They never had another kiss since their first on the countertop. They hadn't moved on being physically intimate either. The furthest they'd been was snuggling up on Ellie's couch on a movie night. They woke up the next morning both stretched out on the couch with Ellie on top of Alec and a blanket thrown over them. Daisy and Tom had apparently taken the liberty to cover them up before Tom tucked Fred to sleep and Daisy taking up Tom's bed for that night.
Ellie and Alec had decided that the two teenagers could sleep in provided that they could watch after Fred for the day while both of them got to work. The adults had scheduled themselves new breakfast timing, waking up later than they usually would. Most mornings, Ellie would go over to Alec's place where he had prepared breakfast for both of them.
Secretly, he quite liked the way she looked wearing the leather jacket over her suit. No, he actually liked how their outfit of suit and leather jacket combination matched. Very daft, he'd admitted to himself that although he hid his satisfaction well enough when pairs of eyes observed them every time they stepped into bullpen together.
They have had their time of having lunch with the others every now and then and they were getting along better although he still couldn't hold conversations very well. To avoid too much hand holding or any physical interactions between them, they sat on opposite sides or have someone in between. To both their surprise, no one actually brought up their relationship to be talked about and they were glad that that line had not been crossed yet.
Until one time Alec was late to join in for lunch and instinctively kissed Ellie's hair before sitting down. His action ceased all conversations, because they never displayed affection in front of them, and one Detective Dalton sighed and asked the question straight up, "Are you two dating or sorts?"
It caught the Sergeant and the Inspector off-guard, both staring at each other on how to answer. They ended up with one rubbing the back of his neck and the other fidgeting in her seat before both gave a small nod.
People started taking out their wallets and placed ten quid each on the table. Dalton took the money and divided it equally among the winners.
More questions came up after that and Alec's urge to run back to the HQ and grab his bike to ride back home was so strong. But he eventually had to deal with it, anyway.
"How long have you two known each other?"
"Close to a year?"
"Did you move to Gracestone for her?"
"No."
"So, you two just happened to be neighbours by accident?"
"Aye."
"What do you mean by accident?"
That round of lunch was probably the most interactive Alec had been with the force. His struggles to socialise were apparently a form of entertainment to Ellie as she tried to stifle her laughter watching him being interrogated.
Alec was preparing dinner one day with the assistance of both the teenagers that Ellie came blaring into his kitchen, "Daisy, I need to talk to your father alone. Tom, please excuse us."
All of them were so surprised at her sudden appearance that they didn't have any problems dropping whatever they were doing and the two teenagers walked out in an instant. Alec wiped his hands after washing them, "What have I done now?"
Ellie raised her phone up, her face threatening him that she was about to breakdown. Alec, of course, didn't get what she was trying to say and so he just leaned against the counter with a tilted head and a raised eyebrow.
"Beth called," Her voice shook.
Alec caught this and instantly went up to her, bracing her by her shoulders, "Everything alright?"
She shook her head.
She kept shaking her head and eventually tears started to fall. Alec drew her into his arms and she buried her face into his chest. He couldn't do much but to comfort her by rubbing her back gently and making shushing noises. In between her sniffs, he could hear her muffled and shaky voice as she spoke into his chest, "She invited me over next Saturday."
Alec tucked her head under his chin, "What's wrong with that? You two are fine now, right?"
He felt her shaking her head under him, "But it's not that."
He stroked her hair, giving her time to compose herself.
"Broadchurch- they, uh... Broadchurch are having a gathering next Saturday."
And it struck him what occasion she was trying to say.
It's the anniversary.
"You don't have to go, if you don't want to," Alec continued his ministrations, rubbing her back.
He felt her ball his t-shirt in her palm, "Why would Beth invite me? Is she trying to get to me?"
But he really couldn't do much. Alec continued rubbing her back, pressing a kiss to her hair, "I don't think that's what Beth intended."
"How would you know?"
He sighed, "Do you want to go?"
"Of course I want to bloody go. What are you talking about?" She removed herself and hit his arm.
He flinched, rubbing his hurt arm, "Then, why did you cry?"
Ellie hit his other arm, "My ex-husband killed her son, you knob! I am sad! You don't think it will make me sad? Unbelievable."
Right.
For being a detective, he is quite bad at reading people in that situation. He was glad she didn't strangle him. Alec stood still, just observing her wipe her tears away furiously.
When she settled her hands on her hips, Ellie looked up to him, "I want you to come along with us."
"ABSOLUTELY NOT," He rejected instantly.
"Oh, shut up. Beth had wanted to meet you the day you moved out. Just take this one up, alright?"
He rolled her eyes.
She crossed her arms.
There is no point in arguing any further anyway.
