Claire watched the ocean pass thousands of feet below her, followed the arches and swirls of the white, fluffy clouds. A year ago, Claire had never even been on a plane before. Now, in the short span of a few weeks, she'd been on six, and somehow, that felt like six too many. Even now, as she was set to finally return to America, it didn't really feel like the relief she thought it would be. There was a bone-deep weariness that had started to seep into her very being, and Claire didn't think it was the kind that any amount of sleep would shake.

She sighed as she pressed her forehead to the window.

"Only ten more hours to go," Chris said from beside her, and his hand squeezed at her shoulder affectionately.

Claire closed her eyes for a second to stave off the wave of emotion that rushed through her. Chris. She'd known he was alive, but despite her searching, in the end, it was Chris that ended up finding her. Rescuing her. She owed him for that one, or else she'd be in one hell of a frosty grave right now.

"Who knew plane rides were so long and boring?" She smiled into the window, knowing it didn't reach her eyes.

"Guess that's just the price you pay for travelling to the other end of the earth."

"No shit."

After their exhilarating escape from Antarctica, Chris had navigated the jet to Australia, whereupon landing illegally they were kept in customs until their American citizenship had been verified and they could be put on the first flight out. It had been a long and arduous bureaucratic mess that undermined the exhilaration they had felt on escaping, safe and sound.

"When we land, I'll get us on the first flight to DC," Chris spoke up again, breaking through her thoughts.

Claire finally turned her head to look at Chris, confused, "Why are we going to DC?"

Chris cracked a small smile and the skin around his eyes crinkled slightly. He looked so much older than he had the last time she'd seen him, and she wondered if he could see the same weariness reflected on her own face.

"I figured we should probably go thank your friend in person," He answered with a curious tone of voice, "Without him I never would have found you in time."

Claire sat there for a moment, her brain sluggish to register his words, "Leon? He's not… in Chicago anymore?"

"Chicago? Why would he be in Chicago? He told me he's a government agent trainee."

Claire sat back into her chair with a thud. Government agent? It had barely been a month since she took the lead she'd gotten for Chris and hightailed it out to France. When she'd left, Leon had just made the downpayment for a new gym membership, and they had been looking at options for Sherry's future schooling.

Had that much really changed while she was gone? While she had re-lived her worst nightmares, it had been a comfort to her that Leon and Sherry were safe and sound. She never once thought that when she sent that email to Leon that he wouldn't have received it on the same, shitty old computer she'd been using before she left. Claire thought she would be coming home to that quaint little house in Illinois, and now with her brother by her side, they could get on with healing from the trauma of the last few months.

If Leon was in DC then it seemed unlikely, but that just brought up more questions as to where did Sherry fit into all this. Surely she couldn't have gone with Leon if he was in training, so did that mean she was still in Chicago?

Claire closed her eyes and sighed through her nose as she tried to keep her emotions from bubbling over. It was all becoming too overwhelming. She had too many questions and not enough answers, and her nerves were like frayed livewires.

A warm hand grabbed hers and squeezed tightly. She looked over at Chris and saw the concern welling up in his own eyes.

"Hey, we'll get through this. I promise."

When Leon pulled the truck into the old brick driveway it was already dark. The mid-October chill was starting to set in, just cold enough to frost the cars over in the morning, but not enough for snow. Claire looked out the windscreen at the house they had stopped at, a quaint one storey house that looked like it had seen better times. The lights were on inside the home, and Claire could pinpoint which was the living room from the flickering colours of a television behind a set of curtains.

When she turned to look over at Leon she could see the way his eyes seemed to quake slightly as they tried to take in the whole sight in front of him. Maybe he didn't even realise it until now, the latent fear that finally set in that he might never have seen his childhood home again.

"Do you want me and Sherry to stay in the car?" Claire asked.

Leon turned to her, and then looked at the sleeping girl in the backseat, "What? No. We're in this together."

He said it was such conviction, and as his hand reached over to lace his fingers through hers, she believed him.

"Let's get out there, then."

Claire and Leon both stepped out of the car. While she went to the back seat to gently wake Sherry, Leon opened up the trunk and shouldered the duffle bag that contained what few possessions they had collected since they had been on the road.

"Time to get up kiddo, we gotta go meet Leon's parents," Claire said as she roused her.

Sherry's eyelids fluttered as she woke, and she rolled her face back into her arm, "Did we get there?" She asked, reflecting her questions on the drive.

"Yep. So now it's time to get up and then you can sleep in a proper bed. How's that sound?"

Sherry sat up and slid out of the car seat, her fist rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, "Do you think Leon's parents will be nice?"

"I hope so."

Claire took Sherry's hand and turned around to find Leon already halfway up the steps as if he was drawn forward with some invisible magnet. Claire and Sherry stayed put at the driveway, and when he turned to look back Claire nodded her head in affirmation. Leon blew out a gusty breath that frosted in the air and finally knocked.

The front door opened, and warm, golden light spilled out onto the street.

"Hey, Mom," Leon said, awkwardly running his hand through his hair.

"Leon?" The woman breathed, and then she wailed, "Oh God, I thought you were dead!"

