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mellicose · 8 years ago

Text

The Sea Inside - Act Four, Part 4

Fandom: Broadchurch, Alec Hardy

Rating: Mature, for extreme angst, violence, sex

Word Count: 9300

Read previous chapter | Read on Ao3

Summary: Hardy rushes to Sandbrook to fetch Grace, but a number of unpleasant surprises await him at the police station - surprises that will change his perception of Grace, and his life, forever.

She was cold.

Her whole body ached, but her chest most of all. She touched the pinpoint burns the Taser left and winced. Of course. Tess put her down like a bag of bricks.

She sighed.

She was thankful she’d let go of the bat to attack her with her bare hands before she zapped her - if not, she’d have much more than a couple of burns and some muscle aches to contend with.

She was surrounded by antiseptic white, and lying on a metal shelf. There was a heavily armored door with a small window opposite her.

She let out a rusty chuckle. Hello old friend.

She sat up and groaned. Her muscles still twitched with the electricity that had coursed through her body. Her mouth tasted like she’d licked metal. And yet, she wasn’t angry. It was just as well. She would’ve killed Tess with her bare hands if she got to her.

Good job, Clara, she thought. Brilliant fucking job.

Alec might’ve been confused before. Now he’d be sure.

You’re a bad news bear, little birdy, Frank’s voice echoed in her head.

“You ain’t lyin’,” she said out loud, swallowing dry. She went to the water fountain and drank. She rubbed her temples and sniffed the air. There was something off. Way beyond the obvious, but she couldn’t quite place it.

There was a boom and and grind, and a bobby opened the door.

“Doctor Grace Lastra?”

“Wha-? Oh yeah,” she said. Even her speech had changed, gone full midwestern drawl again.

“Please come with me,” he said.

She looked down at herself. “Aren’t you supposed to cuff me, kid?”

“Don’t worry about that. Come quick,” he said. He led her to an empty interrogation observation booth. She felt fear, but it faded quickly. The kid was unarmed. She could put him down in seconds.

“What are you after?” she said, leaning against the audio equipment.

He nodded toward a long box tied with a red satin ribbon. The thickest, silkiest satin. Her lips parted.

“Dress quickly. We don’t have much time.”

She read the card that was tucked underneath the bow.

I’m breaking you out of your life, little bird. Listen to the kid. I’ll be waiting. Daddy.

He’d found her. Again. And this time, she knew she couldn’t just shed her skin and run. She was filled with a heady mix of fear and exhilaration as she put on the tight red silk dress he picked out for her.

He liked her in red.

“You got a pen I can borrow?” she said to the policeman. He stared at her, openmouthed. She had not turned around to undress. He handed it to her.

Alec-

You were never strong enough to love me. It was a pleasant fiction. Now it’s over. Don’t look for me - Grace is dead. I killed her. C.

PS. Tell Daisy I’m sorry - I never meant to scare her.

She folded the card and stuffed it into the young bobby’s pocket. “Make sure this gets to DI Alec Hardy, okay?” She traced the shell of his ear, then licked it.

He whimpered.

“What’s his name?” she said.

“D-DI Hardy,” he said.

“Good. Did he send a car?”

His brow furrowed. “He did. It’s been outside for 20 minutes.”

“Like clockwork.” She slipped on the red bottom heels that he put in the box and smiled. He remembered everything. She put her hands on her waist and smiled at him. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

He led her out of the back of the station, through the hallway where the surveillance camera had been disabled. A black Mercedes limousine sat on the curb at the end of the street.

He pointed. “Go.”

Her heart lurched. She took off her shoes and ran.

Ellie stopped in front of the police station.

He ran up the steps two at a time and burst inside. People looked at him, then looked away. Tragedy was written all over his face. They hoped it wasn’t contagious.

He walked up to the first officer he saw, a young woman who had not been there when he was.

“Where is Doctor Grace Lastra?”

The woman almost screamed, but a familiar face came around and prised his hand from her elbow.

“Hardy, why haven’t you answered your bloody phone?!” Zed hissed, pulling him into his office.

Hardy waved the comment away impatiently. “Where is Grace? I will speak for her.”

“Will ye now?” he said, loosening his tie and sipping his stewed tea. “Then you have a lot to answer for.”

He threw down some photos.

He flipped through quickly. Grace’s tub, now a burnt out crater. The wrecked bedroom. Grace’s car, a blur clocked at 200 km/hr on the carriageway near Sandbrook. Her police issue jumpsuit and cloth shoes in a messy pile in an interrogation observation booth. A long white garment box, now empty. A wrinkled ribbon, in deepest red.

“Well?”

“What is this? Where is she?”

“That’s the point. She’s gone, mate, and we don’t bloody know how.”

The young officer knocked on the office door, then cracked it. Zed waved her in. She held an envelope in her hand.

