THERE WITH YOU

CHAPTER THREE: NEW HORIZONS

"So here I am askin' forgiveness

And prayin' that you'll understand

Don't think I'd take you for granted

Girl I know just how lucky I am

Though you deserve so much better

You won't find devotion more true

'cause I've had the best of intentions…

Girl I've had the best of intentions…

I've had the best of intentions

Lovin' you."

--Travis Tritt "Best of Intentions"

It was all over. He had come to grips with that much. Now as he trekked down Highway 95 on a Harley Softail he saw once again what he'd done, or for that matter, the lack thereof. He edged the bike over into the breakdown lane on a bridge and got off of it. He leaned up against the rail, staring down at the tranquil waters below. Only flowing one path…no body could ever change that. No matter all the twists and turns, it would always end up in the same place. Leon realized that he'd found a rather ironic metaphor for his life. No matter all the twists and turns: he'd still be in the same place, Umbrella or no Umbrella. Raccoon or no Raccoon. Claire or no Claire. He gave a weak smile and turned back to the bike, only then feeling a little vibration in his jacket pocket. His cell phone was going off.

"Kennedy," he answered.

"It's been a while, Leon!" a familiar voice answered. "How's things in Chicago?" He couldn't help but force a smile.

"Better than I would've thought, Kirsten," he answered. "Seems things have moved on without me."

Kirsten let out a laugh. Her laugh, Leon thought. Kinda sounds like Claire's. "Don't tell me that you're just going to give up, are you?"

"Well, what do you expect me to do?" Leon asked.

"You'll find that when it comes to love, Leon, you'll be able to do whatever it takes," Kirsten said. "So, you've got to get her back someway, somehow."

Leon stood perplexed. He couldn't remember even mentioning Claire. How could she have…it's confusing enough. Just stop thinking and listen to the woman.

"She was with another guy tonight," Leon replied. "How's that one?"

"Here's the real question," Kirsten shot back. "Do you think she's happy? Did she look happy tonight?" Leon hung his head and began to think. She had a smile on her face, but her eyes…Leon could always tell when there was something wrong just by looking at her eyes. And there was definitely something wrong. Something gone…something missing.

"Just do what you have to do, Leon," Kirsten said. "No matter the outcome, just make sure you have no regrets." And she hung up. Leon slipped the phone back into his pocket and walked back over to the bridge.

"Have no regrets…" he whispered. "I guess that means…"

He climbed back on the bike, not even digging his helmet out of the bag, turned around and sped back towards the suburbs.

"Hey shrimp, is Claire still up?" Chris asked, poking his head through the door. Sherry snapped her attention from the TV set and walked over. Chris walked in and closed the door.

"She's torn up pretty bad," Sherry said. "What happened tonight?"

"Just…nothing," Chris quickly answered. "Is she asleep?"

"I don't think so," Sherry answered. "You can go up and check, I guess."

Chris ruffled the small fifteen year old's hair. "Thanks, kid. I'll come back down in just a minute." He turned to the blue carpeted staircase and climbed up into the second story. He turned down the hall towards Claire's room, but for some reason, some pictures hanging on the wall got his attention. Sherry's school picture from this year…Claire when everyone was at Yellowstone…himself and Jill at their wedding…but then he found one that unnerved him. It was a small one, not big at all. He stopped and looked at it. It was taken at a Fourth of July barbecue a couple of years ago: himself and Leon. Chris' eyes lowered for a minute. Suddenly, he began remembering a conversation that he and Jill had shared earlier in the evening:

"What the hell is he doing back here? I should've killed him." Jill sat back in the recliner and stared back at her pacing husband.

"Chris, you're being a little overprotective here," Jill said. "So what? He came back to Chicago. It's a free country, isn't it?"

"But following us to the restaurant?" Chris shouted back. "Nearly running me over? That's a little past free, don't you think?"

"Hell, Christopher, you pulled your gun on him!" Jill shot. "What was he supposed to do, stand in the middle of the road and say 'Here I am, shoot me!'?"

