Alec though had been encouraging her, giving her advice when they were out and given her the responsibility of getting them around. He'd insisted he was going to drive when they'd been going out on her arrival but had soon given in when she'd said she was supposed to drive him around.
Now, she could see Tess talking with her friends and was surprised at how many seemed to be listening to what she had to say. Tess had been out of line confronting her the day before, it was none of the woman's business where she chose to take her mother out for lunch.
Kate snapped her out of her daydreams.
"Earth to Rose," Kate laughed. "Take no notice of her, we don't," she nodded towards where Tess was. "Anything you want to tell us?"
"Yeah Rose, what's bothering you?" Trish wanted to know, looking concerned.
"It's nothing," Rose insisted as they all looked at her. "Well there was one thing but ya have to promise not to tell anyone else."
"Would we?" Jo asked her.
Rose looked around to see if anyone else was watching, Tess already had it in her head she was being talked about.
Well that was Tess's problem, Rose thought.
"I took my mum out for lunch yesterday and I only picked the same pub as Tess had gone to, didn't I?" Rose admitted.
"You never!" Kate tried not to laugh. "Were they there when you arrived then?"
"No, they came in after we got seated," Rose replied. "The thing is, my mum talked to Tess in the ladies room, she didn't know who she was talking to and that was when I saw Tess as she went back to her table."
"How embarrassing," Jo told her. "What did you do?"
"Nothing, we'd already ordered and there was no way we were leaving anyway," Rose replied. "It got worse though."
"In what way?" Trish wanted to know. "Don't tell me Tess went over to your table?"
"Worse than that," Rose sighed. "She followed my mum back to the ladies room after we'd finished eating, while I was queuing to pay. Then DI Hardy was behind me and he knew Tess had met my mum already."
"Oh, this just gets better," Jo laughed. "Tell us what happened."
Rose wasn't sure she should go into finer details.
"Well, I went into the ladies room and Tess started talking to her daughter when the girl asked if I was the new officer, Tess had been talking to my mum again."
"That didn't take much working out," Trish remarked.
"Let her finish," Kate insisted, looking at Rose, who was wishing she'd never said anything.
"When my mum came out of the cubicle, Tess was just disappearing and I'd hoped to sneak out before Tess said anything to me but she was about to leave while I was trying to ignore her when she turned back. Her daughter tried to get her to leave but Tess took no notice," Rose told them.
"So she started on you?" Kate asked. "Did she want to know what you were doing there?"
"Not only that, she accused me of going there on purpose," Rose replied, not wanting to say what really happened.
She trusted her friends but wasn't sure just how far.
"Why would you?" Kate wanted to know. "Did she think you were there just so you could annoy her or something?"
"She must have done," Rose admitted, hoping she could get away with it.
"Poor you," Jo sympathised. "I hope you told her you had better things to do than guess where she was?"
"She reckoned I saw their car and decided to stop," Rose replied. "I just said we'd got there first and she couldn't boss me around when we weren't at work."
"That told her then," Trish laughed. "You did right Rose, outside of the station it's none of her business what you do. Isn't that right girls?" she asked the others.
"Too right," Jo agreed, trying not to look over to where Tess was. "Why doesn't her husband do something about her?"
"Forget it," Rose insisted. "She's mad that I got partnered with her husband, that's all. Well I'm not gonna give up, whether she likes it or not."
"Good for you Rose," Kate told her. "If you came here to get more experience, don't let the likes of her stop you."
"Yeah Rose, you go for it," Trish agreed. "I guess you stand a pretty good chance, being partnered with Hardy. Did you know why Tess got to work with him?"
Rose looked at her friends.
"I guess she stopped anyone else?" Rose smiled.
"Something like that. She complained to the chief if there was even a rumour he was going to split them up," Kate told her. "No-one dared apply to work with him."
"How long have you three been here?" Rose wanted to know.
"Just over a year," Jo replied. "We were in uniform and suddenly, the big bosses gave the chief extra money towards giving more training so we went for it."
"Wish they'd done that where I came from," Rose admitted. "Then I could have stayed in London."
