Well guys, this is it! The last hurrah for our awkward romantic heroes, Alec and Rebecca. Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing and for all the love you guys have given me for this story. I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart! 3
Without bothering to change into regular clothes Rebecca dashed out of her flat wearing only what she had on while she had been trying to go to sleep; cotton shorts and a tank top, although she did stop long enough to quickly throw on a pair of sandels. She took a few seconds to lock the door behind her before racing down the boulevard. Her feet pounding against the concrete echoed loudly across the empty streets, the lamplights throwing slices of light through the shadows. Her heart slammed in her chest wildly as she tried to think of what she should say to Alec. Ollie's words had been a revelation to her, an affirmation that all these jumbled pieces that had seemed so confusing to her actually somehow really made sense. I really owe him one, she thought as she turned the corner, not breaking her stride. He had broken all kinds of professional ethics by bringing her information before it hit the presses. She would forever be grateful to him for doing so. A plethora of scenarios ran through her mind as she ran. Now that she knew, what should she say? What was the best way to approach this?
She only had a half formed plan formed in her head by the time she reached the hotel where Alec was staying. She walked through the lobby, ignoring Becca's glance at what she was wearing.
"What room is Detective Hardy staying in?" she asked breathlessly.
Becca's eyebrows flew up so high on her forehead they almost seemed to disappear. "218", she said.
Not wanting to get trapped in a conversation with endless questions fueled by prurient nosiness, Rebecca nodded to the other woman briskly and headed to the stairs.
...
She knocked on the door twice before he answered. Despite the late hour it looked as if Alec had gotten as much sleep as she did. He was still in his work clothes, his tie loosened and askew. His hair was even more ruffled than usual. She resisted the urge to reach up and tidy it with her fingers. He looked surprised to see her.
"Rebecca?" he asked, as if he was unsure that it was really her.
"May I come in, Alec?" she asked quietly.
He stepped aside to let her pass.
She walked into the room and looked around. It was the first time she The bed was made and looked as if it hadn't been touched for days. Aside from a coat flung haphazardly on the back of a chair and a smattering of papers spread out across the small end table, the room looked barely lived in. The window was open and a night breeze was blowing through the room. She rubbed her arms, trying to dispel goosebumps. She turned to see him leaning with his back against the door. He wouldn't look at her.
She suddenly felt overly self-conscious in her tank top and shorts, and that it was in the middle of the night. She folded her arms across her chest and cleared her throat shyly. Despite her initial exuberance when she had left her flat she now found herself not knowing where to begin. Out of the corner of her eye she saw his heart medication peeking out from underneath some of the papers in the desk and remembered why she was there. I love him, she thought. I love him and he needs to know. And if he doesn't feel the same way...at least he'll know the truth, and we can both move on with our lives instead of being stuck in this hellish limbo.
"Did you watch the press conference?" he asked suddenly, his voice raspy.
Startled, she replied, "Yes, I did. It was heartbreaking."
"It's not over yet," he said. "There's still the trial." He finally turned his gaze to her, his brown eyes dark with unasked questions. "And then I suppose I'll be leaving."
She looked at him. The silence seemed to be loud with unspoken words.
"Alec..." she started to say. And then she faltered. She had almost expected him to be angry with her for barging in on him so late. But he didn't look mad at all, he looked...almost nervous. As if she had come here to deliver some kind of bad news. As if...she had come here to hurt him in some way. In that moment he looked so uncharacteristically vulnerable that it was all she could do to keep from running into his arms. "Ollie came to see me tonight," she said. "He told me about...what you had told him earlier...about Sandbrooke."
"Bloody journalists," he grumbled.
"No," she said, "I'm glad he did. It helped to really put things in perspective for me."
He raised an eyebrow at her, looking skeptical.
She took a deep breath. Here goes nothing, she thought. "Look," she said, "I know we haven't known each other for very long. And I also know that this has been moving fast, probably faster than what you're used to, and definitely faster than what I'm used to..." She knew she was rambling, but she couldn't seem to stop. The dark intensity of his eyes seemed to urge her on.
"And..." she continued hesitantly, "I know that you've been keeping your distance lately, and at first I thought that it was because of me, that it was something I did. But after talking with Ollie, I realize that it's not that at all."
"So what is it about then?" He asked.
"I know what happened. During the Sandbrooke case...and how you were betrayed and hurt by the one you cared about the most."
Alec opened his mouth to speak but she continued on before he could interrupt her. "I just want you to know that I would never do that to you, Alec. I never could do that to you."
"And how could you even possibly say that?" He scoffed. His tone was light but she could see his body was taut with tension, as if he were hanging on to her every word.
"Because I love you," she said simply.
