"How have you been Rose?" Alec had asked her as they danced.
"Driving everyone crazy," Rose admitted. "What about you?"
"The same, no-one dare enter my office. I was only asked this morning to attend this event, I had an idea it was the one you were organising."
"Well there could be loads of events going on," Rose had replied.
"Where the police are benefiting? I was a bit nervous about accepting. I thought maybe you would not want to talk to me."
"Yeah, I thought the same when I saw you in the doorway. When no-one was named from the police, I thought maybe they'd ask you, well I was kinda hoping they would anyway. Wanna know the truth? I've been driving my mum nuts this last few weeks, she told me I should call ya and I said you probably told the desk not to put me through."
"Rose, the only person I banned was the father of the girl who died. He made things very unpleasant and he drags it up every so often. He tried recently to get to my office but fortunately he was stopped in time after storming past the front desk."
"I'm sorry Alec, it must be difficult? I left most of tonight to my secretary, she's been great. I was hoping it would be you I'd be handing the cheque to. My mum said if it wasn't you who turned up tonight, I should call and invite you to our Christmas party tomorrow night. I think she may have called herself to make sure I'd done it."
"Then I would be happy to accept," he'd replied as the song finished and Rose led him to their table.
The taxi arrived at Alec's apartment so he paid the driver and helped Rose out. Once upstairs, Alec glad his chief had talked him into going, he put the cheque he'd accepted from Rose in a safe place.
"Well the raffle was a success," Rose smiled as she saw the total amount again and hoping her father would get to the bank in the morning before it closed.
"Well the woman who won seemed pleased," Alec admitted. "Rose, you know why I had to let you go that morning."
Rose went up to him. "Yeah, I get it Alec but I was tryin' to spare ya. You saw what it was like when we went out and tonight but mum said I should have given you a choice. That's why I was trying to do it without you thinking I was the one asking you out."
"Well a party invitation is not like a date," he smiled, debating if he should put his arms around her. "Yes, I've seen what it's like Rose and I would have asked you out again but you gave the impression you thought I was uncomfortable and honestly, I had felt like that but I was willing to give it a try."
"You were? I'm so sorry Alec. The truth is, I missed you."
"I missed you as well Rose," he replied holding his arms out. "I think I can put up with a few waiters making a fuss over you."
Rose looked up at him from resting on his chest.
"Yeah? Did ya see all those photos being taken tonight? There will be a double page spread in the local paper and the nationals will pick it up, plus they'll buy any photos not used. Word will have got round and they'll snap them up and make something out of them."
"Well if I am in the papers with you, I may lose my reputation of being the worst cop in Britain?"
He leaned down to kiss her, making Rose tingle.
"Yeah? Are ya ready to lose it then?"
He soon showed her once they got into bed, Rose being amazed how good he really was and thinking his ex must have been off her head leaving him. Alec moved onto his back, taking her with him.
"Rose, I was wrong to let you go home in a taxi that morning, I should have taken you. Your father told me if I keep you out again, I had to take you home in the morning."
"I warned you about my mum but she'll be getting over tonight, then she'll be getting ready to do a bit of shopping. Do you have to work in the morning?" she asked as she moved her finger on his bare chest.
"For a few hours, to finish off a few things. So, you will be shopping with your mother?"
"Yeah, well I have another present to get now, don't I?"
"You forgot someone?" he asked as she laid to one side.
"No, I have to get one for you. Alec, come over early tomorrow? I'd like it if ya stayed over and spend Christmas Day with us?"
"If you are sure? I have to go see my daughter on Boxing Day. Come with me?"
"You should see her on your own, she won't want me there."
"Don't be so sure Rose."
"Alec, I'm really sorry, we've both been miserable the last few weeks. So, take me back in the morning and I'll tell my mum we have one extra for Christmas dinner then? When we get back from shopping, she'll have me wrapping all the presents for the guests tomorrow night, everyone gets one. I usually rope in one of the maids to help."
"Sounds like you will be having fun?"
"It's almost as bad as when me and Tony used to make paper chains, dad used to run out of places to put them."
"My daughter used to do the same. I know you just want to be ordinary Rose, I promise I will try to remember that. Come back and lie on me."
The next morning, after a repeat of the night before, Rose persuaded him to have breakfast at her house, her mother being missing as they entered the kitchen, her dad sat reading his paper and drinking coffee.
