Notes: Written for queersk for the Clexmas18 on tumblr.
The young woman hurried down the street, hands in her heavy winter coat, face buried in her scarf. The temperature had dropped quickly while she had still been at work, putting the finishing touches on her new street art installation. She smiled at the thought of the huge mural she'd painted on the sides of the abandoned warehouses on block C. The mayor of their small town of Polis, Thelonious Jaha, was looking to clean up the area and bring businesses back into the abandoned areas. It was all very Parks and Recreation, and Clarke had been hired to paint murals on the block that would house the new children's museum. She'd come a long way from the days of her youth when she was "vandalizing" buildings with her street art.
She picked up the pace, wishing she'd thought to call an uber or even a cab, but she was only three blocks from the townhouse that she shared with her fiancée, Lexa, and it was too much trouble to take off her mittens and dig through the purse hanging off her shoulder for her phone. She continued along, head down, face buried in her scarf, eyes watering from the wind that had suddenly kicked up when she heard a small sound.
She stopped just shy of the pale glow from the street light, her head cocked. She turned around, sure she had heard a cry. She glanced around nervously, her eyes widening a little as she stared into the dark mouth of an alley. She could vaguely see what she thought was a large dumpster and trash bags piled around it a few feet into the alley. She hesitated and took a step towards it and then shook her head and turned around, intending to continue towards her house. But this time the cry was unmistakable, followed by a whimper.
"Shit," she muttered under her breath as she braced herself and turned back towards the alley. She gingerly stepped into it, waiting at the mouth for her eyes to adjust to the dark. She looked behind her shoulder again, regretting moving away from the light. Polis was a small town of 20,000 people and relatively safe, but that didn't mean going into a dark alley at night was still smart.
Once her eyes had adjusted, she walked further into the alley, trying to make as little sound a possible, as she skirted what appeared to be broken glass. It glinted weakly in the weak glow of a light high up on the brick building. She reached into her purse digging around until she found her cell phone. She quickly turned the flashlight app on and held the phone out in front of her.
She shuffled further into the alley, skirting around broken pallets and glass, giving the trash bags as wide a berth as possible. About halfway down to the alley, which dead-ended, she heard it again. The unmistakable whine and whimper of something small and afraid.
She scooched down, shining her light towards a pile of trash bags, startling when her light bounced off a pair of eyes shining from the pile of bags. She lowered her phone and waited a moment, letting her eyes adjust. It looked like a…
"Hey, sweetie. Are you ok?" She kept her voice low and soft and held her hand out, palm up waiting for the tiny form to acknowledge her. "It's ok, sweetie. I'm not going to hurt you."
She held her breath when she saw the bags move and the small form step towards her. She waited, saying nothing, until she felt the cold, wet nose sniff her fingers. "Aww, look at you, pretty baby," she murmured as she curled her fingers gently around the top of the small puppy's head. She couldn't tell what kind of puppy it was, its fur appeared to be matted and long, but it was small enough that she figured it could only about twelve weeks old at the most.
She let the puppy sniff her fingers, and her heart broke at the way it lowered itself on its belly, whimpering and licking her fingers. She managed to get her hands under its armpits and picked it up, cradling it in her arms. She hurried back out of the alley and paused under the streetlight to get a good look at the bundle in her arms.
"Awww, look at you. You're beautiful," she murmured as she held the pup up under the light. Its fur appeared dark, but she was thinking it might be more of a red color under the filth. She pulled it back into her chest, frowning at the protruding ribs she could feel under her hands.
It shivered and whimpered, lapping at her fingers, while she whispered and murmured sweet nothings to it. She unzipped her jacket and tucked it inside and zipped it back up, wrapping her arms around her front to hold it in place.
She hurried along up the block, relieved to see the small bodega on the corner was still open. She stepped through the door and made her way to the small half aisle that held pet supplies. She grabbed a small bag of puppy food, a brush, a small toy, and a pack of weewee pads.
She was back on the street in fifteen minutes, carefully making her way home. She arrived at their front door, opening it and tiptoeing in. She set the puppy down, frowning again at the way it hunkered down its belly, whining softly, while it pressed against her legs. She toed off her boots and hung up her jacket and put her hat and mittens in the hat bin.
