a/n: I am incredibly sorry for the extremely long wait, I just had SO much on my plate, PLUS I rewrote this chapter at least thrice because I didn't like how it was going. I still think it is kindy iffy for a last chapter, BUT I plan to start a continuation (as in, a second story, a follow up to this) soon! I'm so sorry for the delay and thank you SO SO much for all the reviews, views, comments, and feedback, it's an amazing thing, this . I never thought I could upload a story here and I did! Without your encouragement I couldn't have done it. So, thank you. And for that random reviewer whom I cannot peronally thank because you're anon, THANK YOU, you know who you are. And yes, English is my first language, eventhough I'm neither British nor American, (OHMAHGAD?) thanks everyone. it's been great.
Claire woke up after hearing a rattling sound from the kitchen. She glanced at her watch, 8am. "Leon, stop being a hero for once and just come back to bed." Claire muttered looking out the door, seeing Leon's back turned to her in the kitchen. She had slept in Leon's room and the door had been slightly ajar due to Leon's sleeping habits. He heard every word even though she barely whispered them.
Before he could reply, Claire heard a clang coming from the kitchen followed by a Leon cussing out loud. "Manners." Claire huffed, hopping out of bed, and waltzed into the kitchen.
She saw coffee powder strewn across the countertop and a teaspoon face down on the floor. Leon looked really uncomfortable, bending over trying to pick it up. Clearly, yesterday's injuries took a toll on him.
"Hey, hey..." Claire softly spoke, walking towards him. His face mirrored one who was extremely frustrated. He was a government agent and he can't even do simple things such as making coffee on a simple day. Wesker got him bad.
Claire avoided looking at him, knowing he was embarrassed as it is. "Why don't you clean this up, I'll fix coffee for us okay?" Claire said, truly sympathetic. Leon gained his composure and picked up a dish towel whilst Claire scooted to the side to make coffee for them.
As he wiped the countertop, his hands trembled. The after effects weren't friendly. Claire didn't want to ask him if he needed help, she knew it was too much for him to take already. She too felt really sore from the day before but she didn't receive half as much torture as Leon did.
"What time are you leaving today?" Claire asked, laying a mug in front of him. Leon pulled out two bar stools for them both. "Hunnigan booked the 3pm flight for me." Leon said. "And what time are you leaving the apartment?" Claire asked, taking a long sip of her coffee. The day was significantly colder than the day before, and she regretted walking out to the hall without a robe. The weather was being bipolar again.
"A little after 2 I suppose. There isn't much of a rush, I do get check in privileges but it is a commercial flight and I can't go at 3pm on the dot, that's for sure." Leon said voice still monotonous. "Are you cold?" Leon asked, noticing her Goosebumps. "No, I'm worried that zombies will attack us." She joked, knowing it was a bad joke the moment the sentence left her lips. She didn't wait for his laugh before going into her room to grab a robe.
As she returned, she placed her hand on his shoulder lightly. "You know your injuries are going to heal, right? And you'll be as good as new in no time." Leon turned around and looked at her, face trying to look a little less miserable. "I'm sorry I've been really inconsiderate. Good morning; and how are you feeling?" He asked, pulling himself out from his misery.
She sat down next to him again on the bar stool. "Sore, but nothing compared to how you're feeling." Leon drank the last of the coffee and put the mug in the sink. He sat there for a while.
"Well, I'm just going to go pack, since you're up and all..." Leon said, making his way to his room again.
Something was definitely on his mind.
Claire made her way back into her room and did her usual morning routine. She was bummed that Leon was leaving today but there was nothing she could do. Meanwhile, she had other things to worry about, like when she's going to fully recover and the workload that is going to bombard her when she gets back.
Her colleagues had invited her to a restaurant for lunch. She wanted to go but at the same time she didn't want Leon to be left alone. She peeked out her room and found Leon lying on the couch, reading a map.
"Leon?" she called out.
"Yes?" He said, sitting up and looking at her.
"No, don't bother getting up. I just got a call from some of my friends; they want to have lunch with us. You game?" She asked.
He didn't reply. Claire thought he hadn't heard her, as she was about to repeat when he said, "What time is that?"
"12ish, I guess. Have you packed?" She asked.
"Well, yes, but I really don't think it's wise for you to be going out and about when you're still recovering." He said.
"Stop babying me. You're far worse than I am, and you're flying back." She said.
He stopped again, he opened his mouth to say something but then he closed it again and said, "Good point. But, this is work related, this isn't."
"You're putting work in front of your health?" Claire raised an eyebrow.
"It's really no big deal. Hey, this wasn't about me. Stop turning this around." Leon said.
"I will once you tell me if you're coming or not." She said.
"Friends, you say?"
"No, werewolves." Claire rolled her eyes.
"No need to get all sarcastic so early in the morning, Redfield." Leon retorted.
"If you hadn't made a racket this morning, I would have been sarcastic in the afternoon, thank you very much." She yawned. Leon shot her a look.
"Are you scared of my friends or something?" Claire asked, tapping the side of her face.
"Bullshit." Leon whispered. It wasn't that he was scared of meeting her friends. It was more of the questions they'd ask them both about the night before. As if living through it once wasn't enough, but they want an encore in the form of a detailed story.
"If you don't want to I don't want to impose anything. We don't have to go, if you don't want to, Leon." Claire said in all seriousness.
