The trio was sitting at the front of the train. Claire had her uniform up to just below her breasts and was putting some bandages on her wound, which had stopped bleeding, but still hurt like hell.

Leon had taken off his uniform and thrown it to the side, next to the weapons they had left on the floor. He would never again wear those clothes stained with blood, pus, guts, and whatever else had stuck on them. Not with those bandages that needed to be changed.

He was surprised at the state of his body, although it was something he should have expected. Besides the claw marks on his chest, he had claw marks on the side of his arm, cuts across his torso, and bruises. The herbs probably did a good job of not making it worse, but Jesus, he knew he would be sore for a long time.

The back of his head had stopped bleeding, although he knew there was a cut there too. Boy was he hurt in so many places that it was hard to keep track of everything.

And those marks on his body mainly served to show that he could have died in that city, over and over again. But there he was, alive after spitting, punching, kicking, knocking down and shooting death in the face.

Jesus... he was tired.

Sherry was hugging her own legs and resting her face on her knees, her gaze frequently alternating between Leon and Claire as if she wanted to say something. And she probably wanted to start a conversation, didn't want to let her mind wander that night. Not on her mother, not on her father...

"... So... did any food survive all that?" Claire asked in a hoarse voice after she finished bandaging her wound. She let her head rest on the metal of the train, and now that the adrenaline had receded at once they were feeling the fatigue coming on.

Leon looked at her for a few moments and picked up one of his bags.

"Well... the protein bars are crushed and the water I had kind of exploded..." Leon said, a small smile on his face as he saw that even after everything, some food had also survived. Maybe his luck was changing.

"Hm, crumpled protein bar... great." Claire said, no irony in her voice as she picked up the bar Leon had given her. He soon offered one in better condition to Sherry, who nodded and smiled in appreciation.

The cop crawled backwards and propped his back against the wall, ignoring the shivering in his body caused by the cold against his skin.

Silence reigned again. Now that they had some time to think, confusion came.

Claire was still thinking about her brother, of course. No chance that he had stayed on vacation without saying anything to her that he was traveling, not even a phone call, there was something strange about that, and after all she couldn't stop herself from worrying.

But there were also the two people close to her. College was no longer an option, she couldn't hide a grown cop and a little girl in her dorm room even if she was very optimistic.

Leon, for his part, was thinking about what exactly to do. He had a good bit of money still saved up, maybe his parents would give them shelter while they sorted themselves out. Maybe he could go back to work as a cop, or something like that.

This with the optimistic thought that that night would not give him nightmares for the rest of his life.

"...What are we going to do when we get out of here?" Sherry broke the silence, saying aloud what the two adults were wondering internally.

"The first thing is to take a shower. I don't know about you two, but walking in the sewer kind of sucks." He replied, without opening his heavy eyes.

"I agree, you stink." Claire said, noting the smile that was born on his lips. "But do you have any extra clothes with you, officer?"

"I... ah... no, shit." He sighed in defeat.

"Looks like Sherry and I are going to have to put up with your stink for a while longer." Claire said playfully, and Sherry agreed with her as she looked at Leon with a small mocking smile.

"Hey, why am I the only one being attacked here? You guys aren't much different either."

"We're girls. Girls always smell better than men." Claire said.

"Yeah. We're like flowers." Sherry said.

"Flowers that grew in the sewer." Leon replied, rolling his eyes as he received a light slap on his shoulder. "Don't hit me, I'm hurt."

"When we get a chance to shower, you and I will go first, Sherry. Before Leon dirties the bathroom with his boy germs." Claire joked.

"What? Why am I the one who has to contaminate myself with your germs? Germs are germs, boy, girl, it makes no difference."

"Of course it does, Leon. I told you, we're flowers." Sherry said with a false reproachful expression.

"Yeah, flowers with a big ass thorn." Leon said, making the two girls giggle.

"It's not our fault if you stink of sewage and sweat." Claire said.

"What? You guys are sweaty too. And give me a break, I had to go up and down a lot of stairs during the night. I've never trusted stairs." Leon replied.

