This is the second story in a series called Building Bridges Across the Void, which you can find the first part on AO3; story number 614156.

Bollocks, he thought as he walked on the side of the empty Broadchurch street. I've really cocked it up this time. What had possessed him to make a pass at the innkeeper was beyond him. No, actually it wasn't; she had been flirting, and he was lonely. If he were a bit more honest with himself, he would admit to being afraid to die without having had another woman besides the one that broke his heart.

Could he really blame Becca for not wanting to go to bed with him? He was, he reminded himself bitterly, a very sick man. A dying man, really; he'd already decided against the surgery, and if his recent spells and stay in hospital were any indication, he wouldn't last a year. Hell, he wasn't even certain he would last long enough to close the Latimer case.

Alec paused to admire the sea view, and rest his arms on a railing. He needed to solve this case, had to catch Danny's killer and bring him to justice. The idea of dying before he accomplished that made his blood run cold. He had to make up for Sanbrook somehow, not that it was possible. If his wife hadn't—if he'd been a better husband—maybe those girls' killer would be in prison right now.

" 'scuse me," a woman's voice said. Alec turned from his stormy thoughts to focus his attention on her. "I think 'm a bit lost," she smiled.

Alec glanced around for some indication of where she'd come from; he didn't see mates, or a car. "Ye really shouldn't be out on your own this time o' night."

"Why's that?"

"Don't ye read the newspapers?"

Rose laughed, "Not at three in the morning when I'm lost," she grinned. Alec grumbled.

"Fair enough."

"Do you know where I can find a hotel or somethin'?"

"Sure. There's a B&B not far from here," he turned fully toward her, and pointed the way from which he'd come, "Not too far that way."

Rose's eyes widened for a moment as she took in his features, but regained her composure quickly before his gaze returned to her again. When their eyes met, Rose saw something in them that caused a heaviness to settle into her chest. That was a look she was used to seeing behind the cool, blue eyes of her first Doctor.

"Walk with me?" she asked.

Alec rolled his eyes, but when Rose bit her lip, he relented, "Sure. It's about time I headed back there myself." They walked side-by-side in silence for a few paces before he asked, "So, what brings you to Broadchurch?"

"I'm just passin' through. Goin' home to London," she stuffed her hands into the pockets of her leather coat, "What's your name?"

"Alec," he thought of introducing himself as Hardy, or as DI Hardy, but he didn't want to wear his mask or his badge just now; he was tired.

" 's nice to meet you," she paused. "So you're stayin' at the B&B too? You don't live here?"

"Aye, I am; and I do live here. I just moved here a few weeks back."

"And you haven't found your own place?"

"Been busy."

"And not really all that interested in settling in," Rose added. She could nearly smell it on him: the unease, and the way his surroundings seemed to fit him like an itchy sweater.

"Didn't see the point really."

"Why's that?"

"It's none of your business," he snapped.

"No, it isn't. But you still want to tell me."

"I don't."

"You do," she smiled weakly, "You do 'cause you want to tell somebody. And who better to tell than a strange girl jus' passin' through town; one that doesn't even know your last name?"

Alec smirked at that, "Fair enough," there was a long pause.

"Well?"

"I'm dying."

Rose tried to tamp down the sadness at the weight of his words. "Cancer?" she asked at last.

"No. Arrhythmia," he gestured at his chest.

"Is there anything the doctors can do?"

"Aye. Surgery; my doctor wants to put in a pacemaker."

"And you said no?"

"Aye."

"Why?"

Their eyes met again, and Rose saw profound sadness. "Doesn't matter why," he said, and Rose knew not to pick at it. After years of traveling with the Doctor, she learned that there was only so far she could press an issue before he would stonewall her and spend thirty-six hours on TARDIS repairs.

"Is that why you're out for a walk at this time of night?"

"Partly," Rose stared at him for a long while, and took her hand out of her pocket and laced her fingers with his. Alec's shoulders stiffened a bit at the contact, but he didn't want to reclaim his hand, either. "So what's in London?" he asked.

"Nothing. Everything; I don't know yet."

"Thought you said it was home."

"It is; but…it's complicated. Dunno if there will be anyone waiting for me when I get there. Been away a long time," it was a half-truth; she was on her way to London, just not this universe's London.

"Got a man back there?"

"No," she said quietly, "I dunno. I mean, I used to think so. He's…moved…since then. I'm gonna try an' find him."

"Oh," Alec did a poor job of hiding his disappointment.

