Hi there! :) So, I'm aware that there are probably tons of stories about how Daisy found out what really led to her parents divorce, but that didn't stop me from giving my version of it. :) This is taking place in that mysterious gap between season 2 and season 3 of Broadchurch.

I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know in a review below...

Chapter 1:

"Ya know, why don't you just tell me if I'm wasting my time here." Alec snarled viciously. "I don't need to stay if I'm obviously not welcome, but I'm not taking the blame this time. I won't give up on Daisy."

Her heart skipped a beat as her name was mentioned. Daisy laid a hand upon her chest as if to silence her heart, afraid that it would give her hiding spot away. It was a completely irrational fear that her heartbeat could be audible, but her parents had a knack for sensing these things. They were both coppers after all.

But yet they hadn't noticed that she's been listening all this time. She also listened often before when her parents were still married. As if those thin walls could conceal their fierce yelling.

But Daisy had truly hoped that things would be better this time around.

Her dad had returned from that tiny, boring town where he'd fled to. He'd even solved the case that had caused so much trouble in their home. Her mum seemed to have forgiven him for leaving and they were able to be relatively civil with each other. Daisy, herself, couldn't stay mad at him for long once he returned; she could see that he was really trying to fix their family.

Everyone deserved a second chance, right?

So her dad moved back to town. Just a couple of streets away from her and Mum. To be close to her. To be able to visit. Daisy loved that. Now that she had both her parents near again, she could escape if she had a squabble with one of them. They both listened to her and tried to understand. They both showered her with the uttermost love and affection. It was as if they felt guilty about something.

Well, and Daisy wouldn't be a feisty, smart teenager if she didn't use all the attention she was getting. She didn't pit them off against each other, no, that wasn't her goal. It was just nice to have the option to pester either Mum or Dad with her problems.

They were surprisingly different with handling her troubles. Her dad had suddenly learned to really listen to her. He tried to help her figure out what to do when she was having problems at school. Whereas her mum was curt and strict and always told her that she trusted her to be old enough to come up with her own solutions. It depended on Daisy's mood which parenting method she preferred.

For a year it all seemed to run quite smoothly. Apart from the fact that her dad wasn't living with them, it felt like everything was returning back to normal. And there was the whole problem. Because normal at the Hardy household wasn't really synonymous for the perfect, happy family. It hasn't been for a long time. Long before the Sandbrook case.

The tone was sarcastic. Snide comments intending to hurt were never far. Feelings weren't spoken off and all three of them ultimately lived in their own lonely bubble. It seemed like her parents loved and hated each other equally strong. Daisy acted like she didn't care about all of it. She's got a thick skin and had to fend for herself long before her parents split up. Their job was important, Daisy knew that. Her parents were always busy, but she was confident that she could manage on her own.

So when the fights returned, Daisy stubbornly refused to see where this was leading.

Dave, her mum's new boyfriend, was often topic of their fights. Daisy had been okay with Dave in the beginning. He and her mum seemed to know each other for a few years now and when her dad hadn't been around, Dave was the one who made her mum happy. Now, slowly but surely, Daisy began to resent him. Dave seemed to keep her mum away whenever they had planned something just for their family. Dave hated her dad and spoke ill of him whenever he could. Her dad couldn't stand him, either, but preferred to stay away when Dave was around instead of risking a confrontation.

The second year since her dad returned was much harder. It wasn't working out. Daisy could no longer deny it. Her parents could feel it, too, but like it had been before, they never addressed the sore topic. And the anger and resentment swelled and swelled and Daisy hated it.

They all knew they were just waiting for the big blow that ended their misery once and for all.

Daisy never thought that she would be the one responsible for the explosion.

This night, it was no different than every other time before. Daisy woke up from the muffled voices that reached her bedroom door. She knew what was going on and tried to blend out the razor-sharp battle of words as best as she could. But, finally, she just gave up and she tiptoed out into the hallway. If her parents couldn't hide their fights better then she might as well find out what it was all about. Maybe then she could help to sooth the emotional scars the next morning.

"I've talked to Daisy." her father just said. "She didn't even know that we were supposed to meet tonight! If you don't want to have dinner, fine. But at least tell me."

"Alec, it just slipped my mind. I've told you!" her mother answered. "Don't act like this never happened to you before. Because it has. Plenty of times!"

"That's in the past. I'm here now! I've got-"

"I know you've got so much time now, because you're stuck at your unfulfilling teaching job. But I'm still on the force. Dave and I are in the middle of an important case. We had interviews the whole day."

An exasperated, hateful groan from her dad. "Of course. And Dave still needs you there to hold his hand, I suppose?"

