Writers Note: This is one of my favorite video game pairs of all time. It has taken me a long time to think of how I wanted these two to finally have a sexual encounter together and though the location is simple enough I really wanted to get into the characters head space for this one. As always I am open to feedback, comments, and suggestions. I hope you enjoy!
(September 29th, 1998)
Claire and Leon have become trapped at the Raccoon City Police Department. Having already dealt with an infestation of undead along side a car crash, a helicopter crash was the last thing they were expecting. Exploding through a wall of the station, it catches both of their attentions. Leon from inside the station and Claire from outside in the garden. They both rush to the scene to check up on what has happened. They find nothing but smoke and fire.
Claire sees Leon from the broken, second story, window and her heart expands with relief to see that his is okay. Her entire journey from the crash to the station she can't deny that she had doubts about ever seeing the silky haired rookie again in one piece. After all, he admitted this is only his first day. Even if he was the top ace of his class, stepping out from a controlled environment into the real world is a much different story. She should know. All those training sessions she spent at the firing range with her brother were nothing compared to pulling the trigger on those zombies back at the gas station. It's do or die out here. She only hopes she wont have to make the hard decision of taking him out if he becomes infected or vise versa. She shakes the thought from her mind. She has to remain confident. They are going to get out of here, together.
"Leon?" She calls up to him.
He turns towards her voice and right away becomes overjoyed to find her looking up at him with wide eyes and a toothy grin.
"Claire?" He runs out of the hall onto the metal fire escape to greet her. "Hold on! I'll be right there!"
She nods. "Okay."
He hurries down the metal steps taking little care to the fact that the rain has made them slippery, only to discover that the two of them are separated by a tall, gated, fence that has razor wire lining the top. Claire has her arm through the mail slot trying to open the gate from the inside. It doesn't budge.
"Shit! I can't get it open," she huffs.
"Let me take a look at it."
She pulls her hand back through, then grips the fence, as she watches him impatiently to open it. Struggling to see through the rain dripping from his brow and into his eyes, he studies the lock. There is no release.
He huffs, "It can only be opened with a key."
"Shit." Claire turns her attention to the razor wire. "Maybe we can find something to cut down that wire and then I can just hop over."
He follows her glance and notices the wire is heavily tied down. They could cut it but it would take too much time. "Maybe, but I think I have a better idea." He directs her attention to the side of the building to his right. "Just down that way are some windows that have been shattered. If we both follow the wall of this hallway it will be only a matter of time before I can lift you through one of them. What do you say?"
She gives the area a quick look over. The task seems simple enough, except for the line of bushes that she would have to shift through. On a normal day she would find it no big deal to rustle through something like that, but today who knows what might be lurking inside them and ready to pounce at any second.
Not wanting to worry him, she finds her confidence and says, "Sounds like a plan. I'll be happy just to get out of this freezing rain."
She readies herself to move but Leon stops her. "Claire!"
She turns back to him and waits for what he has to say. Instead he slips his arm through the mail slot and holds his hand out to her. Without hesitation she grips onto his elbow and allows him to do the same. They are now face to face. Only the thin strip of chain-link fence separates them from a full embrace. Claire can feel her body temperature rise a bit even in the cold as she stares into Leon's soft, blue, eyes. They are telling her that he can't stand to be away from her for even a second. It is a look no person has ever shown her before and she becomes worried that if she looks away she will never get to experience it ever again.
"What is it?" She asks curiously.
"It's just... be careful. Okay? I don't want to see anything happen to you," he says all of this without ever taking his eyes off hers.
Claire's heart leaps up into her throat. She can't believe that he is expressing the same exact feelings for her that she has for him. This is fate. They were destined to meet one another. Why it had to be in a zombie infested city is beyond anyone's guess but there is no denying their chemistry.