"What? You never trusted stairs? Why?" Sherry asked with an arched eyebrow.

"They're always up to something" Leon replied, crossing his arms and shaking his head. The two girls stared at him for a few moments, until their brains processed that this was a pun...

"Oh, my God, that was horrible." Claire said, but couldn't contain her laughter.

"Hey, that was great. It wasn't as good as those lines of mine, but it's good enough."

"No way, those lines were the worst I've ever heard in my life."

"What? They are my most brilliant pieces of work, and I came up with them while drunk."

"Do you have a better one?" Sherry asked.

"Oh, I don't think so, sorry. Before I focused on my career, my jokes were basically nerd jokes."

"So, Mr. Geek, any interesting stories from your youth?" Claire asked.

"Nah, the most interesting thing I did was discuss infinity with a mathematician. He could go on forever."

"Oh my gosh!" Sherry laughed.

"Sorry, I have a habit of making bad puns at bad times." He scratched the back of his head.

"Okay, let's talk about something else. Come to think of it, we barely know each other." Claire said, alternating her gaze between the two of them.

"What's your favorite color?" Sherry asked.

"Red." Claire replied.

"Blue." Leon replied.

"I love blue too. It reminds me of the sky. But I think red is prettier." Sherry said.

"Favorite movie?" Claire asked.

"Rambo." Leon and Sherry answered at the same time, making them both look at each other and laugh slightly in complicity.

"Oh, really? I prefer terminator." Claire said.

"It's not a bad movie. But come on, Rambo is way better." Leon said.

"What? Rambo wouldn't last five minutes against the Terminator." Claire said.

"That's not fair, Rambo is a man, the other one is a machine." Sherry said.

"Hey, Rambo may only be one man, but he is feared for a reason. He may not be able to go head-to-head with Terminator, but he's smart enough to be able to come up with a plan." Leon said.

"Bullshit, Terminator is a killing machine. He would analyze Rambo in seconds and what would Rambo do? Shoot him with a machine gun while screaming?" Claire said.

"Rambo is a born strategist. Nature is in his favor. In the jungle, Rambo has the advantage." Sherry said, and Leon made a victorious face at Claire.

"It's two against one, Claire. You don't have much say in the matter." Leon said, and in response, Claire crossed her arms and pouted, pretending to be indignant.

"Well, I suppose there's nothing I can do about you two being wrong." She said, rolling her eyes as she caught a glimpse of Leon and Sherry laughing at each other.

The train stopped after a while, and despite their relief at not seeing even a drop of blood where they stopped, they again raised their guard.

Claire took the lead while Leon, walking with some difficulty, covered the rear. They walked down a small platform that led to a door, and as they passed through said door, they blinked a few times as they stared down the long corridor ahead.

A dimly lit corridor made entirely of concrete. They heard nothing, no grunts or sounds that could tell there was a zombie or infected creature in there.

In fact, Claire could even hear birds in the distance, which made her somewhat anxious to get out of there.

Once they reached the next door, they blinked a few times when they saw that they had reached a cave. The door they came out of was hidden by some vines and a stone wall around it that made the entrance to the cave out of sight from where the door was.

Claire looked at Leon, who looked back at her, and soon, they were walking towards the cave entrance.

As soon as they were out, they closed their eyes, especially Claire, as the sunlight hit them. It took a while for them to get used to the brightness, but when they did, they ran their eyes up the small hill beside them. Eager, they climbed up as fast as they could, where Claire helped Leon walk.

At the top of the small hill, they could see the road below and, in the distance, Raccoon city.

They made it out... haha... they made it out...

They were too far away to tell clearly, but they could see what appeared to be a large wall around the edges of the city, probably put up by the government to keep everything from escaping.

They stared at the city in the distance for a few moments, until the sound of a car in the distance caught their attention.

The car passed quickly and was moving in the opposite direction of Raccoon. From what little they could see, it appeared that there was a family in the vehicle. Yet another reminder that, outside the city, things were still the same. The physical nightmare was over, now they would have to deal with the marks caused by that nightmare in their minds.

