NiuNiu Note

Now, there's never enough LeonxClaire stories, is there? 8D I need to admit despite my long history in gaming (I'm a quite gaming veteran compared to most of the women players) I truly got myself into the world of RE in RE4 – thanks to my roommate during that time. He bought it for Gamecube and showed me that playing RE can be so much fun without the horrible controls I had faced with RE2..! Lately I've done almost nothing else during my free time than beating RE4 (later I can finally hit my nails to RE5 properly) and reading wonderful LeonxClaire stories. They're just perfect together, aren't they…? Naturally I wanted to stir the Cleon universe with my own spoon, too, and thus this fic. I apologize if the characters feel occasionally OOC. Let me know it that happens, I'll gladly take guidance and tips. … And heck, let me know if it doesn't happen, at least then I know I'll do the right job xD

If there are any grammar mistakes or typos (which usually hide perfectly from me even thought I try to hunt them down before submitting) I apologize. For the grammar I need to admit for the new readers of mine that English isn't my mother language and for it – which isn't French either - there's no translation machine for more than one word per time in the net. I sincerely hope you would ignore all the mistakes I have happened to make and concentrate on the story itself. I get so easily blind to my own text.

Disclaimer: This fic is purely fanmade and I don't own any of the mentioned character, nor the Resident Evil series. Made just for pleasing readers, not for selling.

Enjoy!

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Claire sat on the cosy, wide leather chair. The dark material felt tacky under her bare thighs that emerged from the short, shredded jean shorts. The loose T-shirt revealed her slim shoulder, tiny fingernails tapping the surface of the coffee mug unintentionally. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail as usual, but it wasn't as shiny as Chris had used to see it to be. He didn't need to inspect Claire more to see she was thinking. Hard. Her eyes had a deep yet kind of unemotional look in them as she sat head facing the window. Not really being sure was Claire only tired or perhaps disappointed that he needed to hit the road soon again Chris decided to make his presence notable. Usually it wasn't a task at all – she kind of had a sixth sense for Chris, call it maybe a bond between the siblings – but today he managed to walk behind Claire without making her even shift a bit.

"What's so interesting out site?"

His low manly tone woke Claire up from her trance. She glanced upward behind her, catching up her brother's smirking corner of the mouth. Despite the fact Chris had been a young adult when their parents died, it still surprised Claire how manly her beloved brother had became. It had happened fast if she was asked about it. His voice's tone was raspy and his board frame was… well, huge. Making a mental note to ask would Chris ever stop pumping iron for getting bigger muscles she turned her head back towards the window.

"Nothing special."

"There must be something. You've sat there almost two hours just gazing into the distance", Chris stated nodding towards the window screen before Claire. She returned her gaze to Chris, boggled.

"Two hours?" she repeated, not believing the time would have flew that fast. She had just adjusted herself on the chair…

"Well earth to Claire, it's soon 12 o'clock", Chris sniggered, ruffling Claire's hair. He knew she didn't like it. He was happy to see at least some kind of emotion emerging to her face and like expected it was a frown.

"Well earth to Chris, you could have come to me earlier if the time was the issue", she pouted playfully and smacked Chris wide palm away from her head. Chris laughed brotherly and moving a bit Claire gave him space to sit on the arm rest.

"So, what's the catch?"

She shrugged her shoulder, taking a look at her already cooled drink. The corner of her mouth twitched.

"Just wondering could it ever be possible to settle down…" she said, making a wide grin spread all over Chris's face.

"Oh Claire, Claire! I never thought of hearing that from you. Has my little tomboy finally turned into a woman – maybe some baby blues playing in the back ground?" he snickered and earned a huff from Claire.

"In your wild dreams, Chris", she huffed more, a bit hurt by Chris's implies. He should have known it better than anyone. Claire didn't want a family. Her life was way too unstable for a family, too insecure to take a full responsibility of raising a new human – and when she thought about it more she knew the world might not ever get rid of the biological viruses she and Chris had encountered too many times. There was no reason to start a family in a world like that…

"I'll be back, you know that…"

She heard Chris's words and the colour in his voice she was used to hear before his missions. She found a smile on her lips as she looked up to Chris.

