(Right now, it has no title. Maybe you guys can help me think of one?)

Chapter 1

It had been a year since Danny died, but to Ellie, it felt like a lifetime had passed. In the 11 months since her husband Joe had confessed and been put behind bars, their divorce had been finalized and she had sole custody of their sons, Tom and Fred. To her surprise, Alec Hardy had been a frequent visitor at their new apartment and wasn't as cold as he was while at work. When he was at their apartment, it was like he was a different man. Gone were the cold eyes that used to send shivers down her spine and the cold exterior he had built up since Sandbrook. In their place were warm, fathering eyes and a friendly, kind exterior. Tom had taught him some skateboarding tricks and Fred was starting to call him "dad". Ellie wasn't sure how to feel about that. On the one hand, Joe was his biological father and had been a good father to him, as far as she knew. On the other hand, Alec was slowly weaving his way into their family and her heart. She knew he was divorced and had a daughter whom he loved very much, but that was about it. About six months after the divorce was finalized, he had come over with a rose in hand and asked her out on a date. Ellie could tell that he was very nervous about asking, and so, partially out of kindness and partially because she could feel herself starting to fall for the tall, skinny Scotsman, she accepted. Tom agreed to babysit Fred that night saying it was high time she moved on from Joe. Their first date had gone as well as anyone could expect and before she knew it, he asked her out again, which brought them to tonight. Alec rang the doorbell, wearing his usual suit and tie ensemble. Ellie was wearing a purple floral dress. Alec had chosen a nice Italian restaurant where it would be quiet enough that they could talk. He took her hand and led her towards the car.

"You look beautiful, Ellie." He said, a hint of a smile on his face.

"Thank you, Alec."

That was another thing that had changed. He had started calling her by her first name instead of her last. Part of her thought that it was because he thought that calling her "Miller" would remind her of Joe. He had been with her the whole way through the divorce proceedings and stood by her when the nightmares came about Joe coming back and doing something to Tom or Fred. More than once he had stayed the night, sitting by her bed and telling her everything was fine until she fell asleep again. By the time she would wake up in the morning, he'd be gone. He had slowly become her rock and held her when life became too much to bear. About two months after Joe was arrested, she decided she couldn't sit around anymore and had to do something. A week later, Alec walked with her back into work, shooting death glares at anyone who dared to look at her wrong. It had taken time, but people finally stopped looking at her with that look of "how could you not have known?"

Now, here she was on a date with the man who had walked with her through the most difficult time of her life. He opened the door to the car and gestured for her to go ahead and sit. She say down and buckled her seatbelt as he walked around to the driver side of the car. When he was buckled in, he started the engine and they pulled away from the house.

"How are you, Alec?"

"I'm fine. My daughter called me last night and told me that she's doing well in school. She's a senior this year and is starting the application process for university. She said she wants to apply to a university near here." "That would be wonderful! How long has it been since you last saw her?" "Since the divorce, so about 2-3 years."

"That has to be difficult. I'm so sorry, Alec."

"We started video chatting a couple of months ago. I'm still learning the ins and outs of it, but I'm getting the hang of it."

"I'm sure it's great to have a way to see her."

"It is. I didn't know just how much I missed her until I saw her."

Ellie could hear the tears in his voice and regreted bringing up the subject. As he spoke, tears filled his eyes.

"She's beautiful, Ellie. My one regret is that I've missed out on almost three years of her life. She told me that if she's accepted at the local university, she wants to start off in the dorm, but will consider living with me second term. If only she knew how much it would mean to me."

"She does. That's why she's thinking about it. You haven't been part of her life for almost three years. You have a bridge to build. You both have changed in the last few years and need time to get to know each other again."

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes. I just want my daughter back."

"I know, Alec."

By this time, Alec was pulling into the parking lot at the restaurant and had found a parking place. Ellie waited as he shut off the engine and quickly made his way to her door, where he helped her out of the car. Taking her hand in his, he closed the door and locked the car before leading her inside the restaurant.

"Reservation for Hardy, party of two." He told the hostess.

The hostess nodded and checked her clipboard.

"Right this way." She said as she picked up two menus and two sets of silverware.

Alec and Ellie did as told and a minute later were at their table. Ever the gentleman, Alec pulled Ellie's chair out for her and waited for her to sit before scooting the chair closer to the table and sitting himself. They picked up their menus and began to look through it so they could decide what they wanted to order. Their waitress came by and introduced herself as Adalina.

"What would you like to drink?" She asked.

They both ordered wine and requested a minute more to look at the menu. By the time Adalina returned, they were ready.

"I'll have the chicken Alfredo." Alec said.

"I'll have the shrimp scampi." Ellie said.

Adalina took note of their orders, smiled and walked away.

"How are they treating you at work?" Alec asked when Adalina was out of earshot.

"Much better. It's gotten easier to go to work these days knowing they don't blame me."

"How are Mark and Beth?"

"They have their ups and downs. They can't believe it's been almost a year."

Alec nodded and a look Ellie had never seen before crossed his face-a look that told her he still remembered every detail of those weeks of investigating. She knew he was letting her see him at his most vulnerable and she reached across the table and took his hand.