"So... where to now?" Claire asked, turning her face and looking at Leon. They were close, and for a few moments, brief moments, as they looked into each other's eyes, they both felt the overwhelming urge to close that distance and put their lips together.

"... As far away from here as possible." Leon replied, his husky voice making Claire's body tremble, and with what little reason she still had, she turned her face the other way and they started down the small hill.

At one point, Leon pulled away, saying that he was good enough to walk on his own, and begrudgingly, Claire left him. Sherry then stood between the two adults, holding both of their hands.

Anyone looking would surely say that they were a family. A very young family who, due to their injuries, had suffered some accident while traveling or something.

As they walked along, they talked about varied subjects, comfortable with each other and trying to find out more about their new companions.

"You've never been to the beach?" Claire asked Sherry, who seemed somewhat happy holding both adults' hands, even though she knew they hadn't seen anyone else, or found any sign of civilization in quite some time.

"Nope. Mom and Dad never had time to take me." The little girl replied, ducking her head a little as she talked about her parents, but she recovered quickly. She was strong, and despite everything, she managed to stay childlike.

"Well, we already have a new goal then. Let's go see the ocean. I'll teach you how to swim." Leon said.

"Really? Can we rent a boat?" Sherry asked.

"Sure. We can take a boat to Alcatraz." Claire replied.

"Alcatraz?"

"Yes, a prison in the middle of the ocean. They say the inside is like a maze." Claire said.

"Yeah, like they don't want people to get out or something." Leon said, and in response, Claire just rolled her eyes.

She liked seeing the two of them acting casual, it showed what they were really like. Claire, much to Chris's chagrin, up until a few weeks ago, liked men who were more cool, with tattoos, maybe even scars, and a less righteous attitude.

Now she wondered what the Claire of two weeks ago had in her head for liking men like that. Leon was so much a boy scout, with a hero complex, who ate all his vegetables in childhood and obeyed all the rules... and she loved it.

The only thing he had in common with the guys she thought were attractive was that he had scars.

But he was better in every way. She almost felt bad that she had made small talk with some guys in college, even though she had never dated anyone.

"Can we have a parrot?" Sherry asked, snapping Claire out of her thoughts.

"Sure. We can buy one before we rent the boat. Then we can feel like pirates." Claire replied.

They continued walking for some more time. Hours, maybe, the conversation between them kept them entertained, and they didn't even notice the time passing.

Tiredness overtook them with everything, and just as they were thinking of stopping at the side of the road to rest for a while, they noticed a building ahead.

Claire and Leon looked at each other, and both took up their weapons as they approached.

A roadside hotel. Not very large, some lights were on even though it was still daylight. A few cars were parked in the parking lot, many in the wrong places. Bags, glass, phones, all lying on the ground.

Claire took the lead again and walked slowly into the hotel reception. There was no blood and no bodies on the floor, the place was just turned upside down.

As if some people had tried to rob the place, or the people who were there left in a great hurry.

"Hello?" Claire called out, but she heard no one. She didn't hear any grunts, just a TV on in one of the rooms with static.

"I'll check the rooms in that corridor." Leon said, and she looked at him for a few moments. She hated the idea of them being separated again, and her mouth opened to go against it.

After Raccoon, she wanted to know exactly where the two of them were and have them in her grasp. Just the thought that they were going to be separated, even by just a few feet, already made her somewhat anxious.

Begrudgingly, she nodded.

"Thirty minutes, tops. We'll meet back here. Yell if you find anything... although I suspect there's no one here." Claire said in a serious tone. Leon noticed, but said nothing, just nodded.

And really, there was no one there, nothing. Some rooms were also rummaged through with suitcases left behind, TVs still on, lights still on, doors still open.

Whatever it was, the people who were there left in a hurry.

They met again in front of the reception desk, and soon, they chose one of the rooms to stay in.

The room was simple. Two beds next to each other, a double bed and a single bed, with tables on the sides of each bed, a television on a table in front, a closet in the corner, next to a small corridor leading to the bathroom.