“Um, a PC left this for you. You’re DI Alec Hardy, right?”

Zed walked around his desk and snatched the envelope. “PC Ostanova, right? He’s the one on duty.”

The young woman’s eyes grew. “No. It was another man - young. Stocky. PC Wasser.”

His face screwed up. “Wasser? We don’t have a Wasser here.”

She wrung her hands. “I checked his credentials on the database. He was clean. A new hire, from London.”

Zed sat down and typed quickly on his computer. Hardy walked around slowly. His muscles were stiff, and everything was acquiring the acid colors of a nightmare.

“Nothing. There is no PC Wasser. Not now, not ever,” he said to the officer. “Arnold, how could you fuck up so abysmally?” he said, pulling his hair.

She was bold enough to pull the computer monitor around to see it.

“I swear, it was here. Police constable Nathan Wasser, 26 years of age. Graduated with honors from university and went on the Bramshill for training...” she turned the monitor around again and rubbed her face. “With all due respect, sir, do you think I’d make all that up to cover my own ass? It’s a bit specific, to say the least.”

“I don’t know what’s going on,” he said.

“Call Ostanova,” Hardy said quietly, sitting down. His body ached.

“Good idea!” He dialed him on his cell and put it on speaker.

Ostanova answered almost immediately. “Sir.”

“Where are you?”

“At home, recovering from a massive booze up,” he said groaning dramatically.

“Didn’t you have the overnight shift tonight?”

“I did, but this new kid said you wanted him to take my place. For training and all. I looked him up and he checked out, so I didn’t think anymore of it.”

She gave Zed a pointed look. Ostanova may like his drinks, but he was as straight arrow as they got on the job.

Someone else looked in. “Can I have a moment, sir?”

“Sure. Why not,” he said.

The slim man was in cargo pants and a t-shirt, but his tag said he was a detective. He was part of the fledgeling IT crimes division.

“You were asking earlier how they might’ve gotten out of a police station without being seen. I think I figured it out.” He held up a USB stick. Hardy’s lip curled with displeasure. The detective stood there, posing with the drive in his gloved hand.

Zed rolled his eyes. “Get on with it, Sandburg.”

“The perpetrator plugged this baby into the mainframe, and they had access to everything.”

“But we have surveillance cameras. And an independent system - no one in, no one out. Who did the plugging?” Zed said.

“That’s the point. Once they were in, they cleaned up the evidence. They must’ve also implanted PC Wasser’s ID into the database. Easy peasy.” He looked impressed. “This wasn’t hacking, it was high art.”

He threw the drive on Zed’s desk. “You can analyze it for prints. It’s not much good for anything else.”

“What d’you mean?”

The detective made a face. “The program destroyed itself after a certain amount of time. There’s nothing left but an old episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Hush. Really scary.”

“That’s why you couldn’t find Wasser in the database,” Arnold said. “Once the program was destroyed, he disappeared, with Grace in tow.”

Everyone’s eyes drifted to Hardy. Whether he realized it or not, he was now their most valuable piece of evidence.

“Dr. Lastra is just regular woman, yet she walked out of a very well-guarded police station after aggravated assault on a peace officer as if she were a royal. No one saw anything. No one heard anything. Who is she?”

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#the sea inside #broadchurch #alec hardy #ellie miller #david tennant #fan fiction #the sea inside - act four part 4 #miller x hardy brotp feels

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mellicose · 8 years ago

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The Sea Inside - Act Four, Part 2

Fandom: Broadchurch, Alec Hardy

Pairings: Ellie x Mel (OC)

Word count: 5850

Warnings: Mentions of various sex crimes, copious angst

Read previous chapter | Read on Ao3

Summary: After Tess’ fateful visit, Alec looks to Ellie for moral support and understanding. With her help, he finds the courage to take a closer look at Grace’s past.

Contains w|w erotica - BROADchurch forever!

Ellie’s phone rang out and went to voicemail.

Oy, this is Ellie. You know what to do.

“Ellie. Call me back as soon as you get this. I’m headed over now.”

Interlude

The phone didn’t even ring on the other side.

“Yes?” it was a smooth male voice. Although the call was encrypted and the screen read ‘unknown caller’, he knew exactly who it was.

“I’ve found some unusual activity.”

He man chuckled. “Is that so? Took long enough this time.”

“Yes. For the last three years, there’s been the usual traffic - interpol and police agencies local to the case, but I just saw some activity from the UK. From Northern England.”

The chuckle turned to a full-throated laugh. “And?”

“Login is t.henchard at a local constabulary. Tess Henchard, a D.S. She googled the case, then did some serious digging around. Looks like she found things, too. More than the other one. Way more.”

“Of course she did. Silly bitch. She doesn’t know with whom she is fucking. But she’ll soon find out. Thanks a bunch,” the man said in extreme good humor, then hung up.

