#but i finished broadchurch earlier this week

[red2007]

It skeeves me out when the actor du jour in my daily wordle-esque games shows up in that day's binge when I haven't seen them in anything in forever. I mean, it's not that small a world.

[william-t-sickofyourshit]

William was really focusing on the game now, they chatted casually in between, laughing quietly about how sneaky they were to escape even Mrs Broadchurch’s attention. Time was passing, and they were just enjoying the weather, each other’s company, the cute cats roaming around. And William actually managed to score some more points to catch up to Sebastian. That match of Scrabble was not yet over, it still wasn’t determined clearly who the winner will be.

At some point Sebastian asked when William wanted to move over to his house, and William checked the time on his phone quickly. “Hmm… I guess we can go right after we finish playing? Groceries is actually a good idea, so then we can cook dinner at my place? What do you feel like eating today?” William pondered out loud.

And then he looked over towards Mrs Broadchurch’s garden, just to make sure she wasn’t anywhere near, and not watching them. He nudged Sebastian’s leg under the table, rubbing and caressing it with his foot seductively. “I have everything prepared for the Mass tomorrow. I made sure to write my sermon earlier in the week, because I wanted to have the whole Saturday juuuust for you. So… I’m all yours tonight.” He whispered sweetly.

“Oh! Look, I just got a perfect word to play.” William said then, and – coincidentally – he had the perfect set of letters to play the word ‘intercourse’. “That’s 13 points for me.” He grinned.  

For I have sinned...

The principal cleared his throat, eyes scanning the notes that he had wrote down before this meeting. It already lasted an hour, and the teachers gathered in the faculty room were becoming restless and bored. But indeed there were some things to discuss, with the concert that the senior class was supposed to perform at the end of the semester, and with recent staff changes. 

William glanced down at his watch, sighing softly. His class was starting in 15 minutes, so at least, whether the meeting will be done soon or not, he will get to excuse himself. He looked out of the window, his mind wandering. Principal’s voice turned into white noise in the background. It was a pleasant day, late summer. But William was looking forward to a slightly cooler weather. Wearing all black could really be bothersome at times. 

“And lastly, I am pleased to announce that we have finally found replacement for the violin teacher. Dear Mr Tanaka, may he rest in peace, was with us for so many years that I’ve been concerned we won’t be able to find someone as good as to fill this position.” the principal spoke. “But Mr… Michaelis, was highly recommended to me, and he indeed has impressive references. He will be starting this week, so please welcome him warmly once he will arrive. Ah yes… about that. He will arrive today at noon, I need someone to pick him up from the train station and bring over for the tour around the school. Any volunteers?” 

William was barely listening, and definitely not paying much attention. He glanced at his watch again, and saw that it was time to leave, as his class was about to start. He raised his hand to excuse himself, and little did he know, he just volunteered.

“Father William! Excellent!” the principal exclaimed. “Just don’t be late, the train arrives at noon.”

“Train…?” William questioned, raising his brow. He had a feeling he was missing something…

***

Right after the meeting, William had to run for the class, so he had little time to clarify what exactly he had volunteered for. He was a piano teacher in this Music Academy, but also he served as a priest in local church. Well respected, and rather liked. So when he later found out it was about the new violin teacher, he didn’t refuse. Who, other than himself, would be a better choice to introduce a newcome to their community?

So even though he raised his hand by accident, he accepted this fate.

After classes, at noon, William took a taxi and drove to the train station, to pick up their new teacher. Wearing black trousers, and a black shirt with a thin tie, was absolutely dreadful in this weather, so William quickly found shelter under the roof of the station platform, that provided some shade.

The train had just arrived. William had no idea how Mr Michaelis looked like, but he figured he will just look for someone carrying a violin case with them. 

He was in for a bit surprise.

@crazyvik97

[judgement-free-sideblog]

Blood, tears and sea breeze

Warnings: ANGST, mental health issues, graphic depictions of violence, blood, cursing, mentions of sexual assault, mentions of sex, substance abuse.

Summary: The not so peaceful town of Broadchurch face dead again, while Alec Hardy continues his journey to redemption will this school teacher be the key to solve the mystery or just another victim of the ever watching evilness that seems to reside in the town.

First Previous Next

Chapter 13: Let's have a drink

"This one is on the house love" a handsome bartender said placing a full martini cup in front of the girl who, for a brief moment, seemed very angry at him, but immediately gave him a smile and he just walked away.

"Did she take it?" A young man said nervous on the bar gazing at the woman as she took a sip from the drink. He had been looking at her all night until the bartender offered a little help.

It was as crowded as usual but he had guessed correctly that the girl was alone, and she had ordered only one beer that was already finished, maybe a college girl overwhelmed with papers, she could use some fun, specially looking so bloody good.

"Relax mate!" He said with a grin in his face "After one special drink from Mike, any girl you want would be more than happy to go home with you" He gave the man an affectionate pat on the shoulder, he look like a simple guy, to shy to talk to the girl, and maybe if he chicken out, he thought remembering the woman legs, he could have his fun that night, but suddenly the guy's face turned somber and serious.

"Did you get that agent Harford? Are you coming home with me?" He said pressing a small button on his ear.

"Well I think I have a piece of shit to interrogate, so I'll pass" the beautiful girl had approach the bar without him noticing and the people around her were now looking. She had her martini glass in one hand and a little plastic circle with a bright pink line in the other.

Mike froze for a second, just long enough for the guy to stand up with handcuffs on his hands, was he that tall all along? He tried to run pushing customers aside but a strong pain in his leg stop him, the woman, officer, hit him on the calf with her police baton.

"That's on the house love" she said and people start running away in fear when the door opened and two other officers, Mike remind he saw them earlier that week, came inside and help him stand up so his partner could put the handcuffs on him.

"Well done Katie" Miller said once Mike Bolzano was safely sited in the police car. "This guys can't see a woman alone and not act like pricks, but at least this time we were expecting it"

"Thank you" She said and now she felt self conscious about how revealing her clothes were.

"Here have this" The young agent Derek Ramos said and gave her a police jacket and gave her a shy smile that didn't go unnoticed to Miller.

"Well we are going to take this fine man to the station, I want your report at my desk tomorrow DC Ramos" Miller said and then she add innocently "Have Katie help you, she is quite diligent for that"

"What was that about?" Alec said, he had been listening while guarding their suspect who was suspiciously calmed in the back of the car.

"I will tell you when you're older" She smiled and he rolled his eyes at her, it had been five days since they have learned about the assault to Y/N and after questioning Bolzano he had denied everything. So Harford suggested a honey trap, to his and other officers concern but it had payed off.

"Remind me Miller" He startedonce they have him on the interrogation room, the remove the handcuffs and were sited in front of him "What is the time for spiking drinks?".

"I'm pretty sure is up to 10 years, specially if someone suffers for any form of assault after" She say offering the man a cup of coffee.

"While Perverting the course of justice can get you life in prison" Alec said searching in his notes.

"I didn't pervert shit" Mike said, not angry just annoyed by their presence "You have nothing on me, and as soon as my lawyer gets here this is going to be over"

"Well that's where you are wrong sir, you'll see," Miller sitted next to Hardy and took out a tablet that he knew was from his office at the bar "Now that we know something wrong may be happening in you establishment we are granted to check all the evidence we require. Would you like to rethink your statement from earlier about the Saturday night and the attack on Y/N Y/L/N"

"Girl couldn't handle her booze, is not my fault some bloke wanted to take a piece, also she was being a whore" he said fully knowing that what was on the laptop will be his end but not wanting to gave them anything yet.

"Do you really think this woman..." Hardy put out a picture of the teacher, a bright smile in a summer dress surrounded by children "How do you called her a whore?" Miller could see him tens his fists under the table but his expression didn't change "Do you think any jury is going to believe you, and not consider you as guilty as the man who attacked her? before I formally arrest you for Perverting the course of justice, is anything you want to tell us, or should we found it ourselves?"

Mike remained silent, he was actually thinking about the problem and his stupid lawyer was nowhere to be found yet, but he was given precise instructions about what he can and cannot say so he finally took a sip of the coffee and speak.

