Witness Protection

Author's Note 1: This fanfiction/crossover is heavily inspired by the second series of Broadchurch, and will follow the Sandbrook case, but an AU version. This version will also be darker in comparison to the show, and will involve themes such as; child grooming, sexual assault/rape, underage drinking, and drugs, so viewer discretion is advised.

Author's Note 2: My version will also have some characters from Doctor Who that have only been mentioned in dialogue, but never seen on screen. For example, the character of Tony Tyler – who is Rose's younger brother – will be Rose's slightly older brother in my fanfiction. They are two years apart. There is also another sibling, who is five years old, Hope Tyler. Pete and Jackie have separated, but have not officially divorced, and they share equal custody of the youngest Tyler. I know all of this was a bit of a mouthful, but I wanted to make myself clear beforehand. Feedback is welcomed and encouraged, but please be respectful and keep it constructive. :)

Chapter One

"Have you got everythin', love?" Jackie Tyler asked her eldest daughter, who loaded the last of the suitcases into the boot.

"I think so." Rose nodded, turning to face her with a smile, one that was slightly hesitant. Almost reluctant that she had to leave. "I'll miss you."

"Oh sweetheart'." Jackie wrapped her up in a hug, knowing that this sudden move would be an adjustment for the both of them, but it was what they both needed. "I'm not doin' this to punish you." She assured her. "It's to keep you safe, which is why Tony is goin' with you." She nodded to Tony – Rose's older brother by two years – who sat in the driver's seat, eager to get going. They had a long, four to five-hour drive ahead of them depending on the pace of the traffic. "You keep in touch now, d'you hear? I'm just a phone call away."

"Rosie, wait! I've got something for you!"

The two women pulled apart from the voice of the littlest Tyler – five-year-old Hope – who flew down the steps of their house, waving some papers in her hand. Rose crouched down to her little sisters height, smiling.

"Are you crying?" Hope asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. "Only babies cry."

Rose couldn't help but laugh, hastily wiping at her eyes, drying them. "No." Her defence was weak. "I jus' have somethin' in my eyes. Weren't you supposed to be getting ready for bed?"

"I wanted to give you this picture I drew, first." Hope told her, holding it out for Rose. "It's a picture of all of us, you, me, Tony, Mummy and Daddy, and our house. It's so you don't forget about us."

This time, Rose managed to choke out a laugh, desperately trying not to let the tears fall again. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jackie wipe at her own eyes.

"There's no way I could ever forget you Hope, or Mummy or Daddy." Rose chuckled wetly, observing the picture closely. "I'll call you every other day." She promised. "Jus' because I'm moving doesn't mean I'm disappearin'." She pulled Hope into a bear hug, standing and holding her in a hug. "Thank you for the picture. It's one of your best ones, yet. I'll make sure to put it in a special frame. I'll see you soon, okay? I love you." Rose passed Hope to Jackie, giving them both one last hug. "See you soon, Mum."

"Bye love." Jackie's voice nearly broke, and as Rose walked to the car, she turned to her only son. "Look after yourself, an' look after your sister."

Tony gave his mother a salute. "You've got it, Mum. Love you." He waved to Hope from the window whose bottom lip started to tremble. "You be a good girl, miss Hope. Mum's getting on a bit now, so you'll need to help look after her."

Jackie scoffed, pretending to bat at him. "You cheeky git!" This interaction emitted a giggle from Hope, changing the entire mood completely.

Tony glanced at Rose, who had fastened her seatbelt and was drying her eyes. "Ready to go?" Rose nodded, sniffling as she settled in her seat. He could tell she was nervous, and he reached over, squeezing her knee in comfort. "Everything will be okay." He reassured her. "This is all for the best."

Rose nodded, appreciating the distraction, offering a small smile. "I know."

Tony started the car, the both of them waving to their mother and sister as they pulled out of the drive. "Why don't you try and get some sleep? It'll be a while before our first pit stop."

"Oh my God! Pippa? Pippa, wake up! Please wake up!"

"Rose, come on, leave her. She's gone."

Rose yanked her arm out of their grip. "No, no she's not!" She leant over her friend who appeared asleep in the bed and shook her. "Pippa wake up." Tears welled in her eyes, shaking her head in denial by what she saw. "Please don't leave me here alone, please!"

Somebody behind her stepped forwards, their tone harsh. "Alright, I've had enough of this." They gripped Rose's elbow surprisingly tight, nails digging into her skin and roughly dragging her out of the room, despite her struggles. "Get rid of her body. Take her somewhere she'll be found. Do it quickly."

"Don't you dare touch her!" Rose shouted, fighting against the person wrestling her out of the room. "Pippa wake up! You're not dead!" The door to the bedroom where Pippa lay was closed, Rose only struggled harder. "Pippa!"

