Sometimes they Come Back
by diddly day
A/N: Wow, it's been so awesome getting feedback back from all of you. I can't believe I'm on the third chapter. Hopefully this one will be good. Lets check it out.
Chapter Three:
"Easy now. Easy."
Leon said to Claire as he slid her in the back seat of his car. Her head rolled on her shoulders loosely. He couldn't believe that she was coming home so early. Rife had insisted that she do so. It was kind of relieving to him. Although he had only been sharing a bed with Claire for six months, he didn't like sleeping alone, and he didn't like the idea of Claire alone in the hospital, for a variety of reasons.
"There now, all tucked in for sleepy weepy?" Chris's teasing voice came behind Leon as he buckled her in.
"Bite me," Claire grumbled. Leon just smiled and shut the car door.
"Don't tell me she's also PMSing?" asked Chris as he walked around to the driver's side.
"No, it's her concussion. The doctor told me she could be a little snappy." Leon rested against the side door.
"In that case, thank goodness for painkillers, eh?" Chris's face caved in a massive grin.
"She's already doped up enough as it is."
"How can you tell?" Chris looked into Claire's window to make sure she was asleep and not eavesdropping.
"She asked me if I could go to the bathroom for her."
Leon laughed as he said the words.
"Sick," Chris whispered. Leon thought it was about time to change the subject.
"Did you call everyone and tell them what happened?" Leon asked. Chris nodded.
"Called them allyesterday afternoon. They should be in by tonight. After I told them that they were all in danger, they were more then happy to push back whatever they had planned and come down to see us."
Leon muttered a soft " Good." He paused for a moment.
"What about Ada?"
"Coming tonight, along with everyone else," Chris replied. Leon uncomfortably shifted his eyes around.
"So what's the deal with you and her? Like her or hate her?" Leon's head whipped back at Chris's question. He ran his figures through his hair.
"I honestly don't know," Leon sighed. "I mean, if it weren't for her, I would have never gotten the warning about Wesker. But I just can't stop thinking about how she screwed me over in Raccoon."
"So which is it?"
"I don't hate her. I don't trust her, but I don't hate her," said Leon finally.
"You can't hate anyone Leon. It isn't in your nature," Chris declared. Leon stared back at him before putting his head in his hands.
"I hate Umbrella," he said bitterly. "I hate the son of a bitch who did that to Claire."
"Well, those guys don't count because there is no way you can't hate them." Leon was quite for a moment. Chris caught him sneak a glimpse at Claire through the window.
"Yeah, I guess if it hadn't been for Ada, I wouldn't have been in such a rush to get home, I wouldn't have been there in time," Leon frowned, "I still wasn't," he added ever so softly.
"Are you still beating yourself up about that? Look, Leon, it isn't your fault."
"Yes it is." he replied shortly.
"No, it isn't!" Chris shouted, raising his voice to Leon. "I don't think that, Claire doesn't think that. No one thinks that but you. You've gotta get over it. Like that song in the Lion King." Leon raised an eyebrow at Chris.
"You watched the Lion King?" Chris's face grew pale as he knew what had just slipped out.
"Uh," he stuttered. "I watched it over at my nephews house."
"You don't have a nephew." Leon rolled his eyes and waved his hand to his brother-in-law. "Man, you just got less cool to me somehow."
"It's a good show!" yelled Chris in defense as he got into the car.
I I I
"Hey Claire, you ever seen the Lion King?" asked Leon as he sat next to her on Chris's couch, next to the warmth that the fire in the fire place was giving off.
Chris had pressed that he and Claire stay at his house for a while. Claire was resting her head comfortably on a pillow. She had argued that she didn't need bed rest, that she wanted to be there when Sherry arrived. Claire cracked one of her eyes open to look at him.
"Yeah, but I didn't like it as much as Chris. He used to sing all of those song every day in the shower." Leon busted out into laughter.
"That's a little disturbing." Leon laid his head back on the couch.