Claire watched on as Leon's mother cried and collapsed into his arms, watched as an older man stumbled his way out the door to drag Leon into his. She could almost feel the confusion of emotions pouring out from them, the sorrow, the happiness, the fear and the overwhelming relief. Claire felt her own jealousy simmer underneath the surface, knowing that while Leon had a family that had worried and mourned over him she had no one to return to. No one that was worried for her, only a brother who might not even be alive to care.

When Leon managed to release himself from his parents' clutches and reached out for her, she also felt unbearably guilty for her traitorous thoughts.

"Mom, this is Claire and Sherry. They were both in Raccoon City when it happened too," He said proudly, "I wouldn't have made it out without them."

Leon's mother's eyes were streaming with tears when she pulled away from him and turned to look. Claire felt a little awkward as she stood clutching onto Sherry's smaller hand, unsure as to what she was supposed to say.

Hey, thanks for giving birth to the man that saved my life? He's a real great guy?

Thankfully, Claire was spared from saying anything as the older woman stumbled down the porch steps and gathered her into her warm embrace, squeezing Claire achingly tight.

"Thank you," she sobbed into her ear, "Thank you for bringing him home."

Claire softened to her touch, as if the woman's embrace had the power to dismantle her defences. She smelt warm and soft and like everything Claire imagined a mother would be. She curled her own arms around her and leaned onto her shoulder.

"It's okay," she whispered back, "He's safe. It's okay. We're safe."

Soon, Leon's mother's love was transferred from Claire to Sherry, who seemed stunned as her head was pressed into the woman's bosom. Claire watched fondly as Sherry's eyes shut and she turned her head into the woman's shirt. Hidden away from the world, Sherry's body started to tremor, wracked by a great onslaught of emotion that was pouring out of her. Her slight fingers gripped into the material of her shirt as she cried.

"Baby girl," Leon's mother cooed as she rocked back and forth.

Claire jumped slightly as she felt a warm hand grab at her own, and she spun to face Leon. His own eyes were shining with emotion, so raw and passionate that it made her want to kiss him right then and there, secrecy be damned.

"We will find your brother, Claire. He's alive, and we will find him," He spoke with conviction she had come to adore from him

The rest of the night passed in a strange blur. One minute they are all standing out in the cold, the next Claire found herself bundled under blankets in a cozy living room and a warm mug of cocoa in her hands. Sherry sat beside her in a similar cocooned fashion, and her head was resting against Claire's shoulder as she fought sleep.

Leon's mother's name was Flora. Her hair was a russet shade of blonde, darker than Leon's, and her eyes were a bright cornflower blue. On the other hand, Leon's father David was dark haired with a salt and pepper moustache. David hadn't said much, making Claire think he was stunned into silence from the sudden arrival of his once lost son. Flora, on the other hand, was a bit of a frazzled mess. There wasn't more than five minutes where she wasn't reassuring herself that Leon was actually in front of her. It was sweet to see the way she touched Leon's face, checking that he was really, truly alive and safe.

They would be safe here, and it felt good to know they could finally stop running.

So this was Washington DC.

The streets were filled with men and women dressed in suits milling about, a cacophony of black, grey and blue. It was a far cry different from Raccoon City, or even her College campus. Surrounded by historical monuments and more museums than Claire ever cared to visit, it felt oddly sterile.

"I've contacted Leon and Jill. We'll meet up tomorrow, but Jill still needs to sort out her transport so I don't know when she'll get here. We've got some things to discuss," Chris mulled out loud.

Claire stopped walking and grabbed Chris' wrist, halting him as well.

"Wait, wait wait. Jill made it out? She's alive? What about Barry? The rest of the team?" She asked, wide-eyed and concerned.

"Jill's fine, she made it out of Raccoon City just in time. Barry's in Canada with his family, they're all safe up there," Chris paused with a heavy sigh, "Rebecca's safe too, but everyone else…"

Chris didn't need to say it for her to understand.

"What a mess," She sighed and began to walk again, her heels scuffing against the pavement and her feet feeling a little heavier than before. Chris obviously sensed her mood and bumped his shoulder into hers.

"Hey, we'll be at our hotel soon and then you can sleep for the whole day. That was your favourite hobby, right?" He teased softly.

Claire groaned, "You know, I'm starting to wonder why I wanted to find you. You're the worst."

"If I hadn't come to save you, you'd still be freezing your butt off in Antarctica," Chris scoffed, "And, because you love me."

"If I hadn't gone off to get you, I wouldn't have been in Antarctica at all. I'd still be in Chicago, eating the best homemade cookies in the universe," She inhaled as if she could still smell the sticky sweet cocoa.

"Speaking of, how'd you end up in Chicago?" Chris asked.

Now that was a loaded question. Sure, there was a simple answer- it was convenient. But there was also much more to it than that. They were going to run out of money sooner rather than later, and they had no access to information resources while they were on the road. More than that though, a life lived in motels was not the right way to raise a young girl. Claire decided to go halfway when she answered him. There was still much she hadn't told him about her experiences in Raccoon City, and after her confrontation with Albert Wesker, Claire was sure Chris hadn't told her everything yet either.

