Normally you weren't much of a churchgoer, but today was a special occasion. Paul Coates' last sermon. And after the past few weeks of stress and worry over the predator in your community... you could do with a little bit of the peace that church was meant to bring.

As you stepped out into the sun after the sermon, you took a deep breath, taking in the fresh air. It had rained in the night, leaving the scent of petrichor drifting in the air like the promise of a fresh start. Everything was going to be okay.

As you breathed in the new day, you caught sight of Detective Inspector Alec Hardy out of the corner of your eye, right next to a blonde girl who you assumed was his daughter. He was a bit too gruff and blunt to be very popular with any other adolescent.

As you took in the sight of the... er... happy was too strong of a word. Contented, perhaps? Eh, close enough. As you took in the sight of the contented pair, Alec's eyes slid over to you, meeting yours and causing you to turn away with a soft gasp.

You were adorable. It was a strange thought for Alec. It wasn't really something he'd thought about another person, romantically, at least, since Tess. Since the early days of being Tess, before 'cute' had turned to 'pretty' and then to 'beautiful'. But no, no, not Tess. Not now. Daisy wanted him to get back into the dating game? Maybe this would be a good place to restart. Again. Since that last first date had been a bit of a flop. All he had to do was go up to you and say—

"Ah, hi. I'm uh, Alec Hardy. DI Hardy. Broadchurch Police. And you're...?"