"Oh, god, stop it. This is getting ridiculous." she sighed. "You've got to learn to hide your jealousy better."

"I'm not jealous of bloody Dave! I couldn't care less about him. This is about the time he's keeping you away from us as a family. That's what's bloody ridiculous! I hardly ever see you or Daise without him there."

"He's part of my life now. You have to accept that!"

"I'm willing to. Alright. I'm willing to accept that, but you have to work on this, too!" A pause. "I've come back for our family. For our daughter. But you don't even want to let me back in."

Her mum wanted to protest. Daisy could tell from the way she breathed out. "That's not-"

"You never wanted to." Her dad interrupted her coldly.

"How can you say that?"

"I can tell. Don't lie to me, Tess. I know you."

"And I know you, so don't deny that you're jealous!"

"Would you stop that already! Do you always need someone else to blame?" He was yelling louder now. "It's not about Dave. It's about you not wanting me here! What, are you afraid I'm gonna tell her what you did on Sandbrook?"

"Stop talking. Now." Her voice was full of barely held back fury and anger, but he ignored her.

"Ya know, why don't you just tell me if I'm wasting my time here. I don't need to stay when I'm obviously not welcome, but I'm not taking the blame this time. I won't give up on Daisy."

That was when Daisy paused and shrank just a little further back, pressed to the wall of the hallway. They were fighting over her. Or maybe over something they didn't tell her?

"Don't you dare bring her into this." said her mum.

"I'm not." he answered. " And I won't say anything. But I have the right to be with our daughter just as much as you have and I won't disappear and give up on that right this time."

A brief, heavy silence followed, then Daisy heard the entrance door fall shut. Her mum was alone. She didn't cry or sound upset, but Daisy could hear her shuffling about. She was coming towards her and Daisy made a hasty retreat back into her room.

There she laid awake for hours after the fight was over, staring at the ceiling.

What did her father mean? He won't give up on her. This time. He said that twice. He said he won't take the blame. This time. The blame for what? The first time he had left, he'd royally messed up the case. He had shattered at least two families, the Gillespies and his own. He'd run away from the consequences and left her mother to pick up the pieces. He was to blame.

Wasn't he?

After that night, Daisy couldn't think about anything but the fight anymore. Possibilities of what her dad could have meant were distracting her and keeping her mind busy. Schooldays passed by with her staring out the window, wondering. Was there something about her parents divorce she didn't know? What did her mum do? Dad had accused her of something apparently work-related. Or was that just to justify his own wrongdoings?

Would her dad really leave them again?

Daisy was especially afraid of that possibility. They had finally rekindled their relationship that had been so special when she was still little. She loved both her parents, of course she did, but Daisy had always been a bit of a daddy's girl and it broke her heart when he left the first time.

As long as she was around, however, her parents continued to act as if nothing happened. They had always avoided fighting in front of her – at least as far as they knew – but Daisy was aware now how fragile their family still was and it scared her.

Hence why she decided to make it her mission to find out what really happened all these years ago. If she knew, maybe she could help her parents to get over their differences.

Daisy spent her spare time obsessively researching the internet about the detested case that broke her family apart. The way the journalists illustrated the incompetence of the police and in particular the way how everyone threw her dad to the lions was painful to read. But it brought back old memories. It helped Daisy vividly remember everything about this time.

She decided that, whatever blame was apparently falsely placed, it either must have something to do with the case of the two missing girls or her parents' private life. Whatever it was, Daisy was determined to find it out.

She spent weeks on her research, barely leaving her room anymore. Her grades at school were slipping, but Daisy simply didn't care. Her family was at stake. How could anything be more important than that?

Her mum disagreed obviously and they frequently got into arguments about how little Daisy was concentrating on school. It was her final year of high school; her mum couldn't understand how Daisy could possibly start slacking now. Of course, she didn't know the real reason for Daisy's distraction. She seemed to blame it on boys, which made Daisy angry. Her mum was working long hours and was still stressed when she got home. How dare she make assumptions about her when she was barely around to ask about her day.

All of a sudden, the roles of her parents seemed to be reversed.

It was her mum now who was working too hard and her dad who had time for her. He was currently a training officer for South Mercia police. Even though he had a pacemaker now and his health was improving steadily, his old police department still was reluctant to employ him on the force. Doubtlessly because of the scandal-tinged Sandbrook case that showcased him in such a bad light. Of course her dad hated his teaching job, but at least it had reasonable hours.

When Daisy fought with her mum, she often found herself escaping to his small flat after school and he would already be there and they spent the afternoon grouching about their respective days in class.

Daisy enjoyed these afternoons. She didn't want to lose him again. It was in one of those calm moments of trust and openness that Daisy almost dared to ask all the questions that were circling in her brain.