"I mean, we weren't like that, or an'thing, but sometimes I wonder. So if I can find 'im again, I'm gonna ask 'im."

"The answer's not as important as knowing the answer."

" 'xactly," Though I really hope that sentence was goin' to end how I think it was goin' to end, she added silently. She squeezed Alec's hand just a bit.

"Well, I hope you get your answer then," he paused, and squeezed her hand back, "And I hope it's the answer you want to hear."

"Thanks."

"Well, here's the B&B," he said, reluctantly releasing her hand. "Ms. Fisher is probably asleep by now. I can wake her for you; she'll be happy to sort a room out for you."

Rose paused. "I," she stuffed her hand back into her pocket again, making a fist that almost seemed to ache with the loss, "Yeah. Yeah, I guess that makes sense. It just…it seems kind of silly now; I'll be leaving again in the morning."

Alec looked at her, his expression revealing nothing. "You could stay with me," he suggested, schooling his face not to reveal how vulnerable he felt in that moment. He wasn't sure if he could bear being turned down again.

"Alright," Rose said, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Alec and Rose made their way through the dimly-lit lobby of Becca Fisher's B&B to Alec's door. As he unlocked the door, he wondered what he'd just asked this girl. He didn't say, 'Come back to my room and shag me.' It was then that Alec Hardy felt a wave of guilt. He wanted to shag her. She was pretty and nearly half his age, and he was just a miserable lonely twat looking for a shag. "You can take the bed, and I'll have the settee," he said quietly, setting the keys on the small table beside the door. Maybe she did just want a place to lay her head for a few hours.

Alec turned to face her, and suddenly, she was right there, in his personal space, a hand on his cheek. Her thumb ruffled his beard. She looked at him solemnly for a moment, searching his face. She looked at his lips and said, "If 's alright Alec, I thought we might…share." She looked him in the eye again, and bit her lip.

He cupped her cheek with one hand, and brought the other to her waist. Alec looked at her for a long moment, her words hanging between them like fairy lights.

Finally, he covered her mouth with his own, in a firm but chaste kiss. One of Rose's hands curled around the small of his back, while the other slipped from his cheek to his neck, and came to a rest on his shoulder. Alec pulled back and pressed his forehead to hers. "It's alright with me. Are you sure you want—"

"I'm sure," she whispered, reclaiming his lips again, capturing his bottom lip between both of hers and running her tongue along it, urging him to open to her. He pushed forward, her mouth welcoming him as his tongue explored hers and stroked curves of her mouth. She tugged at her own jacket and it fell to the floor. Rose brought her hands to his chest, then played her fingertips along the buttons of his shirt, exploring before finally returning to the top to start undoing them.

As buttons slid free of buttonholes, Alec's mind began to race. Rose made short work of his shirt, and pushed it down his shoulders, where he let it slip to the floor. Slowly, he brought his hands to Rose's breasts; they were magnificent. He thought of what her bare skin would feel like against his palms, and what her creamy skin would feel like against his lips. He squeezed her gently and ran his thumbs over her nipples.

Rose sighed and pulled him closer to her. She could feel the beginnings of his erection against her thigh, and couldn't resist pressing herself closer to him. She tugged his undershirt from the waistband of his trousers and rucked it up to let her fingertips dance across his bare flesh. Alec sighed into her mouth and broke the kiss to nip at her neck. He began tugging desperately at her shirt, and Rose helped him make short work of it.

Alec took in the sight of her, the swells and valleys of her breasts, the curves of her hips. "Ye are beau'iful," he said in awe, kissing her once more as he unhooked her bra. He took a small step back again, just enough to admire her once more. She was casting appraising looks at him as well, and the way she bit her lip set his blood on fire. She was beautiful and young, and he was the last dried up orange at the bottom of a fruit bowl; for her to look at him like this…it was exhilarating. It was more than that, he realized. The way she reached for his hand, it was like she'd done it a thousand times before. The way she traced her fingers over his bare chest as if she'd waited a lifetime for it. The way she looked into his eyes and seemed to know just what he needed.

Becca may have been right; sex might very well kill him, but if this—here, with this woman—had to be the time, then it would be worth it. This moment was the first time since he discovered his wife's affair that he didn't feel loneliness.

Alec moved them to the bed, and sat Rose at the edge. She kissed his stomach and grazed her fingertips across his nipples and she undid his belt, then the button and zip of his trousers. She slid them down his narrow hips, revealing his strained pants. She kissed him just above his navel and lightly palmed him over his trousers. He groaned. Her fingertips were creeping into the waistband of his pants, and he knew what she wanted. He could let her, and go off in her mouth and be done with the whole thing, but he never was that sort of man.

