A/N: Tough one to write, this. Leon gets schooled. Twice. R&R as always, if it takes your fancy!
...
"Claire? Claire!" Leon barged through another set of swinging doors, fending off the angry objections of several hospital staff. Mick tailed behind him, waving his badge apologetically.
Leon's mind was aflame. He'd lost Helena for a time when she'd had to turn back on herself on the bike and by the time they'd caught up, they were stuck on the wrong side of a huge pile-up of ruined police cars and more black cars; and against all reason, a very dead C-Virus victim, surrounded by a dozen armed officers.
They'd arrived just in time to see the ambulance disappearing down the street. Mick managed to get the hospital they were heading to from one of the cops, but no more details than that one of them had been shot, none of them knew either of the women. Leon feared the worst, not objecting as Mick remained with him as they sped after them.
He had to know she was alright. He trusted Helena to keep his oldest friend safe, but still he was worried.
"Claire!" He roared again, charging through another door, coming face to face with an extremely irate doctor. Behind him he could see a window into an operating theatre, where half a dozen staff surrounded a covered figure on a table. He pushed forward, only to be held back by the increasingly adamant doctor.
"You will leave at once, sir. I will not have you risking the life of this young woman, she is at a very delicate stage."
"Get off me." Leon growled, glaring at him. The doctor didn't even blink, remaining steadfast.
"Officer, this man is causing a disturbance and must be removed."
Mick grimaced, not relishing the idea of going up against the blonde man, after what he'd seen of him so far.
"Come on." He tugged at his shoulder. "You're not helping anybody."
"I need to see her, where the hell is Helena, why isn't she here?" He tried to get past again, this time held back by Mick and the doctor, and several other orderlies. "Claire!"
"Leon?"
He choked back another shout, turning to see her walking down the corridor toward them. A cup of coffee steamed in her hands and she frowned at him, lightly.
"Claire." He breathed, emotion raw in his tone.
Her lips broke into a wide smile and she jogged forward, wrapping him in a hug.
"It's so good to see you." She laughed.
He hugged her tightly too, glad she was okay.
"I thought…it doesn't matter, you're alright." He couldn't hide the relief he felt, but something dug at him. "Where's Helena? She should have been with you."
Claire's brow furrowed and her face hardened. He felt a sudden weight fall on his chest as she pushed him away, suddenly angry.
"Leon you idiot! Who do you think is in there?!" She gestured wildly to the room beyond. "Don't you even care?"
"What?" He blurted, hoarsely.
"What happened?" Mick asked, in an attempt to aid the clearly struggling blonde.
"She saved me, she stepped in front of a shotgun for me, for you." She jabbed Leon in the chest. "She doesn't even know me!"
"Is she…"
"I don't know!" Claire pushed him again. "For some reason, that girl thinks enough of you that she was willing to die for me. Why!?" Claire's eyes met his, pleadingly.
Leon didn't know what to say, he was still trying to process what she'd done, what had happened. Knowing it was Helena in there, it didn't change anything, he was still as worried…no, that wasn't true. He looked down, his hands were shaking. It was different.
Claire noticed too, looking back up at him, full of sympathy. He didn't understand, Leon never had, she thought, sadly.
"Maybe they'll let us see her, later." She said, assuring.
His shoulders slumped, and to Claire, he suddenly seemed much older, much more tired and worn than she remembered. She took his unresisting hand, leading him away to somewhere they could wait.
Mick lingered, at a loss for what else to do, when the one called Claire invited him along. He looked around, shrugged, and followed.
…
About an hour later, Chris and Jill stormed in, actually armed still, covered in dirt, blood and sweat going through the same routine he had. It was with some guilt he observed, that nobody had seemed to even think of Helena until afterward. It was true that Chris and Jill had only known her for one day, but…
He ran a hand through his hair, exhausted, as he watched Chris hug his sister and Jill standing by, looking a mix of relieved as she watched the two siblings and sad as she glanced his way. It had been a long, long day.
