A Difficult Explanation (Broadchurch+Torchwood)

Chapter 2-Bloody Hell

Alec felt the fingers squeeze his ankle. He jumped, immediately turning on his heels, causing the mans hand to let go. He looked directly down at the sheet that was now in a sitting position. His mouth was slightly open as his heart raced. He drew in an uneven breath as Ellie ran over to him. "Sir! We-" She cut herself off when she saw the moving body. "What the hell." She said as the man took the blanket off of his face.

Jack turned his head and caught the glances of the people standing over him. One was a female, covering her mouth with her hand. The other, male, had shaggy brown hair and bangs that covered his eyes. The Captain slowly got to his feet, taking in the peoples shocked expressions. He rubbed the back of his neck, surprised they wouldn't shoot him.

"How...are...you alive!" Ellie chocked out, uncovering her mouth. Before Jack could respond, Alec grabbed his collar and looked him straight in the eye. "What the hell are you." He growled.

Ellie pushed Alec off of Jack. "Sir! He's obviously in shock."

Alec looked at Jack who looked pale. He let go of the man who stumbled to regain footing on the sand. He fell down to his knees and coughed up some water. He felt Ellie rub his back, but Jack turned her away. He then slowly stood up and stared at Alec, knowing who this man was. He was just wearing a scratchy beard as a mask, trying to hide away from the world. Especially after Rose.

What shocked Jack the most, was how the man had never acknowledged him, or even said that he knew him. "Captain Jack Harkness." He said to Ellie, shaking her hand. "D.S. Ellie Miller, and he's D.I. Alec Hardy." She offered a small smile, knowing that this man had just been through a lot.

Jack nodded softly. Ellie looked at him with concern, "Here, we have to get you to a hospital. They said you were dead for drowning, for over thirty minutes." Jack just shrugged and allowed himself to be taken to the hospital.

AFTER THE HOSPITAL

Jack sat in the back of the car that Alec was driving, since Ellie had been sent off to go tell the family about Danny's murder. He twiddled his thumbs, trying to ignore the awkward silence that had floated through the stuffy car. He knew that it was obviously weird that he had come back to life, especially after being declared dead by a professional.

Jack snapped out of his thoughts when the vehicle came to a halt. He looked out the window and realized they were at the police station. "Come on!" Alec hissed. Jack looked in the D.I.'s direction to notice that he was already out of the car.

Alec led Jack into the station and quickly brought him into one of the questioning rooms. "Sit." He growled, Scottish accent filled with irritation and still a small amount of surprise. Once Jack sat down, Alec sat across from him. "How the bloody hell did you survive." He said this with less hostility and more shocked. The detective laced his fingers together and laid his hands on the table.

Jack shrugged softly and tried to make eye contact, yet he noticed Alec avoiding locking eyes. "I know who murdered the boy." He muttered, as if he didn't even want the detective to hear.

Alec stared at him, forcing himself to make eye contact. He searched within the mans eyes to find any doubt, fear, depression, or succession. When all he found was a relaxed man, he sighed. "Tell me everything you saw."

As Jack recalled the scene of the night before, Ellie had joined in on the questioning. She now sat next to Hardy, both intently listening. Once he finished Alec was the first to speak. "So you're saying, he also strangled you and through your dead body in the ocean." Jack nodded. "Oh for God's sake! Come up with a believable story the next time, Jack!" With that, Hardy was up and out.

Alec walked through the building at a high speed. He paused slightly and felt the dizziness slowly begin to cloud his head. 'Shit' He thought and started for the bathroom as the edges of his vision began to blur. He made it to the bathroom, thankful no one was in there. He quickly took the two, white pills, swallowing them with the water that was cupped within his hands.

Jack gazed at Ellie, who looked at him intently. "How...How did you survive?" He looked at her, eyes flashing of secrecy and determination. He leaned forward and placed his elbows on the cold, metal table. "Are you implying that my story was true?" Ellie scoffed, "Of course not, I meant the drowning. You were dead for over thirty minutes."

"Guess not." Jack responded and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.

Ellie rolled her eyes, "You're just as difficult as my boss."

Jack smirked softly, glad to be getting on someone's nerves. If they weren't planning on listening to him then what was the point of remaining in Broadchurch if he could just go back to the hub? He stared at Ellie, wanting to be let off the hook without having to explain anything about his whole life.