New Horizons, XVII
By: Hotaru

Warnings: Steve bashing, strong language, RE: Code Veronica spoilers
_word_ means italic. Can't make it italic as a .txt file _

~^~

The next morning, Chris and Claire had cooked up a nice going away breakfast for Jill. Leon was forced into working the graveyard shift at work, so he was still at the station house.

"But you are coming, right?" Claire asked for the hundredth time to Leon on the phone.
"Yes, Claire, I am coming. I've got one thing to do, and then I'll be on my way. Are we gonna do that hand thing?" Leon asked.
"When she comes back, and the house is done. It's like a certificate of completion. Alright, breakfast will be done soon, so _please_ be home before it gets cold for once."
"Yes mother, see you soon."
"Okay, bye."

Claire hung up the phone and shook around the pan containing the bacon. The oil sizzled and popped, burning her hand. "Son of a bitch! I hate oil!" She hissed, pulling on an oven mitt.
"No one told you to shake it, Claire." Chris said, plating another batch of eggs.
"Shush."

Jill slowly came down the stairs, hauling her luggage with a meager smile on her face. "Hey guys. You doing this all for me?" She asked, sliding her purse off of her shoulder and onto the couch. Chris turned and raised his eyebrows at her with a smile. She returned the smile, and headed into the kitchen.

"We couldn't let you get on that plane without a good meal in you. Sit down, it'll be ready soon." Claire said, heading into the bathroom. Chris pulled up a chair and sat down on it backwards.
"Hey." He said smoothly.
"Hey yourself." Jill replied.
"You have a hickey."
"What?!"

Chris went around the table and tapped a spot right where Jill's shoulder met her neck. "Right there. Want me to make it bigger?" Chris continued, nipping at Jill's neck.
"Chris! Claire's in the next room!" Jill hissed, trying to squirm out of his grasp.
"So, the toilet flush'll warn us." Chris said, pulling Jill against him

"OK guys, I'm back. Just wanted some aloe for my…hand." Claire greeted, slowing to a halt as Jill pulled out of Chris' grasp. "Um…am I interrupting?" She questioned, staring accusingly at her older brother.
"No, Jill's just got a mark on her neck. She thought it might be a spider bite or something. I tried to get a good look at it but she's too damn ticklish." Chris lied, plastering on a fake smile.

Claire raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "What ever you say, Chris. You better not have let my bacon burn." She said, brushing past the two.
"I turned the burner off, it was already burning before you left, Sara Moulton." Chris teased.
"Dammit Chris! Don't compare me to a woman who can't even say marinade right!" Claire screamed.

Jill looked at her watch and sighed. "Not to interrupt you two, but my plane leaves in an hour and a half." She said rather loudly to be heard over the sibling's bickering.
"Shit, ok, um, Leon should be here any minute, so go ahead and start eating." Claire said, quickly making a plate together and placing it in front of Jill.

"Thanks, it looks great." Jill said, grabbing her fork. Chris and Claire soon joined her in eating, and it wasn't until they were all finished that Leon hurried through the door.
"I'm so sorry Claire! I was heading home when a drive-by happened, and I got stuck handling it. I know I said I'd be here but—" he rushed, before Claire held up her hand.
"A drive-by? Are you ok? Was anyone hurt?" She asked.
"Yeah, three gang members were killed, and a stray bullet hit a passer-by but it looks like he's gonna pull through. Not to mention my car was pumped full of fucking lead after I just got it back from the goddamn shop!" Leon exclaimed.

He slumped down at the kitchen table and grabbed a piece of bacon. "This is the worst fucking day I've ever had." He complained, wolfing down the bacon.
"Can't you be uh…what's the word…compensated?" Claire stammered.
"I don't know. I was technically off duty, and it was my car, so I have no idea."
"Aw, Leon, that's horrible." Jill added, going to retrieve her things from the living room.

Grumbling he stood up and grabbed his plate of breakfast. "Yeah. On top of all this, you're leaving!" He continued. Jill smiled and brought her luggage to the door. The serums and virus were in her handbag, which she had to hold at all times. Her fake doctor I.D. was in her wallet, and her ticket was sticking out.
"When ever you guys are ready." She announced, joining them at the table again. They finished the meal quickly, and after Claire went and grabbed Katie, they headed out to the airport.

Leon, Claire and Katie had gone to look at the gift shops upon Claire's insisting, leaving Chris and Jill sharing a smoothie. "I can't believe you're really going." Chris remarked, looking out the window at the landing strips.
"Yeah, me neither." Jill replied, not knowing what else to say.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?"
"Yeah. I can't carry my gun on board, so I left it in the back of my closet. Hold on to it for me until I get back, ok?"
"Sure. So who's picking you up when you get to Paris?"