The grip they have on each other tightens as they pull themselves towards one another. Their lips are so close to caressing. Only that half an inch between the diamond shaped hole separates them. If they both were to pucker their lips they would be able to just barely fit them through. It wouldn't be much of a kiss but it would be better than no kiss at all. They feel each other's hot breath caress their faces. The rain continues to try and interfere, but they both just let the moisture drip from their chins. Their eyes close. If they lean in just a teeny bit more...
A sudden explosion jumps them from the second floor. The helicopter has become engulfed in flames. The fire alarm sounds spreading a ear piercing ring throughout the area.
"Damn it! You know what that means," says Leon.
"Yeah. Dinner time," Claire adds.
Giving them no time to change their strategy, they become immediately surrounded by a hoard of zombies slumping from the city streets. Claire looks to Leon with obvious fear spread over her face. Leon grips his fingers hard onto the gate wishing with all his might that he could just rip it away and pull her through. The sad truth fills his chest with grief.
"Stay alive, Claire," he begs.
"Ditto," she replies while giving him a soft wink before disappearing along the wall of the building.
Once she is out of sight he is finally able to recollect himself and move forward. His heart races, finding her incredible due to her ability to take all of this so well. He can't help but want to know more about her, but now is not the time. Next to the door on his right is a lock cutter which he uses to unchain the previously inaccessible door. Stepping through, he wipes the rain from his face and finds himself back in the hallway where he witnessed a fellow officer being ripped in half. Keeping his mind on Claire, he keeps his eyes looking straight ahead. Suddenly remembering that he already boarded up one of the windows he told Claire about he kicks himself for leaving out that detail.
He approaches the East Office doorway and uses the lock cutter on the chain to get inside. He slowly pushes the door open and readies his side arm to inspect the room. It is clear. Even with the room's window broken it seems that no zombies have wondered their way inside.
He makes his way around to the window and sticks his head through to search for Claire. It's hard to see through the darkness and rain but he is sure that if she were out there he would be able to spot her red jacket. He can still hear the fire alarm echoing off the city buildings. His eyes scan tirelessly but she is nowhere to be found. He tries to call out to her but like some cruel joke from the gods a thunder strike cracks through the sky muffling his voice. He tries again and once again the thunder cuts him off. His heart sinks. All he can think is in only the few minuets that they have been apart, something had to have happened to her. There is no way that she wouldn't be here already if it hadn't.
Unsure what to do, he glances back and forth between the office and the window. Should he jump out into the night to look for her or should he continue his journey through the station? Maybe she found her way inside some other way and is now just waiting for him to catch up to her. He can't help but think that something must have grabbed her. As strong and as confident as she is, she is still just as inexperienced as he is.
"Stop it, Leon!" He fights his thoughts. "Claire is alive. There is no way she wouldn't take every precaution."
A rustling from the bushes catches his attention. At first he is excited thinking it has to be her. "Claire?" When he doesn't hear her say anything back he lifts up his gun and aims it into the darkness. The rustling continues. His heart races. He tells himself not to pull the trigger until he is sure that whatever pops through is malicious. A few more seconds of rustling before he sees some kind of mass peering through the leaves. His hands shake as he continues to tell himself he can't fire just yet. A hand slowly pokes its way through the bush, followed by an arm. It is that of a woman but there is no sign of the red sleeve of Claire's jacket. He readies his hand on the trigger. He recognizes the empty expression that peers at him from the darkness. Just another unfortunate person who has been turned. He is about to take her down when suddenly the loud burst from a handgun rings out and causes the body to fall limp from the bushes. The zombie had no lower jaw which he assumes is why she had not been making any telltale growling or hissing noises.
Claire finally appears before him from the brush and he quickly pulls his gun away. Taking deep breaths, she forces out a smile then sets her gun into its holster.
"See? No big deal," she jokes.
Leon lets out a relieved sigh then puts his fire arm away. He reaches his hands through the window to help her inside. Being careful not to let the glass touch anything but the soles of her shoes, he puts his upper muscle strength to use and lifts her through the window frame. Once her feet are firmly planted on the floor, the two of them wrap their arms around one another in a tight embrace. Leon places his hand against the back of her soaked ponytail and holds her head against his shoulder. The floral scent of her hair fills his nose and he can't help but to breathe her deep into himself. She wraps her arms around his waist and enjoys the feeling of his warm body against her cold skin.
