concordia

twenty eight

word count: 1k

date written: 11.11.19

verse: canon divergence; 'claire' canon

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she didn't want to stay here. not because she didn't like elle, or her house, or her comfy sofa and warm hugs. no. she didn't want to stay because she missed her mum, and the thought of her laying alone in a stiff bed on a bland ward, seriously ill, made it impossible for claire to get any sleep. she'd tried her best after elle had tucked her in hours ago, but no amount of counting sheep or reciting medical facts in her head had been enough to make her drift off. 

in the end, she'd crept out of bed, tiptoed downstairs, and made herself comfortable on the corner of the sofa. the only light she had was the glow of the tv, turned up just loud enough for her to hear without drawing attention. there was a quiz show playing, which was serving as a good distraction, and she was somewhat comforted by the sound of other people talking even if they were only on a screen. it was better than laying in silence on her own upstairs, listening to the wind as it howled ominously outside her window. 

she wasn't sure how long she was down there for, too busy answering questions correctly and zoning out slightly when the adverts interrupted her. she almost forgot she was in someone else's house entirely until she heard a creak on the stairs that made her jump and forget all about trying to figure out three fifths of forty. 

claire held her breath, peering warily over the back of the sofa as she curled her legs against her chest. when a shadow moved in the hallway, she immediately disappeared beneath the blanket she'd been using to keep her feet warm. 

had she chosen not to hide, however, she would've seen elle enter the room just moments later, frowning at the sight of the tv on. she crossed the room with a yawn to turn it off, but a quivering lump on the sofa distracted her before she could. with only one person in the house around the same size as it, she didn't need to be a neurosurgeon to know who was under the blanket. "claire?" she called quietly, blindly reaching out to turn on the nearby lamp. at the sound of elle's voice, claire reluctantly peeked out from beneath the blanket. 

"elle..." she breathed in relief, letting it fall away from her face. "you scared me." elle grimaced slightly, brushing her loose curls out of her face as she joined claire on the sofa.

"sorry," she mumbled, stifling another yawn as claire shuffled closer to her. "i didn't realize you were down here. did you have a bad dream or something?" claire shook her head, pulling her blanket tighter around her shoulders. 

"i wasn't asleep to have a bad dream," she admitted, staring at the floor. the risk of having one had just been yet another thing that had prevented her from falling asleep. "i wish mum was here..." 

elle sighed, shoulders falling sadly as she reached out to wrap an arm around claire and close the gap between them. "i know," she said, smiling slightly when claire cuddled into her side a moment later. "i do too." she likely should have kept that part to herself but, exhausted and worried after several restless hours of her own, she didn't think to be careful with her words. since connie had been all but entirely removed from her life, very little felt right anymore. 

"i don't want her to die," claire whispered, staring blankly at the tv as the quiz show she'd been watching returned from an ad break. she'd done more than enough research since connie's diagnosis, obsessing over cancer treatments and survival rates. it was doing her head no favors, gradually siphoning away the little hope she had, and she hugged elle's waist tighter. "she can't..."

elle swallowed thickly, taking a deep breath. "and she won't," she said firmly, trying to keep her voice steady. claire squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face in the fabric of elle's dressing gown. 

"but-"

"hey, don't forget how strong your mum is," elle reminded, shifting in her seat so she could pull claire onto her lap. "she isn't going anywhere." she couldn't know that for certain but she was trying to convince herself just as much as she was claire at this point. "she'll get better just like she always does and we'll be there to help her, alright?" claire nodded, rubbing her wet eyes with the back of her hand. 

"mum's superwoman," she said quietly, thinking back to all the other times connie had fought to get better, no matter how long or hard doing so had been. nothing had managed to keep her down yet, and this wouldn't either if they had anything to do with it.

"she really is," elle agreed, absently stroking claire's hair. she cared for them both more than claire likely realized, unaware of how her relationship with connie had evolved during the last several months, and she planned to do all that she could to make sure everything turned out alright for them in the end. elle sighed, glancing at the clock, just able to read it from across the room. 2am. "come on, it's late. you need to get some sleep." 

claire immediately tensed at the mention of going back to bed and quickly shook her head. "i'm not tired," she lied, sitting up straight in elle's arms. she hated it up there. the silence only made her miss connie more. "can't i just stay here?" 

"why don't you come and sleep with me instead?" elle suggested, deciding to see if being with someone else might make it easier for claire to fall asleep. claire faltered slightly, eyes widening in surprise. 

"are you sure?" she asked uncertainly. she didn't want to get in the way any more than she thought she already was by staying in the house to begin with.

"of course," elle said, offering her a reassuring smile. "so long as you don't snore." 

claire scowled, sliding off of elle's lap. "i don't snore," she insisted, watching as elle got up to finally turn off the tv.

"well we'll see, won't we?" elle teased, trying not to trip over the end of claire's blanket as she ushered her towards the door. if luck would have it, maybe claire's company would help her fall asleep at last as well.