Both of them took half-day on the Friday. They had settled for Alec's car to head on for Broadchurch. Broadchurch is also another two-hour drive although Alec had wanted them to take the train, arguing that Fred will get restless which the little boy did. The problem was solved by them having to pull over for Daisy to exchange her seat with her father and the toddler spent the rest of the journey asleep on Alec's laps.
Becca Fisher, however delighted she was to be reunited with Ellie, was surprised that Alec had tagged along with a teenager by his side, "She the one from your wallet?"
"No. This is Daisy, my daughter." Daisy looked up to her father for an explanation, "She took me to the hospital once when I blacked out."
"So, one room?"
Both Alec and Ellie stepped back. Ellie was quick to recover, however, although Alec was still appalled at the suggestion.
"Two, please," Daisy helped the adults to answer.
Alec had really wanted to just stay in the hotel, suggested Daisy to go out and buy dinner so that they could eat in the room. He was giving his best not to go back to being seen by anyone from the town. His daughter had pointed out it was ridiculous, because he still have to face them the next day. In the end, all of them got out of their respective rooms and Ellie drove them to restaurant few shops away from the Broadchurch Echo. He didn't really minded until Olly and Lucy came along to join them.
While Olly shot the Scotsman a smug look, Alec saw Lucy give Ellie a mischievous one. And as Ellie and Tom exchanged hugs with their relatives, Alec and Daisy shook hands with them.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" Olly squint his eyes as he exchanged greetings with Daisy.
The girl replied deadpanned, "Aye. I asked you about my father when I came down with my school for the netball competition."
Alec smirked proudly of his daughter when Lucy and Olly went speechless, both wide-eyed and gaping-mouths. The young man stuttered to explain himself, trying to apologise for not knowing, "T'is alright. Daisy gets her way around people."
Throughout dinner, it was merely Ellie's family reunion – she talked about her new job, Tom briefly sharing about his school, Fred blabbing in baby talk, they shared about the nice places there are – it was a really decent dinner. Daisy and Alec simply finished up their food in silence, completely invisible.
"Mr. Hardy, sir. How are you? Haven't heard from you in a long time," Alec was pretty convinced by this point that Olly would be taking out his voice recorder or pen and paper soon enough to record down whatever he was going to say next.
"I'm alright, thanks."
"How's your heart doin'?"
"T'is alright."
"What are you doing now, sir? Are you working anywhere?"
This set everyone at the table to silence. Ellie glimpsed at Tom, Tom stared at Daisy, Daisy observed her dad trying to gather his thoughts, "I work for Gracestone as well."
Olly and Lucy exchanged glances, the latter leaning forward, "You've been in Gracestone all this while?"
"Since the day you left?" Olly intervened.
"Only three months in," Alec replied dryly.
And they didn't dig in deeper into it. Ellie got them to talk about how the town had moved on since then, and Olly asked Daisy on how she's coping with the upcoming GCSE. Alec could feel the occasional glares coming from Olly and the stares from Lucy and although he convinced himself to ignore it, his discomfort made him lose his appetite. He simply put down his cutleries and assisted wee Fred with his meal by feeding the toddler instead.
No one said a word.
Alec saw question marks on the faces of Ellie's relatives but he appreciated that they were never raised.
Daisy was up and ready and was tugging at her father's sheets to wake him up. Instead, Alec just pulled more of it and buried himself under the blanket, "Can't you just bring the breakfast up to me?"
"How badly do you not want to be back in this town?"
"Very." He replied with his face in his pillow.
His daughter didn't give in to his childish mannerisms and had instead went off to see the town with Ellie and her sons. Alec dragged himself out of bed after getting a call from Ellie telling him to get his skinny arse up and meet them for lunch.
Lunch?
How deep asleep had he been?
Walking down the street wasn't exactly comfortable for him as he felt eyes of the people of the town on him. He had no doubts they remembered who he is despite the loss of scruff and it doesn't make him feel any better trying to convince himself that maybe they couldn't recognize him.
Some smiled and nodded. For a moment, he had forgotten what the gesture meant. He didn't forget it in a whole fortunately, because he responded to the mannerism, in which people had deemed it courteous, returning them his own small nervous smile and an acknowledging nod. If this was a year ago, he would have just passed by with a frown and his coat hanging off his lanky body.
Not exactly a pleasant afternoon sight.
Alec kept moving forward with his hands in his jacket, remembering the days he had to walk the streets with his head spinning, his vision blurring. It takes time to readjust. Going for the pacemaker surgery didn't exactly fix him instantly. Times like this are when he would listen to his heart beating, being wary of his pace, his eyes trying to focus hard on the path he is walking on. He had to remind himself that he could run now, that he can see clearly where he is going without worrying about his vision starting to black out despite months after going under the knife.