"When I didn't see you at the window... I was so worried something had happened to you," his voice is tight as he tries to hold back the fact that if he were to let himself, he could cry at this very moment.
"I'm sorry. I ran into some trouble just after leaving the garden. I had to play it quiet or else I would have drawn the attention of every zombie in the area."
He loosens his grip realizing he is almost smothering her. They look into each other's eyes once again..
"That's alright. All that matters now is you're safe," his voice has once again turned into the tone of a cop. A little less personal, but Claire understands that he is still one the job.
As they look into one another, they find themselves back in that blissful moment when they had almost kissed. They fight their instincts realizing that now is not the time for such emotions.
"Come on. We have to keep moving," Leon says as if giving orders to a fellow police officer.
"Leon wait!" Claire blurts out.
He turns back to her quickly. Worried she might be hurt. "What is it?"
She sighs, "This is going to sound silly but... I'm really hungry right now." She places her hands over her belly and feels it grumble hard.
As if mimicking her his belly growls too. "Now that you mention it, so am I." He thinks to himself for a moment. "I'm pretty sure I saw some vending machines out in this hallway earlier. Maybe we can get something from them. Let's go."
Claire helps him to pull the barricade from the doorway then follows close behind as they make their way through the hall. Sure enough two large vending machines with their lights flickering sit idly against the far wall. Normally neither of them would allow themselves to indulge in such high calorie sweets due to keeping up with their physiques, but tonight is to be the exception.
Leon leans his elbow up against the candy machine as if he's some kind of model and presents her the choices within.
"So what's your poison? A smooth, creamy, Kit-Kat? A crispy, salty, bag of Lays potato chips? Maybe a stick of gum to chew things over?" He chuckles.
"Don't tell me you have a roll of quarters inside one of those fancy pockets," she teases.
"Well no..." he says disappointed.
Claire laughs, "Stand back stud. I've always wanted to do this."
She turns around and picks up the metal folding chair behind her. She lifts it up at her side, then like a baseball bat swings it at the machine, and shatters its glass casing.
"Yeah!" She cheers.
"Not exactly subtle, but effective," he says impressed.
She chuckles while handing him an armful of snacks, "Come on. Fill your pack so we can hurry up to the S.T.A.R.S. Office."
"You mean you know where it is?"
With a mouthful of chocolate she answers him, "Yeah. I came here to meet up with my brother once. He buried himself in paper work and ended up missing our dinner date, but there was no way I was leaving town without seeing him. So I surprised him by showing up here."
"I bet he really appreciated that." Claire can tell by the tone of his voice that what Leon really wanted to say was that he would appreciate it if she were to do that for him, but common courtesy has kept him from letting it slip out. He clears his throat realizing she wasn't fooled by his attempt to mask his feelings. "I hope we can find out where he is."
"I'm sure he'll have left me a note on his desk. Let's go."
She takes him by the hand and leads him towards the stairs to the second floor. Leon tries to hide the fact that he is blushing by brushing his palm against his nose and hopes that she doesn't notice. They hurry up the steps taking care for any unknowns but the hall is eerily quiet with nothing but the sound of the rain trickling against the windows.
With their side arms at the ready they turn the knob to the office then quickly step inside. To their relief the room is brightly lit and appears to have no internal damage of any kind. After locking the door behind them, they holster their guns and begin searching the desks for ammo and clues on the location of Claire's brother.
She heads straight for his desk and frantically looks through each drawer. After only a few minutes of searching she comes up empty handed and slams her fist down on the desk.
"Damn it," she grumbles.
"Is everything okay?" Leon asks as he steps over to her side.
She closes her eyes and lets out a hard sigh as she fights to hold back her tears of frustration. "There's nothing here. Not a single note saying where he might have gone. I just don't get it. My brother would never just leave without telling me something."
