As they were leaving the church, Ellie stopped with Alec to watch the town as everyone filed out. He barely gave her a look to acknowledge her arrival and Ellie pondered how to bring up what was on her mind. She was beaten to the punch as Alec asked suddenly, "That family over there. With Emma?"

Ellie followed his gaze to see Emma talking with Patricia while Andy stood by with John.

"Oh, yeah, Patty, Patricia." Ellie corrected. "She's friends with Emma and she and her husband run the bakery on main street."

"Any connections to the Latimers?" Alec questioned and Ellie shrugged.

"Nothing special. Emma's friends with Patty and we all get along but Patty never really clicked with Beth and I don't see her often. And Mark and Andy aren't close at all."

At Alec's sharp look, Ellie elaborated, "They were in the same class at school and used to be very unfriendly. Wasn't a problem after they became adults but they still don't get along; mostly just avoid each other if possible. Nige usually goes alone if Andy needs any plumbing work done."

Alec hummed and he asked, "Her husband, was he on the list questioned?"

"Uh, yes, we did send uniform just to record his answer officially, but he couldn't have been involved." Ellie answered and she added when Alec looked like he was about to impart another lecture, "His family was on vacation in Italy and only got back Friday night, the day after Danny's death. Couldn't have been any of them."

Alec nodded thoughtfully as he watched Andy for another brief moment before his eyes moved on. Ellie saw the way they paused for too long on Emma before he continued scanning the crowds for any abnormal behaviour from any potential suspects and she made a mental note to herself to definitely corner Emma at lunch that day.

Lunch at the Latimers was much better than Emma could have hoped. It was almost… normal. Chloe actually smiled for most of it, as did Beth and Mark. Their smiles made Liz smile and Nige's spread made everyone jolly. Joe and Nige were also particularly good at keeping the discussion lively, as though it were just another normal day which helped Tom relax and make jokes that made the adults laugh.

But of course, they could all feel the change, the empty spot at the table, even if no one said anything. Danny hadn't been a quiet boy and his boisterous laughter was sorely missed; and at times, the conversation would lull just slightly as they all knew it would normally have been a moment where Danny would punctuate with some silly cry or other. The pause, the slight dip in everyone's mood, was brief each time but it didn't make it less powerful. He had been a good kid.

At the end of the meal, Emma helped Nige clear the table.

"That was amazing, Nige. You're going to make someone very lucky one day." She complimented and Nige smiled at her as he piled the dishes into the sink.

"Yeah, well, it was worth it to have them smile, eh?" He asked and Emma nodded.

"Yeah, it was. Thanks, Nige, for organizing this."

He grinned back and Emma was just about to re-enter the living room when Ellie grabbed her.

"Oh, Em! Hey, come out into the garden with me, I think I need to stand after that spread." She said in a cheerful tone that instantly made Emma suspicious.

"Okay..." They stepped out into the garden, which admittedly did feel nice given how stuffed Emma was from Nige's good cooking. "So, what did you really want to talk about?"

Ellie feigned surprise although she dropped it quickly when Emma cocked a brow.

"All right, you got me. We know each other too well, eh?"

"Ten years will do that to you." Emma agreed with a wry smile. "So?"

Ellie wavered for a second before she asked, "What's going on between you and Hardy?"

Emma choked on her own spit. "What?"

"Well, I was going to casually bring it up but you wanted me to get straight to the point." Ellie shrugged and Emma struggled to stop coughing, tears streaming down her face. "I mean, I was always convinced he was interested, he wouldn't stop asking questions about you, but I didn't realize you reciprocated."

"I don't… we're not…" Emma gasped as she tried to stem her tears. Ellie grinned like a cat.

"Oh, bless!" She cooed and Emma scowled at her friend. "Don't look at me like that. I won't lie, I do question your taste in men but I think it's sweet you finally found someone, Em."

"Oh, no." Emma groaned. "No, it's not like that. He's just… He's just nicer than I thought."

"Right… just nice." Ellie pretended to agree nonchalantly before she teased, "You do know that's how things started with me and Joe?"

"Ellie!" Emma groaned. "I thought we agreed after Luke, you and Beth were not going to meddle."

"All right, all right." Ellie raised her hands in surrender but she couldn't stop the smile on her face. Her face scrunched up however as she had another thought. "Really, though, him?"

"El." Emma growled and Ellie shrugged.

"Well, he isn't really the type I thought you'd like. Although maybe it makes sense since your dad-" Ellie broke off abruptly and looked like she was about to kick herself. Emma's eyes narrowed on her friend.

"Ellie… Do you also know what DI Hardy knows? About my dad and my past?"

Ellie glanced at her friend guiltily and Emma made a face.

"I'm sorry, Em, and I promised myself I wasn't going to bring it up." Ellie groaned, looking at her friend anxiously. "I didn't mean to pry, and I understand you probably don't want to talk about it since you never told us. I'm sorry for bringing it up, and-"

"No, it's fine." Emma sighed; she couldn't get mad at Ellie. She knew the sweet woman really did feel bad. "I guess it just can't be helped."