Upon seeing the beds, Leon almost threw himself on one of them... but he wouldn't dirty a clean bed like that. He had pants and shoes that had been in the sewer, and he was sweaty and had blood stains all over his body.

Sighing, he shook his head. As long as he didn't shower, the floor would have to do.

"I found these suitcases with some women's clothes in there." Leon said, placing two suitcases on the floor. "I didn't check much, so you guys will have to try them on to see if they fit you or not."

"Ow, thanks, officer. Come on, Sherry. We have a shower waiting for us." Claire said, grabbing one of the suitcases and walking to the bathroom. Sherry was walking right behind her.

"No peeking." She said, and Leon heard the sound of the door closing, followed by Sherry's giggles.

Leon sighed lightly and lay down on the floor in front of the door. He wanted to make sure that nothing, and no one, entered the room, and he was on the lookout for any noise that indicated that there were any zombies sneaking around the hotel.

He could shower in a separate bathroom, knowing that Claire and Sherry would take some time, but honestly, the thought of leaving them both unprotected like that made his stomach turn.

Still on the floor, he raises his arm up. The bite he had received was beginning to heal. He was surprised that neither Claire nor Sherry asked him about that bite, his torso had been bare practically all day.

The blood-stained bandages around his chest were long past due for changing, and he felt a slight twinge of pain all over his body.

Leon closed his eyes, but didn't keep them closed for long. He was afraid that if he did, he would fall asleep. Or worse, he was afraid that if he closed his eyes, he would be in Raccoon city again when he opened them.

Argh... he already predicted that he would not be able to sleep for long that night.

The noise of the shower ceased, and he blinked a few times. He hadn't even noticed the time passing.

The bathroom door opened, and Sherry was the first to step out. A few drops of water were falling from her still wet hair, and Leon admired the little girl for a moment.

She was cute, and even cuter in those casual clothes that, although they had gotten a little too big on her, made her look even better.

She wore black pants with a small white detail on the left side pocket, was barefoot, and a plain white shirt that reached just above halfway up her thigh.

Sherry sported a small cheerful smile, refreshing to be clean after so long.

Claire came out soon after, and Leon controlled himself not to stare too long.

She was wearing black pants with a white line down the sides of her legs, a black blouse with the same white line down the sides of her arms and torso. She was barefoot and her hair was loose.

She wore nothing special, simple clothes, and maybe it was because of this simplicity that Leon felt his face heat up. She was gorgeous. And her baby face was even more evident now that she was clean.

"Sorry for the delay. Sherry kind of had to help me with the bandage." She said, tossing the towel on the bed that she and Sherry would probably sleep on, oblivious to Leon's internal conflict.

Well, at least, he hoped she didn't notice.

"Are you going to be okay? I mean, you need plenty of bandages." Claire asked, and Leon was already halfway to the bathroom.

"Yeah, yeah, I... ahm... found some while searching the hotel." He said, closing the door as he entered the bathroom.

Jesus, what was wrong with him? He looked like a teenager in love. He had been thrilled just to see her with her hair loose.

Claire and Sherry, for their part, were looking for what was good on TV. Most of the channels were nothing but static, but hopefully they would find something interesting, at least to pass the time, leave some civilization noise in the room so they wouldn't let the silence take over and they would be swallowed up by their own thoughts.

"... Leon was watching you." Sherry said suddenly, causing Claire to look away from the television and stare at her for a few unblinking moments.

"What?"

"He was looking at you." Well... that caught her kind of off guard. Not that it was exactly a surprise, since Leon himself had said he was interested in her, back at the police station. She just...

Well...

She was kind of in love with him.

And Sherry saying it to her face that he was watching her made her somewhat... happy.

"Really? I'm not wearing anything fancy, why was he looking at me?"

"He wasn't looking at your clothes... I mean, a little. But he was staring at your face for quite a while."

"... Really? Did you see it? What else?"

"I... ahm... he was blushing."

"He was blushing?" Oh, that was great. Damn, she didn't see it.

"Yes. Do you like him?" Sherry asked in genuine curiosity, seeming even a little excited at the idea.

"...What will you say if I say yes?"