"I know you will. It's just... I'm nervous to let you go. Call it a little sister's fears, if you like". She noticed the hint of concern in Chris's eyes and not wanting to make him worry over her just before the mission OR during it, which would be even worse, she elbowed him grinning. "But I'm sure you manage to smash all the obstacles away from your way with just one swing of that arm of yours, you steroid monster."

Chris rubbed the sore spot on his side.

"You know I need these", he frowned trying to look hurt.

"For what?"

"To protect the world and save damsels in distress. The usual hero stuff. Though the ladies I know aren't damsel in distress types at all". His humorous nature, the way they used to joke each others, warmed Claire's mind.

"And you know I need you alive, so don't get overly excited with your muscles during the mission", she stated and continued "or with the ladies that is".

"Yeah, I'll give you that. Jill would beat me up if I didn't focus on the mission and damn…!" He looked honestly scared when he mentioned the possible beat up handling from Jill. It amused Claire in a funny way. She knew her brother adored the old working partner of his. And she also knew Jill had developed feelings for Chris, too. She was happy for him, for both of them, but she kept her mouth shut.

"When are you leaving?" she asked, breaking the small silence that had filled the living room. Chris took a look at his watch.

"I still have about seven hours."

"Only seven?"

"Yeah, I got a note from Jill that the mission would start earlier than expected. Some tactical stuff I guess", he sighed scratching the back of his head. Sitting in chairs wasn't made for him, but he yearned the time on the field.

"I didn't know about that", Claire sounded surprised. She had expected Chris to leave a lot later.

"Well that's because you were dazing out of the window. I did call you by name, but with no respond whatsoever".

For a long time there was only a silence between them, until Claire shifted, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"I just wish we could live like normal families do…" she sighed sadly, but put up a warm smile. "Don't you worry. You know me. I can get a bit blue sometimes".

"Uh-uh, and then you get back to Red, like usual", he smirked down to Clair and stood up. "What if we spend the rest hours eating and relaxing? How about pizza? Or kebab? Should we go out to grab something?"

"That's too many questions at one time, Chris!"

"Just some options for you do decide".

"Pizza will do nice."

"Should I order one or do we go out?"

"Let's stay home." She looked out again and pulled her legs up against her chest. "We're so rarely at home…"

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She sat again on that same leather chair, her favourite place in the house. A warm blanked was thrown on her shoulders. She had reports in her hand and some leftovers of the already cold pizza on the cardboard box lying next to the chair. Chris had left the house about an hour ago and Claire had found herself praying he would return safe and sound. She stared at the report in a dim light, but in the end she saw nothing. Her mind was too loud for concentrating on the paper piles. She let them drop to her lap, her gaze settling on the small moist lines on the window screen. It was raining – the first sign of the upcoming September. Usually she liked the rain, liked the freshness that filled the air during it, liked the soft steady rumble the drops painted on the roof when falling down from the darkened sky, but this time seeing the drops slowly sliding down the screen made her feel just hollow. Empty. It was like the sky would have been crying, maybe for her so she could stay without shedding tears. She actually didn't care – she could cry now if she wanted, there was no reason to put up the happy face when Chris was gone. He got so easily overprotective and worried over her, but she didn't blame him.

Claire laughed a bit herself when she realised she had never though of seeing a rain would be so painful. It was maybe the water that made a nasty knot form to her stomach. And the fact that she felt lonely. More than ever. Whenever she was lonely, she always either rent a movie or made a call to Chris or to…

……

..Leon.

Her eyes shut when she thought of him. It had always made her feel so happy just to think him. He was her friend, perhaps the best and the only one she had. But now his name in her head with the watery weather felt like a torture.

She repeated the events of Havardville silently. She couldn't believe to be such a zombie magnet, but for her joy she had found Leon, too. It was funny that almost every time she encountered walking corpses, she met also Leon. She kind of liked that, but… Leon seemed to have a habit of running into women every time the zombies were involved. First time Claire herself and Ada she heard later, in Spain Leon had saved the daughter of the US president and met again Ada and in Havardville it had been Claire herself and… Angela.