“Do what you do best, little bird,” he said out loud at the walls. “Fly.”

The girl sleeping beside him stirred. “Is everything okay, baby?” she said. She lay her head on his chest. She was young. Painfully young.

“Just peachy, honey,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “And getting better. Now up you go. We have somewhere to be.”

His voice was gruff with tears, and he realized she would hear it. Oh well. Broadchurch was only an hour and a half away from his and Grace’s town, but he didn’t want to show up at hers pinched and miserable and surprise her.

He watched the sun set again, but the colors did not inspire. Instead, they mocked. He thought he finally had his life together. Yet here he was, nauseous with sadness and running, again.

It was a far too familiar feeling.

He looked at the dashboard clock. 6:23 PM. Ellie would most probably be preparing dinner for the children. He didn’t know whether Melissa was also home, but he hoped not. He wasn’t up to her also asking questions that were too painful to answer.

He took a deep, shuddering breath. The car still smelled like her. Like both of them. The phone rang. He pressed the button in his steering wheel.

“Ellie.”

“Oh God. You sounded so serious in the voicemail. You were doing ever so well this morning.”

“Where are you?”

“Home, of course. Mel’s here too.”

He groaned.

“What’s wrong?” She was serious now.

“Tess. She was waiting for me at my house. She had some information about Grace. From before she came to the UK.”

“For God’s sake, why did you let that woman in your house? Crazy bi-” she stopped herself before she swore in front of Freddie. “And?”

“She brought a USB stick. And she, uh...” he couldn’t quite catch his breath. His eyes burned with salt.

“Yes?”

“She called Grace a whore. A hook-a hook-” the word stuck in his craw. He couldn’t get it out.

“I would’ve snatched her hair right off her head. Did you look at it?”

It burned a hole in his pocket. “I couldn’t.”

“Ahhh,” she said.

“I didn’t know what else to do,” he said. His voice wobbled dangerously.

“You did, actually. How far out are you?”

“I’ll be there in about 20 minutes.”

“Perfect. We’re having shepherd’s pie. Your favorite.”

It really wasn’t, but it was the only food Ellie had ever seen him eat with any enthusiasm.

“Be careful,” she said, and hung up.

He pulled into her driveway behind Mel’s Skoda. Summer was coming, and the climbing roses were growing so thick that he couldn’t see to the door. The plants were heavy with buds.

Oh, the memories.

She emerged from the greenery and made him jump.

“I was waiting for you. Come in,” she said, her lips tight with sympathy.

“Unka Alec!” Freddie shrieked happily. He latched onto his leg and jumped up and down. Alec bent down to give his curly head a pat.

“How’s my main man Fred?” he said, holding out his hand for a high five. Fred gave it a resounding slap. Something spattered on his face.

“Oh no, Freddie! You’ve still got finger paint all over your hand,” Ellie said, giving him an apologetic grin. She handed him a kitchen towel. He wiped red from his hand and face. His pants had a tiny red handprint he would have to wash off.

Tom was watching TV in the living room. He looked up at him and nodded. It was a rare acknowledgement, for him.

“Come into the kitchen!” Ellie yelled. He took a deep breath and walked in. Mel was on the desktop by the garden window, her glasses perched low on her nose.

“Melissa,” he said, nodding at her.

“Hardy.” She gave him one look then went back to whatever she was doing on the computer.

“Sit,” Ellie said, pointing to a small table by the computer. She put a glass of red wine in front of him. “Dinner will be ready in five.”

Ellie flitted around the kitchen, chatting happily as she took out dishes and set the table as if nothing was wrong.

Her curly hair was in messy ponytail, and she wore a dusty blue top that only accentuated the healthy rose of her cheeks. She put down a bowl of salad in the center of the table, then the steaming casserole.

“Salad?” he said.

She scrunched up her nose. “Mel likes it, and now she’s got Tom eating like a rabbit.”

“He’s a wrestler, love. It’s good for when he needs to cut weight in a healthy way,” Mel said.

“Right, then. Tom! Freddie! Supper’s ready!”

They ran into the kitchen and sat down before she finished pouring them juice.

“Those are my boys.” She sat down and looked at all three of them with love. “Who wants the crunchy corner bit?” she said, digging into the pie.

Dinner was difficult. As lovely as everything was, he couldn’t swallow. Even the wine was bitter to him. Ellie kept up a steady chatter, with Mel occasionally adding a decorative word or two. The boys ate quickly, had seconds, then begged to be excused.

“Go on,” she told Tom. He disappeared and ran up the stairs three at a time.

“And remember to wash before you get in that bed!” His bedroom door slammed.

She turned to Hardy. “His sheets get frightful. I forgot how smelly boys are are that age. I suppose I didn’t notice, since I was most probably smelly too.”