"Didn't have much of an option," Claire confessed, "After we got out of Raccoon, we didn't know where to go. I couldn't just go back to my college dorm, and Leon's money was starting to run out. We didn't know who we could trust, and Leon's family home seemed the safest option for all of us."

"All of you?"

"Yeah. Me, Leon, and Sherry. She was a little girl I found during the outbreak. Both her parents had died so..." Claire paused, unsure how much she should divest.

Chris' expression hardened, and he stared at her like she was a growing enigma to him. Maybe she was one. At this point, Claire wasn't really sure if she knew herself at all. But whatever was going on in Chris' mind, he shook it off and beckoned at the building they were approaching.

"This is where we are staying. It's not too flash, but we never really did flash did we?"

"You'd be surprised how well I've adapted to living out of motels."

Flora was baking cookies, and Sherry had valiantly volunteered to help her out. Claire found an endless source of enjoyment watching Sherry experience aspects of life most children took for granted. She had boundless enthusiasm for all the new activities thrown at her, whether it was learning to bake goodies or helping to hang out the laundry to dry. Flora took it all in her stride, her motherly instincts coming to the forefront when introducing this strange new world to one little girl. They had never told her the whole story, but she understood enough to know that Sherry's upbringing had been more unconventional than most, and devoid of familial warmth.

The cookies had just been put into the oven, but the kitchen already smelt of butter and cinnamon and everything delicious. Sherry giggled as Flora swiped a dash of flour over the tip of her nose.

"Did you know, Claire and Leon are boyfriend and girlfriend?" Sherry piped up suddenly, as if this thought had just popped into her mind and she just had to share it with the world.

"Sherry!"

"Oh really?" Flora queried slyly.

"Yeah! They always deny it and they only met the same night I met them too, but Claire said it was one hell of a first date!" She said excitedly.

"Oh my god, Sherry," Claire moaned and covered her face in her hands.

"When we were travelling, Leon liked to kiss Claire when they thought I was asleep," Sherry continued, completely unabashed, "But I'm really good at pretending."

"Sherry!" Claire cried out again, and her head hit the table with a thud.

Flora cackled in delight at Sherry's open nature and Claire's own despair. She laughed louder when Leon walked through the door, sweaty from his morning run and a perplexed look on his face as he took in the sight in front of him.

"What's going on?" He asked, drawing the words out slowly.

"I think I'm the one who should be asking that," Flora teased, "Do I have to ask you to keep your bedroom door open from now on?"

Leon stared at his mother, "Why?"

"Sherry's been filling me in on all the secret little kisses you've been giving Claire," She grinned, "Not that I'm surprised, Claire's a pretty girl."

Claire peeked out of the corner of her eye and watched as Leon's pale skin flushed red.

"Mom," Leon groaned in embarrassment. It only made her laugh harder.

"Don't worry dear, I know you're an adult now and you're more than capable of taking the proper precautions," She said with a motherly snigger.

Sherry, curious as to why all this could possibly be so embarrassing, piped up at this very moment to make it much worse, "What precautions? Can you hurt yourself by kissing too much?"

Leon choked.

Claire whined in misery.

Flora laughed harder. The evil woman.

Claire paced back and forth on a single slab of pavement while Chris sat patiently on the stone retaining wall. She had no idea how he could sit still right now, when she was full of nerves she could barely contain.

"It's a nice park, isn't it?" Chris said jovially, trying to make light of her overly tense demeanour.

Claire had barely noticed the park, she'd been too busy scrutinising every passerby, every blond man that passed in the distance. She was sure the park was lovely, even if it was a little frosted over, but she had much more important things to think about, like when the hell Leon was gonna -

"Claire?"

Claire spun around at the sound of an achingly familiar voice, and she saw him standing a short distance away. She felt a rush of warmth inside her stomach as the sight of his smile, and she couldn't stop herself from grinning right back. Without thought or hesitation, she ran forward until she slammed into him, causing Leon to stumble back and his arms to wrap around her and she clung right back. She breathed in his warm, familiar scent and simply enjoyed the feeling of his strong arms holding her close, making the anxieties and worries she'd been carrying inside melt away. Things were different but they would be okay, she told herself.

"I missed you," She whispered into his shirt.

"I missed you too," He murmured back, and his breath against her ear made her shiver.

Claire could have stayed there forever just wrapped in the comfort of his arms, but a not so subtle cough broke through the moment. Claire reluctantly released him.

"Leon, this is my brother, Chris," She said in introduction and stepped back to make way for the two men to formally meet.

Chris walked up to Leon and held out his hand, and Claire watched as the two men shook.

"Leon, it's good to finally meet you," Chris said honestly.

"Likewise," Leon responded, "You weren't an easy man to track down, that was for sure. It's just lucky that I've got a little more intel to work with now than we did before. And, thank you, for letting me know you got back safe. I was starting to get a little worried when both of you went off the grid."

Claire crossed her arms and pressed her weight onto her hip as she considered him. Without the rush of excitement from seeing him again, she now noticed the smaller details about him that had changed. He looked tired and his face was drawn, as if his fiery energy had been tamed somehow. Even his black t-shirt was clinging to his chest in a way his clothes hadn't before, and the muscles in his arms looked more defined. Leon had always been fit and Claire had been personally acquainted with his body, but he looked like he'd trimmed down further since they had parted way.

