"Rose, would you like to go out now?" Alec asked, getting up from the table.
Rose looked at her mother.
"You two go out, we'll clear up."
Jackie knew it had been a long time since Rose had been on an actual date, apart from Mickey dragging her out.
"Ok, I'll just get my coat."
They walked to the pub just opposite the harbour, passing the one next to the row of houses, Alec saying all the locals went in there and he couldn't forgive them for hounding a man to death who turned out to be innocent.
Over their drinks, Rose talked about home, her job, being Pete's assistant and how her mother and he had met, the official version. She had been offered another position at Torchwood and Vitex but Pete spent most of his time at Torchwood anyway, officially they both said they worked at Vitex. Pete virtually ran them both from behind the scenes, Jake did most of the day to day work at Torchwood with Mickey helping him.
She knew with being in the police, Alec would have heard of Torchwood but she wasn't going to mention it. After two drinks, Rose said she still had her unpacking to do.
"Thanks for the drinks Alec. I hope Tony didn't ruin any plans you had."
"No, I had no real plans. I have to go shopping early tomorrow now though, I had planned on going after work but it's no matter. It was really good of your mother to invite me to Christmas dinner but I feel I'll be intruding."
"No you won't. We normally have loads of people round on Christmas Day and Tony will be disappointed if you don't come, you're his new best friend now you've locked him up."
Alec smiled. It would be nice, instead of travelling all that way, he could go there on Boxing Day after all. Besides, it gave him more chance to get to know the woman who was sat next to him.
"Okay then, since you've actually made me change my mind, it's not often people can do that. I'll call my friend in the morning so she knows not to expect me. I can't go disappointing Tony."
"Good, 'cos you'd be disappointing me as well."
"Really?"
"Yeah." She slipped her arm into his and kissed his cheek. "You were really good with Tony, he's normally less well behaved than that."
Alec felt himself blushing.
"I really have to go now Alec, thanks for everything."
Alec got up and helped Rose into her coat.
"Then allow me to see you home."
He led them out, Rose stopped to visit the ladies room and Alec looked in the doorway. They were advertising a special Christmas Eve dinner, bookings still being taken so he planned on asking her out again. He quickly went back to the bar and asked to make a reservation and got one for seven thirty. Pleased with himself, he went back to the doorway just as Rose was coming out. They walked back across the car park and back to the pink cottage. Stopping just at the side, Alec asked if he could take her out tomorrow night for a meal.
"I'd love to but will anywhere be serving food on Christmas Eve?"
"Leave that to me Rose, is that a yes?"
"Yes, on one condition."
"What's that?"
"That afterwards, you come back here and have a few drinks with us and some Christmas cake."
Alec laughed. If she had asked that this time last year, he would have said no and he wouldn't even be asking her out.
"I think I can manage that. I'll pick you up at seven then?"
"Fine, I look forward to it. Oh and Christmas dinner starts at two or earlier if you don't mind getting tangled up in wrapping paper and playing with whatever Tony's got for presents."
"No, I don't mind. I'll come round early then, say midday?"
"Great, Tony will love that."
He leaned towards her.
"Rose, you won't slap me if I kiss you goodnight, will you?"
Rose giggled. It was the first time a man had actually asked her if they could kiss her.
"No."
He didn't need any more as he leaned closer and pressed his lips onto hers. Rose kissed him back with the same intensity.
"Goodnight Rose, you have a really great family and I look forward to spending Christmas with you." He reached into his jacket and brought out his phone. "Can I get your number? Just in case."
Rose smiled and took his phone, tapping her number in and handing it back.
"What about your number?" she asked.
Alec smiled.
"Well if I call you, you'll get it, won't you?"
"That's not fair, you have mine."
She tried to snatch his phone to delete her number but he held it out of reach.
"I'll call you, later."
It was only just after ten but Rose had to unpack so she had to settle for that.
"I might not answer if I don't know whose number it is," she teased.
"Well how many people would you expect to be calling you after ten at night?"
He had a point, it wasn't like she had a load of contacts in her phone. Neither Jake or Mickey would be calling unless there was a dire emergency.
"Oh, maybe your boyfriend will be calling you to say goodnight?"