Mel cleared her plate and kissed the top of her head. “Nonsense. You’ve always smelled like flowers.”

They waited in silence as Mel cleaned up around them and poured them each another glass of wine.

“It looks like Tom’s postponed his shower. I’m gonna give Freddie a bath and get him ready for bed,” Mel said. Her eyes drifted to Hardy’s sallow face. In a rare show of affection, she patted Hardy’s shoulder as she walked out.

He waited until she climbed the stairs with Freddie before speaking.

“Did you tell her?”

“A little.”

He rolled his eyes.

“Just the bit about the USB. She heard you were upset, and it’s all over your face. You look like a ghost.”

He dropped the drive on the table. “Here it is.”

“And you really didn’t look?”

His jaw tightened. “I couldn’t, Ellie. I’m scared.”

“Of what, exactly? You know her, don’t you?” she said. It was still on the table. “Don’t you trust her?” Her tone was not judgmental. After all that she had been through, she had no room to do so.

“I do. Ellie, she wouldn’t lie to me.”

“Then why didn’t you throw this back in her smug little face?”

“Because Tess is very good at what she does. And she acted like she found something.”

“About the abuse?” Ellie knew about Grace. At least, what Alec knew.

“No. Beyond that. She kept using these terms.” He tried to say them, but his mouth refused to form around the words.

“Alright, I’m not having any more of this shit,” she said. She plugged it into the desktop. He sat silently, facing her so he couldn’t see the screen. Ellie understood, and nodded. He trusted her with his life.

She clicked on it and her eyes scanned the screen. There were a couple more clicks. She scrolled quickly, her brow furrowing more deeply as she moved down whatever she looked at. She clicked into something else. Her eyes widened.

“Oh no…�� she said. Her hand went to her mouth. “Shit.” She clicked in and out of things faster and faster. Her big brown eyes filled with tears. “God.”

He was drowning. He jumped up, ripped open the back door and ran into the garden, but he couldn’t make it past the trellises. He panted, bent double with his trembling hands on his knees.

Oh Jesus. Not again. Not lies. Not her.

He looked back and saw her, still going through whatever was on the drive, her skin pale blue in the screen light. He teetered into a garden chair. There were no stars, and the sky was orange with impending rain.

He looked down at himself. Fred’s red right hand marked his leg.

Just this morning, she alluded to children. She said she would’ve risked suspension or even arrest to make his heart beat true again. He ran his fingers through his hair and bit back a sob.

He heard something behind him. It was Ellie. Her characteristic smile was gone. Her eyes were red.

She sat down by him and put her hand over his, steadying his shaking. “Let’s go back inside. It’s about to pour down.”

“Ellie…”

She squeezed. “Come on. Inside.”

They walked back together to the computer. She shut the door and pointed to the chair. “Sit.”

“I don’t think I’m ready,” he said.

“If you truly love her, no amount of time would make you ready,” she said.

He sat down. On the screen, there was a mug shot of a dark man. He had Grace’s cheekbones. Or better said, Grace had his.

Carlos M. Zamora the mugshot read. He had a sensual mouth and heavy-lidded amber eyes. It made him sick. He looked up at Ellie.

“Keep going,” she said.

He was currently serving 25 years for sex trafficking. There was mention of child pornography. Possession with intent to sell class B drugs. Assault and battery. Rape, multiple counts of it.

His chest burned.

Grace had once offered to tell him her real name, but he had told her no after the things she confessed to him. He was his Grace. That’s all that mattered.

But her real name was Clara.

“Clara,” he said out loud, reading out the name of the last victim who had accused him of sexual assault. She had dropped the charges, stating that she lied because she was ‘angry at her father’. The rape kit showed evidence of recent vaginal and anal sex, but it was not forced, and there was no semen - he had used a condom.

When asked, she said she had a boyfriend. She didn’t volunteer any additional information, and since the girl was 16, they did not investigate further.

If they had, they would’ve quickly discovered that her ‘boyfriend’ was Dr. Frank Lazone, a 37-year old family physician and amateur photographer.

His mug shot, although unflattering, did not change the fact that he was an incredibly handsome man. His temples were graying, but he had the thick-lashed, clear-skinned, cut-jawed look that wreaked havoc on the hormones of young women.

“Fucking Frank!” he said, popping up. “Bloody hell.”

“What?” Ellie said.

He sat back down and hunched in front of the screen.”Her ex-husband. She told me about him.”

“Apparently, they married shortly after the charges were dropped. She was 16.”

His face twisted with disgust. “Daisy’s older than that, and she’s still a child.”

Ellie looked over his shoulder. “He colluded with Carlos by seducing underaged girls - runaways and sex workers he found during his extensive charity work in the community - and offered them money to perform live sex shows for an exclusive audience, usually in closely guarded private venues.” she read softly.“Clara was originally implicated as a lure, but after intense questioning by police and psychiatric professionals, it was determined that she was, in fact, just another victim, made even more tragic by the fact that her father used her in his live shows since the age of 13.”