"Aw, never mind Rose, Hardy will make sure you get the training. Hey, you could be bossing us about," Trish laughed, the other two joining in.
"Just look at her," Tess began to complain as her friends had changed the subject.
"Why don't you leave it Tess?" one of them wanted to know. "Just ignore them."
"Easy for you to say," Tess replied. "You're not the one who has a husband training her."
"Tess, that's all it is, just training," another insisted.
"I tell you, they're talking when they come back in the office," Tess reminded them.
"Long as they're only talking," Tess was teased, the others laughing. "You're just being paranoid Tess."
"Well thanks for your support," Tess then huffed.
"Oh come on Tess, why are you so worried?" she was asked. "Your husband doesn't seem the type to have his head turned by a young officer he's training."
"What? When the officer in question is young and blonde? "Really?" Tess replied, now getting really annoyed her friends weren't being that sympathetic.
Her friends shook their heads and started to get up from the table.
"Huh," Tess replied as they left, folding her arms and adding she wasn't going to take the advice.
Did Tyler really think she was going to get away with it? She was so annoyed that she didn't see Alec approaching the table.
"Tess," he roused her from her thoughts and sat opposite.
"What?" Tess replied, pulling a face at her cold coffee.
"Why are you watching the table where my new DC is?" he wanted to know out of curiosity.
"Why do you think Alec?" Tess replied. "She and her friends are talking about me again."
"Come on Tess, why would they be doing that?" Alec looked in Rose's direction and seeing her friends leaving.
"You'd know all about that Alec, since you colluded with her to spoil our Sunday lunch," Tess huffed.
"I did not collude anything Tess," Alec protested. "You suggested we went out as I remember."
"And if I hadn't, you would have done," Tess insisted. "You knew where to go when we set off."
Alec knew he was going to lose this argument so why was he even bothering?
"I give up Tess," Alec shook his head and was about to get up when he saw Rose was leaving.
Tess wasn't paying any attention now Rose's friends had left, she was intent on getting her point across to her husband. Instead, she got up, picking up her cold coffee and brushing past him went to get more. Alec went off, trying to catch up with Rose, who was waiting for the lift. The door had just opened and someone was getting out as he caught up with her.
"We're you by any chance talking to your friends about Tess?" he asked her as he pressed the button for their floor.
"Should I have been?" Rose replied, hoping he wouldn't tell her she was talking out of place.
"Look Rose, I know she is paranoid, especially after yesterday and she will continue so I understand if you want me to ask the chief to partner you with another senior officer," Alec told her as the lift door opened.
He gestured for her to go first and asked her to wait a moment.
"Look Rose, this started long before you came here so do not think it is just you."
"I know, my friends just told me," Rose replied. "They didn't know why I was here though, it's not a secret is it?"
"No," Alec seemed surprised. "Unless Tess did not pass it on before your arrival, she was told the reason."
"That explains it then," Rose tried to smile. "Geez, what have I ever done to her?"
"I am sorry Rose," Alec replied, not knowing what else to say. "She objected to anyone taking her place when we were partnered, the chief tried several times but no-one would come forward. It was only when he got your application that he decided enough was enough."
"So it started before she'd even met me?" Rose wondered.
"I am afraid so," Alec told her, leaning with his hand on the wall next to her.
Rose looked up at him, wishing he wasn't so tall.
"Just my luck then?" Rose tried to brush it off.
"What I said before, you seem to have made a good start," Alec smiled. "She seemed suitably annoyed judging by her reaction when I left her."
"I didn't know how far ya wanted to take it," Rose smiled back.
The lift bell sounded and Alec stood up straight. The last thing he wanted was for it to be either Tess in the lift or someone she knew who would say they'd caught him and Rose getting friendly in the lift area. He knew what it would look like, he wanted to get back at Tess but wasn't sure how far it should go.
It was someone else who worked on their floor who got out of the lift and Alec nodded to them before they went through the double door.
"Phew, thought that was Tess then," Rose grinned.