Rose jolted awake with gasp, taking a couple of seconds to readjust and remember where she was. It was the early hours of the morning, pitch black as they drove along a country road, only lit by the cars headlights.

"You okay?"

Rose rubbed her eyes, sighing and switching into a more comfortable position. "M'fine."

"Which translates to 'I just had a nightmare. I'm not in the mood to talk right now.'." Tony quipped, shaking his head. "I thought you'd told Mum the nightmares had stopped."

"They have." Rose insisted, glaring at Tony who raised his eyebrow dubiously. "They're not as frequent as they used to be. Or intense."

"Did you bring your medication?" Tony asked, knowing how forgetful his sister could be in times of distress.

"Yes, Dad." Rose rolled her eyes, reaching for her bag by her feet, pulling out her pill container. She grabbed a bottle of water from her bag and took one of her tablets for the anxiety and depression she occasionally suffered. "Wha's this place called again, tha' we're goin' to?"

"Broadchurch." Tony said, turning left and going down another country road, just as dark as the last one. There's some leaflets that Mum gave us in the car door. Apparently it boasts 'An Idyllic Place to Raise Young Families' and in brackets 'Low level Crime Rates'. Why does it feel like whenever towns or villages put that on advertisement, it means the opposite?"

Rose shook her head fondly at his attempt at humour, reading over the leaflet. A few weeks after they arrived, Rose would be attending the community college to study art and English literature, two of her favourite subjects. She was looking forwards to painting some more scenic views, having done a lot of city scapes beforehand. It was finally time to dig out those green paints that she hadn't been able to use much of in the city of London.

DI Alec Hardy was not having a good morning.

The entire village of Broadchurch was on tenterhooks, awaiting what would happen regarding the arraignment of Joe Miller, who was arrested and accused of murdering eleven-year-old Daniel Latimer.

In a twisted series of events, Joe Miller was the husband of DI Hardy's colleague, DS Ellie Miller, and the father of Tom and Fred Miller. Tom was also best friends with Daniel before he was killed. Ellie had been long term best friends with Daniel's mother, Beth Latimer, but after the revelation that Joe was the murderer, their friendship had fractured. Everything was a mess, and after being shunned and rejected by friends and family members, Ellie had escaped to Devon, away from the stares and disapproving looks.

Ellie had arrived for the arraignment procedure at the last minute, but before that could all take place, Claire Ripley – of all people – turned up to the court, much to Alec's horror. He shooed her away, promising to stop by after the hearing.

Not guilty.

This statement had rocked the entire village, even his defence team. Now, because of his not guilty verdict, the victim's family would have to endure a trial. Alec was not looking forwards to this, knowing what a trial would entail.

He strolled through the village – on route to visit Claire as promised – with his hands shoved in his pockets, a sour expression on his face.

"Stupid, bloody thing!"

Alec stopped, turning to the direction of the voice. To his left, he came across a young woman with long, blonde hair, perhaps a little older than his daughter Daisy. She was stood by the boot of a car, struggling to pull out a suitcase that had lodged itself into an awkward position.

A string of colourful curses followed her grumbling, amusing him. He watched as she tried to yank it out again, but to no avail.

"Need a hand?" Alec eventually asked, having had enough of seeing her struggling.

The young woman span around, her hand still on the suitcase, a blush spreading across her face when she realised that he must've heard her swearing.

"If you don't mind?" She agreed with a nod, stepping back as he took her place. "My brother was supposed to be helpin' me, but he swanned off into the house." Alec analysed the position of the suitcase, and in one swift motion, he pulled it out – much to her annoyance – and place it on the ground beside them. "Now tha's jus' annoyin'." She grumbled, rolling the suitcase onto the pavement. "Thank you, though, I appreciate it."

"No problem." Alec offered a rare smile. "Take it you're new to this place, then?"

"Yea', we are. I was supposed to move on my own, but my Mum insisted tha' I bring my brother with me for protection."

Alec inclined his head. "Not a bad idea really, when you think about it." Feeling sociable – for once – Alec stuck out his hand. "DI Alec Hardy."

Rose smiled, shaking his hand. "Rose Tyler. Nice to meet you, detective inspector. Funny, y'know when you have those moments where you feel as though you've heard the name before?"

"Must just be one of those faces." Alec suggested, not wanting to bring up Broadchurch's murky past, or even his own. "I'll see you around, Rose Tyler."

"Making friends already?" Tony came out of the house, just in time to see DI Hardy's retreating form. "Who was that?"

"Some detective who lives locally." Rose explained. "He gave me a hand getting this case out since you'd wandered off. Wha' we're you doin' anyway?"