“Jesus.”

“In later questioning, Clara admitted to not remembering all the circumstances surrounded her servitude in her father’s business. She did remember that she was the top draw due to her experience. She said that her husband never let her perform with men -”

“Stop. Please.” He rubbed his eyes.

“Regardless of her unusual home life, Clara possessed above average intelligence, and enjoyed school. She graduated with honors a full year early, then attended the University of Chicago. She would still occasionally perform, but once she entered medical school, she confessed to Frank that she no longer wished to do it, and filed for divorce. Shortly after, she was raped so brutally-”

“I said stop!” he yelled, getting up and running to the powder room nearby. She heard him retching and coughing.

“Ellie.” Mel whispered from the top of the stairs. “Everything okay?”

Not even close she mouthed, biting her lip.

“What’s going on?” She went down the stairs and hugged Ellie, rubbing her back.

“Grace. Oh my God, poor thing,” she said, burying her face in the crook of Mel’s neck.

Tom cracked open the door.

“No!” Mel said.

His door slammed shut.

Ellie’s hands were fists on Mel’s crisp white dress shirt. “I need to see about Alec.”

“But are you okay?” Mel whispered in her ear. She was intensely protective.

“This is not my pain, Melly,” she said, wiping her eyes and looking up at her. “But he was very good to me. You understand, right?”

Mel’s jaw tightened, but she nodded. “I know.” She caressed her. “Maybe he should stay here with us for the night. I’ll prepare the sofa in a bit.”

“I’ll ask,” Ellie said. She offered her lips for a kiss. Mel didn’t drink, and she tasted like berries. Ellie leaned into her, eager for more. She always helped her forget.

She gave Ellie a final squeeze and let go. “I’m gonna go check on Freddie and get ready for bed. I’ll be down in a bit.”

Ellie tapped gently on the bathroom door. “Alec?”

He moaned.

She tried the door and it opened. She looked in. He sat on the toilet, looking at his hands. His pallor was nostalgic. It frightened her.

She leaned against the sink and stood by him, silently, for a few minutes, but it was maddening.

“Why didn’t she tell me?”

Ellie was afraid to say anything. She feared saying the wrong thing.

“Sex parties. Since she was a child. For her father. How did she not run away, tell someone?” He grimaced with horror.

Tears dripped off her chin. “It, um…”

He looked up at her. His eyes seemed to glow in the pale skin around them.

“Her mother was another of those girls. She was 14 when she had Grace-Clara. She died shortly after childbirth due to infection, per Dr. Lazone’s report,” Ellie said.

He pulled at his hair.

“He’s all she ever knew. Him. Frank. The girls. Maybe, she didn’t want to run away. Maybe she loved her father.” Ellie’s words were stilted, difficult to spit out, but he had earned her honesty. “You once told me that people are unknowable. I don’t think you could’ve guessed, or even believed it was so horrific. And maybe, just maybe, she might’ve not told you not only out of shame, but to guard you from it. She loves you, I know. And it’s obvious you would not have taken it well.”

He started to weep again. His body trembled with sobs that he tried to bite back unsuccessfully. She put her hand on his back.

“I’m so sorry,” she said. Tears fell freely from her eyes, but she refused to weep. She put her arms around him and let him cry. Her chest ached with second-hand sorrow. She wondered whether he had felt like this with her, after Joe.

If so, she was sorry for every time she refused a hug, or a sympathetic word.

His tears wet her neck. She plucked a towel from the rack over the sink and handed it to him. He rubbed it on his teary-red face and hiccupped. She sat on the floor opposite him, hugging her knees.

“Grace is lovely, but she’s fragile. It’s hard to believe all that happened before. How does she function?”

“By getting out of bed every morning, then putting one foot in front of the other,” Ellie said. She spoke more of herself than Grace.

He noticed and squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry for bringing this here to you. But I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

“I’ll be fine,” she said. “And it’s obvious that she’s not nearly as fragile as you think.“

He looked at her, then nodded slowly.

She stood up. “But what about you? Isn’t she going to wonder when she gets home and you’re not there?”

“There is a reason she didn’t tell me everything. Look at me. What will she think? I won’t be able to keep it from her.”

“Then you’ll have to find a way. Tess is life-sucking cunt. Maybe if you explain what happened-”

He cut her off. “-Oh no. She will spin out. That won’t work.”

“Then pretend.”

“I can’t.”

Mel knocked softly on the door, then looked in. “I fixed up the sofa bed for you. You shouldn’t drive in your condition.” She was customarily frank.

“Okay,” he said.

“I’m gonna get you something to sleep in,” Ellie said, and stepped out.