There were things that she needed to ask him, important things. But it was not the time or the place to ask them.

"Hey, how about we all grab lunch," Chris suggested to break through the building silence, "We can share notes."

Claire's stomach rumbled as if on command, and the two men laughed at her.

They found a cafe along the perimeter of the park, where Claire grabbed a burger and fries, indulging in the first hot meal that hadn't been prison or plane food she'd had in ages. The aching starvation was different to the first meal they had shared after Raccoon City, but it was no less satiating. It distracted her as Leon and Chris talked in low tones about the intel they had gathered on Umbrella, on Wesker, and the other players involved in what was now being called the bio-organic weapon trade. Claire told them about what little she had found at Umbrella's French facility before she had been caught, as well as what she had discovered during her detainment. Compared to what Leon seemed to now know on the growing situation, it barely made a dent.

Which brought her to one question that had been playing on her mind since she'd returned, something that both Leon and her brother had failed to bring up in conversation.

"About that, what's this I hear about you being a government agent?"

Leon sobered up the moment she spoke up, which gave Claire an uneasy feeling in her stomach.

"Yeah. The government was investigating survivors and found out that we'd survived Raccoon City, and they wanted to recruit me," He answered vaguely.

"The government's just recruiting survivors now?" Chris asked, his expression stern.

"There aren't that many survivors to find," Leon said, "No one knows what we're really up against, not even the government. They're trying to find whatever people they can that have some kind of experience dealing with these BOW's."

"So they think it's going to happen again?" Claire pushed.

Leon looked at her, his eyes cold. He didn't need to say it for Claire to understand.

It was going to happen again, and they had no control over it. It would keep happening, and until it stopped they would all have to keep fighting.

"How long do you have before you have to go back to training," Chris asked, and Claire knew he was speaking from his own experience from his short stint in the army.

"They gave me three days."

The first night felt strange. Not in the same way it had when they finally found refuge from Raccoon City, this was different. Flora had set up the guest bedroom for Claire and Sherry to sleep in, the double bed covered in with a pretty mint green comforter. The room felt warm and clean and comforting in a way that a motel room never could be, and it pulled at something inside Claire as she tried to put a word to it.

Home. It felt like home.

Flora had scrambled through old clothes to find something for them to sleep in. She'd insisted on it, telling them that the meagre clothing they had in their duffle bag were in need of a much-needed wash. Better yet, she had said, she would take them out shopping as soon as possible and then they could throw all of them out, bad memories included. Like a therapy session, she said. She'd found an old nightgown of her own for Claire to borrow, but finding clothes to fit Sherry posed a greater problem. In the end, she'd been fitted with an old, old pair of Leon's pyjamas, batman motif and all.

As Claire pulled the comforter up to her shoulders, she looked over at Sherry's sleeping face. After weeks of travelling, this was the first night where all three of them hadn't shared a room together. They had all grown accustomed to each other's presence, and Claire found herself restless with their third musketeer missing.

She eventually got up, figuring a glass of water might settle her stomach but as she stepped out into the hallway, she found Leon doing the exact same thing.

"Can't sleep?" He whispered through the darkness.

"It's too weird," She whispered back.

They stood silently at their respective doorways, staring at each other through the darkness.

"Do you want-"

"Yeah."

Leon moved forward and closed his own bedroom door behind him, crossing the hall to meet Claire. She backed herself into her room, her eyes never leaving Leon's as they made their way inside. The door shut behind him and enclosed them into their own space, and Claire could finally breathe. One day, she might look back and analyse her growing anxiety since Raccoon City, but it had been a long day and all she wanted to do was sleep.

Claire pulled the sheets back and scooted into the middle of the bed, where Sherry instinctively cuddled against her in her sleep. This left just enough room for Leon to climb in behind her and lay his arm across them.

"Thank you," She murmured softly. He squeezed her tighter in response.

It was a tight fit and a little uncomfortable, yet Claire found herself quickly drifting off to sleep.

Chris had left them sometime after lunch to meet up with Jill after she had paged him. Claire would have liked to have joined, but she knew that they had more than just business to discuss and it was a reunion that was meant to be private. She was sure she would get to see Jill soon anyway, as far as she was aware Chris had yet to form any solid plans for the future and they would probably be able to hang around for a bit.

Besides, Chris' departure meant she had time to sort things out with Leon herself. Not that he was very forthcoming- as they walked around the streets aimlessly he seemed determined to keep the conversation as innocuous as possible, as if they were just two young people on a lunch break instead of two unintentional soldiers in a war they never wanted to be a part of. Claire found it frustrating, but she humoured him.

When he suggested they head back to his apartment, she jumped at the opportunity to finally have some real privacy with him.

The apartment itself was small and barebones with a drab grey color scheme, lacking all the character and warmth she had started to associate with a home and with Leon's presence. As she meandered through, perusing his cupboards and finding them empty, she wondered if he even spent any time in the place.

"What's it like, working for the government?" She asked, trying to make her tone soft and non-confronting. Leon seemed to tense up whenever it was mentioned, so much so that at lunch it was almost like talking to a total stranger.