"Oh, you know it will be in your dreams," Claire joked.
"Or nightmares," he retorted.
He was happy that Claire was trying to be so cheerful. He knew that all she wanted to do was roll up in a ball and go to sleep. She was also refusing to let Leon give her any more painkillers.
He could feel Claire shift over to her side so she was leaning on his arm. Looking down at her, he reached down and brushed her hair out of her face. Very lightly, he brushed her bandage that wrapped tightly around her brow. He hadn't even realized that she was staring at him. His eyes meeting hers, he tilted over and kissed her temple. Her hand grabbed his leg and started to rub it tenderly. With that, he had a suddendesire to grab her and drag her up to their guest room. . . .
"Hello?" the loud voice made the couple jump apart.
"Jill!" Claire stumbled up slowly to give her a hug.
"I've been trying to get your attention for the last minute or so!" Jill cried, laughing. Leon stood up to give her a quick hug.
"Sorry. We didn't even hear Chris let you in. I was a little. . .distracted," Leon chuckled.
"Um, yeah, I could see that," Jill laughed again. Leon turned scarlet. Jill turned her attention back to Claire.
"Wow, I haven't seen you since our wedding," Claire beamed.
"I know, I know, I've been so busy. I've just-" she stopped when she saw the Claire turned the side of her head to look at Leon. Staring at the bandage on her head. "Oh, Claire, what did they do to you?"
Claire quickly turned away and moved toward the couch. "You still look beautiful, but by the size of your bandage I take it your gash is huge."
"I take it Chris told you the whole story?" Claire said as she sat down.
"Yeah, did you see who did it?" Jill moved forward to sit with her on the couch. Claire shook her head.
"I don't remember anything," responded Claire hopelessly. "I remember walking into the bathroom, the shower was on, then it just all went black."
Jill sighed andpatted Claire's back. Claire immediately flinched and pulled away.
"Her back it a little injured too." Leon said sitting down in the nearby chair.
"I'm sorry." Jill moved her hand back.
"It's no big deal." Claire blurted airly.
The doorbell broke through their conversation. Leon could see Chris jog down the stairs to answer it. Hearing him unlock the latch, and the door being pulled back from the lock, a little voice filled the room.
"Chris!" a young girl shouted.
"Hi Sherry," his voice echoed into the study with the rest of them. Leon glanced at Claire, only to find a warm smile playing on her lips.
"Are Leon and Claire here?" The excitement in her voice made all of who where in the study snicker.
"Yeah, just right in the study." His voice was drowned out by her hasty footsteps. "Who brought you!" Chris shouted after her.
"Me, Chris. How are you?" A deep voice followed Chris's.
"Barry! Long time no see."
Leon could imagine Berry extending over Chris and offering a conventual handshake. Just then, the door creaked open and in popped Sherry's young, blond head. Before Leon knew it, she was diving at Claire, wrapping her arms around her so fast that it made her gasp.
"No, wait, Sherry," Jill tried to warn her about not making the same mistake that she did. But Claire just hushed her and smiled at the, now, thirteen-year-old.
"Oh, Sherry, when did you get so beautiful?" Claire cooed. Sherry just giggled, but it quickly vanished as she saw Claire's face.
"I'm so sorry about what happened," Claire just looked at the fire, then gazed back, giving Sherry a gentle grin.
"Hey, I'm tough. I can take it."
"You still are ravishing."
"Sorry about her feisty behavior," Barry, who had just joined them in the study, sat down in the large armchair next to the fire. "She's been so excited about seeing you."
Soon after Barry, Carlos, and Rebecca arrived, all giving their apologies to Claire, and warm hugs to Sherry. Barry had told them that her aunt let him take her with him, since he was passing through her town anyway. They all made chitchat, catching up, they had all decided that it would be best to go separate ways, trying to come up with a plane to stop Umbrella. Once they made a pact that they would all reunion again for one final action.
