A big thank you to my Beta Aithusa.

It was eventually decided that the best days for Ellie to spend the night in Broadchurch were Wednesdays and Saturdays. On Wednesdays Lucy would come over and on Saturdays it would be Olly's turn. The week after Alec made his "request" Ellie returned to work. Everyone at the station welcomed her back with smiles and kind words of support but the rest of Broadchurch didn't. The twice weekly mandate of Alec's became a life line for Ellie; a safe place where she could break down and not be the strong, infallible copper she pretended to be during the day.

On the Friday before her return to work, Ellie found a day care for Fred. It was a friendly, brightly-coloured little building with lots of toys and colouring materials inside and ample play space outside. Despite Ellie's daycare success, her return to work also heralded new problems. The first week back Ellie was allowed shortened work days to help her ease back into the grind. It meant she could drop Tom off at school and Fred at day care before work and be back to pick the up in the afternoon but Ellie knew the routine wouldn't work once her second week started and she went back to working eight hours a day. Ellie decided to ring Alec and see how serious he was about his offer to watch the boys.

As it turned out, he was serious and, with his help, October flew by. Ellie would wake the boys, get them ready for the day and drop them off before heading into work. In the afternoon Alec would pick them up and keep them entertained until she came home. On Wednesday nights Alec would stay for dinner and when Lucy arrived he and Ellie would drive back to Broadchurch.

Through it all, Tom continued to be wary of the man who had arrested his father. Tom was glad that his mum could rely on Alec but he was still the man who tore his family apart. Well, sort of. Tom placed the majority of the blame on his father but he still couldn't help but be painfully aware that it was Alec who figured it all out. However, while Tom kept his distance, Fred had taken to Alec like a fish to water.

Before Ellie knew it, it was two days before Halloween and she found herself in a pop up costume shop looking for Tom's requested fireman costume before heading home. Tom had only decided what hewanted to be that morning. Halloween fell on a Saturday that year and Ellie was thankful that she didn't have to work it. Working Halloween, especially when it fell on a weekend was the worst. Having Halloween on a Saturday also meant that Ellie wouldn't be making her usual trip out to Broadchurch. As she browsed through the costumes, Ellie wondered how many sweets she would need to buy for the kids. She hadn't found the opportunity yet to talk to any of her neighbours about it.

Ellie came home to a suspiciously quiet house. Alec, as it turned out, was bloody brilliant with kids, despite being horrifically awful with adults. She had grown used to coming home to the sound of laughter but today it was deafeningly silent. It was already dark so Ellie knew Alec hadn't taken them to the local park, besides, his car was in the drive. The lights were also on and the house smelled an awful lot like freshly baked cookies. Sure enough, after walking into the kitchen and lying Tom's costume on the island, Ellie found a cooling tray of chocolate chip cookies. Alec could bake. That just wasn't an image Ellie could wrap her mind around. Ellie heard a noise above her and walked towards the stairs.

"Hello?" Ellie called.

She was met with silence. Ellie frowned and began to climb up the stairs. Unlike downstairs, there was only one light on-her bedroom light. Ellie crept forward cautiously but stopped dead in the door way. Her bag hit the floor with a loud thump and she could only stare at what she saw. There was a bed. A queen sized bed that she knew she hadn't purchased in her room. Ellie heard snickering coming from behind her and turned to look at the empty room that was destined to become Fred's. The door was ajar. Ellie opened it and turned on the light to find Tom and Alec, with Fred in his arms, pressed against the wall beside the door.

"Surprise!" Tom launched himself at her and hugged her tightly around her waist.

Ellie was still in shock. She automatically wrapped her arms around her son but continued to stare at Alec.

"You bought me a bed?" She asked him. Alec nodded. "How long have you been planning this?"

"Alec took us shopping for it last week." Tom answered.

"A week?" Ellie was stunned. "Why? I mean...thank you. Actually, thank you and...why?"

"You needed it." Alec replied as he handed Fred to Ellie.

Ellie was still confused. "What we really need is a couch and a telly and bookshelves and maybe a few lamps. A bed is last on that list."

"I know, that's why I bought it." Alec said.