"Well, Claire it's not like I'm trying to be anti-social or anything but I thought maybe it's just a little too fast. I just don't really want to talk about it right now. Besides, it's my last day here. I thought maybe we can have something quiet, alone." Leon confessed.
Claire nodded, "You're right. I didn't think about the questions they'd ask us. It probably might get too much for us."
"Yeah." Leon said, picking up his map and putting it into his backpack.
With every step he took, Claire noticed him flinching ever so slightly. He's in no shape to go back to work, especially not on duty.
"You staring at me, Redfield?" Leon felt her eyes boring into his back.
"no-o sir." She ducked her way out of the room, not wanting to answer any more of his questions.
Immediately after going into her room, her phone rang. At this rate, she probably seemed like she had no friends outside this circle to Leon. It was Chris. "Hey, Chris." She answered.
"You're going to be fine? We can always fly down to help you around. We heard Kennedy's going back to Washington DC today." He said.
"I'll be fine, Chris. I have plenty to do anyway." She said.
"We... might need an account of this. Even though it isn't anything related to BOWs, we still need a witness account on the death of both Wesker and Ada. You think you can do that for us?" Chris asked.
"Me? I'm in no way associated with BSAA or the government. Wouldn't Leon be a better candidate for this?" Claire said, chewing the top of the pen she had found next to her dresser.
"Kennedy has his own report for the Government; I don't want to impose too much especially since you both are still recovering. We might formally get Leon to give him a photocopy of the report he'll send to government later in the week but for now, do you think you can do this for us?" Chris asked.
Claire pondered for a bit. It wasn't that she didn't want to co-operate, but she was afraid of the implications of being associated with the BSAA. No doubt her brother is in it and therefore she would be implicated already, but writing official pieces for BSAA might put her further into the target zone of these Umbrella nut jobs.
"Claire?" Chris asked.
"I'll do it under one condition." She said.
"Name it."
"Somehow or rather promise me I am not jeopardizing my life whilst doing this little report for you." She said. She didn't know what exactly BSAA could do for her since it was quite obvious she was the only witness apart from Leon therefore witness protection wouldn't work. She just needed someone to tell her she was going to be safe, even for a little while.
"Done." Chris said.
"I'll email it to you by the end of the week." Claire said. Chris thanked her and made sure she was okay alone. After 5000 of telling him she's okay, Chris hung up and left her to her own devices.
When Claire walked out, she found Leon bent over the table, reaching for something.
"Chris wants me to write a report on the incident for BSAA. What do you think?" Claire asked for his opinion.
He stood upright again, "well, have you thought about the implications?" he asked, nudging the obvious.
"I have. Chris sort of assured me that he's able to make sure I'll be safe after submitting it, but I'll still be cautious anyhow."
"Knowing your brother, he's going to just bloody subpoena my report or something." Leon joked and rolled his eyes.
"Bingo." Claire said and laughed.
"Stay safe, Claire. We don't know who's behind Umbrella for now, and we don't know what they are capable. Until we find more details, it's best if we stay safe." Leon muttered.
"What did you get from my brother's report from Kijuju?" Claire asked. She could probably just ask Chris herself, but she knew Chris' skills lied in a pen. He wasn't one who was good with expressing himself vocally.
Leon looked at her with disbelief, probably thinking why she couldn't ask Chris herself. "Nothing much, he talked about a new form of mutation, something similar to Spain; the palagas... they were more vigilant and aggressive now. These zombies, as we'd call it, have gotten a tonne smarter from the original report by Jill and Chris, way back in the Spencer estate. I'll have to go through Chris' report again though, just to make sure I'm not missing anything out." Leon said.
Claire nodded, still wondering what Leon was reaching for.
"What are you doing?" Claire asked the most common question. A question she hasn't heard for a while, opposed to the ever so popular, "how are you doing?"
"Your keys, it fell into the gap down here and I can't reach it." He said, pointing to the gap between the table and the wall.
Claire shook her head in disbelief and fished out the keys with her dainty hands, "You grizzly bear, you can kill 200 pound creatures but you can't pick up a key?"
Claire put the keys into his hand. "Keep it," Leon immediately looked at her with a feeling that he couldn't describe. She wouldn't even let Chris have the spare key.
Leon took it and pocketed it with a thank you.
"Hey, Claire, I've been meaning to ask you this for quite a while now." He said.
"Yeah, what is it?" Claire asked, sitting down on the couch. Leon mimicked her moves.
"Since you have a break, and you won't be going back to work for some time, and since my workload has become basically just writing this report until I'm better, why don't you come with me to Washington?" Leon said.
Claire opened her mouth to protest, but Leon continued again.
"Listen, you'll get to see Sherry again. I'm going to see her tomorrow to check up on her. You'll like it, I promise." Leon said, trying to be as charismatic as possible.
"Leon..." Claire started.
"I have an open ended ticket; I can get you another... and these paperwork that you have? Nothing you can't do in my apartment... and I really like your company. I might need a little companionship for a while." He concluded.
"I..." Claire started to think of a reason to decline his offer, but she couldn't think of any.
She probably needs a break from Chicago for a while. And she obviously liked his company as well...
"... Okay. Fine. Let's go to DC." Claire laughed at herself.
Leon smiled "I was going to keep this, I'm giving this to you now." and passed something into her hands.
She looked into her palm and it was a piece of paper crumpled and folded up. It was the fortune from the fortune cookie they had the day before.
"The cookie might have crumbled, but only the bravest can crumble your heart."
"You're the bravest person I've ever met." Leon said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.