"I will say that I knew. Anyone can tell the way you look at each other." Sherry said with a small victorious smile, almost cocky even.

"Oh yeah? And how do we look at each other?"

"That way." Sherry pointed at the television, and it was only then that Claire realized what movie was playing.

She had no idea what that movie was, but the couple on the screen were looking at each other with passion. They were hugging each other as they moved in a slow dance, small smiles were present on both their lips, and it was as if, for them, there was nothing but each other in that crowded hall.

Claire looked at this with a certain curiosity. If this was really how she and Leon looked at each other, then maybe...

"Are you two going to kiss?" Sherry snapped her out of her thoughts.

"What?"

"Do you want to kiss him?"

"... You know what? That's none of your business, you little brat." That only made Sherry laugh in victory.

"You do!" The bathroom door was opened and closed a few moments later. They both stopped teasing each other and looked down the corridor.

Leon had his hair combed back, still wet with a single drop of water running down his forehead. His face looked even more handsome, and his red lips caught Claire's attention, who stared at them for a while.

He was wearing a dark blue tank top with small gray details, light gray sweatpants, and was barefoot.

Claire stared at his arms for a few moments, noting how every muscle was outlined under his skin with every movement he made, no matter how small. He had the side of his right arm covered in bandages, and she could see the numerous bandages over his chest outlined by his tank top.

Leon in casual clothes was a sight to behold.

She didn't even notice the bag with his uniform pants and shoes inside.

Sherry, behind her, laughed lightly, and Claire sighed. The little girl had told her that Leon was staring at her, so she would probably tell Leon that Claire was staring at him.

That little...

"I don't know about you guys, but I could use a real meal right now. It's been a rushed morning, I almost missed the train and didn't even get my breakfast." He said, throwing his towel on the bed and looking at the two girls.

"I agree with you officer. But the last time I broke a vending machine, you threatened to arrest me." Claire said, Leon smiled.

"Well... I guess I can make an exception this time. Not to mention I need new shoes. There must be some left behind in one of the rooms." Claire arched an eyebrow.

"Well, well, the officer of justice came over to the dark side of the force. I knew you couldn't resist the temptation." Claire said, rising to her feet.

"Don't get used to it." Leon said, already standing in front of the door, putting his matilda on his waist and looking at where they had left the other weapons.

Hidden under the bed, better hiding place, there is not.

"Can I have chocolate?" Sherry asked as he opened the door, and Leon let out a small nasal laugh.

"As dessert, certainly."

They returned to their room a short time later with new shoes and a bag full of protein bars, chocolates, water bottles, juices, candy, cookies... they could hardly believe how hungry they were.

Hours passed, night came, and neither of them paid attention to what was on the television. Sherry, on the other hand, was already in a deep sleep. The poor girl was exhausted, and they hoped she would not have a nightmare. God knew how much she deserved a rest.

Leon and Claire, on the other hand, although tired, could not sleep. It was as if their bodies simply didn't feel safe enough to rest.

Claire rolled over once again in the double bed, sighing at not being able to sleep even though she tried to concentrate on Sherry's soft breathing beside her. After a few more unsuccessful attempts, she just gave up and opened her eyes.

The light from the television was the only light illuminating the room, and Claire observed Leon on the bed in front of her. He was lying on his side toward her, with both arms around his head.

God, he was handsome... she had probably thought it so many times it was getting repetitive, but she didn't give a shit.

He was handsome, enough said.

Well, since she couldn't sleep, she gladly decided to watch him to pass the time. Maybe she could fall asleep.

And the best thing, she could watch him all she wanted and he would never know.

"You can't sleep either?"

Oh shit.

Leon opened his eyes and Claire felt naked on that intense blue, almost bright, maybe from the fact that the TV light reflected in the grayish blue of his eyes.

"... I can't sleep. And I'm tired." Claire said, voice low so as not to disturb Sherry.

"I can say the same. I don't feel safe." He said, and they were both silent for a while, save for the low noise of the TV, staring at each other as if nothing else mattered.