"Maybe there is something you over looked. A memo, just something he scribbled down-"
"No! I've looked over everything in and around this desk three times over. He's just gone."
"What about the lockers? Could he have left something in one of those?"
Leon points to the far wall. As her eyes follow the line of his arm her face lights up.
"Oh yeah. I didn't think of that. Thanks, Leon!" She hurries over to it and from within finds a small book. She jumps with joy. "Look! It's his journal! Maybe he wrote something down!" She flips through to the end of the entries and sure enough he has left a note specifically for her. "Here it is!"
"That's great! What does it say?"
She looks at the page confused. "Huh? It says here that he left for a special assignment... in Europe. He says he's heading to the Umbrella Headquarters... and that he is sorry he couldn't tell me in person." She looks up at Leon with worry in her eyes. "Why would he do this?"
Leon shrugs. "He's a S.T.A.R.S. officer. Those guys go on all kinds of crazy operations."
"But why wouldn't he tell me he was leaving? Why leave me in the dark for me to worry like this?" She lowers her head as tears begin to slip down her cheeks.
Leon places his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "Claire, I am sure your brother had a good reason for doing what he did. You can't hold it against him. If he's even half the man you make him out to be then I am sure he is just fine. You'll see him again soon enough."
She wipes away the tears from her cheeks but more just take their place.
"I know," she sniffles, "I just miss him so much," her whimpers turn into full fledged crying.
Leon pulls her in for an embrace and hushes her. "Hey, come on now. None of that."
Hyperventilating for a moment, Claire struggles to catch her breath. "I'm sorry."
He hushes her again. Even though she is crying he can't help but find the moment euphoric. It's as if they are long time friends seeing each other's true selves for the first time. He has always imagined what a moment like this would be like having never experienced it first hand before. Now that he is, he can feel the beauty in its entirety washing over him, and he's not sure how he ever lived without it.
"It's okay," he whispers to her. "It's been a long night, but I assure you it will all be over soon. We just have to keep moving."
She looks up at him with her face soaked in tears. "Leon, I don't think I can keep going like this."
"Sure you can. In fact I know you can. You just need a moment to get your head on straight."
"No. I need to rest. If I don't, I'm afraid I might pass out. My head, it's all... dizzy." She holds her palm against her forehead.
"But we're not safe here. What can we possibly..." He turns his attention to the caged off room at the back of the office. 'If it is secure enough to hold weapons then surely it is strong enough to protect them from any intruders.' "Come on. I have an idea."
He uses the computer to unlock the cage door then sets a timer for it to re-unlock in a few hours.
"What are you doing?" Claire asks.
He continues to type in commands as he speaks. "The door to the weapon's locker wont open from the inside. To me it seems like our best bet is to lock ourselves inside in order to get some shut eye without worry of being jumped by any of those infected. In a few hours, the door will unlock itself and then we can leave when we are more refreshed."
Claire rubs her arms and looks at the cage with a turned up nose. "I don't know about this," she protests.
He finally turns to look at her. "Just trust me. I know what I'm doing." He stands up and pulls the door free from its lock.
She nods her head out of courtesy even though she still isn't so sure. It is not that she doesn't trust him, it is that she is worried something could go wrong and then they end up trapped inside. He stands up and places his hand on her elbow to walk her inside. He then shuts the door and the electronic lock clicks into place. Claire sets herself down on the metal bench on the left side of the room while Leon sets down on the one to the right. They just look at each other for the longest moment not knowing what to say. Claire taps her fingers along the binding of Chris's diary.
"So... here we are. What now?"
"Well, you said you needed to get some rest so I would suggest you lay down and try to catch a few winks."
"Alright then."
She stands up and without warning begins to strip off her clothes. At the sight of her removing her jacket then lifting up her shirt to reveal her black, sports bra, Leon turns his attention away and tightly shuts his eyes.
"What are you doing?" He can hardly get out the words feeling as if his chest is about to burst.
