Trust

Chapter One

Partners and Neighbors

Ellie glanced at Hardy as they drove through the back roads of Broadchurch he was even more quiet and distracted than normal this morning. It had been six months since Joe's trial and the conclusion of the Sandbrook case. He had left for awhile only to show up on her doorstep late one night three months later.

Ellie was halfway reading a book when she heard a banging on her front door. She felt herself tense. It was almost midnight. There was no good reason for someone to be knocking on her door now. She went to it quickly before it woke the boys. She peaked through the hole to find her former boss and partner standing on her steps.

"What the hell Hardy? It's almost midnight." She said answering the door.

"Good to see ye too Miller." He said not hesitating to push his way through.

"Won't you come in? Can I make you a cuppa?" She said and there was no hiding the sarcasm in her voice.

"I'll make the tea. Where do ye keep it?" He answered.

"Its in the cupboard, but back to my first question, what the hell are you doing here?" She asked in a whispered yell hoping to still not wake her boys.

"Coming back to work Miller." He answered with an uncharacteristic smile.

"Has there been a crime at my house I am unaware of? At midnight?" She asked.

"Don't be daft Miller. We don't actually start work until Monday, but I thought I'd give ye the weekend to make necessary preparations. Ye know for the boys and all." He said looking right proud of himself for his consideration.

"Hardy what the bloody hell are you talking about?" She asked her voice this time no longer contained to a whisper.

Before he could answer her they both heard the small voice from the top of the stairs.

"Mummy?" A sleepy Fred called out.

"Damn it." Ellie muttered turning to retrieve her younger son. "It's all right Luv, Mummy's right here." She said retrieving the boy and bringing him downstairs.

"Want milk Mummy." He muttered sleepily.

"Is that wee Fred?" Alec asked with a genuine smile, "You've gotten so big."

"Alec!" The boy exclaimed now fully awake and he reached for Hardy who took him.

"I've missed you Mate" Hardy told him ruffling his hair.

Miller shook her head she had forgotten how much the two of them had bonded while they were working on the Sandbrook case.

"Play trains Alec?" The boy asked.

"No Luv, it's sleeping time and Alec isn't staying." She said pointedly filling a sippy cup with milk and taking the boy back from Hardy. She came back from settling Fred back in bed to see something on her counter. She recognized it at once, it was her old DS badge.

"What's that doing here?" She asked him.

"Ye going to need it for work I thought." Hardy said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Hardy I still have no idea what you're talking about." She said the familiar exasperation she felt around him returning.

"Work Miller, police work, detective work. I'm returning to Boradchuch and I want you're my partner." He explained.

"Do I get a say in this?" she asked.

"Do ye want to say no?" He asked, "Do ye want to keep chasing speeders in Devon? Before ye answer that you might want to open the ID and read it carefully."

She let out a sigh and walked to the counter and picked up the ID and opened it, her same picture was on it but the words and badge were different. "Detective Inspector Ellie Miller?" She read aloud.

"Partners, Miller ye and me." He said as the realization spread across her face. "So, see ye Monday?" He asked. Ellie still speechless nodded her head. "Fantastic, then." He said and turned to leave.

"Thank you, Hardy." She finally spoke as she walked him to the door and offered him a handshake.

"A handshake?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well I'm not going to hug you." She smiled.

"See ye Monday Miller." He told her as her shook her hand.

"All right Hardy, what's going on? You're brooding even more than usual today." She finally asked.

"It's Daisy, she wants to come to Broadchurch at the end of term." He explained.

"Isn't that good. She wants to come see her Dad for a summer holiday?" She asked.

"No, she doesn't want to come for a holiday she wants to move in with me. Said she needs to get away from Sandbrook and her mom and the boyfriend." He told her.

"Oh, well that is different." She said, "What do you think?"

"Well I can hardly tell her no can I? She already thinks I left her once and I've been working to rebuild our relationship. But I do not know the first thing about being a single father, especially to a teenage girl." He answered.

Ellie nodded, "It's not easy being a single parent, especially doing what we do, but you'll manage." She told him, "Of course you are going to need to find a better place to live. Daisy's going to want a bedroom, not the sofa in your blue shack." She laughed.

Hardy rolled his eyes and he looked back out the window, "You really think I can do this Miller?" He asked her.

Miller pulled the car into the lot at the station and looked at him, "You don't really have a choice now do you?" She asked but then smiled at him, "Yes, I think you can do it and you're not all alone you know, there are lots of us single parents around here. Welcome to the club."

Hardy sat there in the car still looking unsure and Miller looked down at her watch. "All right Hardy, It's nearly five how about we knock off, I'll go pick up Fred from the childminder, you can go pick up take away for us, and we'll meet back at my place and make a plan?"

Hardy studied her for a minute, "Ye don't mind? The boys won't mind?"

