Rose Tyler's New Life

Chapter 21

Alec apologised to Pete for having to drag him into this. He told him what Rose had said about it that morning and that he had a pretty good idea what 'ret-con' meant and that he wouldn't want to be on the bad side of Torchwood or Pete Tyler's for that matter.

Pete nodded his agreement and said where Rose was concerned no apology was necessary. Mickey looked like he wanted to escape but Rose had locked the door and Mickey really wasn't a violent person to have a go at Hardy. He just had to stand there and face the music.

Alec continued. "I don't know how much Rose told you, about the lies that Mickey here has been telling her but that's up to her. My main concern is that Mickey couldn't have possibly found out anything about me because I believe she had any information on me classified after a conversation with you a while back so I know he's lying."

He was referring to when Rose had asked Pete to let her give him access to the Torchwood database and Rose had told him eventually she'd had an alert put out on his name so that everything about him was blocked – to everyone.

"Alec, Rose didn't go into too much detail about what she'd been told and I too know they are lies. She had Jake put a block on your name, he told me. So Mickey, what exactly do you have to say for yourself? What the hell are you playing at? You do know you're finished with Torchwood now, I gave you a chance against my better judgement and you threw it back in my face. Not only that, you defied Rose's wishes not to see her again and ignored a warning from a Police Officer. Well?"

Mickey just stood there, what could he say? He'd been caught and right in front of Pete Tyler so he couldn't accuse Hardy of anything, he'd had that covered. What was he going to do now? His plan had gone wrong and now he had to suffer the consequences and man up to it. Didn't he? He had no choice now and no job. He was finished. He'd lost Rose for good now, just as he'd lost her all those years ago to a man whose double was now sat in front of him, looking at him then looking at Rose. She used to be his girlfriend before 'The Doctor' took her away then there had been hope when she'd had to come and live in this universe because she had been stranded here with no hope of ever leaving again. She lost her precious Doctor but instead of finding another man, him preferably, she, out of over eight billion people on the planet, had to go find one and fall in love with another version of the Doctor. Talk about dumb luck on both parts.

Mickey found his voice again and faced Rose with a questioning look on his face. Rose's face was blank, just starring at Hardy, looking to support him and letting him do all the talking. How could she? He was trying to help her and she couldn't see it, she'd turned against him, from their friendship and she was being led along by the Detective. Even Pete Tyler, his friend and boss was against him, taking Hardy's side but he was only doing that because that's what Rose thought she wanted. Well let them, let them throw him out of Torchwood, he'd start on his own, 'Mickey Smith Investigations'

He turned to the screen and faced Pete. "I've nothing to say to you, what I have to say is to Rose and since she won't let me then I refuse to speak to anyone."

Pete and Alec looked at him. Alec spoke first. "Come on Smith you were trying to turn Rose against me why? What have I done to you? You didn't even know about me until Rose brought you here the other night since she and Jake never mentioned me to you and that's the exact reason why she didn't. I accept you used to go out with her, she told me and it makes no difference. That was years ago, she's moved on and that's what people do. I know I look like this Doctor but I can assure you I'm nothing like him. Rose realises that. All I care about is my life now with her, nothing else. What happened in the past is over and done with. If I can accept that then why can't you? She told me you were her friend but do friends really do that to each other, try to destroy their lives, try to discredit the person they are with now in front of them? I feel sorry for you Smith, I really do because Rose wanted you to meet me and you threw it in her face. She brought you to see her home and the new life she's built here for herself with me. Everything from her past is over and done with. We're happy together and nothing you say or do is ever going to change that. Mr Tyler, I've finished with him so what you do with him is your concern. He can leave now but I promise that if he comes back to Broadchurch I will arrest him and Torchwood won't be able to save him."