A nasty bitter sensation rose up to Claire's mouth when she thought about that blond Barbie. Leon had talked about Ada and Ashley and from Chris she had heard Leon also talked about her, but when it came to Angela he hadn't said anything. …Or at least what she knew – he hadn't made her any calls or sent any emails after the Havardville incident. Even though she loved the idea that Leon was only busy, Claire started to think maybe he really was tantalized by Angela. Dating her and thus keeping his mouth shut of her. She had been there when the woman had asked Leon out for another diving session and when Claire had urged to know when they had dived – whatever that meant in the end, she perhaps didn't want to know – she hadn't got an answer she was looking for. Leon had pushed the question aside quite quickly, making Claire think Leon really didn't take the offered diving idea seriously – she didn't blame him, she actually didn't see Angela being the type for Leon - but despite he had wished them to see with Claire around normal circumstances, he hadn't let Claire know anything of him ever since. Maybe he really was diving with her.. or diving into her, which broke Claire's heart.

She didn't have any interest in telling about her sorrow for Chris. It wasn't his business anyway. And besides, she didn't own Leon. She should be happy for him, but despite her best efforts she couldn't. After meeting with Angela and disappearing like that Leon made Claire think that perhaps he had banged all of the ladies he had met during the missions except her. There needed to be something wrong with her if Leon chased the blond Barbie with fake lips and unnatural hair like that… Or that he probably had given the manly handling for all other women in the field just to leave Claire without. She was caught by the idea of what if Leon had took her in the Raccoon City's Police Department back then, pushing her on the wooden table in the dead silent room which also held the desk of Chris – heck, maybe doing her right on the Chris's desk – and the last idea snapped her back to reality. Murmuring annoyed herself she shifted a bit, blush creeping to her cheeks. She shouldn't be thinking something like this of Leon…!

Frustrated by her own wild imagination of naked Leon squirming with some woman she didn't like to think about Claire threw the papers over her head on the floor and groaned loudly. She wasn't stupid – if course Leon had had his own journeys with women. He wasn't some teenager or some freak looking guy that scared the ladies away. No, he was one damn bitch magnet and even though she knew about Leon's matter-of-fact nature she highly disapproved the idea of Leon saying easily no for an offered fun in bedroom. Or in the field. Or on the table or in the tiny dark room. He was a man. She hadn't thought about it before, but Angela had brought this issue to the daylight. Feeling herself beat she envied Angela and hated Leon. She knew she shouldn't to that – hate him – since he most likely had no idea how she felt for him. Chris had sent some hints and jokes about Claire's true feeling in the air for her tease, but she never caught them. Instead she pretended never hearing them, or laughed them off from her. And since she always answered like that, Chris had cut down the times of pestering her with Leon. Maybe he was still getting some hints that a certain fair chocolate haired man had wrapped Claire's heart around his fingers without even noticing it, but if he did Claire didn't hear of it from Chris. Perhaps Chris had sensed it was truly a painful issue for her, at least after the Havardville. She hadn't lied when she told Chris earlier the day she felt a bit blue because his upcoming mission, but the truth was she missed Leon like mad. Missed him and hated him and despised herself for having such complicated feelings over a one man. She wasn't like that – never had been. She was smart, happy, onward going person, the old tomboy that never changed so when she now had those "girly feelings" as Chris named them, she was ashamed of herself. She kind of wanted to know the truth about Angela and Leon and at the same time she was more horrified of the idea than ever in her life. Even the zombies were piece of cake for Claire to handle, but relationships… damn she sucked at them. She had no luck with them whatsoever. Sadly the image of Steve flashed in her mind.

Her cell phone ringing broke the rainy silence. Reaching for the table near her she took the phone and glanced at the screen. It was Chris.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Claire! Are you busy?"

"...No, why would I be?" her voice rose lightly, surprised.

She heard him grinning from the other side of the phone.

"Nah, guess I just thought some guy would pop out from under your bed as soon as I disappeared. You know, taking the advance of the situation and my sister".

Massaging her temple with her hand eyes closed she knew exactly what Chris was implying.

"I highly doubt you would have made me a call just to check out if Le--- Ah, never mind, what was your business?"

"I forgot some files to my folder in the laptop desk's drawer. Could you fax them to Jill? The number is inside the folder."