Time seemed to slow down, and then stop completely. The moment hung in the air between them, thick and heavy, like honey. It vibrated on her tongue and in her fingertips. She didn't know whether she should leave or stay. She felt rooted to the spot. She wasn't sure she could move even if she wanted to.
With a noise that was halfway between a groan and a growl he crossed the room and grabbed her, taking her into his arms roughly. She let out a gasp of surprise as he pulled her against his chest. He crushed his lips against hers and she felt herself respond without hesitation, snaking her arms around him and sinking her nails into his back as she clenched him to her harder.
"I love you too," he whispered fiercely against her lips. "God knows I've tried not to, fought it like hell, but I just can't seem to stop."
Her tongue darted in his mouth, effectively silencing him. She could feel his heart hammering against her chest; their wild and erratic beats almost in rhythm to each other. Grasping for one shred of rational thought before sinking into oblivion she gasped out, "Your heart...are you...is this...okay?"
He let out a strangled bark of a laugh. "That's the last thing you need to worry about. My heart can handle you, can handle this, just fine."
She relaxed, finally giving up that last bit of logic and allowing herself to take pleasure in the situation. Grinning wickedly, she sank her teeth into his lower lip, delighting in the rough moan the action elicited. He grabbed her by the arms and pulled her roughly over to the edge of the bed. He ran the backs of his hands over the flimsy material of her tank top, feeling the hardened buds of her nipples. Rebecca pushed herself against him, trying to gain more friction. She mewled in frustration when he pulled away.
He looked down at her, his eyes full of wonder and lust. "You're too beautiful to be real," he said.
Her heart soared. Oh, how she loved this man! He was almost too good to be true. "I'll show you how real I am," she said breathlessly as she tugged at his tie. As she hastily undid the buttons of his shirt he pulled her tank top off of her, lowering his head to place fevered kisses and bites across her chest.
She fell back on the bed as she pulled off her shorts, watching Alec surreptitiously pulling off his pants. She let out a laugh of pure delight. Was there anything as amazing as this? This frantic desire to be close to another human being? As close as possible.
And then he was on top of her. In a tangled mess of heat and flesh and limbs. He was hard where she was soft. Rebecca could barely tell where she ended and he began. She was wet and ready as soon as he had first touched her. When he was finally inside her she felt complete for the first time in her life.
"I'm sorry," he gasped out. "I had pictured that a lot slower, more romantic."
She smiled languidly. "Honey, there's plenty of time for romance."
"There is?" he asked, pleased.
He still sounded slightly wary, as if waiting for the bubble of joy they just shared to pop. Rebecca smiled to herself. She had a lifetime to cherish this man, to make him feel beloved.
"Oh yes," she said as she leaned over to kiss him. "The night's still young, and if you think I'm going to let you sleep at all tonight, you're sorely mistaken."
...
The trial was scheduled for a date two weeks away. While the town was still recovering from the shock and betrayal over what had happened, at least it was no longer holding its breath. Though it would be a slow and painful process, everyone was healing. The healing wasn't restricted to Broadchurch residents however. For the first time in a very long time, Alec found that he was able to breathe easier. He woke up without feeling any hint of despair.
It was remarkable.
It was a week before the trial. They were standing in her flat's tiny kitchen. He watched her as she filled a clear vase with flowers. The afternoon sunlight poured in from the window, creating a dappled pattern of gold across the wall.
"Well," Alec said as he tugged his ear absentmindedly. "Since the case has been solved the department stopped paying for my room. At the hotel."
"Is that so?" Rebecca asked, feigning disinterest as she straightened out the stalks of flowers.
"Yeah," he said. "And I doubt I could afford to stay there for too long after the trial. Worst cop in Britain, me. Don't pay me a lot, do they?"
She paused. She knew what she wanted to ask him but at the same time she was desperately afraid of frightening him. "Well," she said slowly, "you could stay here...with me."
He looked around, raising his eyebrow in disbelief. "What, in this tiny place? We'd be practically on top of each other."
She grinned, despite herself. "And would that really be a bad thing?"
He turned red. "Well, no...it wouldn't."
She bit her lip, smiling at him.
He looked at her, the gleeful expression on her face teasing a small smile from his lips. "Won't we get on each other's nerves?"
"Most likely, yeah," she conceded.
"And you're going to love every minute of it, aren't you?"
"Yup. Aren't you?"
He smiled then, one of those rare, joyous smiles that made her heart feel like it was being filled with warm, molten gold.
"Absolutely," he said.
She let out a small whoop of happiness as she threw her arms around his neck and raised her lips to his. He slid his arms around her and she felt his hands grip her tight as they kissed.
As if he would never let her go.
~*~ Finis