A chance meeting

Chapter 2

If her daughter was going to keep doing that with every man who looked like her dad, Rose was going to get nowhere fast trying to get on with her life. She had not expected to have so little time with her new Doctor, they had stood on the beach in Norway, hand in hand as the Tardis had disappeared and he had turned to her and told her he was never going to leave her. Well he had and this time, there was no looking for him and no getting him back.

This universe was playing a cruel trick on her, leaving her with a now eighteen month old baby who wanted her dad back and they'd just met a man who could be one of triplets, not counting the other Doctor as Rose had often joked with James about him looking like a certain actor.

She had heard of the detective who was in charge of finding a boy's killer but hadn't taken much notice of who he was and now, he was smiling at Camille as she tried to get away from Rose again. Alec put the chair down as Rose got up, then reaching for the toddler and placing her in the chair he fastened the belt. Rose went in the baby bag and got some juice and a baby biscuit out.

"So Rose, you are moving from, where, London?" he asked.

"Yeah, a fresh start, my mother smothers me but she means well. I have too many memories staying with her, James and I moved in there when he got really ill so there was someone to look after Camille. He had some treatment but it didn't work."

"I am really sorry to hear that Rose, my condition was the same, they did not know if I would survive or not," he admitted.

"I'm glad someone did Alec. Can we change the subject?"

"Yes, sorry. So, she must be a bit of a handful then?" he asked, helping Camille with her baby cup. "Is she walking yet?"

"Holding onto the furniture and her baby walker. My younger brother has her chasing him with it, he can't get around the fact he's her uncle when he calls my friends uncle."

"I can imagine. Rose, please don't take this the wrong way but I think I know who you are. I may have been in the middle of a murder investigation but I did read the newspapers, well one, that happened to accuse me of being the worst cop in Britain."

"We just put a notice out, well Pete did, there was a press embargo on us, after what happened before we got married. Well, we should be on our way."

"How far do you have to travel?" he asked, Camille trying to give him the remains of the biscuit.

"Down to Dorset. Where are you going?" Rose asked, getting some baby wipes out.

"Back to Broadchurch, to get my old job back," he replied, holding his hand out for the wipe.

Camille pulled a face as he cleaned around her mouth.

Rose wondered if she should tell him but he would see them there. He saw the look on Rose's face.

"I would have thought you'd want to leave there Alec," she told him as she went to get Camille out of the chair.

Alec got up and unfastened the belt and the youngster held her arms out to him.

"Leave her here, if you need to go to the ladies room," he suggested.

"Thanks, if you're sure?"

"We will be fine, go ahead."

When Rose got back, he carried the baby out to the car while Rose opened the door.

"Well thanks Alec, it was nice meeting you."

"You never told me where you were going Rose," he reminded her as he handed Camille to her.