He was fishing and Rose knew it.
She smiled, poking her tongue between her teeth.
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Now you are teasing me. If you had a boyfriend you would not have just kissed me like that."
"Goodnight Alec. I'll see you tomorrow night unless you want to come round before Tony goes to bed?"
"Yes, I will, he'll be even more excited than he was getting locked up."
Rose laughed.
"That was the icing on the cake, he'll love you forever now. When he gets back to school, he'll drive everyone crazy."
"Goodnight Rose."
He leaned over to kiss her again.
Rose went back inside with a smile on her face this was going to be the best Christmas since she had been here, even though her brother lightened her mood. There had been no topping the Christmas she had last spent in her own world.
She had just finished unpacking after getting a grilling from her mother about Alec Hardy when her phone rang with an unrecognisable number. She knew it had to be Alec but she was going to wind him up.
"Hello, who is this? If you're prank caller, I'll have you know I have a friend in the police."
She heard a small laugh down the phone.
"Relax Rose, I am the police," Alec's Scottish voice that Rose thought was rather sexy came back at her.
"Oh well, in that case, consider yourself warned."
"Hello to you too Rose. Forgotten me already? Obviously those two kisses I gave you were not memorable enough. I think I'm just going to have to make them more so next time, maybe after dinner tomorrow night?"
"You promised to have a drink with us tomorrow night, remember?"
He remembered.
"Yes but that won't stop me from stealing you away afterwards. I only live around the corner in case you'd forgotten. How about we have a drink with your family then you come back to my place for a few more? I can see your cottage from my bedroom window, are you at the front or back of the house?"
"The back," she replied, opening the curtains.
She could see lights on upstairs in a few of the short row of houses and one on the end where Alec was living when she saw a flicker of light as he pulled the curtains back and saw someone waving. She waved back.
Rose liked the idea of that. She had not had a boyfriend as such since she had been here. There had been all kinds of rumours about her having a different boyfriend every week, the papers linking her name to celebrities including that rather dishy - looking Scottish actor who bore a strange resemblance to The Doctor and now Alec Hardy since she had met him.
"Okay, I'd like that."
Alec was pleased with himself.
"How about I pick you up early tomorrow night then I can spend some time with Tony before we go out?"
He was growing fond of the boy and his boundless energy. He missed his daughter but she was almost sixteen now, not seven.
The next morning, Alec was up early and out to the supermarket just as it opened. Why couldn't this town have a 24hr one like down at Dorchester? Still, he couldn't get away last night anyway, he was having a rather pleasant evening with Rose Tyler. He thought about calling Rose and asking her to lunch but he figured she would be busy with last minute shopping and so while he was getting presents for Ellie's boys, he found a remote control police car for Tony, a perfume set each for Rose and her mother and a bottle of scotch for her dad.
Rose and Jackie had got dropped off on the High Street, Pete offering to take Tony for a walk. So finding an indoor market that was still open, Rose decided she needed to get a present for Alec since he was going to be having Christmas dinner with them and bought him a teal and grey striped tie in a gift box, Jackie buying him some cufflinks. Rose was about to call him to see if he wanted her to pick something up for him to give to Tony when he called her.
He had got back from his shopping trip, wrapped his presents and was at a loss what to do. He called Ellie and said he had made some new friends and was spending Christmas Day with them and he would come down on boxing day. Ellie asked if the friend was a female.
"Oh come on Alec, I'm not mad at you, as long as you bring her down on Boxing Day, I'd like to meet her."
"Have I said I'd met a woman Miller?" he asked.
Ellie sniggered.
"Have you said you didn't? So how did you meet her?"
"Miller, she's down here on holiday, with her family. Her young brother wanted to look around the station, I asked her to go for a drink with me. End of story. Since when did I have to explain myself to you?"
He still called her Miller even after what they had been through but he was not going to tell her he was taking Rose out for dinner.
"So why are you spending Christmas with her?"
"Because her family invited me, they're staying just around the corner from me, in that pink cottage."
"Oh, that's handy then, for a few midnight rendezvous," Ellie laughed, thinking that would be a first for the detective.
"Shut it Miller. I'll ask her if she wants to come with me and if not, I'll come on my own so get over it."
