A/N: This doesn't go anywhere really.
Disclaimer: Why.
Alec was never a man who sleeps early, but he's never a man who wakes up late as well. And despite tossing and turning in bed the night before, he managed to wake up just in time to see Ellie getting her boys to get in the car. He was disappointed that he couldn't help himself but to feel a small smile emerge on his face at the sight as he stood on his balcony and watched over them. He watched how Ellie greeted her neighbours when she opened up the gates that barricaded her house. Her friendly, cheerful manners. Maybe he was wrong after all, about her – maybe she wasn't as lonely.
Ellie could easily get along with people.
She could win the hearts of many with the too-stubborn and caring heart of her own. He had hated how she could take the day on with a smile because really, how does one even do that? He could barely walk down the streets without feeling annoyed at how clear the skies were.
But that's Ellie for the world.
Heads up, strut along, make a joke. Gets shit, throws shit back at the universe. Move on.
He continued to observe, earning him a cheerful smile when she saw him standing in his balcony with his hair spiked up in every direction from the sleep, "Good morning, Hardy!"
Goodness. How can one be so sprightly in the morning?
"Morning'," Alec replied shortly, the small smile might have spread all over his face by now. And what he didn't expect from the exchange of greetings was sets of the neighbours' eyes that suddenly darted at him. He blushed, the smile went away in an instant and looked away, turning around, almost banging into the glass door and walked into his room before burying his face into his bed.
Great.
Now the neighbours will probably think that he's an arrogant knob.
Alec stayed at home in the morning, waiting for the furniture and appliances he ordered to arrive. But not short after he was having his homemade sandwich for breakfast, it came and he spent his whole afternoon directing men to move things.
"Alright. Book rack. Upstairs, the smaller room at the back."
"That office desk, same room. There's a chair that comes with it right?"
"The sofas you can leave it in the living room. But is it okay if you lads could bring the old ones into that room just now as well? Thanks. Just leave the coffee table where they are."
"Can I have that bed into the other room, please? No, not the master bedroom. Yes, the other one. You can put the wardrobe there as well. Night tables? The darker one is for the master bedroom. Lighter one in the other one, yes, thanks. "
"Do you need help? I could- oh okay then. If you say so."
"I don't mind how you'd arrange it. But just make the room look neat, yeah?"
"Just leave the telly aside. I'll think of what to do with it later."
"Aye, could you help me fix the washer-dryer in the laundry room? Yeah, that's right, that small room behind the kitchen. Just place the microwave on the island, I'll get that."
He didn't even worry of where the movers placed everything. Instead, he felt quite pleased with how they managed to arrange everything nicely and he didn't felt the need to shuffle things about to fit his preferences – it already fit his preferences.
Or maybe he just couldn't care less on how he should move them about again.
Alec went outside to thank the men, paid them the moving fee and then a little extra for helping him arrange the stuff, "Sorry if I wasn't of much help."
"Nah, sir. You made our job smooth today. Have a good day, sir." One of the younger movers reached out a hand.
He stared at it first, before taking it and returned the smile the young men gave him, "You too, lad."
When the lorry drove off, a woman walked up to him from the open gates of the house across the street, with her arms around herself, "Good afternoon."
"To you too."
Socializing.
Step 1: Greeting – checked.
"I see you've made friends with Ellie."
"Yeah."
Step 2: Answers rhetorical statements – checked.
The woman reached out a hand, "I'm Julie, by the way."
"Hardy," He shook her hand, gripping it a little too tightly, silently praying that his palms would not start sweating.
Step 3: Self-Introduction – checked.
Don't worry, it's like the first day of school, he reminded himself, or work.
"You're a shy person, aren't ya?"
Final step: Hold a conversation – in progress.
Okay, how does he answer this one? Alec fidgeted, opened his mouth but saying nothing, closing them again. Instead, he looked down at his feet, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Indeed you are." Julie let out a small laugh, amused.
Problem solved.
Although he didn't quite agree with her about him being a shy person.
"But I suppose you could go along well with Ellie?"
Alec looked up at her, an eyebrow raised. How is this conversation still going on without him saying anything?
"I saw you in the morning when Ellie greeted you," Julie continued, "Ellie's a really warm person. She can easily socialize with anyone at all. Although she's new here herself, but she's a really nice neighbour."
"Yeah, she is." That was all that Alec could mutter. How hard could that be?
"You here alone?"
"Aye."