"I was checking to see if our appliances were working properly." Tony explained, pulling the last case out of the boot, following Rose into the house. "Saving us a trip to the shopping centre. You'll be happy to know that they're all working as they should. We just need to do a food shop; we could do that this afternoon if you're up for it?"

Rose nodded, deciding that it was best to get that task over with. "Sure." She entered the bright, modern hallway that opened up into an open-plan kitchen and dining area, showing off an incredible garden space and a hilltop view of the ocean. "Wow." Rose breathed, dropping her bag on the kitchen island, taking it all in. "This is incredible!" She scoffed in disbelief. "How did we end up here?" She asked, referring to their home in London.

"We got lucky, kid." Tony chuckled, also admiring the breath-taking view before them. "Shall we go to the shops now? We can clean and unpack after."

Over the next few days, both Rose and Tony started to clean their new house and unpacked, bit by bit, making it feel like home. Their living space, which was adjacent to the dining area through an archway, had the walls decorated with photographs of their family, with Holly's hand drawn pictures in the centre in a special frame.

Rose took a step back, admiring her handiwork. Tony was already working on upgrading some of the plumbing in the house, with plans to do some renovations when they could afford it. Tony would be starting his new job as a plumber and mechanic on Monday, accompanying his boss Mark Latimer. Tony wasn't expecting her to get a job, and neither was Jackie, but it was something that Rose wanted to do, simply to get out of the house, even for a couple of hours.

"Hey Tony?" She called, pulling on her jacket, and grabbing her camera bag.

"Yeah?" His voice echoed from the kitchen, where he was sorting and putting away the groceries.

"D'you mind if I get some fresh air? I want to take some pictures an' explore the place." Rose explained, making sure that she had her phone and everything else was in her pockets.

Tony appeared in the doorway, a doubtful expression clouding his face. "Are you sure that's a good idea? We're new to the area, and anything could happen."

"Please?" Rose pleaded, before this calm discussion turned into an argument. "I've got everythin' with me; phone, medication an' the bracelet. It's been a few months since my last one, an' I've been takin' my medication properly. I'll only be about an hour. I want to take some scenic pictures for my next project an' I don't want to miss the sunset."

Tony reluctantly sighed, unable to say no. He was cautious but didn't want Rose to feel as though she was restricted. "Alright, fine. I don't want to give you a curfew, but if you're out longer than an hour, please keep in touch. Even if it's just a text."

Rose clapped her hands together in excitement, leaning over to hug him. "Thank you! I'll see you later."

"Have fun." He called after her, hearing the door slam, he hoped he wasn't going to regret his decision.

Ellie Miller was furious.

In fact, she was seething in rage. Her soon-to-be ex-husband and now killer of her best friends son had pleaded not guilty at his arraignment, meaning that everybody – especially Beth and her family – now had to endure a trial.

A trial was an awful thing, as both prosecutor and the defence would pick apart at each person involved, thus complicating strong bonds and relationships even further. Her oldest son Tom was no longer speaking to her because she wasn't sticking up for his Dad. He even refused to live with her, choosing instead to live with Ellie's sister, Lucy.

Since Ellie had learnt that Joe was Danny's killer, Ellie had escaped to Devon to get away from it all, to grieve in solitude. She couldn't stand the stares she got from strangers and people whom she considered were friends whispering behind her back. She'd gone into therapy, and whilst it helped, it still didn't take away the guilt she felt.

She was his husband. Surely she would've known. Do you think she had a part to play in it?

Coming back for the arraignment was more than enough, now Ellie had to go through the elements of the trail. After court was over, Ellie decided that she needed to go for a walk. She chose one of her favourite spots at the top of the cliff, overlooking a rather spectacular view of the ocean and the other cliffs.

Ellie sat down on the bench, and took in a deep breath, calming herself from the dramatic events of the day. She closed her eyes, and started counting to ten as her therapist recommended, and had reached six when an irritating noise crept in.

Click. Click. Click, click.

Letting out a huff, Ellie opened her eyes and turned to the source of the clicking. A young girl stood a few steps away from her, taking photographs of the scene in front of her.

"Excuse me, do you mind?" She snapped. "I'm trying to get some peace here and that camera of yours is driving me barmy."

The young woman blushed, stowing the camera back into her bag. "Sorry. I was too absorbed in my work an' I didn't see you there."

Ellie shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I'm not normally this grouchy, it's been a trying day to say the least." She stood up, holding out her hand. "My name's Ellie Miller. I've lived here long enough to say that I know pretty much everyone. You're new to town, aren't you?"

Rose smiled, shaking the woman's hand. "Rose Tyler. Is it tha' obvious?"