"It's not like I'm gonna be able to sleep wearing these soaked clothes. I'm gonna let them hang out to dry while we're in here."
"Makes sense but wont you be cold just sitting around in your..." he swallows hard, "...underwear."
He hears her heavy jeans slap against the floor and tries to hide the fact that the thought of her being half naked before him has given him an erection. He wants to look so bad but knows if he does he will spoil any trust they have gained toward one another.
"Don't be such a prude. I'm sure this isn't the first time you've seen a woman in her skivvies," she teases.
"The first time in person it is," he blurts out.
Claire giggles, "Are you serious? Someone as handsome and fit as you has never been with a woman before? How is that possible?"
"It's simple from an interior perspective. Women just find me weird."
He hears a rustling of what sounds like a tarp then slowly opens his eyes to see that she has wrapped herself in the fireproof blanket from her portable emergency kit.
"Weird how?" She asks.
"I don't know. If I knew that then I wouldn't have such bad luck finding dates." They both fall silent for a moment as he waits for her to have a response but she doesn't say anything. "So how about you? Any jealous exes or even a current boyfriend that I should be keeping an eye out for?"
"No. Nothing like that. I tend to spend most of my time either working or painting the town red with my brother."
"You two are really close huh?"
"Oh you have no idea. All through my teen years he would follow me around just to ensure I didn't end up with any bozos. He was always worried I'd get knocked up only for the guy to skip town and then I'd end up as a single mother. He's a little paranoid that way. Can't blame him though. He just wants to make sure I don't put myself in harms away."
"It sounds like he really loves you."
"Yeah. Truth be told I love him just as much. So much in fact that I've grown use to steering clear of any guy that I know he wont approve of."
"But that's crazy. Shouldn't the person you spend the rest of your life with be your decision?"
"It would be if I were willing to trade away my brother for it, which I'm not. I don't want to do anything that might risk him cutting himself out of my life for good. He's all I have. I don't know what I'd do if I lost him." She looks down at the floor suddenly realizing she has just spilled all of her personal life onto a complete stranger. Leon can tell that thinking about all this is making her more and more upset.
"Let's not talk about this now. You need to rest, so just lie down and close your eyes for a while. You have nothing to worry about. I'll be right here watching over you." He taps the side of his gun holster.
She shifts herself onto her side and rests her head against a bulletproof vest. "You're not gonna get some sleep too?"
"I'll be alright. Don't worry."
Claire closes her eyes and within minutes falls into a deep sleep. Leon watches her, hypnotized by her breathing. It is only when he realizes how awkward he is acting that he finally turns his attention towards the office and tries to find something to focus his eyes on. There is a bulletin board of wanted posters. They are all criminals he has already familiarized himself with. His eyes move to the radio on the opposite wall. 'Maybe I'll be able to get that working and we can call for someone to pick us up. Then again, after what we saw from the helicopter crash it is possible the city could have been declared a no fly zone. So then what? Where can we go? How can we even get out?'
Leon suddenly feels his eyes become very heavy. For the first time all night the air is very still. No groans, no gunfire, not even the clang of a rouge pan falling off a table somewhere. Just the low buzz of the florescent lamps and Claire's rhythmic breaths. He tries to remain alert but without even realizing it, his head rests itself against the wall, and he slowly falls into a deep sleep.
Leon stirs unsure if he has been asleep for a few minutes or a few hours. It takes him a moment to blink away his sleepy vision then he looks to the other side of the room expecting to see Claire still lying on the bench asleep. She isn't. There's her blanket, the police vest, even her clothes are still right where they should be, but she is nowhere to be found. He looks to the cage door to find that it is wide open. He stands up to check the office but she isn't there either.
"Claire?" He calls out but gets no reply. "Where would she have gone? To the bathroom maybe?"
He hurries over to the office door and finds that it has been left unlocked. He swings it open with his handgun at the ready and quickly checks to the left and then to the right. Nothing. No sound, no signs of struggle. Something feels off but he can't quite put his finger on why. Step by step he makes his way towards the shower room. As he approaches he can hear one of the showers running. The heavy water drops slapping the tile floor becomes louder as he pushes the door open. Still finding no signs of life, he remains alert as he turns the corner towards the row of showers.