A cold silence followed before he finally answered, his words controlled, "It's hard. I don't get much time out of training right now, and they're working me to the bone. It's fucking frustrating sometimes, but it's good work. I'll be able to make a difference this way and stop something like Raccoon City from ever happening again."

She tried to brush off the anxiety once more, and sent him a cheesy grin as she playfully punched him in the gut, "And don't they feed you at boot camp? I bet Flora wouldn't be impressed with how skinny you've gotten."

A small smile cracked through his stony look, and Claire knew that the real Leon was hiding underneath the surface, "I dunno, I seem to recall you had something to say about it before. How did you put it? Oh yeah, I was getting 'pudgy'."

"Hey, I kinda like pudgy," Claire teased, and pressed her hand against his abdomen, feeling the physical results of his training, "Well, I'm sure Sherry is happy she doesn't need to share your mom's delicious cookies now."

Leon didn't respond, and he refused to meet her eye. Claire backed away from him as she felt her heart turn cold.

"Sherry is still with Flora, right?"

"Claire…"

"Leon, where's Sherry?"

Claire kind of liked the secrecy that she and Leon needed to keep while staying here. It felt like she was a teenager, a real one where her only worries were school and boys, and she was sneaking around at night to steal snippets of time with her boyfriend.

When she sidled through the crack of the door into Leon's bedroom and found him sitting up and waiting, she wondered if he kind of liked it too. She closed the door as quietly as possible behind her and kept her steps light as she crept closer to his bed.

He reached for her and dragged her onto his lap when she was close enough, and his eagerness made her giggle.

"Shh," Leon hushed, but it only made her giggle louder. So he tried a different tactic and smothered her laughter with his lips.

His lips were always warm and plush, and he tasted like toothpaste. She melted into him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders for support. Kissing him gave her the warm and fuzzies, and Claire was sure she could spend hours just making out with him if the world wasn't out there waiting to interrupt.

When they broke apart, she grinned and drew her index finger across his damp, flushed skin, dipping into the divot in his collar bones, "I have something I wanna try."

Leon sat up a little straighter, and she slid further back into his lap, "What is it?"

"I think you'll like it."

"I like everything you do."

"You're such a kiss ass."

"Only if it's yours I'm kissing."

Dork.

Claire rolled her eyes at him and proceeded to slide down his body in a way that she hoped was seductive. Even through her soft sleep shirt, her nipples tingled as they dragged against the muscles of his abdomen, and a shiver ran down her spine. When she looked up at him, she watched his eyes grow wide with comprehension.

"A-are you sure?" Leon stammered, his expression caught halfway between excitement and that concern that she was becoming so fond of.

"You had a shower, right?" She asked instead. His stomach flinched as she ran a nail along the waistband of his boxers.

"Y-yeah, but-"

"Then I'm sure," Claire answered, and gave him a wink for added effect.

She bent down and kissed his skin, just below his belly button as she kept her eyes on his face. The hair on his stomach tickled her chin as his muscles twitched reflexively, but Leon did not issue any more complaints. In one of their more candid conversations, he'd mentioned that he enjoyed oral sex, but when she'd wrinkled her nose at the thought he'd had rushed to reassure her that he put her feelings above all else. At the time, Claire wasn't interested at all - she still thought dicks were kinda weird, and that it was probably a weird, sweaty and gross tasting thing to do.

Leon didn't push. In fact, he never brought it up again.

As time went by, though, Claire's crush had blossomed into something more. After everything they had been through together, Claire started to find herself agreeing with him - she wanted to put his feelings and enjoyment above hers for once.

She brought herself back out of her own thoughts as she pulled the waistband of his boxers down, revealing his cock. She'd never been this close to it before. He was already hard, his skin was flushed pink and hot, and she could almost see the thick vein that ran along its length throb slightly. Dicks were weird, but Claire kinda loved Leon's.

So when she wrapped her hand around his cock and gave him an experimental lick, she couldn't help but feel proud of the red flush spreading down his chest. His cock didn't really taste any different from the rest of his body, it was just skin, so she tried again with a little more pressure than before. When clear fluid started to bead up at his tip, she figured she'd go all in.

Claire wrapped her lips around the tip of him and pushed down. His precome was mostly innocuous- slightly salty and a weird, slimy texture she wasn't too keen on. She began to bob her head up and down and used her hand for the rest of his length, not quite sure what was the correct technique for this, but Leon choked down his own moan so she couldn't have been doing a bad job.

When she hollowed her cheeks and sucked, his hips bucked involuntarily and his teeth clenched on the skin of his fist.

"Ah… fuck, Claire."

Claire found that giving a blowjob wasn't the most exciting activity for her. Her jaw quickly grew tired and started to ache, and if she wasn't careful it was way too easy to make herself gag. On top of that, she had no idea what to do with her teeth.

But hearing him moan her name out like that, that made it worth it.

"You-you bastard!" Claire screamed out in agony. She bowed over and clutched at her own stomach as it clenched with nausea, "How could you let this happen? You promised me you'd protect her!"

Claire's eyes filled with tears, blurring her vision completely. She cried in pain for Sherry, for Leon and for herself. For all the pain and torture the world had put them through. She'd gone through it all knowing that at least one little life had been saved from the destruction, that they were going to be able to give Sherry a better life.

