She turned and hurried back up the steps, giving him something to remember her by. Nuzzling up to Chris, Robin brushed her lips against his, applying the smallest amount of pressure possible. Once she was gone, they won't be able to contact each other, so the kiss had to be sweet to convey their feelings. Insatiable, the kiss deepened, becoming slow yet urgent. Once she left, they wouldn't be able to touch each other or even hear the other's voice, so the kiss also had to be passionate and memorable enough to tide them over until they could see each other again. It was more than sufficient on both counts.
Neither wanted to part from the titillating embrace, but Robin had a plane to catch.
Stroking her cheek with the palm of his hand, Chris kissed her forehead, absorbing every last bit of her that he could, down to the smell of her skin to the barrowed clothes on her back. She smiled at him with her eyes, the amber flecks looking extra bright against their grey base, yet despite the auroral look in her eyes, her face looked pained. Tracing her full, kissable lips with his thumb, he wondered what was plaguing her mind this time, "What is it, Robin?"
She wasn't sure how to answer that question, because she knew that it would come out wrong, and even if she somehow did manage to say it correctly, she had the distinct feeling that she would miss her flight. So she said instead, "I'm just going to miss you while I'm gone."
But that wasn't what she was dreading; part of it maybe, but not the full picture. He could see that, but he decided to let her say it herself, on her own terms. It could have been important, but he figured that if it was that pressing, she would have mentioned it earlier. He trusted her implicitly...
Meanwhile...
Not caring to see her brother interacting with another woman, no matter how innocently, Claire waited in the car, drumming her fingertips against the steering wheel. It wasn't that she was jealous, that would be so wrong and so very disgusting; Claire just didn't have the stomach to see her older brother kissing a woman. Maybe she wouldn't have minded so much if he had ever had a girlfriend when he was taking care of her, but he never did, so it unnerved her. But in all fairness, she actually thought that Robin was right for her brother, even if she was younger than the redhead. Something about them just clicked in all the right ways.
Weary of waiting for Robin, Claire wondered how she had managed to provide not only clothes, but transportation for Chris's girlfriend - not that she minded. It was just a bit of a mystery to her as to why Chris didn't take her himself. He had a mode of transportation, and Robin had that Jeep, so why didn't he just take her to the airport, or at the very least, bring her Jeep back to the apartment? But then it hit her like a speeding bullet: Chris had to stay at the apartment so he could collect Robin's things when her sisters came to drop them off, not to mention the fact that if he took her to the airport, they probably would never stop clinging to each other.
The current stage of their romance was sickening sweet.
Honking the horn at the inseparable duo, she shouted out of the window at them, "Hey, the flight leaves in less than twenty minutes!"
Groaning, she saw them whisper their final farewells before Robin slid into the front seat, her luggage already in the back. She looked kinda depressed for someone who was about to go do something that they supposedly loved. Claire had the sneaking suspicion that Robin's dream was little more than a tool to let her be close to Chris, but so long as she was doing good for the worldl, she didn't mind what the reasons were. Gathering that the hangdog passenger was lovesick, Claire felt a little bad for the young woman, reminded forcibly of Steve... Steve... Fighting back the tears that still stung even after all of these years, Claire drove off in silence.
"You love my brother, right?" Claire suddenly looked at Robin from the corner of her eye. She was curious about Robin's interest in her brother, especially because to her, it was something new.
"Chris is..." She paused, considering that she was talking to Chris's sister, "the most important thing to me. If he wasn't, I would have never have chosen him over my family."
Claire knew that she was telling the truth - Robin loved her family more than anything. And since Chris was probably taboo number one, she would never have looked at him if she wasn't in love. Considering that Robin had also let herself be ostracized, it was pretty obvious that she was in love. Not to mention the fact that she was simply glowing like a woman in love.
Hitting the proverbial nail on the head, Claire kept her voice steady as to not give away an ounce of emotion, "Do you see a future with him?"
Chris had asked her that very same question only yesterday, and at the time, she had been unable to answer. Not much had really changed between then and now, but somehow, she had access to stand just within range of an answer; basically she still had no clue, but she was at least able to think about it, "I would like to say yes, but I have no clue."
"So...?" Claire wasn't sure Robin had meant by that, but if Chris had been there, he probably would have understood.
Shaking her head, Robin tried again, "I love Chris with everything I have - I just don't know if I can see us getting married."
That made sense to her, "That's good to hear! But I promise you, if you ever do anything to hurt my brother, I will personally see to it that you pay!"
Looking affronted, Robin shook her head so furiously, Claire was surprised she didn't give herself whiplash, "I understand what you're saying, but I would never willingly hurt him. That would be like me cutting out my own heart and doing all kinds of evil to it."
