"What?" Tess asked. "She was supposed to stay here Alec, I made arrangements."
"So you can leave her at your mother's while you and Dave go out? You make her feel so welcome Tess," he replied.
"Well she was with you last year," Tess reminded him.
"Why do you really want her there Tess? To say you had your turn? Well, she will be old enough to decide for herself next year, we will see who she chooses, won't we," he threw it back at her. "If she stays, we will collect her on our way."
"Where are you going then?" Tess wanted to know.
Alec knew he'd made a big mistake but Daisy was sure to blurt out about her new friend.
"Up to London, to be with her family. What's wrong Tess, think I can't meet anyone else and get invited to spend the holidays with a woman?" he almost laughed.
"You, meet a woman?" Tess laughed, seeing Dave through the crowd of people who were busy swapping presents and knowing she should be telling them to get back to work. "She must be something Alec, you said you hated Christmas."
"Only when you turned sour and insisted we went out for Christmas dinner," Alec reminded her. "We used to just be a family Tess, when Daisy was younger."
"Yes Alec, things change. I saw where it was going so it was best we went to my mother's instead," Tess replied, not wanting to be reminded. "So, who's this woman then?" she asked, seeing everyone was now watching her.
"What woman?" Dave mouthed at her as he sat on the corner of the desk and everyone went quiet.
The whole office knew when Tess and Alec were having a fight on the phone, it was the highlight of the day, festive season or no festive season.
"You will find out soon enough, Daisy has already made friends with her," Alec replied, being his turn to gloat.
"She must be something then, if Daisy likes her," Tess remarked, mouthing for everyone to get back to work as she covered her phone and shooing Dave away.
"Aye, she is and Daisy is well impressed and do you know what? This new friend, she found me and accepted a dinner invite the other evening and when she found out Daisy was going to be away, she did not like the thought of me being on my own," he almost bragged, which wasn't like him but for Tess, he'd make an exception.
"How do you mean she found you?" Tess was furious she didn't know something for a change. "Was she in the police station reporting something and you chatted her up?"
She scowled at those close by who were still hoping to hear some more juicy bits of her conversation, making Tess wish she had her own office.
"Get back to work," she hissed at those who were pretending to do something.
Alec was pleased he'd got his ex wife all riled up. After all, she was the one who had been parading her boyfriend in front of him for years, which was partly why he'd not been able to settle when he'd gone back.
"Nothing of the sort," Alec replied, wishing he didn't have to do this. "I never expected her to accept my invitation but I took a chance and it paid off."
"Well, that's just like you Alec," Tess scoffed.
Alec had already had enough of explaining to her.
"You will see, if we collect Daisy," he told her. "I'm sure she will talk about it."
He was certain Daisy would brag about her new friend but how would she explain what Rose was to him? Was Rose just a friend or did both of them want more? Well he had committed to spending the new year with her, what then though? Would they part company and he and Daisy would get the train back to Broadchurch? Only time would tell.
He got off the phone with Tess, telling her he was needed for something, just to get her to stop going on at him and sent a message to Rose to say they'd meet for lunch and he'd give her the spare key for the cottage.
After lunch, Rose set about carrying her luggage up to the cottage and was enjoying the view of the harbour when all the lights started coming on. She could just make out Alec coming up the steps and went to greet him. They made something to eat together then sat on the sofa.
"What time can you get away tomorrow?" Rose wondered.
"I'd say around three but maybe we should be careful and avoid all the traffic?" he suggested.
"No arguments from me!" Rose laughed. "You can drive or I'll get all stressed out. By the way, we need to talk before we set off, you may not want to still go with me afterwards."
"Why, what have we to talk about?" Alec wondered.
"Ah, bit of a long story," Rose admitted. "What we've been mentioning really, about where I came from."
"Rose, it does not matter to me. I read about you, how you lived on a council estate. It would not matter to me if you still lived there," he tried to assure her. "Why is it so important that you tell me?"