"I thought mum would be up?" Rose asked as they sat at the table.
"She'll be down if you two are going shopping. Alec, glad you took my advice last night, Rose has been driving us mad."
Rose felt herself going red. Alec escaped before Jackie got downstairs, Rose kissing him goodbye in the doorway. He took the cheque he'd been handed to the personnel office then went to his own in a much better mood than he'd been the last few weeks. Those that were in had stared at him but he said nothing, since he'd be in the papers with Rose in a few days time.
Rose's mother noticed the change in her as Rose picked out something for Alec and when they got back, she wrapped it before attempting to tackle the pile of small boxes that had been placed on the dining room table, needing to be sorted for men and women. Her mother picked something different every year and had them delivered. This year it was small bottles of perfume for the women and aftershave for the men.
She had almost finished as Alec pulled up outside what the locals called 'The Tyler Mansion', which was rather impressive and Pete had bought when it became impossible to stay where they were in London and Jackie had been going on at him to have another baby since Rose was almost ten at the time.
So the Tylers had packed up and moved, Vitex had taken over a block of empty offices in the town and the local economy had flourished when vacancies had been created. Now Rose had been given the title of the Vitex heiress and had tried her best to keep out of the news, especially about her relationship with James Smith, who had caught her eye when he'd moved from London to work with her father.
James hadn't wanted to keep their relationship quiet and they were constantly being photographed but when they had split up, Pete had to intervene to stop the national papers from picking up on it.
She had almost finished wrapping small boxes when she heard the front door being answered and one of the staff saying Rose was in the dining room.
"Hey, have you come to rescue me?" Rose asked him as she put her arms around his neck.
"Seems like you need it?" he replied as the poor maid who was helping her finished the last few.
Rose showed him to her room, hoping her mother wouldn't notice but if she asked, she told Alec to say he'd been given a guest room. The party was a success, them being photographed again but only for her mother's albums she liked to keep of her parties and Alec was able to sneak into Rose's room later without being detected.
The next day, Alec having got a present for Rose and her mother, they had a family Christmas dinner then Rose took Alec into the conservatory, which was lit up with blue and white lights around the window, since it was getting dark.
"Thank you, for making me welcome," Alec had told her parents, Tony going off as soon as he could.
Now, they were kissing by the far window.
"You all have been making me welcome Rose."
"I'm glad you could stay. Would ya have been alone?"
"Maybe? My ex said I could have dinner with them but her new boyfriend would have been there."
"Ouch! Well, you would have got to see your daughter. You should go alone tomorrow."
"Too late Rose, I sent her a text to say I may be taking someone with me. She replied asking if it was a girlfriend and not to bother unless it was you," he smiled.
"Alec, you're taking all this really well."
"I almost let you get away Rose. Just one thing though, are you over your ex boyfriend?"
"Yeah, he left me Alec, when he got a chance to go back to London. You think I'm famous here? It would be ten times worse there and he likes to show me off. Maybe he just liked using my name to get attention? You're just the opposite Alec."
"I don t mind showing you off, as long as it isn't in the local paper."
"Ah, too late for that after the other night, sorry. Don't worry, it only happens at a charity event, they know what my dad will do if they keep following me. What happens in places I go is out of my control, I can't stop them but I try to keep it to a minimum."
"Yes, I noticed in the restaurant but a lot of people looked up to you the other night. Rose, spending the holidays with you, well it was not what I expected when we met in the card shop."
"It was an accident Alec, a nice one and I never expected it either ya know? At work and home, I'm just a normal person, I just got dubbed as the Vitex heiress but my brother gets an equal share though he's got the sense to stay out of it and dad has a strict reign on him over money. It's all held in trust for us until something happens to him."
"I don't need to know Rose, it does not matter to me in the least. So, tomorrow, come and meet my daughter so she can see you are the same as everyone else."
Rose meeting Daisy went better than Alec expected, Tess staying out of the way when she'd let them in but as Alec left Rose and Daisy for a moment, Tess caught him in the hallway.
"Really Alec, is this payback for me leaving you for Dave?"
"Trust you to ask that Tess. Rose is not who everyone thinks she is, she works for a living, she does not live off her father, she works at Vitex. Yes, I know there is a gap in our ages, we have not even talked about it."
"Yes, she's only about ten years older than Daisy," Tess reminded him.
