Chapter Text
21.15
Ellie is shattered; She’s not eaten since breakfast and her stomach growls angrily to remind her. One of Fred’s squashed Goodie Bars she found in her handbag just before lunch and ate doesn’t constitute as a meal.
She needs food and sleep as well as to say goodnight to her sons, who are outstaying their welcome at Beth’s. That’s it, she decides to call it a day.
She puts on her orange parka, slings her handbag over her shoulder and heads to Hardy’s office. He’s mid type when she enters the room without knocking. He removes his spectacles and looks up at her. He looks tired and stressed, exactly how she feels.
“I need to go, its gone 9pm, the children. I’m sorry, Sir. I think you should do the same. Get a good nights sleep and we will look at everything with fresh eyes tomorrow. I have no energy left in me for today. DC Harford and DS Gibson are working overnight and will keep us posted with any developments. Uniform are undertaking extra patrols around town. There is nothing more we can do for now.”
“Alright, ye go, I’m fine here, another ten minutes, jus’ need t’ finish this.” He puts his glasses back on and continues writing, squinting his eyes as he types. Despite the glasses she sees how tired he is, and it nearly hurts her to watch him work in this state.
“You go, Miller. I’ll just be ten minutes while I finish this email.”
Like hell he will she deduces. She knows he’ll stay the night, sleep on his lumpy sofa and be grumpy and exhausted in the morning.
She turns on her heel ready to leave.
“Millah, wait!”.
“Hmm?”
“I forgot to ask: what top secret info do you have on your nephew?”
Miller laughs and comes straight out with it. “STD clinic. Too much shagging the dirty sod. Unluckily for him he’s got the clap.”Miller grins and even Hardy in turn cant help but smile at the predicament the cocky git had gotten himself in to.
“Would it be wrong to say, ‘serves him right?” Hardy asks nonchalantly with a small smirk appearing on his face. He’s never been Olly’s biggest fan.
Miller steps into the office again, flopping down on the sofa. A little chat can’t hurt, and maybe she can find a way to make him go home in the process.
“Absolutely, not wrong at all. Hopefully this will teach him a lesson. Maybe I’ll buy him some condoms for his Birthday just to rub salt into the wounds.”
“Your sister isn’t going to be best pleased that you threatened him with revealing his secret. Olly can’t be too pleased with his mother gossiping about it either?”
“Ah, to hell with her, she’ll get over it, she was the one who told me! Maybe if she taught him about safe sex this wouldn’t have happened. I don’t know whether him having an STD is better than him getting a girl pregnant right now.”
“I don’t think Broadchurch is ready for another Oliver Stevens yet, do you Miller?”
Ellie laughs and agrees wholeheartedly with Hardy.
“Right, enough about my little shit of a nephew, I need to head home. Make sure you’re right behind me, oh and call Daisy.
Tell her I’ll drop her at school first thing tomorrow when I take Tom.”, Ellie instructs him as she gets up to leave his office for the final time.
“Understood, Miller!” Hardy informs her, but just as she’s walking away, Hardy surprises her.
“Just be careful out there Miller, alright?” Hardy says, concern badly in his voice.
What the hell! Ellie comes to an abrupt halt, turning around.
“I’m pretty sure I can look after myself, Hardy. I’ve had enough practice, more so the past grew years, and you should know more than anyone! Don’t be nice to me, it doesn’t suit you.”
Hardy knows Miller is exhausted and wants to go home to her kids. It’s always the point, where she gets snappy with him but he feels compelled to expand on what he’s really trying to say. But it’s hard to find the right words with her now. Usually everything he says is wrong at this point and she calls him a wanker. He tries anyway.
“What’s wrong with me being concerned about yer safety? I mean after what’s happened today with all those women, and you’re…” He trails off, gesturing towards Miller’s torso. “And you’re one too.”
She stares at him in utter disbelief. “What the hell, Sir? Have you only just realised I’m female? Do you think because I am a woman I can’t stick up for myself?”