I I I
"Looks like that day has come," Carlos had said when they all got settled.
"So is everyone here?" asked Jill.
"Not everyone," Leon said softly gazing out the window.
Claire felt such pain in her heart for causing so much grief. Not just in Leon's life, but in everyone's. She sometimes wondered what it would had been like if she hadn't gone looking for her brother. If she had suggested that he take the job in Chicago instead of the R.P.D.
"Why? Who else are we expecting?" Rebecca questioned.
As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Everyone stared at each other. Slowly Chris got up and left the room for a moment. The gang could hear hushed voices coming from living room. Chris walked back in with Ada following right behind him.
"Everyone this is Ada Wong," Chris said as he pulled up an extra chair.
They all stood up to shake her hand. Finally it was Claire's turn. She stood up to greet the mysterious woman that Leon had told her about. Her warm hand gripped Ada's. A sensation of dejavue shook its way through her body.
She knew this woman. She had seen that face before. It was so strong, she could feel herself getting dizzy.
"Claire?"
Leon jumped up out of his chair and ran by her side, gently putting a soft hand on her shoulder. Claire peeked out of the corner of her eye and saw Ada's mouth twitch. Her stomach was doing flip-flops. For some odd reason, this woman made her afraid.
"I'm okay." Her voice was shaky, but calm. She shook her head, trying to gather her wits about.
"You look a little pale," Ada's voice broke in. Claire turned her sight back to the woman whom she was still holding a death grip on.
"Thank you for your help," Claire noticed her own voice sounded far off. "You helped save my life. I owe you."
Ada flashed her a smile. Claire felt the sickening feeling return in her. There was something in her smile. Claire could find that it was getting harder to breathe.
Why did this woman terrify her?
"Claire, why don't you sit down?"
Leon lead her to the couch andsat himself down next to her. Immediately, she could feel her heart begin to calm as Leon threw a strong arm over her body.
"So why are we here anyway?" Carlos spoke up. "I know it has something to do with Claire, and the rest of us being in danger. I take it that it has something to do with you also?"
"Oh, it does,"
Ada said standing in front of all of them. She seemed to glow mysteriously with the fire behind her, Claire thought. Sherry shifted apprehensively in her seat.
"Where should I start?"
"How about when you approached Leon in the parking garage," Chris offered.
"I have a better idea. It all started when I was picked up outside of Raccoon after an underground lab explosion. But it wasn't by the Umbrella. Instead it was by another establishment. This "enterprise" that Umbrella calls, goes by the title Nexxus. I was held there, a prisoner for almost seven months."
Ada stopped abruptly.
"Did you break out?" Rebecca asked. Ada took in a drew in a weak breath and glared straight at
her.
"No. After they decided that I didn't know anything about the Raccoon contagion, they wanted to use me for other purposes. Albert Wesker. . . .was among these people. This is the company he is working for now."
Everyone just gazed at her in shock.
"What kind of purposes?" asked Leon, eyeballing her suspiciously. She directed herself so that she was watching him.
"Wesker was injected with some sort of chemical. It was somehow able to mix with his DNA, and create a super Tyrant, but in human form. Nexxus like's to call him invincible. But his code name in "Slayer."
"I am sorry to say that I was the one used to produce such a chemical. I worked in the labs for hours on end. Until I came up with the S-toxin."
Claire could see Leon rub his temples and Sherry's eye'sbecame saucers at Ada's words.
"What does that have to do with us?" Jill choked out.
"Nexxus is one of Umbrella's competitors. They know that there are fellowships out there that are aware of Bio-hazard usage. Even if Nexxus and Umbrella are two different industries, they still hold the same value, and the exposer of one could result in the exposer of all. Therefor, we all must be eliminated."
"But you're helping them!" Sherry shouted at her. "You work for them now!"
"Yes, but since I survived Raccoon, chances are that I'll be killed too. They have no idea that I'm working against them. I also have to pay back what I've done to hurt you all."