"I didn't lay a finger on your precious teacher here" he started pointing the picture and Miller restrained herself to hold Alec on his site, but he was calmed. "I don't know who did it either, every month or so I get a package of this" He took a small box from his pocket filled with green pills, "I sell them to desperate guys or losers that can't talk to girls, I'm not proud of it, but most of the time the girls were already drunk this just make them less picky"

"Did you sell one the night of April 6th?" Miller said ignoring how disgusting he was.

"No, the day before, some girl came to the bar on Friday night and then the next night I saw that girl completely wasted walking out with some guy to the parking lot".

"A woman bought the pill?" Hardy asked astonished"

"Women are creeps too, don't be sexist" Mike said and tried to laugh for a moment but Hardy cold expression stopped him. "Yes, a nice looking woman, red hair and brown eyes" there like DiCaprio he thought, and he couldn't resist to add something else to the script "Quite bossy if you ask me, but nice red lips"

Do you know her name, or the guy that Y/N went out with?" Alec said, but he was sure they wouldn't get much more out of him.

"No, just another dude, although it surprised me that he have done anything to her, he was no that ugly if you ask me" he said and then a knock on the door stop his words "About bloody time!" He said once his lawyer entered the room. But Hardy couldn't care less.

"Now what?" Miller asked once they were at his office trying to access to Mike's computer "Do you think he is telling the truth?"

"Of course not, but we can let this affect our current investigation" he said and he went to fish for something on his jacket, "Also there was something strange about Ashley Langford" he said putting a napkin with a kiss on it and a phone number.

"What is strange? That a woman may be interested in you? She may be mental for that but I don't see anything wrong" Ellie tried to laugh, but he was visibly uncomfortable with the situation.

They have walked inside her deli three days before, it was pretty empty considering Y/N had said she was very successful, she was behind the counter, with her beautiful hair held on a messy bun, and for a moment the business woman she remembered was hard to see, until the moment she spoke to them.

"I already talk to the other officer, I'm happy to help but at least you could tell me about Y/N state, I haven hear from her in more than a week now and I know she is not right" Something about her concerns seemed to elaborate, but maybe it was just the fact that Miller was doubting about everything and everyone now.

"Miss Y/L/N is fine, she is staying in a secure location, for her own good until we found out who murdered her fiance" Alec said, and suddenly actual sadness could be read on her face. "Right now we are focusing on the weeks that lead to Jonathan Norbury's dead. We have been told that you often went out together, and that Mr Norbury didn't like that his fiance was exposed to alcohol, do you know why?" She was giving him an intense look but he didn't notice.

"Y/N has panic attacks, sometimes she blacks out completely, it has been like that since we were little. I lived with her family when my parents throw me out, so I learned to take care of her, and Jonathan, well he simply wanted to put her on a bubble, and a couple weeks ago something bad happened... I know we should have called the police but ..." she looked nervous and started destroying a napkin in her fingers. "She was... I can't even say it... someone raped her" her eyes began to get wet and she took another napkin to clean her view.

"Please take your time, and tell us what you remember" Ellie said holding her hand reassuringly.

"I lost track of time, I was dancing and when I came back to the table she was gone, I called Jonathan, and we start looking for her, then we thought that maybe she was on the car, and we saw the door was open, someone was running out a tall man, I didn't saw his face, but when we see inside she was... undressed and unconcious, Jonathan tried to look for the guy but we chose to take her home, and when she came back she didn't remember a thing" she said and tears went down her face again. "I was glad she didn't remember so I just slip a morning after pill on her tea and hope for the best, that's why he didn't want me to take her out, but I never went back to that bar, I swear" Miller was about to question her again but a ring from her phone distracted her and she walked out for a moment.

"There are many other things we would like to discuss with you Ms. Langford, if you have the time" he said and took out a note pad, do you happen to know the owner and bartender of the club you went to? Mr Mike Bolzano?"

"I'm so sorry DI Hardy, but I have a lot more to do today, but I have an idea, let's have a drink" She wrote down her number on the napkin and to his surprise marked down a kiss on the paper. "I'm out of here at 9, you give me a call and I would gladly tell you all you want to know" she gave him a radiant smile that didn't quite correspond with the concerned friend crying just minutes before.

"Sure, we'll be in touch" he said politely and exited the room.

Miller had make fun of him for it, specially since nothing particularly relevant came from the exchange whe later that day he joined her to take that drink.

And now with a creep in custody and the time running out he was desperate to find answers, and yet the only thing he was hoping was for the day to end to get to his house and saw her reading on his couch like he had been doing all week.

Tag list:

@allonsymexgirl @laciesaito @tf18unipups @dazedkrosupreme @timey-wimey-lovi @coffees-and-constellations

[illogicalhusbands]

The Game is Afoot - pt. 3

Bill Masters x Alec Hardy Masters of Sex / Broadchurch Crossover Link to Part 2

I apologize for taking a long while to update! Me and my co-mod have had our hands full the past week with work and other projects. But I’m hoping I can get back to regular scheduling soon! We’re nearing the end of this fic now. I project the next update will probably be the last. Thank you to everyone who’s still reading this! -

“A whisk, Hardy? Really? You’ve been pining over this man for a month and you give him a bloody whisk?”

“Sod off, Miller. It’s a housewarming party and he has plenty of stuff already.”

Miller frowned. “You should at least give something that’ll leave a bigger impression on him.”

“What do I get him, then? A Victorian sofa?”

He put down the whisk and perused the section of the shop dedicated to pots and pans. Both he and Miller had been invited to Masters’ housewarming party the coming weekend and Alec had no idea what gift to get him.

“Now, now, don’t overthink this. You can always go the old-fashioned route.”

“What route is that?”

Miller grinned. “Oh, y’know. Flowers… chocolates… some good wine…”

Alec was scandalised at being reminded of when he was first invited to Miller’s house several years ago and didn’t know what was polite to bring to your friends’ houses as he never had any. “Do not go there, Miller, I swear—”

“See? You’re already a natural at this!” Alec remained silent. “You could add balloons. Or an angel cake.”

“Don’t laugh at my misery.”

Miller gave a frustrated sigh. “I’m trying to help you! Jesus Christ, you two have been circling around each other for weeks! Can’t you move it along?”

Alec rolled his eyes. “Move what along? We’re not a canoe, Miller.”

“You are being purposely obtuse!” Ellie said, shoving a finger at his chest. “You like him—”

“I didn’t say that.”

“—and he obviously fancies you—”

“Now that’s debatable.”

“And Lord knows you are in need of a good shag which, if I’m hearing correctly from the rumours, Dr. Masters is perfectly capable of giving.”

Alec went through a series of multiple shades of deep red.

“Where did I put down that whisk?” said Alec, retreating down the steps he’d gone.

Miller grabbed his arm. Her face softened. “Look at you, you big ol’ softie. Don’t give me that grouchy look. Like you said, he has plenty of stuff. I’m sure he’ll love whatever it is you’ll get cause he’ll only care about who it was from.”

Alec hung his head, suddenly taken by a breeze of honesty. “But that’s not good enough.”

Since that day at the library, he and Masters had only grown closer. It was bordering on ridiculous, really, how much they hung out and had breakfast and texted each other on the phone. And it didn’t help at all that Dr. Masters had an amazing personality to match with his confident facade. He was witty and intelligent. He had a dry sense of humour that eased Alec’s constant worries of saying something that others deem inappropriate. Masters took his rude remarks and added to them a spark of somewhat greater morbidity. Perhaps it had to do with both of them being in morbid careers, but they understood one another at a level that Alec had never experienced with anyone else. Not even his investigative partner and best friend Miller.

He was comfortable around Masters but at the same time it was frustrating to be around him. How could this incredible man continue to carry out charming conversations with him when he was only spitting out dull, dry remarks like a seventy-six year old spinster? How Masters could be friendly with him was completely beyond his comprehension, let alone try to ponder on the possibility of the doctor having a romantic attachment towards him.

Still, Miller was partly correct. By this time he’s able to fully admit to being head over heels for the man. How could he not? Here was a remarkable person who shared his sense of humour and inquired after him as if he really cared. It was a little pathetic, to be honest, for Alec to latch on to one of the first human beings to ever treat him with a bit of kindness. Masters was only the unfortunate victim of his affections.

