, there's plenty left in me but I can't give up yet Rose, I'm going to get through the case and then I'll take some time off and get something done. Ok?"
"Well just make sure you do and anything I can do to help, just tell me. I'm here for you Alec."
She took his hand and laced her fingers through his. Alec leaned over and kissed the back of her hand. "You're already doing it Rose and I know you're here for me, just as I'll try not to pick a fight with your ex boyfriend if he comes back but I can't go in that club any more, I can't sit there and watch other men staring at you while you dance. I want you all to myself and I know I'm sounding possessive right now but that's how I feel. Tell me I'm wrong to want that."
"I can't tell you you're wrong, it's kind of sweet but you know it means nothing to me Alec, all those eyes on me and men drooling over me, I'm coming back with you and you alone. Just don't go all freaky on me and get into a jealous rage in the club, I don't want to have to call an ambulance, just imagine the crew's reaction, you having a heart problem in a place like that."
Alec had to smile, she was making light of it and his feelings for her were running wild. "Yes, that would cause quite a stir but like I said, it's best I stay away from the club. What are you going to do if he comes back tomorrow night?"
"I'm not doing anything Alec, I'm with you now, I stopped seeing Mickey over two years ago, there is nothing that can tempt me to go back. Like I said, you're so cute and sexy, no-one stands a chance against you."
Rose settled down, wrapped in his arms and sprawled over him. Alec had his alarm set, he could go in when he liked on Saturdays and he would go meet Rose for lunch so he could face her mother, if they were still talking after Rose told her what she had been hiding for over two years and if her ex didn't get to her first.
Rose woke up early and slipped out of bed, going to make him some tea and toast before he went to work. He woke up and wandered into the kitchen in his shorts and t-shirt and put his arms around her, kissing her neck.
"Mmm, I could get used to this Rose, you'd better be careful."
Rose smiled and turned around and kissed him. "If it isn't my cute detective. Did you sleep ok?"
"Fine, now I have someone to keep an eye on me, you'd better not let me persuade you into taking the job on full time." He thought she would be annoyed at him making assumptions.
"Then you'd better not ask me or you might just regret it."
She wriggled free and rescued the bread from the toaster. After putting the plate on the table she ruffled his hair before sitting down.
"What if I do ask you Rose, is it too soon to assume you actually want the job of looking after me?"
Rose regarded him over her mug of coffee, she had made tea for Alec as he had put a teabag in his mug. She guessed he had to avoid coffee.
"Well, it's going to be tough but someone has to do it, I reckon I'm up to it up but you may find you have to change some of your ways, if we're going to do this properly."
"Such as?"
"To start with, I work four nights a week, Wednesday to Saturday so you'd have to let me go to work and you'd want to come and pick me up which means late nights for you and I'm not sure that's a good idea so we'd have to negotiate on that point but the other nights, well we could divide our time between your place and mine, maybe go out for a meal and have proper dates but we'd have to stay well away from the club. Then what if you want to introduce me to your friends? What will you say I do for a living?"
"Don't worry about that, I don't have that many friends you know, the men I went to the club with the other night haven't offered to let me go out with them again. I have to get going now, I'll meet you at one. Why don't you take my spare key and let yourself out or do you want me to take you home?"
"It's the other side of town Alec, I'll get a cab, you go if you have to. I'll lock up after I've cleared breakfast."
Alec went to finish getting dressed, thinking he could definitely make do with this every morning, he missed having someone with him, even if it was only to argue with them, which had caused his illness in the first place. He had only known Rose a short time but she was willing to take him on and he was more than willing to let her.
They kissed goodbye and Rose tidied his kitchen and made the bed, putting his laundry into the basket in the bathroom and noted there was a fair bit so she took it into the kitchen and loaded the washing machine then made another drink. This was going to take a while but she was in no hurry. She decided to call her mother after going into the living room and tell her the truth, well at least try.
"Hi Mum, can you meet me later?"
"Yeah, course I can what's wrong? You meeting me on a Saturday?" Jackie laughed.
Rose thought obviously Mickey hadn't contacted her yet and it was almost ten.
"Can you meet me at one? The café in the department store, I want to tell you something and I want you to meet someone. I have a new boyfriend."
"What? That's good Rose, you need to settle down. Who is he then?"
"His name's Alec and he's a detective."
"Really, that's a bit different for you isn't it? You know, I always thought you'd get back with Mickey some day, I saw him recently, just split from another girl 'cos he wanted to hang out at the pub. I don't think he'll ever learn."
Rose knew he never would. She just hoped her mother wouldn't see Mickey on her way to meet her and at least in the store café, she wouldn't be able to rant and rave like she would at home. She also hoped her mother wouldn't shout out to the whole store what she did for a living. She thought maybe she should leave it until after her mother had met Alec.
Rose eventually made her way home after sorting Alec's laundry and ironing his shirts when they came out of the tumble dryer, hanging them up. She laughed to herself thinking he would certainly get used to this but was she ready to take this on as a permanent arrangement? She had been on her own and was used to doing as she pleased and she had never really looked after a man before, that slob Mickey hadn't really counted, he had things slung everywhere and he never even washed his crockery properly let alone wash his clothes so she had avoided his flat like the plague.
She then made her way into the town, hoping to get chance to talk to her mother before Alec arrived but as her mother sat down, Rose lost her nerve and thought about putting off dropping two bombshells in one go and tell her about what she really did for a living after she met Alec. That way, if her mother saw that Alec had accepted her for who she now was, maybe she would as well and if she hadn't yet seen Mickey, it was safe to leave it for now.
Jackie Tyler had been on her way into town to meet Rose when Mickey had been out and about, fuming after last night and Rose going off with another man and him getting into a car with her and driving off. Mickey had just made his way back out of the club as the other man had got into the driver's seat and saw the way Rose looked at him. He deeply regretted almost getting himself thrown out of the club but it had been too much to keep his jealousy in check. He saw Rose's mother waiting for the bus into town. He bet she didn't know what her daughter actually did for a living.
"Jackie! Have you seen Rose lately?"
"HI Mickey, I'm on my way to meet her, imagine that! She actually wants to meet on a Saturday, says she had a new boyfriend, in the police, can you believe it?"
Mickey couldn't but now he had some ammunition. "Oh yeah? What's he do in the police then? On the beat?"
"Dunno, she just said his name was Alec and he was in the police, I'm off to meet him."
Jackie had already forgotten who Rose had said her new boyfriend was, it didn't matter, poor Rose, she never kept anyone more than a week or two and the last one was on holiday. Jackie had been disappointed that the man Rose had met had said goodbye to her on their last night and not wanted to tell her where he lived. Rose had been crying all the way back home. She didn't expect this Alec, whatever he was, would be any different. Rose was a dancer in a club, that usually put men off and more so with someone in a high position like in the police.
Mickey went off with fresh hope, if he could find out who the man was, he could warn him off but being in the police, he himself could end up on the wrong side of the law so he had to tread carefully. It wouldn't look good on the man's record if he was seeing a twenty six year old exotic dancer who paraded herself mostly naked in front of a crowd of men every night. He would have some explaining to do, it could be embarrassing and he wouldn't have anyone to blame but himself for being so stupid as to get involved with her. Mickey was already formulating a plan to discredit who Jackie had said was called Alec. It was an unusual name, it should be easy to find out who he was. So he went home and got to work on his computer.