A/N: Alright, the gushy part is about to start…everyone arrives at the house, and the festivities start. Carlos starts getting jealous of Chris, which isn't too surprising. Claire and Leon like each other but get cold feet about telling the other. Barry leaves, and for a short time, peace reigns over all…
Chapter 4
The car had been crowded and, generally enough, driving in it was an unsavory experience. Carlos and Rebecca usually sat in the back, with Sherry between them, while Barry drove and Leon sat in the passenger's seat. But once in a while they'd change. It grew monotonous after the first day of driving, and they had to go through a couple. They decided to go day and night, to save time, so it would only take two days. On the second day, Leon started to get a little bit nervous.
How would Claire receive him? Would she still be the same? Would she have changed? Chris said something about a guy named Steve. He'd died, and Claire had been morose ever since. Leon hoped to dear God she hadn't been in love with Steve. That way he still had a chance.
At about ten forty-five on Tuesday morning, they'd pulled up at a small village for a break. It was only half an hour or so to the house from there, but Leon had been driving and dictated that they would stop and pee and stretch their legs before continuing on. Minutes after arriving in the quiet town, he'd slunk off and bought some flowers. For Claire.
They were her favorites – gardenias, with some heliotrope for decoration. He hoped she liked them. They were probably out of season in France, and he didn't even know if they were native to France, but he picked out each flower specially at the florist's, making sure they were fresh and smelled nice. The heliotrope gave off a faint vanilla-like scent, and the gardenias smelled like…well, gardenias. They all piled into the car soon after. Sherry had made a scathing comment about the flowers, while Carlos waggled his brow suggestively and Rebecca giggled like an imbecile. Barry was the only one who stayed normal, his face pensive as he started the car as Leon's cheeks turned dusky red.
The closer they got to the house, the more Leon started to worry. What if she hated him for not being there right after the Antarctican business? What if she hated him, period? He'd never felt this way about anyone, not even Ada. Ada Wong had been a beautiful, intriguing woman, but when it came down to it she was also a lying, murdering thief. After Leon had learned about the finer points of her employment, he'd decided she wasn't what he wanted. Intelligent, yes, gorgeous, yes, risky, yes…but some things weighed more than others, and in the end, Ada just didn't cut it.
Claire, on the other hand…Claire was more than intelligent, she was calculating and street-smart, she was more than gorgeous, she was as beautiful as Aphrodite, she was more than risky, she was a loose cannon. But besides that, Claire was also compassionate, understanding, sensible, honest…many, many things, and they all made Claire who she was. All kinds of things, things that juxtaposed and made her a paradox unto herself, but they were still a part of Claire.
Leon was still brooding over this when they drove up. Nervously, he gathered the flowers and opened his door, slowly. Sherry was already racing up to the door, and pounding on the bell, and Carlos was helping Becca out, giving her long, meaningful glances from beneath his thick lashes. Barry was following Sherry's lead and waiting near the door. Leon slammed his door shut and started up the walkway. Rebecca laughed at something Carlos said, and the door swung wide open.
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Claire rinsed the last of the shampoo out of her hair and frowned. Had she heard something, or was it only her imagination acting up? She pushed her head beneath the shower nozzle one last time, soaking up the warm water, and turned the knob to 'Off'. Standing on her tippy-toes, she looked out the high, narrow window in the bathroom that faced the front of the manor. A car…! So they had arrived! Grinning like an idiot, she threw on a towel and raced downstairs, ignoring the freezing drafts of air that poured over her mostly bare skin.
She stopped at the base of the stairs, skidding a little on the carpet, and ran for the door, sliding to the stop on smooth wood floor. Chris and Jill were already there, talking to Barry and Sherry. When the girl caught sight of Claire, she let out a shriek and leaped forward, throwing her arms around her mentor. Claire laughed and returned the hug.
"How you been, Sherry?"