He was infuriating with his small bowties and neat hair and his “You need to eat more, Holmes” text messages as if what Alec did was of any consequence to him. It was getting more and more difficult to appear unaffected by him.

When Alec walked into the cafe one sunny Wednesday morning, he found Masters already seated at their usual table. It was rare that the doctor arrived earlier than he did. There was a tray of scones in front of the empty seat across from him. Alec, perplexed, occupied his seat.

“I know you usually drink your tea on an empty stomach, but you shouldn’t make a habit of it,” said Masters before digging into his own club sandwich.

Alec stared wordlessly at him. He didn’t know whether it was on purpose or not, but Masters had scored another point against him. The scones were Alec’s favourites from the menu. He’d only had them a handful of times around him. Had the doctor really been paying attention to him the whole time?

Masters looked captivating in his silver dress shirt and tartan blue bowtie, teasing smirk dancing constantly on his lips. He more found it interesting now rather than irritating as he did during their first meeting. Here was the man who already knew his favourite food whereas the only things he knew about Masters were whatever information that could be gleaned from the internet or, god forbid, a dossier. It made him feel dreadful.

They settled into light conversation for the rest of the half hour. Alec hoped the rest of the meeting would remain unremarkable. They got up and walked out of the shop.

Halfway out of the door, he heard a voice from behind him. “Alec? Is that you?”

He turned to see a familiar woman with strawberry blonde hair and a fringe that swept just below her brows. For a moment he struggled to recognize her, then it clicked.

“Katie?” Alec recalled the person he’d gone on a blind date with several months ago. It was at a momentary phase in his life wherein he tried his hand at rebuilding relationships. He went on a couple of blind dates but none had really worked out well. At most he’d had a nice dinner and some company, but no one was truly able to take his attention the way… well, the way the dapper doctor currently beside him did. “It’s good to see you,” he added politely.

“Yeah? You’re looking good nowadays. Been hearing a lot about you from the news.” She tucked loose strands of hair behind her ear.

“Wish there was nothing to hear about, actually. Hearing about me is a sign of terrible news in this town. S’why no one can stand me,” he said in half-jest.

“Oh, I’m sure that’s not true. We’re very grateful for the work you’re doing.” Katie fidgeted on the strap of her bag and sighed. “Listen, I know you’re a busy man, but I had a lot of fun on our date and I was kinda hoping you’d call…”

Alec blanched. He did not fail to notice how silent Masters was throughout this entire ordeal. “Yeah, I’m… sorry about that. The um, cases just kept coming,” he finished flatly.

Katie seemed oblivious to his tone. She was a sweet girl, but truly dull. She laid a hand on his forearm. “Yes, I understand that completely.” She gnawed on her bottom lip. “But if you ever have some free time, I’d really look forward to hanging out with you again.”

Alec didn’t know what to reply to that. This was exactly why he didn’t do romance and dating anymore. There was so much energy required and he couldn’t be bothered with all these social niceties and he didn’t have the heart to shoot her down directly, especially with Masters around to see it as that would only be doubly embarrassing for Katie. Still, he had to say something.

“Katie, um… look. I’m actually… seeing someone now.” He winced as the words came out of his mouth. Katie looked crestfallen.

“Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t…” She dropped her hand. “I just didn’t expect you to… I mean, I didn’t think you…” She shook her head. “Anyway, she must be an exceptional girl and I hope you two’re happy. Do I know her?”

Alec resisted the overwhelming urge to groan out loud. Was there no way to escape this conversation? What was he even going to say?

He startled at Masters clearing his throat, momentarily having forgotten that he was still there. “Actually, he’s not dating a woman.” His hand shot out, fingers twining with Alec’s with a flourish that appeared practised, like they’d done so plenty of times before instead of being the first skin-on-skin contact Alec has had with the man he lo—greatly fancied. “But you are correct with us being very satisfied in this relationship,” Masters added in a friendly tone.

But when Alec turned to look at him, he was anything but polite. Eyes slanted and chin pushed down to his collar, regarding Katie as if she were nothing but a nuisance. Something about that look tickled Alec’s insides, a thrumming sensation pooling in his gut. Katie’s lips parted with shock before she shook herself out of it and turned back to Alec, wanting to say something more. Just when he started to revel in the warmth of Masters’ hand, he let go. Alec tried not to feel dismayed.

He was still incapable of speaking and thankfully, Masters seemed to realize this. He spoke again, “It was lovely running into you, but my little sleuth here has a lot of work to attend to. If you’ll excuse us.”

“Down, Watson,” Alec couldn’t resist teasing. This was also the first time Alec had called him that out loud.

This seemed to have done something to the man as in the next moment, Masters’ arm crept behind his back, sliding over the fabric of his cotton dress shirt, touch ghosting over the muscles of his lower back. Warmth radiated through his spine. Alec let himself bask in it, quivering in the heat. A hand fastened itself onto his waist and Masters pulled, securing him to his side. The movement was all very languid, Alec’s shoulder and ribs coming naturally to latch onto the planes of Masters’ sturdy frame. Alec was stunned—pliant against him.

He sneaked a glance up at Masters’ face. He was still staring down at Katie with a hint of amusement in his eye, a particular twinkle. The face of a winner, with Alec as the prize.

Alec was experiencing a torrent of emotions, but it was far from being unpleasant.

Finally, they walked out of the cafe and after a considerable distance was made between them and the establishment, Alec spoke.

“I am very sorry about what happened back there.”

“No, I should be the one to apologize.” Alec believed this was the first time he saw Masters looking, of all things, sheepish. “I didn’t mean to do all that but.. But it was the quickest way to get rid of her, and you were looking like you were in trouble—”

“Nononono—” Alec hurried to console him. “You did, um… help me, with that. I should thank you, I suppose.”

Masters avoided his gaze, all traces of his previous bravado vanished. “Probably shouldn’t have done it, though. Might make it hard for you to get another date. And the touching might have been too much—”

“Is that what you think?” Alec’s breaths were shallow. “Because I don’t. Want it. Another date, that is.” His cheeks radiated with sudden warmth.

“Oh. That’s… good.” A gentle smile graced Masters’ face, though he was still avoiding Alec’s gaze. But there was a flicker of something in his eyes… one that looked a lot like… Hope?

He muscled his way through the rings of nervousness forming in his throat. “And I don’t mind the um, touching.”

Masters laughed. “Good.” The cheekiness was back in his tone.

Alec could sigh at the sight of him. His eyes sparkling with amusement, thin lips curled up into a teasing smile, and the sun’s rays touching upon his hair and his skin, making Alec’s fingers tingle with the desire to touch. It was too much, but also not enough.

Still he’d be content just to have this. Masters, gleeful and teasing, beside him in the mornings challenging him and helping him out of sticky situations. Truly it was more than enough. More than he deserved.

“I’ll see you this weekend for the housewarming,” said Masters before walking in the opposite direction from where Alec was headed. Alec’s gaze trailed behind him for an eternity after.

-

Another day had passed. The breakfast with Masters went more or less normally and he was glad that things seemed to return to their ordinary ways. Alec arrived at the station. A burst of whispers rang through the moment he entered the room.

He glared at the other officers, drawing up to his full height to appear intimidating. But they mostly all glared back. They were also mostly coming from the women (and some men) in the room.

“What’re you all staring at? Bugger off! The safety of the town depends on it and you’re here babblin’ like children!” At this, the officers whipped their heads back down to their workstations. The sound of shuffling papers and pressed keyboards filled the room once more.

Miller greeted him at the door to his office. Alec crossed his arms. “What?”

She was beaming. “Finally! Took you long enough, sir.”

“What the deuce are you talkin’ about?”

“Please. Everyone knows about it already. No need to hide it from me.” She clapped her hands. “You and Dr. Masters are dating!”

Alec could’ve sworn his soul just left his body. “I-wh-mff!—”

Miller poked his arm. “Look at you all adorably flustered! Heard it from down the grapevine, but everyone says it comes from a very reliable source. Came straight from your mouth, they say!”