Ellie hesitated and she said tentatively, "You know, I won't ever mention it if you don't want me to, Em, but if you… you know, want to ever talk..."

"I know you'll listen." Emma smiled and Ellie looked visibly relieved. "Although, while we're on the subject: who else knows? I thought it was just DI Hardy."

"We found out together." Ellie admitted before adding hastily, "And, um, Brad from the station dug up your records so he'd know but I don't think he made the connection. He was a bit young to have seen it in the news, I think."

"Okay." Emma sighed before eyeing Ellie. "You know, El, I don't think I ever really believed you were a detective until now."

"Oi!" Ellie grinned and she asked slyly, "So that means I'm right about you and Hardy?"

"There is no me and Hardy, so don't go spreading that." Emma groaned. "Besides, I'm pretty sure he still suspects me of possibly having done Danny in."

They went quiet there before Ellie said firmly, "I don't think he does, Em. Yeah, he was suspicious for a while but I think that's just his nature and this job. But, and I'm trying very hard here not to give away details, I don't think he's suspected you for a while now."

"Really?" Emma asked skeptically and Ellie nodded.

They were interrupted as Joe poked his head out and called, "What are you two doing out here then, eh? Come on in, have some coffee!"

The two women smiled and glanced at each other before rejoining the others inside.

Emma knew Ellie wasn't done and she'd probably tease for a while but she also knew Ellie wouldn't push until Emma herself knew how she felt about Alec. And who knew how long that would take, because Emma really didn't know how it had all happened. He'd been the annoying DI who had slowly grown on her but it wasn't until he'd gone crashing down in front of her eyes that Emma had realized just how much she cared. And it still scared her just how badly her heart had dropped in her chest when he'd collapsed. It didn't feel… normal, to feel so strongly already about someone she, frankly, barely knew.

Emma was startled from her thoughts as the whole lunch party was interrupted as Beth walked back in from answering the front door, calling, "Jack's here."

Everyone turned curiously to stare as Jack shuffled in awkwardly, holding something in his hand. Emma frowned at it, unable to tell what it was just yet, while Mark asked carefully, "Everything all right?"

"I found this." Jack held out the object in his hand and Emma realized belatedly that it was an old mobile phone. "Heard the beeping from the delivery bags. It was in the bag at the bottom. He must've left it on his last round."

Ellie, who'd taken a seat beside Joe, stood at once and the air in the room seemed to thicken as the same question floated in everyone's mind: 'Why did Jack have Danny's phone?'. His explanation was perfectly reasonable but...

"Yeah, uh, that's… that's Danny's phone, isn't it?" Mark said slowly as he reached for the device.

"Mark, don't touch-" Emma cut off as Mark took the phone from Jack.

Ellie took over as she held out a napkin and said, "Mark, I'll take it. Give it here."

Mark didn't appear to hear her, his focus solely on Jack as he demanded, "What were you doing with this then, Jack?"

"Mark." Ellie insisted. Mark finally turned and dropped the phone into Ellie's napkin but Emma was confused when she saw the phone - she'd thought she'd seen Danny with a smartphone.

Her attention was pulled back to Jack as the newsagent stated firmly, "Mark, Beth… They're going to be saying things about me and-"

"What sort of things?" Mark demanded harshly but Jack went on over him, "Those things aren't true."

"Jack. Come on, love." Liz walked over, trying to nudge her friend out the door.

But Jack stood firm as he said candidly, "Things happened before I was here, and they'll be saying I did it. I'm looking you in the eye, because he was your boy, and I'm telling you I'm not that kind of man. Please. Believe me."

He looked around the room, his gaze as earnest as his tone. "You have to believe me."

Suddenly flashes of light burst upon the room and someone began pounding on the kitchen windows. The group all turned in shock to find reporters pressing their heads and cameras right up against the window as they took photos and shouted for the group to all look and or comment. Emma flinched, the scene sparking a memory from her father's case.

Ellie saw her reaction and she wrapped an arm around Emma as Mark snarled, "The bastards!"

He was out the door in seconds, Joe and Nige hot on his heels as they chased the reporters away. Liz placated Jack and gently pulled him out in the meantime but as Emma repressed her own haunted nightmares she couldn't help the feeling that a new one was only just beginning.

The peace of the lunch evaporated after the interruptions despite Joe and Nige's best attempts to keep the high note for as long as possible. And by the time the evening came and the Latimers were getting ready to do a press conference as a follow-up to the morning article, the weight of the world was once again on their shoulders.

Emma stayed with Liz at the back of the school hall where the press conference was being held. The elderly lady wasn't invited as a part of the conference, not that she had particularly wanted to be either. Instead, she was there to watch over the rest of her family as they sat at the conference tables, answering questions from the press who were now scrambling to catch up to the Herald after Beth's interview. Emma had opted to stay with Danny's grandmother at Liz's request - she'd wanted a friendly face to hold her hand if need be and Ellie was busy coordinating with the other officers and the press.