Leon's strong hands gripped her upper arms, and she lashed out him, repulsed at the very thought of him touching her. Her fists beat at his chest, her fear and sorrow misplaced by her anger, but he held on fast.

"I didn't have a choice, Claire! They knew everything, I did the only thing I could to protect her," Leon shouted back, trying to break through to her.

When her hits weakened, he pulled her into his chest and Claire sobbed into his shirt.

"I promised her I was coming back," She sobbed wetly, "I promised her… I promised."

Claire's strength left her and her knees buckled under her own weight. Leon slowly lowered them to the ground, rocking her through her tears. His head burrowed into the crook of her neck, and he was murmuring things she couldn't hear over the sound of her own cries.

After all the pain and fear, the zombies and the horrible, mutated monsters. After losing a friend and her faith in humanity, it was a broken promise that broke Claire's heart the most. The pieces felt so small and shattered that she didn't know if she'd ever be able to piece them together again.

She barely noticed when Leon sat back on his haunches and picked her up in his arms. He carried her over to the sofa and sat down, pulling a blanket over her. He cradled her to his chest until her sobs subsided and her eyes had no more tears left to cry.

She didn't know how much time had passed, how long she had stayed there, surrounded by his warmth and yet unable to feel anything other than the cold chill that had settled in her gut. They sat together in that little cocoon, two people who had been broken by the cards fate had handed them.

"Can I go see her…?" Claire asked numbly as she stared out the window. The sky was a crisp, bright blue and Claire secretly hated it for not reflecting her mood

"I don't know," Leon confessed, wrapping the blanket tighter around them, "I never told them about you when they interrogated me. I knew if I mentioned your involvement they would just track you down."

"How long, after I left?" She continued, voice barely above a whisper.

"Five days. I'd just come back with Sherry from the library. She'd picked up three new books to read. When I opened the door I found them sitting with Mom in the living room. After that… everything else happened so quickly I barely remember it," Leon sighed, "I haven't been able to see anyone since, it's part of the deal I made. They only gave me time off to see you and your brother because I told them you were my girlfriend, and you were getting worried since I fell out of contact."

"They gave me three days so I could 'tie off loose ends',"

Claire looked up at him, her expression stormy, "Are they training you to be an agent, or are they just keeping you as a prisoner?"

Leon shrugged, "Sometimes I can't tell, but as long as Sherry is safe and unharmed I don't care how they treat me."

Claire didn't know how to process all this information. The fact that Leon was locked into a contract with the government to become their personal zombie fighting lapdog was sickening enough on its own, but knowing that Claire might never see Sherry again was like a knife to the gut. She would never be able to ask her how she was going, never truly understand the depths of the testing they were doing on her.

She'd never be able to apologise for breaking her promise.

"I'm sorry, Claire," Leon breathed out, his voice tense, "I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you sooner. I'm sorry that I couldn't do more to protect her."

"I'm sorry too. If I hadn't gone off, if I'd just stayed put…"

"Things wouldn't have changed."

"Wouldn't it?"

Leon pulled her closer and pressed a kiss into her hair. She took his unspoken, tentative answer and leaned back into him, utterly unsure about her place in the world.

"You don't look much like your dad," Claire pondered aloud as she perused the different photos hanging on the walls.

"David? He's not my dad. Well, he's my step-dad," Leon answered as he followed along beside her.

"Your parents are divorced?"

"I guess. I never really knew my dad, he just left us high and dry when I was still a toddler. It was just me and my mom for most of my life," He said with a shrug, "Then she met David. He's a nice guy, takes good care of her."

Claire stopped at one of the photos, this one depicting the day Leon graduated from the academy. He was all teeth, his excitement and happiness palpable. By his side were Flora and David, both looking at the camera with looks filled with parental pride.

"I think he really cares about you too," Claire insisted as she stepped in for a closer look. If only that younger version of Leon knew what was coming.

"He's part of the reason I wanted to join the force," He agreed.

"Was he an officer too?"

"He's a park ranger and a volunteer firefighter. I don't know what it was, but I guess his righteous speeches about protecting the people and the planet must have gotten through to me when I was a kid. It just, kinda stuck."

Claire turned to face Leon, seeing him scrutinise the same picture as if it would impart some secret to him. It made Claire wonder about the future, where they were all heading. It's not like they could stay here forever, as much as she would have liked to.

"Do you still want to do it? Join the force?" She asked.

The question seemed to give Leon pause, as if it was something he had yet to consider himself. His brow pinched in the middle as he thought about it.

"I don't know. I can't just let Umbrella continue, and I don't think I could help if I rejoined the force."

The national mall really was beautiful. Even now, with the water frosted over and the grass icy and cold, the sun hit it and made the whole place glitter magically. The Washington Monument stood austerely in the distance, a beaming pinnacle of the hopes and dreams of the country's people. Claire wondered how many of them realised what kind of war they would be facing in the future.

"I don't know if I have it in me to keep fighting anymore," Claire sighed as she tucked her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them, "You and Chris and Jill are so strong and determined to see this through and bring Umbrella down, but I don't know if I can."