Alec could feel the mortification stretching through him. To hell with this stupid, bloody town! If the entire community heard—nay, god forbid Masters heard of this! He panicked. Masters would never speak to him again. “God, that wasn’t—! UGH. It’s not true. I was caught off guard!”

“Oh,” Miller’s face drooped down with dismay. “Well, that’s not what every body thinks.”

Alec remembered the most charming welcome he’d just received when he entered.

“What’re they all staring at me like that for? I haven’t done anything to them!”

“Not personally, no. But they’re bound to resent you in some way or another.”

“Yes, and I have no idea why.” Alec’s arms flew up and flailed.

“Surely you do,” said Miller, smirking. “Whether you like it or not, Alec Hardy, you just managed to reel in the most eligible bachelor in Broadchurch.”

[broken-lycan]

Earlier this week I noticed that I had 68 fics on ao3 so I decided I needed to make number 69 a smut fic. it was either this or a vincturi fic but this one got finished earlier so here we are.

@monochromehobo @artsy-fanartsy​ (tagging you since you left kudos the other alec/lee fic I wrote)

Rating: Explicit Fandom: Broadchurch Relationship: Lee Ashworth/Alec Hardy Additional Tags: Smut, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Intercrural Sex, Dirty Talk, Consensual Somnophilia, Teasing, Objectification (mild), Consensual Kink, Marking, Morning Sex Word Count: 869

Excerpt: Lee tutted. “Stay still.” The words were a clear command.

Alec inhaled shakily.

“This isn't about you,” he said and slid one hand up to wrap around Alec's neck. It drew a sharp gasp from Alec. “This is about me. And if you behave, if you let me have my way, I might let you come.”

Alec closed his eyes and groaned. Right now, he was nothing more than a body for Lee to use, an object for his pleasure. Something like this shouldn't turn him on this much. But it did. It really, really did.

[oranges-for-calico]

thanks for tagging me @eybefioro! :)

LAST SONG: i’m currently listening to In A Week by Hozier (also just that entire album, it’s so good)

FAVORITE COLOR: i’m not sureeee, I like shades of brown, also red is nice

CURRENTLY WATCHING: Broadchurch!!! i’m in the middle of the third season and i’m a little obsessed… i’m also simultaneously watching season 11 of doctor who with my mom (i love the 13th doctor so much so far!!!) and rewatching the earlier seasons. I also started another good omens 2 rewatch (my fifth, maybe sixth?) recently but never finished.

LAST MOVIE: I thiiink the last movie I watched was Galaxy Quest, it’s about some actors from a fictional version of star trek who get abducted by aliens and it was pretty funny i recommend it

SWEET/SPICY/SAVORY?: hmmm it’s a tie between sweet and savory, I like sweet foods but not in like large amounts. like if i’m getting a drink at a cafe or something i’d rather get it half sweet

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: single, i’ve never been in a romantic relationship but i’d like to be at some point

CURRENT OBSESSIONS: good omens for sure, broadchurch and doctor who a bit as well. expecting to go into full our flag means death obsession starting october fifth though

LAST THING YOU GOOGLED: olivia colman (broadchurch again, i love ellie sm)

no pressure tags: @lavendarhearts @thescarvedinsect aaa sorry i never know who to tag in these things

People I Wanna Know Better

Thanks for the tag @ineffablemossy - I hope I'm doing this right. 😬😂❤️

LAST SONG? Sunlight - Hozier

FAVORITE COLOR? Red 100% RedRedRed (although I wear mostly black) (partly for the aesthetic and partly because I'm constantly spilling food on myself and black doesn't stain) (I'm cool though obvs) (oBvSSss)

CURRENTLY WATCHING? OFMD in anticipation of the new season Oct 5. And Good Omens like the plague.

LAST MOVIE? At home? I can't believe I'm admitting this: Twilight - New Moon. My partner and I are rewatching semi-ironically. And in the theatre: Spiderman Across The Spiderverse. Thrice.

SWEET/SPICY/SAVORY? Def not sweet. Prob equal parts savoury and spicy. A slut for goat cheese and horseradish (not necessarily together).

RELATIONSHIP STATUS? Married and monogamous 22 years, but bi. Yes we exist!

CURRENT OBSESSIONS? Good Omens!!!!! Minor side notes: Something Wicked This Way Comes. Organic chemistry. LGBTQI+. The intersection between science and faith / apologetics.

LAST THING YOU GOOGLED? "International Church of Christ Cult" - yeah I got caught up in it briefly 20 years ago, and somehow a family member was recently roped in, so I'm in Mama Bear Mode™ right now helping them find their way out.

No pressure tags: @ineffablecollision, @ineffablefood @rathgr1th, @ineffabledandelion @ashfae @embracing-the-ineffable @voluptatiscausa @unicornbeck (come on, we know it's beneath us, JUST DO IT ANYWAY)

[alliebruns-blog]

The Jurassic Coast Challenge 2018 - Guts, Glory and Running through a Depression

Hurrah! It’s my favourite multi day ultra! I first did Jurassic Coast Challenge in 2017 and it remains one of my complete faves. 3 marathons (if a marathon is indeed between 28-29 miles), in 3 days across the Jurassic Coast - one of my favourite places on earth. The route takes you from the Golden Cap on day one to the HQ at Weymouth sailing school. Day 2 runs from Weymouth sailing school around Portland, and then back out through Weymouth finishing at Lulworth Cove. Day 3 takes you from Lulworth Cove all the way through Swanage and over Old Harry Rocks to the finish on Studland beach. Glorious. Especially when the sun is shining - which it always does, right? WRONG.

The week before had been that snowy ice week which everyone was freaking out about, so it was always going to be a little damp underfoot, but with all the rain the previous week I was actually wondering if it would be cancelled. Some of the trails on those cliffs are dangerous at the driest of times, but surely if they were muddy the likelihood of flying off the end of them was slightly higher? It was all OK though, and I got to Weymouth on Thursday night in time for dinner with my caravan mate for the week, lovely Richard Palmer. Rich is a much better runner than me, but I had told him that and he seemed to accept that if he wanted to run with me, he’d have to take it down a notch or 20.

People doing all three days of the challenge (you can also sign up for them individually) have the option to stay in a caravan for the weekend, at Chesil Vista which I love because I am weird. It has a bar where they do bingo every night and families who hate each other go in there so they don't have to interact. It’s also where tribute acts go to die. It’s the best. It was me, Rich and my sister in our van. My sister and I have a habit of behaving like teenage boys but really clean and tidy ones. Rich was so lucky he got to share with us. SO LUCKY.

DAY 1 We trotted down to the HQ early and registered, got our maps, got a our chippy dibby thing and had our kit checked. They are super thorough at these events. Like SUPER thorough every day and you have to carry a lot of shit about with you. Then we had the briefing which, again, is very thorough (self nav yay!) and jumped on the buses to take us to the start of day one. I was in group 2 who go out first - the walkers and ‘joggers’. I made a hideous mistake last year and put myself in the running group because I was being a twat. It was SO harsh. I was literally the last on on the course. They put the speedy runners out a couple of hours after the slower people have started because they obviously RUN UP THE GOLDEN CAP BECAUSE THEY ARE MONSTERS.

There she is. Day 1 - The Golden Cap.

And here she is from the top. What a lovely way to start a 3 day ultra. Said nobody ever. 

It was pretty cold and windy and rainy - perfect JCC weather - but I was running with my sister and that made the whole thing way more fun. First part of the race is, as I said, up the Golden Cap - a hill so big you can’t actually see the top of it - then it trots its way along the “undulating” (fucking hilly!) coastline towards West Bay (or Broadchurch as it should rightly be called). 

BROADCHURCH! (Or West Bay as the locals call it)

Checkpoint 1 done and it’s up that MAHOOSIVE hill where little Danny died (again see Broadchurch) through fields of lambs, up and down and up and down and mud and mud and I fall over, and on to the beach (literally onto the beach). The death beach. The beach made of tiny, deep stones. 

The death beach. 

Only 2 miles along that then. FFS. About 3 miles before checkpoint 2 my sister is all “OMG I FEEL AWESOME! 13 miles in 2 hours!” I am all “no, it’s 8 miles in 2 hours, your watch is measuring in kilometres”. Meltdown time. Checkpoint 2 done, sadwiches, crisps, tactical poo, and we are off on the beach AGAIN and then they throw in some proper sticky mud for another few miles. Nice. 