After that, he was still bored and having lunch with Rose would cheer him up, even if it meant Tony tagging along but he thought the boy would be otherwise occupied.
Rose answered her phone, trying not to let her mother hear her.
"Ah, the mysterious phone caller, are you still going to remind me who you are later?"
Alec laughed.
"Well I was wondering if you might have lunch with me if you're back before one. Any chance?"
"Well I have presents to wrap but I can do that later, I'll be back for one. We're almost ready to come back, we'll just get a taxi, I don't know where dad and Tony are, I think they went for a walk up on the cliffs, Tony wanted to go."
"Tell me where you are and I'll come and get you. It's no trouble."
"Well if you're sure, we're just in the market next to a hotel, I think it's called The Traders."
"I know where that is, I used to stay there. Wait outside, I'll be about five minutes."
"Oh Alec, do you want me to get you something to give to Tony?"
"No, I picked something up for him earlier. Hope no-one has bought him a toy police car."
Rose laughed.
"Not that I know of, I think you're pretty safe with that."
Sure enough, five minutes later, a black SUV pulled up outside and Alec got out to load their shopping bags in the back. Rose got in the front seat next to Alec, Jackie admiring the car. Alec parked outside his house and walked back with Rose and Jackie, carrying Jackie's shopping, Rose was going to scold her later, saying he had just got over a heart operation but he insisted he was okay. Pete and Tony were back and Jackie insisted Alec stayed with them for lunch but Alec had really just wanted to get Rose on her own and since that wasn't happening, after they had eaten, he asked her to go for a walk around the harbour with him.
Tony's ears pricked up when he heard Rose was going out with Alec.
"Can I go too Alec, please?" he asked, looking at his new best friend.
Rose tried to hide her disappointment, of walking across the harbour, maybe hand in hand with Alec and spending some time with him but she knew her brother looked up to him.
"If it's okay with Alec," Rose told him.
Alec was a bit disappointed too but it seemed the boy had taken to him.
"Okay Tony. Get your coat."
Tony jumped up and rushed to the coat rack, waiting for Rose to reach it down for him.
"No walking in the water Tony Tyler," Jackie said. "And don't you go letting him Rose. Try to come back before it gets dark. Then when Tony's had his tea we can wrap presents."
"Oh, Alec and I are going out tonight, he's taking me out for a meal."
"On Christmas Eve? There won't be anywhere open will there?"
"I have it all arranged and afterwards, Rose invited me back for a drink, if that's alright," Alec replied.
Jackie could only say yes since both her son and daughter were taken with the man. The three of them set off, Tony walking between them, telling Alec about what he had been doing at school and they walked to the end of the harbour, Tony trying to guess how many boats there were. They got to the end and he wanted to go around the other side and stand on the sea wall again. So walking back to where they had been the day before, Tony walked on the sea wall, Rose holding his hand, then he wanted to go onto the beach.
Once there, Rose made sure the tide was out and let Tony run in front of them. Sitting down on a small jetty a bit further down, Tony was looking for shells and Alec put his arm around Rose.
"So, alone at last. Your brother is a bit of a handful."
"Yeah, sorry about that, he's a mixture of a whirlwind and a hurricane dad says."
Alec made sure the boy was occupied and pulled Rose close, brushing her lips with his own until she responded and kissed him back.
"That was just a gentle reminder, I'll remind you some more later, after our dinner date."
He leaned over again, capturing her lips.
Tony happened to turn around at that moment and covered his face with his hands but peeking through them and let out a very loud "Yuck, Rose!"
Both of them laughed. Then the boy went back to what he was doing singing "Rose has got a boyfriend," Alec laughing and Rose blushing bright red.
On the way back, Alec purposely took the boy's hand and Rose's because Tony was holding some shells in his other hand and some were in his pocket. Everywhere was closed by this time as they passed the outdoor food stalls and it was getting dusk. They walked back to the pink cottage, Tony was chatting away to Alec, Rose couldn't hear what Tony was saying but Alec was keeping on answering him now and then until they reached their destination.
"Mum, I got some shells from the beach and I walked on the wall and Rose was kissing Alec - yuck!"