Hardy stands up from his chair, “Oh no, no that’s not what I meant! Sorry, it’s late… jus’…”
He stops talking and pinches the bridge of his nose, unsure how to continue the conversation , while he’s trying to gauge her demeanour.
Of course, he cares for her and she cares for him but they have had two year apart and so much is unspoken between them.
He’s tired, his eyes dry from the constant computer work, his back aches from sitting too long, and he feels defensive now too.
“Look, Miller, I jus’ want ye to get home safe, there’s nothing more to it. Why cant you just accept my concern rather than be so difficult?”
She lets out an almighty sigh to his relief, but not before continuing with a flippant: “If you’re that worried about me, come home with me, Sir.”
Now it’s Hardy’s turn to stare at her in utter disbelief at what she has just said. It takes Miller a millisecond to understand his reaction, and therefore sets the record straight.
“You knob, I’m not asking you to come home and shag me if that’s what you’re worried about!”
“Why an earth would I want to do that with you?” Alec retorts instantly without thinking it through, his tired brain way too slow to understand her shocked expression.
Aghast, Miller snarls at him, absolutely fuming. “Well thanks,” she scoffs, shaking her head in disbelief before continuing, “Thank you very much, Sir, you absolute wanker! I know I’m damaged goods now since my fucking husband did what he did and ended any chance of a future relationship. I don’t need you to remind me of that!”
“What? Damaged goods? What the hell are we talking about here?”
Miller scowls at him and he realises what has transpired. Damaged goods? Does she really think of herself that way? She never knew about Joe leading a double life seeing an eleven year old child, and he’s sure everyone in Broadchurch knows that by now. But of course, he cant know for sure. He’s been away for two years and they don’t really talk about this anymore.
Well, until now, it seems. Miller feels since Joe ruined her life for what he did, men would look at her differently and she would forever be tainted.
“Oh, Christ Miller, that’s not what I meant! You know I don’t see you that way!” His attempt to back peddle fails miserably it seems because Miller looks as if she’s about to strangle him now.
“You don’t see me that way? What is it with you? Have you lost your bloody mind?”
Hardy holds his breath unsure what it is he’s meant to say or do in these circumstances. He really feels agitated now and runs his hands through his hair, probably making a mess of it.
The situation is turning in to a nightmare. How could this happen within a few minutes? First they were laughing about her nephew, now they are arguing over whether he’d sleep worth her. He really needs a break but he feels he has to get this situation under control first, if that’s even remotely possible. “Miller… Ellie,” he starts but stops when he notices her angry face. She’s so mad, its nearly frightening him. “I have to go now, Sir,” she tells him coldly. “Can’t stand here arguing about your insecurities all night or whether you’d shag me or not – but wait, you already gave me your answer to that, right?”
She turns away from him and he instinctively moves a step closer in to her direction, positive she is about to cry and he can’t have that.
“Oh, come on, I never meant it that way, Miller. You’re not unshaggable, it’s jus’… I never thought about you in that way since you’re my subordinate, and… ach, can this get anymore awkward?”
Miller doesn’t respond, doesn’t turn around to face him and he feels embarrassed and helpless. And then she just bursts out of his office and is gone. He stands there, shellshocked, mortified and feels his heart hammering against his ribs.
“Oh, fucking hell, what have I done?” He mutters.
21.28
It’s nearly nine thirty when Ellie lets herself in to the Latimer’s back door. She had sat in her car at the station for a good ten minutes, stewing over the conversation with Hardy.
How dare he talk to her in that way, implying she couldn’t handle a situation like that on her own? She still feels that hot anger bubbling up when she thinks about what happened minutes earlier in his office. Unshaggable? Does this word even exist? She never liked to be pitied in any form and especially not from Hardy, who should know better than to try and play her knight in shining armour.
Disgusting, she thinks and crinkles her nose while making her way into the hallway.
She announces her arrival by shouting a hello to everyone who she can hear are in the lounge. Beth shouts a hello back in acknowledgement.
She smiles when she sees a bowl of leftover pasta covered up on the worktop. Beth was true to her word on keeping some leftovers for her.