There was such shame in her voice that Claire could almost trust her.
"This is just too much information," Rebecca's soft voice broke out as she stood up and looked out the window.
"No kidding." Chris agreed. "Is there anything else we should know?"
"There is another type of virus."
Everyone groaned at the word virus.
"Only this one is different. This one is special. Instead of turning humans into mindless creatures, this one affects the part of the brain that controls your emotions. Slowly, it kills off any emotions the body has left but one. . .rage. Tests have shown that the subjects who were infected ended up killing their companions all in a fit of anger."
Jill put her face in her hands.
"Just when things couldn't get any worse," she muttered.
"I'm sure you won't have to worry about that though. It's still being perfected. It doesn't even have a name," Ada added as an after thought.
"So what are we going to do?" Barry asked.
"There's not much we can do," Claire addressed. "The best we can do is try to stick together and advise a plan. But as for tonight, I'm afraid we are going to have to put a pin in it."
"I think she's right," Jill agreed. "Safety in numbers, but we can't expect to come up with a plane over night. I think we should all get our minds clear and think. Rest."
"Well in that case, let's have dinner!" Carlos said as he sprang out of the room.
I I I
She never liked to be alone. No, not since she got married. She adored what she had with Leon. That was something she would never, ever give up. But being alone now, in the guest bedroom. She had never felt more lonely. More then when she was in the hospital.
Maybe it was because they were so close, and yet so far. Leon had stressed that he wanted her to get all the rest she could after dinner. Yes, she was tired. Drained, really. But she could sleep knowing Leon was up and about. Letting her isolation get the best of her, she crept out of her room.
Making her way down the hall, and soon down the stairs she heard Ada's deep, humdrum, voice fill the kitchen. It was soon followed by Leon's. She peeked in the kitchen, carefully, so not to be seen, she saw him facing the wall over the sink doing dishes, Ada was helping him clean off the table. She couldn't help but noticed how tired he looked. The lines under his eyes seemed somehow more pronounced. Ada, on the other hand, looked very well rested, like sleeping beauty.
"Do you believe me now?" she heard Ada ask. Leon didn't even look up from his work.
"After some drastic measures, I have no choice but to believe you."
Claire shifted farther back into the shadows. She had never met Ada, but on some basis, she was jealous of her. She sometimes felt that she could never owe up to that kind of a woman, and had worried that on some level, that Leon wished that Ada wore the wedding band on her left finger instead of Claire.
"It's good that you do. The most important thing in our life right now is stopping Nexxus and Umbrella." Ada conveyed as she stuck the food back into the refrigerator.
"No, it's not."
Claire's head snapped up. What else could there be?
"No? Then tell me, what's the most important thing in your life?" Ada was now leaning on the table. The expression on her face full of curiosity.
Leon looked straight at the wall, a dreamy,yet serious expression lingering on his face.
"My wife," he said simply, before continuing back to his work.
Claire could feel her heart stop, and at the same time burn with love. At that moment, all of her fears disappeared. She had always known he loved her, cared for her. But to be the most important thing in his life? The feeling was doubled ten times when she thought about what that meant. They were each others life. And Claire knew her answer would have been the same, if not deeper if the questioned had been asked to her.
"That's sweet."
Her face didn't flinch, and her voice held its lifeless tone, except with a small hint of sarcasm so faint that Leon wouldn't have noticed, but Claire did. She could feel her face burn with fury.
"It must have been hard seeing her like that," she continued. Leon stopped. "On the floor. She must have looked like hell. All bloody and broken. I can't imagine what that must have felt like."
Was there a twinge of mockery in her voice?
"Yes." His tone was dry. And slightly pissed.
Claire pressed her head against the door frame. Her eyes closing in silent prayer for her husband. She hated that she had put him through that. She hated that there was nothing she could do about it, and she hated Ada for making him relive it in his mind. Ada crossed the room and exited through the other door that led into the kitchen. For a while she just stayed there. But then she could hear Leon's soft sighs.