"I can't pay you back." Ellie said.

"I don't expect you to." Alec pointed to the door. "Now, I do believe there are some fresh cookies downstairs to ruin our appetites for dinner."

"Cookies!" Tom yelled. He made to run for the stairs but Ellie managed to get an arm around him first.

"Na-uh. No cookies until after dinner. Go wash up and you can help me make dinner. The cookies will be dessert." Ellie instructed.

Tom only nodded innocently.

"I mean it. I'm coming down right after you and I'll know if you've had one."

"Cross my heart I won't have one." Tom promised. Ellie raised an eyebrow. "Oh fine. I promise I won't have any until after dinner." He said sourly.

Ellie released and sent him on his way with a smile and ruffle of his hair. She then turned to Alec.

"You can bake?" She asked him.

"Hardly. I can feed myself well enough but baking is on whole other level for me." Alec replied.

"Then who made the cookies?" Ellie asked.

"Tom. He's natural in the kitchen." Upon seeing Ellie glare he added, "I was in the kitchen the entire time in case something went wrong, which it didn't."

Ellie just shook her head and started for the stairs herself.

"Do you want to stay for dinner?" She asked.

"I wouldn't want to impose..." Alec began.

Ellie rolled her eyes, "Just say 'yes.'"

"Yes." Alec finally replied from behind Ellie, and he couldn't help but smile a little.

Halfway down the stairs they heard Tom whoop with joy. He had found his costume on the island.

x-x-x-x

"Can Alec take me trick or treating?" Tom asked.

They were almost finished eating their dinner of baked chicken breasts and rosemary roasted potatoes when Tom posed the question. Ellie's eyebrow rose. She hadn't realized that Tom had warmed up to Alec and judging by the surprised look on Alec's face neither had he. Ellie wondered what could have caused him to make up his mind on her former boss turned friend.

"Don't chew with your mouth full." Ellie scolded before replying. "I don't mind but it's up to Alec if he wants to take you."

"I, ah, I don't mind. Do you want to go around here or back in Broadchurch?" Alec asked.

"Here. One the guys in class said his family was putting on a haunted house this year and I want to see it. He also invited me to join his Trick or Treating group after we went through his house." Tom replied excitedly.

"That sounds like a plan." Alec nodded.

"Great!" Tom grinned. He jumped up from his seat and gave Alec a quick hug before going over to the counter and grabbing three cookies.

"Oi!" Ellie exclaimed.

"You never put a limit on how many I could have after dinner, only that I wasn't to have any before." Tom said by way of explanation. "I'll be upstairs doing my homework." He called back, already halfway up the stairs.

Well, at least Tom was starting to feel better if his cheek was returning. Ellie couldn't bring herself to scold him for it like she would have in the past because it meant he was starting to get over their family tragedy. Ellie turned her eyes to Alec. His eyes were wide and it looked like he might have forgotten how to breathe. God she hoped the shock of getting a hug from Tom hadn't sent him into cardiac arrest.

"Are you alright?" Ellie asked.

"Aye." Alec replied, though his eyes were still unfocused.

"I guess this means Tom's finally made up his mind about you."

"Aye."

"Is that all you're able to say?"

"Aye."

"Geez, if this is what you're like from a hug I can't wait to see how you'll react the first time Fred calls you dad." Ellie said.

Alec, who had reached for his glass of water during the exchange and had taken a sip, started to choke. Dad? Why would Fred call him dad? Sure, he was young and most likely wouldn't remember his dad but did Ellie really think he'd be around enough to confuse the toddler into thinking he was his dad? Now that thought really did make Alec's heart rate pick up. Or maybe his heart was just racing because he was choking on his water.

"What?" Alec finally managed gasp.

"There you go. Welcome back to reality, Alec. Did you have a nice trip to space?" Ellie grinned.

Alec frowned at her. Well, he guessed suggesting that her boys might call him Dad one day was certainly one way to shock him back to reality. Alec decided he didn't want to think about that possibility anymore and decided a change of subject was needed, desperately, because he really did miss having someone call him Dad.

"Should I be here for around six?" Alec asked.

"What?" Ellie paused in clearing the dishes from the island.