Placing her mobile, car keys and handbag on the kitchen table she then takes off her parka and hangs it on the back of a chair. She can hear laughter and chatter coming from the living room so makes her way through the kitchen to the hive of activity in the next room.
Beth, Chloe and Daisy are sitting on one sofa watching a film. Tom is half asleep on the other sofa. Fred and Lizzie are notably missing, obviously asleep upstairs.
“I’m so sorry everyone!” Ellie apologises and flops back on to the sofa Tom is laying on nearly squashing him in the process and instantly waking him up.
“Tough day?” Beth asks as she turns the tv down via its remote. Ellie sighs and nods. “There’s some leftover pasta I can heat up for you? Maybe a glass of wine to go with it?”
Rather emphatically Ellie responds to the offer. She is starving hungry and the wine wouldn’t go amiss, particularly after her earlier show don with Hardy.“That would be amazing Beth!”
Beth gets up from the sofa and instructs Chloe to go with her to sort Ellie some well needed sustenance, giving her chance to speak to the teenagers alone.
“We heard what happened in town earlier. How’s my dad?” Daisy asks, concern etched on her face.
“He’s fine Daisy. He will call you when he gets home to talk to you. We decided I’d drop you at school when I take Tom, if that’s ok with you?”
“Ok thanks. Guess he’s still working?”
“He is but he said he would be leaving just after me. I’m sure he will be home soon if he’s not already. It’s a tough case.”
“He gets so obsessed with these things.” Daisy complains.
“It’s his work sweetheart.”
“Hm.” Daisy shrugs her shoulders.
“We’ll watch out for him together, right?” Ellie smiles at her and the girl smiles back, relieved to have found a partner in crime.
Turning to Tom, Ellie runs a hand through his hair and ruffles it up which is met with a grunt.
“I’m sorry I’m late Tom. I’ll be home in time to pick you up from school tomorrow, I promise.”
“S’okay mum, I know how busy you were today.” Tom yawns, unable to keep his eyes open. “Let me sleep now.”
“Thanks Tom. Love you more than chocolate.” She says, kissing the top of his head and getting up from the sofa. “Guess Fred went down ok and is in the spare room?” Ellie asks Daisy when she realises she wont get much sense out of her own son.
Daisy hesitates, her eyes darting towards the lounge door, ensuring neither Beth or Chloe are in earshot for what she was about to say next.
“Yeah he is, he went down with no fuss, unlike Lizzie! Poor Beth had a nightmare with her, took her ages to settle her.”
“Oh the joys! Thank goodness my two are past that stage now – well Fred is, not sure about Tom though!”
“Hey, I heard that.” Tom mumbles, eyes still closed as he lay on the sofa.
Ellie and Daisy both exchange grins with each other before Ellie makes her way upstairs and quietly opens the door to the spare room Fred is sleeping in. He is gone to the world, his soft curly locks framing his relaxed face. She plants a kiss on her sleeping sons forehead, watching him for a few moments before creeping out of the room as quietly as she came in.
Once freshening herself up in the bathroom, Ellie makes her way to the kitchen. Beth is dishing up some pasta in a bowl when Ellie enters the room. Beth insisting she sits down as she can see her friend looks exhausted.
Flopping down on the chair at the table which had placemat, cutlery and glass of wine all set in front, Ellie instantaneously reaches for the wine and takes a big gulp. Beth has already eaten but it hasn’t stopped her from pouring herself a glass of wine to be sociable with Ellie.
Beth puts down the bowl and sits down opposite Ellie who immediately begins to tuck in.
“Busy day then? We saw the news.”
“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Ellie replies in between mouthfuls. “All I can say is, I want you and Chloe being careful if you’re heading out anytime.”
Beth tries to pry, hoping to get more information out of her friend, but knowing full well how fruitless it is, because Ellie cant divulge anything. She eventually settles on taking her friends advice to be careful.
