Crashing Waves

38

"Of course! You can go and tell Alec about it." I nodded, smiling slightly. As we walked back to her car, I got out my phone. "Aren't you going to call him?" Ellie asked, and I looked down at my phone once more.

"I think I want to tell him in person." I nodded, smiling as we jumped in and began our drive back.

The majority of the car ride was silent, Ellie even had the radio off. The silence was almost deafening, not helping my loose grip on whether this was reality or all a dream. Never had I heard a case like this before, to dismiss the jury... after all the bad luck I had experienced, Broadchurch was turning this all around. Alec, was turning this all around.

"Jesus." As we drove through town, we could see the view of the house that caught fire, which, along with Alec's, had been completely demolished. "He wasn't kidding when he said there was nothing left." I looked to Ellie and nodded, unable to say anything. The last of my mums photos, the last of my belongings that hadn't been tainted by my father or Alan... they were in that house.

"Can we go and have a look?" I asked her, Ellie taking the next right to head up there.

"If you're sure." I nodded, my hands balling up in between my thighs. I wasn't sure how I was going to react when I saw it, the house that I had come to call home. "Do you want me to come with you?" Ellie asked as she pulled up, yanking up her handbrake.

"No, I'm ok. Go and see Tom and Fred, I suspect the chief will be able to handle the small cases for the evening anyway. I'll see you tomorrow." I said, hopping out after saying goodbye. Taking a deep breath, I walked up to the road where it had been cordoned off, faint smoke plumes still rising from the wreckage.

"Alice." Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder, making my almost jump out of my skin.

"Jesus, Alec." I said, looking from him to the wreckage. "It's gone..." his hand left my shoulder as he stepped forward, picking up a small piece of the house before chucking it further inward.

"Why are you not in court?" He asked, his eyes not leaving the pile of rubble.

"It's over." I said, seeing him immediately turn around to see if I was lying. "It's finally over, Alec." My side began to burn as it all became too much, my emotions flooding over me. Collapsing to my knees I saw him run to my side and pull me in as tears fell down my face and onto his jacket. "He's finally gone." I kept shaking my head, still refusing it to be real.

Alec pulled me away from his arms, his hands bracing my shoulders. He looked right into my eyes, the corner of his mouth cracking a very small smile. "I'm glad." I wiped my eyes and returned the smile, knowing that even though from most men that doesn't mean much, from Alec that meant the world.

After I had composed myself, I found us looking at the rubble of the house as if it were a last goodbye.
"You had the last of your mother's affects in there." Alec said, looking genuinely sorry that this happened.
"They don't matter. It was only photos." I said, "I'm just glad it wasn't you..." My lips pressed together at the realisation at what I had said, after what had happened this morning I knew that we weren't on the best of terms.

"As am I." He replied, turning to me before pointing out towards the cliffs. "I was in the process of moving, and was going to surprise you. I got the keys today, but I suspect I'll have to put it back on the market." He said, seeming sad.
"I can help." I blurted out. "I mean, if you want to, but we were practically living together anyway..." I wasn't rich, but since living here I hadn't had any outgoings. It was the least I could do for the man that had let me stay with him in a time of need.
"You, you don't need to." Alec said, going all awkward.
"You weren't going to try and afford it yourself, were you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Alec, I can help."