Jill closed her eyes and sighed. "I don't know. They just told me to wait at one of the airport restaurants." She answered a moment later.
"Which one?" Chris continued, admiring how pretty Jill looked. She was wearing a turquoise Celene skirt, a tight white shirt and a ¾ length tan blazer.
"Ah…Etoilé Nuit."*
"I hear they have good food..not that I read up on airport restaurants or anything.."
"Yeah. Hopefully I can grab some before I get back to work."
Chris took Jill's hand and rubbed it gently. "Your flight leaves soon." He remarked sadly.
"Yeah. I guess we should go find Claire and Leon." Jill said, standing up from their table.

They wandered around the airport until they found Leon and Claire moseying along. "There you guys are. I've got to be at the gate in fifteen minutes." Jill exclaimed.
"We went to where we left you, but you weren't there." Claire replied.
"Anyway, we better get going." Chris interrupted, taking one of Jill's bags from her.

They headed to the gate, and Claire and Leon said their goodbyes.
"I'll ah..call you the first chance I get." Jill said shakily
"You better. I won't stop worrying about you until then." Chris replied, pulling Jill into a hug. "I love you." He whispered.

Jill's eyes widened as Chris tightened his hug. "I'll call you." She said, turning towards the gate and hurrying off. Chris wavered a minute before putting his hand on his forehead. "Come on Chris. We better head back." Claire said, appearing next to her brother.

Nodding in a daze, he followed Claire and Leon out of the airport wondering why Jill didn't share his sentiments. "Chris? Snap out of it." Blinking a few times, Chris looked around to find the voice that has just spoken to him. It was Claire, and she was standing in front of him, walking backwards.
"What?" He asked.
"I asked you what you're going to do today." Claire repeated.
"Oh. I was gonna help you paint and move furniture and stuff, remember?" Chris replied, rubbing his eyes.
"Really? Great, I could use some help. Hey, are you okay?"
"No, not really. I'd rather not talk about it."
"Don't worry, Chris. She'll be back."

Sighing, Chris nodded and climbed into the car. The drive home was quiet; no one spoke or had anything worth saying. Chris mindlessly chewed on his fingernails, hardly feeling it as the car ran over a bump, and he bit his skin.
"Sorry that I can't help you out, but I'm pretty tired." Leon announced as they arrived at Claire's house.
"It's okay, Leon. Hey, speaking of which, what happened at work?" Claire asked eagerly.

Leon bit his lip and hurried into the house. Claire sped up and went after him. "Hey, Leon! Cut it out, will ya? What happened?" She called angrily. Chris followed them somberly, until Leon stopped when Claire confronted him in the kitchen.
"Leon…what happened?" Claire asked again.
"He's ah…Steve's…most likely going to get probation." Leon said lividly.

Claire collapsed into a chair and put her head on her hands. "I can't believe this. How could this happen?! He made a full confession on tape! I don't understand how something horrible like this could happen." She sobbed, though she didn't cry. Chris tried his best to comfort his sister, and Leon stood there, leaning against the counter awkwardly.

"I'm sorry Claire. It was the D.A.'s decision. He's going to be in jail a maximum of six months, and is gonna be on probation for about three years. There's nothing we could have done." He said guiltily.
"This…I don't know but it doesn't make any sense to me at all. I…I want to be alone." Claire said, running up to her room.

~^~

Chris knocked on the door to Claire's room. "You okay?" he called, when she didn't answer.
"What the hell do you think!?" Was his snappy response.
"Look, Claire, fuck Steve, ok? Fuck him. No one gives a shit about him, you're over it, and we don't have to worry about him for a while. I don't want you to get depressed. You know how upset I am about Jill not being around, and I don't want you to make me feel worse, ok?"
"I can't. I can't just act like everything's ok. I can't do it. What happens in six months when he gets out? He's going to come here first thing. And what if he tries to set the house on fire, or worse? I can't live like that!" Claire pulled open the door teary-eyed and looked intently at her brother.

"We'll do what we can. We'll put a restraining order on him, and order protection for the first month or whatever that he's out. Look, we can get through this, okay?" Chris said.
"Sure. And what after that month? What happens when Steve tries to abduct me or Katie? What happens when he attacks me when I'm getting the mail or coming back from food shopping? I can _not_ live like that!"
"News flash Claire, people live like that every day. People live their lives in fear, they stop going outside, lock themselves in their rooms and shit like that. But you're not like them Claire! You're not weak! If he attacks you, you whip out your gun and shoot until you're empty. What else do you want me to do? Leon said that they're not going to overturn the ruling, and you don't want to move away right?"

Claire shook her head and sat on her bed. "When I left Raccoon City, and Antarctica, I finally felt a sense of security, like I won't have to fear for my life every time I take a nap. Like I won't have to hide in a locker to rest for an hour before I go killing more people. And now this. First Steve abused me, now I feel like he's going to be lurking around every corner. Waiting." Chris nodded and pulled Claire against him.
"I won't let him hurt you, and neither will Leon. We're all experienced gunmen and have acute hearing. If you let out so much as a whimper, we'll be there. Just…come on, come down and paint with me."

TBC

*Starlit Night