Pleased by what she had heard, they sped on to the airport...
A Few Minutes Later...
Kept up by the long goodbye with Chris, which she didn't regret, Robin had to sprint through the terminal to find Leon among the sea of faces. Besides being her partner in all of this, it was he who had both of their tickets. Claire had wanted to see Leon again, but things were so down to the wire, she just saw Robin off at the front entrance. Seeing a familiar face waiting for her by the gate, the raven-haired female slowed down, smiling at her new friend. He nodded at her, watching her go through the metal detector with her carry-on.
"Leon!" She ran up to him once she was cleared to board, "Sorry it took so long to get here..."
He shook his head, a tuft of blonde falling into his ice blue eyes, "It's fine."
That was one thing she also liked about Leon - While he was all ice, Chris was liquid fire.
Grateful for his general attitude, she followed him into the plane, remaining quiet as they took their seats in Economy Class. Turning to his companion, Leon informed her that they would be getting their arms once they landed. She wasn't too concerned about that because she may or may not have had a case made of a special alloy that didn't register on metal detectors. As if Robin would travel anywhere without some kind of a weapon to protect herself!
Realizing that she had no idea where they were even going, she turned to ask Leon. Unfortunately, her stomach began to toss and protest, so she had to run to the bathroom. Not able to shut the door behind her, everyone in the area heard her being sick. Concerned about her health, Leon followed her to the bathroom. She was still curled next to the toilet when he crouched behind her to make sure that she was alright.
"Sorry," She mumbled as she flushed the pot, face positively green.
Shaking his head, and assuming that she was going to be alright by the color rapidly returning to her skin, he helped her up, "Maybe we should postpone this for another-"
"No! I have to go!" She snarled rather than insisted. This was something that she had to see through, no matter what!
Twisting on the tap for her to wash her hands, he spoke sternly, more than obviously worried about her wellbeing, "Don't force yourself!"
"I lost everything in Raccoon City! My parents, my brothers, and my home: everything. Hearing that bastard saying their name... It made me wonder how he knew about me. My parents had come to America together with no family or friends between them, and they stayed that way until the end. Having nothing for twelve years and suddenly hearing a name that hasn't been said that entire time... I have to know who that man is and what he knows." She was crying, silently, but he still saw her silvery tears falling in the overhead light.
Giving in so that she wouldn't keep crying, he agreed to continue with the mission, "I suppose we've come this far already. But," He said grimly, "You should think about what you have now. The past is important, but if that's all you think of, you can lose sight of the future."
She nodded resolutely, "I know. I have too much to look forward to."
"Excuse me, but we're ready to take off now. I need you both to return to your seats." A rosy-cheeked stewardess slid up behind them, catching them both off guard, winking at Leon and acting as if Robin were the bane of humanity.
They apologized to her and hurried back to their seats, buckling in. One of the more irritable passengers snapped at them for the hold-up, which actually had nothing to do with the scene in the restroom, "Keep your girlfriend at home if she's sick!"
She was about to snap back, but Leon held her back, shaking his head, "He's not worth it."
Mumbling to herself, Robin took her seat, settling in for the flight before them. Recalling that she had been about to say something to him, Leon asked her what it was. Still steamed about the man and his comment, she didn't even hear him speaking to her. Figuring that it must not have been very important, Leon sat back, feeling the plane rolling along the runway. He wished that he could have been flying on the company jet, but given the state of things, he understood why he had to travel this way and was more than fine doing it.
Too many questions about what he was doing and the girl he was doing it with.
AN: Um... Robin is still sick, but she forces herself to endure! Not good, boys and girls, not good. I mean, perseverance is a good thing, but not to the point where it could kill you. And Steve gets a part! Yay! What, I like Steve! Code: Veronica version. I don't have a wii, so I have no clue about any "improvements" they might have made.
To Recap This Chapter: It's time for Robin to leave, so she has to say good bye to Chris. Once they finally do say good bye, Claire gives Robin a lift to the airport, asking her what her intentions are with her brother. Robin explains herself to Claire, and they part outside the airport. Leon meets Robin, and they have a small chat about why Robin has to do this.
Song: For Claire, I give you "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother", by The Hollies. I was thinking of another song, one by Joss Stone, but I think that it would fit better at a later chapter, so that's why I chose this song.
Disclaimer: Capcom owns Resident Evil, not me. All respective properties, like, but not limited to, songs, belong to their respective brands. All I can lay claim to is the Varis family... and this work of fiction. Any game-related information used in this story comes from the Resident Evil Wikia, actual game play, and videos (official ones of the games) come from YouTube.