There was a lot of this....

And some more of this......

My glorious sister, trotting it home to Weymouth. 

Back on the icy mud hills and cow shit fields, checkpoint 3 - MORE SANDWICHES - and along the sea to Weymouth - it starts raining about 4 miles before the end, but day one is done in a not stunning 7 and a bit hours. I’m knackered and I need a beer, but we have had a good day and taking it easy is exactly what I need to be doing. Rich is already back at the caravan. He did it in 5.40. Fuck my ACTUAL life. I go to the bar and win a bottle of Lambrini because I am so good a quizzes. More good at them than Rich is at running.

DAY 2 Here we go. Here we fucking go. I wake up feeling terrible. I am chronically depressed. I know I am and I start to panic. Anxiety, feel sick. Best have some food. I make eggs and toast for everyone and eat mine only to promptly throw it all back up again. One of the things about depression is you never know when it is going to hit you. You can be doing the best thing the world with people you love, running through some of the most beautiful scenery on earth, but if he decides to come, he will come. All I want to do is curl up in bed and die. Sometimes when I feel depressed, I am physically sick. It’s like my body is doing everything it can to make me stop doing something that will heal it. It’s horrible and I hate it and I try to explain to my caravan crew - my sister knows and deals with it accordingly - but I can’t explain because I think I might cry. Again, my body doing everything it can to stop me going out. But fuck you, depression, I won’t let you do this. Relentless, Forward Progress. So off we go to Weymouth. I try and get a banana and some coffee down me but I am scared of being sick again so I am hungry. Today we run from Weymouth sailing school to Purbeck - all the way round Purbeck and then back through Weymouth and onto  “The Rollercoaster". The hellish hills that lead to Lulworth Cove. It’s raining as we set out and it makes for some pretty epic foggy Purbeck pictures. As soon as I take the first step I know that I will be ok. This fucking illness will not rule me. I will rule it. I will. But I will walk up this epic hill first.

Purbeck looking pretty Game of Thrones

Purbeck looks stunning in the mist, and the going is good - I am even enjoying the rain. It’s beautiful up here and as we get to the first checkpoint by Portland Bill lighthouse, I realise Rich, who was in the fast group behind us, has caught us up. Jesus fucking christ the shame. I eat a jaffa cake and some crisps. I am starving. Rich decides to stay with us as we navigate the chalky hills of Portland - it like an OCR course and there are a lot of steps, hills and chalky mud. We’re a good little group though, and we have some good chats with other runners. Some beautiful sights up here - a petting zoo with wallabees, the epic ocean and a young offenders institute (or children prison as I like to now call it) NICE.

I hope that doesn’t fall down......

We decide not to go down the hill we came up at the start and opt for the road route down to the sailing school for checkpoint 2 where we spend 20 mins eating sandwiches. I am confident I won’t throw up again now, and I am starving. Then we are off again down the road towards Weymouth, along the promenade (where we meet an pick up a group of kids running to Lulworth who prove to be extremely annoying) along more beach and then up the first hill towards The Rollercoaster. It’s muddy AF and really hard going and I am tired, but it’s stunning. My sister starts slowing down - she knows we are nearish the end, but I know what is coming up - unrelenting hills that looks a lot like this……. 3 of them.

The Rollercoaster. That’s the threes hills you see in the background of this photo. Glorious. 

What goes down....

Even going down them is hard as it’s slippy and the tracks are narrow and the drop is sheer, but it’s here that I feel my best - I love this part of the coast and I am happy to be alive and running. Fuck you, depression. The climbs up are SO severe and the kids we picked up earlier are like mountain goats running up them. I want to kill them. When my sister asks one of them what he training for and he says “life” I actually almost punch him and call him a virgin. And then the final climb, and it’s down the hill to the end. 

Durdell Door marking the almost end of day 2.....

It’s my sisters last day today, as she can’t do tomorrow, and as much as she says I let her win I actually didn’t - I was shagged. Hard rock steps all the way down to the finish which I found extremely annoying and she was well ahead of me on those - so fair play Janey - you smashed it! End of day 2 - 7 hours - back in the coach to HQ to have a shower, a pint and a sleep. Day 3 tomorrow and it turns out it was worse than I remembered. But in my own head I had won today. 

Running besties. Two sisters at The Door! 

Day 3 So I though Day 3 was the most glorious of all the days. I don't know why I thought this - I have done this before. It’s horrendous. In the best possible way. 

Day 3 starts......

Turns out this one has the most hills, the most elevation (4,500ft) and the most fucking steps. This goes out from Lulworth Cove, where we finished yesterday, to Studland beach, and it’s up and down the whole fucking way. You have the stairway to heaven/hell thrown in the middle - over 200 steps down and another 200 up and its BRUTAL. It was windy and cold and I still felt depressed and nauseous, but I had Rich with me so at least I had someone to say my last words to should I actually die or throw myself off a cliff. To summarise the day I shall use pictures and the following word. Hills, lambs, mud, hills, hills, hills, mud, lambs, wanting to die, losing direction. cheese sandwich, hills mud, hills.

One of the only flat bits of the day....

Hills.....

Hills.....

Hills. Actually watched a bloke fall down this and it was quite funny. (He was fine)

Stairway to Heaven/Hell...... those are god damn STEPS. 

And from the other side.....

As I a walking up the stairway to heaven, dying, a deer runs up the hill next to me completely effortlessly. Its one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I am a vegetarian, but suddenly I have a craving for venison because I literally HATE how fit that deer is.

Once you get to Swanage you know you’re almost there, so to celebrate we had an ice cream because we are professionals. The general public are bused my me and Rich running along easting ice cream. I am amused by this.  Another little beach stretch, then it’s up the final climb towards Old Harry Rocks, across the top and down to Studland beach where its a 2 mile run across the sand. 

The trail up to Studland. More mud. Which is good because I hadn’t seen much of that this weekend.

Old Harry! We be coming for ya! 

The longest 2 miles known to man. Felt like 20. 

I was struggling a bit to keep momentum at this point, but having Rich with me made all the difference. He actually did keep me from walking too much and eventually, after 7 hours, we made it to the end - I felt bad he had stuck with me the whole time but made myself feel better by telling him it was good practice for the Dead Sheep Ultra he is doing in a couple of weeks. Yeah.

So all in another brilliant race by VOTOW. Great aid stations and staff, great runners and hardly a Salomon man in sight. I would like to apologise to the marshall that, when he asked where I wanted my water bottle I replied to with “up my bumhole”. That was a joke and I am sorry (ish). So I am signing up for the ACC - Atlantic Coast Challenge in October this year. Let’s give that one a go shall we? 85 miles, 3 days and 10,000ft elevation on the JCC done. One of the most beautiful races on earth. Up next - Ultra Tour of Arran in 2 weeks!

Thanks for being a pal and running with me, Rich! Good luck at Dead Sheep next week! 