She scooped the puppy up and grabbed the plastic bag carrying everything into the kitchen.
"Lexa?" She called for her fiancée, while she moved around the kitchen, grabbing two plastic bowls, filling one with water and the other with dog food. She turned the kettle on for tea, and after a few minutes she poured some of the warm water over the dry dog food, letting the food soak and soften. She put the kettle back on the stove to heat up for tea.
She sat on the kitchen floor, back against the cupboards, the puppy between her legs as she set the water and food down in front of it. She ran her fingers gently through its matted coat. "Hey, pretty baby. It's ok, dahlin. You're safe now."
"Lexa? Are you here?" She turned her attention back to the puppy, smiling as it started to eat the food.
Lexa pulled herself away from her desk, turning her laptop off and taking her glasses off. She stretched her arms high over her head, smiling at the way her back popped. She had heard Clarke come in and was looking forward to spending the evening with her, their first Christmas together as an engaged couple in their own home.
She padded softly out of her office and down the hall into the kitchen. "Hi, baby. How did the installation go? Were you able to…" She froze mid-sentence, her mouth dropping open slightly at the sight of Clarke sitting on the floor, legs stretched out in front of her, and what appeared to be a puppy between her legs eating out of one of their plastic bowls.
"Hi, hon, look at what I found? Isn't she sweet? She's a girl. I think she is about twelve weeks old." Clarke turned her attention back to the puppy who had now curled up between her legs, head on her thigh, yawning as it pawed the air. "I found her in an alley. I think she might be an Irish setter or something? She has some red in the long hair."
Lexa inched her way into the kitchen, wrinkling her nose at the sight of the puppy. "Well it certainly smells like an alley," she muttered. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the counter. This was an unexpected development, and she didn't like the way Clarke was gazing adoringly at the puppy.
"I'm going to give her a bath in a bit. I bought some food and a toy and some weewee pads. After Christmas, I will take her to the vet and get her vaccinated."
"We can't keep her."
Clarke blinked, her hand freezing on the puppy, and she looked up slowly. "Wh-what do you mean? She is a stray. She needs us. Look at her." She scooped the puppy up and carefully scrambled to her feet. "Lex, we can't abandon her."
"We won't. We will take her to the humane society on Wednesday, after Christmas." Lexa shrugged but couldn't meet Clarke's eyes. She'd never had a dog, and when she was a child, she'd been bitten by one, so she had never really liked them; never really understood the appeal.
"B-but, she's a baby, Lexa!" Clarke held the puppy a little a closer to her chest, anger sparking in her belly. "We are NOT taking her to the humane society!"
"We never agreed on a puppy, Clarke. You can't just decide we are going to have a puppy. You didn't even ask me." Lexa sighed and rubbed her hands across her face, really not wanting this fight.
"I'm asking now, Lexa. Please. Can we keep her? She needs us." Clarke stepped closer to Lexa, reaching out and putting her hand on Lexa's forearm, squeezing gently.
Lexa sighed and straightened. "I don't like dogs, Clarke. They are loud and dirty, and just…"
"But she is helpless, Lexa!"
"The humane society is a reputable place, Clarke. I'm sure they won't have a problem finding her a good home."
"But I want her."
"Well I don't."
They stood there in the kitchen only inches of space between them, but the distance yawned much wider. "Lexa, please."
Lexa sighed again and shook her head, her heart clenching in her chest. She hated disappointing Clarke, hated even more the tears that made her blue eyes shine. "Clarke, I'm sorry. I really am. I just don't like dogs, and I really don't want one. We can keep her tonight and tomorrow, and then take her to the humane society."
"So that's it? I don't get a say in this?"
"Of course, you get a say in this, but you're the one trying to bring a.." she waved her hand at the puppy who was now snoring in Clarke's arms, "…dog into our family, and I don't want it." She reached out, cupping Clarke's elbows and tried to pull her into her arms, but Clarke stepped away from her, out of reach.
"I'm sorry, Clarke. Maybe someday, but we just moved into this house, and puppies chew stuff."
Clarke laughed wetly, hugging the puppy tight enough against her chest that she started to squirm in her sleep. She shook her head, "Fine. You win," tears dripped down her cheeks, and she didn't bother to wipe them away.