Liz held up well as she looked out at the sea of reporters, but as soon as her family walked in, trailing behind Alec as he showed them to their seats, she reached out to clasp Emma's hand tightly. Emma squeezed it back tightly.

"I'm here for you, Liz."

They watched as the Latimers settled into their seats amidst the bright flashes of cameras clicking rapidly. Emma also glanced over to the side as Alec moved away once the Latimers were all in and headed to the back where Ellie was; they conversed quickly and quietly for a brief moment and Emma turned her eyes back to the Latimers as she held Liz's hand in comfort. Liz took a deep, shuddering breath as the conference started, her eyes remaining fixed on her daughter's family as they answered press questions to the best of their abilities.

"Uh, we miss Danny a lot," Beth stammered at one stage, "and, um… we just want whoever's done this just to come forward because we're… We're having a horrible time not knowing why this has happened to us."

Liz's breathing was shaky but she stayed strong; only her hand trembling in Emma's gaze the woman away. Emma sensed a presence appearing next to her and she glanced over to find Alec had sidled over to her. He didn't say anything nor did he touch her but she felt comforted all the same just to have him there as she turned back to watch the Latimers do their best not to break down in front of the cameras as they kept going.

"He was just a normal lad. Never did anyone any harm." Mark said in earnest while Beth clutched Chloe's hand tightly as mother and daughter did their best to stay strong. "He was everything to us. We just want to know what happened to our boy. If anybody out there knows, might know, think they saw something… Then you owe it to yourself to come forward and tell the police. 'Cause whoever did this, needs to be caught."

Ellie took Liz and the Latimers home at the end of the conference with a quick hug for Emma before she left. Emma waved the family off, letting them go without a word as they'd come out from the conference looking rather shattered. She sighed; she wished they'd just listened and stayed out of the media. Going through the questions, filmed constantly while flashes kept going off as they tried to talk about Danny like they hadn't since he'd died; it was no easy feat.

"They did well."

Emma looked over at Alec, wondering when he had come up beside her.

"They did. I just hope this night doesn't stay on as trauma." Emma answered quietly. He nodded and Emma turned to face him properly as the Latimers' car disappeared from view. She could still see the head wound just behind his ear where he'd been stitched up the night before - it still looked very red, even in the dim light.

"How's your head?" Emma asked. He looked at her blankly before remembering.

"Oh, fine." He cleared his throat. "Thank you, by the way. For, um, helping. And not saying anything."

"No problem. Although I really hope it's not something I'll come to regret." She gave him a pointed look and he just shrugged it off.

"Come on, then. I'll walk you back to your place, it's on the way." He offered. She decided it was best not to push and remind him that the last time he'd walked with her back, he'd ended up in hospital.

They strode side by side back through the dark town and Emma fidgeted. Her earlier conversation with Ellie kept playing in her mind and she found it difficult to think of anything else to say unless it related to the case which Alec couldn't talk about anyway.

"You're not heading back to the station tonight, then?" She asked at last, just to break the silence.

"Uh, no. No, not tonight." He answered. "Probably best for the head anyway."

"Well, at least that means you are taking some care of yourself." Emma commented a little dryly and he squinted at her.

"Don't start, I don't need someone nagging me." He warned and Emma scoffed.

"It's genuine concern that I think you need because if the way you followed me out of the hospital this morning was any indication, you have absolutely no sense of self-preservation." She countered. "This case is not worth killing yourself over."

"Says who?" He asked and she jabbed a finger at herself.

"Me. And remember I'm Beth's best friend but I'm still saying it."

Alec rolled his eyes at her so Emma said firmly, "I said I wasn't going to tell, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to sit and wait for you to drop dead from working too hard. The price of my silence is that you take better care of yourself or I will, as you put it, nag."

"I'm not sure it's worth it." Alec muttered and Emma hinted, "Then you could always go into the hospital for a proper check-up."

"I don't need one, I know what it is." Alec grumbled and Emma sighed.

"Then go in for proper care, whatever. But as long as you don't do that, I will worry."

"Why?" Alec couldn't stop himself from asking and Emma stopped.

They'd reached her flat by this point and the Trader's was just across the street a few blocks down but neither paid that any attention as Emma said softly, "Because I don't want to lose anyone else."

Alec stared at her so she added with a small smile, "Even if it's just you."

"Right." Alec snorted and then a semi-comfortable silence fell on them. It was comfortable in that neither felt pressed to say anything for once, just enjoying the other's presence which was a new feeling for both of them. But at the same time, both of them were aware that they were standing right in front of Emma's flat.

At last, Emma cleared her throat again and she offered, "Um, you want to come in for a nightcap?"

As Alec hesitated, she added, "Not alcohol, unless you want it of course, but I think tea is probably safer and better for you at least tonight."

He hesitated a beat longer before he nodded. "Sure."