"Just because you don't want to fight anymore doesn't mean you can't help," Leon insisted, but Claire felt like it was a bit of a copout.

"I can't just go back to College though, can I? I can't just turn up and say, 'Hey, sorry I dropped out last semester, I was busy killing zombies and escaping explosive labs'," She laughed coldly.

"You could always head back to Chicago. Mom wouldn't turn you away. You could stay there until you figure things out," He offered, his voice soft. Claire looked over at him, at his bright blue eyes and soft features. His hair shone like the finest spun gold in the sun. It hurt her to think about going back there without him.

It hurt to think about how much she was going to miss him.

"There was this guy, on Rockfort. Steve. We escaped together," She said, knowing this might be the only time she would be free to tell someone about it.

"Should I be worried?" Leon asked, trying to lighten the mood, but his smile was sad.

Claire laughed under her breath and shook her head sadly, "He told me he loved me, you know? Right before he… but he was kind of a jerk. A good guy, but still a jerk. He didn't deserve what happened to him."

"He didn't make it?" Leon gently prodded further.

"He was infected with the T-Veronica virus and I watched him turn right in front of me," She exhaled shakily, "I can't do that again."

"You know it's not your fault, right?" Leon asked, and he reached out to take her hand.

"Isn't it?" She swallowed. Her throat felt tight from the emotions building up inside her, "All these promises I make that I can't keep, I just keep hurting the people around me."

"Once, you had to tell me that Ada's death wasn't my fault. You told me that there are never any guarantees that any of us will make it out alive," Leon recited, bringing Claire back to that rundown, old motel on the night they found out Raccoon City was going to be wiped from existence, "Do you remember what I said?"

Claire looked over to him, finally taking in the changes she'd seen in Leon. Not just the physical changes, but the mental ones too. Where her walls felt like they were crumbling away, he was building his up, stronger than ever before.

And here he was, offering her a rope to climb with.

"You said that I was wrong. That we promised each other we'd make it out alive," She answered.

"That's one promise you haven't broken," He pointed out, and his hand squeezed hers.

Claire hated computers. As smart and useful as they could be, without the internet they were kinda useless, and as long as Flora was on the phone to her friend, Claire had no access to the internet.

With a huff, she sat back and looked over all the notes she had collated over the last few weeks. Some were newspaper clippings about Raccoon City and anything she could find that mentioned Umbrella. Even now, there wasn't anything that had been leaked to the news to suggest the pharmaceutical company was involved in any kind of corruption. She'd also been to the library to see if there was anything the government had released about viral outbreaks in the public records, but she wasn't surprised when that came up short as well.

She'd found the locations of Umbrella's other manufacturing facilities on the internet, but there were five across the European continent, and that was only the official numbers. Who knew how many secret bases they had across the world, buried under cities and creating monstrosities unbeknownst to the people that lived above them.

In other words, Claire's search was getting nowhere, and fast. By the time she even had a lead to go on, would Chris still even be in Europe? Would he still be alive? Claire crossed her arms on the desk and pressed her forehead into them.

"Claire?"

Claire turned her head to look at Sherry, standing in the doorway. The younger girl looked concerned, so Claire sat up and put on a brave face for her, "Hey, Sherry."

"Did you find anything else on your brother?" She asked softly as she stepped into the room.

"Not yet," Claire smiled tiredly, "But a breakthrough is coming. I just know it."

She grinned with fake confidence, and Sherry smiled back proudly.

"Of course! You're the smartest person I know, Claire. If you can't do it, no one can," She crowed.

"Don't tell Leon you said that," Claire teased.

"Oh no! I wouldn't want him to feel bad," The younger girl agreed.

Sherry stepped further into the room and reached for Claire's hand.

"Leon found his old kite in the garage, and he says the weather's good so we should go and try to fly it," Sherry said excitedly, "You should come with us, Claire!"

Claire looked back at the blank computer screen as if new information would magically appear for her to read, but she could still hear Flora happily chatting away in the other room. She knew it would still be a while yet before she could link back into the net, and until then there was nothing more she could do. She stood up at Sherry's incessant tugging and followed her out of the dark study.

"We can have a race!" Sherry exclaimed.

"We'd need two kites for that, you know?" Claire laughed.

Chris could wait one more day.

Sometimes, Claire had wondered to herself if Leon had a greater power to control her body that she did herself.

Three days wasn't really much time to rekindle the physical aspects of their relationship, and if Claire was being honest with herself the stress and anxiety she'd faced again and again meant she hadn't really thought about it. Leon hadn't pushed it either, only giving her the same casual affection that she bestowed on him. They had simply just enjoyed each other's company as Leon showed her the sights of DC.

On the last night, something changed. Maybe it was the knowledge that this would be their last chance, or maybe it was just a culmination of all the intense emotions they had felt over the last three days together. Whatever it was, when they returned to Leon's apartment, the air had been filled with static energy and they had moved together as one.

When he kissed her, it felt more certain, more determined than before.

More desperate.

But she was desperate too, and she answered in kind.

Leon lead her through the apartment, and she continued to walk blindly backwards, unwilling to untangle herself from his embrace. Claire was so enthralled by him that she was shocked when her calf bumped back into something hard and she tripped back, landing on his bed and taking Leon down with her. He landed on her, a heavy weight that caused her to grunt from the impact, and he lifted himself up with a rushed apology.

