Doctor Who

Broadchurch AU

TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of sexual assault.

Chapter Eight

Flashback …

"Hey, Rose?" Pippa nudged her best friend, who was sound asleep, lightly snoring and laying on her stomach, hugging the pillow to her. With no immediate response, Pippa nudged her again, harder. "Rose, wake up." Finally, Rose groaned, indicating that she was stirring. "I need to talk to you about something."

"Pippa." Rose moaned, cracking open an eye to look at the clock. "It's nearly four o'clock in the bloody morning," she mumbled, eyes still closed. "Whatever it is, can't it wait?"

"Not really." Pippa bit her lip, a sign that she was anxious.

Rose sighed sleepily, knowing Pippa wouldn't give up pestering her until she'd got whatever she needed to off of her chest. She shuffled her body so that she was sat up against the pillows, rubbing her eyes. "Go on then, what is it?" There was silence. Rose glared at her. "Pippa, you've just woken me up at four in the morning, you'd better tell me what's on your mind now before I hit you in the face with your own pillow and turn over and go to sleep."

"You're really not a morning person, are you?" Pippa said dubiously, an eyebrow raised. "Anyway, since you're my best friend, I wanted to share my secret with you."

"Okay, and? What's the secret?" Even in the semi-darkness, Rose could see Pippa's cheeks turning red. "Ooh, it must be bad if you're blushing! Come on, spill!"

"I think I have a crush on Lee …"

Rose stared at her, shocked. "Lee? As in creepy Lee?"

"You're so mean! Lee's not creepy, I think he's kind of cute."

"Pippa, are you feeling alright?" Rose placed the back of her hand on Pippa's forehead. "You do realise that one, Lee is an adult, like, a grown adult. Not only that, but he also has a wife, and he's married to Claire! You can't have a crush on him!"

"Who says I can't?" Pippa demanded defensively. "We were alone one night right – well, technically Claire was upstairs in the bathroom – and I'd put the kettle on for us all. He came up beside me and put his hand on my back, but then it … drifted down, past my back." She drawled off, knowing Rose would understand what she was hinting towards.

"Wait, Pippa, are you saying that Lee touched you? Inappropriately?"

"Well, you would call it inappropriate, I wouldn't."

"Pippa, you don't understand, do you?" Rose shook her head in disbelief, not unkindly. "A grown man should not be touching you like that, accidental or not. That's practically sexual assault, and you should tell somebody. Me and Lisa don't count. It's got to be a grown up. And if you don't tell somebody, then I will."

Pippa shook her head, eyes wide. "Rose please, please don't tell anybody! I didn't mind it, not really … and I'm sure he didn't mean to do it. Don't tell anybody, I don't want Lee getting into trouble. Please? For me?"

End of flashback …

Rose didn't sleep very well that night, and following her dream with Pippa, she gave up on sleeping altogether. Following the statement she'd made at the station, Alec had provided her with at least two police officers to escort her to and from different locations, as well as a car located nearby keeping an eye out. Whilst she was grateful to have the security and protection, Rose was still coming to terms with these changes in her life.

She'd come to Broadchurch initially to get away from her childhood trauma, and since coincidentally running into Alec, her trauma was coming back to haunt her. Furthermore, Lee and Claire were back in the picture, which put Rose constantly on edge, especially since Lee had paid her a visit and this is where she was now, in the hotel. She had her security, but she wanted to get out. She didn't like feeling enclosed or constricted. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Rose reached for her phone, scrolling through her contacts before she stopped on one.

It was the middle of the night, surely they'd be asleep now. Without hesitation, Rose dialled the number with bated breath, instantly regretting her decision when they answered.

"Hello?"

"Ellie? Hi, it's Rose. I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"Oh hi. No, you didn't, don't worry. I don't sleep most days. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, sort of. Not really. I know it's late and stuff, but do you fancy going for a walk?"

"I'm surprised you turned up."

"I'm glad that you called, I was worried." Ellie smiled, shoving her hands in her pockets. "How are you doing?"

Rose shrugged, the two of them started to walk aimlessly together, no real direction. "About as well as you'd expect I suppose, given everything that's been happening. It's only been a few days, but it feels like a lot. I'm overwhelmed and I'm scared, terrified most nights. I thought I'd got over it, but I haven't. It never leaves me, and wherever I go, Pippa's always there, or her memory of her is."