"Which files I should fax?" she stood up heading for the desk. She found the folder as soon as she peeked in the upper drawer.

"The HA-33 named files. They should be on the top", Chris guided and Claire hummed fingering the papers.

"HA-33a-1 and HA-33b-2?"

"Yeah, those".

"Do you need anything else?"

"Nah, I'm good. Did you find the fax's number?"

She took a look behind the front cover and discovered series of number written down with a messy handwriting of Chris.

"Uh-uh. I'll fax these to Jill asap".

"Thanks, sis."

She hardly managed to say bye to Chris before he hanged up the call. Claire assumed he must have been busy – maybe perhaps afraid someone might be listening to the line, you never knew. Anything could happen. If Leon fall head first to someone like Angela, it wasn't----

Slamming the drawer shut Claire cussed her wandering mind. Why it needed to bring Leon up again and again? … Or perhaps he had always been there, in her mind, alone just for her and now, now he had dared to bring someone else into her head with him, which made her mad.

Chewing her lower lip with annoyed look in her eyes Claire faxed the papers and noticed Chris had left the laptop open. Again. He always did that. Reaching for the mouse Claire remembered she hadn't checked her emails yet. She needed to keep on eye of them for the job calls, which sometimes was rather tiring. Constantly being on her toes, not really knowing would the rare free days stay free…

Claire opened her mailbox with few clicks, noticing she had received one message. Silently she hoped it would be only something unimportant, maybe the monthly report or something else which wouldn't ruin her free days. Having Chris leave sooner than expected was enough, not to mention the strangling bitterness she felt because of Leon. As soon as the inbox appeared to her view her heart stopped. It was from the haunting man. Leon had sent her a message.

She felt unsure how to react to the mail. It had no title, but only simply informing the sender was L.S. Kennedy. It could be anything. It might be just "hi, how are you"-email or in the Claire's worst nightmare a personal message for her stating Leon had engaged with Angela. Somehow she didn't believe that Leon would ever engage with anyone, but as said, anything could happen. Especially for her. Claire couldn't help the cold feeling creeping to her spine when she found finally courage open the message. At the first glance revealed the message to be a short one.

Hi Red,

I'll be in New York for a short mission in 2nd of September. Are you around during that time? Maybe we could sit down for a snack.

Leon

She dazed the message, blinking. Was Leon coming to New York? Claire felt immediately herself thrilled of the idea sitting down to a table with Leon to talk, like in the old times before Havardville. The time with Leon was always quality time, he just seemed to read her like an open book. Despite the small unwanted feeling of "what if something goes wrong" Claire rushed to her cell phone and taking a deep, calming breath dialled Leon's number. She never saved it to her phone, not knowing who might get his hands on it, so she had learnt to remember the number even in her dreams.

"Hello, Red".

A smile painted Claire's lips when she heard Leon's voice.

"How can you tell it was me? I'm phoning from a different number than usual".

"It's Chris's and yours summer cottage number. I remember it", he said with a steady tone and continued "and I doubt Chris would call me from this number".

She always was amused how professionally Leon behaved. She couldn't blame him. His instincts had cut because of his work, because of his history. He was like a guard dog, constantly staying alarmed for the upcoming, thought he hit it perfectly into himself.

"I got your message."

"And?"

"It would be nice to see. It's been so long from—" Claire didn't finish the sentence, but chuckled, trying not to sound sad "Anyway, I'm always up to having a lunch out. You know I suck at cooking. Even Chris makes better food than I do."

"Then I'm glad I asked you out instead of Chris". His voice was bemused in the way only Claire was able to detect it.

"Thank you, now I have a horrible image of you and Chris dining together in a fancy restaurant…!"

She was able to sense a slight smile from Leon's side.

"I prefer a lady company over Chris, to be honest. Hopefully he won't get too disappointed", he spoke casually, with the steady tone he always seemed to use nowadays. The word of lady company hit Claire's soul like an arrow and the smile that had lingered on her face dropped. She composed herself before answering.

"Nah, he went to another mission. He won't hear of you proposal for a dinner. And besides, I assure you he's busy with Jill."