"Was she now?"
Jackie looked up from her magazine, another tale about Rose being seen with a reality TV star who as far as she knew Rose had never even met. Perhaps if Rose was interested in Alec Hardy it would stop these stupid rumours. Thank goodness only two other people knew where they were.
Rose blushed slightly, chastising herself for letting her brother catch them, he would keep on about it now.
"It was no big deal. I have nothing to hide, Alec is taking me out again tonight, you know that."
"Yes well in case you've forgotten, the press would love to get a photo of you actually kissing a bloke, you're in the magazines again with some poor reality star. Never even heard of him."
Jackie held the magazine up that read 'Rose Tyler spotted with Big Brother star.'
Rose scowled. She had been at the same charity event and she had passed him once. Alec looked at the magazine. Rose was smiling and the star, who he had never heard of looked like he was staring right at her, smiling back. He knew the picture was totally out of context and they had probably just been smiling at other people or people in general and he knew the kind of life she led but he couldn't help feel a slight pang of jealousy.
"Mum, you know all that stuff is rubbish. According to them I'm out on the town every night when you know I'm at home with you. Can't you do something about them Dad?"
She looked at Pete, who was watching TV with Tony by this time, having turned off the news onto some silly cartoon his son liked.
"What? Oh don't take any notice of them Rose, you don't usually."
Rose wanted to scream. No wonder she could never find a real boyfriend when she was constantly linked to every male in the country trying to make a name for themselves at her expense. She wanted to say that she had met someone and he wasn't a stupid boy reality star who would use her name to rise to fame.
Rose shoved the magazine in front of her dad.
"Well it's gone too far this time, I don't even know his name, well I know it's written here but all I did was pass him. I think I was smiling at mum at the time. They just do what they like."
Pete was about to say if she got herself a real boyfriend she wouldn't have all this speculation but considering a prospective candidate was standing a few feet away, he thought he had better not say anything.
"Okay, I'll get the legal department onto it after the holidays but the more you deny it, the more you feed the media frenzy. They're like sharks waiting to sink their teeth into anything that moves."
"Yeah, well some wannabee star is not going to find fame off my back."
Rose motioned Alec into the kitchen.
"Sorry about that Alec, that's what I'm constantly up against. I wouldn't blame you if you left right now."
"Well if it's any consolation Rose, I know what it's like, remember? I was labelled the worst cop in Britain in case you've forgotten. Even you don't hold that title." He smiled and stepped closer to her. "It's okay Rose I believe you although I won't thank the press if they try to take a photo of us together when we go out tonight."
He leaned forward and kissed her.
"No-one knows we're here, that's why we chose an out of the way place. I thought they would have given up by now."
"Don't worry about it, I don't believe everything they say in the papers, look what they did to me in the beginning. It was only when the local newspaper released my story that they backed down and now no-one bothers me. Let them get their teeth into something then they'll leave you alone."
Rose managed a smile and put her arms around his waist and leaned into his shoulder.
"You might not still say that if they take a picture of us."
He wondered if he would. He'd had worse and if having his photo in the papers with Rose Tyler was a bad thing, he wouldn't mind. He didn't quite know what his chief would think though, he had pleaded to go back to work part-time and it wouldn't help if he was linked to the name of the Vitex heiress and in every paper and magazine as her latest in a long line of 'flings'.
Rose looked up.
"I should go get ready if we're still going out."
"Of course we are still going out. You don't think that's going to bother me do you? Come on Rose, next week they'll have you going out with someone else and you're not even in London. You're here, with me." He leaned forward to kiss her again. "I say the joke is on them, they'll be red faced when you're over a hundred miles away from where you're supposed to be dating a nobody."
Rose smiled. He was right and he didn't seem to care.
"Why don't you go get changed and I'll go back and put my best suit on and call back for you at seven?" he asked as he kissed her forehead.
Rose's mood lightened.
"Okay, where are you taking me anyway? You never said."
"Where we went last night, I booked a table for us at seven thirty."
"When did you manage that?"