And he had known Helena for longer. He'd known her for some time now. She'd proved herself by staying with him in Tall Oaks and going with him to China, he'd continued to meet her as she slowly descended into that rut, drinking herself into numbness each time he found her. And now she'd taken a bullet for somebody she hardly knew simply because she'd been told Claire was important to them, to him.
God, and he was going to accuse her of abandoning Claire, of letting her get hurt…
He stifled a yawn, unable to allow himself to appear even slightly human, not now. What time was it anyway? Three in the morning? Four?
He glanced at Mick, the strange copper who'd thrown his job away to help them out. He felt bad for putting a stranger in the position they had, and wondered if there was anything he could do for him. He had stood well under pressure, maybe he'd have a word with Chris later, when…
Leon couldn't bring himself to finish the thought.
"How're you holding up?" Jill asked softly, taking a seat beside him.
"Are you and Chris alright?" He ignored her question.
"We handled ourselves. Might need a new place to live though." She smiled a little at the look her gave her. "You know Chris, even I've never found all the guns in that apartment."
"Sounds about right." He chuckled, harshly.
"How are you though." She repeated, noting how he flinched as he placed her hand on his.
"Don't ask me that." He replied, unable to look at her, staring hard instead at his feet. "Not while she's…"
Jill didn't need to ask who he was talking about.
"I'm sure she'll be alright."
"As soon as I heard one of them was hurt I just assumed it was Claire." He frowned. "Forgot about her completely."
"You weren't the only one." Jill sighed. "So let's make it up to her. Let's be here when Helena wakes up, right?"
He shook his head, still staring hard at the floor.
"I shouldn't, not after the things I thought, not-"
"Hey." Jill hissed, not wanting to draw the attention of the others. "I know you've got your lone-wolf thing you like to do, I know you want nothing more than to go off and beat yourself up about this but it ain't fucking happening Leon. She's here and counting on you, and I'm gonna make sure you're here when she gets better if I have to break your damn legs."
He didn't say anything, but she saw the ghost of a smile flash across his face.
"Chin up Kennedy, from what I've seen of her today she could eat you for breakfast. I know she'll be alright."
He looked up and saw Claire smiling back at him. Helena had saved her, his oldest friend. All she'd gone through today and she'd stood in front of a gun, knowing she'd be shot at the end of it, for a stranger. Anybody who could do that would have to be able to handle this.
"Chris is right." Leon muttered, sullen. "Somebody is going to pay for this."
"Save it for when we find somebody, huh?"
Cries sounded from down the hall as hospital staff and visitors bustled past either heading away from or toward a commotion.
"Gotta be fucking kidding me." Leon snarled, drawing his gun. Jill followed quickly.
Chris was already waiting behind one corner, holding his shotgun. Leon took up position opposite, ready and waiting for whoever, or whatever, came their way. Jill raised her own shotgun, anxiously, wondering just how much somebody really wanted them dead. Claire was behind her, and that cop had even knelt down beside Chris, pistol raised.
A dozen or so heavy pairs of boots echoed up the corridor, Leon tightened his finger on the trigger. He was tired, angry and with Helena in the room behind them, had never felt so powerless in all his life. The door to the operating room burst open as the sound of heavy footsteps grew louder.
"This is really intolerable, what-" He took in the sight of the five of them, four who were armed for battle. "…what on earth are you idiots doing now?!"
Leon ignored him, focusing on the still empty hall ahead. Jill attempted to calm the doctor's fury at the constant interruptions, largely ineffectually.
Chris shot him a look as the unknown group were about to turn the corner. Leon nodded. Time seemed to slow.
Three men appeared at once, Chris fired once, over their heads. They ducked back, yelling and holding their guns in the air. The doctor behind them was all but tearing his hair out.
"Captain Redfield, is that you?"
Chris released his breath in an audible mix of relief and ecstasy as he recognised the voice of Sergeant Nichols.
"Nichols?"
"Sir!" Nichols peered around the corner, cautiously.
Chris, Leon and Mick stood down. Nichols signalled with a wave and a dozen BSAA soldiers followed him as he jogged toward them.
"Nichols, what the hell are…what are you all doing here?" He noted the men behind him. "A dozen men seems a bit excessive."