They retreat to the lounge, once Ellie has eaten her pasta, carrying their topped up glasses of wine; Beth bringing the remainder of the bottle with her for good measure. Tom has retreated upstairs to join his brother, while Chloe and Daisy have returned to watching the film they started earlier in Chloe’s bedroom, leaving them to talk without interruption.
Ellie and Beth chat about their children, the weather, weekend plans, how Mark is getting on as they drink their wine.
The wine soon takes effect on Ellie, Beth notices. Ellie has barely finished her second glass when Beth realises her friend cannot stop yawning. Fearing Ellie is trying her utmost to stay awake, Beth tells her that she’ll go clear away the kitchen, and for Ellie to sleep, not before leaving a blanket on the sofa for her friend to snuggle under before she leaves the room.
Beth undertakes a flurry of quick chores – cleaning down the kitchen, locking the back door and is washing the pasta dish in the kitchen sink. As she stands at the sink she cant help but notice Ellies phone on the kitchen table, constantly ringing and beeping.
She dries her hands on the nearby towel and stalks across the other side of the room to see who is so insistent.
She doesn’t mean to be spying, but Ellie’s asleep and it could be urgent, or work.
Picking up Ellie’s mobile from the table, she touches the screen so the mystery can be revealed.
Two missed calls from Lucy at 21.30 and then three missed calls from Hardy at 22:15, 22:32, 22:43.
“My god cant he let her have a night off!” Beth mutters, but then a flurry of texts come through which she doesn’t mean to read but it’s inevitable now, the messages popping up while she’s looking at the screen.
Messages from Hardy arrive in quick succession, as well as two earlier unread messages from Lucy appear.
Lucy - 21:49: What the hell El? Why’d you have to do that?!
Lucy - 21:50: PS - Hardy is an arsehole!
Hardy 22:55: Are you at Beth’s?
Hardy 22:55: Can we talk?
Hardy 22:56: I’m sorry about the misunderstanding earlier. Are you alright?
Hardy 22:57 Christ Miller, you’re going to be the death of me. Pick up your bloody phone, I just need to know you’re ok!
Hardy 22:57: We have to talk about it, can’t let what happened stand in our way during an ongoing investigation! Please pick up your damn phone!
Beth’s eyes widen. She’s in limbo. She’s not sure whether she should put the phone back down on the table or wait for – hopefully – more messages to come through.
Beth sits herself down at the table, attempting to understand what she’s just read. Usually when people ‘need to talk’ it’s not normally good news, or they say this when their relationship is under strain, or ending?
A misunderstanding? Asking her if she’s alright? Whatever it is cant come between them and an investigation?
This looks more than suspicious in her eyes. And obviously Lucy knows more than her. What is it? She needs to find out. Not because she wants gossip, she needs to ensure her friend is ok.
Beth shoots a glance at the kitchen door, stands up and shuts it door before retrieving her own phone from the worktop and types a message to Lucy.
To Lucy: What’s gone on with El and Hardy?
Beth puts her phone down on the worktop and wonders if she has done the right thing.
Less than a minute later, as she is still fretting, her mobile beeps.
Lucy: There’s something going on between them? Tell me more…
She’s instantly regretting texting Lucy.
To Lucy: Ignore me. Wrong end of the stick!
Lucy: Ok... Let me know if there’s more to it though!
Beth lets her phone drop on to the worktop and groans. Lucy is in full gossip mode no doubt. But then Beth wonders about the possibility of something going on between them. Are they in a relationship or just friends with benefits she ponders.
The two of them have an odd kind of relationship and she remembers how it felt to hear Joe’s barrister accuse them of having an affair. Both have denied it vehemently and Hardy left not long after. Beth is certain Ellie wasn’t in contact with him for the time he was away from Broadchurch, but then he reappeared out of nowhere, like he never left. Beth has seen Ellie pick up this strange friendship with Hardy as though it was the most natural thing to do, they even behave like an old married couple.
They bicker and row but they care for each other, and maybe they really are in some kind of twisted relationship? If Ellie is shagging Hardy, why hasn’t her friend told her? Maybe because it’s DCI Alec Hardy, the man who tried to solve her sons murder, and the man who might have been sleeping with Ellie back then? She cant know for sure if anything happened then or is happening now, but one thing she does know for certain is, she has to ask Ellie in the morning.