Him and Mel stared at each other silently. Mel was nearly as tall as he was, and just as serious. He walked past her and into the living room.

Ellie dug impatiently in Mel’s bureau for something to give him. Mel put her hand on her shoulder.

“For fuck’s sake! You’ll scare the life outta me,” she said, picking out dark blue pants with tiny ship’s wheels on them and a clean white undershirt.

“I’m sorry,” she said. Ellie looked up her long, shapely legs and tugged on the hem of her shorts. It was hard to believe she hid such beauty in baggy dress pants every day.

“This is horrible, Melly. I can barely stand it,” she said, hugging the clothes to her chest. “Are the boys okay?”

“Tom’s hiding in his cave which is his MO, and Freddie’s sleeping the sleep of the just,” she said, helping Ellie to her feet. “They’ll be fine.”

“Alec’s a mess. It’s hard to look at.”

She hugged Ellie again. The scent of sorrow clung to her, and it made her frown. “Give him the clothes and come back up quick. He most probably needs time alone more than anything.”

“Right,” she said. “Would you like something from the kitchen when I come back up?”

Mel climbed into bed, giving Ellie an enticing view of her ass. “No. Just yourself.”

She found Hardy loosening his tie in the dark. She went to flick the lights on, then stopped.

“Here.” She threw the clothes on the bed beside him.

He shook his head and lay back.

“You’re not sleeping in those dirty street clothes in my house!” she said, surprising herself by nearly yelling. As hurt as he was, she refused for him to regress into where he had once been.

He raised an eyebrow, picked up the bundle and went into the bathroom, returning with his face washed and his street clothes folded in his arms.

“When does she get off?” she asked.

“Midnight, barring an emergency surgery.”

She looked at the digital clock by the television. “You should call her so she doesn’t worry.”

“Right,” he said.

“If she doesn’t believe you’re here with me, gimme the phone. I’ll set her straight,” Ellie said, trying to be funny.

“As if she’d be afraid I’m with another woman,” he said.

“Don’t be down on yourself, Hardy. Lots of women are into grouchy and thin,” she said, tugging on his beard.

“But I just want her.”

“Then ask her,” she said, referring to their previous, much happier conversation. “Talk it through. Anyway, I’m going upstairs. I’ve been up since quarter past six this morning with Freddie.”

She was climbing the stairs when he whispered loudly.

“Ellie?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you. For being kind.”

“Nonsense. And you better be here when we get up in the morning. I won’t have you slipping away without saying goodbye,” she said cheerfully. She winked at him.

He nodded and gave her a rusty smile. “Night.”

“Get some rest,” she said, and went upstairs.

Ellie took a quick shower. She refused to lay down with Mel with Alec’s tears still drying on her skin. She tried not to think, but more than anything, she wished she could scream. Why was it that their pain seemed so inescapable? It was a mystery to her.

She dried herself off and rubbed lotion into her skin pensively. Regardless of the fact it hurt, she was glad that he had trusted her enough to share something so sensitive. It was almost as if the universe had made things flush between them. Their lifelong friendship was sealed.

She stepped softly across the hall and into their bedroom. Mel was doing some reading. Although she loved technology, she refused to read books on her iPad. “Books are sensual things,” she said often. “I want to feel them, smell them, turn the pages as I experience the story. It’s all a part of the pleasure.” She was a delicious mix of salty and sweet that intensely attracted Ellie from the first moment Alec introduced them.

It had taken months to settle into the fact that the warmth she felt whenever she and Mel spoke was desire and not admiration, and even longer to admit it to anyone. Mel was openly gay, but so serious Ellie feared she would be horrified if she admitted her attraction, since she was her boss.

Instead, she had sought her with a tenacity that still made her blush.

She shrugged off the flowered robe and crawled under the covers. She didn’t bother Mel - she didn’t like to be interrupted from her reading unless it was an emergency, but Mel put the book on the bedside table and took her into her arms, kissing her hard enough to take her breath away.

“Oh my God,” Ellie said, pushing her away. Mel’s hands traveled down her body to her ass, cupping, then squeezing.

She moaned into her neck. “I want to be here,” she said, her long fingers going between her legs from the back and into her pussy. Despite her heavy heart, she coated Mel’s fingers with wetness. “Did you lock the door?”

“No.”

Mel rose and did then, then took off her clothes and threw them on the floor. Her small breasts bounced as she crawled between Ellie’s legs. Her nipples were already hard. The hair between her legs was deliciously dark against her pale, flat belly.

Ellie’s mouth watered. Even after two years, it wasn’t even close to getting old. She still felt the same almost dizzying excitement at the sight of Mel.

Mel yanked the sheet off her, wanting to bury her mouth between Ellie’s legs, but she pulled her up, wrapped her long legs around her waist and sucked her nipple, swirling her tongue on her tiny pink areola then biting it.