"While I was waiting for you coming out of the ladies room. I know how long women take in there, I used to be married. You may as well know that now. I don't know what you read in the papers but it was her that lost that evidence in the case that went wrong. I asked for her name to be kept out of it, for our daughter's sake. I didn't want her to know it was her mother so I said it was me. My daughter still hates me but she contacted me when I was in hospital. I've not heard from her since and I was going to go up and find her today but then your brother almost collided with me and here I am. Remind me to thank him for that."
"I will and you are very sneaky Alec Hardy. What would you have done if I'd slapped your face when you tried to kiss me last night?"
"Well, I wouldn't have gone on my own. I dare say I could have enticed another young blonde to be seen out with me. Now I'm getting better, I shouldn't have any problems picking up women."
Rose playfully hit his arm as she pulled her arms away from him.
"Oh, so I'm just an experiment then? To see if you've still got it?"
Alec laughed. Perhaps she was but she was becoming much more than a test to see if he could still pick a woman up and since this didn't really count as it was her brother he was almost picking up off the floor, he still didn't know if he had it in him.
"Oh, I think since you agreed to go out with me tonight, I still have it but you can judge for yourself later, if you come back to my place after we've had a drink with your parents when we get back from our dinner date."
Rose giggled.
"Oh, you're so sure of yourself aren't you?"
She was just about to move back to kiss him again when the kitchen door opened and they jumped apart. It was Jackie.
"Oi you two, go do your snogging some place else, I have to get Tony his tea ready since you two are swanning off to some fancy place to eat. I've got my eye on you Alec whatever your other name is so be warned."
Rose tried to stifle another giggle but caught her mother's eye.
"And you madam, you just be careful the press don't get hold of this because it's becoming tiresome."
"Yeah but Mum, you know it's just the media twisting things to make up a story and I really am going out with Alec tonight."
Alec could speak up for himself, he was the one that interrogated people, not someone's mother.
"It's Alec Hardy Ma'am. Don't worry, I won't let the press get to her, I've been avoiding them a long time, I know how to deal with them."
"Oh, is that right Mr worst cop in Britain? You didn't do a very good job there then did you?"
Rose leapt to his defence.
"Mum, stop it. Alec was ill then, didn't you read that bit? The bit that he was suffering from a heart problem and trying to solve a young boy's murder? Just leave him alone. I'm going out with him so back off."
"It's okay Rose, I can defend myself. Mrs Tyler, I can assure you I'm perfectly alright now and I'll take great care of your daughter. I can understand your hostility and I wasn't at my best during that unfortunate case otherwise I would have solved it in a much shorter period of time than I did. Rose, I'd better go get changed, I'll be back at seven okay?"
Rose nodded. Alec could certainly hold his own against a formidable Jackie Tyler who had backed off pretending to rattle some pots and pans as she always did when someone defeated her.
Alec gave Rose a quick peck on the lips and Rose said she would let him out of the back door but he wanted to say goodbye to Tony in case the boy was going to bed when he got back. She walked outside with him and around the corner, leaning into him since there was a cold wind blowing.
"Go back inside Rose, it's okay. I can understand your mother. I'll be back soon."
He leaned down to kiss her, covering her with his open jacket. Rose leaned into him, putting her arms around his slim waist.
She watched him walk back around the corner and went back inside. If her mother ruined this for her, she might never forgive her. She suspected it had been her that had kept the Doctor at bay since she continually fended him off from Rose and equally tried to push her back with Mickey. Rose was certainly not going to let that happen with Alec.
Rose avoided her mother's look as she went back upstairs but Jackie knew her daughter, that if she made her mind up, not much changed it.
"Rose, I'm sorry, I was just watching out for you."
"Well if he says he doesn't want to see me again, I'll blame you."
"Come on Rose, don't be like that. I invited him to spend Christmas Day with us, didn't I?"
"Well you might just have put him off now, thanks."
"Oh he probably won't let that put him off, he'll have had worse but you don't know anything about him except what you've read about him."
"Well at least he's not some creep trying to make a name for himself. Some of them even have the nerve to actually confirm they've been out with me."
Jackie smiled. She knew Rose hadn't adjusted to this lifestyle while she had embraced it but Rose was single and a target for every eligible bachelor in the country.
"I'll apologise if you bring him back for a drink later. Okay?"