"Now really? Guess he's a rather ladies man in the end."

A silence hung in the air. Yeah, that description could be ad to someone other, too, and she almost blurted it out, hurt by the feeling. Claire cleared her throat, deciding return to the original subject.

"So, where we should meet?"

"I don't know New York that much. Maybe I could pick you up from your apartment? Now that Chris isn't there, you see". His tone was humorous again and Claire wondered was it because he was happy – or happily in a relationship to be correct. Or was he just pleased to hear Claire had time to eat something with him. Somehow she thought it was the first option…

"Sure. At what time?"

"Can't say that yet. I'll let you know later."

"Fine by me".

"…You don't sound that pleased with the idea, Claire. Is something wrong?"

Claire hadn't expected to hear anything like that from Leon. She did her best to hide the stammering tone.

"No, no, I'm fine. Just a bit grumpy that Chris needed to leave to a mission earlier than it was meant to", she shook her head while speaking, like Leon could see it, hoping he would leave the matter. "I'm happy to see you, Leon, like always". She didn't lie.

"Good. I'll give you a call then. Take care".

"You, too."

Listening to how Leon ended the call Claire sighed, head hanging low. She wished she could keep the idea of Angela away from her head when she saw him. It was hard enough already and she almost wanted to call Leon back and cancel the whole meeting, but she refused to do so.

Deciding it would be perhaps the best to calm her nerves with a huge cup of coffee she navigated herself to a kitchen. The 2nd of September would be the day after tomorrow. She needed to pull herself together before that.

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He didn't like the colour of the voice Claire was giving for him. It made him weary, restless – he knew she was lying. Claire had never been good at it anyway. Shifting a bit uncomfortably in his chair Leon stared the phone in his hand, wondering should he have pushed forward with his questioning of Claire's well-being. He didn't see it fitting for Claire, to be baby sit like that, but then it was Claire. Under the zombie ass kicking lady lived another Claire, emotional one. He noted himself it was perhaps like that with every woman, them being so much more sensitive than men were, but the fact this was Claire, not just any ordinary woman, made an uneasy knot form under his chest. He didn't now which one was scarier – the fact that Claire wasn't an ordinary woman, or the sad truth that she had been like any of them, only facing the most bizarre and traumatizing events in her life. Compared to her Leon had had an easy life. Silently he tried to image how Claire would have ended up being without loosing her family, meeting the zombies and other hellish creatures and without loosing the man who had confessed his love to her.

He stood up, the word "love" making him feel something he couldn't put a finger on it. Something nasty, something unwanted and unfair. He actually didn't want to think about it more, seeing it was perhaps best for him to drop the case. In some level it was almost forbidden for him to put words "love" and "Claire" in the some sentence, whether it was only occupying his mind instead of his mouth. He pondered where it came from…

"Excuse me, Mr. Kennedy".

He turned around in his heels, meeting a gaze of Hunnigan's soft eyes behind her classes.

"About the New York's mission", she smiled, maybe because she had just called Leon as Mr. Kennedy. It was a joke between them, but this time Leon didn't respond to it. He was the same stoic man he had been for such a long time Hunnigan couldn't remember when his persona had changed so much. Maybe it had occurred slowly, covering his easy nature with something dark that was not revealed to others.

"Hopefully nothing containing T- or G-viruses…" she heard him muttering as Leon step closer, settling himself to sit light on the desk's corner. She adjusted her glasses, sighing.

"No, New York's mission has nothing to do with those issues, I assure you, but…" she remained silent, waiting for Leon to say something, but when Hunnigan got no respond except those intensive eyes, she continued. "Your mission to New York is cancelled, Leon. They'll send another agent to it."

His heart felt cold.

"They're replacing me?" he asked not believing his ears.

"Well, kind of, yes, but it has nothing to do with you whatsoever. This is an order from a higher level, straight from you biggest boss."

He listened carefully, feeling he might not like what Hunnigan had to say.

"The president?"

She shifted her weight to another leg.

"Yes. I just received a note confirming that the president has some issues he needs you to work with. It also contains the matter of president's daughter."

This time his heart felt even colder. He cocked his head, hair swaying before his right eye.