"Would have made me respect him a whole lot more," Chris quietly answered. Jill shook her head.

"You respected him once," Jill stated. "Maybe he just thought that life here wasn't what he really needed, and now he's figured out that maybe…just maybe…he's made a mistake. You can't go on hating him forever, Chris. We owe him way too much. Don't you remember Madrid?"

Chris put his hand to his forehead and thought back. Almost five years ago…Jill, Chris, Claire, and Barry had flown into Madrid, Spain and infiltrated a regional office of Umbrella. Somehow, they had found out of their plans, and they all were captured. Leon, at the time, was an active agent with the FBI's Special Investigations unit. Wires got crossed and he learned of their captivity; immediately, he and his father, Scott (another SI agent), came to Madrid, broke into the compound themselves, and attempted a rescue. After a long firefight, Scott was captured himself, and brutally murdered before Leon's eyes. Instead of giving in to his grief, Leon continued to fight his way through the compound and rescued the others. Chris hadn't forgotten. Something like that was impossible to forget. But still…the way he treated Claire…there was no excuse.

"I'll take it as you remember," Jill said. "Leon's been through a lot. But he's always come through in the end."

"We've all been through a lot," Chris abruptly answered. "But still…"

"What were we supposed to expect when you ran off to Europe in '98?" Jill asked. "You didn't tell any of us where you were going, or why. You just got up and left."

"That's a different matter entirely," Chris responded.

"How?" Jill asked. "What made it so different?"

"Besides the fact that I was trying to break into Umbrella HQ?" Chris replied. "I was trying to save lives, remember?"

"Maybe Leon had a little life-saving to do of his own," Jill answered. "Maybe he had to save his own."

Save his own…those words still echoed in Chris' mind as he stood staring at the picture. He felt anger…that was undeniable. But a small, miniscule part of him felt pain, too. Jill was right. He had respected Leon once. Hell, he even called the guy his brother. He turned around and saw Claire standing behind him, still in her t-shirt and pants.

"What are you doing here so late?" she asked. "It's after ten."

"I came over to see how you were doing," he quickly answered. "I know that had to be quite a shock today."

"Yeah," she quietly answered. Chris felt beads of sweat drip down his forehead. He reached up and wiped them as he hung his head.

"Claire, I…" he stuttered. "I'm sorry…for what I did tonight. What I did was wrong. I can understand you being upset with me, but…"

"I know, Chris," she answered. "What you did was foolish, outrageous, and just plain stupid. But I know why you did it."

"At least one of us does," he said. "I mean…I…oh, Jesus."

"Don't worry about it, Chris," Claire answered. "Who knows? It'll make sense to all of us someday. Someday soon, I hope, but I think it'll happen."

"Look, if Jill calls," Chris began. "Then I went out for a drive, ok? Tell her I'll be back soon." He turned and walked down the steps and out the door.

Leon sat and watched the Cavalier pull out of the drive and vanish among the nightlights on Mason Road. He saw his chance. He gunned the cycle's engine and took off down the street.

"It's now or never," he told himself as he pulled the bike into the driveway. He killed the engine and walked the bike up the drive, finally resting it on the kickstand. He stepped off of the bike and was immediately met by his legs nearly turning to rubber.

Jesus, I'm not a teenager anymore, he thought with a laugh. So why the hell am I so nervous? He smiled as he stepped his way through the yard and onto the front porch. His leg began to shake a little as he knocked on the large mahogany door. He stood for a couple of minutes, and still nobody answered. He knocked again. Still, no answer. Leon shook his head as he turned around and started back for the driveway.

"JUST A MINUTE!!" he heard in Sherry's high-pitched voice. He turned back around to the door and stood. The door opened wide, and there he saw Sherry.

"Can I…oh, my God," she stuttered. Tears began welling in her eyes.

