Chapter Text
They were no longer the Former Detectives Club. They were cold case detectives in Broadchurch and they were brilliant. Hardy knew they would be, it had taken Miller a bit longer to become convinced.
They spent as much time together as ever but now it wasn't as emotionally charged as the time spent on Danny's and Pippa's investigation. They found themselves having discussions about mundane day to day things. Miller discovered that Hardy could actually do small talk. It was a bit of a miracle.
And he smiled from time to time. She thought that it was more due to the fact that Daisy was in his life again, was willing to travel between Sandbrook and Broadchurch to spend time with him. Her children met his daughter and everyone got along. Saturday movie and games nights became routine. It felt lovely to have a friend. Somewhere along the line, they had become best friends. Both of their hearts were healing.
It was lovely and comfortable and familiar, and so when Ellie woke with a shock after having quite the erotic dream of a gruff, bearded Scottish detective, she was gobsmacked. She couldn't go back to sleep. She tossed and turned and the images in her brain were as vivid as they were when she dreamed them.
Did she really think of him that way? Well, it seemed that she must, considering what her overtired brain had conjured. Since she was a good detective, she examined this development from all angles. The solution to the mystery, after much thought in the early morning hours, was yes. She did think of him that way. Not only was she not adverse to jumping him, she suspected there also might be deeper feelings there, and they'd been there for a while. She didn't just wake up suddenly craving a grouchy Scot.
Bloody hell. Could she ever look Hardy in the eye again?
"You're tetchy," Hardy said later on that morning after she'd practically slapped his hand away from the file he'd started to take from her.
"Am not," she muttered.
"Are too. Who put the bee up your bum? Been a while since you've been pissed at me for merely existin'," he groused back.
"Drop it," she warned. Her stern tone was undermined by the loud yawn that followed her warning. "S'cuse me," she muttered.
Hardy looked at her, considering. "Didn't you sleep?"
She shot him a look. "Good observation, DI Obvious." She winced. He really didn't deserve her bitchiness this morning. She was just so....out of sorts. Frustrated. ("Sexually frustrated," her inner voice said. Her inner voice sounded a lot like Lucy today.)
"Well, s'not my fault you didn't sleep," Hardy grumbled, snatching the file back.
"Well, yeah, it kind of is," she almost said, but then settled for snatching the file back to put papers in it before handing it back to Hardy.
Ellie walked to the bench later. She needed to be away, to think. It didn't help. Once her subconscious had latched on to that image of Hardy it was difficult to get it out of her mind, and she just did not know how to deal with it.
She thought that she'd never be ready to consider a relationship with anyone, not after Joe. She trusted Hardy, though. She knew he'd never break her trust or her heart like Joe did. Joe hid evil behind a perfect facade, Hardy was gloriously imperfect. She trusted Hardy with her life and with her sons' lives.
If the opportunity ever arose, she decided she'd take it. Right, then, she decided. If Hardy ever feels that way about me then I'll take him up on it. Okay, she thought. Decision made.
In the meantime what was she supposed to do? Give subtle hints? Not so subtle hints? Wait for him to make a move? Lock his office door and jump him? (There's Lucy again, she realized.)
Ellie put her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands. She hated relationships. She never expected to have to do this again. Well, she didn't have to, she realized. She could keep the status quo.
Ellie started muttering to herself, not caring how daft she looked.
"You have one hot dream and suddenly you're planning your life with him? Seriously, Miller, you're daft. Why ruin a perfectly good friendship anyway. If it all goes to hell, he'll leave. There's nothing holding him here."
It amazed her how much the thought of that hurt. Tears stung her eyes. She'd gone from contemplating a relationship to a horrible breakup in the span of a minute. "I'm a ridiculous mess," she whispered.
"Miller?"
Ellie hoped he hadn't heard her little soliloquy. She took a second to gather herself then looked up at Alec Hardy, who held two steaming travel mugs of tea.
The sight of him nearly made the tears bloom and fall. He had been smiling but it faded into a look of concern. "What happened? Did Joe do...."
"No," she cut him off, gratefully accepting the tea. He joined her on the bench. "Just tired and emotional, I suppose."
Hardy nodded. He was used to her being tired and emotional. He understood her. That just made him more endearing. A cute Hardy just made it all harder to deal with.
"D' ya need a hug?" he finally asked.
Her eyes widened, and she sat back, stunned.
She realized suddenly that he he took her reaction as a rejection, looking first disappointed, then resigned. She also realized she had no hope of ever playing it cool around him, not now. In a rush she blurted, "I dreamt of you last night. It had me a bit...discombobulated."
He took a second to process that information, then said with a smirk, "Was it a nightmare? Let me guess. You finally threw that cup of piss at me but you missed."
Ellie pressed her lips together, trying not to smile and failing miserably. "Knob," she muttered. "Not a nightmare."
"Oh. Well. I'm sorry for whatever I did in the dream."
"You've nothing to be sorry about." Ellie glanced at him and she knew exactly when the penny dropped. She averted her eyes, looking out at the sea. Alec was staring at the water as well.
Finally he spoke softly, and Ellie felt the caress of his voice all the way down to her toes. "Would it help to know I've dreamt of you as well?"
Ellie kept her eyes trained on the ocean. She could feel the warm flush creeping up her neck. "Might do. Was it a good dream?"
Alec's answering growl gave her goosebumps. "Very." He'd inched closer to her and placed his hand on the bench next to hers. When she placed her hand on top she heard him expel a deep breath. Ellie linked her fingers with his and he stroked her thumb. That small touch shattered any resolve Ellie might have had remaining. It also swept away all doubt and she found the courage to look at him.
Alec was already gazing at her. He leaned in. She mirrored his action. It felt so inevitable. Alec's hand cupped her cheek and he tilted his head. A bare second later he'd captured her lower lip between his own and she returned the pressure. The gentle insistence of his lips on hers was so tender she felt the sting of tears again. She tasted the tea they'd been drinking.
When the kiss ebbed away they sat together, foreheads touching, breathless, smiling. "Already much better than the dreams," he murmured.
"Dreams?" Ellie said as he kissed her forehead. "As in more than one?"
"Aye."
"Since...how long?"
"Does it matter, Miller?"
"You just snogged me, so call me Ellie. Get used to it. And no, it doesn't matter. Just curious."
He distracted her with another kiss. She had the feeling he was contemplating her question while he snogged her. "It's been quite a while," he finally answered. He gazed at her, his eyes wide and earnest. "You're the reason I stay here, Ellie."
That was all she needed to know. She leaned in and pressed her lips to his. This time it was her hand caressing his cheek, and his whiskers felt heavenly. He nuzzled into her touch with a sigh. Ellie thought fleetingly that it had likely been a long time since he'd been touched like that. She recalled the times she just wasn't ready for his touch or comfort and had jerked away from him and it saddened her. Her heart was too full of him to ever reject him now.
"So," she gasped when they broke apart, "now what do we do?"
He chuckled. "I'm all for carrying on as we're doing right now."
"Good plan," Ellie agreed. Hardy kissed her again.