Rose had already fallen in love with the apartment before Alec got there and he knew she had her mind already set on it when he walked in and got a funny look from the agent. So they moved out of the hotel the following day and celebrated by going out for the evening. Rose had been to the clinic, which pleased Alec since he didn't want a repeat of their first night together and was surprised she hadn't just got up and left him or left after she had made sure he was ok at least but no, she had cleaned him up, got him dressed and stayed and now he was in way over his head and virtually a member of Torchwood except in name.
He had called his GP and he had come down so after they got home from celebrating, Alec had told her that he was off to meet someone and his friend had brought some more pills and the injections he could use in emergencies but Alec had not let on that he had almost died having sex with his new girlfriend, just that he thought it would be a good idea.
"So Alec, are you managing to stay out of trouble down here?"
"Me, stay out of trouble? Well I've got a new girlfriend, she's keeping an eye on me so you don't have to."
"I hope she knows what she's taking on Alec, unlike your ex wife. Why did you never tell Tess you were ill?"
"I didn't trust her in the end, she betrayed me. Maybe that caused it, or me almost drowning, or both. That certainly didn't help. I wake up sometimes, thinking about it. I haven't told her yet but since I met her, I've not been as bad, I don't wake up panicking now."
"Well that will improve your chances dramatically Alec. Just take your medication regularly, I'll see your paperwork gets filled in and take the time to book your operation, girlfriend or not, you need to look after yourself. The injections will help, they react faster, just follow the instructions and show her how to do it in case you're not able. What's her name? She must be something, putting up with an old grump like you."
Alec smiled. "Hey, not so much of the old. I'm thinking of surprising her and getting a makeover, trim my beard and get my hair cut."
"Then I'll be the one have the heart attack Alec. So go on then, who's the unlucky lady?"
"Her name is Rose. She came down on holiday last week and it took me three nights to get up the courage to ask her to my room then on the Thursday night, we ended up in her room."
"You old devil you, I hope you didn't attempt anything serious?" his friend laughed.
"Not the first night."
"You mean it took you two attempts and she stayed? I hope you didn't do anything stupid Alec, having sex is not highly recommended in your condition. I never said to completely rule it out but don't get too adventurous in that department. I know I said make sure you get some exercise but that wasn't what I had in mind for you."
"Don't worry, she has me under control, she doesn't let me go too far and best of all, it doesn't bother her, she's amazing, I've never met anyone like her. She even took me to meet her family over the weekend."
"Crikey Alec, you going all domestic on me again are you?"
"Something like that."
"Well she deserves a medal for putting up with you. Good luck with her and do yourself a favour, get that pacemaker fitted sooner rather than later will ya?"
After saying goodbye, Alec went back home. "Home," he thought. "Who would have ever imagined I would have a proper home again in my condition?"
He made his mind up to book an appointment with the consultant at the hospital who kept sending him threatening letters like he needed the operation urgently or she wouldn't be responsible for his demise now he had been passed to the hospital in Exeter who had his records and was not impressed he had failed to show up for numerous appointments but had always had the decency to cancel them, if only at the last minute.
When he got back, Rose was in bed, wearing his now favourite lingerie.
"Everything ok Alec?"
"Sure Poppet, I didn't meant to be all secretive but if I had told you my GP was paying me a visit, you would have wanted to come with me or have him come here and I needed to see him alone. It's not that I'm trying to keep anything from you but I didn't want you asking him questions. You understand, don't you?"
He started getting undressed and Rose got onto her knees and unfastened the rest of his shirt, circling his belly button and making him squirm.
"I understand Alec but please, let me meet him next time, ok?"
"Ok Poppet, I promise. Now are you going to finish what you started?"
Her hand was on the zip of his trousers. She raised her eyebrows, questionably.
"Seriously?" she laughed.
ooooooooo{silversurfer60}ooooooooo
A few weeks later, the case had still not been solved, Alec knew the police were withdrawing resources as they were getting no closer to bringing in Danny's killer so Rose had asked Pete if she could get involved in her liaison between Torchwood and the local police full-time and forgo her other work and he had agreed.
She was just glad she had come clean with Alec, how she had got there in the first place, about the Doctor and Pete was paying for their furnished flat just up from the station which had a view of the sea from the balcony but as she looked at the stars, over a few nights, they were getting less and less until finally, she reported it to Pete, who had not wanted to mention it to her since she was working on a murder investigation with Alec.
One night, seven weeks into the investigation and them having been together for six, Rose was staring out of the bedroom window and Alec came up behind her, turning her around and feeling under her dressing gown at the underwear that was hardly there, his favourite type and kissing the side of her neck as she put her arms around his slim bare waist, she loved it when he wore briefs she had dared him to buy while they were out shopping. They just had the faint bedside lamp on, Alec liked to watch her as she smiled at his touches and made her want him more so they had agreed to use the lowest light bulb they could find, just giving off a soft glow, almost like moonlight and he just loved the way she smiled up at him as she lay there for him, calling his name.
