*A/N I do not own Broadchurch or any of it's characters. I only own my OCs. Story contains spoilers for the show.

A light breeze swept across the seaside town, coming in the same direction as the waves that crashed down and washed up onto the golden beaches before sliding back to the sea. Seagulls squawked and waddled about the rickety old piers and along the mostly empty beach as the early morning sun bathed everything in the first golden rays of the new day.

It was the same view that Emma had looked out at every day for the past decade, and still she never got tired of it as she ran at a steady pace along the beachfront. It was still early enough that most of the small Dorset town was asleep or inside their homes getting ready for another day. Over the years, Emma had grown used to the faces she might expect to see as she went about on her morning run and it wasn't usual that someone would break the pattern even in the summer during the peak of tourist activity.

So she was a little bit surprised when, as she jogged steadily down the old pavement that led down toward the Trader Hotel, she saw someone she had never seen coming up the opposite way she was going in. He was about forty or so, tall, and fairly skinny. He was also quite good looking with ruffled brown hair that had hints of a curl and a sharp jaw covered with a dusting of equally dark hair, and he looked very good in his suit. In fact, if it weren't for the frown that marred his expression and made his brown eyes all squinty, Emma would have said he was quite her type. She wondered whether he was a tourist although he definitely didn't dress like one.

"Good morning!" She nodded as their paths crossed.

"Yeah, mornin'"

His answer, spoken in a Scottish accent, was tired and held an undercurrent of irritation; like he'd disliked having to acknowledge her greeting. It took Emma off-guard for a second; most people in Broadchurch tended to be overly friendly, even to strangers. It had been a very long time since she'd had such a grouchy response and she wasn't exactly thrilled by his attitude.

Put-off by the man's rudeness, Emma refrained from calling out to the mysterious man the next morning she saw him, again headed from the road up from the Trader Hotel. Nor did she attempt another greeting the time after that or the time after that. He didn't seem to notice, just continued on his grumpy way without even noticing her run on the other side of the road to avoid him.

It bothered her the first few times but soon she ignored it. Life was good and it continued to move on as always. Besides, it wasn't like one new grouchy neighbour (who probably wasn't even staying very long if he was staying at the Traders as she suspected he was) could really change all that much.

"Yeah. I'm on my way now, two minutes!" Emma laughed. "Yes, really, I can see you now. Yep!"

She hung up, waving across the field to where she could see one of the primary school teachers waiting.

"Morning!" Emma called as she met Nicole at the front. "Sorry, Amy took a tumble this morning so Marlene needed me to open up the preschool first until she could come in so I could come over here."

"Oh no, is Amy okay?" Nicole asked in concern and Emma nodded.

"Yeah, although she won't be able to participate in the sports day now. She was pretty bummed about it." Emma explained as she shook off her light tracksuit jumper. "Okay, so what do you need help with first?"

"Uh, you could help with the Year Twos, their race is just done and they're due for their ice lollies." Nicole answered. "Thanks again, by the way, for volunteering to help."

"Of course, we do it every year, don't we?" Emma smiled before she hurried off to pick up the bundle of lollies from the cooler.

"All right, kids! Ice lollies!"

She was crowded instantly by bright little faces, flushed with excitement and their recent exertions, and Emma laughed as the children tumbled around the cooler for their treat.

"Okay, only the one! Hey, William, I saw that, put the second one down!"

The boy sheepishly did as he was told, although he grinned at his former preschool teacher with the same mischievous twinkle he'd done when he was four instead of almost eight. Emma smiled back fondly and the boy ran off chasing one of his mates. Time really flew by without her even knowing it, she reflected. She never really felt it when she gained a year but it always hit her when she saw the little faces she knew changing and growing up.

Not that this was necessarily a bad thing, Emma reflected as she spotted Tom running around the field. The boy was almost twelve now, a big boy (in his opinion at least) and she chuckled when he pulled a funny face at her in greeting before he dashed off again. He wasn't the little baby she'd first met but there were ten years of memories and more to come, exciting things to look forward to.

Emma turned and started chatting with another of the volunteer helpers, Diana from the library, as they helped set up the sack races next. Emma was just about done when she spotted a familiar figure walking through the field.

"Hang on, just going to say hi." Emma told Diana before hurrying off to greet her friend.

"Beth!"

The pretty brunette mother turned, a smile already on her face.

"Emma! Morning, sweetheart."