"Been a long time, kid," Leon said quietly. She ran towards him and jumped up into his open arms. She began crying uncontrollably as she held onto him.

"Shhh," Leon soothed. "It's all right. No need to wake up China." She could only smile: Leon had told her that many times before, after they made it out of Raccoon and she had terrible nightmares. He put Sherry down and poked his head inside the door.

"Do you mind…" he began. She didn't need him to finish.

"Not at all," she said, wiping her eyes. "Come on, get in here." They walked in, and Leon sat down on the couch. Sherry sat next to him, and began rattling off what had happened: school stuff, boys she'd dated, just the usual teenage stuff. Leon only listened with half an ear, but he'd always smile and nod to make her think that he really understood what she was saying. He only had one thing on his mind.

"Uh, Sherry?" he interrupted. "Is…Claire here?" Sherry sat and looked at him a moment.

"Yeah," she said. "She's asleep, I think. Do you want me to go get her?" Leon stood up and shook his head.

"I think I'll go," he said. "Look, if I'm still here tomorrow, then I'll let you talk my ear off. But I really need to talk to Claire right now, ok?" Sherry gave Leon a smile.

"OK, I think I can deal with that," Sherry nearly laughed. "Go talk to her." Leon took off his jacket and laid it on the couch; then he turned towards the staircase. He climbed up and turned down the hall and stood a minute outside her door. His breath was heavy and his heart was about to thrust out his chest. It took every bit of control he had just to keep from turning and walking back out the door. But he had the control, and he knew what he had to do. He quietly opened the door and carefully stepped into the room. She was there: asleep, her back turned to him. He made his way over to the bed and sat down. He put a hand on her cheek. She softly sighed in her sleep. He couldn't think of a way to wake her up. He moved his hand, stood up, and walked over to the other side where he could see her face. He got down on his knees and rested his arms on the bed.

God, she looks like an angel, he thought, admiring her face as she slept. She let out a small groan.

"Chris, do you know what time it is?" she groaned, half asleep. "Jeez, I'll talk to you in the morning." He could only smile.

"It's not Chris," he whispered. "It's me." She barely opened her eyes, and blinked.

Claire couldn't believe it. She nearly leapt out of the bed, but instead she just sat up.

"Leon," she gasped. She opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't speak.

"It's ok," he whispered. "I'm sorry, I know it's late…but…but I had to see you."

"Why?" is all she could manage.

"It's kind of complicated," he said as he stood up. "But the biggest part of it is…I think I've finally realized just what I've lost. And if it's not too late, I would like to have another shot at it."

"That's not what I meant," Claire said. "Why did you leave? Why did you stay away for so long? Why did you do this to me?" Leon sighed. He couldn't think of an answer for that one that would be easy to explain.

"I…" he began. "I was confused. After all we went through…losing Dad…all of the other stuff…it had me thinking that maybe that life here wasn't what I thought it would be. That maybe I could find something out there better. Well, I was wrong. Instead of finding happiness, I was running from it. I always knew it somewhere inside of me, but I just tried to block it. I told myself after I left and I began to realize just what I had back here…I told myself that it would be weakness just to come back. So I couldn't. Me and my god-damned pride. But right now, I just don't care anymore. Screw my pride. 'Cause I've found where I want to be. And that's right here with you."

Claire looked at him, speechless. So many thoughts…so many emotions were racing through her mind at the time. She couldn't think of what to say.

"I know you're angry with me," he said. "I'm angry at myself. What I did was stupid…unforgivable, in my book. I can only hope you can forgive me. I was selfish…uncaring…and I want to fix that. I'll understand if you say no. But please, although I don't deserve it, give me another chance." Leon stood facing her. She had a confused look on her face. But she wouldn't answer him.

"Well, I guess that's that," he said. "I'll go ahead and go now." He turned back for the door and opened it.

"Wait!" Claire shouted. Leon turned around, and she flew into his arms.

"Promise me now," she cried. "Promise me now that you'll never leave me again."