"To take Tom Trick or Treating. Should I be here for around six?" Alec repeated.

"Why not come at five? Have dinner with us." Ellie said. "I owe you. For the bed and for looking after the boys, so the least I can do is make dinner for you every so often."

"You don't have to..."

For the second time that day, Ellie rolled her eyes. "Just say yes."

"Yes." Alec replied.

Ellie headed for the sink with her hands full of dishes in order to hide her smirk. Was it her, or had she somehow made her very dominant former boss submissive to her? Then again, he may just be humouring her because he felt guilty for her current situation. Ellie really hoped he wasn't feeling guilty. It was Joe's fault she was suddenly a single mother in a new town. If fact, she was thankful Alec had come to town when he had. If he hadn't, she would have been the DI in charge of Danny's murder investigation and she didn't think she would have gotten half as much done as he had in those two months, let alone close the case.

Ellie started running warm water in the sink to wash the dishes but soon discovered that the dish flannel was missing from its usual spot. Ellie looked beside her to where Alec was standing with the dish flannel in his hand.

"I'll wash, you dry." He said and gently moved her aside as he reached for the first dish.

Ellie opened her mouth to argue but Alec cut her off. "I helped dirty them so I can help clean them. You also know where everything goes better then I do. This way you can clean and get Fred to bed faster, then go help Tom with his homework."

Ellie couldn't argue with that logic. She grabbed the tea towel from where it hung on the handle of the oven and set to work drying. By the end of their investigation Ellie had thought that she and Alec made a pretty good team but she hadn't thought that it would also carry over to domestic activities. Before long they were finished. Ellie took the flannel from Alec so she could wipe down the counters and after a quick rinse, wipe down her toddler.

"I should be on my way then." Alec said.

Ellie had finished wiping down Fred and now had him on her hip. Alec reached out and ruffled his hair before getting a high five.

"Yeah." Ellie agreed as she turned to look at oven clock. "It's starting to get late."

"I'll just say bye to Tom then I'll be off. See you tomorrow evening Ellie." Alec said. He then proceeded up the stairs to say his good byes to Tom.

x-x-x-x

Saturday was a busy day for Ellie. In the morning she took the boys to the super market and bought pumpkins for them. Those pumpkins now sat carved on the steps of the veranda and she was spreading out fake spider webbing all over the stone wall, with Tom following behind her, placing fake spiders here and there. Fred was sitting in an empty flower bed with a bucket, shovel and some toy trucks, playing in the damp dirt. Ellie had managed to talk to a neighbour the day before about how many kids usually came around the area and as such Ellie had bought and hidden a box of sweets and a box of chocolates to give out to each kid.

It was half past three in the afternoon and they still had to wrap orange and black party streamers around the roof posts of the veranda. Alec was due to arrive in an hour and a half for dinner then he and Tom would head off around the neighbourhood while Ellie stayed home with Fred and handed out the sweets. The past few days had been unseasonably warm and dry and the weather, thankfully, was to extend to next day. Ellie was glad because it meant that she wouldn't be welcoming home a wet and cold fireman and DI later that night.

When Alec arrived he looked a little paler than usual but when asked he said he was fine. His coloured had improved by the time they had finished dinner and Tom was ready to head out. After some quick goodbyes and a promise to be back by nine at the latest, Alec and Tom headed off to the haunted house to meet up with Tom's new friends.

Ellie bounced a scared, tired and crying Fred on her knee. Last year she had taken Tom around the neighbourhood while Joe had stayed home with Fred and handed out the sweets. Now she knew why he had looked so tired by the time they had come home. The fireworks were scaring Fred and were preventing him from going to bed. Thankfully there was a lull in both kids and fireworks at the moment and Ellie was cooing and bouncing Fred in an attempt to calm him. In the distance she heard sirens. She shook head, some teenagers had probably gotten caught with fireworks. Once more she was thankful that Halloween had fallen on her off days. Just as Fred was starting to calm, her mobile began to ring. Picking it up, Ellie saw that it was from Tom and her heart skipped a beat. Those sirens couldn't have been more than a few blocks away and Alec had looked awfully pale earlier today.