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So long... happy reading!

Chapter 3:

The worst part was over. Daisy felt that.

Even though the fight and its aftermath had been hurtful and forced her to reconsider pretty much everything she knew before, Daisy was convinced that whatever happened now could only be better.

Her dad had been right.

Once she talked out all her frustration and made it clear what she needed from her parents to be happy right now, the stress just ebbed away. The ball was in their court, so to speak. They needed to decide what to do now. Not she.

Daisy felt free. She no longer dreaded her school days as much, because to her it seemed like the days she had to spent there were limited. There was an end in sight before a new chapter in her life would begin. One way or another something would change. And that was good.

It was only a matter of time, she hoped, before those changes would start to take solid shapes. Her mum needed to accept the fact that Daisy was really serious about her moving away and her dad had to make a decision where they would go.

It was all very exciting.

In her eager anticipation Daisy was actually getting a bit calmer around her mum. Not friendly. Not yet. But they could be present in the same room when Daisy came by to pick up some of her stuff she needed at her dad's place without starting a fight. Her mum didn't talk about Daisy's irrevocable decision. Of course she didn't. But she also didn't try to convince her to stay.

After a few weeks there came a time when Daisy didn't need to come by anymore to pick up clothes or school stuff.

She was fully settled in at her dad's and the two of them had a nice, little routine going. He would do the shopping, she the cooking. And he would ring her up helplessly if he didn't find one of the ingredients she needed and she would laugh and call him silly. They took turns with the cleaning of the house.

It was almost too perfect to change it up.

However, Daisy's school year was slowly coming to an end and even though her grades were improving, it didn't suffice for a good graduation. Daisy knew that she could do so much better indeed. She also longed to have her own room and her own bed again instead of sleeping on the couch in her dad's living room.

So one day, when winter was turning into spring, Daisy finally dared to bring up the subject of moving once more.

"Dad, what do you think where we should live?" she asked bluntly just as he was about to take a sip from his cup of tea. He paused his movement for a second before bringing the mug to his lips, stalling for time.

They had just returned from a bit of Saturday shopping and the afternoon was lazy and calm. A newspaper laid open on the kitchen counter, advertising flats to rent. Not that she wanted to move around just in the immediate area, but hoping that her dad would bring up the subject by himself, Daisy had, not-so-subtly, been studying the paper for a few minutes now.

He had remained stubbornly oblivious, though. Whether this was on purpose or not, Daisy couldn't tell. But now she wasn't going to let him ignore this topic any longer.

"You mean if we would move away from here?" he asked.

"Yes. When we move away from here." Daisy emphasized.

Her dad took a deep breath, resting his forearms and his mug of tea on the counter across from her. "Daise, you know I'd love to have you and I asked you to think carefully about this."

"I have, Dad. I really have." she assured him. "This isn't just an impulsive decision. I like living with you. I want to continue living with you… just not here. This place is too small."

"In time you will miss your mum." he reminded her.

"Maybe. But I'll be fine with seeing her every other weekend or so. I'm not a kid anymore."

Her dad looked down. "No, you're not, I guess." he admitted quietly. He kept staring at the counter top for a while longer before abruptly gazing up and straight into her eyes. "I've made mistakes, too, darling. Horrible ones I wish I could undo. Choosing work over family far too often. I'll probably do that again." he said. "I try not to, but... I've been told I tend to get a bit obsessive over cases and I can't… I can't stop that." he told her regrettably.

Daisy swallowed. She knew that, of course. She wouldn't want him to completely change who he was. Her dad was a passionate policeman. He couldn't do anything else than that. Except maybe one thing:

"You were always a good Dad."

He snorted, leaning back. "No, I wasn't. I moved away the first time because I knew you'd be better off without constantly wondering where I was. There had been weeks where I didn't even make it home for one single family dinner."

Daisy shook her head. "I don't care."

"Daise, I don't want to disappoint you again." her dad professed. He had taken her hands tightly in his, pleading with her to see reason. But, if anything, it only reassured Daisy even more.

"Your job is important. You make people's lives better."

"Not more important than you."

"I know, Dad." Daisy spoke softly. "I know that you care. That's the reason I'm so angry with Mum. She didn't care enough about me to tell me the truth."

"That's not why she—"

"Dad, you're a good person." Daisy interrupted. "And a great dad. Because you care. The times we had together when I was little, just you and me, those were special to me. Yes, they were rare, but you always made sure that I felt… loved."

After her timid confession he didn't really know how to reply. Smiling almost unnoticeably, he looked into his cuppa.

"I want to live with you, Dad." Daisy repeated firmly.

Finally, his smile got a little brighter and he lifted his head, gazing back at her. "Alright." he simply said and Daisy's eyes lit up immediately. He came around the counter to give her one of those long, tight hugs that made her feel cosy and childlike. His deep, Scottish rumble sounded close to her ear, saying, "I love you, darling."

Daisy grinned happily and tightened her grip around him. "Love you, too, Dad." Then she let him go. He took his cuppa and kissed her head walking by on his way to the sofa. Daisy's heart beat fast and hopeful. Finally, progress. A definite plan taking form. She and her dad would live together again. They would spend time repairing their father-daughter-relationship that was destroyed by the betrayal of her mother. She would have a happy future again.

"What do you think of Broadchurch?"

Daisy blinked a little perplexed. "Huh?" she uttered, questioningly looking at her dad.

"Broadchurch. How would you like living there?" he repeated with a little grin. He obviously felt smug for catching her off-guard for once. So he did give some thoughts to moving all along, it seemed.

"Ah, I don't know…" Daisy furrowed her brows. "You always told us how much you hated it there. Why would you want to return?"

Her dad tilted his head with a little half-shrug. "It's not all bad. It's calm. Mostly. That's what you need, right?"

"Well, there's calm and there's boring." Daisy retorted.

Laughter shook her dad. Rare seen and pure. "I have been thinking about going back there… for a while actually." he said after recovering. "They still have an open spot for a DI. I'd be able to work cases again. The stress level isn't expected to be as great as in Sandbrook."

Daisy nodded in understanding. "You'd be able to quit the teaching job you hate."

"Yah. I, ah… I need to have proper work. I need to do something." her dad admitted.

No more reasonable hours. A little unpredictability and the knowledge that he can make a difference. That was what Daisy heard. But she understood. He wasn't happy with the job he currently had. There was more in him. More he could do. More people he could help. He wasn't done yet.

"I promise it will be different than before." her dad said after she didn't answer right away. "Broadchurch's not even nearly half as big as Sandbrook. I'll be home to eat dinner with you. I'll be there for you whenever you need me, alright?"

"It's okay." Daisy said with a smile. "I know you will, Dad. Plus, it's at the coast, right?" Her grin widened. "That's cool."

"Ha, you listen to me," he lifted his voice sternly. "You'll need to repeat the same class at the local school there. So there's no time for you to slack off, understood? You'll show what you're really capable of this time."

"I will." Daisy moaned and rolled her eyes.

"Good." he said.

She let him take another sip of his tea before speaking up again. "So… we're moving to Broadchurch?"

"If you're really serious about this?"

Daisy nodded excitedly.

"Then we will."

She smiled brightly and hurried over to sit next to her father, hugging him from the side. She felt him laugh and, finally, he put the mug down to put an arm around her. Daisy kept sitting there with her head leaned against his shoulder. "Where would we live?" she asked after a while.

"I already found a few places." said her dad. "We could look at them and you tell me what you think?"

Daisy smiled contently. "Sounds perfect."

That's it. :)

I hope you enjoyed this bridge between the second and third season. If so, please let me know! Thank you for reading!