A/N: This is probably the least Die Hard-ish thing to ever be inspired by a scene from one of the movies. But I love that line of Samuel L. Jackson's character. And I think it's funny to put it in a rom-com-fluff setting.
Just a short one shot, mostly because I have a soft spot for night running, huskies, and pets named with atypical pet names.
He passed by her house every day. Or, more accurately, every night.
Usually the windows facing the street were already dark and the people they sheltered fast asleep by the time Killian passed them on his running route. There were always the occasional night owls up and about, and on Fridays and Saturdays he often had to dodge drunken college students as they stumbled home to their rentals. But for the most part Killian was left to his thoughts as he ran, and he liked it that way.
The first night Killian came across her he didn't actually see her. He was only half a mile from his house and the promise of a shower, but barking and low talking interrupted his planning. It was late, probably around 1am, and he was startled that there were any signs of life at all in the quiet suburban neighborhood he lived in, much less the sounds of someone playing with their dog.
"Jesús! C'mere, puppy!"
Killian slowed his pace and subtly loosened one of his earbuds to eavesdrop as a woman's pleasing voice rang out from an open screen door a couple houses down from his position.
"There you are…" He heard the screen door slam shut and he had to pull out both earbuds completely and pause his music to keep hearing the woman's low baby-talking. "Jesús-y! That's a good girl…so tiny and cute."
Happy barking followed her crooning and Killian could just imagine the dog getting a good belly rub. He briefly wondered about the name Jesús going with a female dog—hell, it was a weird name for a pet in the first place. But he was still cooling down from his run, and his brain was too exhausted to do more than contemplate the question for more than a few wheezing seconds.
Killian continued walking, reluctantly passing out of earshot of the house and its sounds of domestic bliss. He soon reached his little one and a half story bungalow and forgot all about Jesús and her affectionate owner.
The next night saw Killian back to his usual running route and this time when he neared that same house on his cool down walk, the moonlight illuminated the beautiful light gray coat of a Siberian husky laying in the yard. The dog could have been sunbathing if it wasn't the middle of the night. As he walked on the sidewalk next to the chain link fence, the husky perked up and trotted over to him, tongue lolling out of her mouth goofily. Killian bent down and reached a hand through a break in the fence to pet the fluffy dog.
"Hey there, girl." The dog's wet nose brushed against his wrist as he scratched behind her ears. If she'd been a cat, Killian was sure he would have heard loud purring by now.
"There's a good girl…" He reached his other hand through the fence to give the dog even more attention. His memories from the other night came floating back to him. Killian wasn't completely positive this was the same house, but how many nocturnal dogs on his running route could there be?
"Jesús, right?" The dog didn't react to the name, but Killian supposed that was to be expected coming from a stranger. Anyway, she eagerly accepted his affections so he figured he was doing something right.
"Well I gotta go, Jesús," Killian murmured as he reluctantly pulled his hands back. "But I'll see you later, lass."
She made a heart-wrenching whining sound when Killian stopped petting her but he just chuckled and patted her once more on the head. "Now, lass, what would your mother say about this unladylike behavior, hmm?"
He stood up and resumed his walk to his house. His new friend watched until he was out of sight, tail wagging happily the whole time.
It became an almost nightly occurrence to stop and pet the cheerful husky on the last leg of his route. Petting Jesús at the end of his run grew to be a small reward for Killian, a rare opportunity for friendly interaction.
A few weeks passed with no more sign of her owner, but Killian often had the strange sensation of being watched while he played with the dog each night. It should have come as no surprise therefore when she finally spoke to him one night.
"Why do you keep calling her Jesús? She look Puerto Rican to you?"
Killian jumped at the sudden voice—her voice—and dropped his hand from where it had been petting her dog's exposed belly. He slowly stood up as he took in the silhouette of the woman sitting in a plastic chair on the porch. Killian hadn't even noticed her sitting there when he'd walked up, eager as he was to see Jesús.
"I, uh, I heard you call her that..." he said sheepishly.
His eyes were still adjusting to the bright porch light behind her but he didn't need to see her face to know that she was staring at him like he was an idiot. His assumptions were proven correct when she said her next words almost painfully slowly and clearly. "I didn't say 'Jesús.' I said, 'Hey, Zeus!' Her name is Zeus."
"Zeus?"
"Yeah, Zeus! You know, Greek god and all that…" At his perplexed look she scoffed and crossed her arms. He still couldn't make out her face all that clearly, but he thought she raised an eyebrow as if daring him to trivialize her explanation. "Look, I let my nephew name her and apparently they had just finished a Greek gods unit in school, and it just kind of stuck."
He hummed in partial understanding and bowed his head as he rubbed the back of his neck absently. "Sorry, lass. Didn't mean to offend."
"Are you talking to her or me?" Killian looked up at her words and only then did he realize he'd been watching Zeus while he spoke.
He shrugged. "Both, I suppose."
