concordia

two

word count: 1.5k

date written: 19.9.18

verse: canon

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considering that she was only throwing a stick, elle was putting an inordinate amount of effort into her current task. but she had a good reason for it.

"i don't know what jacob's doing right now and i don't care," she said, closing one eye as she adjusted the position of her arm, "but he's going to feel this throw in his fucking soul." after he'd mocked her aim the previous day, she'd been determined to improve it, and a game of fetch was the perfect opportunity to do so. never again would an object thrown in jacob's direction miss its target after today. 

elle glanced over at heidi, crouched down in the grass a few feet away, her attention focused on the stick in elle's hand. "you ready for this?" she barked excitedly and, taking that as a yes, elle threw the stick down the field. heidi immediately tore after it and, compared to how long it had taken elle to even throw the thing, came running back with it in just a few seconds.

"last time, okay?" elle said, bending down to retrieve the stick when heidi dropped it at her feet. "then you can carry this home and add it to that ridiculous collection you've got in the garden." heidi barked several times in response, tail wagging madly, and took off like a rocket when elle threw the stick for her once again. without all the effort that had been put into the previous throw, it didn't land quite as far as it had the last time and was perfectly visible in the short grass.

heidi, however, ran right past it, and elle didn't understand why until she spotted the figure in the distance beyond the stick. knowing that heidi wouldn't come back of her own volition now that she'd found someone to befriend, elle reluctantly hurried after her. unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse when she drew close enough to realize just who it was heidi was running towards.

"oh no," she said, immediately quickening her pace. even when she was dressed for a workout, and over thirty feet away, elle had no trouble recognizing connie beauchamp as the poor jogger that heidi was making a beeline for. most people she ran up to didn't mind her excitable antics but connie? elle didn't think she was going to take well at all to being assaulted by a dog the same size as the average child.

"heidi!" she called, already knowing she was never going to catch up. not only had heidi gotten a headstart, she had twice as many legs as her and was therefore twice as fast. "heidi, please! Just run at literally anyone else!" unsurprisingly, elle's pleading fell upon deaf ears, and heidi bounded enthusiastically into connie's path not even a second later. it was sheer luck that connie didn't fall over her, barely managing to find her footing in time to avoid colliding with the concrete face first.

out of breath, and knowing that the damage was already done, elle slowed to a brisk walk as she approached them, wincing when heidi started barking loudly at connie's feet. horrified didn't even cover how she felt right then, and she almost came to a dead stop when connie, searching for heidi's owner, turned and caught sight of her. if ever there had been a time where elle gardner wished she could simply vanish into thin air, it was in that very moment.

"dr. gardner," connie said curtly once elle was within earshot, pausing the music that heidi's constant barking was drowning out and freeing her earphones. "i presume this dog belongs to you."

"yes," elle sighed, briefly crouching down to reattach heidi's leash. luckily, she chose then to stop barking, suddenly much more interested in looking expectantly between the two of them. "i'm really sorry about-" she gestured to the path they were standing on, at a loss for how to describe the collision. "-y'know, that. she normally runs alongside joggers, not into them."

"yes, well, if you'd kept her on a leash like you're supposed to, she wouldn't have been able to run into me," connie pointed out, casting heidi an unimpressed look. but, unlike most, heidi wasn't even remotely perturbed by connie's apparent disdain for her.

"oh, come on, it was just an accident -- she was excited! -- and you're not hurt." elle paused, looking connie up and down. "are you?" connie raised a cynical eyebrow, and elle rolled her eyes. "alright, sorry i asked."

connie sighed. "i'm fine. no thanks to you two, of course."

"yeah, yeah," elle said, waving a dismissive hand. "i'm chaotic and undisciplined and have been ever since you met me, i know." she grinned at the faint look of surprise on connie's face -- clearly she hadn't been expecting her to remember that comment, let alone ever quote it back to her. "but if you're sure you're okay then we'll let you get back to your jogging. come on, heidi."

she gave heidi's leash a light tug, expecting her to obediently follow her as she started to walk away. she barely made it two feet, however, before heidi's leash pulled taut and forced her to a standstill. she looked back with a frown, confused when she found heidi still sat at connie's feet, tail wagging happily back and forth as she looked up at her. "heidi?" elle tugged the leash a little harder, trying to get heidi to follow her and leave connie alone. "hey, let's go!"

she wasn't ready for heidi to pull sharply on the leash in retaliation, causing her to career forward without warning. unlike connie, elle wasn't quick enough to catch herself in time and, in an attempt to do so, tripped over her own feet instead. she expected to hit the pavement as a result, and it took her several seconds to register that connie had caught her before she could. 

elle looked up at her in surprise, and her face grew hotter when she realized just how close they suddenly were. it felt like an eternity had passed before she found the wherewithal to breathe, let alone move, and she quickly freed herself from connie's embrace with a nervous laugh.

"i guess we're both falling for each other today," she joked, trying not to wince at her choice of words and wondering if she'd ever said something so painfully embarrassing in her life. probably not. in search of a distraction, she looked to heidi, still sat dutifully at connie's feet. "i, uh, think she's taken a shine to you."

connie reluctantly looked away from her to study heidi instead. "hm, you're rather clever, aren't you?" she said, crouching down to thoughtfully pet heidi's head. elle wasn't sure she'd ever seen her tail wag faster than it did in that moment. "makes me wonder how someone like dr. gardner owns you."

"hey!" elle protested but her annoyance disappeared in a flash when connie glanced up at her with a smirk that almost seemed... playful? elle could feel her face starting to burn once again, and she averted her gaze by looking back at heidi. clever might have been one word to describe her but interfering was another. apparently she did pay attention whenever elle spoke about connie -- at least enough to somehow pick her out from halfway across the park and then pull a 101 dalmatians-esque maneuver on them.

"even so," connie said, getting back to her feet, "you should still keep her on a leash." although she wouldn't admit it, she didn't actually care whether or not heidi was on a leash -- she was only being so persistent because she knew it would wind elle up.

right on cue, elle rolled her eyes in annoyance. "seriously, this again?" connie crossed her arms, staring elle down with the same firm resolve that she always did and silently challenging her to object. elle sighed, knowing that arguing with her was pointless -- connie usually got what she wanted eventually, one way or another. besides, it wasn't as though she would know if elle didn't keep her word. "fine, i'll keep her on a leash when we're near the footpath. satisfied?"

"very," connie said as she replaced her earphones, unable to help sounding smug. "on another note, i hope to see you on time for your shift later."

"aw, you haven't even left yet and you already can't wait to see me again," elle said, eyes twinkling with amusement. connie glanced up from her phone to fix her with a steely look.

"don't push your luck," she warned as she turned her music back on, and she gave heidi's head a brief pat in farewell before she resumed her earlier jog. elle turned to watch her go, suddenly looking forward to work considerably more than she had been before, and when connie finally disappeared from view, she looked down at heidi.

"if i bring you here tomorrow, do you think you can do the same thing again?" she asked, grinning brightly when heidi immediately barked happily in response.