Beth kissed Emma's cheek, but the woman seemed a bit distracted that morning. She kept looking around and she asked, "Have you seen Danny? He forgot his packed lunch."

"Oh, uh-" Emma glanced around. "No, I was with the littlies and Danny and Tom have definitely reached the age where they don't like it when I come to them for hugs; they need to sidle over when their friends aren't watching to say hi."

The two women chuckled and Emma pointed off to where she'd seen Tom earlier.

"There's Tom. Danny's probably somewhere around..." Emma trailed off as she didn't see the familiar tuft of brown hair near Tom.

"I wonder where he could be? He's not usually far from Tom..."

As they were discussing, Nicole came up with a smile that Beth returned.

"Beth? No Danny?" Danny's homeroom teacher asked. Beth's smile slipped.

"Oh, I thought he was here." Beth said, looking confused and glancing at Emma.

Emma frowned while Nicole looked as puzzled as she explained, "No, we haven't seen him today."

"Well, did you do the register?" Beth checked and Nicole nodded.

"Yeah, we haven't seen him since yesterday."

Another child called for Nicole's attention, pulling the teacher away, and Emma looked at Beth.

"I'm sure he's fine, Beth. Maybe try give him a call?" She suggested.

"Yeah." Beth nodded, but the worry was already lacing into her tone as she quickly dialed in her mobile and waited for her son to pick up. Emma waited too.

"Danny, it's Mum."

Emma let out a soft breath of relief before concern crashed over her as Beth continued in a slightly shaky voice, "So, you're not at school, can you give me a call straight away, sweetheart? I just want to know where you are."

"He didn't answer?" Emma asked worriedly as Beth hung up. The brunette woman shook her head, already dialing on her phone again.

"I'm going to call Jack."

"You do that; let me go ask Tom, okay?" Emma reassured. Beth nodded distractedly while Emma hurried away and flagged down the light-haired boy she'd seen earlier.

"Hey, Tom."

"Hi, Em."

Tom looked a bit surprised and awkward as he stopped mid-laugh with one of his friends. Emma, unlike his mother or other parents, generally respected the fact that he didn't really like them coming over while he was playing with his friends. It was clear he was confused but he waited as Emma looked around again before looking back at Tom.

"Have you seen Danny around? His mum's looking for him."

"I haven't seen him today." Tom answered and Emma frowned.

"You're sure?" She checked before adding reassuringly, "He's not going to get into trouble even if he snuck off. I promise."

"I don't know where he is." Tom repeated, looking even more confused. "Why?"

"Oh. No, it's nothing, I'm sure we'll figure it out. Thanks, Tom. Good luck on your run later, okay?"

He nodded, looking a bit confused but easily getting pulled away to rejoin his friends. Emma returned to Beth to see her biting the edge of her phone anxiously.

"Tom's not seen him; did Danny do his paper run for Jack?"

"No, he didn't."

Emma's heart missed a beat at Beth's answer; she tried not to panic as she asked, "Have you called Mark?"

"Yeah, but he's not answering, he's probably on the job." Beth answered, only half-focused as she looked around wildly again and again for her son.

"Can I do anything?" Nicole asked as she came over again. She'd clearly overheard the last portion of their conversation and was starting to grow as worried as they were. But Beth shook her head.

"Just give me a call if he shows up." She requested as she started to walk away, heading back to the car park.

"Yeah, sure." Nicole reassured. Emma meanwhile followed Beth immediately.

"I'll go look for him with you, he can't have gone far." Emma looked back to Nicole. "Can you just let Diana know?"

"Of course. Hope he's okay." Nicole agreed.

Emma followed Beth into the brunette woman's car and she asked, "Any idea where he might have gone?"

"No, none." Beth answered shakily as she started the car and rolled them out of the school car park.

"Beth, calm down. Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Emma suggested. "I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for where he is."

"I just… I had a dream last night, he was all alone on the cliff." Beth muttered anxiously. "And now I can't find him."

"Beth, I'm sure it's just a coincidence. Let's go into town, he might just be skipping somewhere like some of the other boys have sometimes been caught doing."

Emma tried to reassure herself as well as her friend as they drove along the main road that would take them into the main part of town. They didn't get very far, however, as they were on the main road to the coast for only a few minutes before their way was blocked. The two-lane was completely jammed, cars standing at a still for at least the next two miles that they could see.