Rose wanted to see him, touch him, put her mouth on him, but as she reached for his pants, Alec slowly sank to his knees in front of her. He used a hand to ease her onto her back, and set to work undoing her jeans. He tugged them off, along with her socks. As he reached for her knickers, he looked up at her, "May I…?" he asked, licking his lips; from nervousness or anticipation, he wasn't sure.

"Yeah," she said shyly, her cheeks tinted pink from arousal. Alec pulled her knickers down, and was pleased to find them wet. He had a surge of male pride as he dropped them to the floor. He ran his hands up Rose's thighs, and opened them just a bit more. He looked at her sex and thought her beautiful. He breath caught a bit before he composed himself and settled against her, her arms curled under her legs and resting over her hips. He spread her with his fingers and breathed in the smell of her. When he exhaled, Rose trembled.

She watched as Alec took her in with reverence, his breath against her sensitive and aching flesh making her tremble as she struggled not to squirm. Then he leaned down and kissed her clit before closing his lips around it entirely. Rose moaned softly, and he picked up his pace, his tongue tracing circles against her as he unwound one hand from its place on her hip and slid a finger into her. He pushed it in once, twice, and then withdrew it to add a second. Rose whimpered and curled her fingers into his hair.

Rose struggled against the urge to buck into Alec's touch, and fight it as she might, her hips were still rocking in time to his ministrations as he worked to bring her off. Oh, and it wasn't going to take much longer. She tightened her grip in his hair; it felt a little coarse, and it seemed to be at constant war with itself not to curl. "Alec," she sighed, and he responded by humming against her. She closed her legs on reflex, and felt his bearded cheeks against her thighs for a moment before remembering herself and consciously opening up for him again.

Rose gasped and keened beneath him, the taste of her consuming his mind and causing his cock to stand at full attention. He forgot how much he loved this. He'd missed the sound of a woman's pleasure, the feel of her trembling under his touch, the knowledge that someone wanted to give themselves to him, to touch and be touched. He could feel that she was close; it was in the way she breathed and the way she felt against his mouth and around his fingers.

Alec curled his fingers against her walls and with another swipe of his tongue, she felt the tension that had been building in her snap. "Oh! Alec!" she cried out, her fingers curled in his hair and thighs once again tightly framed his face. Rose freed one hand from his hair and placed it over the one he had resting on her hip. They laced their fingers together as the tension left her body; he soothed her quivering muscles with his fingers and tongue before slowly pulling back. He dipped his head to taste her one last time and then retreated. He wiped his chin carefully and moved up the bed to lie beside Rose as she scooted up to rest her head on the pillows. "That was…you're…wow," Rose said breathlessly.

"You taste amazin'," he sighed, pressing a kiss against the round of her shoulder. He wanted to kiss her mouth, but wasn't sure how she would feel about that.

Rose rolled over, and throwing a thigh over his legs she leaned down to kiss him on the mouth. She nipped at his lip and shifted so she could slide her hand down his body. She brushed over a nipple with her fingertips and trailed down over his ribs. As her palm brushed over the hair below his navel, he growled against her lips.

The feel of her hand drifting down his body set his skin alight with desire. As she slid her hand beneath the waistband of his pants, he broke away. "Are you…sure…you want to do this?" he asked, resting a hand over hers to still it just agonizing inches from his cock. "I'm not well."

"Do you want this, Alec?"

"Aye."

"Then so do I," she bent to kiss him gently before turning her attention to his neck; she ran her tongue along his skin until she came to the hollow beneath his ear.

He sighed as she sucked gently at the spot below his ear. She whispered to him, her mouth so close to his skin that each syllable was a kiss, and each play of breath gave him chills, " 've been a lot of places, Alec. Seen lots of things…things you wouldn't believe. An' I know you're a good man. And lonely," she pulled his earlobe into her mouth and sucked for a moment before pulling back, "I don't want you to be lonely…not tonight," Rose said, curling her fingers around his cock and giving it a few slow, firm strokes.

"Wait," he said weakly, and she paused, "If…if I have a spell…there are tablets in the bathroom cabinet," he said, embarrassed.

"Alright," she replied, resuming her ministrations for a moment before deciding to finally get his pants off. She tugged them down and he helped her get them off. Once he was fully bare before her, she bit her lip and crawled up the length of his body. Soon, she was poised over him, feeling his hard length against her wet folds. She leaned down to kiss him. "Can I tell you a secret?" she said, searching his eyes.