"Alec, it should matter to ya," Rose replied. "It's not what ya think. Remember the Cybermen invading and what happened to them?"
"Please don't bring that up Rose, it was a bad time for everyone. Our station was put on immediate alert and we feared for Daisy, she was only small back then, a wee baby," he recalled. "You can't have been that old yourself Rose?"
"I was nineteen Alec. I'd gate-crashed a party at Pete's mansion, me and my friend posed as serving staff. We were there when the Cybermen smashed their way in and I had to watch the President get electrocuted by them."
"That must have been very traumatic Rose," Alec sympathised. "Why are you telling me all this?"
"That was when I met Pete Tyler. We were the only ones to escape, by dodging those monsters and we only got away because of a group of freedom fighters because another friend of mine was tagging along with them. Well, to cut a long story short, we went to try and stop people being converted and we succeeded."
"So it would seem Rose, we are till free," Alec smiled. "What else happened?"
"A lot. My friend and I were only visiting Alec," Rose confessed.
"What exactly do you mean by 'visiting'?" he wanted to know.
"My friend wasn't exactly Human. He was a time traveller, I used to travel with him. My other friend, Mickey was with us when we crash-landed here. After we beat the Cybermen, Mickey decided to stay, he told Pete about me, who he was to me and because we'd helped, he had the Cybermen under surveillance and went to help when they escaped to where I came from."
"Then how did you get here again, why come back Rose?" she was asked.
He studied her, watching as she looked back at him, taking his hand.
"The Cybermen were stopped Alec, my friend was trying to trap them between the two worlds. Pete had to get back so he took me and my mum with him but I wanted to help my friend so I went back. The gap was about to close and I was heading for it, I let go of a lever and Pete only just caught me and brought me back. We got trapped here Alec."
Alec reached out to put his arms around her.
"It's okay Rose, I believe you. Come here."
Rose let him hold her close.
"Alec, when I met you, I wasn't going to tell you," she admitted, putting her head on his shoulder.
"Well, I'm glad you changed your mind. My Christmas has not turned out as I expected. Have you by any chance told Daisy?" he wanted to know.
"Yeah, sorry," Rose apologised.
"I thought so, she thinks very highly of you," he replied. "So, you had a girl's afternoon?"
"Her friend Chloe was here," Rose smiled, looking up at him.
"I hope you waited until she had left?" he smiled back. "Rose, I had so many reasons to hate Christmas but now?"
"So did I Alec. I have one more thing to tell ya though," she admitted.
"I remind you of your friend? Now I know why you miss him Rose, he got left where you came from, did he not?" Alec asked her.
"Yeah but there was a tiny gap left for him to get a message to me but we had to travel all the way to Norway for me to get it."
"Well, maybe you can tell me about it, some day?" Alec replied. "When I said I remind you of him though? Just how much? I'm not his double or anything, am I?"
Now, Rose was worried. She put his hand on his heart.
"Does that still hurt Alec?" she asked him.
"Don't change the subject Rose," he objected. "Oh, I do look like him? Maybe you think I am him and that he somehow followed you? Did he have two hearts or something?"
He saw the look on her face. This was definitely not what he'd expected when he'd asked Rose to dinner the other night. Was he still interested in her, even if she thought he was somehow her lost friend?
"Alec. No, I don't think you're him. That's not why I'm here and we started getting intimate last night. There's no way he could get through and that's saying something for him, he could do anything. The things I've seen and done while I was with him, you wouldn't believe."
"Try me, Miss Tyler," he joked, going for a kiss.
"Well, that could take a good while," Rose laughed.
"Well, maybe you should wait for Daisy coming back, to save you telling it twice?" he suggested. "Just why did you tell her before me? Not that I am offended."
"I didn't think ya'd believe me," she admitted. "Anyway, just a warning. My mum may stare at ya and accuse you of being him."
"Thank you for the warning Rose, I will be ready for her then? Unless you want me to pretend to be him?"
