Rose stood in front of him in their bedroom, he'd not taken his eyes of her all night nor she him. She seemed settled with his new shaven face, like his beard had never been there. Once she got over the initial shock and finally stopped kissing him as the taxi arrived she'd found herself kissing Alec Hardy, all thoughts of the Doctor out of her mind. She had a face that she'd always wanted to kiss and it was Alec's. Now she knew for good that Alec didn't look like the Doctor, the Doctor just happened to look like Alec and he was hers.
Alec watched her as she undressed, he didn't always rip her clothes off, well nearly not always, he like to watch sometimes and since it was his birthday he decided it was one of those times. She had indeed something else for him because she was wearing something very special under her dress. She looked stunning in the new underwear she had bought on the way to work that morning, very skimpy knickers and an almost invisible bra, just very fine see-through lace, very low cut. As she kicked off her shoes she walked towards him and held out her hands to clasp his and placed his hands on her hips and made him run his hands down lower to the top of her knickers.
"Well, Inspector, are you ready to unwrap your present?" she whispered in his ear.
He turned her around and unfastened her bra, placing his hands over her breasts and kissing her neck. Then still standing behind her, he pulled down her knickers, which didn't take much doing. Placing his hands on her hips and down to her bottom. She responded by turning around and taking off his shirt and then his trousers and shorts in one go and led him over to the bed.
As he turned out the light she whispered in his ear, "Happy birthday, Inspector," and he was hoping he'd survive to see another one.
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Rose called at Ellie's on the way back from their run the following morning, showing off her new engagement ring and inviting her and the boys out for lunch. When Ellie finally let her out of a bear hug and agreed they made the arrangements. Ellie said he'd never live it down at the Station now but she asked her to keep it quiet for now as they were going to announce it in the local paper to avoid any speculation and since they didn't really have that many people to tell anyway, it was the best way.
After lunch with Ellie, who thought Rose was out with a different man and took her all lunchtime to get over the fact that it wasn't his twin brother sitting across the table from her, they went for a walk along the cliff top and found the bench they had stopped at the first morning they had been running together and Alec sat her down. He took her hand in his and twisted the ring around on her finger and smiled at her.
"Miss Tyler, are we ever going to get over calling each other by these formal names, because it's going to sound strange calling you Mrs Hardy after we get married all the time. I know it's all teasing but still, we have to get over it sweetheart."
"OK, I'll just call you Sexy from now on then shall I?" She looked at him and put her other hand on top of his. "You do know that when I first started calling you Inspector, I was also flirting with you, don't you? It started because at first I was annoyed with you, the first time I saw you through the window. I was annoyed because I was still pining after the Doctor and it wasn't fair that you were standing in front of me, looking like him. But I got over it a lot faster than I thought I was because I found myself falling in love with Alec Hardy, the man who I enjoyed teasing, making you dangle on the end of a string because I hadn't figured out my feelings for you but I still wanted to flirt with you. When I had and realised I loved you, well, I found I still enjoyed teasing you. The way you used to try to look down my dress when we went out to dinner, the way you always put your hand on my leg when you're driving and we stop, all made me want to tease you even more."
Alec took her hand and kissed it, then brushed her hair from her face and kissed her cheek. They didn't put on a public display of affection when they were out, that was very private to them. He helped her up and they walked back to the car they had left by the harbour pub, Alec remarking it was a pity they had to walk back to it as they were doubling back on themselves and that he still tried to look down her dress when they went out and that was never going to stop. Rose just said that she should think so.
As Rose kissed him goodbye the following morning, Alec promised he'd try to meet her to call at the newspaper office to announce their engagement. She was going to speak to Clare about her and Carly running the shop on Saturdays so she could have the weekends with her fianc . "My fianc ," she thought as she waved Alec goodbye as his lift to work had arrived. "How did that happen so fast?"
She thought back over the last three months or so, well she'd been in Broadchurch just over three months, two weeks getting set up before that day Alec walked into her life. The day her life in this universe changed forever and probably the day his life changed too. Three wonderful months with Alec, well almost, after she nearly lost him but she had realised he had probably been in love with her before she realised she was in love with him. She had realised on the day she told him about her past because that was why she wanted to tell him, to have no secret past life, tell him everything and for him to accept it or not. Their love had won through in the end, a sign that they were meant to be together.