"Well, then Daisy will accept her better than someone she thinks is trying to replace you," Alec replied. "I thought it was best they met so Daisy can see that's not what Rose intends doing."
Daisy had plenty of questions for Rose.
"No, I don't mess around all day," Rose smiled when asked if she used social media. "I only have an account for my friends, I work for my dad, I'm his personal assistant. Trust me, he doesn't give me time to be updating my social status all day. I hope we can be friends Daisy, I really like your dad."
"He seems happy with you," Daisy had to admit. "I bet my mum's got something to say about it. Weren't you in the papers with someone a while back?"
"Yeah, that was James. I used to try to dodge the local press but he liked being in the paper with me. I swear he used to phone the editor to tell her to send a reporter to where we were going. He went off back to London though, the rat," Rose told her.
Daisy let out a laugh. "I don't think my dad would do that, since he was in the paper over his last big case."
"I know that Daisy. You can see the headlines 'The Vitex Heiress and The Worst Cop in Britain'," Rose laughed.
They were still laughing when Alec went back in, though they were arm in arm as Rose was trying not to laugh too loud. When Alec entered though, Rose pointed to him and they continued.
"What are you two laughing so much for?" Alec wanted to know. "What's so funny?"
"You and Rose being in the papers," Daisy managed to say.
"Stop it Daisy. Rose, what about being in the papers?"
Rose tried to sound serious but was failing.
"We were saying you don't like being in the papers and my ex couldn't get enough and you'd be trying to keep us out of them."
"Then what is so funny?" he wanted to know, since Tess had got him annoyed with her sly remarks about his and Rose's ages.
"Dad, you got called the worst cop in Britain not so long ago," Daisy reminded him.
"So?" Alec asked, seeing Rose was trying not to laugh again. "That was one paper."
"Alec, it's okay," Rose told him, going towards him. "I don't care, I know it's not true but maybe now, well that reporter will have to eat her words when she sees you at that charity event with me, won't she? I mean there were plenty of pictures of us dancing together."
"Will it be in the local paper?" Daisy giggled.
"Yeah but it will hit the weekend papers' supplements and gossip columns," Rose replied.
Alec wished she wouldn't keep reminding him.
"Can't wait to see it, Dad," Daisy teased him.
"Yes, well, that will be the only time," Alec told her.
"Until another charity event. Daisy, would ya like to come to our new year's eve party?"
"Really?" Daisy squealed. "Dad, can I go? I'm thirteen now."
"You'd best ask your mum, if she agrees, maybe you can stay overnight, if that's agreeable with Rose?"
"Yeah, we have a few spare rooms, my mum will make a fuss over ya though," Rose replied. "My brother's only a bit older than you but he'll be hiding in a corner somewhere."
"Like at the charity event?" Alec smiled, putting his arm around her.
After that, Alec went back to work the next day and arrangements were made he would pick up Daisy and Rose's mother had said she wanted to meet Daisy and the party went well. It wasn't long before Alec asked Rose to move in with him, thinking she'd never leave her home but she agreed right away but they went back every Sunday, with Daisy to see her family.
Seven months later
It was the beginning of July and Rose was three months pregnant after a night out at one of her mother's charity events and despite her reminding Alec she was near her monthly, he had insisted they took a chance. So after getting on the stage in the same hotel ballroom where his life had changed when he'd thought he would never see her again, he'd asked Rose to marry him.
The wedding had been on the Tyler's back lawn, with Jackie taking over the arrangements when told about Rose's condition, a large marquee being hired for the reception and the weather had been in their favour.
Alec had been to see his chief about his transfer once Pete found out and talked to his friend, the chief of police for South Mercia Police. He'd been against it but he knew Rose wanted to move now she was expecting and Ricky Gillespie was causing trouble again, a little over a year after his daughter had been killed.
For some reason, the man had heard Rose and Alec were expecting a baby, Alec suspecting Tess had opened her big mouth to Cate Gillespie and Ricky had been shouting at the front desk for Alec to come out.
"Get out here Hardy," Ricky had demanded, two uniformed officers trying to hold him back.
Everyone knew the detective had just got married.
Alec heard the commotion and motioned his DS to join him, warning DS Jones he was only backup.
"Sir, everyone knows Ricky has it in for you."
"Well you are going to hear a lot of lies out there Jones," Alec replied as he opened the door to the reception area.
"What do you want Ricky?" Alec asked him as he was let go.
