New Horizons, XIV
By: Hotaru

Warnings: Steve bashing, strong language, RE: Code Veronica spoilers

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"Awww, it's black and white!? I want color!" Claire whined when the movie started.
"Actually, Alfred Hitchcock made it in black and white because he thought it'd be too gory in color." Leon remarked expertly.
"Aren't you the little bookworm…movie worm..what ever."
"The first time I saw it, there were little movie facts on the bottom, okay?"

Claire grinned and punched Leon in the shoulder. "Hey, would you two shut up? I'm trying to listen here." Chris demanded. The door to the bathroom opened and Jill emerged. "Hey guys. What's up?" She greeted, sitting on the couch where Chris just got up from.
"Leon's a nerd." Claire said, interrupting Leon who was about to explain.
"Oh really? Why's that?" Jill questioned. Chris shook his head and went into the bathroom.
"Just because I know one thing about the movie, Claire thinks I'm some huge frigging nerd with no life." Leon whined.

"Oh shut up! I never said that! It was a joke, god." Claire retorted.
"Well you hurt my feelings, okay? I was a nerd all through school and the only reason I wasn't beat up in high school was cause I joined the football team." Leon said.
"Oh, Leon. C'mon, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, honest." Claire apologized.

Jill could only shake her head and watch the movie, while trying to ignore Claire and Leon's quiet whispering. Crying from Claire's bedroom interrupted their discussions, and Claire went to check on her baby, and Chris went to take a shower.

"You really want to get back to Europe, don't you?" Leon said as-a-matter-of-fact-ly.
"Well yes, of course I do. I'm going to lose out on a lot of money and I'll be behind if there are any revelations with our cases. But I can't help but feel like everyone secretly thinks I'm a horrible person for feeling this way." Jill replied.
"It's understandable, believe me. I'm fretting the day this month's bills arrive, but I just want to get past that all, y'know, and realize that I'm helping another human get through some really tough stuff." Leon replied.
"I know. You're a cop, you're used to saving people. But me…I'm just used to reviewing files, and saving myself. And unfortunately, that's how I think now. About me, because if I thought about something else back then," Jill finished her statement by trailing her forefinger across her neck.

Leon nodded and muttered a "I hear ya". They focused on the movie, now, and didn't say anything until Claire and Chris returned. They poked fun at the movie, at each other, and had a pillow fight before they were ready for bed. "I don't want to get up…" Claire moaned from on top of Chris and Leon.
"I can't feel my legs." Chris retorted, jerking his knees upwards in an attempt to knock his sister off of him.
"I haven't seen anything except Leon's back for the past half-hour." Jill added, obviously from behind Leon. Claire was the first to move, rolling onto the floor with a thud. Chris stood up next, and fell right back onto the couch to let the blood return to his legs. Jill attempted to climb out from behind Leon, with no luck, so he scooted forward.

"Hey, here's an idea, why don't you stand up Leon!" Jill asked, trying to shove the man off of the couch.
"Yeah, that would help…" Leon replied with a playful laugh. Chris narrowed his eyes and pulled Jill up and slung her over his shoulder.
"There, problem solved." He said, putting Jill on the floor.
"Aw, we were only having a little fun." Jill pouted. Chris' eyebrow twitched, but he said nothing. Jill and Leon were flirting. Claire had already gone to her room and was probably sound asleep. So Leon got up off the couch awkwardly and gathered the dirty clothes.
"I'm going to bring these down to the washing machines downstairs." He reported. Jill nodded, and she and Chris started to pull out the bed.
"You staying up for awhile?" Chris asked, calmly.

Leon shrugged and nodded. Chris acknowledged his answer, and tucked the sheet under the bed corner. "Ok, I'll be back, then." Leon said, slipping on a pair of slippers. He headed downstairs, not bothering to put a shirt on, and left Chris and Jill to themselves. "So what was that about?" Jill asked, once Leon was gone. "What was what about?" Chris replied, running a hand through his hair.