"No family?"
"I've a daughter. But she's with her mum."
"Divorced, aren't you?"
"Aye."
"Sorry."
"It's alright," This socializing thing wasn't as tough as he thought, "How about your family?"
"I've got 3 boys. One of them is my husband," Alec let a small laugh, well at least he attempted to, "Ellie's single, though."
"I know," Alec almost regretted, wincing upon realising how instantly he responded to it, as if it were a good thing, making Julie gave him a knowing look. Alec pulled himself together, almost stuttering when he spoke, "We talked."
"I see. It's nice knowing you," She reached out a hand again for him to shake farewell, "I hope you'll like it here in Gracestone."
"Aye."
Mission socialize: Complete.
The supermarket in Gracestone is quiet and very much empty. He almost lost himself in between the aisles, wondering what to get – more particularly what to cook for himself for dinner. As he was picking out which brand of pasta to buy, his phone went off.
A text message.
It's been long since he last received a text message.
Especially from his daughter.
She never texted him before and all those calls that he had missed, she never left a voicemail either and to get a message from her was as surprising for him as he felt his heart starting to pace a little quicker.
[dad where are you?]
Where?
That was… different.
Should he reply? Or should he call straight away?
Alec just shook his head and put the phone away back into his jacket pocket, pulling a random box of fusilli off the shelf, pushing the content of the text message out of his mind.
But not short after he went on to the next aisle to get some spaghetti sauce, his phone went off again.
[are you okay?]
Alec set his phone to silent mode and put it away.
[I couldn't find you in Broadchurch. reply me please.]
That's it. He started typing on his phone:
[what were you doing in broadchurch?]
And instead of a reply, a call came in and he grunted, knowing that he was unable to decline it, "Daisy."
"Dad," the familiar voice said to him with a term he hadn't been called in in a long time, "hi."
"What were you doing in Broadchurch?" His low voice rung down the empty aisle and his accent was thick with a slight temper.
"Uh, I'm fine... Thanks?" Her response was bitter and annoyed at the same time.
But that didn't stop him from getting his answer, "What were you doing in Broadchurch?"
"How are you, dad?"
"M'fine, thanks," Alec realised that it was going to be long conversation and so he proceeded to the vegetable section, getting himself random greens, "you haven't answered my question, darlin'."
"Is your heart all right, dad?"
Alec rolled his eyes, trying to be patient to his girl, realising how much he had actually missed her voice, "It's fine. My heart is doing fine. How are ya, Daisy?"
"I'm good, dad. I missed you, that's all."
I missed you.
He hadn't heard that being said to him in a long time as well. And as astonishing it may be for him to hear that again, especially from his daughter, it warmed him up inside. He could feel himself starting to choke but he's definitely not going to make it known to his daughter that she might have made him want to tear a little. He feels all this but Alec would never make his true feelings known; it's always like that for him.
Put on a front, look tough.
Sound like nothing bothers.
Act like nothing matters.
But still, he managed to say what he wanted to his daughter, "I missed you too, darlin'."
"Where are you now, dad?"
"What were you doing in Broadchurch, darlin'?"
For a moment, she paused but he knows she would answer him still, "I had a tournament there. Netball. We were there for two days. I asked around for you but they said you were gone a long time. Where'd you been, dad?"
"I went back to Aberdeen. There's nothing left for me there."
"Went? You're not still in Aberdeen?" Alec didn't know what to make of her attention to detail, to feel proud or irritated, "Where are you now?"
He sighed. Alec wasn't sure on how to feel – touched? Moved? Concerned?
"Why d'you wanna know?"
"I worry for you, dad." Reasonable, that was, "And I've got things to talk to you about."
"What?" Alec regretted at how crossed he must have sounded, immediately allowing his voice to gentle, "you can't just talk about it to me on the phone? Or Facetime me, even. I've figured how to use it, you know."
If he thought the humour would have eased the tense in their conversation, he was so wrong when she sighed and responded in a tone more vexed than his, "No, dad. I actually need to talk to you."
"What is it about, Daisy?"
"I know what happened, dad."
"You know what happened? What do you even mean? 'S far as I know there hadn't been anything that happened in my life." Come on, he's praying hard for his little girl to ease off.
"Dad," Daisy called him out through the phone, "I know what happened."
Alec went silent.
Frozen – almost dropping the grocery basket in hand.
"Dad? You still there?"
"Aye," He murmured softly, "What is it that you want to say, Daisy?"