"The ride here was horrible! Becca and Carlos kept flirting, and Leon was all moody and stuff…! But I'm so glad to see you, Claire!" She hugged her again and stood back, her pale cheeks flushed with excitement. Barry had moved off to the side and was speaking in a low voice with Jill. Chris remained by the door and greeted a young-looking girl who Claire assumed to be Rebecca Chambers. The attractive Hispanic man standing at her side had to be Carlos Oliveira, the self-titled lady-killer. Carlos turned and took in Claire's slender body, wrapped in a towel, and smiled at her.
"You must be Claire. Sherry's said so much about you." He stepped forward, his hand outthrust. Only Sherry? No Leon? Smiling politely, she shook hands with him and said her hellos to Rebecca, thinking all the while. Where the hell was Leon?
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One sight of Claire in that towel had been enough to send Leon back to the car. He needed to regroup. It had caught him off guard, seeing her like that. She had no right to look so beautifu, he thought. No right at all! Her wet hair had been hanging down, to the top of her smooth, golden back. Muscular but slim legs, left bare to the winter winds, and her shoulders, huddled in an attempt to keep herself warm…Leon glared at the flowers he held. Claire had no right at all…!
Finally, he swallowed, hard, and started to walk towards the house again. The door was shut when he got there. He reached for the doorknob, slowly…
And suddenly the door opened from the inside, and Leon found himself face-to-face with Claire Redfield. For a minute they stared at each other, as if not recognizing the other. Then Claire smiled and threw an arm around his neck, crushing most of the flowers against her chest. After a minute she stepped back, looking him over.
"Long time, no see, Kennedy."
He smiled, nervously. "Yeah. You been okay?"
"Something like that. What about you?" She pulled a mashed petal off her collarbone.
"Pretty good." There was a long pause as he watched her peel a leaf off her chest, just above the rounded curve of her breast. He took a deep breath, tore his eyes away and shifted his gaze to Claire's face. "Brought flowers. For you."
She stared at the bouquet, her face blank. Then a slow smile made its way over her face. A dimple flickered in the corner of her cheek. "Really? That's so sweet, Leon." Another uncomfortable silence stretched out. Then Claire shook her head and stepped backwards. "I'm so stupid, leaving you out in the cold. Come in, everybody's probably upstairs, in the parlor." Leon handed her the flowers and walked inside. It was nearly as cold in the hall as it was outside. When he said just that, Claire laughed.
"Yep. The heat doesn't seem to work on any floor but the second, so that's where we spend most of our time. Follow me." She carefully set the flowers in a tall glass on the table and preceded him up a long flight of stairs to the second floor. Noises and laughter came from a room at the end of the hall. "Go on down there. I'm gonna go get dressed. Be there in a minute." She started to walk away.
Leon's heart contracted as she walked. Claire walked in such a pretty way. There was some hip in it, but not too much, like some girls.
"Claire?" His voice sounded deep in the empty hallway. She turned around, smiling a little. "I missed you. And it's good to see you again." It was lame, he knew, but the best he could do. Until he found out more about Steve, anyway.
"Me too, Leon. I missed you, too." He couldn't see her face, and after a second she was gone. Leon walked into the light of the parlor, feeling better than he had in weeks.
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What to wear, what to wear…!? Claire rummaged through her closet again. She didn't have many clothes. They couldn't really afford many. But she had to find something to wear! As she dropped the towel and put on her undergarments, she mused over what Leon had said. He'd gotten flowers for her, and said he missed her…maybe Ada didn't mean as much as she'd suspected.
A second run-through of her clothes brought Claire to a pair of jeans, reasonably clean, and soft, delightfully fluffy bronze-colored sweater. Slipping these on, she fumbled frantically through a suitcase for some socks. Her toes were blocks of ice, and her fingers were pretty close to being the same. After stubbing her toe on the nightstand and bedpost in quick succession, Claire made herself slow down and jerk her socks on. No shoes, because in her present state she'd probably knot the laces…her biking boots looked tempting in the dim light, but Claire decided against wearing them.