"Aye."

"I'm lonely too," Rose slipped a hand between them and guided him to her as she slowly sank down onto him. When he was fully inside, she paused to adjust; it had been awhile since she'd been with a man, and her muscles already ached with the effort.

She was so wet and tight; he couldn't help but whimper. After a moment, he put his hands on her hips and squeezed. He thrust carefully into her and watched as she bit her lip. He did it again, and she moaned.

Feeling him move inside of her was more than she could take; she rocked against him, bore down on him, pressing a hand carefully to his sternum to steady herself as he gripped her hips and rocked his to match her movements. She kept her pace languorous and sensual, struggling to keep a pace that would take him over the edge but not put him in danger.

Alec let go of her hips and trailed his fingers up to play with her nipples. Rose arched her back and he palmed the swell of her breasts before sitting up. He lavished attention on first one and then the other before wrapping his arms around her, hooking one hand over her shoulder to pull her down onto his cock as he thrust into her. He buried his face in the valley between her breasts before finally reclaiming her nipple.

Rose groaned at the sensation, and plunged her hand into his hair once more, scratching gently at his scalp as she felt his hair slip through her fingers. He gasped and hooked his other hand over her shoulder, pulling her down more roughly.

She knew that if she kept allowing him to lead, he would put himself in hospital; she toppled him onto his back and kissed him. "Let me. Please," she whimpered, and he stilled. She caressed his arms and brought them down from where he held her shoulders, she kissed his hands, and then brought them to either side of his head, lacing their fingers together.

She rocked against his hips slowly at first, and then built up speed. She was struggling against herself, trying not to be too loud, but wanting him to hear how good it felt to have him. She whimpered and reclaimed one hand to tuck the hair out of her face. She reached to take Alec's hand again, but he had already moved it down to where they were joined, rubbing her clit rhythmically, echoing her motions on top of him.

As Alec stroked her, Rose felt another wave of moisture at her center; judging by the noise he made, he felt it too. "Come for me," he begged. She already felt the tension building in her, and his words made it that much easier to push herself onward, riding him to her own completion and wanting him to feel her come while he was still buried inside her. She imagined the look on his face when it happened, and that's when Alec pressed just there and her world fell apart around her as she looked down at him.

"Alec," she sighed, and it was as if that single word held everything he was; it was in the way her voice broke around his name, the way her lips bent to form it combined with the feel of her slick heat subsuming him; he came, bringing the hand that had been at her center to her hip, and clutching at her hand as he cried out.

Rose arched her hips to take him deeper as he came, aching to feel him pulse as he emptied himself inside her. When his orgasm subsided, she collapsed onto his chest. She could feel his heart pounding against her chest, and was worried for him.

"Would you like a glass o' water?" she asked him.

"No, I'm fine. Just need a mo," he said, kissing her shoulder. He didn't want to tell her that he was feeling a bit more lightheaded than was normal for this activity. He laid still, Rose still on top of him, schooling his breathing and willing his heart rate back to a relaxed level. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, breathing in the scent of her.

In this moment, it didn't feel like it was him against the world. He didn't feel like he was alone, tilting at windmills. He felt himself slip from her body, and she immediately curled into his side. She held him close and traced her fingertips over his chest. They lie there for awhile in silence.

Alec kissed the top of her head, and she spoke, "You should let go," she says softly.

"Of what?"

"The guilt. The hurt."

"I can't. I won't."

"I'm not saying forget it, yeah? Just…don't let it own you. I've seen what that does to a man. I see what it's doing to you."

Alec scoffed.

"You're a good man who's made mistakes. A good man who's suffered through a lot," he turned her face up to look him in the eye. "Please don't give up."

He wasn't sure whether to be angry or to cry. Instead, he stayed silent and pulled her closer to him. She held him and kissed him, and at some point they drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Alec awakened feeling lighter than he had since his wife's affair had come to light. He smiled and stretched, expecting to find her asleep beside him. When he opened his eyes, he discovered that he was alone. Immediately his mood crashed down again, and he sat up grumbling to himself. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock on the night stand. In front of it, there lay a small note.

Last night was wonderful. I didn't realize how much I needed the company. Think about what I said, yeah? –xoxo

It was only then that it dawned on Alec that he hadn't even asked the woman's name. He smiled sadly at the words, and picked up his billfold to carefully tuck the note inside.