Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, cities, and names belong to the powers that be. And those powers are not me. I'm just a little minion with too much trouble to cause for my own good.
The sound of her quick steps caught his immediate attention and he turned and shoved himself back through the door before she could slam it. "Not happenin' Miller. I made a promise to Tom and I'm not 'bout to break it."
"Sod off!" She wanted to throw things at him, unfortunately all she could get her hands on were coats that were hanging on a hook near her head. "You don't get to just come back 'round and start tellin' me what to do. You're not my bloody boss anymore Hardy."
Embarrassment, anger, resentment, rejection, and fear were all rolling around within her and it was a volatile combination. She turned her back on him and simply walked toward the living room, "Just leave me alone."
He followed her and when she dropped down on the couch pulling a throw over herself, he sat on the coffee table across from her. "Can't do that, Ellie do you understand that Joe was standing outside your house last night? You were here with the doors unlocked out cold in your room. Mixing wine and sleeping pills for Christ sake! If Tom hadn't come home…" He choked on his words, struggling with the thought of something happening to her.
"M'fine. I'm a big girl Hardy, you left once you can do it again. Don't usually take the pills anyways."
"That's what this is about? My leaving? How was I to know you wanted me to stay?!" He felt his voice raising even as she sat up again fully on the couch, the fire in her eyes coming back once more, "Barely even put up with a handshake goodbye!" He grunted as her small fists came in contact with his person. It wasn't until one well lined shot right over the scar from his pacemaker incision that he gasped. It rarely bothered him but if he pressed the wrong way it twinged.
Ellie's eyes widened and she covered her mouth with both hands. "Shit Hardy! Shit I ... "
"S'fine Miller… Just a bit sore sometimes." He rubbed at his chest a few moments longer before looking up to meet her eyes. "Beat on me all you like, just a this general area please…" He motioned to his chest, the areas of his pacemaker and incision scar.
"Everything is so fucked up. I can't...I'm sorry… I'm such a mess... "
"Well you're not as much of a mess now.. At least you don't smell of old clothes and wine now."
"Knob."
He grinned ever so slightly, "So...not goin' out then. I'm gonna give Pete a call see if they've made any headway findin' Joe. Then we're goin' to have a talk Ellie. A proper talk."
She fought the urge to groan, and sank back down on the couch, pulling the throw back into place around her shoulders tightly and half lying down. When he left the room she fumbled for the phone on the side table and called Lucy, checking in on the boys. Letting her know that Hardy was there. She tried to talk Lucy into bringing the boys home early, but even Tom told her they were staying put. Olly bought a new game for the xbox anyways. It took more courage than she thought she had left to end the conversation by telling Tom how thankful she was, and proud she was of him for calling Hardy. Even if she was pissed off at the man in question still.
He returned with a pair of tea mugs, easing down onto the couch by her feet holding a mug out to her. "Why didn't you say you wanted me to stay?"
"Didn't feel like my place. You needed to be close to Daisy, I understood then, I understand now.I'll get the hang of this on my own thing eventually."
"Only see her when she's got time, sometimes for a weekend. If I'm lucky. Guess nothing I couldn't have done from here." He shrugged, "Thought 'bout calling...but I dinnae wanna make things worse for you. Seemed like you were friends again with the Latimer's...thought you'd be looked after."
She rolled her eyes and set the still full mug on the side table near her head, "My husband killed her son. No matter how much she smiles and says she knows now I didn't know that cloud will always be there. They have their own life and their own troubles."
"Why didn't you call? Or text even?"
With a shrug she gazed out the window at the unmarked car keeping an eye on her house.
"We're a right mess aren't we?" Setting his own mug down he resumed his position from the morning, bent over, elbows on his knees and his head hanging loose. "I'm sorry I left, and I'm so very sorry I didn't keep contact."
"Stop being nice to me Hardy."
"Dammit Ellie! I want to be nice to you. I want to call you something other than Miller and that is somewhat terrifying on it's own." Scrubbing at his face he stood and paced to the window, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Ye tried to kiss me earlier. You think I'd kiss ya when I can't even call you by your name?"
She just grunted softly in response.
"We need to get things straightened out. I'll stay in Tom's room until he comes back then I'll stay on the couch. I'm not leavin' ye alone until Joe is caught." Until you are healthy again, he added mentally. Keeping his back to her as he spoke, he hadn't heard her move until her arms were wrapped around him from behind. "Then we'll figure out the rest of life along the way…"
"Thank you Ha...Alec. Don't grimace like that I can feel it in your back even. You get to call me Ellie it's only fair I get to call you Alec."
"Aye… I'll get used to it. Now are we going to get some food or are we goin' to have to live on take away for another night?"
"Fine. I'll get my shoes on." And she did. He reminded her to set the alarm before leading her to his car with a hand on his back. Giving the officers in the car a nod before driving off.
If only any of them had spotted the man well hidden in the tree he had climbed while fleeing from the sirens the night before. Suddenly he was wondering if those affair accusations were true, and he felt his blood boiling.
