Chapter Text
When Ellie woke up on Boxing Day Alec was still sound asleep and snoring softly. She heard Fred in his room, so she got up and left Alec to his lie-in.
It wasn't long, however before Alec woke up and rolled over, looking up at the ceiling. He didn't feel like leaving the warmth of the bed quite yet, even if he did miss Ellie's warm body beside his.
It had taken a while for him to fall asleep, thinking about traveling to Glasgow. Had it really been nearly thirteen years? He'd put a stop to visiting his dad in Glasgow when it became clear that they fell into their old behavior patterns when he was under his dad's roof. Alec didn't want them to battle in front of his daughter so if James Hardy wanted a relationship with his only granddaughter he had to visit on Alec's (and to a major extent Tess') terms in their house. It had worked, mostly. James didn't drink under their roof, and he managed to respect that it was their house. Daisy softened the rough edges of their relationship whenever James visited, until they had one final row before James' sudden death. He hadn't been back since the funeral.
Glasgow was where he witnessed his parents' toxic relationship. It was where he fought with his father. It was the location of some of his most dangerous moments as a copper on the street. He'd earned a scar on his stomach from a perp with a knife.
He'd hated Glasgow by the time he left. He'd run from Sandbrook when it all went to hell there. How ironic, then, that Broadchurch, the place he hated with all the endless sky and smiling faces and damned salty air, was the only place he really could call home. And that was because Ellie made the salty air and endless sky tolerable. More than tolerable, he realized.
The thought of Ellie pulled him out of bed at last and he went down to join the family.
*****
Boxing Day, as it often did, failed to live up to the high bar set by Christmas. Fred was out of sorts because it rained and he couldn't ride his bike. Tom was prickly because the "not date" with Genny was looming large and he was in panic mode. Daisy was annoyed with Tom, Ellie was exhausted and the messy house wasn't doing anything to help her disposition.
Alec was brooding about going to Glasgow and his resolve was wavering.
As the day went on, Ellie decided to say "sod all" regarding the house and she and Daisy decided to have a "girls day". They took off the pajamas they wore to bed and put on the pajamas they got for Christmas and settled in for movies and board games. Since the movies they planned to watch looked like they would only result in crying women, Alec decided to stick his nose in a book. It was better than brooding.
Eventually the women few tired of movies and played with Fred on the floor, while Tom only got grouchier as the day wore on. Fred was trying to wheedle Ellie into one more game of Candy Land when Tom and Daisy had a bit of a row in the the hall outside the living room. She was done with his attitude and let him know, much to Ellie and Alec's surprise. They were trying not to listen but it was rather impossible not to hear. After she told him to piss off and then told him just to give Genny the gloves and get it over with, their parents were stifling their laughter. Daisy returned to the living room looking rather triumphant, which only exacerbated the laughter. She gave Fred a grin and promised to play with him after she made some tea.
Ellie, sighed, finally calming. "Well, that was interesting." Alec nodded, chuckling. "Tree looks a little spent. We'll have to get that down before we go."
Alec scratched the back of his head, looking uncomfortable. "Yeah...well, about that....." He trailed off and Ellie didn't need to hear any more. She sat up, looking surprised.
"Alec Hardy, you promised your cousin," Ellie said in a warning tone. "Dammit, you'd better not be backing out."
"It's a long drive with five of us, in the winter. It'll be a disaster. Best wait until summer, and we can all meet up in Blackpool."
"Why would we leave one beach to go to another?" Ellie reasoned.
"Okay then, she can bring her brood here," Alex argued.
"Oh, so that's fair. She can pack up six people and drag her ass down here, but you can't see fit to go up there, as you promised? This is how you end up cuttin' people out of your life, Alec!"
Daisy heard the gist of the conversation on the way back from the kitchen. "What? We're not goin'? Are you nuts? I told Mum that's where I'd be! And besides, I don't remember ever going to Glasgow, ever, Dad, not even when Granddad Hardy died," she reminded him.
"You had strep and a high fever, and you and your mum stayed home from the funeral, Daisy, and yes you have been. You just don't remember, which is just as well," Alec argued.
"What's really up, Dad? You were all gung-ho to go earlier in the month. What's changed?" Daisy crossed her arms and stared him down.
"I'd love to know as well," Ellie said.
Alec's lips pressed together in a thin line of consternation in the face of such displeasure from the two most important women in his life. He realized at that moment that he really didn't have a reason he could articulate. Finally, in a fit of pique he growled, "Fine, you know we're goin'."
"Are we?" Ellie asked.
Alec looked pained. "Yes."
"Then shouldn't you call Carrie?" she asked.
He rolled his eyes. "I will!" Of course he would, how could he not after seeing the looks in Daisy's and Ellie's eyes? He suspected they knew that he'd do almost anything they asked of him.
"And then we'll talk later," Ellie said quietly, as Alec took out his phone. They locked eyes and he nodded.
He called Carrie.
Carrie was surprised to hear from him, because she fully expected to change his mind. Alec was wondering when exactly he'd become that predictable, but after reassuring her that they were indeed coming, they began to make plans. After a while he got tired of being the go-between as Ellie volleyed questions at Carrie and Carrie answered back. He passed the phone off to Ellie and they settled the plans. Before they finalized anything, Carrie had a question for Ellie. "So how long did it take him to start waffling about coming here?"