They both still thought something had drawn them together somehow, still not being able to figure it out completely. Alec was having fewer dreams, at least he wasn't telling Rose he'd had them so maybe it was a sign that they'd settled down and such things didn't matter so much now. Maybe the dreams had been placed there in Alec's mind in the past to bring them together and now they were, they weren't needed any more. Maybe even they hadn't been dreams at all, just images projected into the mind of a child lasting only long enough for them to resurface in later years when he'd found her, long enough to make them both realise they belonged together. But Alec had fallen in love with Rose before he even cared to admit it, before she told him about her past life and he'd remembered his dreams and more recently, he'd had them again but with him being an adult with Rose in them. Was this finally a closure for the two of them?
Rose opened the shop as Clare arrived and so she asked her if she would be happy to take over on Wednesday so the shop could open for six days since it was getting busy and to be in charge of Carly on Saturdays so she could have the weekends off. Clare saw her new engagement ring and knew the reason why she'd been asked. She knew of the Inspector, he'd been all over the news last year and said she was pleased for the two of them and she'd be happy to do more hours and she'd been hoping it may lead to a full time job as she needed the extra money for home improvements. Rose said she'd speak to Alec about it, she didn't really need to, it was Pete she had to convince but under the circumstances, as long as she did her Torchwood work, it didn't really matter, he'd approve anyway. The shop made more than enough money to cover wages and Rose would still take care of the business side.
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Alec sent her a text to say he'd meet her at the newspaper office at 1pm, a place that wasn't his favourite after he had to reveal last year to them about his not so brilliant past but they had been fair and at least printed the truth for a change and it had altered many peoples' perception of him. He didn't have as many hostiles against him now, except his daughter and he was still trying in vain to sort that out. "Maybe a visit to her?" he thought.
Ellie had kept her promise of not saying anything about his engagement to Rose, thinking better of it but he got more than a few stares when he walked in that morning, including his driver as he'd got in the car, who had not dared to say a word and was surprised that the Inspector greeted him with a "Good Morning, James, how are you this morning?" as he got in as he didn't even know the Inspector knew his name and he'd nearly stalled the car engine in the process.
He had even made Ellie a mug of tea as they talked in the break room and people were taking bets that he'd got his girlfriend pregnant as it had become obvious over the past few months that he had a girlfriend as the Officer on duty outside the Station had seen him with a blonde who looked half his age and had let her park her car and wait a few times and seen the Inspector take the driver's seat as she got out to let him and had seemed only too happy to see him. Some had even seen them at the harbour pub on more than a few occasion, sitting very close together in a dark corner. Rumours were rife in the office as to why he had shaved of his scruffy beard but they had the sense not to speak while his office door was open.
Alec walked over to his office followed by Ellie who invited herself in.
"So Sir? What's with the new look then?" she spat out. "I didn't get chance to ask yesterday. It was obvious you two really wanted to be alone."
"Well, Miller, I now have a reason to look my best, don't I? Besides, Rose's family are coming down next weekend and I need to impress them. They're staying at Rose's house for the weekend so don't report someone breaking in and squatting, will you?"
Ellie smiled. "Well, it's not before time you made an honest woman out of Rose since you've been living together although these days it's very rare since people live together for years without tying the knot. Aren't you glad I give you that kick up the backside now Sir?
Alec just grunted something at her and she left with a grin on her face. She planned to get all the gory details out of Rose later.
ooooooooo{silversurfer60}ooooooooo
They met outside the newspaper office just after one and went in together, hand in hand, passing a surprised Beth Latimer and asking at the desk to place an announcement in the paper and proceeded to give the details of their engagement. Ellie's nephew, Olly saw them at the counter and came forward. He asked if he could have an interview with them but Alec wasn't so keen. He had still not quite forgotten what the press and indeed a certain Olly Stevens had done to him last year but he agreed to keep Rose happy. So they arranged for Olly to meet with them at the harbour pub after Alec finished work that evening.
Rose rang Clare to ask if she'd manage on her own the rest of the day and so she went home to get changed for the meeting later. She boldly kissed Alec goodbye outside the Station and went to collect her car, just popping in to the shop to collect some things. She still had some tidying to do in her house for her mother's royal visit.
They met with Olly that evening and gave a short interview and he took a few pictures of them together promising he wouldn't alter any of the statement they'd given on threat they would tell his Aunt.
Rose got her step-father's approval to take on Clare full time the following week but to take her laptop out and do her work for Torchwood at home. Their house hunting continued now Rose had a bit more time to browse internet sites.
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Friday morning Alec's big day meeting Jackie Tyler. He tried to pretend when he finally woke Rose up in her favourite way of being woken that he wasn't worried but he wasn't fooling her. She could tell.