Ellie inclined her head, a soft smile on her face. "Well, for one, your accent gives you away. London, am I right?" Rose nodded. "And as I said, I know everybody's faces around here, but not yours."

"Touché." Rose chuckled. "You're righ', my brother an' I arrived early this mornin'. He's startin' a new job on Monday, I'll be looking for one soon, but I've got my studies coming up too."

"Oh, good for him. There's not a lot of jobs around here right now, so he's lucky that he's found one. What are you studying?"

"Art will be my major subject, but I'll also be doin' English literature after Christmas. It'll be hands on, but I'm eager to study an' get into it. I'm actually really into photography, an' I'm hoping to open my own studio one day."

"Do you mind if I have a look?" Ellie asked, indicating the camera.

"Sure." Rose moved to sit down on the bench, with Ellie joining her. "The latest ones are pictures I've taken around here; I'm hoping to paint them later. I have some of family members too."

Ellie carefully took the camera from Rose, and started to scroll through the photographs, each one becoming more and more magnificent. "Wow." She breathed after a few moments. "These are incredible!" After the scenic ones, Ellie started seeing photographs of a little girl, similar to Rose but with mousey brown hair and brown eyes. "Who's this?"

Rose's smile brightened. "My little sister, Hope. She jus' turned five a few months ago. Out of the three of us she's the wild child who gets spoilt rotten. She's the definition of a diva though, she actually beggedme to do this unprompted photoshoot."

"Sounds like my sister Lucy, she always wanted the attention off Mum and Dad, and she typically got it." Ellie continued to scroll through the photographs, until she saw one of Rose when she was younger, with another girl. "Who's this?"

To Ellie's surprise, Rose's demeanour suddenly changed. She had a sad smile on her face when she saw which photograph it was. "My best friend from my childhood." Rose explained, a lump in her throat. "Her name was Pippa."

"Was?"

Rose swallowed the lump. "Pippa died when she was fifteen. Four years ago, now almost five." She sniffed, trying her hardest not to cry. "Time flies."

"I'm sorry." Ellie said solemnly, understanding some of the emotions she was feeling. "I might as well tell you anyway since you'll find out eventually." Ellie sighed, taking a deep breath. "My best friends son was murdered last year, me and my partner were in charge of solving the case. Turns out it was only my bloody husband, wasn't it? He killed my best friends son to stop him from being exposed. Apparently he was having a secret, inappropriate relationship with him behind my back, and now my best friend wants nothing to do with me. She claims that I somehow knew this was going on when I didn't." She saw Rose watching her intently, and laughed nervously, feeling awkward. "Sorry. We've only just met and here I am telling you my life story. I tend to ramble sometimes, it's one of my bad habits."

"Tha's fine, I guess we've both been through somethin' similar in a sense. I thought it was hard getting over my best friend's death, yet you're entire family has been turned upside down."

"I just want you to be aware of what's going on around here before you hear it from the press. We're in the process of preparing for a trial, which is due to start in a few days. We had the arraignment this morning, and the smug bastard pleaded not guilty. He's going to throw this whole town into turmoil, and my family will be at the centre of it. I don't know why I'm telling you all of this, I just don't want you to get a bad impression of me before speaking to me directly. There's enough gossip around here to last a lifetime."

"I tend to stay away from gossip." Rose reassured Ellie. "I make my own judgements, rather than bein' influenced by others."

Ellie smiled a genuine smile, feeling at ease for the first time in a while. "Thank you, I appreciate that." She then pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, scribbling on it before handing it to Rose. "Here's my number, you don't have too, but it's there if you ever want to chat. It'd be nice to have a friend around here for a change, rather than having glares."

"Ahem."

The two women turned at the sound behind them, Rose's face falling. "Hi."

"Don't you 'hi' me, I've been waiting for a text for ages to let me know you were safe, but that never showed. You've been out for almost two and a half hours. Anything could've happened."

Rose sighed, slightly embarrassed with Tony's personal berating in front of Ellie. "I don't suppose I'm sorry will cut it?" Tony shook his head, folding his arms tightly across his chest. "Ellie, this is my older brother, Tony. Tony, this is Ellie. Please be nice."

"Nice to meet you." Ellie greeted him, glancing between the two. "Oh my God, you do look alike. Are you sure you're not twins?"

Tony snorted. "Definitely not. I'm sorry if my sister disturbed you, once she gets talking she doesn't tend to stop. A habit she picked up from Mum." Rose narrowed her eyes at him. "We'd better get going, we've got dinner to make."

"See you around, Ellie." Rose got up and walked towards her brother, and the two began the walk home. "Did you have to embarrass me like tha'?"

Tony laughed, draping an arm around her shoulders. "Of course, I did. It's one of my many privileges being the older brother. Don't worry, I'll do the same to Hope when she gets older."