Alec was already too used to listening his heart beat regularly that when it started racing, he had to stop walking, staring at the person who caused his pace to spike - Mark Latimer. Both standing outside the restaurant Ellie had told Alec to wait at, Mark hung up from whatever conversation he was having on the phone, put it away into his pocket and slowly approached the Scotsman with his hand reached out, "Detective Hardy."
Alec gave him a firm shake and a greeting nod, "Mark Latimer."
"What are you doing here?"
By this point, Alec have no idea on whether or not to feel offended. Mentally, he's already cursing Ellie for dragging him along, "Miller invited me."
"Didn't know you were still talking to Ellie."
Luckily for Alec, he didn't have to respond to it when Ellie finally arrived with an unfamiliar baby in her arms whereas Fred was dragging Chloe with him, Tom and Daisy walking alongside Beth.
"Detective Hardy," Beth greeted him. He gave her a nod, putting an arm around his daughter who had walked up to stand beside him.
The Latimers stared at the interaction.
"Daisy's your...?" Chloe didn't manage to finish her question. Still, he knew what she was trying to say and had non-verbally answered her query with a positive nod.
"But... Ellie-," Beth turned to the woman of her mention, "I thought you said she was your neighbour?"
"Daisy is. Her neighbour. And my daughter," Alec interrupted, exhaling the breath he didn't know he was holding in as he took a step forward, "We live next to each other."
Without saying anything else, Tom motioned them to get into the restaurant and they all did so, the Latimers not taking their eyes off Alec, still surprised by his presence.
They barely said a word throughout lunch, the only interaction they had was asking for menu recommendations and attending to Fred's and baby Lizzie's hungry tantrums. While Daisy tried to be civil, Alec had a hard time trying to make himself comfortable with the presence of the Latimers. He kept his focus to his food, trying to avoid conversation until he felt a hand on his shoulder, only for him to face Ellie standing behind him when he turned, "I need to talk to you."
Alec would have said no but she was already holding onto his arm, dragging him behind her. She led him out of the restaurant before spinning him around to face her as she crossed her arms, "You alright?"
"Kind of rude, innit? To drag me out in the middle of my meal?"
"Rude?" He felt a blow to his arm, "Beth been asking you questions but Daisy had been answering them for you! Where'd you go, Hardy?"
Alec rubbed his arm, but still responding flatly to her vexation, "Must've blanked out then."
She crossed her arms again, "Seriously? What? Are you that unhappy to be back here again? For god's sake, can you try to be civil for once? You've been nothing but childish and particularly rude since we arrived here!"
He sighed, staring right back at her angry front. It wasn't her fault that she mistook his discomfort for insolence – he should have given her a better first impression and he should have treated her better when they first met. No, he should have been better to anyone at all, "You could have told me they're joining us for lunch!"
Okay.
First of all, that is not how you try to be civil.
Apparently, Alec's mouth had acted quicker than his brain did.
"We're going to see them later, anyway! What's the difference?"
"Well, you could've told them that I am here with you! Did you see their faces when they saw me?"
Ellie went poking at his chest, "All that happened wasn't your fault, Hardy! Get around it! You did what you had to do! If you think they could not accept you here, you're wrong! Well, you're not right all the bloody time!"
By the end of her rant, both of them were panting, their breathings were heavy and filled with tension. Despite both yelling at each other initially, their faces were only inches away. By the corners of his eyes, he realised people had stopped in their tracks; all eyes were set on them. He heard murmurs of the people whispering, he saw a couple near them slowly backing away. Alec balled his palms into fists and hung his head, "I'm sorry. 'M not feeling very comfortable being here."
At that, he felt her hand take one of his fists to open them and laced her fingers with his, "You could've told me."
"Didn't want to be a bother."
"Tough shit," Ellie cupped his chin and tilted his head up so that their eyes leveled, "Just listen to what they have got to say. I'll change places with Daisy."
"But they-,"
"To hell what they will think. If it makes you better that I am by your side, then I will do just that."
And they went back into the restaurant side by side, Ellie's hand in his. He kept close to her, their arms brushing against each other. He watched as Ellie politely asked to change places with his daughter and his teenage girl silently obliging in spite of the look of hesitance on her face. When they settled down, Ellie placed a hand on his lap, oblivious to the people at the table, giving him the assurance he needed.
"Detective Hardy," Mark called him out, "I was just talking to your daughter. You're DS now under Ellie, aren't you?"
Alec swallowed his saliva, "Aye."
"How's it so far?"
"'Tis alright." He reached out for his glass of water.
Beth put a hand on her husband's arm and spoke instead, "We, uh- We actually wanted to thank you."
The statement almost caused the glass to slip out of his hand.
"We never got to thank you."
He placed the glass back down, his hand quickly reaching for Ellie's on his lap and felt her giving it an assuring squeeze, "I was just doing my job."
"You and Ellie, both. We were in a difficult time of our own that we forgot that it was harsh on you two as well. We appreciated for everything you've done, that you took chances and even risked your life for it."