"I understand. Really, I do. When my husband – ex-husband – was arrested and charged, I was in denial for a while, but then the anger set in, and the frustration of not knowing. How could I not know that it was my husband who committed the murder of my best friends son? I was part of the investigation, I promised Beth that I would find out who killed Danny, and when I did … my world fell apart." Ellie sighed as they came to a halt, sitting on a little wall as a police officer stood a distance away, watching over them. "I went from having loads of friends, to none at all. My best friend can barely look at me, and accuses me of knowing what was happening, and other people look at me in pity. She's just had a little girl too, if things were different, I'd be round there right now, helping out when I could. But I can't, and I miss it, I miss her. My oldest son refuses to be in the same room with me, he's annoyed that I'm not defending his Dad. Even though he's a knob and an arrogant git most of the time, DI Hardy has been there, supporting me and being there, even though I didn't think I'd need it. He's a good man really and won't stop fighting until he's got the truth. I know you've given us a statement, but I get the impression that there's more you want to tell us, but you're afraid." Rose remained unspoken, scrutinising her quietly. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"Possibly."

"You can tell me, Rose." Ellie assured her, hoping that Rose would open up more with it being just the two of them present. "Did Lee Ashworth ever act inappropriately towards you or Pippa?"

Rose heaved a sigh, before answering the question, relaying the dream she'd just had. "There was one time at a sleepover, and Pippa woke me up during the night. She never did that, so I found it odd. She wanted to tell me something, a secret." Rose paused, almost hesitating, but she continued. "Pippa said that there was a time where she and Lee were alone in the kitchen, Pippa was making a drink and Claire was upstairs. She said that Lee came up behind her and put his hand on her back, but then it went lower. She never actually said that he groped her, but I could tell by her facial expressions. It bothered me though, because she wasn't upset or angry that he'd done that, she was giddy and excited – the complete opposite –. For as long as I'd known her, she'd always had a crush on Lee, and if we weren't together, then she always found a reason to be at his house. I told her that he was wrong, and being an adult, he should've known that it wasn't right. I also told her to report him, or if she didn't, then I would, but she begged me not too." Rose shook her head, irritated at her past self's actions. "I wish I would've done something about it, then. Maybe if I had, then Pippa wouldn't be dead."

"I know we've asked you a lot of questions about where you were that night, but what do you think happened to Pippa and Lisa?"

Rose blinked, not expecting this sudden change of direction. She was quiet for a few moments as she pondered her answer. "I'm not sure … Like I said before, I was out of it for the night after a few drinks, so I don't know what happened."

"I get that you don't know, but we all make up a theory. What's your theory of what happened?"

Rose shook her head again. "I'm not certain," she reconfirmed. "But I think there was a fight, or a confrontation of sorts. It got out of hand, and the girls disappeared."

"You said that Pippa had a crush on Lee, and he made an advance on her – if Pippa was given the opportunity, would she have let him continue?"

"If you'd asked me that years ago, then I would've said yes. But now, I say no." Rose rejected the idea. "Pippa had an infatuation with Lee, like a lovesick puppy, but she'd never do anything sexual with him. No, she'd turn him down. I'm sure of it." She reputed, nodding in confidence. "On the whole, Pippa was shy and introverted, but with her family and friends she was outgoing and bubbly."

"And Lisa?"

"I couldn't tell you, I didn't know much personally about her, just got bits from what Pippa told me. But I did know that Lisa had a thing for older men, she was genuinely attracted to them. Ellie, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Alec's associated with Claire Ripley too, isn't he?" Rose waited for clarification from Ellie before she continued. "Word of advice from somebody that once knew her quite well – be careful with Claire – she's tricky. She comes off as sweet and innocent, but once you get tangled in her web of deceit, she's dangerous. And once you're in that web, it's difficult to get back out unscathed."

"I see." Ellie nodded, making a mental note to tell DI Hardy when she next saw him. "Are you talking from personal experience? Did you get out unscathed?"

"I said it was difficult to get out unscathed." Rose gently reminded her, getting to her feet. "Everybody has their scars somewhere. Thank you for meeting me, I'll see you around."

Author's Note: I am getting to the cliff hanger of sorts if you like. Obviously we all know Rose is involved with the mysterious evening of the sleepover to some degree, and I want her to build a friendship with the detectives, but it's a little tricky without her giving too much information away! Anyway, here's a filler chapter for you all. If you're enjoying this, I would appreciate a review to let me know your thoughts and potential theories for what actually happened. Until next time …