They turned back towards the window, he stood behind her, pressing himself against her and she could tell what he wanted. There should have been a full moon, there had been the night before and Alec looked again, thinking he was imagining things or he was getting dizzy as a haze was across the sky and he stepped back from his lover.
"What's wrong Alec, are you ok?" she asked, missing the feel of his touch that always turned her on.
"Nothing. Just tell me I'm not going crazy but shouldn't there be more stars than that? And where's the moon tonight hmm? It was full last night, we didn't need the lamp on and I could see you quite clearly and you were as beautiful as ever I might add. Sometimes I wonder how I managed to leave you to go off to work my beautiful Rose."
He kissed her neck again and pulled her robe over her shoulders, kissing them and feeling her breasts through the thin material of her very low cut bra. "Come to bed Rosikins because tonight, I don't care if it's my last night with you, I want you properly."
"You are being selfish again Mister, what about me? You promised you wouldn't leave me behind, not without a real fight anyway. I don't want you giving up on me, I've not even started with you yet."
"You drive a hard bargain do you know that? You know I'm a slave to you, you keep me going and for you, I'll show some restraint again as I have since that first night but I feel much better now, you know what you do to me. You were the miracle I needed Rose, I love you."
He turned her around and pulled her robe off, letting it fall to the floor and lined himself up against her and lifted her slightly so they touched. Rose gasped and she was already done for as she felt his hands on her, trying to pull off her knickers at the same time. She gasped again as she wriggled to let him pull them down, her hands straying to his briefs and wrapping her legs around him to keep her balance as she pulled them down, setting him free and he let out a moan.
"I love you Alec."
They fell onto the bed, he unfastened her bra hastily and tossed it away, pulling her knickers off her legs and pulling off his own briefs, then raising her legs. Rose was already lost and they never even bothered scrambling under the covers. Some time later, Rose was lying on his chest, cringing every time she thought his heart had really missed a beat and not just through their intense lovemaking they had enjoyed immensely or it sped up.
"Alec, please tell me you'll make a definite date for your operation?"
"I will my love, I think I'm getting pretty close to ending this case, everything's starting to fall into place now. So many pieces of the puzzle are coming together, I'm just missing one more piece. I told you Miller brought in the skateboard earlier, didn't I?"
"Yeah, that's why you in such a good mood earlier."
"It showed?"
Things began to slot into place over the next two days but one night, Rose was waiting for him to get her into bed when she noticed something odd. The moon was still not showing itself and it wasn't even cloudy and Rose thought about calling Pete the next morning but surely if it was something alien, he would have called her? As she waited for Alec, she couldn't be certain but there looked a lot less stars than on the previous couple of nights.
After another night of blissful lovemaking, Alec kissed her goodbye and went off to work, Rose saying she wanted to consult something with Pete before she joined him and made her way to her makeshift office that she had to share with the SOCO team.
Pete answered on the first ring.
"You were expecting my call then?" Rose asked.
"Yes and no. I take it you're calling about the lack of stars over the last few nights?"
"Yeah, Alec noticed the other night, the moon wasn't out and it's not clouded over or anything, there's a funny sort of haze in the sky. What's going on Dad?"
Pete knew she was worried when she called him that.
"I think you'd better come back to Torchwood Rose. How's Alec getting on with that case?"
"It's slow and I've done all I can to help him, there's nothing I wouldn't do to help him he knows that. He'll insist on coming with me. Have you found anything that would help his condition?"
"Not yet but I have a team working on it but other than him having that pacemaker, nothing so far. Can't you make him see sense Rose?"
"You've no idea how hard I've tried but he won't give in. His consultant is going crazy, she says the longer he leaves it, the less chance he has but he just won't give in. He's so stubborn."
"Just like his girlfriend then eh? Why don't you two come up for the weekend? I'll clear it with his boss, tell her Torchwood has to brief him on some things."
"Yeah ok. We'll come up tomorrow then, shall we go straight to Torchwood? Otherwise we'll have a job getting away from mum and Tony."
Pete laughed. "See you here tomorrow then."
She went to join Alec and closed his office door, tempted to pull all the blinds down and snog him senseless, again.
"Pete wants us at Torchwood, tomorrow, he'll clear it with the chief."
She sat across from him at his desk, knowing all eyes were on them as everyone knew they were lovers, they had never hidden the fact.
"What for? Not that I don't enjoy a visit to your mother or anything, it's just the last time she almost smothered me to death."
They had been up over the bank holiday weekend and taken Tony out.
"It's nothing to do with the case Alec, it's Torchwood business and I knew you wouldn't let me go on my own so I'm offering to take you with me. Besides, you know you can't sleep on your own any more."
"Don't remind me."
So leaving Ellie Miller in charge, she knew about Rose's role in the whole thing and had objected until the two became close friends, they drove up to London on the Friday morning and went directly to Torchwood, Alec's first visit to their headquarters.