Alec would have stopped them there, wanting to ask how they knew about his health but he realised that there was really no point in doing so – the town was too small, the word spreads. He kept silent as Beth continued, "For you to actually come today means a lot to us."
The first time Alec stood on the edge of that cliff, it wasn't as beautiful a memory – there was a boy that just died on the beach down below and a whole lot of sorrow and despair that filled the air. That day when he joined them in remembering Danny Latimer, he was surrounded by the town who once despised him, a family that had lost their loved one and the friend that stayed with him through everything that had happened for the past year. The people of the town had each brought a lantern that when they arrived, all released into the air at the same time after a speech made by Mark and a prayer led by Reverend Coates.
His daughter had held his hand throughout, trying to provide support for her father and he was grateful for it. Ellie and her sons had been ahead of him throughout the evening by the Latimer's side and he lets it be, understanding that she needed it – that assurance of acceptance after to be blamed for the faults of her ex-husband. There was no feeling more heart-warming for him to be able to see how receiving Broadchurch actually is because he too felt received by the town.
He hadn't felt that sense of belonging in a long time.
"Are you and Ellie actually together?" He recalled Beth asking him when they were about to separate ways after the lunch.
"We are now. I think."
"But when did it happen?"
"Not during or before Joe's trial, if you're wondering."
"Right."
"Right."
"Just take care of her."
"I will."
When everything was over, Alec suggested Daisy to take Tom and Fred back to the hotel and requested Ellie to stay with him while they were getting down from the cliff. The two of them walked in silence for a while after everyone had gone, taking in the salty Broadchurch sea breeze that they hadn't realised they missed so much. As they walked through the boat park, it brought back a melancholic and yet painful memory for him – the night Ellie was so close to catching her own husband which was also the night he almost died in her arms.
Alec knew that it also brought discomfort for Ellie when he felt her holding his hand a little tighter. They walked together side by side in the dark, the night only lit by the moonlight as they headed for the beach.
Ellie wrapped her arms around his and leaned her head on his shoulder as they stood still facing the seawater, standing on the spot where they first met. He had forgotten how strong the winds in the town were as he felt his hair dancing wildly and Ellie's curls brushed against the side of his face, "Kind of cold."
"Like our first meeting," Ellie replied.
He let out a chuckle. Alec removed her arms from around his and turned to face her, his hands on her shoulder, just quietly staring at her face before he settled a kiss on her forehead. He let his lips rest there for a while longer, as he closed his eyes. Despite the strong sea breeze, he felt her breath on his neck as she sighed.
When they got back to the hotel, Alec realised he had forgotten to give the room key to Daisy and his daughter had been in Ellie's room throughout. It's already way too late into the night for any of their children to still be awake.
"We'll just settle in your room then," Ellie suggested.
Again, he had to to get some of his clothes for her to change into.
While she changed, Alec could not help but to recall the day when Ellie had came to him and sat with him after he arrested Joe as he sat on his bed, leaning against the headboard. He remembered putting her at the top of his short list of strong people he had ever met. Although there were two single beds, Ellie had climbed up onto his bed and went under the covers with him, snaked an arm around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. Alec started to draw circles on her arm around him before holding her to pull her closer to him, "Here we are, then."
"Here we are," Ellie repeated after him,playing with the hem of his shirt.
"Miller?"
"Hmm?"
"Did you really think I was going to return to Broadchurch?"
She sighed and started tracing the bumps of his scar, "Honestly, I did."
"Why?"
"I was daft."
"Hmm." Alec removed her off him laid down on his side pulling her down together with him. He placed a hand on her hips, resting their foreheads on each other. The moment that passed was silent and he closed his eyes, embedding that moment into his memory – Ellie in his sleep clothes just lying beside him.
He felt her hand cup his cheek, "I kind of miss the beard."
He laughed and wrapped around her in a whole, her head tucked under his chin, her nose buried in his neck, "Hardy?"
"Did you really not plan on coming back to Broadchurch at all?"
He sighed, "I did. But I was too afraid."
"Of?"
"I don't know."
"Was it really for me, though?"
"Aye."
"Why?"
He placed a kiss in her hair, "You're all I have here."
"Hmm."
He moved back a little, so that he could see her face. Alec gave her a small smile before placing a kiss on her forehead and tucking her head under his chin again, "Go to sleep, Miller."
"Hmm."
But he knew she didn't as he felt her draw circles on his chest. He stayed awake for a little while more until his eyes gave away and the circles slowed down before stopping in a whole.
A/N: HEY GUYS. I am beyond grateful for the reviews and your kind words! I am sorry if the ending is a bit rushed but thank you for actually following the story! I had started off with a one-shot and look where we are now. I would love to continue but I've been way too busy. And again, thank you, very very much for staying with me!