"Dad," He heard her take a deep breath and he worried a little, of what she was going to say next, on how he was going to take it, "I know about you and mum."
"It's all over the papers, innit? 'Course y'do."
"Stop deflecting, dad."
He sighed, putting the basket of groceries down on the vegetables, rubbing a hand down on the side of his face, "I-uh,"
"Dad, just- can you just-," Now she's sighing, "Where are you now?"
He hesitated but he knows she's not going to let him go off so easily, "Gracestone."
"Gracestone?"
"Aye."
"That's a 2-hour drive to Sandbrook, innit?"
"Aye."
"Pick me up after school tomorrow? Bring me over for the weekend?"
Alec almost lost grip of his phone. His eyes widened and his mouth gaped for quite a while that a local passed by him worried and that he had to assure her with a thumb up, "What the hell are you talking about?"
"I've talked to mum about wanting to visit you. She doesn't know that I know."
"She doesn't mind you being with me?"
"Just say yes, dad."
Alec rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Fine. What time do you end?"
6.47 p.m.
Alec Hardy wiped his hands and headed for the door when he heard a knocking on it.
"What the hell is this?" Ellie raised a piece of paper up, her youngest son settled on her hip.
"It's a note."
"It's a bloody invitation, Hardy."
"Aye."
"To dinner."
"Right."
"At your place."
Alec walked out of the way, allowing her to step inside as she nagged on, "Didn't I say not to be nice to me?"
"Where's Tom?"
"He's coming over soon as soon as he's cleaned up. Bloody hell, what have you done with this place? What is this smell? Did you cook?"
Alec grunted in annoyance.
He might regret this.
And soon enough, Tom arrived. And being the opposite of his mother, he was quiet appearing at the door before stepping in. Throughout their meal, Alec was nagged upon how he should get a dining table. But at least he was being praised about how his baked pasta was better than expected. And then nagged again by Ellie about getting a high chair for wee Fred.
"He's not going to need it anymore anytime soon, mum." Tom rolled his eyes.
Point scored, Alec thought.
When they were done, Alec and Ellie remained in the kitchen whereas Tom looked after Fred in the living room.
"You needed to talk to me, didn't you? That's why you invited me to dinner. You wouldn't be so nice to bring me to dinner two nights in a row, would you?" Ellie said as she passed him the plate she was done washing, "Out with it."
"It's Daisy." He groaned.
"What's with Daisy?"
He kept silent.
"Oi," Ellie hit his arm, "I asked what's with Daisy?"
"She – uh, she knows."
"Well, she goes to school. I think she knows a lot of things, Hardy."
"About me, Ellie," Alec put down the plate instantaneously, facing her as he leaned on his side, "about what actually happened between Tess and me."
Ellie stopped washing.
"Don't you dare drop those plates I just bought them today."
"About Tess and you?" Ellie mirrored him, drying off her hands.
"She knows about the affair." It was tempting to refer to her as Miller but he's still not comfortable on addressing her by her first name as well, or her maiden name too that is. But at the moment he was a little too angry at his daughter's new finding.
Alec knew that Ellie knew what it was about but she couldn't seem to say anything else. That's a rare thing for her, he thought – to have nothing to say.
"She asked me to pick her up tomorrow."
Ellie crossed her arms, "You're going to bring her here?"
Alec nodded.
"Okay, then."
"I uh," Alec tried to keep his heartbeat down, his breathing started to come in short breaths, "I'm a little afraid."
"You only act tough, don't you?" She tried to calm him down, teasing him.
"It's too much," Alec wrapped his arms around himself, "Daisy getting back to me, finding you again – all in a few days. It's going too fast, Ellie. And I am afraid. I don't want to disappoint her again. I don't want to disappoint you."
Alec didn't know what he'd expected but it certainly wasn't Ellie taking his hand in hers, "You never disappointed me, Hardy. As far as I know, you've never disappointed anyone. Okay, maybe Fred because I think he preferred your tiny blue cabin."
He let out a small laugh.
"You're going to be fine, Hardy. Everything's falling into place for you again. That's good, innit?"
"But I'm not sure I'm ready for this."
He felt her thumb drawing circles at the back of his hand, "If you need me, I'll be here. I'm not going to leave."
He gripped her hand a little tighter.
"Well, unless they want to promote me to CS somewhere else, of course."
P.S. And guys, I appreciated your reviews so much!