"I promise," he whispered. "I swear."

Leon woke up the next morning, and for a moment, he didn't know where he was. Suddenly, he remembered what happened that night. He had laid there and held Claire until she fell asleep, and he remembered that he wasn't far behind. He sat up and scratched the back of his head. Heck, he hadn't even bothered to take his dusty jeans or dirty boots off. He stood up and headed for the bedroom door.

"Hey," he heard. Claire had woken up, and was looking at him. "Where are you going?" He smiled and walked over to her. He bent down and kissed her forehead.

"Just getting a clean shirt," he said. "Probably should get a shower too."

"OK," she replied. "I should be getting up and around, too." He bent down again and kissed her lips.

"You do that," he said. He stood back up and walked out the door and down the stairs. He headed back out to his bike and opened one of the side pouches, enabling access to his old leather backpack. He pulled it out and headed back for the house. Once inside he headed for the bathroom, undressed, and climbed into the shower.

"Hey Sis!" he heard. Oh, shit! he thought. "You up? Some whack-job's parked his motorcycle in your driveway."

"Well," he heard her begin. "I know who's it is. It's not a problem."

"Oh yeah? Who's is it?"

"A friend."

"Who?"

"Why do you care?"

Silence.

"Oh, no, Claire. You didn't."

"And if I did?"

"Where is the sorry little bastard?"

"It's none of your worry, Chris. You don't make my decisions."

"I can't believe you're letting this little worm trick you again!"

"It's my choice, Chris. Not yours. So just live with it."

"I'm not going to do it! I'm not going to let him do this to you again!"

Chris was seeing red. How could she let him deceive her again? It was time to finish this.

"I swear to God, I'll…"

"Kill me?" he heard. "If it makes you feel that much better, than do it." Chris looked behind him and there he stood. The same lean, muscular build. Dressed in typical Leon-style: t-shirt and old blue jeans. He'd ditched the goatee, but his wet hair was strewn about his shoulders. He reached into a small leather backpack on the couch and pulled out his father's fifty-caliber magnum. He rammed a clip into it, checked the safety, and tossed it to Chris. "Here, this should do the job."

Chris stood there and looked at him, stunned for a moment. He rolled the magnum in his hands. What was Leon trying to prove? Chris' face contorted in confusion.

"Obviously there's something about me that's eating you, Chris," Leon continued. "And for some reason or another you can't see my intentions for coming back, and it's damn near impossible for you to forgive me. So if killing me is my only hope for atonement, then by all means, Chris, do it." Claire's face contorted in pain as she saw her brother raise the gun. Leon only smiled and spread his arms. Chris kicked off the safety and aimed the pistol at Leon's head.

Chris grunted and lowered the gun. He put the safety back on and threw the gun to the ground. He turned from Leon and walked out the door.

Epilogue

The sun shone a bright red as it was beginning to set for the night. It was one of those little things that Leon had forgotten to admire. But now there was time for that. There was time for all of those little things. And he had Claire beside him. That only made things better.

In the following days, Chris had been rather slow, if anything, in trying to forget and forgive, so to say. But sooner or later he had, and now, things were slowly returning back to normal. As he sat on the grassy knoll, he looked up at the red sky, and wondered how he could ever have left all of this behind, and actually hoped to find something better? It was a joke.

"Hey," he heard. Claire was next to him, wrapped up in his arms. "It's getting a little late. Do you think we should be heading back?"

"Nah," Leon replied. "Let them worry. We're just fine here." She closed her eyes and smiled. Leon turned back to his thoughts, and he realized something that he should have realized a long time ago:

I'm finally happy.

A/N: Jeez, it took me a LONG TIME to finish this! But, it's over, and it's just another chapter in my sub-par writing "career." Anyway, I would like to thank a person by the name of Bethan (I'm not sure of her real name, her ff.net name, or anything else, actually) who gave me some really good ideas, although they quite wouldn't conform to the story. Anyway, it was enough to get me back writing again!