"Come on!" Beth groaned just as the car radio announced, "There is serious congestion on the main road to the coast of Broadchurch. So if you are heading to the beach, I suggest you make other plans. We'll keep you-"

Beth cut the engine and the radio as she got out, Emma right behind her.

"What's going on?" Beth asked the car in front of them while Emma waited by the car. The woman in the other car shook her head.

"Someone said the police are at the beach. They might've found a body."

As soon as the words left the woman's mouth, Emma's heart plummeted and she saw the way Beth went completely white.

"Oh, no." Emma gasped before Beth started moving away as though in a trance. "Beth, wait, we don't know anything yet. Beth, Beth-!"

But Beth was already running, taking off quickly down the road even in her dress and regular flats. Emma followed her quickly, doing better in her trainers but she didn't try to stop Beth when she did finally catch up to the terrified mother. She just kept pace with Beth and Emma begged to a higher power she didn't believe in, on the off chance that someone heard her pleas.

'Please, please, please, don't let it be him. Don't let it be him, not Danny.'

As they went, several police cars and vans passed by at irregular intervals, sirens blaring as they sped by on the wrong side of the road to avoid the cars jammed on the way to the beach. The sight of the police cars caused Emma's heart to stutter in a way that had nothing to do with her running. Her mind's eye flashed briefly to blue sirens wailing outside a kitchen window before she forced herself to focus on the present.

'Not Danny. Please, don't do this… Not Danny...'

Emma followed Beth onto the edge of the sandy beach, headed toward where they could see a crowd of people growing at one end of the beach. Emma spotted a police line in between the people, which explained why no one appeared to be going any further as did the few uniformed officers she could see guarding the line. She and Beth made their way toward the line where Emma stopped and she stared in horror at where a few uniformed officers and two figures in regular day suits stood beside a covered object about a hundred yards away on the cordoned-off beach. It wasn't clear but the covered object looked like it could be a body. A child's body. Her heart dropped to her stomach.

'No, no, no, no-'

Emma started when Beth suddenly darted forward, ducking under the police line and running across the beach toward the body.

"Beth. Beth!"

Emma quickly ducked under the line and after her friend, moving faster than the officer who had only just noticed Beth had slipped past.

"Beth!"

Beth didn't stop, if anything she went faster. The suited figures standing by the body turned at Emma's shout and Emma realized it was Ellie and the rude man she'd been seeing around for the past week. But her eyes were soon more drawn toward the body, despite her best efforts not to look too closely, as she tried to grab Beth at the same time that Ellie moved quickly to block Beth's path.

"No, Beth, get off the beach!"

"What is it? What've you found?" Beth asked breathlessly, pulling herself free from Emma before Emma could get a good hold of her and not really hearing anything Ellie was saying as she kept her eyes fixed on the body the police had covered up.

"Beth, you can't be- Garry! Emma! Help!" Ellie shouted as she blocked Beth while Emma caught Beth at last and tried to pull her back.

"Beth, come on, you shouldn't see this, Beth-" Emma tried to say but Beth kept pulling away, trying to get closer to the body.

"Let me see, let me see!"

"You can't be here!" Ellie yelled in panic, blocking Beth from coming closer. Emma registered Ellie's words and realized this was about more than just saving Beth some heartache.

"Oh shit." She realized as she looked down at where she and Beth had just trampled a potential crime scene at the same time that the strange man came and one of the uniformed officers came over to push Beth back.

"Come on, come on." The strange man instructed sternly in a strong Scottish accent as he joined Emma in keeping Beth back. "Get off the beach-"

"Beth," Emma urged at the same time, "come on, we have to get off the beach, Beth, Beth, I'm sorry, but-"

"Get her off the beach!" Ellie was shouting at the officer who tried to help Emma drag Beth back just as the officer who had chased them caught up as well. "Get away from here."

"Those are Danny's trainers." Beth gasped as she saw the trainers despite the officers trying to pull her away. "Those are Danny's trainers! Oh, Ellie! NO!"

Beth's screams broke Emma's heart but she tugged her friend back along with the officers as best as she could. "Beth, Beth, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, come on, come on..."

Beth just kept screaming and wrestling to get free as another uniform joined them to guide them off the beach. The strange brunette man had let go of Beth by then and he held Ellie back when Ellie tried to follow Beth, clearly as distraught as Emma by Beth's wails. Emma wasn't sure why she noticed that but she did as she glanced back repeatedly with tears in her eyes at the covered body that she just knew in her heart was Danny. Ellie would have told Beth if it wasn't, and Emma couldn't stop the sob that escaped her when it truly sank in that it was Danny lying on the beach.