Soon, that scene of the couple Claire saw earlier came back into her mind.

"So, officer, you said you dedicated yourself early on to be a cop, what was your inspiration?" Claire asked, still not looking away.

She didn't know exactly what that thing they had was, or what that effect he had on her body was. But she had to say that she liked it.

"...When I was a kid, we lived in a kind of dangerous place. Drug sales happened in broad daylight, people were robbed. A gang led the block. We were poor, and my parents always tried hard to get us out of that situation." Leon began, crossing his arms still lying on his side and sighing slightly as the memories raced through his mind.

"The years went by, things were getting better for my family. We were about to move out when thugs simply started shooting up the block. Probably a brawl over drugs, I don't know. The police arrived, the shooting got worse. They came into my house, took us hostage, they shot at the ground in front of us and at my dad's leg. They were going to kill us. Then a cop showed up and got us out. He fought the bandits as best he could and saved us. Ever since then, I've kept it in my mind."

Claire analyzed his face, the calm expression he had on his face, but that same intensity still present in his gaze. He was intriguing in so many ways.

"Wow... damn."

"Heh, yeah... well, the place is safe these days, the gangs are gone, the government built a bank nearby, security has increased. Pretty good. And what about you? You never thought of following in your brother's footsteps?"

"Nah. That military stuff is not for me. I've always liked motorcycles, but for a good while, I thought about going to medical school."

"Wow, you wanted to be a doctor, it's a good job. You would save the lives of the people your brother would probably send there." She couldn't help but giggle softly.

"Yeah, Chris has always been a hothead. A hothead with training. I think I would be the only doctor with the ability to send my patients back to the hospital."

"No kidding. You were trained by a S.T.A.R.S, you can probably kick my ass before your brother does."

"Haha, I wouldn't do that... well, kind of, once in a while."

"What? Once in a while? Really?"

"Yeah, you know, occasionally, men have a tendency to get too cocky, and I can't make you even more cocky, you'd really believe your puns and pick up lines are good."

"For your information, they are great in their own ways. Now... assaulting an officer, young lady? I can't believe it, that's already your third offense in less than twenty-four hours." Leon said, shaking his head as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"And what are you going to do, officer? Arrest me?" Claire asked, also sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Maybe I will. Remember, I still have the handcuffs." Leon said, leaning his torso forward and resting his arms on his knees.

"Oh yeah? You think that makes you scary? I'm not scared of you, officer." She replied, doing the same.

"Miss, last chance, cooperate or I'll have to make you cooperate." Leon said, the playful tone leaving his voice and being replaced by a husky one. His grayish blue eyes fell on Claire's lips as he slowly approached.

Claire noticed, of course she noticed. Her heart began to beat faster and her hands were slightly trembling with anxiety. However, she also began to move closer.

"Make me." Claire replied, her husky voice low almost in a whisper, causing Leon's body to shiver.

He closed the distance between them and they both closed their eyes as their lips pressed against each other.

The kiss began slowly and shyly, one getting used to the feel of the other.

Claire was sweet, so warm, and her lips were so soft that Leon barely touched them and already didn't want to part. She had an intoxicating scent beyond the smell of cheap hotel soap, a natural scent that drew him in and made him want to feel more of her. He didn't even notice when he came closer and placed a hand on her waist.

Leon was soft, his lips caused sensations on Claire's body that made her shiver with that mere touch. He had a woody scent beyond the smell of soap, a scent that numbed her enhanced senses and left her screaming for more as her mind clouded.

She didn't want it to end, and she didn't even realize it when she had put her arms around his neck and pulled him toward her, wanting to feel him more against her body.

They both lay on the bed, with Leon on top of Claire. The kiss that had started out shy became hotter, Leon's grip on her waist became stronger, Claire pulled him even closer, gripping the collar of his shirt tightly and feeling all sorts of sensations as she felt his strong body pressed against hers.

She had kissed before, of course. She remembered that night well, because at the time she liked the guy. It was a good, warm kiss, but not like that one.

That kiss had a different feeling, not like the satisfaction of kissing the guy she liked. It was something more, more intense, hotter, more everything.

