concordia

twenty nine

word count: 1.3k

date written: 27.11.19

verse: canon divergence

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she generally didn't care what other people thought of her, but that didn't stop connie from sparing a cursory look at herself in the mirror as she returned to the table with a steaming mug of coffee in each hand -- one black and one full of sugar. she passed the latter to elle, who gingerly took it with a smile of thanks. 

"so, you know when you're coming back yet?" she asked, taking a tentative sip of her drink as connie sat down opposite her. she recoiled slightly at the temperature, wrinkling her nose, and set the mug down on the table. connie nodded absently. 

"january 4th," she said quietly, cradling her own mug. although the ceramic burned her palms slightly, leaving them red and irritated, she hardly noticed. nerves were rarely an issue for connie but, deep down, she was privately dreading her return to the department. 

"not for a little while then," elle remarked, tapping her fingers against the rim of her mug. connie finally lifted her own drink to avoid answering, somewhat soothed by the soupçon of pain as it burned the back of her throat. elle lowered her hand, leaning back in her chair. "lucky you, getting to miss all the christmas chaos." connie smiled slightly, gaze flickering over to elle as she lowered her mug. "running the place singlehandedly last year was bad enough without having hanssen on my ass 24/7. i can't imagine this year will be any better." 

"just don't torpedo my department, gardner," connie warned, biting the inside of her cheek to curb her amusement when elle scowled at her in light annoyance. they both knew she was all but perfect for the job, and if connie didn't know that elle wasn't interested in the position long-term, she would've felt threatened. 

"haha, very funny," elle said dryly, leaning forward to rest her arms against the edge of the table. "but i'm clinical lead, remember? not ethan." she grinned in triumph when connie's smirk fell at the reminder of the time she'd foolishly left him in charge. 

"do you have to keep bringing that up?" she muttered, glowering slightly from over her coffee. elle simply laughed, loud and bright as ever, and connie was sure her heart skipped a beat. 

"until the day i die," elle said, mischief twinkling in her eyes as she briefly disappeared behind her own mug again. "seriously, connie, i was right there." 

connie sighed, slumping back slightly in her chair, a touch embarrassed. elle would've been the right consultant to choose but she'd had still been nursing a bit of a vendetta against her at the time. elle chuckled slightly, knowing what she was thinking. 

"well you're in charge now, aren't you?" connie grumbled, noiselessly scratching the handle of her mug. elle shook her head slightly in amusement before downing the remainder of her coffee, leaving a sugary taste on her tongue as she got to her feet. without a word, she crossed the room to deposit her mug in the empty sink and stopped directly behind connie's chair when she came back. 

"you sound jealous, mrs. beauchamp," elle said, leaning down slightly as she gripped the back of the chair. connie couldn't help going tense, gripping her mug tightly as she tried to ignore the sensation of elle's curls tickling her neck. 

"of what?" she scoffed, staring intently at the bookshelf in the corner of the room. "someone who has all the grace of a baby giraffe?" elle laughed, right in connie's ear, making her inhale sharply, before releasing the chair and stepping away.

"touché," she said, returning to her own seat. "but at least i can reach the top shelf." connie immediately made a noise of indignation, shooting her a look of disbelief as she floundered for a retort. light footsteps on the stairs distracted them both before she could think of one, and they turned to face the door at the same time just as claire shuffled into the room.

"mummy, i'm dying," she said blankly, wandering over to rest her arms on the table. connie almost choked on her coffee, caught off-guard by claire's casual tone, and just managed to stifle a slight coughing fit as she set her mug down. she rubbed her chest, clearing her throat, and deliberately ignored elle as she laughed under her breath.

"what makes you say that, darling?" connie asked before taking a deep breath and resting her hands against the table. claire shrugged slightly, hooking her foot around the leg of the nearest chair and dragging it across the floor so she could sit down. 

"i'm bored," she explained lamely, resting her head in the crook of her arm. "there's nothing to do." despite the plethora of books, toys and games at her disposal, she'd spent the last twenty minutes flat out on her bed, staring at the ceiling. connie sighed, settling her with a firm look. 

"since when do you get bored, hm?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow. she'd seen claire keep herself entertained with nothing more than a blade of grass before now. for her to be bored, there had to be more to it. 

"since elle ditched me for you," claire huffed, pouting slightly as she regarded them with a frown that made her look adorable more than anything, even in spite of her clear displeasure. "you friend stealer." elle finally lost her composure at that and ducked her head as she tried to muffle her laughter behind her hand. opposite her, connie's lips twitched slightly as she contained her own amusement. to say claire had become fond of elle recently would be an understatement, and she watched elle expectantly when she resurfaced a moment later.

"alright, i get the hint," she sighed, brushing her curls over her head and out of her face. "you can cut the dramatics now." connie frowned slightly, glancing between them, but realization quickly dawned on her when claire brightened at elle's response. ah. she'd just been trying to get her own way. 

"so you'll play just dance with me?" claire asked excitedly, any trace of anger or annoyance she might have had already long gone. connie rolled her eyes fondly, lifting her mug to finish what remained of her coffee before it went completely cold. it should have been obvious from the start that claire was only manipulating them -- like mother, like daughter, although connie didn't plan on letting her grow to use the skill as unconscionably as she always had. 

elle briefly pretended to consider her answer, as though she could ever say no, before nodding. claire's face instantly lit up. "finally!" she squealed, bouncing slightly in her seat. evidently pleased with the outcome, she glanced over at connie for a reaction but was instead suddenly distracted by something else altogether. "oh, i almost forgot! do you like mum's new hair, elle?" 

"claire!" connie hissed, mortified by the question. every inch of her had gone rigid in an instant, and she shot claire a reproving look when she turned to face her. 

"what?" she frowned slightly, confused by connie's averse reaction. "it's pretty! right, elle?" connie gritted her teeth, chest tightening uncomfortably when she locked eyes with elle while waiting for her answer. there was a beat of silence and then- 

"she's gorgeous." 

claire grinned triumphantly at connie. "seeeeeee!" she said, pleased as ever about being right. but while she had missed elle's change in pronouns, connie hadn't and was unsurprisingly flustered. "i told you she'd like it!" 

connie pressed her lips together, still trying to regain her composure. "don't gloat, darling," she chastised gently, offering claire a strained smile when she stuck her tongue out in playful defiance. 

"come on, claire," elle said, ending the awkward tension before it could fester, and connie's gaze automatically flickered back to her at the sound of her voice. "why don't we go and set the game up, yeah?" claire nodded excitedly, immediately sliding off of her chair and making a beeline for the other room. elle stood up to go after her but paused in the doorway before leaving to glance back at connie and leave her with a mischievous wink when their eyes met.