Even now they were just as awkward as ever, and it made her laugh as if she had no worries in the world. Leon grinned back as he pushed her further up the bed, and he kissed the skin of her belly as her shirt rode up.

"You're so beautiful," He sighed as he leaned up and kissed her once again.

Leon was quick to divest them of their clothing, allowing her to admire the strength in his physique. She sat up with the intent to shower his muscles with the appreciation they deserved, but he pushed her back as he made his own way down her body, peppering her torso with petal soft kisses.

"I have a favour to return," He murmured as he pulled down the edge of her underwear and kissed the skin he revealed. Claire's eyes widened and she clenched her legs together unconsciously as he pulled her panties down and kissed the top of her mound.

If she'd known he'd wanted to do that, she would've shaved. Still, seeing his head down there sent a rush of heat through her, and she felt herself getting wet from the sight.

"Please, Claire?" He pleaded, and she nodded, feeling a little unsure as she spread her thighs. He smiled at her, and that made it worth it.

Leon's finger pressed against her clit, working in smooth circles the way she liked. It didn't take long for him to work her into a frenzy, and when he had her panting, he pressed two fingers inside her and began to pump them.

And then his tongue joined in. Fuck, his tongue! He alternated between lapping at her clit and applying gentle suction with his mouth, and Claire had never felt anything like it. She immediately began to regret her negative attitude towards oral because if she had known what she had been missing out on she never-

Oh god. Oh god. Oh god.

Leon's tongue pressed hard and wet against her as his fingers crooked forward and pressed against some hidden spot inside of her. Her nails tore at his sheets as she moaned out her pleasure, and she saw stars. Claire didn't even realise that her thighs had clamped around his head, but when he moaned and the vibrations spread from her clit to the very centre of her being she shattered on the spot.

He left her lying dazed from her orgasm, grabbing a condom and sliding it down his cock. Claire watched on as she caught her breath, enjoying the sight of his own hands running up and down its length. When he was prepared, Leon clambered back up her body and kissed her ravenously, and she could taste herself on his tongue. She couldn't tell if it was weird or sexy, but it didn't stop her from enjoying it.

Claire gave a low moan as he slowly pressed into her, her body reminding her how good this could feel as his hip bones pressed into the softness of her thighs. She wrapped her legs around his waist and held on tight. Leon scooped his arms underneath her shoulder blades and held her close, so close she could feel his every panting breath, feel the sweat on his skin, feel the goosebumps that prickled down his spine.

She brought her hands up to his face and began to trace his features with her fingers, mapping out the sharp lines of his jaw and the cleft in his chin, the soft pout of his lips. She took that small moment of serenity to memorise this beautiful man, and she prayed she never forgot the way he looked at her in that very moment.

When she leaned up to take his lips in a passionate kiss, he began to rock into her in an achingly slow rhythm that was designed to taunt her. She arched her back as he braced her waist in his hands, canting her towards the thrust of his hips and taking his own pleasure from her. His pelvis bumped at her clit with each thrust, sending fizzles of electricity through her.

She never wanted it to end. She wanted to stay there forever, listening to him moan and gasp out her name as his thrusts quickened.

"Leon," She moaned, "Leon, I'm gonna-"

His hand reached for hers and he threaded their fingers together, squeezing tight as he pressed them into the mattress. He slowed his pace to a sinuous rock, tracing a pattern up the side of her neck and across her cheek before he lifted his head to meet her eyes.

"Together," he panted, and Claire wondered how many things he wanted to say were carried by that single word.

She nodded her head frantically, unable to find words. He kissed her once more as he moved faster.

Every one of her muscles contracted and clenched as she came, clinging to Leon as he rode through it with her. She heard him moan out her name as he followed, his hips pressing her into the sheets as he found his release. Claire reached for him and brought him down to peck at his lips, wanting one final taste of his lust.

Leon slid over to the side and gathered her into his arms, his breathing heavy. Claire lay against him, completely spent. She strolled her hand over his chest, feeling the most relaxed and comfortable she had felt in weeks.

Claire didn't know how she was going to let him go.

She barely noticed the tears dripping from her eyes as she rested her head against Leon's shoulder, making his chest wet underneath her. He didn't mention it, only continued to stroke her arm softly.

"What happens next?" She whispered to the empty room.

"We keep fighting," He said, and she caught the sadness in his tone, "And when this is all over, we'll get Sherry back. Then we'll make plans."

Claire closed her eyes and laughed wetly, rubbing her tears back onto her own face as she pressed in closer to him.

"We'll have to get her that puppy to apologize."

Tomorrow, they would have to say goodbye.

Tomorrow, their paths would diverge, and Claire didn't know when they would join back together.

But they would meet again, Claire was sure of it. When Umbrella was dead and buried, and zombies were just horrible monsters that only existed in fiction once more, then they would be ready.

And she'd be waiting.

I didn't think I would write a sequel, but I couldn't get this awkward smut pain-train out of my head and here we are. For those of you who read Come What May, I hope you enjoy this conclusion. If you didn't, just pretend this never happened and they all lived happily ever after. :)