Her thoughts are interrupted when Ellie’s phone beeps again. She is confident it will be one of two people texting her: Hardy or Lucy.
She walks back to the table and picks up Ellie’s phone, reading the message.
Hardy: 22:58: OK, I get it you’re angry at me, but just tell me you are alright. I could call Beth or Daisy but I’d rather talk to you directly. Pick up your stupid phone.
Beth nearly drops the mobile in a panic when the kitchen door is flung open and Chloe comes bursting in to the kitchen, landline phone in her hand.
“Jesus, Chlo, where’s the fire?” Beth snaps, putting Ellie’s phone down again and focusing her attention on to her daughter.
“It’s Daisy’s dad. He wants to talk to you.” Chloe reveals, thrusting the phone into her mothers hand.
Beth momentarily composes herself and waits for Chloe to leave the kitchen before closing the door behind her.
“Hello, Hardy. Everything ok?”
There’s silence but finally she hears him mutter. “Good evening Beth. Thanks for having Daisy over by the way, I hope she’s been no bother.” Hardy begins before a slight pause. “I don’t suppose, er, you’ve seen Miller, I mean Ellie, that is? I er, I need to get hold of her and she’s not answering her mobile. It’s, it’s about the case.”
Beth immediately knows he’s not calling about the case but plays it cool. Ice cool.
“Ellie? She’s surely off the clock at this time of night? You need to talk to her about the case, now?”
It doesn’t take Beth much imagining to picture him frowning and looking embarrassed. She smirks and tries hard not to laugh.
“Ah, aye, the case. Yes. Have you seen her? D’ you know how I can reach her?”
“She’s probably asleep by now. Can’t it wait until tomorrow? I can take a message if you like?”
“So, she’s there? At yours?”
“Maybe….”
“Beth, listen, I need to speak to her. If you… if you could put her on so I can talk to her I would really appreciate it.”
“Is there a reason why she wouldn’t talk to you Hardy? I’m just a little confused here.”
Hardy stalls momentarily. “Err nothing, nothing to worry about, I just need to run something past her relating to… to the case. She said she was picking the boys up from yours and heading home. I thought maybe you knew where she was?”
Beth cannot contain herself any longer. “Can’t keep away from her, can you?”
“Excuse me?” Hardy splutters down the phone.
“Oh come on, I know something’s going on between the two of you!” Beth replies in a teasing tone.
Hardy’s irritated and Beth can hear him growl on the other end of the line.
“With all respect Beth, that’s none of your business. Don’t make this difficult, I only want to talk to Miller.”
Finally succumbing, Beth gives in to Hardy’s demand. “Alright, alright, she’s here. She’s asleep on my sofa, absolutely shattered after being on her feet all day. So, Hardy, unless this is a life or death situation you should let her rest and talk to her tomorrow. Maybe buy her coffee and breakfast? Always helps with these kind’s of problems.”
Hardy lets out a small sigh of relief. He hasn’t cottoned on to the last comment, however.
“Err, yeah, I guess I can do that for her” he replies with some confusion. “Tell her I called whenever she wakes up, and it’s urgent. Tell her, she can call me whatever time it is.”
“I bet she can.” Beth quietly mutters matter of factly, not caring if Hardy hears her or not. “Oh and don’t forget the coffee. She’ll love you for it.”
“Coffee. Got it.”
“Great. And don’t mess her around again!”
“What?” Hardy splutters. “Did she… did she talk to you? Abou’ what happened I mean?”
Beth pauses, biting her lip thinking about the last comment. Something did happen, and something is definitely going on between them.
“I really don’t want to get caught up in whatever is going on between you. Just do what I told you.”
“Alright. Ok. Thanks. And thanks again for having Daisy over, means a lot.”
The call is ended without so much as a goodbye. Beth sits herself down again. She’s astonished and irritated at the same time.