"It's like it happened yesterday, isn't it?" She asked.

After a moment, he took a deep breath and looked at her-sadness filling his brown eyes.

"It is. I still remember seeing his body. Every time I think about it, I," he paused and tears pooled into his eyes. "I think about how it could've been my daughter. I…I have nightmares…"

"Alec…" He sniffled, took a deep breath and dabbed at the tears with his napkin.

"I'm sorry, Ellie. This is hardly the time for…"

"You put up such tough exterior…"

"Part of the job. It's too hard if I get too emotionally involved."

He closed his eyes a second and Ellie watched intently. She hoped he'd remembered to take his medicine before picking her up. When he opened his eyes again, he looked her dead in the eyes.

"I know I wasn't easy to work with. I'm not the best at letting people in."

Adalina approached the table and set down their plates.

"Thank you, Adalina." Alec said, attempting a small smile.

"You're welcome, sir, ma'am." Alec and Ellie dug in, enjoying every bite. "

How are Tom and Fred?" Alec asked.

"They're good. Adjusting. They wanted to know when you're gonna to come by again."

"Tell them I'll drop by after work tomorrow."

Ellie smiled and ate another piece of shrimp. They spent the rest of the meal enjoying each other's company with bits of small talk in between. Once they had finished and paid their bill, Alec took Ellie's hand and led her out to their car. On the way home, they continued their conversation, filled with laughter. They approached an intersection and were about to enter when out of the corner of his eye, Alec saw a car barreling down the street and heading right for them.

Please stop. Brakes. Brakes. He thought.

"Hang on, Ellie!" He yelled, his tone telling her there was no time to ask questions.

As quickly as she could, Ellie grabbed for a handhold. Alec slammed on his breaks and managed to stop the car about a third of the way into the intersection. The car entered the intersection and hit the front fender of their car. The speed of the other car, however, forced them into a spin. Ellie screamed as Alec once again yelled out for her to hang on as he attempted to get out of the spin. She tried to brace, but her upper half fell forward, causing her to hit her head on the dashboard. A few seconds later, they came mercifully to a stop on the other side if the intersection. Alec looked around, but saw no sign of the other vehicle.

"Ellie, are you all right?" He asked.

There was no response, so Alec looked over to her and saw a bump on her head and blood coming from her nose.

"Ellie? Ellie, talk to me."

His adrenaline began pumping as he looked at the signs to figure out where he was. Once he gathered his bearings, he pulled out his phone and dialed 999.

"999, what is your emergency?" Came the dispatcher's voice.

"This is Detective Inspector Alec Hardy. There's been a hit and run at the intersection of Mountain Road and Gypsum Boulevard. My vehicle was hit and passenger has been knocked unconscious."

"We're sending help right away, sir. Is your passenger male or female?"

"Female. She's unconscious, has a bump on her head and a bloody nose."

"All right, sir. I've got an ambulance on the way. Stay on the line with me until they come."

Alec did so and within three minutes, he heard sirens in the distance. He hung up with the dispatcher and got out of the car so he could flag down the ambulance. Once the ambulance came to a stop, he led the paramedics to Ellie. They tried to waken her, but she didn't respond. They quickly put a C-collar around her neck and put her in the ambulance. The paramedics agreed that Alec should come with them in the ambulance and they would arrange a tow truck for the car. Alec took a seat by Ellie and held her hand.

"Come on, Ellie. You're going to make it. Tom and Fred need you. I need you."

A moan escaped Ellie's mouth and she slowly opened her eyes.

"Alec?" She whispered.

"Yes, Ellie. I'm right here."

A paramedic began asking Ellie questions about the accident.

"I don't remember anything after Alec telling me to hold on. It's all black." She replied, her voice soft.

Alec gave her hand a gentle squeeze and smiled at her, trying to tell her that it was ok. Ellie's eyes fluttered closed as they pulled into the hospital. Once they came to a stop in front of the doors, they wheeled Ellie into the ER. Alec took a seat in a nearby waiting room and stared out the window. About ten minutes later, a doctor came in.

"How is she?" He asked.

"Still out cold. I want to get a CAT scan of her brain. That'll give me a better idea of what we're dealing with."

"Do whatever you need to do." Alec replied.

The doctor nodded and left the room. Alec took a seat on a couch in the corner of the room and sighed, dreading what he knew he had to do next. He took out his phone and punched a few buttons. A few rings later, a teenage boy's voice answered.

"Hello?" "Tom? It's Alec."

"Alec? What's wrong?"

"Your mom and I were…we were in a car accident. We're ok, but your mom hit her head, so we're getting her checked out at the hospital."

"What? Is she ok?"

"The doctor says she's asleep right now, but she looks good. They just want to run a few tests to make sure there's nothing internal."

"You'll let me know any updates, right?"

"Of course. You keep an eye on Fred and I'll let you know what the doctor says, ok?"

"Ok. Give her a hug for me."

"I will. I promise."

He hung up and put his phone back in his pocket. All he could do now was wait.