"She's not that bad, Alec, despite your fears. You'll survive. Although what she'll make of you now, without your beard, I really don't know what to expect." She kissed him as they went to the shower which they enjoyed every morning now.
Alec thought it the perfect start to the day, that and Rose kissing him goodbye on the doorstep, albeit the kitchen one so far but he was working on it being the front door.
They went downstairs and Alec turned to her. "I know, sweetheart but you've told me such tales about her, she sounds like a formidable opponent. I catch criminals for a living but I wouldn't like to have to arrest her, Rosie. I'd be the one ending up being arrested for false arrest." he joked.
"Well, they'll be here by lunchtime and I'll get them settled in at my house, I'll go get some basics for them and then when you come home we'll all have dinner together. Can you pick up that toy Police car for Tony I told you about and the rechargeable batteries please?"
She kissed his cheek and rubbed her hand down his face, she still couldn't get over his smooth face now he was shaving every morning and he'd kept the sideburns since they'd grown. She would have kissed him all day if she'd been able to, she found she couldn't leave him alone when they were at home.
Rose had just got back from getting some groceries for her family's stopover when her mobile rang. She put the groceries on the kitchen table. It was Jake. She'd not heard from him all week because he had been on an assignment and he'd just got back.
"Well, well, well, you kept that quiet didn't you, Rose Tyler?" Jake laughed. "Didn't even tell your best mate you were thinking about getting married."
"Well, that's because it was completely unexpected, I never even thought about it, I was already happy with him. Jake, will you tell me something? I won't get bothered by Mickey again anymore, will I?"
"I can promise you, Mickey has been taken care of and he's perfectly safe, he's started a new life, courtesy of Torchwood. He's started his own business, Mickey Smith Investigations, in Leeds and he's doing well. It's all over in that respect. Consider it an engagement present. Speaking of which, are you having an engagement party 'cos if you are, I'm coming down."
"We've not thought about it really. Maybe we'll come down to London and have one there, you know my mum likes organising parties and she won't let us get away with it. I'll ask Alec. I'll have to go, they'll be here soon and thanks."
Half an hour later, her step-dad's car pulled up into her drive and her mother was the first out, despite Tony's protest to be let out of the child locked door. She pulled Rose into an endless hug as they hadn't seen each other for three months. Pete finally let Tony out and he clung to his big sister's legs and she kneeled down to him and pulled him into a hug, then Pete joined in. They were all extremely happy to be reunited.
She let them in and handed Pete the keys and her mother put the kettle on in typical Jackie fashion, her answer to everything Rose had once remarked.
They spent ages catching up, her mum wanted the low down on her daughter's now fianc and all the latest gossip from Jackie's new circle of friends she'd acquired since landing on this world. Rose promised to introduce them to Ellie later, saying how she was bringing up two boys on her own since her divorce and how she and Alec were planning on maybe going away on weekends now she wasn't in the shop full time but she'd decided to work a few hours a day over the lunchtime period just to get her out of the house and give her a reason to go out.
Tony had been told Alec was a Policeman and couldn't wait to finally meet him, asking Rose if he wore a uniform and a helmet and did he drive a Police car? Rose laughed at the idea, saying she could never quite picture him dressed like that but she'd seen him drive a Police car once.
Rose excused herself and left them to settle in after lunch and went to prepare dinner at her new albeit temporary home, hoping her mother wouldn't go nosing around her stuff that had been left behind. She had brought most of personal stuff over including the newly discovered photos Alec had found when he told her he'd seen them and had decided to shave off his beard.
Alec arrived home to his usual greeting from Rose as she had told her parents to come round at six thirty so it wasn't too late for Tony. After a shortened version of their greeting each other with Rose managing to keep her knickers at least around her legs, she told Alec that her mother may react a bit strangely to seeing him but not to worry, which didn't help him because he already was worried.
"Rosie, sweetheart, what if she hates me? It's not going to be easy for her to accept me now."
"She won't, she got over hating the Doctor long before we came here. She'll cope. She knows I love you, Sexy," as she kissed him again.
The front doorbell rang and Alec, putting on a brave face, went to answer the door. Jackie's mouth just fell open when he opened it to them and it took every ounce of strength from her not to slap his face right there on the doorstep.
They stood there in silence until Rose joined Alec at the door and said, "well don't just stand there, come in. Mum, Dad, Tony, this is my fianc Detective Inspector Alec Hardy."