“Ellie…” Mel said softly, but her hungry mouth just moved up to her neck to suck on the firm flesh there. She pushed her on the mattress and spread her legs. There was red on her breasts from her eager sucking, and a red spot bloomed on her long neck.

Ellie bit her lip and looked at her, feeling her heartbeat increase. Although she had lost her virginity at the normal age and had sex the normal amount of times, nothing could top the exultant desire she felt when she looked at Mel. Just looking at her aroused her more intensely than full sex had ever done before she came along.

Perhaps it’s because she had always been bisexual, or maybe it was just Mel. She didn’t know. And she sure as fuck didn’t care.

Mel’s eyes settled between Ellie’s legs, where her hand moved, very slowly. Ellie’s soft belly jumped with the sensation. She sometimes liked to touch herself, warm herself with her own thoughts before they made love. Mel had learned to love it. It made her feel desired in a way no other woman had made her feel. If even the sight of her made Ellie long to touch herself, what did it say about her touch?

She wanted no one else.

Mel spread her legs further. Ellie licked her lips at the expanse of smooth thigh, and what lay between.

“Come here, honey,” Mel said softly, crooking her finger. “Taste me.”

Ellie lay on her stomach and rubbed her lips on her thighs. First one, then the other, and then between them until Mel’s wetness made her cheeks and chin slick. Her musk made Ellie groan, but she did not taste. She wanted to feel her for a bit - the silky wet hair and her hot flesh - so hot, and getting hotter.

Mel tried to rub her own clit, but Ellie bit her finger and moved it away.

“No. Mine.” she said, and spread her open. She was pink and wet. Her own lips tingled with blood to kiss, but she only slid her hand between her belly and bed and touched herself as she licked clean the wetness that that spread to Mel’s thighs.

“Unfair,” Mel said, looking at Ellie’s ass, which jiggled as she ground her hips against her hand.

“Very,” she said, and sat up. She hooked her leg around Mel’s and sat until their pussies touched. Ellie’s eyes rolled back.

Mel giggled. “Oh come on. You know that fake lesbian porn shit doesn’t actually feel good,” she said. “Don’t be a tease. Not tonight.” She caressed up Ellie’s thighs, and rubbed her belly. It was her favorite part of Ellie’s body - soft and silky and inviting. Ellie’s nipples hardened with the caresses. She gently tugged on one. Mel’s lips pursed to suck, but Ellie was between her legs.

“I like the way it feels anyway,” Ellie said, rubbing her own naked cuntlips over Mel’s. “You’re so wet.” Their lips actually made wet kissing sounds against each other. Ellie’s cheeks were flushed. She gave Mel a wicked grin. “Don’t you?”

She loved the silky roughness of Mel’s hair rubbing on her smoothness. She twisted her hips and one of Mel’s lips slid between her own. She moved back and forth slowly, rubbing her swollen clit against her.

Mel tightened underneath her. “Oh. This is new.” She put a guiding hand on Ellie’s hips and looked between her legs. Their shared arousal wet Ellie nearly to her belly button. “Shit.” She longed to lick.

“Uhuh,” Ellie said, moving her hips in quick little moves over her. She felt the pinpoint heat of Mel’s clit on her flesh and moaned. She rode her slowly, just enjoying the wetness and the movement, and pinched Mel’s nipple between her fingers as she squeezed her breast. She was so firm - she had never and would never have children, would never nurse. She had been self-conscious about her own fuller, softer breasts until the day Mel had touched her. A suck, a squeeze, and a groan later and she never doubted her appreciation.

The flush rose on Mel’s cheeks as well. “Honey, I want you,” she said, but she didn’t stop her gyrations.

Ellie moved to get something from the bedside table drawer. It was a bullet vibe. She lifted herself off Mel and pressed it into herself. She was so wet her pussy swallowed it easily.

Mel smiled. “That’s good for you, but what about me?”

“Hush,” Ellie said, and turned it on. She gasped, then settled back between Mel’s legs. Mel rubbed on Ellie’s swollen clit with the pad of her thumb as she moved over her. “Do you feel it?” Ellie said, throwing her head back.

“No not really.”

Ellie pulled on the little cord that connected it to the remote.

“Wait-” Mel rose to her elbows, her brow furrowed. “There. I feel it now.”

Ellie began to move her hips in slow circles over her. “Good.”

Mel exhaled forcefully. She grabbed Ellie and ground her hips into her. Her thigh and belly muscles tensed with the effort.

“Is it pointless now?” Ellie said, caressing down Mel’s belly. It was slick with sweat. Mel rubbed herself against Ellie’s vibrating flesh. Her toes curled and she whimpered.“You’re a sucker for a vibrator.” She pressed her pussy hard against Mel’s. Soon, she mewled softly and twitched with orgasm, but she didn’t fall back to the pillows.