"Claire?" He calls out softly.
Still nothing. He leans himself towards the floor to check for any feet under the stalls. Expecting to see a pair of naked, slender, legs come into view he becomes confused when he finds just a line of empty showers. Suddenly he hears someone whimper from somewhere inside the police station. The sound causes him to spring straight up and make his way back to the hall. His heart races as he pans his flashlight into the darkness. Only emptiness. Again he hears a whimper a bit louder than the first coming from the far end of the hall. It is clearly a woman crying but he can't quite make out if the voice belongs to Claire. Knowing either way he has to check it out he makes his way towards them.
With his hands shacking, Leon rests his back against the wall then peers his eyes around the corner. His adrenaline skyrockets when he discovers a thick trail of blood along the floor, as if something has been dragged into the linen room.
"Please don't let it be her," he pleads to himself.
He takes in a few quick breaths while trying to build up his courage. He isn't sure if he can continue. Sure he is a cop. It is his job to take action during times like this. But if it is her he's afraid he might lose his mind at the sight of her dead or even worse, turned into one of those things.
"Leon!" The voice cries from the other side of the door.
Now certain that it is her, his body suddenly begins to move on its own and he kicks down the door with tremendous force. Splintering the door at its hinges. The room is pitch black. He immediately falls into shock as he shines his flashlight into the room and finds one of the undead feasting on a woman's lifeless body that is sprawled out on the floor. Noticing the red of her hair first he discovers it is in fact Claire. Her eyes are cold and dark as they stare into his soul as if to say, "You were too late." Filled with both rage and sorrow, he lifts his gun to the zombie's head and blasts it repeatedly, until its brains are nothing but mush splattered over the wall behind it. He falls to his knees then crawls his way over to her colorless corpse. Tears like waterfalls stream from his eyes as he lifts her up into his arms. Blood pours from the numerous bite marks along her neck and chest that quickly soaks into his pants. It is still warm confirming that it was only a few minutes ago that she was alive. 'If only I had been just a little bit quicker. If only I hadn't hesitated.'
"Why?" He cries to the heavens. He places his lips against her forehead wanting to feel her soft skin against his. "Why did you leave without me?"
For the first time in a long time he lets himself cry. He didn't cry when his ex broke up with him. He didn't even cry at his own father's funeral, but now it is all coming to a head and at the bottom of it all was the auburn haired beauty he promised to protect. He knew there would be tragedy in his life. Being a police officer it comes with the job. But to loose someone so precious to him on only the first day, he can't help but feel like he has been cursed. Doomed to loose those he cares about no matter how hard he tries to keep them close.
Her body shifts. At first he isn't sure what to think. 'Was that her moving or did I make her move somehow? She couldn't have moved. Could she?'
"Leon?" Her voice groans.
Overjoyed and a bit confused he lifts her head to face his. He is amazed to find that her eyes are locked onto his. Though they are still dark and cold they are moving on their own.
"Claire, you're alive!" He cries happily.
"Leon," she groans again.
That is when he realizes what's happening. She is turning into one of them. Some semblance of her mind must still remember who he is but he can tell by her emotionless expression that his name no longer holds meaning to her.
With his heart once again filling with sorrow, he lifts up his gun to her temple and prepares himself to pull the trigger. He tells himself, 'This is for her own good. She is better off dead then a flesh eating monster.' His finger tightens over the trigger. Just a bit more and then she'll be able to rest in peace. His arm becomes weak, it starts to shake, and he loses his grip. The gun falls to the floor.
"I can't do it," he cries.
"Leon!" Claire groans louder.
"I'm sorry." He rests his forehead against hers and allows his tears to rain over her cheeks.
"Leon!" Her voice says more clearly.
He becomes confused again wondering how she is doing that.
"Leon!" Her voice shouts.