"Yes, so did I," Alec agreed. "As I was saying, Tess had already complained about being cut off from going on callouts with me so she had made up her mind to put anyone off working with me. Your transfer came out of the blue and again, I apologise no-one knew why you were here. I will do everything I can to help you reach a level where you can get your promotion."
"Thanks. My friends said no-one had put in for one because they thought Tess would hold them back," Rose admitted.
"They did, did they?" Alec seemed surprised. "Well I will talk to the chief about it, there are other detective inspectors who can train those who apply to become detective sergeants."
"That would be great, I feel really bad that I got sent here for that reason and they all missed out," Rose told him.
"Ah, don't say anything just yet," Alec advised her. "Although I do not see a problem. I have no idea what Tess gives them to do, probably chasing up leads."
"I could have stayed doing that back in London," Rose laughed as the lift bell rang again. "That really could be Tess or her friends this time."
That gave Alec an idea as Rose was about to move.
"Stay there," he suggested. "Let us see what happens eh?"
Rose was quite willing to give Tess something to really worry about.
Tess had been taking her time down in the staff canteen, since Dave had wandered in and was sat at the side of her.
"All alone?" Dave had grinned. "You should start smoking then you could go outside with your friends."
"Is that where you've been?" Tess replied. "Out smoking I mean."
"Something like that," Dave joked. "What's wrong now? New girl giving you grief again was she?"
"Don't even get me going on that Dave," Tess replied. "Alec just followed her out not five minutes ago, if they're not up to something then why?"
Dave let out a loud laugh, Tess nudging him.
"Oh come on Tess, stop getting so worried. You have him just where you want him, he wouldn't dare try anything."
"I'm glad you think so," Tess replied. "Did I tell you what happened yesterday?"
"Remind me if you must," Dave told her, not recalling Tess's latest list of grudges.
He didn't always listen anyway, he knew what the grudges were about, they were virtually the same and included her husband and his new partner.
As the lift door opened on the floor Rose and Alec were on, Alec leaned on the wall again but this time closer to Rose, who looked up in surprise. She was quick to catch on as she began to talk to him again.
"My mum thought it was really funny what happened yesterday while we were out," she laughed as Tess's friends all got out of the lift.
Alec thought he knew what she was up to so he went along with it, looking down and smiling at Rose.
"She did? I am glad she found it amusing, she seemed fairly annoyed while I was talking to her," Alec replied.
"Oh, she never said," Rose told him. "We just laughed about it on the way home."
"I know Tess was not happy about it," Alec admitted as the women walked through the double doors.
Rose burst out laughing, Alec joining in. It was the most he'd laughed in years and he was enjoying it.
"Oh, I can't wait to see Tess's face when they tell her," Rose spluttered.
"You and me both Rose," Alec agreed, still with a grin on his face. "You, Rose Tyler are going to be trouble."
"That's my middle name," Rose laughed as he reached over her head to push the doors open.
She ducked underneath, Alec still smiling.
"Do you know something Rose?" Alec stopped suddenly.
Rose turned back to face him.
"What? Ya think it'll make trouble with Tess when ya get home?" Rose was worried.
"She has been late home recently. She said she'd either been at her sister's or her mother's when she had collected Daisy," Alec told her. "Then suddenly she was late and called to say she had been out with her friends."
"Oh, sorry, I shouldn't have asked," Rose apologised as they stood by the window.
"No, it's fine," Alec assured her. "The thing is Rose, do I believe that or not?"
"It's not my business," Rose blushed the colour of her name.
"Rose, I am not blaming you for what Tess has become, it's her paranoia. She chose to be like that, even Daisy has noticed. Daisy told me she had tried to get Tess to back away from you yesterday."
He leaned on the windowsill next to Rose, folding his arms.
"She could've been with her friends, she sits with them all the time in the staff canteen," Rose told him.
"She should have said before she went with them, instead of leaving Daisy. I had to go and collect her after Tess finally decided to call me," Alec replied. "Are the rumours true about Dave Harris then?"
Rose didn't know what to say.
"I could ask my friends to listen out for anything else, if ya want?" Rose offered as she tried to move up a little but there wasn't much room anyway.
Did he want to know, Alec asked himself.