She pushed Ellie to the bed and wrestled her way between her legs.

“I’m gonna lick you clean then make you wet again,” she said, pulling the vibrator from inside her and sliding her tongue in its place.

Ellie was greenapple tart and Mel’s fingers bruised Ellie’s thighs in her eagerness but Ellie loved it, she loved the touch of pain with the pleasure because it felt more real. Her wet pussy slid so easily against Mel’s chin, and her tongue finally flicked over her clit but she didn’t lick, she sucked until it felt like Ellie’s swollen flesh could fill her mouth.

Ellie curled into herself and panted. Mel could taste she was close, that sudden burst of sharp sweetness, but she flipped her on her stomach and bit the firm flesh of her ass, then raised it. She shoved her arm under her hip and slid three fingers inside her, curling them to catch her g-spot with every thrust.

Ellie bit her lip to quiet her moaning, but Mel pumped harder, biting the tender flesh right below her hairline at the nape of her neck. She bucked her hips over her Ellie’s ass so her fingers went in as deep as possible. Ellie tightened around her in warning and Mel increased her rhythm. She wanted Ellie to wet the sheets. Although it was just her fingers wrapped in her heat she felt it everywhere - her nipples her mouth her belly her pussy - and she found herself suddenly close to coming again. She groaned in her neck.

“Go ahead,” Ellie panted.

Mel ground the palm of her hand on Ellie’s clit as she fingered her, deeply, knowingly, until she trembled underneath her. “You first.” She licked the shell of her ear and moaned.

“Bloody hell,” Ellie said under her breath, and squirted copiously around Mel’s fingers, squeezing around them so tight it she could no longer move them. She mewled into the bed as Mel rubbed every last spasm from her, then turned on her back. Mel lay beside her and plucked her orgasm hard nipples, then licked. Her areola tightened again on her tongue.

“Oh no. If you keep going I won’t be able to keep quiet. You’ll have to wait until the kids are out.”

“You know, we fuck more during the day then at night. I’m running out of excuses to pop out randomly during the day at work.”

“You’re the boss, you can do what you like. And until you, I didn’t know I was a screamer,” Ellie said, pulling on Mel’s short thick hair. “I don’t want to traumatize the kiddies. They’ve gone through enough,” she said, becoming suddenly serious.

Mel stopped teasing and took Ellie in her arms. “It’s not about us, is it?” she said.

Ellie kissed the tip of her nose and shook her head. “Never. They love you. Some things are just difficult to forget, especially when people refuse to let you.” She spoke of the sometimes still suspicious town folk. But she refused to leave Broadchurch. She had grown up there, found love there, and she wanted to die there after growing old and wrinkly with Melly.

“I want to help you. I will. Every day, just a little.” Mel kissed Ellie’s still sweaty temple. Their shared scent ensconced them, and they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Haryd turned yet again on the uncomfortable sofa bed.

He couldn’t sleep. How could he? He looked at his wrist watch. It was after midnight. She was most probably driving home right then, expecting to find him in his usual place in front of the window, reading.

After the last 24 hours they had shared, she wasn’t going to take him being gone well.

Sweat made his scalp itch. Ellie’s house had the smells of all love-filled houses with children - cooking, clean sheets, and flesh-warm stickiness of spilled juice on baby flesh.

First a plant, then maybe a dog. If I can keep both healthy and alive for a while, then maybe I can try for something bigger.

She wanted the same thing Mel and Ellie had - not just a flat, but a home. What he and Tess had tried, and failed at so spectacularly.

He looked up at the stains on the plaster ceiling.

[gif by tennydr10confidential.tumblr.com]

He dreaded the time when he would have to tell her that Tess had talked him into a vasectomy over a decade ago, but now, along with his own reservations of starting another family in his 40′s, it was not the biggest of his worries.

Could she handle it? Be a mother, when she never had one of her own?

His unconscious mind boiled and hissed underneath his thoughts. He loved her, but the woman he fell in love with was a careful construct - a front for who she really was.

He felt horrific for thinking it, but it was true. She was not just a victim of a sudden and vicious crime. She was trapped in her horror of a life for years and years, since she was young. And although she had escaped, her mind could still be in the same place. It was the difference between a tornado and a category 5 hurricane.

Rain began to plink against the parlor window. He rose quietly and walked out the back door, sitting down at the same chair he had mourned in before. He lifted his face, letting the fat drops hurt his cheeks and shoulders. Hot tears leaked out of his closed eyes, making the cold rain warm.

His phone buzzed insistently on the sofa bed, twice, then quieted.

#The Sea Inside #BROADchurch #Alec Hardy #David Tennant #fan fiction #Ellie Miller #MillerxHardy brOTP feels #The Sea Inside - Act Four Part 2 #Gay!Ellie #Ellie x Melly #Gay!Miller #Hurt/Comfort

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