"You know what I mean. That, pulling me off of the couch, ruining our fun?" Jill said, trying to jog his memory.
"You were flirting, Jill. That's what it was about." Chris said defensively.
"Flirting? Oh come on, Chris! He likes your sister for Godsakes, I'm not stupid enough to flirt with him!"
"Sure. I was just being defensive, that's all."
"Chris…don't be like this." Jill moaned.
"Like what?"
"Jealous! You never were like this before, and it doesn't made a difference whether or not we like each other now."
"What?! Oh please! I'm just making my status known. I don't want Leon hurting my sister, and I don't want him taking you away from me."
"Chris…"

Jill looked up at him wide-eyed, making Chris feel like shit instantly. "Jill…I'm sorry. I'm sorry, really. Don't hate me." He said meekly. Jill shook her head and put her hand on his cheek.
"Chris, I can't hate you. But I don't like this side of you. It worries me." She replied. There was a crash that sounded like garbage cans being knocked over from outside. Chris and Jill ran to the window and looked out. "Can you see anything?" Jill asked. Chris shook his head vehemently.
"Maybe I should go check it out. Leon just went down there." He suggested. "Yeah, you probably should. Be careful." Jill replied. Chris nodded and hurried out of the apartment. Instead of waiting for the elevator, he ran down the steps and tried to find the laundry room.

It was at the end of a hallway. There was a door that led outside, and one of the washing machines was running. Chris went and pushed open the door. It took a minute for him to realize what was going on. A group of thugs were beating on Leon. "Hey..hey! Get away from him!" Chris shouted, running into action. Chris pulled one guy off of Leon and punched him. The guy punched back, not hurting Chris too bad. After another punch and a few kicks, they began to retreat. "We'll be back!" One of them shouted, flipping Chris and Leon off before screeching away in a car. Chris helped Leon up from the floor and grimaced. "What happened?" He asked as Leon wiped his face with the back of his hand.
"Steve's friends, my guess. I came out here for some fresh air and before I knew it I was on the pavement." He replied, wincing as he held his head.

"You okay? I mean, nothing's broken right?" Chris asked as they journeyed back upstairs.
"Not that I can feel. My head's pounding and my ribs hurt. But I don't think anything is really serious." Leon replied, stepping onto the elevator.
"Yeah, that's good. We should get you cleaned up and checked out though."
"What, you mean like at a hospital?"
"If you want. But it could probably wait til the morning. But what ever you want."


The elevator stopped and they proceeded into Leon's apartment. Jill looked up from the bed and her eyes widened. "Oh my God! What happened!?" She exclaimed, jumping up. Leon waved his hand and staggered into the bathroom.
"Nothing, nothing. I'm fine." He excused, examining his injuries. Jill and Chris followed him.
"It sure doesn't look like nothing." Jill continued.

"A couple of Steve's friends ganged up on him. Nothing but a bunch of pussies, sorry, Jill." Chris replied, looking at the woman briefly.
"What assholes. Are you both okay?" Jill asked worriedly. She touched Chris' cheek gently, but he still winced and jerked his head back.
"Let me get you guys some ice." She continued, disappearing into the kitchen.
"Thanks for saving my ass, man. I didn't have the strength or desire to fight back." Leon said gratefully.
"Hey, it's no problem. I know you would do the same for me. And besides, I'm one step closer to kicking Steve's ass." Chris replied angrily.
"Fucking prick. How is it that these a-holes aren't in jail?! I've seen them twice, I can pick them out of a line up…tch, they probably don't bother anyone else. Only the ones that fuck around with their home-boys."
"Yeah, you're right."
"I should go after them. Find out what they know. Or at least arrest them for assault."


Jill returned with two bags of ice and handed them off. "Here you go. Leon, you need ice trays, or more ice." She reported. Leon nodded and put the bag of ice on his head. "Don't tell Claire about this, it'll probably just upset her." He requested. Chris raised his eyebrows but said nothing. He held the ice against his face and went into the living room.
"I'm beat, I'm going to bed." He said, flopping onto the bed. Jill helped Leon patch himself up, and then went to sleep too.


~^~


"Morning, guys. Have you seen Leon?" Claire greeted cheerful. Chris and Jill looked up from their cereal and nodded.
"I think he was dropping that tape off to his boss or something." Chris replied. Claire stuck her lip out and nodded, before proceeding into the kitchen. "How's Katie doing? You've been neglecting her recently." Chris called.