She had no idea of her need for Leon, until that point.

Leon, for his part, was not much different. Claire was soft and the feel of her body against his made his mind think of nothing but her. Of her name, of her face, of her voice saying his name.

He was barely in control of his own body, and the longer they kissed, the more that erection between his legs bothered him. He hoped she didn't feel it.

Not because he didn't think she wanted to. Her grip on him, followed by the small murmurs she made when she called his name, said otherwise.

But because they couldn't.

Sherry murmured in her sleep, and the two adults stopped what they were doing. Gasping, they looked at each other, and they could each see the desire in the other's gaze, along with the frustration of having to stop.

"Well... I guess you have no problem cooperating, after all." Leon said, and in response, Claire just smiled and kissed him again.

They couldn't have sex, not only because they were both inexperienced in that regard, but because it would even be disrespectful to Sherry at the moment, but that didn't mean that they couldn't enjoy each other.

Certainly, they got to know each other a little more that night.

Leon opened his eyes again, feeling the pain on the side of his face pulsing along with his heartbeat. Blood dripped from his lip, and he knew that several guns were being pointed in his direction.

Still, this was not what made him desperate. It wasn't what made him worry.

But rather, the fact that Claire and Sherry were unconscious behind him, with tranquilizer darts slung around their necks.

He hardly realized what had happened. It was all so fast. In one second they were pulling up in front of a roadblock after having started one of the cars parked at the hotel hours from there.

In the other, several soldiers in black clothing surrounded them, and a man in a black suit and gloves approached from the front, accompanied by two other soldiers.

"Check the girls." The man in the suit said, and the two soldiers walked toward the two unconscious girls with a device in hand.

"Officer Kennedy, I presume. You are much younger than the pictures show." The man said, stopping a few steps away in front of Leon with a device in hand. A small screen.

"... And who would you be?" Leon asked, standing up slowly so as not to risk being shot by accident, but not raising his hands in surrender.

"I work for the government. Finding you, Mr. Kennedy, took work and cost me money." The man said, putting his arms behind his body as the two soldiers stood beside him again.

"Sir, there are still signs of the virus in their bodies. They are infected." One of the soldiers said, handing the object to the man in front of him, much to Leon's confusion.

"What?" The cop asked in clear disbelief, but they just ignored him.

"You see, Mr. Kennedy, there are people from a different department than mine who, despite working for the government, have completely different goals regarding all of this. These people, they want to study the virus, do tests on infected people, and while they say they want to find a cure or take advantage of some feature of the virus that can help the human race, they want the power that the virus can provide them." The man explained, and Leon shook his head frantically, becoming more and more confused.

"No, no, they are not-"

"Mr. Kennedy, I, on the other hand, do not want what happened in Raccoon to happen to the rest of the world. I am part of the group of people who want that virus destroyed. It gave me a lot of trouble to hide the existence of those two girls behind you." The man said, walking a few steps to the side and observing said girls. "Kill them."

The order immediately made the soldiers move towards the girls and Leon's eyes widened. He shouted and stood in front of the two as a form of shield, this time his hands were raised.

"Don't do this! They are not infected, I gave them the vaccine! They're fine!" Leon shouted at the top of his lungs, running his eyes over every soldier that moved, no matter how small the movement, as a form of assurance that he would stop them from shooting.

"I know you got the vaccine, our agent provided us with all the evidence we needed." The man said, and the small screen he had in hand turned on.

He then pointed the screen towards Leon, and the young cop slightly widened his eyes as he saw those videos. They were recordings of him, just him.

At the police station, in the parking lot, in the sewer, in the lab... some things were missing, but the footage was there, showing him taking out zombies, running away from the tyrant, fighting lickers, running through the sewer, getting the vaccines from the lab.

At no time did Ada appear in the videos. Neither did Claire, nor Sherry. At a few moments, one could tell that there was someone next to him, but the video seems to have been zoomed in so that only he appeared on the screen.