"Is it something that I have done in Spain that has made president worry over her?"

The woman before her gave an odd stare to Leon, brows rising.

"..Is there something I should be aware of the events in Spain, Leon?"

"…Yeah, kind of, I guess".

Leon watched as Hunnigan's face paled. Hastily she stepped closer to Leon, looking at his eyes almost in a lecturing way.

"Mr Kennedy, just what have you done with Miss Graham?" she hissed, receiving at least some kind of smirk from usually so unemotional looking man.

"Nothing. She seemed to consider herself as my 'perks' if you may to put it in that way. Since the contract didn't say anything about the sexual harassment as the main objective, I was a polite gentleman. She's untouched".

Hunnigan seemed to think Leon's words hard, like weighting the truth in them. Finally she relaxed, smirking and shaking her head until she returned her gaze to Leon.

"She actually tried seduced you?" she sneered with a curious look.

"At least the attempt was highly visible, Miss Hunnigan. I was only wondering has she thrown a tantrum to Mr. Graham about me being a completely jerk agent and now I'm finally being punished by it. Guess I should have ju—"

"Not another word, Leon!" she breathed out lifting her palm in the air. She knew what he was about to say and even thought it was a joke from him – at least Hunnigan prayed it would be – she didn't want to hear more.

"I have my doubts that this case would have been given to you if you hadn't managed to do a great job with saving Miss Graham in Spain", she continued about the mission.

He listened to carefully, trying to get hints from Hunnigan's face about the mission. Somehow he knew it wouldn't be a short one…

"It's an aboard mission, Leon. They'll send you back to Spain."

"To Spain?" his voice rose with the question and hastily Hunnigan shushed him with the waving of her hands.

"I'm afraid so. Miss Graham has shown some odd behaviour, both physical and mental, and the president's family doctor fears it might be side effect from the Las Plagas infection gotten from Spain. Even though the viruses where disposed from her system. The president personally wants to send you back to Spain to inspect if symptoms like Miss Graham's ones have been reported there."

"Why they don't send someone from BSAA? They should have more information of the infection than I do".

She couldn't blame Leon's unwillingness of going back to the hellish rat hole as he had described the Spain's mission.

"BSAA has done research about this matter, confirming there shouldn't be any side effects, but it seems president doesn't trust them in some level. I kind of understand it, Leon. It's about his daughter, who's gone sick. Any other parent would do the same and since the president with his family trusts you, he wants send you to Europe. I don't know more about this or the facts why BSAA isn't send back there. Guess this time it's more a personal matter than ever, as I just said."

He wanted to hit his head on the next wall. It felt like he would need to do the same job the BSAA had already done again, just to please the president. In the corner of his mind Leon thought Ashley's symptoms where just teenager's bad mood swings and thus psychosomatic. He was irritated that the whining girl he had dragged across the Spain was ruining his plans to go to New York…

"I'm sorry for this Leon. I can see from your face that you wanted to go to New York. Were you expecting someone?"

He took a long look at Hunnigan, until his head turned to left, eyes fixating on the honour medals he had received this far.

"One of the Raccoon City survivors, Claire Redfield, lives there."

He received a sad, emphatic smile from Hunnigan.

"I'm sorry you need to disappoint Miss Redfield." Turning on her heels she walked back to the door, talking to Leon while walking "You'll abort to the mission tomorrow morning. The instructions and back ground information have been sent to your e-mail. I expect flawless out come from this mission, like usual, Mr. Kennedy."

Staying to sit on the table's corner Leon watched how Hunnigan disappeared to the hall. He was able to hear her heals clicking against the floor for a long time. Lips pressed in a tight line Leon repeated Hunnigan's words in his head.

I'm sorry you need to disappoint Miss Redfield.

Arms crossed he let his head loll backwards, a sigh escaping from his lips. He felt like he had already disappointed Claire so many times that cancelling the dinner would not change anything. She was quite used to the fact that the communication between them was rare, even though Leon did his best to keep in touch with Claire. She was most likely already disappointed they didn't see as much as after the Raccoon City's incident. He didn't like how the things were now either, but he had no choice. Reaching behind his back to pick up the phone Leon hoped Claire would understand – yet again.

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