"Come on, Beth. Come on, sweetheart."

They eventually reached the police line again where the police offered to give them a lift home - most probably to make sure Beth was kept off the beach. Emma accepted on Beth's behalf, giving them Beth's address while the woman herself collapsed against her friend and wailed.

"I'm so sorry, Beth. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Emma clutched Beth tightly, hugging her and wishing she had words that could soothe her friend. But what could help a mother's broken heart? Emma closed her eyes, tears slipping silently down her own cheeks while Beth sobbed into her chest.

'This is why I don't believe in God. Oh, Danny...'

"Yeah. Thanks Marl." Emma whispered as she hung up after letting her co-worker at the preschool know that she couldn't come in for the afternoon after all. They'd been set to switch, Emma helping out at the primary school sports day in the morning while Marlene would take the afternoon but that was not going to happen now.

Emma walked slowly back into the living room where Beth was now standing by the back door, pacing a little bit back and forth. She'd recovered - if that was the word that could be used - from her earlier breakdown before her mother, Liz, or the rest of the family had returned but now it was like she'd been filled with a nervous energy. Not that Emma blamed her; she herself felt like she couldn't sit still.

"Are you sure it was him, Em?" Mark asked tightly for the upteenth time.

But Emma didn't blame him either and she repeated in a thick voice, "No. But..."

She didn't finish; she didn't have to. A knock on the door jolted them all and all eyes followed Mark as he went to answer it. Emma swallowed; she couldn't help but feel like it was the sound of the Grim Reaper himself arriving. The strange brunette man, the one she recognized from her runs, walked in first, followed closely by Ellie.

"Morning." The brunette man greeted in his Scottish accent, his eyes landing on Emma first before moving around the family gathered in the room. "Morning. I'm Detective Inspector Alec Hardy, and you know DS Miller."

He nodded to Ellie, who was barely fighting back tears as she stood beside her superior. Mark re-entered behind them and moved to Beth immediately, placing a hand on her shoulder as Alec cleared his throat.

"Why don't you take a seat, we just need to talk about something." He suggested.

"I can leave, if you want." Emma offered quietly. She thought she saw Alec give her a sharp look but Beth was shaking her head before Emma even finished speaking.

"You were there with me when we saw him, Em." Beth said shakily, barely fighting back the tears that had returned with Alec's arrival. "I need you here. Please."

"Yeah, please stay, Em." Mark agreed. "You're basically family anyway."

Emma nodded, swallowing thickly as she moved out of the way for them. Beth moved to sit on the sofa with Chloe and Liz, while Mark made to help get a chair as he realized they were short. Alec waved him back.

"Don't worry, I can get it."

Emma motioned for Ellie to sit down and refused the chair Alec offered as she gestured for him to sit instead. He settled in without protest while Emma opted to remain standing slightly to the side of the room to give the Latimers some space as Alec broke the news.

"The body of a young boy was found on-"

"It's Danny, isn't it?" Beth interrupted.

"Let him finish." Mark urged but Beth insisted with a breaking voice, "I saw his shoes."

"Plenty of kids have those shoes." Mark rebuffed before nodding at Alec. "Sorry. You talk."

Chloe clutched her father's leg tightly, bracing herself, as Alec took a pause before he revealed gravely and apologetically, "We believe it's Danny's body."

Emma closed her eyes and turned her head, fighting tears while the Latimers seemed to inhale and exhale quite sharply, although Beth's reaction was by far the loudest as the other three made absolutely no noise.

"Please, Ellie." Beth asked, her breathing starting to come quickly as she looked to her friend beseechingly. "Was it him?"

Ellie couldn't answer aloud; she didn't trust her voice. She nodded mutely. Beth broke down into sobs, turning away from the detectives and clutching at her husband, at air, at something. Most probably wishing for Danny.

"Hey. Hey." Mark tried to soothe, forcing his own grief back as he hugged his wife and daughter to him. "It's all right. Hey, hey, hey."

But the problem was that they all knew it wasn't all right. Emma's shoulders were shaking as she began to cry silently on the side while the Latimers all huddled, hugging each other tightly as they moved through the first stages of their grief. A grief Emma knew would not end quickly… or painlessly.