She was silent for a long moment and Killian felt like he was somehow being judged.
"It's okay. Just call her Zeus from now on, she hates it when people get her name wrong."
A smile tugged at his lips when he realized that she was apparently giving him approval to interact with her dog in the future. He glanced down at Zeus to see her happily rolling around in the dirt. "I think it might be her owner that's more sensitive to it, the lass seems to be quite content."
"Whatever. She's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but she knows when she's being lied to." Again Killian sensed a silent message in between her words, but he decided not to press it.
"I'll keep it in mind. My name's Killian, by the way."
"Emma." He counted it as a small victory when she stepped down from the porch and he could clearly see her features. Her arms were still crossed but Killian thought that had more to do with the slight chill in the air rather than him making her uncomfortable in any way. Her golden blonde hair was plaited in a messy braid that hung over one shoulder and even in the dim light he found he was mesmerized by the beautiful shade of green of her eyes.
"I'd shake your hand, but I'm afraid mine are very sweaty and covered in your dog's fur now," Killian said holding up his hands, which looked more furry and gray now than flesh toned. She chuckled softly and reached down to stroke Zeus between the ears.
"Yeah, she's shedding now. My couch can also testify to that." She cocked her head to the side and seemed to consider him for a second before speaking again. "If you don't mind my asking, why do you go running in the middle of the night all the time?"
Killian grinned at her widely and wiggled his eyebrows. "Been spying on me, love?"
Emma crossed her arms again and gave him an amused look. "Well, I like to keep tabs on who's talking to my dog, and a random guy calling her Jesús at 1 in the morning is a little weird, you have to admit."
"Point taken." He nodded and began wiping his hand on his shorts in a futile attempt to rid them of dog fur. "I work somewhat unusual hours so this is actually just the beginning of my day. I'm an attending physician at the hospital so I wake up at midnight, go running, and get to work by 2. It's a little strange, but I've gotten used to it and now I rather like the quietness of the neighborhood as I run. What about you, love? I take it you also have an unusual sleep schedule if you and Zeus are up at this time every night?"
"Yeah, but opposite. This is the end of our day. I usually have the evening shift at the station so I work until about now." She shrugged before continuing in a slightly softer tone, "I know what you mean about the quiet. It's calming."
Killian smiled at her and she returned it. "You said 'the station,' you mean the police station?"
"Oh. Yeah, I'm a cop." Emma shrugged again but then looked him straight in the eye and he could tell that she was still daring him to say something to challenge her.
"I'm surprised we haven't met each other before, being in corresponding lines of work. But then again, our conflicting schedules have probably played a part in that." She smiled at him quietly, like she couldn't quite figure him out. Before she could respond, Killian crouched down so he was at eye-level with her pup who was sitting patiently at Emma's feet. "Well, lass, I am very glad that we were properly introduced, but now it is time for me to bid you and your lovely owner goodnight." Zeus cheerfully thumped her tail on the ground and Killian winked at her before rising to his feet.
"And good morning to you, Killian," Emma said with a playful glint to her smile. "See you tomorrow night."
"I'm looking forward to it." He began backing away from Emma and Zeus, and he prayed to whatever god was listening—Greek, Catholic, or otherwise—to not let him trip and look like a fool.
It became something of an agreement between the two of them (three, counting Zeus) that they would chat for while each night before she went to bed and he went to work. They talked about their jobs, their social lives (his was almost nonexistent and hers mostly centered around Zeus), and anything else. As the days turned into weeks, Killian found himself unintentionally shortening his run so that he would arrive at Emma's house that much sooner. He never said anything to Emma, but he was sure she noticed because she was always waiting for him in the chair on the porch, no matter the time.
Sometimes they spent almost an hour talking in her yard. And after the fifth time he was almost late for work because of this he decided it was time to address the issue.
"I like you," he blurted out without warning as he all but sprinted up to her chair the next night. He would have cringed at his crassness if he wasn't so out of breath. He'd only run from his house to hers—he was too nervous to do his actual route today—half a mile at the most, but it felt like the oxygen he sucked in wasn't reaching his brain. "Will you go out with me?" This time he did cringe; apparently all of his tact had fled him today. Emma stared at him with wide eyes as Killian's heart hammered loudly in his chest.
"Okay," she said, still staring at him blankly.
He dropped his hands to his knees as relief swept through him and he tried to get his breathing under control.
"Killian, are you all right?" Emma sounded slightly panicked and Killian looked up to see her halfway out of her chair.
"I'm good," he panted. "Just ran…really fast here." She laughed. It was a light, happy sound that he'd come to love in the time he's known her.
Emma rose to her feet as her chuckles died down. "Come on, hotshot, let's get you some water."
"Thanks, love." He grinned as he finally caught his breath and straightened. "Then I suppose we'll need to have a good look at our respective schedules."
She grinned back at him as she opened the screen door for Zeus. "Yeah, you're probably right. I have a feeling this is going to take some planning."