"I know it's a horrible thing to say, but she's used to it. I barely had time with her before so she's not depressed or anything. And she's used to occupying her time anyway." Claire replied, her voice being muffled briefly as she searched through cabinets.
"Maybe you should put her in day-care or something so she gets adjusted to being around more kids." Jill suggested. Claire sat down at the table with some baby food and shrugged.
"She's too young for that. I think a nanny would be more appropriate, but I don't think I can afford it right now." She replied.
"What about your house? Are you gonna keep it?" Chris asked, milk dribbling down to his chin. Claire shook her head and wiped it clean.
"I don't know." She replied simply.

Chris got up and brought his bowl to the sink and washed it out. "Well you need somewhere to live. You can't stay here forever you know." He said matter-of-factly.
"Why not? Did Leon say I can't?" Claire retorted defensively. Chris sighed and dropped his arms to his sides.
"No, but I think it's a given. He's only being hospitable until you get back on your feet and are ready to get back to the real world. Don't..take that the wrong way."

Claire's eyes flared briefly. "I'm not in a fantasy-world Chris. I'm recovering, okay? And I don't need you bugging me about my life!" she said in a warning tone.
"Yeah, I know. I've known that forever. But that doesn't mean that one day you'll have to go out there and get a job and get with it again."
"I know that! I just…I don't want to sell the house, but I don't want to stay there. I had so many ideas on how to fix it up and re-arrange things and stuff. But whenever I go there I just…hate it."

Jill stood up and interrupted them quietly. "We can always change it, Claire. New paint, furniture, things like that. Sometimes you'd be amazed at how different a room can look. I'll help you if you want. I'll contact my boss and ask if I can stay here to investigate into Umbrella's involvement with Steve further, and I can help you redo your house." She offered. Chris frowned. /If she stays here, and I go back, we're not going to see each other for a long time. I wonder if I can stay too../

Claire shrugged weakly and tried to get Katie to finish her last bite of food. "What do you think, Chris?" She asked, looking up at the only person who didn't know what to do.
"Ah…I don't know. I mean, we don't know if our boss will even let us stay here. An-an-and if he does, how can we guarantee that we'll have time to fix up your house, you know?" He stammered.
"What do you mean 'we'. You're staying too?" Jill questioned. Chris licked his lips nervously.
"Well, I…yeah, I mean, she's my sister and I want to help and be around as much as I can. That's probably part of why this was allowed to go on as long as it did." He said quickly.

"Chris, stop blaming yourself." Claire added quietly.
"But what about the others? They're already buried as it is, now with two men gone? We have to consider them, too." Jill said.
"I know, Jill, but they'll make do. Besides, we have hardly anyone here in the states. Wouldn't it be a good idea to have some of our best investigators right here, smack dab in the middle of a giant and personal case?"
"Well, yes, of course, but I don't know how well it'll sit with the boss. He still needs to get that tape, and he's got to get up to speed—"

"So then get him up to speed! E-mail him, let him know that we're sending a tape soon and that a case was dropped into our laps. Just…just say that we're going to stay here and investigate the matter as long as necessary."
"You think that will convince him?" Jill asked questionably.
"I don't think he's the type of man who would let a potential break in the Umbrella file just walk away." Chris replied intently.

Claire shook her head and smiled. Chris and Jill were so involved with their work. It's hard to believe that they're as young as they are, with no real professional training. The front door opened and closed, and Leon was home. "Hey guys, morning Claire." He greeted, trying to hide his face.
"Hey Leon…what's the matter? Are you alright?" Claire replied, trying to get a glimpse of his face.

"Yeah, a perp just took some of his anger out on me, that's all. I'm fine." Leon replied quickly, placing 'the tape' on the kitchen table. Jill snatched it up quickly and held it to her chest as if someone would take it first.
"So we'll discuss this later, after we send this to the boss." She said, tapping the tape with her index finger. Claire went to give Katie a bath, and Jill got to work with the tape.
"So you think Claire believed me?" Leon asked quietly. Chris shrugged.
"I don't see why she'd have a reason not to." He replied. Leon nodded in agreement and turned the t.v. on.
"When are you going back to work?" Chris asked.
Leon sighed and rubbed his face gingerly. "I don't know man but I really am running out of money and lost time. My boss is trying to be respectful and give me space and everything but I know he wants me to get back to work." He replied.
"I hear ya man…I hear ya."


TBC