AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope you all enjoy this second Broadchurch story of mine. There's a lot of hopping between present day and as far back as eight months before (just at the end of Season 3). It's a bit of a different story than my other, as this one includes an OC and a different take on Alec and Ellie's relationship.

Alec Hardy woke up to the sound of the phone ringing and snatched it off the side table with a growl. "What is it?"

He was suddenly wide awake at the sobbing voice on the other end. "Hardy. It's the pub. It's been broken into and the dispatcher says there's a victim at the scene, they say she's alive. Hardy, Liv was closing up tonight and I can't get her to answer her phone. I'm on my way. You've got to meet me there."

As he quickly got dressed, his mind started spinning on about the pub and that fateful day he actually took Ellie Miller up on her request to go there after finishing up the Trish Wintermen Assault Case.

*Eight Months Earlier*

Alec Hardy sat at the bar next to Ellie Miller, shifting uncomfortably as he eyed the other patrons cautiously. "I can't believe I let you talk me into coming to a pub tonight."

"Oh, c'mon Hardy, Daisy already had plans with Chloe. And besides, we need to celebrate!" Ellie Miller elbowed him and grinned.

Alec's left eyebrow raised. "And what exactly are we celebrating, Miller?"

"Putting another SOB in jail, making it through another case without killing each other, you making an attempt, albeit a poor one, to be a decent human being to SOCO Brian."

Alec let a single chuckle escape before shaking his head and taking another swig of his beer. "Whatever you say, Miller."

"Ellie, is that you!?" Alec didn't even take a look at the woman who approached from behind him towards Ellie. He just groaned quietly and hunched over his beer in an attempt to become invisible.

"Oh my god, Liv!" Ellie hopped up and hugged the woman. "You really are back!"

"I am! I got back into town two days ago and have been so busy settling back in at my flat, I haven't had the chance to phone you!" the woman replied, and Alec immediately picked up on her Scottish accent. He went through his mental list of possible Broadchurch residents who were from Scotland. He was coming up empty, and before he could consider further, he was seen. "I'm sorry, Elle, have I interrupted your date?"

"Oh, him?" Ellie responded, throwing her gaze over her shoulder, then turning. "No, this is my partner, er, boss, well whatever—Olivia Wright, meet Alec Hardy."

Alec took a deep breath in as he turned and tried his best to plant a courteous smile on his face. He was a bit stunned by the woman he saw. She was just a little taller than Miller, with long wavy red hair, and piercing blue green eyes. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Wright."

Liv held out her hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Alec. It's Miss now, but please call me Olivia, or Liv."

Alec took her hand and hesitantly shook it, slowly the two pieces of information lined up in his mind and his left eyebrow lifted curiously, a smirk forming at the corner of his mouth. "Wait, your name is Liv Wright?"

Ellie giggled beside them. Liv sighed as she dropped Alec's hand and responded, "And yet again, my ex-husband has the last laugh. Yes, Alec, my name was Liv Wright. What Ellie doesn't know is that I recently had my name changed legally back to my maiden name." She looked to Ellie with a smile. "So, it's Miss Olivia MacDonald, thank you."

"Oh, you mean I can't make the joke anymore? How disappointing." Ellie grinned.

LIv rolled her eyes then playfully hit the other woman on the arm with the back of her hand. "Not unless you want Alec here investigating your murder."

"Well, okay, if you say so. But he—" Ellie motioned to Alec. "—doesn't like his first name, he prefers to be called 'Hardy.'"

Olivia turned to Alec with a smirk. "Then I suppose Alec shouldn't have made the Liv Wright joke, hmm?" She turned her head back to Ellie, glancing momentarily at her watch. "I'll let you two get back to your drinks. I'll call you later Ellie, unless you're going to be around for a while."

"Oh, what are you up to?" Ellie questioned her old friend.

She nodded towards the stage. "I'm covering for Jane tonight on stage."

"Oh, brilliant! It's been ages since I've heard you sing!" Ellie gave her a quick hug again and Olivia made her way across the room.

"Singing, Miller?" Alec growled at his partner.

"What?" Ellie looked at him innocently.

"You mentioned drinking, not that there would be—music." Alec glared at her.

"Oh, come on. It's not karaoke; you don't have to get up there and sing." Ellie defended herself.

"Bloody well hope not," Alec grumbled again.

Ellie had moved back to her seat by Alec and looked past him towards the stage where Liv had just sat down on a stool at the microphone, surrounded by the few band members that were there as well. She had leaned over and was whispering with the guitarist, who nodded to her as she straightened up.

