After a pleasant day out, Rose and Alec made their way back to Broadchurch. Rose offered to drive back and thought Alec had looked tired after she dragged him around the shops on the hill, buying a few trinkets much to his dismay, prompting her to go to the cash machine outside the mini-market. Then she had found a bargain store and he'd just sat outside and waited for her. She had come out with chocolate and biscuits, a load more bottles of nail polish, hair ornaments, some CDs and DVDs and a few household items they had forgotten in the supermarket. Alec just shook his head and allowed her to give him a peck on the lips and carried the bag for her.
She had also found a canvas shoulder bag and Alec had bought a few more plain t-shirts, in case he was sleeping with Rose again but he wasn't telling her that. It had been lucky he had left one on last night, he'd been too warm despite it being a bit chilly outside, the house was quite cosy really.
After some afternoon tea, they were almost home when Alec wanted to make a detour to the hotel he had stayed at to see if any mail had been left for him. He had changed his address and filled out a form to have his mail forwarded but if the hospital were going to send for him, he may as well have the option of turning them down. Rose parked just across from the hotel, outside the closed newspaper office.
"Just wait out here darlin', no need to come in with me."
He wasn't ready for Becca and Rose to meet just yet and hopefully they wouldn't, not that he had anything to worry about. Rose sensed what he was up to but didn't say anything. Alec crossed the road and went up to the hotel reception desk. Becca was surprised to see him, thinking he had left town when he had booked out on Friday morning before ten.
"Detective, I didn't know you were still in town? Nowhere else to go? You can have your old room back if you want, it's still empty."
"No thanks, I've made alternative arrangements. Did any mail come for me after I left?"
"As a matter of fact it did. I was going to return it tomorrow or take it down to the station." She reached behind her and brought out an envelope, clearly marked with a hospital logo. "There you go, thought it was important."
"Thanks. By the way, I wanted to apologise to you, for that night I asked you if you wanted to relax with me, it was wrong of me."
Becca laughed. "No-one's ever apologised for that before, what's the occasion?"
"Just clearing my conscious, you might hear some rumours around town about me."
"Oh and what might they be?" Becca was amused.
He had to think fast. "I just didn't want you to think there was something wrong with me, not hitting on you and never bringing women back, it was foolish of me. The truth is, I can tell you now, I got married again and I was missing my wife."
Becca burst out laughing. "Seriously? Why didn't you just say? I don't see a wedding ring. How long have you been married? You're not just saying that to get out of it are you?"
"No, definitely not. We'd only been married a few weeks, she was going to move here then I had the press on my back with Danny's murder. We wanted to stay out of their way. She's just joined me, that's why I moved out. Her name is Claire."
"What would you have done if I hadn't turned you down?"
"I knew you would, I'd just come out of the hospital. Besides that, I'm not really your type, am I?"
"No, not really, it was a daft idea detective, you knew I'd had an affair with Mark Latimer, what made you ask me?"
"I told you, it was just for show. If you'd accepted, I would have faked another attack."
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The hidden Rose
FanfictionRose Tyler comes to Broadchurch when someone discovers there was no Rose Tyler ever born and threatens to expose her as an alien so Pete enlists the help of a small town police force to keep her hidden, putting Alec Hardy in charge of it. There's ju...