She combed her hair and tied it up in its customary ponytail and looked at her face. She'd seen better days. A light smudge under her eyes, barely noticeable, from bad sleep…again, her nightmare returned to her. At least Leon hadn't been in it. If she had to see Leon and Steve die in her arms, she might go crazy. After a moment's deliberation, Claire slipped on a ring Chris had given her a few years ago on her birthday. It was silver, set with a blue topaz, flanked on either side with a tiny diamond. It must've cost a paycheck or two, and Claire had felt guilty about it at the time. It made her hands look smaller, more delicate, she thought. And it made her feel safer.
She straightened her sweater and smoothed an invisible wrinkle in her jeans.
"I can do this," she told herself, and opened her door. A square of yellow light made strange shadows down the hall. Claire stepped inside the room and smiled, taking a seat in an overstuffed chair (literally: the stuffing was bursting the seams at places). Rebecca and Sherry were talking avidly, she noticed. That was good. They might be able to relate.
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Carlos scanned the room. Finally, all the chicas in a room together, so he could decide which one he wanted! The Redfield girl (Claire, wasn't it?) sat down in a chair. She looked nervous, but very pretty in a brownish sweater that set off her skin tone and hair color. Rebecca was curled up near the fireplace, where a fire was crackling merrily. And Jill was sitting on the couch next to that Chris guy, who was openly admiring her. Carlos mentally kicked him.
What a stupid man, to think he was worthy of Jill. Carlos, on the other hand, was not only good enough for Jill, he'd have her, too. That thick, chocolate-brown hair, cut at her chin…it emphasized her pointed chin and sloping cheekbones, Carlos realized. Her long, graceful arms and fingers. Musician's fingers, that was it. And she had a very fine figure – the finest of the three women in the room. Her eyes, a chilly, icy blue, were intense and seemed to speak a story of their own.
Carlos believed himself to be very much in love with her.
But then again, that Claire…he imagined her in the terrycloth towel again, her velvety grey eyes wide with anticipation. What had she been waiting for? Maybe for himself, Carlos decided. Perhaps Jill had told her how incredibly hot he was. It was possible. Claire was taller than Jill, if less graceful, but she had this aura of – not danger, exactly, but something like it. That, however, might have been because she was dangerous. With Chris as her older brother, any guy she dated had to watch out. He would probably dismember anyone who dumped his little sis…
And Rebecca. Quiet, adorable Becca Chambers. She had auburn hair, always up in a tight bun at the nape of her neck, and mocha brown eyes set in an elfin face, complete with tip-tilted nose. A little lacking in the breast department, but that was alright, she still had growing to do. She was really a nice person, and very funny, if young. A little naïve, too, although that could be fixed. Carlos liked her, maybe as more than a friend, but for now he was going after Jill. Or at least making sure Chris didn't get her.
Smiling suavely, Carlos stood and reseated himself next to Jill. Chris greeted him and invited him into the conversation. Carlos happily accepted, wondering why Redfield was being so considerate, and starting to turn on the charm. Jill seemed unfazed by it, but Carlos was too busy gazing at her adoringly to notice.
Eventually, Barry stood and announced his intention of leaving immediately.
"Sorry, really, but I've got to get back to the airport if I want to make my flight. Good luck, all of you." He hugged Jill warmly (Chris and Carlos both glowered enviously) and winked at Rebecca. Sherry promised to visit him and Polly and Moira sometime, and Claire treated him like a favorite uncle leaving on vacation, teasing the big man about getting old. Bags were unpacked from the trunk of the car, and after a few more farewells, Barry climbed into the car and drove off. Everyone trudged back into the house, and Claire insisted on giving everyone a tour of the manor. Jill tried to slip away, but Chris kept a close eye on her, making it impossible for her to leave. And Carlos watched Chris to make sure he didn't slip away with Jill.
A fresh snow started to fall, covering up the new tire tracks on the country road as Claire ushered her tour group into the entrance hall.