Ellie snickered. "Well, he mentioned it to me for the first time today. God knows how long he's been broodin' on it. Daisy and I set him straight, though." Daisy looked triumphantly at her father, who rolled his eyes.
"Aye, of course you did. You two are just what that stubborn git needs," Carrie asserted. Ellie laughed, while Alec looked pained and made a noise of disgust. Carrie went on, "And am I right in assumin' he looks like he's bein' poked with a sharp stick right about now?"
"Why, yes, he is," Ellie said, amused.
"Oh, have a laugh," Alec mumbled, plodding into the kitchen away from scheming women.
*****
It was late before Alec and Ellie had the privacy to talk in their room. Alec had dropped Tom off to spend time with friends, and Fred was finally sleeping. Ellie found Alec in their room lying on his stomach with his feet up, hands on his chin, reading his novel. Ellie's heart warmed at the sight. How the hell was this grumpy git so adorable, she thought. She stretched out next to him on the bed, and began rubbing his back absently. He hummed his approval.
Alec took off his reading glasses and rolled to his side, scooting closer to Ellie. She stopped rubbing his back and held him tightly to her. "Can we talk about earlier?" she asked into the crook of his neck. She kissed him gently.
Alec sighed. "It's ridiculous, now that I think about it. Why shouldn't we go?"
"I reckoned you must have your reasons," Ellie commented. "Carrie was shocked you even agreed to come. She hoped you say yes, and when you actually did she wondered if you'd follow through. She said Glasgow wasn't always the happiest place for you."
Alec rolled to his back and stared up at the ceiling, trying to gather his thoughts. "Tryin' to avoid ghosts," he murmured finally.
"I thought so....it was about livin' there with your parents, then?"
"My father specifically. I never liked how he berated my mum, even if she gave as good as she got. I always felt like I was protecting her, and when she died, whatever vitriol he sent her way came to me. I stayed away as much as I could, then after I moved away and got married, he extended an olive branch. He couldn't resist Daisy."
"I'm guessing it didn't go well?" Ellie prompted.
"No....we'd visit and things would regress to what they were before I left. When Daisy was a toddler we both put a stop to visits there. We told him if he wanted a relationship with her it was at our house on our terms." Alec let out a bitter chuckle. "One of the few times Tess and I ever worked well together as team. He mostly behaved at our house. Then when Daisy was about four Dad and I had a huge row on the phone. One of our worst. I hung up on him and didn't speak to him again. He tried to get in touch....and I ignored it. I guess he had tried to apologize. I don't know. Maybe he was gonna have another go at me. Then he had his stroke and died at home, alone. Carrie's dad found him a couple of days later. I felt like I had to go to the funeral, of course. It was almost a relief that Daisy was sick and Tess had a legitimate excuse to stay home, because she wouldn't have gone anyway. I left as soon as I could, y'know, claiming a sick child." He rubbed tired eyes. Ellie lay her head on his chest, his steady heartbeat thumping under her ear. "So, no...Glasgow doesn't have the best memories for me. But I thought about it, and if I avoided every place that held a bad memory I'd have nowhere to be than here with you. Besides....you're right."
"Can I get that in writing?" Alec pulled an annoyed face, and Ellie chuckled. "Tell me what I'm right about so I can gloat properly."
"I can't fall back into my old habits of cuttin' people out of my life. I didn't mean to cut Carrie out. I regret it. It was just too much effort, with my heart and Sandbrook and Danny and dealing with Claire. I felt like I was living a half-life anyway then. "
Ellie smiled softly, stroking his cheek. "Watching you come back to life is one of the best parts of being your partner. You're a lot stronger now, and you can handle whatever comes your way." Alec returned her smile and nuzzled into her hand.
"That's all down to you," he murmured.
"Well, that and the fact that you're one of the most stubborn people I know," Ellie said with a smirk, which he promptly kissed away. When the kiss ebbed away, she added, "I notice you didn't correct me." He laughed, nodding. She kissed his chest. "Maybe we can make some good memories there together. I know it's only a few days, and it won't make up for years with your dad, but it's a start."
"I'll have you by my side, and that helps. And I do want to see Carrie. I miss her. She was a bright spot growin' up. She could be a right pain in the arse....and bossy....but she made me laugh. Kinda like you, now that I think of it," Alec said with a smirk, lightly tickling her ribs.
She protested, "Oi!" and laughed anyway, all the while knowing that for now, at least, the subject was closed. He chased after her, laughing, and before they knew it tickling had turned to snogging. He rolled on top of her, and settled in, kissing her deeply. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly against her.
Ellie knew this wouldn't be the last of it, and she hoped that the trip would help him get some closure from the past. In the meantime, she held him and loved him. It was the best she could do, for now.
Eventually, tired and sated, Ellie fell asleep with Alec spooned up behind her, his arm around her waist. As he followed her into sleep, he realized that he was feeling cautiously optimistic about the trip they'd be taking in three days.