"Fred will be thrilled, Tom will tolerate you as much as always, and if you're paying for dinner I can stand your company a little bit more." She laughed. "See you soon."

An hour later Hardy was at her door holding pizza boxes and Fred eagerly greeted him at the door. "Alec!" He exclaimed reaching his arms up.

"Hold up Mate let me set this down." He told him setting the pizza on the counter and then picking him up. He spotted Tom on the couch playing a video game, "Hello Tom, how are you? How's school?"

"Fine" The teenager answered not looking up from his game.

"Tom, get off that game and be polite." Ellie admonished coming into the room. "We have company."

"He's here all the time Mum, he's hardly company." Tom argued still not looking up.

Ellie sighed and looked over to where Hardy had moved on to examining Fred's latest trains. She knew he had been watching the exchange between them but said nothing.

"You want to eat on the patio, it's nice out, summer's almost here." She asked.

Hardy nodded, "All right, I'll grab the pizza if you get the plates."

"I'm eating in here." Tom called defiantly from the couch.

"I didn't know you changed your rule about eating in front of the Telly." Hardy answered addressing Miller with a wink.

"I didn't." She responded, "Tom, turn it off and come outside." She instructed.

Tom snapped it off and walked to the door casting Hardy and irritated glance when his mother's back was turned. Hardy was unphased by the young man's irritation and just shrugged. Tom was right he was at their house often. When there was work to be done at night it only made sense to do it there. By and large he ignored the teenager's moodiness feeling he had the right to a certain amount of it, but when he was disrespectful to his mum Hardy bristled every time.

Tom managed to scarf down three pieces of pizza in less than five minutes without saying a word. Then stood to leave the table on the patio.

"What are you doing?" His mother asked him.

"Going back to my video game. I'm done." He answered.

"Could you be bothered to pick up your plate and maybe tell Hardy thank you for the pizza?" She asked.

He grabbed his plate and mumbled something that sounded like thank you as he left. Ellie took a long sip of her wine before speaking.

"I promise I did raise him with some manners." She said.

Hardy reached across the table and put his hand on hers, "I know ye did Miller, he's a teenager who's been through a lot."

She nodded and moved her hand, "All right let's start our list making." She said switching to efficient Ellie mode.

"Actually how about we take wee Fred here out for a walk first." He suggested.

Miller looked at him like he suggested robbing a bank, "You mean around the neighborhood? Together? Why?"

"Because as ye already pointed out, it's a nice evening. We've spent half the day in the car and its at least an hour until Fred goes to sleep and experience tells me we won't get much done before then anyways." He answered. "Or we could just stay in the yard and avoid your teenager."

Ellie smiled, "What do you say Fred, you fancy a stroll?"

"Alec come too?' The boy asked excitedly.

"At least one of the Miller's does more than tolerate me." Hardy laughed.

Ellie rolled her eyes, "Let me get the pushchair." She said.

"No pushchair, I walk with Alec." Fred argued.

"Let the boy walk Miller." Hardy agreed.

"Fine but you're carrying him when he gets tired." She told him.

"It's better than pushing that bloody pushchair." He retorted.

They followed the sidewalk down one side of Ellie's street and turned to come back up the other. Ellie nodded at neighbors as they passed wondering what kind of rumors would be going about after she and Hardy were seen taking an evening stroll with Fred. Probably no more than the ones already there from his car being parked at her house multiple nights a week. Ellie had been lost in thought when she looked and realized Hardy had Fred up on his shoulders. Yeah, there would probably be some more rumors after this.

They stopped at the house directly across the street form hers. "Well now what's this?" Hardy said pointing to the sign out front that said for rent. Ellie rolled her eyes.

"Was this an elaborate scheme to tell me that you're moving across the street from me Hardy?" She asked.

Hardy did his best to look insulted, "Absolutely not, I mean I would ask ye if ye if ye minded first, and we still have to meet with the agent in the morning."

"We?" She questioned.

Hardy at least had the decency to look slightly embarrassed this time, "Well I was kind of hoping ye would look at it with me in the morning? Ye know a woman's point of view. I mean I am going to have my teenage daughter living in it."

Ellie rolled her eyes at him, "Fine, I'll look at the house with you in the morning, but you better bring me coffee."

MHMHMHMHMHMHMHMH

The next morning, he was back at her door at nine holding a cup of coffee and a bag of donuts. Ellie let him in taking the cup of coffee and drinking it before speaking.

"Thank you." She finally said as they walked into the house.

"Rough night after I left Miller?" He asked.

"Bad dreams." Was all she said.

He nodded, "Yours, Fred's, Tom's?"

She sighed, "Fred this time." She had admitted to him awhile back that all three of them were having nightmares still. Tom of course wouldn't talk about his, but she was hoping he was at least talking to his therapist about them as she was.

"Just Fred?" He questioned again looking at her pointedly.