"Dad?" she started one day before she could force her tongue to stay still.

"Hm?" he made, not looking up from the newspaper he was reading on the sofa while she was sitting at the small square kitchen table, faking to be engrossed in her homework.

A part of Daisy instantly regretted opening her mouth. She feared that she wouldn't like the answers he'd give her. If he even answerd at all. Maybe he would be angry at her for asking questions about things that only concerned him and Mum. Maybe that would make him leave and it would be her fault.

Her dad eventually did look up from the newspaper when Daisy didn't say anything else. In his eyes she could already see worry and suspicion forming. He knew something was wrong.

Damn him and his copper nature.

"You and Mum… you're fighting again, aren't you?" Daisy finally pressed out nervously.

He folded the newspaper and shifted uncomfortably in his seat without looking at her. "Did we ever stop?" he grumbled into the scruffy stubble of his beard.

"Dad, I'm serious."

"So am I."

Daisy swallowed. "I just want to know if it's going to be as bad as last time." Very quietly she added, "Would be nice to get a bit of warning before you leave this time."

But he heard her and his eyes widened slightly beneath his reading glasses that he took off now. "Who says anything about me leaving?" The question was spoken calm but sharp, nonetheless.

"No one." Daisy immediately pledged. "I just… I heard you, that's all."

He regarded her inquisitively. "What have you heard?"

Now it was Daisy who had to avert her eyes. "Just fighting. Nothing specific." she lied.

There was a long pause. They both knew that he knew she was lying. Then, suddenly, her dad stood up from the sofa and came over to her. With a small sigh he sat down in the chair next to her. Daisy quickly looked up to gauge his mood and then back onto the table again. Her dad reached for her hand, covering it carefully with his own.

"Daise, you don't have to worry, alright? Your mum and I… I know we fight a lot. We're both stupid, stubborn people. But we both love you. You know that, right?"

Daisy nodded her head with much more confidence than she actually felt.

"We'd never do anything to hurt you." he continued. "She wouldn't and I wouldn't, either. I promise." He squeezed her hand a little tighter when Daisy didn't react. "We're going to figure this out, okay?" he said, his big brown eyes pleading with her, asking for patience. "Your mum and I will find a way to make this work. Don't worry about it."

Daisy nodded again. Even less confidence now.

Her dad kept looking at her for a while. She felt his eyes on her. Then he stood up, leaning down once more to stroke her hair back and kiss her head. "Concentrate on your maths." he said to her.

Inevitably, her eyes landed on the task before her, but Daisy didn't really see the numbers. "I hate maths." she grumbled with the annoyance of every unwilling teenager.

"I know." he said as he walked out of the room, eliminating the chance of her asking more questions.

That was a week ago.

Today, Daisy sat frozen in front of her laptop.

The articles she read about Sandbrook kept repeating the same facts over and over again without mentioning anything other than what she already thought to know: Her dad was to blame. The key evidence was stolen from his car when he stopped at a hotel. What happened there Daisy refused to imagine; it still made her angry.

But she no longer believed that this was the whole truth. Some parts of the puzzle were still missing. Regardless, Daisy was ready to give up, realizing that whatever happened must be something personal after all and the only ones who'd have answers were her parents, who wouldn't talk to her.

But, suddenly, an idea struck her.

The Sandbrook case was solved now. That was the reason why her father finally decided to return. He and his partner from Broadchurch cracked the case. Maybe there was new evidence that corrected the mistake that had been made before. Yes, of course, that must be it. Daisy didn't think to include more recent articles in her search.

There were quite a few, although rather brief, mentions of that cold case that finally came to a conclusion and gave some peace to the family. Well, more or less at least, since the outcome was still pretty disturbing. No wonder their work was messing with her parents heads so badly.

But that wasn't why Daisy sat frozen in front of her laptop.

It was an article of the Broadchurch Echo that made her pause. It wasn't just letting people know that the case has been solved, but was the only article that featured actual quotes from her dad about what went wrong the first time around.

"The Truth about Sandbrook"

Was the written headline in big, bold letters. And below, on the left side, a picture of her dad in front of the cliffs of Broadchurch with the caption:

"He took the blame."

Daisy knew immediately that this was exactly what she had been looking for and yet she was scared of starting to read. Somehow it was already clear in her mind that whatever was revealed here would affect her greatly and she wasn't quite ready to let go of the innocence of not knowing.

She looked over her shoulder, back to the door of her room, feeling like she was about to do something her mum would ground her for if she'd ever find out. But Daisy was home alone right now so her anxiousness was for no reason, right? She texted her mum, asking when she would be home from work and got a reply saying that it would probably be late. So, at last, Daisy returned back to the article and began:

"It took three years but now the culprits behind the disappearance and the horrible death of cousins Lisa Newbury and Pippa Gillespie are finally captured. This wouldn't have been possible without the tireless work of Detective Inspector Alec Hardy.

