How can you watch Broadchurch and not want to write copious amounts of fanfiction about healing the sweet and insufferable Alec Hardy? I couldn't resist. ;) Hope you guys like it!

"Shall I compare thee to a summers day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summers lease hath all too short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature s changing course, untrimmed;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thouowst,
Nor shall death brag thou wand rest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to Time thou growst.
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee."-Shakespeare

...

"I hate it. I hate the air, I hate the sand. I hate the stupid people. I hate the way they work. I hate their bloody smiley bloody faces. I hate the never ending sky..."

...

She absolutely loved it here. Moving to this small secluded town was one of the best descisions she had ever made. Fresh start. New beginning. Creating a new life for herself surrounded by a safe and loving community. Bliss. Although...she frowned in consertation. Things hadn't been so great lately. For the first time in the towns history, there had been a murder. The death of young Danny Latimer had shocked the sleepy town down to its core. She bit her lip. Just thinking about how much sadness Danny's family was feeling made her want to cry. She wiped the counter down again even if there wasn't any dust. It felt better to be doing something rather than nothing, she supposed. She just felt so helpless, like there was nothing she could do, and that was one of the worst feelings in the world.

She could remember as clear as yesterday when she had moved here. A different country, all on her own, just enough money to get started on her dream, not knowing whether she would fly or tumble to the ground. Many times when she was discouraged or worried, it had been the kindness of strangers, of the townspeople, that had kept her going. That gave her the motivation to keep going. And now look how far she had come. It had been five years, and her buisness was still afloat. It had been hard. Really hard. She had had to work her ass off, but it was completely worth it to get to where she wanted to be. She wasn't rolling in the money, but she made enough to pay her bills and live comfortably. That was all she could ask for. She was living her dream. \par
She stepped out from behind the counter and walked over the front of the store. There was a huge bay window that looked out over the town. It offered a perfect view of Front street, and beyond that; the sea. It was one of the things that had drawn her to the property when she had arrived, well, that and the low price. It was in a great location, with easy access for most of the townspeople, not to mention a great view for herself which came in handy since she lived in the apartment above the store. And in addition, the spacious window allowed her ample room for various displays throughout the year. \par
As she stood there, a few people waved to her as they walked by. She smiled and waved back to each of them. She had come a long, long way from being the scared twenty three year old who had arrived not knowing anyone. She had picked Broadchurch because of it's remote location and the fact that it was by the Ocean, which she dearly loved. Now she was at the point where she knew mostly everyone in the town, if not by name then definately by face. It made her sick at heart to think of anyone being capable of harming that poor little boy. She hadn't known him very well, but she was friendly with his mother, Beth. She was an avid reader, and came into the store quite often.

She was so lost in thought that she barely even registered when the door to the store opened and in walked Seargant Ellie Miller.

"How you doing today, love?" the detective asked her.

Rebecca smiled. She didn't have many opportunities to speak with the kindly officer, but from the times she had spoken with her she seemed like she was firm but very compassionate which was a great combination for a police officer.

"I'm alright, how are you holding up? With...the investigation and everything?"

Ellie sighed, the dark circles under her eyes a clear display of her exhaustion. "Hanging in there. Doing the best we can. It's...hard. This town has never been through anything like this before."

Rebecca nodded consolingly. She had grown up in an American city, so this type of crime , although never affecting her personally, was familiar to her. But she could empathize how something like this could affect a town that had never experianced anything like it before. "I feel so badly for the Latimer's," she murmered. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No dear," Ellie said sadly, "there's not much any of us can do, aside from catching the sod that did this."

"I heard that you've got a new guy working with you," Rebecca said. "How's that going

Ellie groaned as she covered her face with her hands. "Detective Inspecter Alec Hardy. He's bloody awful."

Rebecca grimaced. "That bad, huh?"

"It's not that he's bad, per se. He's a great detective, very methodical. Very concise. He's just a bit too..."

"A bit too...?

She sighed. "A bit too cold. The man's a bloody iceberg. He does his job and he does it well, he just...could show a bit more emotion, you know?" She tiredly rubbed her eyes. "I'm sure he's just not used to the small town mentality that we have here."

Rebecca stifled a smile. She could easily identify with that. It had taken her a while to get used to that after she moved here as well. "As long as he does his job, that's all we can hope for."

Ellie smiled. "You're right, of course. Sometimes I forget what it's like for people who aren't used to living here." She looked at her watch. "I better get going. I promised the Latimer's I'd stop by and give them an update on the investigation."

"Can I get you some coffee? Tea?"

She waved her hand. "No, thanks. I'm already running on three cups. Any more and I'll float away."

Rebecca grinned. "Okay then. Take care, Ellie.

As the officer walked out, Rebecca sat back in her chair and looked around the store, contemplating. Ellie's words about small town mentality had stuck with her. She wasn't a cop, wasn't involved in any sort of faculty that could help the investigation along. But maybe there was something else she could do to help.

She sat up with a smile. She knew exactly what she was going to do

~*~To be continued