She shrugged, "Maybe me to." He set the bag on the counter and cautiously put a hand on her shoulder.

"Want to talk about it?" He asked.

Before she had time to speak or move Tom came down the stairs. "My God Mum, is he spending the night now? Half the town thinks you've been shagging him for over a year now. Could you at least pretend that you are not?"

"Tom!" Ellie exclaimed

"I'm going to Brian's house." He said before turning to the door. Ellie stood there in stunned silence. She opened her mouth to speak but Hardy was already gone following Tom out the door. She heard the front door shut but could hear nothing beyond that.

"Does that make ye feel better. To treat your Mum like garbage?" He asked the boy, who simply stared at him. "I know you've had it hard Tom. Ye have gone through more than any boy your age should, but ye aren't the only one. Ye not alone in being hurt and angry and I can ignore your snaky comments and dirty looks when they are directed at me but ye will not talk to your mother like that again. Do ye understand me? When ye get home tonight ye will apologize and tomorrow ye will ask her what you can help her with around the house. Do ye understand me?" Hardy asked again keeping his voice low to not gain attention from the neighbors, but his tome conveyed all the serious needed.

Tom studied him for a minute and opened his mouth to argue but studying Hardy's face changed his mine and grumbled something.

"Sorry I couldn't hear ye. If ye are man enough to talk to your mother that way then ye are man enough to talk to me out loud." Hardy said.

"I said Yes Sir, I'll apologize to Mum." Tom answered.

"And?" Hardy pushed.

"And I'll see what I can do to help around the house." He finished.

"Good Lad, well then have fun at your friend's. Text your mum if ye mum if ye aren't going to be home for dinner." He said putting a hand on the boy's shoulder who quickly shrugged it off. Like mother like son Hardy briefly thought.

He walked back inside the hose where Fred was happily eating a donut watching the telly. Ellie was standing staring out the back window. He walked up behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders. She slowly turned and for once did not try to hide the tears in her eyes.

"One hug Miller?" He asked and she nodded stepping into his arms for the briefest on embraces.

"I'm sorry about that." She said when she stepped away.

"Stop apologizing for him. He's got to learn to do that on his own." Hardy said. "Now come on let's go check out my new house."

MHMHMHMHMHMHMHMH

"I should probably go. Ye told Tom to be home by eight and it might be better if I'm not here still." Hardy offered after the movie they had been watching ended. After they had met with the realtor and Hardy had signed the papers, they had spent the day making list and starting to shop for things he would need for the new house. He had once again bought take away for them to eat back at her place. "You want me to carry him to bed for ye?" He asked nodding to where Fred had fallen asleep next to him on the sofa.

"Thanks, just put him in my bed. He sleeps better there." She said.

Hardy nodded and carried the sleeping child upstairs. He laid him on Ellie's bed and pulled the covers up around him and spotted his teddy bear on the floor and tucked it under his arm. He was about to go downstairs when he heard Tom's voice. He looked at his watch it was ten to eight. Good Lad, he thought, and he remained upstairs to not interrupt the young man.

"Mum, I'm really sorry about what I said earlier. I know you and Hardy aren't…" He trailed off suddenly embarrassed at the words he had hurled at his mother earlier that morning. "Anyway, I really don't even mind that he's here, I just sometimes wish…" His voice trialed off again and Ellie moved in to hug him.

"I know Tom, I know. Thank you for apologizing, it shows you're growing up." She said. "Why don't you go get a shower then maybe we could have some ice cream."

"K Mum." He answered then remembered Hardy's other instructions, "Mum, is there anything I could do tomorrow to help you?" he asked.

Ellie had to fight her mouth hanging open. "Yes, we could work on getting your and Fred's summer clothes out and washed."

"Ok, see you in a few minutes." He told her heading for the shower. He passed Hardy in the hall who gave him an approving nod and smile.

"Good night Tom." He said.

"Good night DI Hardy." Tom said without contempt in his voice.

"Ye know Tom, I would not mind if you called me Alec like your brother does." Hardy offered.

"All right, good night Alec." Tom said with almost half a smile.

Ellie was waiting at the bottom of the stairs with a perplexed smile on her face. "You never did tell me what you said to him this morning."

Hardy shrugged as he reached for his jacket, "Not much really. See ye Monday Miller."

Ellie just smiled at him, "See you Monday Hardy." She closed the door behind him and walked back to the kitchen and began to scoop ice cream for herself and Tom. As she scooped their ice cream, she thought about Alec Hardy and what a confusing man he was. He drove her completely, crazy and so much of the time he was thoughtless and rude, but then other times…well then there were just other times. Now in just two weeks he and his daughter would be living across the street.

TBC

A/N I just finished watching for Broadchurch for the first time and I am now completely obsessed. I fell hard for Hardy and Miller. This is my first Broadchurch fic and I would love any feedback.