AN: This is my very first fic, ever. I have a few chapters on my laptop, and will update them accordingly. Dedicated to Hobohunter. Reading her fics gave me an inspiration to write my own. Sorry for the short first chapter. -Em

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Claire stumbled around the streets of Chicago, the town she recently called her own. After the Racoon City incident, she told herself she was moving far away from the Racoon City which is now in shambles, and closer to Chris, whom she had found thanks to the email she sent in Rockfort Island to Leon. She didn't try to make any effort in contacting anyone after her incidents with Umbrella thinking that meeting these people would only send her spiralling down the nightmarish memory lane again. She never told Leon of her move, she never made any open press conferences about that night only because she didn't know whether she could handle such situations.

She opted for a quiet life in Chicago, working for a company called Terra Save. "Preventing what had happen to me to anyone else" has always been her motto, and her drive to continue working in Terra Save. Living alone, Claire had her share of "my time" and was never bored of it. Afterall, if she's alone she knows nothing could possibly happen to her.

On this bright sunny morning, Claire was picking up some groceries before attending an appointment. As she walked into the grocery mart, she felt her heart stop. It felt almost like she was being punched in her gut with old memories. She shook her head and stared at the familiar brooding shoulders that moved in the opposite street. She allowed herself to back out of the grocery mart and wait for the person to turn around. The figure might have possessed mind reading skills as he turned around right when Claire desperately wanted him to.

Both of them met each other's gaze. His face frowned in uncertainty, and she bit her lips as the reality sunk in.

"Claire?" He whispered at first, and then repeated in a higher tone. He walked towards her and planted himself in front of her as she continued staring at the illusive figure in front of her, don't know what to believe. "Leon..." She murmured, in disbelief. Here she is, running away from her past and, it had to come back to haunt her. "Can I buy you coffee?" Leon, always the gentleman, asked and led her into the nearest coffee shop.