[lastbluetardis]

I was tagged by @sequencefairy​ and kinda sorta by @chocolatequeennk​. Thanks loves <3

Rules: you must answer these 85 statements and tag 20 some people  

This has made its rounds, I think, so I won’t tag anyone, but if you see this and haven’t been tagged but want to do it, say I tagged you :)

THE LAST

1. drink: water 2. phone call: errrr... Oh! My internet provider last week when my internet stopped working. 3. text message: my mom 4. song you listened to: Perfect by Ed Sheeran 5. time you cried: Uhhh... I can’t remember. Which means I’m probably due for a breakdown soon :-/ 6. dated someone twice: Nope, never dated 7. kissed someone and regretted it: Nope, never kissed anyone 8. been cheated on: Nope, see above 9. lost someone special: Yup 10. been depressed: Yup  11. gotten drunk and thrown up: Nope

3 FAVOURITE COLOURS 12. purple 13. blue 14. green

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU 15. made new friends: Yep 16. fallen out of love: Nope 17. laughed until you cried: Yep 18. found out someone was talking about you: Sigh. Yep.  19. met someone who changed you: Everyone changes me. But there haven’t been any substantial changes, I don’t think? 20. found out who your friends are: Yep. 21. kissed someone on your facebook list: Nope

GENERAL 22. how many of your facebook friends do you know in real life: A large majority of them 23. do you have any pets: Heidi/Hydie/Hidey (my cat, whose name I spell a bajillion different ways for fun) 24. do you want to change your name: I used to when I was growing up, and there were 10 million Ashleys in my class with me. But now I’m fairly fond of my name. 25. what did you do for your last birthday: worked in the lab, then went out to dinner with my mom, and the day after, we went to a Phillies game. 26. what time did you wake up: 7:55am 27. what were you doing at midnight last night: sleeping (or trying to) 28. name something you can’t wait for: Financial stability 29. when was the last time you saw your mom: Saturday 31. what are you listening to right now: Pandora 32. have you ever talked to a person named tom: Yep! I had an uncle named Tom. 33. something that is getting on your nerves: My gen chem lab kids not reading before they ask a question 34. most visited website: tumblr and AO3 35. hair colour: brown 36. long or short hair: medium? 37. do you have a crush on someone: Meh. Sorta 38. what do you like about yourself: Errrr... I guess my sense of humor? 39. want any piercings: nope 40. blood type:  I am ashamed to admit I don’t know my blood type :-/ 41. nickname: Ash, Ashy, Smash (mostly by just one friend), Yo TA  42. relationship status: single 43. zodiac: gemini 44. pronouns: she/her 45. favourite tv show: Let’s say Broadchurch, because I just rewatched it and it’s still fresh in my mind 46. tattoos: none 47. right or left handed: righty (my left hand is quite useless) 48. surgery: Tubes in the ears, molar excisions and two wisdom teeth, pin in the ankle, other two wisdom teeth 49. piercing: one hole in the lobes, but I’m 99.999999999% sure they’ve closed up because I haven’t worn earrings in 150 years. 50. sport: I played softball for about 15 years growing up 51. vacation: Not for awhile. I was supposed to visit DC for a few days earlier this year, but that was during the Pi Day Blizzard of 2017. 52. pair of trainers: I love me some Converse

MORE GENERAL 53. eating: just had a salad 54. drinking: I enjoy a good cup of coffee 55. i’m about to: shower then get a bit of writing done 56. waiting for: my masters classes to be finished 57. want: financial security 58. get married: probably not. my personality isn’t really compatible with marriage. unless they’re the world’s most patient person and understand all of my stupid quirks and know that I often need alone time. 59. career: perpetual student

WHICH IS BETTER 60. hugs or kisses: hugs 61. lips or eyes: eyes 62. shorter or taller: taller 63. older or younger:  older 64. nice arms or nice stomach: arms (forearms though, when sleeves are rolled up... guhhh) 65. hook up or relationship: relationship 66. troublemaker or hesitant: neither

HAVE YOU EVER 67. kissed a stranger: nope 68. drank hard liquor: yup 69. lost glasses/contact lenses: nope 70. turned someone down: nope (never been (seriously) asked out) 71. sex on the first date: nope 72. broken someone’s heart: I hope not 73. had your heart broken: yep 74. been arrested: nope 75. cried when someone died: yep 76. fallen for a friend: yep. still sort of harboring feelings, but it will Never Work

DO YOU BELIEVE IN 77. yourself: not as much as I probably should 78. miracles: meh 79. love at first sight: not really 80. santa claus: what he represents << yes << yesing the yes 81. kiss on the first date: sure 82. angels: sure

OTHER 83. current best friend’s name: Toni 84. eye colour: blue 85. favorite movie: currently, Beauty and the Beast

[talesofafangirlwithadvr]

What I’m Watching (7/2- 7/9)

Here’s to another successful week of TV watching, despite life happening! Check out my picks from this week. 

That’s right, it’s almost over 6 months since it first began streaming on Netflix, but I have FINALLY got around to watching Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. Currently, I am in the middle of watching the last episode, Fall. 

So, I was  HUGE Gilmore Girl fan and was psyched to watch the revival. It took me a little while to get into the first episode. It wasn’t until the second episode, Summer, that I felt back with my girls. While I haven’t finished yet, I find myself enjoying parts or certain story lines over others in the episode. Some of the sections seem dragged out, such as Lorelai and some of the other Star Hallows gang watching the first run through of Taylor’s play. While I like Sutton Foster (and it made me miss Bunheads), I thought it went on for a little too long. It’s been great seeing so many old faces and I’m so happy they got back so many people. (When Jess walked into the town newspaper, my heart stopped. Okay, it didn’t, but it reaffirmed I’m Team Jess forever and always.) As usual, Kirk has been one of my favorites with all of his crazy antics, from his various jobs (uuuuuubber) to his short films. They’re always a fantastic combination of creepy and hilarious.  Be prepared next week for my thoughts on the conclusion and the 4 final words....

How great were those two final episodes of Doctor Who season 10? I still can’t stop thinking about them and I watched them over a week ago. It was such a clever way of bringing back an earlier version of the Master and I loved his interaction with Missy. Can we talk about Missy? What a complicated character arc this season! You can tell part of her is considering being good. Maybe not like the Doctor, but she has turned over a new leaf from the previous reincarnation of herself. Putting her beside John Simms’ Master really showed that. I loved the beginning of the first part of the finale when she kept calling herself Doctor Who and her companions were Exposition and Comic Relief.

Bill’s farewell. Wow. Now I had a semi spoiler about the Cybermen, but that was my own fault because I hadn’t watched the episode on time, but it was still a shocker that she became an old Cyberman. In a very Danny Pink manner, she kept her identity, but I thought it was extremely interesting to see it from her point of view. I really liked her as the companion and will miss her next season, but I’m ready for a revamping involving a new Doctor and new companion(s), like back in season 5 with Matt Smith and the Ponds. 

THE ENDING!!! As soon as the Doctor starting saying he didn’t want to change and saying David Tennant and Matt Smith’s farewell lines, I got a lump in my throat. And then the flashback to his previous companions. I’m SOOOOOOO excited for the Christmas special and to see him with the 1st version of himself. It’s going to be soooo good. I was talking with some fellow Whovians and they have a theory that we might find out what happened to his granddaughter Susan. That would be fantastic. 

December is too far away! 

Speaking of David Tennant...

Last week, Broadchurch returned to BBC America with its third and final season. I have only watched the first episode so far, but watching it made me realize how much I missed this show. I wasn’t sure how much of the townspeople we would see because most of the episode revolved around the new case, but then we saw some of them in the second half. I think it’s going to be extremely interesting to see how it all connects. 

Now, I like my cheesy British shows from time to time. The acting might not always be the best, but there’s something entertaining about watching them. In the past, I’ve become invested in Nickelodeon's House of Anubis, Cbbc’s Wolfblood, Disney’s The Lodge, and now I can add Netflix’s Free Rein to that list. And let me tell you, it was actually better than I was expecting. The acting was pretty good and the story line was intriguing. In 10 episodes, you meet Zoe who is visiting her Granddad in a small island town in England, with her mom and sister. When her sister runs off and goes missing, Zoe goes in search for her and stumbles upon the local stables with a wild horse others have trouble keeping calm. Yet, Zoe is able to talk him down in minutes. There’s mystery, romance, and humor. (Three great elements every show needs--plus it has an awesome theme song that will make you want to get up and dance.) Fingers crossed there’s a season 2.     

Season 3, Episode 3.

Finding myself shouting at the TV when no one else is home. 

Sansa needs to leave King’s Landing, but Little Finger is not the way.

Daenerys is hands down one of my favorite characters and I can’t wait to see her dragons full grown. I’m not feeling too good about these soldiers for hire. 

Jon Snow is a wildling. Will he ever see his brothers again? (Rhetorical, don’t tell me.)

Arya is another one of my favorite characters. She was just spotted by the Hound, which makes me want to throw up.

Why is Joffrey still living???? His new Queen is going to be trouble. I can already feel it. 

[ofstormsandwolves]

Colour co-ordination

For the ‘fake dating’ square of @legendslikestardust‘s fluffuary bingo

Alec Hardy, Rose Tyler, Tess Henchard

Alec needs someone to attend a party with him. Rose thinks he needs a new tie.

