Author's Notes: Happy New Years everyone! I hope this 2010 is awesome for all of you, and also thank you for lovely reviews and favorites. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: Resident evil is property of CAPCOM.

III

s t a r g a z i n g

Leon dried his hair with one of the towels Claire provided. He took his time while bathing, so when he got out she wouldn't be complaining. He's the one who should be angry at this point, as she made him lose his plane to D.C. because of her petty wishes.

But still, I do anything to please her.

He didn't have any other choice but to stay another night at Claire's. She didn't seem to have any problem with it, but Leon on the other hand didn't have much experience with living with another person, a female for that matter. He has been always a loner, socially speaking. So, coping with another person wasn't easy for him, but Claire was different.

She seemed always open and kind, unless you got on her bad side, which consisted on being fed up by little, specific little things. Claire things. Then crazy would happen and stuff would be thrown.

Like yesterday, perhaps.

After dressing himself with something comfortable, he decided to check on Claire. He heard her making dinner a while before he had been forced to take a bath, so she probably was still in the kitchen. He walked out of the small corridor to the living room and found Claire sitting in a small chair, staring into her big windows.

He stayed quiet, observing her thoughtfully. She was hunched over, her body in a strange position. She had her fingers on her mouth, probably biting her nails while thinking—something she only did when she was nervous. Her eyes were half-closed, probably tired from the entire ordeal earlier. He wondered why she didn't go bed, but as soon as he took some more steps closer into the room, he realized why she looked so concentrated.

The view from her apartment was really something spectacular. They were ten floors from the ground, and they could take a look at the whole area: the streets, the tall buildings, the people and especially the city lights. Claire didn't notice him there, but another quick glance made Leon understand that she wasn't really staring at the urban extravagance down below, but more at the night blue sky.

"I didn't know you were such a fan." He said, leaning on the couch's arm rest. Claire turned, a little taken by surprise. He then noted, "You know, you'll never see real starts up here."

"Hmhm, that's true. The buildings around here are too tall and too illuminated to even have a peak." She huffed, changing the topic. "How was the bath, anyways?"

"I'm alive." He joked with a crooked smile, "Thanks for letting me stay over… again."

"Well, it was partially my fault." She returned the smile, shifting a little on the chair. "Say, has the President been though on you?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Lately, you look tired." She commented, titling her head a little. "You were on Spain less than a month ago, and now you're getting called again. I mean, do you even have time to get tired?"

He seemed to reflect for a second, and then spoke again.

"It depends. Spain was a bit of a rollercoaster." Leon made a pause, really considering if it was alright to tell Claire about the mission he had to experience. He looked up at her, she was still sitting with her legs up in the chair, her knees close to her chest in a somewhat childish position and she was gazing at him rather intently, probably waiting for him to continue.

This was Claire. They hadn't been childhood friends or even shared more than two days together, but the connection they had was something strange, especial even. She had experienced the same horrible things in Raccoon City and it was possible that she also woke up every other night, haunted by nightmares. Her destiny wasn't as a secret agent for the Government like him, or with the B.S.A.A like her brother, Chris. She was an activist, a humanitarian for Terra Save, her place was in helping others—the direct victims of the disaster.

To put it in simply, he could trust her.

"Something… new was discovered. Nothing like the T-virus." She was listening carefully and seemed rather relieved that it wasn't other Outbreak. "It was still a nightmare, though. They were playing with innocent lives, and they planned to use the President's daughter as well."

"The president's daughter? That's why you were sent?" she inquired, raising her head a little.

"Hmhm,"

"Leon S. Kennedy, professional babysitter." She giggled, mostly to herself.

"I was not babysitting." Leon replied, "Ashley Graham is old enough to take care of herself."

"Sure, but you had to save her every now and then. You always serve as the dutiful Knight in Shining armor, Leon."

If you only knew how many times I had to do that. Ugh.

"Well, you know I'm alwaysa proper gentleman." He chuckled at his own words, having a small flashback when he met Claire. He saved her at the time.

There was a brief silence, he was about to say something when Claire smiled, her eyes closing for a bit.

"This is weird," she started, letting her words hang in the air.

"What?" Leon asked, feeling somewhat offended. Wasn't he good company?

"This…" she threw her hands in the air, "You and me talking about something other than zombies."

"Well, there are always other things to talk about. It's not our fault our existence is defined by those things." He said, letting himself fall on the couch. He was probably going to sleep there anyway.

"Like what, for example?" Claire got up, her feet making a creaking sound in the wooden floor. She was probably up and stretching. Leon decided it was best to stay were he was, out of the sight of Claire in her short shorts.

"I don't know, uh…" he rested his hands on his stomach, looking blankly at the white ceiling. He blurted the first thing that came to his mind, "Us?"

Claire didn't say a word for what seemed an eternity, and she had stopped moving too as he didn't hear her steps anymore. Great, he had freaked her out.

It's time to rephrase that.

"I mean—"

"Our lives, right?'" Claire spoke first, leaning on the sofa and popping her head on Leon. He seemed relieved by her take on the conversation. "Well, you are in my life, you know? This is all I have about me."

She was obviously talking about the apartment. She had to be talking about the apartment.

"So… what about you, Mr. Kennedy? Any girlfriends waiting you back home in Washington?" Claire raised an eyebrow, clearly eager to know the answer.

"No one else besides Ashley, actually. Why do you ask?" He laughed as soon as she saw Claire's face twist with fake disgust.

"I never thought you were the type to sleep your way up, Leon!" She tried to choke him with one of the cushions but he clearly was too fast for her, dodging it with ease.

"I was joking!" he defended himself, putting him hands up for surrender.

"That's disgusting." She said half-seriously, probably fighting her urges to laugh. She walked around the couch, prodding Leon to move and give her some space. Finally, the young man got into a sitting position, letting Claire sit besides him.

Their conversation shifted into several topics, both making jokes in how basic their lives had become. Their voices died down little by little, and the silence filled the room for the rest of the night. They didn't fall asleep until the lights of the city began to turn off, giving a clear view of the stars in the sky. For hours, they stared at the window, probably looking for more than stars. Maybe, they were searching for a new beginning, a new hope to fight for each morning, or something like that.

But, why do so when you're sole reason is sleeping in the crook of your neck?

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Author's Notes: This prompt ended diferently than I pictured it, but it was good overall. Hoped you all liked it, and if you have any comments, suggestions or critiques, don't forget to review.