"Our agent reported everything. How do you think we got to you before all the people interested in what happened in Raccoon? You're lucky we're here." He turned off the screen. "I'll say it again, we just want the total destruction of these viruses. And we've seen that you have the experience to help us with that. The umbrella is still out there. We came here to recruit you, and of course to eliminate the G-virus in their bodies. You've already done a great job destroying the samples in that lab."

"No, didn't you hear what I said?! They have been cured!" Leon shouted.

"No, they weren't. All the vaccine did was suppress the virus, nothing more. It's still in their bodies, dormant. Although the risks of the virus activating again are low, we don't want to take any risks. We don't know what might influence this activation." The man said with a neutral voice, but Leon refused to give up.

After all his efforts, no chance of them dying now that they were finally free. Hell, Sherry still had so much to enjoy.

"No, no, please! You said you came to recruit me, I don't care about the details, I accept! Just let them go! You said yourself that no one but you know of their existence!" Leon argued, desperation in his voice despite his attempts to remain calm.

"And why would we do that? We could just kill them and take you by force. Even if you refused, you are still important, you immune to the T-virus."

"I can work for you while I let you take my blood. You said yourself that it took a lot of money and you had a lot of trouble getting here. If you kill them, you will waste that money as I will do everything I can to bring you down. As long as they are alive and safe, I will do whatever you say without asking questions."

The man looked thoughtful for a few moments, although he didn't look convinced.

"You know that if word gets out that they have had contact with the G-virus, survived, and that they have the G-virus dormant in their bodies, very powerful people will do everything possible to get their hands on them, don't you? And you've seen what the G-virus can do."

"You said that no one knows of their existence. If you have any evidence, erase it. And I will gladly help you take down Umbrella." Leon said, following with his eyes as the man approached.

"You will probably no longer come into contact with them, or anyone in your family. Our relationship, so to speak, will be hidden. We will train you, teach you, and prepare you to possibly fight against things similar to those you faced in Raccoon... as of today, Leon is dead."

"...As long as they are safe, I don't care." The man seemed satisfied enough with the answer, and he straightened his posture.

"We will leave them in the nearest town. No one will know about their involvement with Raccoon. But keep in mind that if anyone somehow finds out, we will kill them both the very instant we know about it. We'll keep an eye on them for a while, and all I can do if that's the case is to get them killed quickly."

Leon said nothing, just nodded with a look of defeat.

"... Can you at least leave some money with them? Claire isn't even out of college." Leon asked, but didn't get an answer. He could only hope that guy would consider it.

"... She is the one who sent you these videos? Is she here?" Leon asked, and the man, despite not turning around, stopped walking.

"Who?"

"You know who. The agent."

"... Ah, yes, our agent sent us everything. But, Mr. Kennedy, our agent is a man, and he died when we got the report." The man said, and despite that, Leon laughed humorlessly.

Well, it made sense, Ada was a mercenary, not an agent. What didn't make sense was why would she send those videos to them?

Or maybe there was someone else in town that they couldn't find?

Either way, it didn't matter anymore.

Things were going so well.

Their future, though uncertain and clearly difficult, was bright.

Only for reality to knock them down again.

He looked at them one last time before he started walking toward a vehicle ahead, mentally wishing that they would forgive him for simply disappearing.

Maybe they would hate him for disappearing like that and leaving them alone. But as long as they were alive...

It was okay.

Well, here it is, the last chapter. I particularly didn't like the final result of this last part very much, after the CLEON part, but well, I did the best I could in a way that might make sense, although I feel as if something is wrong, or I'm forgetting something.

Well, if there is something wrong, or that doesn't make sense, or that is confusing, let me know and I'll fix it as soon as I can.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.

I don't know if there will be anything after this yet, but well, the ending is open, isn't it? Who knows.

It was a lot of fun writing this, I'm not going to lie, I like this couple and I'm happy about the outcome of my story, considering that I wrote this for myself and just posted it to share this idea, I didn't have any expectations at first.

I thank everyone who read this far, gave kudos, commented and everything, seriously, you guys are amazing. Sorry for anything, and if you have anything to say, you can comment and I'll read everything and answer everyone. See you all!