"I'm going to bathe her, so at least she isn't dirty." Clarke turned away from Lexa, shoulders slumped head down. She walked over to the kitchen sink and turned on the faucets waiting for the water to warm.
Lexa slumped against the counter, her stomach turning roughly. She left the kitchen and walked into the living room. She sat down on the couch, head in her hands. Clarke had always loved dogs and had talked about wanting a dog someday, something that Lexa had conveniently ignored.
"Fuck. It just had to be a puppy. Why couldn't it have been a kitten?" She groaned again and looked up, staring at the brightly lit Christmas tree, but it did nothing to cheer her up or bring her any sense of peace like it did normally. She sat back in the couch, slumped and dejected, head tilted back. She closed her eyes, remembering when she was five, she had accidentally wandered too far down the road, and a neighbor's dog had come barreling out of its yard and had attacked her on the sidewalk. It had only been the fact that her winter coat had a hood with a thick fur ruff that had protected her neck when the dog attacked. She'd been a little bit afraid of dogs ever since.
She opened her eyes again when she heard Clarke walk into the room, the puppy wrapped in a towel.
"Here." Clarke pushed the puppy in Lexa's arms. "I'm going to bed."
"Clarke, wait!" But Clarke ignored her.
Lexa held the puppy under her armpits and stared into the face of the puppy as it yawned at her, her little pink tongue curling and flexing, before she closed her eyes. She held it out in front of her awkwardly, arms straight and stiff. The puppy had long, brown and red hair with silky, droopy ears. She had to admit she was cute and small. But someday she would be big, with big teeth.
"Look, it isn't personal. Ok?"
The puppy simply stared at her with solemn brown eyes.
"I just…I just don't like dogs. I mean I was attacked by one."
The puppy cocked her head and licked her nose.
"I mean, I know it wasn't you. It wasn't your fault I was attacked and traumatized."
The puppy pawed the air between them as if she was reaching for Lexa.
"I'm sorry. I really am, but you are going to the humane society on Wednesday. That is final."
The puppy whimpered.
Clarke sat up in bed, fumbling for her cell phone. She blinked bleary as she pressed the buttons checking the time: 2:00am, Christmas morning. She sighed and dropped the phone in her lap, scrubbing at her eyes. Lexa hadn't come to bed yet. She tossed the covers back and went in search of Lexa.
She padded down the hallway that opened up into the living room. She stepped inside and leaned over the back of the couch, expecting to find Lexa curled up there, but it was empty. She walked around the large sectional, stopping when she noticed the two figures asleep in front of the tree.
The puppy was fast asleep stretched out in a brand-new doggy bed. She had a royal blue collar around her little neck, and Clarke slowly sank to her knees next to the puppy, one hand gently stroking her head, her other hand finding Lexa's leg.
Lexa was laying on her back, a blanket over her, one arm stretched out wrapped around one of the puppy's paws. She was surrounded by puppy toys, a new leash, and two blue tin bowls that had little pawprints on them.
Propped up against the puppy's bed was a card. Clarke picked it up and opened it.
Dear Clarke,
I'm sorry for being such a grinch. All creatures deserve love, and no one will love her more than you and I. I thought we could name her Noelle. Merry Christmas, my Love.
"Oh, Lex." Clarke set the card down and laid down next to Lexa, carefully inching close enough and trying not to jostle the puppy. She laid her head on Lexa's shoulder, wrapping her arm around Lexa's waist.
"I love you," she murmured as she kissed Lexa's cheek.
Lexa yawned and opened her eyes, blinking the sleep from them. She turned her head, her nose bumping Clarke's. "Hi," she murmured.
"Hey yourself." Clarke leaned up on her elbow. "I read the note."
"Clarke, I'm sorry. I.."
Clarke kissed her, cupping her cheek in her hand. "No, Lex. It's ok. You were right. I just had assumed you would want the puppy. I shouldn't have…"
Lexa pressed her lips to Clarke's and then pressed her forehead to Clarke's. "No more apologies, baby."
Clarke chuckled and kissed her again. "Merry Christmas, Lex."
"Mmmmm. Merry Christmas, Clarke."
Noelle yawned and smiled.