water surrounded him; silent, gelid, heavy.

alec struggled against the turbulent current, the winter river holding him captive. rain pelted relentlessly from far, far above, blurring his vision. with sickening clarity, he realised: he was not going to make it out of here. the most he could do was to try and bring himself nearer to shore, which had already proven itself a herculean task for the time being.

he was drowning, and there was no stalling it.

***

the mud trace rapidly disappeared as ellie led their team down the narrow, grassy path. she wanted to curse whoever found out the culprit's lair (alec), managed to convince her that he could capture the man on his own (alec), and ordered her to stay at cid and wait (him, of course). she'd admit she wanted, no, desired to beat his scrawny arse to a bloody pulp. but she wasn't wrong; if he had listened to her, then maybe they wouldn't have to be out here looking for him in this terrible downpour. the knowledge that the path they were on reached out to the largest river in town didn't make her feel better. if anything, it cast boulders in her guts, numbing her with fear and worry.

the trace was no more.

"katie," she called, and the detective constable  hopped over to her, thin shoulders sagged. she looked just as stressed as ellie herself. "we split here. i'm going straight to the riverbank, you take them up that track. call me right away if you catch sight of hardy. go, lass."

katie scurried away hastily. ellie watched her keenly as she relayed the makeshift plan to the other officer, and then they were gone. alone, ellie leapt down the path, running faster than she had ever been in her whole life. the river was an enemy to alec, and now to her. she raced against rain, her thoughts a jumbled please be safe hardy please be safe.

abruptly, she felt her heart stopped.

because here she was, on the miry shore, and on the water floated a body-

hardy.

"hardy!" she heard herself screamed. "somebody help!"

holding her breath, ellie dove into the current. adrenaline washed over her in thick, suffocating waves as she swam to him, her body desperately fighting against the biting frigidness of december waters; waters that drowned alec and threatened to pull her along. waters that filled her mouth and nose, washed her eyes blind and paralysed her from the neck down. waters that-

her stiff fingers found his coat. now she was a gladiator inside colosseum, a soldier defending her motherland: she was at war, a war she couldn't afford to lose. the wintry river raged its unyielding ire around them, violent pushes and shoves, but her grip was firm where it encircled his limp wrist and her eyes pools of ember. she wouldn't go down. not when she had a boss, a partner, and perhaps a friend to save tonight.

the riverbank greeted her the way an oasis would a desert traveller, and with all her might, she tumbled into it, hauling alec along. the man did not stir, nor did he give any indication he was even alive. panic settled in her stomach, nauseating and cruel; she crawled to him like a toddler, wobbling on exhausted limbs. no. no. god, no, not him, don't take him.

please don't take him.

gentle hands caught her shoulders, her arms, her face; in the haze of her unceasing turmoil, she could only make out katie's hesitant but warm eyes, and the way her junior latched onto both of them. she was scared, ellie thought. and she was saying something - what was it?

"ellie, el, breathe!"

she choked on fresh air, still blindly grabbing at alec. her throat scratched painfully as she croaked out his name. katie was holding her back; she could feel her body pressed close behind, a furnace scorching skin, burning yet benign. she needed alec, though. she had to see him, had to make sure he was alive, had to-

the cough was meek, but it was all they asked for.

ellie slumped against katie, who wrapped her tight in a much-needed embrace. now that she had somewhat regained her composure, ellie noticed the paramedics swarming around, and alec lying flat on the damp grass amidst them. he was breathing harshly, ashen and rattled, but she was relieved nonetheless. he'd survived. well, they were both survivors, weren't they?

***

he didn't have to open his eyes to know there was a bag of grapes, always green, always seedless, flung carelessly somewhere near his side. he reached for it, feeling the flimsy plastic crinkled beneath his fingers. oh, miller. the thought of her - more precisely, her wrath at his recklessness - made him want to lie still and never wake up again. and daisy, his dear lass, would definitely give him the earful of his life.

alec hardy was absolutely petrified.

but it was inevitable, inescapable, the eventual face-off. so alec cracked his eyes open, slowly, a hundredth of a millimetre at once, until they were blinking dull amber at the world again. and again. ellie miller was right before him, her curly hair wild and her mouth a mawkish frown. she looked like she hadn't slept a wink, which probably was the truth. she was a pitiful heap of creased shirt and mud-stained orange windbreaker, on the verge of tears but also so furious. alec felt like he should grow a pair of pristine wings and fly away right that instance, because she'd noticed his awakening and now she appeared downright murderous.

he waved at her innocently, and the camel's brittle back snapped under that one last straw.

"alec bloody hardy, how dare you!" she hollered. "how many times have i - have we - told you to stop being foolhardy, you knob! you almost died on me, you pathetic excuse of an arsehole, you weren't moving or breathing or-"

she sniffled. alec stiffened, his breath bated. her sobs burst out so forcefully they racked her whole body, as she gritted out in pure anguish, "you promised me you would never put your life in the way of harm again, hardy. you said you'd never leave." she wiped at her bloodshot eyes angrily before continuing, this time much softer. "you're such a liar, hardy."

they remained silent for a few stagnant moments, until she sighed. he watched, hawk-eyed, as she pulled her chair closer to his bed. their hands brushed against each other, the slightest of physical contact, but it was enough to send them reeling.

"i'm sorry," he breathed, apology spilt easier than ever before. "i was wrong, miller. i thought th' perp an easy catch, and i was so wrong. i should ha' called fer backup. i should ha' called ye when things started to go awry. i should-"

his eyes misted over with unshed tears. he was scared witless, too, when he stepped into that irate water and felt it dragged him away from shore. he was horrified to think that he wouldn't ever see daisy or ellie or wee fred again. he knew all too well what his death would cause his beloved people, and just knowing sparked pain anew in his chest.

"hush, now," ellie cooed softly by his ear, the same as she would fred. "it's over, and you're okay. i can't say i'm not sad or angry at you and your unbearable martyrdom, but i know you just want the best for all of us. sometimes you take it too far, and you need us, need our help. like last night, and every time before that. we would never resent you for being you, hardy."

she wrapped herself around his middle, and he burrowed into the crook of her neck. "promise me and daisy you won't risk your own life next time, hardy," she whispered. "i know you'll probably break it, but promise us."

nodding slowly, he threaded his fingers into her hair. "i promise, miller. won't try to die on ye again."

they lied together for a long while, until her arms were cramping painfully and he became fully aware of his battered body's protest. they untangled then, however reluctantly, hands clasping securely with each other.

quite untimely, alec coughed.

"right, hardy, you're staying for the next two days," ellie declared. he glowered at her, though there wasn't any real heat. "you inhaled an ungodly amount of polluted water there and had your heart stopped once, so the docs want to keep you for further observation. no comment?"

"nah a' one," he sighed, grouchy but fond.

their children chose this moment to barge in. alec let himself be devoured by daisy's incessant pampering and worried chiding, wee fred's cheery babbles, and tom's firm but understanding gaze from across the room. they all sat with him until visitor time was over, and even then, ellie's hand never left his.

well, if this was what true family feel like, he might as well get used to it.