The guitarist prepared himself then nodded to her and she started the song, him beginning just after her. ::Life for Rent by Dido:: I haven't ever really found a place that I call home…

Ellie watched as Alec turned his head towards the stage, and a smile crept on her face as he continued to watch and not turn back to his beer. She leaned over towards him. "She's Scottish."

He only half-glanced back towards her. "Yes, Miller, I was able to work that out on my own."

She waited, enjoying the song herself, and when it was almost over, she leaned back over. "She's divorced," she continued.

"Yes, she mentioned that." He didn't look back this time, and Ellie grinned as a plan formed in her mind. As the song ended he turned back and caught a glance of the look on his partners face. "Whatever you are planning, stop."

"I don't know what you're referring to, Sir."

*Present Day*

Ellie Miller ran up to the scene. Uniformed officers were already present and had cordoned off the area around the pub and alleyway. As she stepped closer, she saw shattered glass on the pavement from the front windows of the building. Her breath caught in her throat as she stepped through the door and saw EMS workers crouching over a body near the bar. Her mind flashed back to the night she and Alec Hardy sat at that bar, when Olivia MacDonald had first come back into town.

*Eight months prior, again*

After three more songs, Liv came back down off the stage for a break and found Ellie still on her bar stool, but the one next to her was now empty. "Uh oh, did I scare your boss off?"

"He just left." Ellie motioned over her shoulder and Liv glanced to see the tall, thin man in a suit walking out of the pub. "I think he was enjoying himself though, or at least as much as Hardy 'enjoys' anything."

"What's that mean?" Liv questioned as she slid onto the empty barstool.

Ellie snorted. "He's notoriously difficult to get along with."

A look of confusion came across Liv's face as she continued her enquiry, "Yet you go out for drinks with him?"

"What can I say, I've always been a sucker for a challenge. He's a good man, really. Just challenging," Ellie explained.

"So, just your boss? Nothing else going on there?" Liv smirked.

Ellie shook her head vigorously. "Oh no, nothing else. Not like that at least. He was the closest thing I had to a friend for a while—while you were in America and Beth wasn't speaking to me." Ellie paused and grinned at Liv, thinking of her earlier idea about Alec and Liv, but she knew better than to push her old best friend. "So, how long are you back for?"

Liv ordered a drink from the bar and answered, "As a resident? Hopefully permanently. I have a break for a while, but eventually I'll be spending a few days a week in London probably. Now that the book tour is over, I'm working on a few new projects."

"And slipped right back into your singing career, I see." Ellie grinned and nodded toward the stage.

Liv laughed. "Career? I don't think so. I'll take writing any day. But I have missed the singing, it's nice to be back doing it. Jack asked if I was interested in picking up a few shifts here at the pub, too."

Ellie frowned. "Famous author working as a waitress at the local pub? Doesn't seem right."

"I don't know about famous, El." Liv shook her head. "Successful, thankfully, but not famous. The extra cash won't hurt, and it'll give me a chance to reconnect with everyone in town. And it keeps me busy."

"You never could handle not having three things going on at once." Ellie shook her head, but smiled. "You busy tomorrow? You should come 'round and see the boys—they'll be delighted. Dad's staying with us right now—he'd love to see you too."

"That sounds wonderful. I haven't seen your dad in almost—ten years, maybe? I was sorry to hear about your mum, El." Liv squeezed her friends' hand.

"She had suffered so long, it was a relief for her and all of us when it was over." Ellie sighed and tilted the glass in her hand, watching the liquid move around. "She's missed though, especially by dad."

"Well, I've got to say bye now, I've got one last set then I'm off," Liv said as she hopped up off the stool.

Ellie hugged her friend and finished their goodbyes, "It's time for me to get home anyway. I'm so glad you're back, Liv. See you tomorrow."

*Present Day*

Alec drove up to the scene, the flashing lights of police cars all around, compounded by their reflections on the glass of shop windows and in the rain puddles on the ground. He pulled up as close as he could get with all the other cars around and saw the ambulance. His heart felt as if it caught in his chest and he felt his pacemaker catch the slight arrhythmia. As he got out of his car, his eyes were darting between the open doored, but empty, ambulance, the front of the pub, and the crowd. He looked for familiar faces. Finally, one came up right in front of him and stopped him in his tracks. Ellie Miller.

AUTHORS NOTE: If you imagine Liv MacDonald as Catherine Tate with a Scottish accent - it won't hurt my feelings one bit. ;-)