"No choice, sir." Nichols frowned. "A number of agents and high-ranking officers were murdered tonight, in savage attacks."
"What?" Jill gasped.
"They even came after Colonel Hancock, if he hadn't been out on a raid with a strike-team, he'd be dead too. He reasoned you would be targeted too, so sent me to find you. Glad you're both alright, sir." Nichols nodded at Jill too.
"How many?" Chris managed, struggling to process the loss of more friends and colleagues.
"Enough." Nichols replied, simply. "You left quite a trail, sir. You and Mr Kennedy."
Leon could feel their eyes fall on him.
"It's a long story." He muttered, leaving it at that.
"Either way, I'm ordered to escort everybody back to base sir, for security reasons."
"I'm not leaving."
He was sure. He was sure of his desire not to leave Helena. He was so sure he was even able to ignore Jill's smug grin as her eyes bored into the back of his head.
"I'll stay too." Claire spoke up.
"Like hell, sis." Chris argued. "I'm not letting you out of my sight, not since-"
"Stop me." She crossed her arms, with a grin.
Chris turned to Nichols.
"Arrest her."
Behind him, Claire laughed sharply and Jill groaned into her hands.
"Sir," Nichols shrugged apologetically. "If she's not a bio-terrorist or abetting bio-related crime in some way, she's out of our jurisdiction. Sorry, sir."
A few of the soldiers stifled laughs.
"You, officer, Ford was it?" Arrest her."
"…uh…sorry. Car chases through the city streets? Massive collateral damage? Gun fights?" Mick shrugged. "I'm very, very fired."
Chris turned to Jill, desperately, but she waved a hand, signalling she didn't want to get involved. He turned back to his sister, pleadingly.
"I'll be fine, Chris." She nodded to Nichols. "Go with them, I know you have to."
"I'm sorry." Chris slumped.
"It's alright brother." She hugged him quickly, smiling as he flinched at her informality in front of the men.
"Right, well." He freed himself with as much dignity as he could. "Nichols. I want a squad here at all times. And police cooperation for more protection, for my sister, Leon and Helena."
"Agent Harper?" Nichols asked, puzzled. "She's here?"
"If we are QUITE done being invaded by you people and your army of lumbering idiots, I would appreciate if you would LEAVE, at ONCE." The doctor exploded, finally able to contain his fury no longer.
"Sorry." Chris managed, withering under the doctor's fiery stare. His eyes wandered to Mick, who had said little since his arrival. "You'd better come too."
Mick nodded, seeing little else to do.
They all shuffled awkwardly. Chris and Jill said their goodbyes and left with the soldiers. Nichols lingered a moment.
"Sergeant?" Claire prompted.
"Sorry to hear about Harper, sir." He saluted quickly. "Good luck." He hurried after the others.
The doctor nodded, satisfied at last, and entered the theatre beyond once more. Leon stared after him, feet rooted to the ground. He felt Claire's hand slip into his, reassuringly.
"I should be doing something. I can't do anything useful here, least of all for her."
"You are doing something."
"You heard Nichols. More were killed, we survived but others weren't so lucky. The world is changing out there, overnight, and I'm in here, doing nothing."
"You're not doing nothing." Claire repeated, more insistently. She turned so she was facing him. "Leon, you'll be here for Helena when she wakes up, that's important."
"To who." He muttered, not quietly enough.
Sometimes he forgot Claire was a Redfield. He was swiftly reminded when a fist collided with his jaw, sending him stumbling backward, though he remained on his feet.
"To her, for one!" She pointed at the closed doors. "And to you, I think, if you could ever get past that pig-eared sense of isolation you foist on yourself." Claire sighed.
She thought back to the younger woman's words, spilled in the rambling of the pain-induced delirium. Her innermost thoughts and conflicts regarding Leon, herself and her willingness to risk her life for Claire because she was important to the blonde survivor. Well, she wasn't going to be the one to betray Helena's moment of weakness, not if Leon was going to be as wilfully blind as he usually was.
She held out a hand, leading Leon to some chairs along the wall. They sat down together in silence, and waited.