On their arrival, Rose parked in the underground garage and Jake came down to greet them.
"If it isn't the two lovebirds then? When are you going to tie the knot?" he joked, looking directly at Alec and still not believing who he looked like.
He had met Alec two weeks ago on the last bank holiday at the end of August and Pete had made both him and Mickey swear they wouldn't tell him who he looked like because to start with the man had a bad heart and secondly, Rose loved him for who he was and nothing was going to spoil that. They had of course been all over the society columns nearly every week and Alec's reputation of being Britain's worst cop had been laughed out of town now he was with Rose Tyler. After all, it had been reported, the Vitex heiress would not be seen with a deadbeat detective and a certain MS White had been forced to back down and go into hiding.
Rose had been looking forward to having some time with her family again but it wasn't going to be once they stepped into Pete's office and he and Mickey were waiting, looking very stern. They had found out where the readings were coming from Rose's original universe.
Rose flopped down on to Pete's plush leather sofa, Alec sitting beside her.
"So are you all sure?" she asked, hoping they were completely wrong about it and taking Alec's hand.
Mickey stared at the man who'd stolen his ex-girlfriend's heart and now looked even more like the Doctor since his beard was mostly gone and his hair had been styled, something that had made Rose love him even more and said he looked sexier since she got him into t-shirts and jeans but today, he had his dark grey suit on but no tie.
"We've done some initial exploration into your old universe Rose, Mickey has made a few trips and there seems to be this woman, Donna Noble who is instrumental in all this and the Doctor's latest companion."
At one point that would have bothered Rose a great deal but now she had Alec, she was just happy the Doctor wasn't on his own, he needed someone with him.
Then came the crunch.
"Rose, we need you to go and contact Donna, something's changed and a whole new universe has sprung up around her and the walls are breaking down even more now between the universes. More stars have gone out, we've had agents across multiverses and they all report the same thing and it's all pointing to your original one. I need you to get ready to go."
"Wait a minute Pete," Alec objected. "You said Mickey had been going, why don't you send him again?"
Mickey answered him. "I've not actually made contact with Donna, if I did, she may not be as willing to co-operate with me as she would Rose. The Doctor will have talked about Rose and Donna will be more willing to go along if she approaches her."
"Mickey's right Alec. I'm sorry but we have to send her, Rose is the only one who can find out what's going on and stop it."
Alec thought he had another attack coming on and Rose felt his tenseness.
"Alec. Take your injection now, please."
He waited a few moments and found he was calming down slightly.
"I'm ok Rose, just a panic attack. Say you don't agree this?"
"This is what I do Alec, I've been doing it all this time and I can't stop now. I have to go but I'm coming back to you. At one time, all I wanted to do was get back to the Doctor but my life is here now, with you Alec. I love you so much but if I don't go, everything we know will be gone."
"So, this is your real life then? Going off to save the known universe and now it seems the unknown universe. I don't like it Rose, none of you know what you're asking of me, to accept what she does for this stupid planet and all the planets out there which if what Rose told me is true, could also be parallel to the ones from her universe and support life."
"Can you all give us a minute?" Rose asked as she saw the panic still in Alec's eyes.
He had been a broken man when she had met him and just like with the Doctor, she had made him better. Now she faced the decision of leaving him behind or life as they know it being wiped out and she hated it.
She took his hand away and he slipped it around her waist and pulled her close.
"I love you Alec, nothing will ever change that but if I don't go, the earth will begin to suffer without the moon, we all know the oceans are affected by it and what next? The sun? No Alec, if I don't do, within a few days, there will be all kinds of natural disasters and I can't be responsible for that. Everyone and everything will die in a short period of time. I'm coming back, to you."
"I love you Rose, you'll never know how much you changed my life and although I don't agree, I know you have to do this. When do you have to leave?"
"Soon by the look of things."
"Then Rose Tyler, say you'll marry me."
"Alec, are you sure about this?"
"Yes Rose, just say you will before you leave, never mind the details. I'll even face your mother and tell her."
"Wow, you are feeling brave. Yes Alec, I'll marry you."
"Then the sooner you go, the less you have to worry about me really getting an attack while you're away and don't worry about me, Pete will take care of me. I'm not leaving you."
They kissed all too briefly as Pete came back in.
"Sorry you two but Rose has to go now, we're getting more readings."
Rose pulled Alec after her into the room the dimension cannon was housed in, Alec thought it was like something out of a science fiction movie.
Rose let go of him and went to a control panel and was briefed as to where Mickey had left Donna and the controller set the co-ordinates and the device was aimed. Rose stood in front of it, dressed in her blue leather jacket, her purple sweater and her black trousers. Alec stepped up to her and kissed her one last time, not caring how many people were watching.
"I love you Rose, just be safe."
"I will, I'll be back before you even miss me."
He wouldn't bet on that but he was already formulating a plan as the device activated and Rose disappeared from his view.
"I'm not letting you do this alone Rose," he said to himself.