After a tearful goodbye, Rose was on her way back to spend the evening with her family before facing clearing her things out of the apartment she had shared with James. She couldn't face sleeping there that night and all she would think about would be Alec anyway and how a week ago, he had been reluctant to even let her stay overnight and never even offered to walk her back to the hotel and now, he had survived a pacemaker operation, told her he loved her and she was breaking off her engagement to be with him. It had certainly been a hell of a week.
James had boarded a flight for London to arrive the following morning and wondering whether to call Rose to pick him up from the airport but thought better of it. Maybe he'd got it all wrong, maybe she had just missed him and was going to tell him she would come over and spend whatever time they had in a hotel with him but he somehow doubted it. He had spent all week trying to find out what was going on with the film set and was pleased when he finally solved it. A little known race of humanoids who liked to cause trouble had been sabotaging the set and he had finally cornered them, telling them to leave or he would get cross and call Torchwood, showing them what Torchwood were on his phone and they had all left but leaving the film set short-handed of set dressers and maintenance men but they had been replaced the day after and no-one had been any wiser.
He had been thankful he hadn't had to call Pete to send a team over but now, he had nothing to do and Rose wasn't speaking to him, he'd not called her and neither had she called him. Now in a few hours he had to face her, let her tell him she was leaving and he had a decision to make – should he tell her who he really was?
Rose was greeted by her mother as she got let into the Tyler residence, she had given her key back when she had moved in with James. Tony had also seen her and once he had been appeased with a present of a boat for his bath, Jackie led her into the kitchen for a late night snack and Tony was bundled to bed as he had stayed up to wait for his sister. Pete came to join them when he had supervised Tony and his nanny.
''So, what's the story on this Alec Hardy then?'' Pete asked her.
''I told you most of it and he's a lot better now, I've got someone checking on him tomorrow then I'm going back on Sunday morning, I don't want to leave him too long. That problem I told you about Dad, it might come back while I'm away but he has the hearing to attend on Monday and hopefully it won't come to a trial. I'm gonna write out a statement and call the PR people before I leave to go to the court with him and tell the local paper there to print the story I was using Alec as a cover-up for splitting with James.''
''How do you think poor James is going to take it?'' her mother asked.
Pete scowled at his wife. ''Jackie, our concern is Rose, don't you think? Yes, James will be upset, it's understandable and we have to help them both get through it but if he loves her, he'll let her go and there will be the minimum of fuss. Rose, do you want me to go with you tomorrow?''
''No, thanks but I have to do this on my own. Alec wanted to come with me but I told him he needs to get well first. I think I'll just go to my room and call him, he'll be getting worried and wanting to make sure I got here. He wanted me to get the train, just as I was about to leave because he was concerned of me driving all this way on my own. I told him I'd got myself down there and all he said was he didn't know me then but if he had, he'd have been just as concerned. He's really sweet Mum, you'll like him.''
''That's what you said about James, remember? I know you're just gonna keep on finding Doctor substitutes Rose, you always will and what about if you find another one? Are you gonna keep leaving them until you find himself again?''
''Jackie, leave her love, Rose knows what she's doing. She told Alec everything, she never told James so I'd say that's enough proof she loves Alec Hardy, don't you? Remember what we all agreed? That she would only ever tell the man she really loved about where she came from?''
''If you're sure this time Rose, I just don't want you to keep thinking you've found him and then be disappointed when it isn't him.''
''I know Mum and I told that to Alec because I trust him, he has nightmares too. James never asked me about my past, he never woke when I dreamt you weren't there to stop me falling in the void but I know Alec will. He woke up on Saturday night because he still dreams he was pulling that girl out of the river and no, I wasn't sleeping with him, I was in his spare room but I had to calm him down and I think that was the first time since it happened that someone was there for him. Dad, can I talk to you for a minute, alone?''
Jackie knew what that meant, Rose was still bothered about those Cybermen and didn't want to upset her again, she still had nightmares herself about them that the leaders hadn't turned their backs on her and she hadn't escaped down the stairs and ran into Pete.
''What's wrong Rose?'' Pete asked.
''I was talking to Alec the other night and I came to a conclusion and this is gonna sound completely crazy and I didn't want mum to know.''
''Ok, tell me. Is it about Alec?''
''Yes and no. What I mean is, I told Alec I knew for a fact he's not the Doctor and he accepts who the Doctor was and that I loved him and lost him and I also told him that when I met James, I thought that he was the Doctor and that was why I fell for him but that I was using him as a substitute but do you know something? I think I really was right, I think somehow, I don't know how it's possible but James really is him, James is the Doctor and not just because I wanted him to be but I think somehow he got here and made himself human or maybe part human. Do you remember when we first met? I'd had a crush on him since I got here because he looked like that other actor I liked and how at first we tried to avoid each other.''
Pete laughed. ''Yeah, your mother said you and the Doctor used to dance around each other and you were so obvious. Is that why Rose? You thought James was him and you were back playing games with each other? We thought that was how you wanted it.''
''I did because I kept thinking he was gonna wake up one morning and tell me and I eventually gave up and accepted him for who he is but now I'm not so sure and I don't know what to do about it, whether to tell him or not, to let things play out and never mention it. What should I do?''
''Sleep on it Rose, that's my advice, see what happens and he may even tell you but if you felt that you could never reveal your past to him, you either didn't really love him or you thought he already knew.''