"You still blame yourself don't you?" she asked coming out of her hiding place. Leon jerked his head around in surprise.
"You should be resting." She heard a pop in the sink, followed by a the noise of flooding water down the sink as he pulled the plug and sat it on top of the counter.
"Leon, I can take care of myself. You of all people should know that!"
Leon didn't move or hold any cast on his face. Claire softened her voice. "I know you want what's best, but you also know that I loathe being fussed over."
"I can't help it. I love you." She stepped closer to him. Gently taking his head in her hands she moved her lips close to his ears.
"I love you too. But I can't stand to see you hurting this bad, and I can't stand knowing that I am causing that hurt," she whispered.
Suddenly, she could feel his arms circling her waist, and pulling her closer. Lovingly, she tugged on his ear, then kissing his jaw, and finally his lips. She ran her tongue over his top lip. She pulled away and leaned up against the table, showing what Ada had done earlier. This time, Leon couldn't tare his eyes away.
"You taste like strawberries," he chuckled.
"You taste like soap," she teased. "Come to bed, it's been three days since we've shared a bed. That's way to long."
"Okay."
And with that she grabbed his hand and led him out of the kitchen, up the stairs, closing the door to the room that would be occupied for the rest of the night.
I I I
Ada watched as the happy couple slid out of the kitchen with rage in her heart. Never would she had thought that she would have hated a woman as much as Claire. Was it because of Leon Maybe. Maybe she still felt something for him. She would rather see him dead then be with Claire. If that was the case, so be it. Yes, she was going to complete her next assignment.
No matter what.
To be continued.
tre0220: My first reviewer. I was so excited when you told me this was one of your favorite fics.
I gotta tell ya. I kept writing a lot of it for you, and the fact that you told me I was a wonderful
writer! You're so kind. You made my day. Thank you.
Darryl-Flowers: Hehe, I'm glad you enjoyed my cliffhangers. Thanks for helping keep going.
Tifa Redfield: What can I say? I was so happy that you read my story and liked it! The boy is
mine has to be one of my favorites. That was such a great complement.
Amyngle: Hehehe, I'm glad I kept you hanging on the edge of your seat. That was awesome
Saunce: I loved all fo your questions. And I agree Wesker is the coolest enemy. I like long
chapters too, that's why I only post long chapters. knock on wood Thanks for your
encouragement. I posting soon dammit! hehe.
Dale: thanks for telling me to keep writing. That's just more fuel for me to do it. I thank you.
Lin: I'm happy that you liked the chapter. It was one of the fun one's to write. Thanks for the
review.
Brandon B: I'm glad you had as much fun reading as I did writing it. Just that fact that you liked
it meant the world to me. Thanks.
Anonymous, AKA: Marshmallow: Thanks for the review, I love Claire and Leon too. Ada is cool
cuz she saved my butt at the end of the game. But oh well! Thanks for the review.
Juicyflava065: There is no bigger complement then telling me I have an original story, I work very
hard to try and accomplish that. I'm happy you noticed. Thanks you.
Jimmy: It blew my mind that you told me that you thought that this was one of the best fics up. I
got a little teary eyed. Well, no that's a lie. But I did feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Thank you
thank you. It made me so happy.
happychocobo: you and tre0220 both loved the scrubbing day part. I felt great when you told me
how great everything was. By the way, you're a Final fantasy fan, aren't you? Thanks KWEAH!
bludevil34: I'm glad you liked the fact the Leon and Claire are all ready married. I thought about
doing the hook up thing, but this just made my life so much easier. It's good to know you like my
method. I try and up date every 4 to 5 days, but this chapter took a little bit longer. Thank you.
REM: Hey! It's great you think it's looking good. You're giving me hope. And I will write
more, which you can see. Okay, I'm babbling. Thanks for the review.