"Why do you get to have a family when I lost mine?" Ricky asked him.
"Why are you bringing this up now?"
"I heard you got married again, to that Rose Tyler?" Ricky wanted to know. "Bit young for you isn't she?"
"It's no-one business Ricky, now you should leave."
"How about I go to the papers? The detective who lost vital evidence to put a killer away and ruins lives gets to start a new one?"
"You know Pete Tyler won't let you bring his daughter into this Ricky," Alec reminded him. "Try and see how far you get. Officers, escort Mr Gillespie from the station and next time, don't let him in," Alec ordered as he turned away, hoping Rose didn't get to know about it.
After Ricky left, he had called his now father-in-law.
"Alec, you know he'll keep bringing it up," Pete told him sympathetically. "I know Rose wants to move, let me help you," he offered.
So, Alec had given in and now, he sat facing his chief.
"Well, seems having friends in high places has paid off Alec," the chief was telling him, a folder on his desk.
He took out three sheets of paper and passed them to Alec.
"Three chiefs have vacancies for a DI, two of them though have been told to create them after being offered budgeting for it, the other, a DS is up for promotion but the chief is unsure about it and would rather have someone more experienced. They all know about you but don't expect any sympathy from them, they know the dust still hasn't settled here. I know Ricky Gillespie tried to stir up trouble a while ago."
Alec looked at the sheets of paper. Two were in cities, not that far away really and one was a small town, nice and quiet, he thought. Did he want a DS who had been passed over for promotion though? He went off to think about it and to talk to his new wife.
"Alec, the town will be better and it's by the sea," Rose told him when he said where the vacancies were. "We have to think about the baby."
"I know that love. You may have to help me explain why I beat a DS to the job though," he smiled. "You changed my life Rose, that day we met in the card shop."
"Yeah, I can't believe it's not that long ago but I guess if ya know when something's right?" Rose smiled back. "So, we move to Broadchurch and if you get another murder investigation when we get there, you're in trouble."
"Oh, I don't know love, I'll have you on my side this time, I think I can face it. I won't be making the same mistakes love."
"You'd better not," Rose grinned. "Or ya might just get branded the worst cop in Britain the second year in a row."
"Don't say that love, at least I'll have the Vitex heiress on my side," he replied, leaning over on the sofa to place his hand on her baby bump.
"My dad's having to change what he leaves me and Tony now, to include his grandchild," Rose smiled and took his hand.
"Well, do you think he will be more upset if he has to change it again?"
"Hey, one baby at a time, thanks," Rose laughed. "You're getting ahead of yourself, Detective. I was looking through a drawer and found that paper from the charity event you turned up to when we thought we wouldn't ever see each other again. It turned out to be the best Christmas ever."
"Yes, it did love and this year will be even better and you never know, the baby may be early. That would be the best present ever and this time last year, I never thought it would be possible."
"Well, you can thank that card shop for having a blind spot. So, Broadchurch it is then?"
"Yes love, it's a better choice than a large city, we can find a nice cottage near the sea, then take the baby for walks on the beach every evening when I get home."
"Yeah, that'll be great. Just one thing though. This DS who's up for promotion, you say it's a woman. She's gonna be a bit mad with ya."
"Then you will have to make friends with her love. Tell her you wanted to bring our baby up by the sea. I'm sure she will already know who I am."
"The worst cop in Britain?" Rose teased.
"Right, you are going to pay for that, Miss Vitex," he replied, going to kiss her baby bump, Rose pulling his head down.
"I was right about that newspaper headline when we were at that charity event," she reminded him, ruffling his hair as he'd made a gap between her loose top and her maternity slacks.
He had got out of her what she and Daisy had been laughing at that time.
"That they did a two page spread and your mother was upset we were in more photos than she was?"
"Well that and the fact they speculated we already knew each other and were trying to work out where we met. They never guessed it was just a card shop, where we'd bought our Christmas cards."
"Well, we can do that together this year love though you will have to take it easy and no dancing at the Vitex charity event this year eh?"
"Got it," Rose smiled. "Broadchurch won't know what's hit it when we arrive in the town."
Alec looked up from kissing her tummy and hoped she meant that she was heiress to her father's fortune and not that there would be another murder to investigate for the press to be after them. He could only wait and see as he decided to tell the chief in the morning he'd accept the job in the sleepy seaside town and hope he could stay out of trouble.
The End!