''That's what I told Alec, that's why it never came up and he never asked me. Alec wants to know everything when I get back and I'm gonna tell him a bit at a time, just pick a subject and talk about it. I don't want to tell him all at once, it might be too much for him but I don't think he'll run at the words 'Dalek' or 'Slitheen' only don't mention the latter to Mickey after one exploded in his kitchen, he never quite got it off the walls and mum never forgave him for it.''
Pete smiled as Rose gave him a hug and went to call Alec, who had been pacing the small chalet debating if he should call her or wait as she could still be driving though it was now almost ten. He jumped when the ringtone for Rose sounded.
''I was worried Rose, it's late. Are you ok?''
''I'm fine and I'm sorry, my mum got to me first and she's a bit more persistent than you are. She wanted two weeks gossip condensed into twenty minutes and that's some task. Are you ok babe?''
''I'm fine. So are you all ready for the showdown tomorrow? You can still back out you know, I'm not forcing you to come back.''
''No Alec, you're not, I'm coming back of my own free will, no-one is making me and when I do come back, I'll finally be able to tell you everything and how I feel about you.''
Alec remained silent for a few seconds. ''I know how you feel Rose, just come back on Sunday, please love?''
''I will, don't worry and try not to miss me too much.''
''I can't promise that, I just hope I don't get my nightmare if you're not there Rose.''
Rose was too tired to write down what she wanted to say in the press release so she tried to get some sleep, thinking about Alec and how different he was from James. She had thought she loved James but now she knew she had done it for the wrong reasons and it was becoming clearer why. She had been right all along, he had kept himself hidden, waited for the right time and made her choose him but how had he got himself established unless he had some psychic paper or the Tardis was hidden away somewhere?
Yes, that had to be it! He had found a gap, got the Tardis through and maybe the ship was running on emergency power and just ticking away somewhere, still not able to travel in this universe and that would explain why James liked to travel around on location and only stay for short periods of time in London. She bet he had found something out in Nevada and that was why he wanted her to remain behind. If all this was really true, how was she going to face him tomorrow?
The next morning, she had an early breakfast, sent a message to Alec to say she was thinking about him and set off for the apartment, keying in the code for the gate and parking under their balcony. One of the staff was on duty in the reception area and greeted her.
''Miss Tyler, welcome back. Mr Smith is still away are you expecting him?''
''Yeah, he should be here soon but I need you to keep something quiet that I'm moving some stuff out so I may be up and down a few times.''
Rose was wishing the other exit wasn't so far away where she wouldn't be seen then she could have parked up there. She made her way upstairs to the first floor and let herself in and went to the bedroom after picking up the mail, mostly for James, probably offers though they should go through his agent.
She got the two big cases from the closet and opened her wardrobe, dividing what she was going to store at her mother's and what she was taking back to Broadchurch and hoping she could manage to drag the cases out to the lift and to her car though she would have to make a few trips since some things would have to go in a holdall. Then there was her laptop case since she'd not bothered to take it with her last time and just taken her tablet PC that she had hardly used since there was no internet in the chalet and Alec didn't like the thing as she was looking up wedding venues. She thought that was maybe because she was planning a wedding with another man and not him.
Now she knew she didn't want a big wedding, that was if she were still to get married since Alec was divorced and maybe wouldn't even want to go down that path any more, once bitten and all that. Maybe she had been rubbing salt into his wounds by dragging him to that wedding fayre for real last Sunday, especially after he had warned her about dragging him around the day before and telling her he needed to take it slowly but now, there was no need for that but she didn't think he would still be keen on looking around wedding venues even if he was to bring up the subject he wouldn't mind getting married again at some point, to her or not.
She had just about got everything out of the wardrobe and outfits laid out on the bed in two piles when she heard the main door open.
''Rose, are you here?'' another softer Scottish voice called out.
''In the bedroom.''
''Aye, I can see that now, the receptionist said you'd arrived. So, I won't state the obvious, you are really leaving.''
''I'm sorry I had to drag you all the way back here James but I couldn't say anything on the phone.''
''Because Alec Hardy was with you and listening?''
''Don't be like that and no, because I didn't want to be heartless and call you from thousands of miles away and tell you I was breaking off our engagement, I don't do things like that James Smith.''
''I won't make a scene Rose, I don't do that but it's plain you're going back to Broadchurch to be with him, aren't you? I should have known, when you said he was pretending to be me and yes, I saw the little piece you released to the press, I was quite impressed at your inventiveness really, you're very clever Rose Tyler.''
''I'm gonna release a press statement through Pete's PR department, maybe you want to use them as well? It will save any confrontation with reporters.''
''Fine, yes, I'll come up with something before I go back on Monday evening but there is one thing Rose. Did you ever love me?''
''What sort of question is that James? I did love you, you know that but you're forever going off filming somewhere and you never even tried to get me to go to Las Vegas with you, why? Just to star, well not even star in a crummy sixties vampire movie remake? Why was it so important?''
''You want to know why? You don't get it do you Rose? The travelling around, not wanting to stay in one place but having a base, do you not see it all?''
Rose opened her mouth to speak as it dawned on her – she had been right all along.
''Doctor?''
He changed his voice. ''Took you long enough, Rose Tyler but technically no, well, yes but not wholly, I'm a duplicate Doctor and I got left here – to find you.''
Rose fell backwards on the bed, narrowly missing the open suitcase.
''You have some explaining to do.''
TBC