Read on AO3 | Whofic 

“I wouldn’t normally ask,”

Rose looked up at Alec, who was still hovering near her till, eyeing her customers warily.

“Alec,” she sighed, before forcing a smile as yet another customer approached her till, “I have a break in five minutes. Give me five minutes and I’m all yours.”

Alec grunted, his hands shoved low in his trouser pockets, and he stood, watching her serve customers for the next few minutes. It was funny, he decided; the little newsagents on the beachfront had never been that busy all the times they’d had to question Jack Marshall, yet now with new owners it seemed quite popular. Of course, the fact they’d redecorated and set the shop out differently might have something to do with it. And there was also the fact that the new owners weren’t quite as gruff as Jack Marshall used to be.

Five minutes later, Rose was pulling Alec into the break room behind the counter.

“What was it?” she asked once the door was firmly shut behind them.

Alec sniffed, and braced himself for what he was about to say.

“I’ve been invited to this, this thing,” he began carefully, “back in Sandbrook. An old colleague, it’s his fortieth birthday, and I’ve been invited. God knows why he invited me. But he sent me an invite, and it, it said I could bring a plus one.”

“Right,” Rose began slowly. “And Ellie was busy?”

“Miller didn’t want to come,” he responded gruffly. “Said she couldn’t leave the boys with her sister for that long.”

“Fair enough,” Rose shrugged. “Besides, you’d give it away, keep calling her ‘Miller’.”

He scowled at that. Rose just grinned back.

“So what exactly are you asking me, Alec?” she asked him, and she was beginning to get an idea.

He sniffed again, and gathered himself before speaking.

“Rose, I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend.”

~0~0~

That had floored her. She’d been expecting him to say ‘I’d like you to come to this party with me’, or ‘we could go as friends’. But pretending to be his girlfriend?

“Fake dating?” she asked finally, once she’d gathered her thoughts enough to respond. “You want me to pretend to be your girlfriend.” She frowned then. “Why?”

“Because Tess will be there, with her man, and I don’t want any pitying looks,” he told her. “I know there will be, if I turn up alone. The plus one thing was probably to make me not feel bad.”

“But it will be alright me coming?” Rose questioned warily. “And what about Daisy?”

Alec frowned. “Well, I don’t think she’ll be there.”

“No,” Rose sighed, “I meant when Tess inevitably tells her that you turned up with me.”

He couldn’t seem to see the problem, though.

“Well, Daisy likes you,” he pointed out slowly. “She’s met you a few times when she’s come down to see me, and she knows we’re friends.”

“Exactly, Alec,” Rose nodded, trying to make him understand. “She knows we’re friends. How’s she gonna feel when she thinks we’ve begun to see each other behind her back? Without talking to her about it first?”

At that, Alec blinked. “Oh,” he managed after a moment.

“The last thing I want is to upset Daisy. She has a hard enough time with Tess,” Rose reminded him gently. “And Daisy and I get on well. If she were to think we were hiding this from her, she’d be just as angry at me as you.”

“We can say it’s a new thing,” Alex replied carefully, “that we’d only recently started seeing each other.”

Rose sighed, picking at her nails. “I suppose,” she agreed reluctantly.

“So you’ll come?” Alec asked cautiously, watching her carefully. Rose nodded. “I can book the hotel?” She nodded again.

“When is it?” she asked, finally looking back up at him.

“We’ll have to drive up Friday, the party’s Saturday evening, and we’ll come back Sunday,” Alec told her, and he was already making his way back out the break room as he spoke.

Rose stared at his retreating back.

“Friday?” she echoed. “Alec, that’s two days away!”

He turned back around at her words, a frown on his face. He looked genuinely confused.

“Is that a problem?”

~0~0~

Alec picked Rose up outside the newsagents at half five on Friday evening.

“D’you think the dress I packed will be alright?” she asked Alec as he drove them out of Broadchurch. “I didn’t have time to go buy a new one.”

“It’ll be fine, Rose,” Alec told her calmly, eyes still on the road. “It’s an ex-colleague’s birthday party, not tea at Buckingham Palace.”

Rose sighed. “I know, but I’ve not exactly done this before. Pretending to be someone’s girlfriend.” She paused, and looked over at him. “This isn’t to make Tess jealous, is it?”

Alec snorted at that. “No,” he told her, “it’s because I didn’t want to go alone.”

“And Ellie couldn’t make it.”

At that, he finally looked over at her, his brow furrowed.

“What?” Rose asked, baffled. “It’s what you said.”

“I did,” he admitted slowly, “but I never asked Ellie to come.”

“You said she couldn’t find anyone to have the boys,” Rose continued.

“She couldn’t,” Alec agreed, “before I explained that I wasn’t asking her to come with me.”

Rose snorted at that. “Bet she was thrilled.”

They settled into a silence then as they made their way onto the motorway. Rose watched as various signs flashed past her on the side of the road.

“So, this colleague of yours,” she piped up.

“Ex-colleague,” Alec interrupted.

“Ex-colleague, whatever,” Rose shrugged. “What’s he like, then? I mean, you must’ve been close if he’s invited you to his party.”

“We used to work together,” Alec shrugged. “He was one of the guys who worked with me and Tess on the Sandbrook case.”

“Oh,” Rose responded, and she didn’t feel comfortable asking any more questions.

Alec and Ellie had been wrapping that case up when Rose had first arrived in Broadchurch. Alec had left the town shortly after that, but had returned only a few months later, during which time Rose had become good friends with Ellie as Rose’s flat wasn’t far from Ellie’s new house.

“I was asking Ellie about this,” Alec began slowly, “because I wasn’t sure if I should ask you. I didn’t want you to feel like I was trying to trick you, or something?”

“Why? Have you secretly got feelings for me, or something?” Rose had meant it to come out in a light-hearted, jokey way, but it sounded strained even to her own ears.

Alec glanced over at her and said nothing.

~0~0~

The hotel room was nice enough, although there’d been a mix-up when Alec had booked the room and he’d only booked the one bed- “Miller will have a field day when we tell her”- and the en suite bathroom was a bit small.

“Well, we’re not going to be here much, are we?” Rose pointed out as Alec wrinkled his nose. “I mean, there’s tonight, and then tomorrow night’s the party, and then we’re heading back to Broadchurch.”

“I suppose,” Alec said, though he sounded unconvinced.

Rose was right, though. By Saturday evening when they were getting ready for the party, they’d not done anything other than sleep in the hotel; they’d gone out for dinner the night before, and Rose had done a bit of shopping during the day, dragging Alec along with her.

“Have we got a cover story, then?” Rose called from the bathroom as she put the finishing touches to her makeup.

“We’ve been dating for a couple of weeks,” Alec called back, hands in the pockets of his trousers as he waited for her. “No more than eight weeks. Aren’t you done yet?”

Rose appeared in the doorway of the en suite then, sighing.

“Yeah, I’m done. Blimey, anyone would think you were actually eager to go to this party-” She trailed off as she finally took in what he was wearing. “Don’t you have any other suits?”

“Why? This is perfectly fine,” Alec responded, glancing down at his black suit. “It’s clean on.”

Rose sighed again, and crossed to the shopping bags from earlier that day. She went through a couple of bags before she finally turned around with a grin.

“At the very least, swap your tie,” she told him, throwing a strip of fabric at him.

When Alec caught it, he was perplexed to see that it was a new tie. It was plain, something he was grateful for, but came in a shade of bottle green. He blinked at it, then looked back up at Rose. And he finally took note of the dress she’d brought with her.

“It matches your dress,” he managed after a moment of staring.

Rose shrugged, and looked a little embarrassed.

“That was more of a happy accident,” she admitted. “But you only ever seem to wear blue ties, and I saw that in the shop, and thought you’d like it. It’s a bit different, but it’s not, I dunno, neon orange or something.”

Alec rolled his eyes at that, and tugged the blue tie from around his neck. He dropped it onto the bed and replaced it was the new green tie. Rose beamed at him.

~0~0~

When they arrived at the party, Alec cringed at the loud music.

“Not your sort of thing?” Rose asked with a smile.

“Not exactly,” he agreed.