Despite being publicly slandered because of a mistake that caused the case to fall apart during the trial, DI Hardy never gave up on the Sandbrook murders and was now finally able to close the case that nearly cost him his job and apparently also his life.

As citizens of Broadchurch can attest, this is the type of passionate, devotional police work that we already witnessed during the investigation of the stirring murder of local boy, Daniel Latimer, earlier this year. But after he made such significant arrests, we wondered what could have gone so horrendously wrong on Sandbrook before. The Broadchurch Echo sat down with DI Hardy for an exclusive interview where he revealed, for the first time ever, the whole truth about Sandbrook.

'We had our prime suspect, but all the evidence was circumstantial.' remembered Hardy. 'During the search of a car one of my Detective Sergeants found the pendant, belonging to one of the girls. There were finger prints all over. It was the smoking gun.'

This was already reported by numerous press agencies at the time. According to those, this key evidence, that should have proven the guilt of neighbour Lee Ashworth, was later stolen from DI Hardy's car because of a careless error in the chain of custody. But now the Detective Inspector, lined with stress and marked by serious health problems that followed the smear campaign against him, comes clean about a rather unexpected fact:

It wasn't him who lost Pippa Gillespie's pendant.

'My DS was taking that bagged evidence back to HQ and she stopped at a hotel for a drink.'

According to the DI the reason for this unplanned stop, enabling the break-in, was an interoffice affair between two Detective Sergeants on his team. When questioned why he still made the career-threatening decision to take the blame, Hardy responded:

'It happened on my watch.'

Despite this revelation, DI Hardy has asked that we don't mention the name of the involved Detective Sergeant to protect her career."

The article still went on but Daisy needed to take a break.

She slumped back in her chair, her arms and legs prickling numbly as the blood seemed to freeze in her veins.

It wasn't her dad who blew the case?! It wasn't him who lost evidence and who… had an affair!

It wasn't him!?

Overthrowing thoughts zinged through Daisy's brain quick as lightning. Who was it then? Why would her dad care so much about a random DS who failed so terribly at his job that he would take the blame for him? No, for her. It said it was a female DS. Promptly, Daisy wondered if it was still possible that her dad had the affair and that he only tried to protect his lover from the consequences of this revelation.

No, two Detective Sergeants. The female one who lost the pendant and another one on her dad's team. The one she met for a drink at the hotel. The one she had an affair with...

"What, are you afraid I'm gonna tell her what you did on Sandbrook?"

"And Dave still needs you there to hold his hand, I suppose?"

"You've got to learn to hide your jealousy better."

"I'm not taking the blame this time. I won't give up on Daisy."

"I won't say anything. But I have the right to be with our daughter just as much as you have."

Blood was rushing in Daisy's ears and she had to clutch the arms of her chair so she wouldn't fall over. She was feeling sick, all of a sudden, as her mind was going to places that she didn't want to imagine.

"Dave and I are in the middle of an important case."

"He's part of my life now. You have to accept that!"

"Do you always need someone else to blame!"

"It's about you not wanting me here!"

"I'm not taking the blame this time. I won't give up on Daisy."

Daisy was breathing harshly. After her dad had moved out, it didn't take long until Daisy met Dave, another copper, for the first time. The divorce wasn't even through yet. She had liked him because her mum obviously liked him. And she was angry at her dad for what he did.

"Oh, god." Daisy whispered trembling. "He didn't do anything."

The female Detective Sergeant was her mum!

It must have been. Her dad never trusted people easily; he wouldn't sacrifice this much for just anyone. Her mum had an affair with Dave but her dad still covered for her. Why would he do that when she had betrayed him? Daisy's heart skipped a beat as she fully realized the meaning of her thoughts.

She betrayed him not the other way around!

But he took all the blame. He took the accusations, the slander of the press. He risked his health for this case and he almost died because of the never-ending stress. But he took everyone's hate.

He took it to protect her.

But Daisy hated him.

And her mum let it happen.

Disbelieving tears filled Daisy's unblinking eyes. How could she do that? How could her mum stand by and watch how she cut her dad, who she loved so much, out of her life? How could she never say anything to vindicate him?

Did she let Daisy believe all those terrible things that were said about him just to protect herself? Was she really that selfish?

Daisy's head hurt. She couldn't believe what she'd found out. Her feet wanted to carry her down to the police station immediately to confront her mum, but she knew that she was much too upset to get one sensible word out. It would have to wait until later tonight.

To be continued...