"What? No, definitely not Alec, she'll go crazy if she finds out you pretended to be him. I thought you had no sense of humour. By the way, I think your DS and that other one were trying to set us up on a date."
It was his turn to say 'What?'. He knew Miller and Harford had been up to something, the way Rose had just appeared in his doorway the other day.
"It's okay Alec, ya should maybe thank them," Rose teased him.
Alec left it and thought maybe Miller was trying to make up for his disastrous internet date. When they got to bed, Rose decided to up the stakes and encouraged Alec to really find out how good a job the heart surgeon had done on his pacemaker. Alec really did wish he had two hearts when Rose let him flop onto his back after making her giggle again when they'd had sex.
"Hey, are ya okay?" Rose asked, concerned she'd gone too far when she'd got excited after wrapping her legs around him and working her way into a frenzy.
"I'm fine Rose, I think the surgeon did a fine job," he replied, recalling her laughter.
He thought Rose had rather enjoyed herself again, letting go and lying below him, holding onto his shoulders as he'd pleased her. He seemed to think she wanted to do more of that.
"That was really good Alec," she praised him. "That was definitely ten out of ten."
"Well, thank you for the compliment," he replied as she went to lie on him. "Am I to presume for the present that you want to be my girlfriend?"
"Ya want to get back at your ex wife?" Rose tried to recover as she landed on him, which didn't help.
"Rose, I am not using you to get back at Tess," he tried to tell her.
"I don't mind if ya do Alec," Rose assured him. "Ya can count it as being payback."
"If you are sure?" he wanted to know.
"I wanted to be my friend's girlfriend. everyone thought we were, except him," she admitted.
"You never told him?" Alec asked her, aware she was getting a reaction out of him in a certain place and she wasn't bothered.
"It never seemed important, then he was gone. Yeah, I want to be your girlfriend Alec but not just for the holidays."
"You want to come back here, live with me and Daisy in a cottage on the side of the cliff?" he wanted to be sure and wondering why he'd not sent her into overdrive the way that certain part of him was now reacting but she still hadn't responded. "You live in a mansion Rose."
"Yeah but I never wanted to Alec. I wanted to stay ordinary and be myself, not the Vitex heiress and my position at Torchwood," she replied, wondering if he knew what a certain part of him was trying to do and how she herself was resisting the temptation to respond.
"You can be yourself with me Rose," he reminded her, wondering how much longer until she gave in.
"I know Alec. Maybe we can look for another place when we get back?"
"You would give up your life in London?" he asked, wondering if she was about to melt again.
"Just for you and Daisy," she replied, seconds away from exploding again. "Well I think Daisy likes me."
"Trust me, she does. More than her mother right now."
"Then let's call for her on our way back?" she suggested as she moved on him slightly, Alec sure she couldn't resist any longer and her willpower was stronger than his.
He had never forced a woman in his life to have sex with him, especially twice in a row and only a few minutes had passed.
"Yes, we can do that," he replied. "I'm sure she will be glad of the rescue."
"Alec, speaking of rescues," Rose teased him. "I think you need rescuing."
"What gives you that idea?" he moaned as they met.
"Alec. Shut up," Rose moaned back.
Afterwards, Rose lay across him.
"I take it you no longer hate Christmas?" she was asked.
"Do you?" she replied.
"No Rose, not any more. How did you just resist so long?"
"That would be telling Alec, I have to have some secrets," she laughed.
"You mean you told me everything?" he doubted.
"Nah, I have to keep certain things back Alec, things that never happened in this world," she replied, moving onto her side. "Pete said it could be dangerous, if I told anyone."
"Then I respect that Rose. Maybe you can tell me what you are allowed?" he wondered.
"Yeah but can I miss out personal things?" she asked him as he kissed her neck.
"Of course Rose. Now, are you always going to be bossy?" he recalled her telling him to shut up.
"Ya can count on that," she joked. "No more hating Christmas, got it?"
"Yes Ma'am," he replied, knowing he'd never have it any other way.
The End!