Rose slipped her hand into his and squeezed it, and then she was pulling him towards the door. Alec dropped off the obligatory card (with its present of a gift voucher inside) on the cards and gifts table, and they made their way further into the room.

“Out of interest,” Rose asked, speaking loud to be heard over the music, and she was smiling with her tongue between her teeth, “is the entirety of Sandbrook Police department here tonight?”

Alec sighed. “It looks like it,” he admitted, doing a cursory sweep of the room. He recognised quite a few faces, but there were some he didn’t recognise. Some were clearly family, but others could be new recruits.

“Alec!”

He groaned at the sound of his name being called then, and didn’t need to turn around to even know the owner of the voice.

“Hello, Tess,” he sighed, finally turning around just as Tess reached them.

Tess looked at Rose, her smile fading already as she took in the young woman holding Alec’s hand.

“And you are?” she asked Rose, a forced smile on her face.

“This is Rose,” Alec answered for her. “I’m sure Daisy’s mentioned her.”

Tess’s gaze moved from Rose to Alec then, her eyebrow arched. “Rose Tyler? That shop assistant? Daisy said you were just friends.”

Alec shrugged uncomfortably then. Maybe Tess would see right through them, realise that they weren’t really dating. Maybe she’d call their bluff. Maybe...

“It’s a new thing,” Rose piped up suddenly. “We’ve only been dating a couple of weeks. We were planning on speaking to Daisy about it next time she’s down. We didn’t want to break it to her over the phone.”

Tess blinked at that, glancing to Alec who tried his best to look like it wasn’t news to him.

“Right,” Tess managed after a moment.

“Speaking of dating,” Alec spoke up before Tess could say anything else, “where’s your man? What was his name? Matt?”

“Mark,” Tess corrected with an eye roll. “He’s around somewhere. Mingling, I think. Not that it’s something you ever do.”

~0~0~

By halfway through the evening, Alec was growing bored. They’d managed to shake Tess off after another ten minutes or so of small talk. But she kept coming back, like a boomerang, or- as Alec had suggested- a bad penny.

“We could get going if you want,” Rose told him, leaning over in her chair so she wouldn’t have to shout so loud. “We’ve talked to some people, we’ve made an appearance. We don’t have to stay any longer.”

Alec watched her for a few moments, seeming to take his time making his decision, and moments later he was nodding. They’d just got to their feet and were making their way towards the door when they were once again confronted by Tess.

“Going so soon?” she asked, and they could tell she wasn’t really concerned. “You’ve never really been that social, have you, Alec.”

Alec spluttered, and tried to form a response. But before he could, Rose was leaning into him, smiling sweetly at Tess.

“Actually, it’s me,” she told the other woman. “I’m not feelin’ too well. Think I’ve got a migraine coming on, so we’re gonna head back to the hotel.”

Tess blinked at that. “Oh,” she managed. “Right.” She paused, and took in how Rose was leaning in to Alec, and how he’d wrapped an arm around her. “You two are really together? I thought Alec was just too scared to come on his own!” She surveyed them carefully again. “I should’ve guessed when I saw the matching tie and dress combo.”

Then, before they could reply, Tess was walking off into the throng of party guests. Alec blinked, and looked down at Rose, who just beamed at him.

“Shall we get going then?” she asked him with a grin.

[mandibierly]

'Broadchurch' Final Season: Creator Chris Chibnall on Mark's Big Moment

Mark Latimer (Andrew Buchan) talks with Joe (Photo: BBC America)

Spoiler alert: Episode 6 of Broadchurch‘s final season ended with what will stand as one of the series’ most memorable, and hauntingly beautiful, sequences. After hearing from Joe Miller what happened the night Danny died — and that he couldn’t have done anything to save his son — Mark (Andrew Buchan) took a small boat out into the water, imagined seeing a teen Danny there with him, climbed into the water, and floated away.

Mark floats in the water (Photo: BBC America)

We’ll have to wait until next week to see whether Mark lives or drowns (presumably his intention after telling Joe he can’t live with what Joe’s done to his family but he’s not strong enough to make him pay, and that goodbye-sounding call with daughter Chloe). What creator Chris Chibnall will say now is that the series has been building to that conversation since Mark visited his son’s killer in his holding cell at the end of Season 1.

“I think that Mark has been kidding himself this whole while, thinking if he’d done something different he could have saved his child, and actually Joe can’t even give him that salvation,” Chibnall says. “It’s a bigger truth that Mark has to deal with, that he couldn’t have affected the events that night. So the guilt that he’s been living with about his affair is sort of transmogrified into a broader sense of powerless. In a sense, that conversation with Joe is all about his powerlessness, his impotence, his stasis, his emotional inability to move on. I think Andy Buchan, who plays Mark, has magnificently charted this journey and this deterioration of Mark from the happy-go-lucky guy we see walking down the street mates with everyone in Episode 1 of Season 1, to this person who’s gradually, slowly had his whole life stripped away from him.”

Elsewhere in the hour, Hardy and Miller each dealt with their own family drama. Hardy’s daughter, Daisy, told him she wants to live with her mother again, and he said if she stays, he’ll help her fight to make Broadchurch her home — even if he has to smack a teenage boy in the face for her. Miller, meanwhile, was giving son Tom a lesson on consent when she discovered that he stole back his phone and loaded it with more porn. Tom lost his phone (and his laptop) for good, but Ellie got some information that might prove useful in Trish’s rape case — Tom said the porn came from his friend Michael, who got it from his dad, cabbie Clive.

As for our other suspects, Jim Atwood seemed suddenly keen to make his marriage with Cath work and move away. The third rape survivor, who still refuses to talk with police, told Beth and her advisor that she’d been attacked while walking through a field after her car broke down and the towing company she called never showed. Was it Jim’s garage she phoned? Ian, Trish’s estranged husband, continued to act shady, trying to hand off Trish’s laptop to Leo in public so Leo could delete whatever it was he’d put on it for Ian (Leo refused, since he knows the cops are watching him). Ian also tried to point a finger at Trish’s boss, Ed Burnett, claiming he had to speak with Ed once because he was sexually harassing Trish and she was afraid of losing her job.

Ed Burnett (Lenny Henry) is questioned (Photo: BBC America)

Ed was already in police custody for beating up Jim after learning he’d slept with Trish, but more things are adding up against him: he had blue twine in a pocket of the mud-stained suit he wore to Cath’s party (he said he was wearing his suit while finishing up work that night). He also had thousands of photos of Trish on his phone, admitted he sent Trish the flowers with the “Thinking of You” card, and has been sleeping in his car on Trish’s street for the last 10 nights — all just evidence that he loves Trish and has been looking out for her, he said.

Miller (Olivia Colman) and Hardy (David Tennant) are not happy with DS Katie Harford (Georgina Campbell) (Photo: BBC America)

DS Katie Harford finally told Hardy and Miller that Ed is her father, and we learned why the dad and daughter aren’t close (he hit her mother once, and he and his wife separated while she was dying). Now, if Ed does turn out to be guilty, they have to worry about whether Katie’s involvement will hurt the prosecution’s case. Miller exploded at Katie, expressing the sentiment Chibnall discussed with Yahoo TV earlier this season: “What we talked about a lot with our police advisors is, the generation of women who are coming through as police officers who have to do a lot less training to be qualified to investigate these things and, possibly, are slightly unaware of all the battles that were fought by their predecessors in the name of feminism and in the name of women getting equality. Katie is an example of somebody like that who doesn’t understand how easy she’s got it compared to Ellie.”

Broadchurch airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on BBC America.

Read more from Yahoo TV:

‘Broadchurch’ Season 3, Episode 5: Creator Chris Chibnall on Cath’s Chilling Line ‘Broadchurch’ Season 3, Episode 4: Creator Chris Chibnall, David Tennant on Hardy’s Date ‘Broadchurch’ Season 3, Episode 3: Creator on ‘Seeing Hardy in a New Light’ ‘Broadchurch’ Season 3 Episode 2: Creator on Season 3’s Growing List of Suspects ‘Broadchurch’ Season 3 Premiere Postmortem: Creator Chris Chibnall on the Final Case ‘Broadchurch’ Final Season: David Tennant Previews Hardy and Miller’s Slight Role Reversal