Disclaimer: I own nothing, and I make no money off of these stories. The characters aren't mine, I wish they were though. Then again I would probably make them do all sorts of things the shows writers don't like. ;-)
"It was Joe" He knew then that he had broken her, and he hated it. Every fucking second of it. Even as he crouched in front of her while she retched in the corner he wanted to fix it, to make it better. To stop her pain. Ellie Miller didn't deserve this, she didn't deserve pain. She deserved sunshine and rainbows. She always found the best in everyone, the way she interacted with the people of her town annoyed him. Not for the reason she thought, no it wasn't because he was a heartless bastard. Well he was, but that wasn't the cause. No it annoyed him because he couldn't remember that feeling.
He watched in awe for a few moments before his brain kicked into gear and he knew he needed to stop her from killing Joe. Those kind hands were strong, strong enough to beat the shit out of her child murdering husband.
There are moments during the trial that he wants nothing more than to pull her into his arms and will the pain away. The day he wakes up to find her still in his shack of a home going over his files and her nervous 'I hope that's ok' smile when she tells him he's out of bread makes him feel things he knows he shouldn't. He's dying. She's been through a major trauma. Maybe he should get the surgery. Fix his heart. He's got Daisy afterall. And he can't help but wonder who will look after Ellie...not that she needs looking after. He'd like to though. She seems okay now but he knows she isn't sleeping well.
"Don't be nice to me" she says, but all he wants is to be nice to her. Sandbrook is over. Broadchurch is over, or as over as it ever really will be. Joe is free, the bastard shouldn't be but he is. He knows she blames herself. She shouldn't, but she does. He's glad at least Beth seems to have realized Ellie really didn't know. Took her damn well long enough, Ellie didn't have the face to lie properly. No that woman couldn't lie about something like that, her eyes gave everything away. He had known her no where near as long as her so called best friends and he knew that.
He had to move on, if she'd give him any reason he'd stay. He'd happily stay for her. For those boys. Instead she tells him to not be nice and shakes his hand goodbye. He stands staring at his palm for what seems like an eternity after she leaves. He leaves, moves into an actual presentable flat, gathers his things from storage and stops living out of suitcases in hotel rooms. He texts her every couple of days. She says she's doing great. He fears it's a lie but he has no way to tell. He drives to Broadchurch every couple of months to meet her for coffee, now that he can drive again it's easier. She looks like shite, "Still not sleeping then I take it?" he asks. She calls him a knob and walks out.
It's been nearly six months since his move when Tom calls at nearly ten pm one summer evening. He'd just fallen asleep when his phone began to Buzz, blindly grabbing it off the nightstand he registers Ellies number on the caller ID and answers it, "Miller? Everything alright?"
He knows it's not. She wouldn't call him this late.
"Uhm… DI Hardy? It's...it's Tom. Tom Miller. You told me I could call yeah? If I ever needed anything?"
He sat up in bed quickly. Tom was calling at this hour? "Tom! Mate what's wrong?" His question is met with silence, "Tom?"
"It's...it's mum. See Fred and I have been at Aunt Lucy's to give her a break. I had Olly bring me home tonight, said I needed to get somethings and I'd be back in the mornin'...but mum was already in bed and she won't wake up. She's breathing though!" He added quickly, "I think she maybe took one of her pills. She doesn't sleep much, just cries at night I always hear her. But...but there's lots of wine gone. I… I didn't want to call Aunt Lucy and I didn't know who else to call…"
He listens to the boys rambling as he pulls on his trousers and a shirt. Pinning the phone between his shoulder and his ear he works on the buttons, "I'm on my way Tom. I'll be there in half an hour or so. Did you lock up behind you when you came in? Alarm set?"
"Yeah...yeah I locked up. Mum hadn't done that yet before she went to bed." There was more. More he should say, "I saw Da...Joe."
"What!?" He didn't mean to shout, he knew Joe had been promptly packed off and told to stay the hell away, "When and where did you see him Tom? Did he try to contact you?"
"After...after I got home I locked up and checked on Mum. Her curtains were open so I went to shut them and he was outside just staring up at the house."
"I'm getting in the car now. If he comes to the door call the station. I'm going to have someone come round to check. You're a brave boy Tom. I'll see you soon."
" 'kay...hurry please. Bye" Tom hung up the phone and climbed into the bed next to his mother.
Alec looked at his phone and rang up the Broadchurch station. Requesting a car be parked outside of Ellie's house and having one sent to Lucy's. It didn't take much convincing to get what he wanted once he told them Joe had been spotted. Why hadn't anyone been informed Joe was no longer where he was supposed to be? He'd be giving his contacts a good bollocking before this was all over. The distance couldn't be crossed fast enough. At least there wasn't any traffic this time of night. Still it seemed to take forever.