New Horizons, XXIII
By: Hotaru
Warnings: Steve bashing, strong language, RE: Code Veronica spoilers
~^~
"Claire? Yo, earth to Claire." Leon said, shaking Claire's shoulder.
"What?" Claire asked, lowering her head from the head rest.
"Are you okay? You just sorta phased out there." He replied worriedly.
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I used to listen to this song to get rid of my head aches when I was younger. I haven't heard it in so long, so...anyway, ready to go?" She asked.
Leon nodded, and buckled himself in. "Have any place in mind for lunch?" Claire asked.
"Yeah, there are some vending machines in the basement." Leon grinned, rolling his head to look at Claire, who was glaring daggers at him. "In case you haven't realized it by now, I was kidding. Where do you wanna go?"
"Anywhere but vending machines." She answered.
"Hm..how 'bout Applebee's?"
"Isn't that a bit expensive for lunch?"
"Money's no object, babe."
Claire smiled and pinched Leon's cheek. "So, I bet Chris' happy about Jill coming back, huh?" Leon remarked, looking out the window.
"Yeah. He's been gaga over her _forever_. I'm glad they finally got together. He's too lonely." Claire replied, as they neared the police station.
"Really? Now that you mention it, I guess he does seem a bit depressed without her."
"'A bit'?! He's about a foot from sticking his head into the oven now! You haven't known him as long as I have. He's had girlfriends in the past, but none of them have affected him the way Jill has. He's almost a different person."
"Better, or worse?"
She had to think about that. "I guess better. But she has to be around all the time, or else he goes into ultra-depressed mode, and sits around doing nothing. How many times do I have to mention that I want to paint before he gets off his ass and helps me?" She answered finally.
"Maybe he doesn't realize you want his help." Leon replied, as Claire pulled in front of the police station.
"Yeah, he _would_ be that dense. Have a nice day, anyway. I'll talk to you later, right?"
"I didn't know you wanted help...but yeah, I'll call you later. Gimme kiss."
Claire raised her brows at him as he pulled her, by her chin, towards him, and kissed her. "Alright, I better go." He said, climbing out of the car. Claire smacked his ass right before he slammed the door closed. "Hey, missy, don't get fresh." He warned, before waving, and heading inside. Giggling, Claire watched him walk into the building before driving away, and heading back home.
~^~
"Chris?...Chris?! I'm home, where are you?" Claire called into the house, hanging up her coat. There was no response. Taking a deep breath, she went into the drawer by the computer desk and pulled out her gun. "Chris? Where are you?" She called, listening for movement. A door opened upstairs, and there were loud footsteps. Chris appeared, donning a white towel around his waist; Claire aimed her gun.
"Shit, Claire, put the damn gun down!" Chris exclaimed, jumping back behind the wall.
"Chris! Jesus fucking Christ, didn't you hear me calling you!?" Claire retorted angrilly.
"Yeah, didn't you hear me yell back to you?"
"Obviously not! What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Chris closed his eyes in aggrivation, and held the bridge of his nose. "I was taking a shower. What the hell is wrong with you?" He asked, sitting on the top step, making sure to keep his legs closed. Claire returned her gun to the drawer and sighed. "I don't know." She answered. "I'm just always nervous. I feel like there's someone watching me, _all_ the time. I don't feel safe, even with you and Leon here. Why can't I just go on and live?"
"Well, Umbrella, for one. Raccoon City, Antarctica...there are dozens of reasons why you can never live a normal life, Claire. But you should be able to live as normal as possible. Maybe it's that mystery chick that has you spooked, or Steve getting out of prison, I don't know. It's probably all normal."
Claire looked up at him. "I don't _feel_ normal." She spat, before storming off into the kitchen. Groaning, Chris stood up and returned to the bathroom.
~^~In Europe~^~
Rebecca Chambers sat on her suitcase, trying to clasp the locks. "Come on..." She grunted.
"Need a hand with that?" Jill asked, appearing in the door way. Rebecca looked up, smiled, and nodded.
"Thanks. You all done packing?"
"Yeah. My suitcase was never really empty to begin with."
After the locks were clasped, Rebecca climbed off her bed and sighed. "Wow. I didn't think I packed _that_ much stuff." She remarked, putting her hands on her hips. "What time does the plane leave, again?" She questioned.
"Ten-thirty. The guys are going to see us out of here." Jill replied, glancing at her watch.
"I'm gonna miss it here, as silly as that sounds. I've gotten used to the messes, and being around guys all the time. But then again, I'm really looking forward to seeing Chris again. It seems like it's been ages. How's he doing?" Rebecca asked eagerly.
Jill smiled, although she didn't feel like it. Rebecca had been a little obsessed with Chris, and was devestated when he left to take care of Claire. And now that she was going to him, she was ecstatic. "He's just fine. He's been doing good, taking care of Claire. She's one-hundred percent cured." She replied.
"Then...why is he still there?" Rebecca asked slowly.
"Do you expect him to spend every day of his life over here with you? Claire's the only family he's got. Does he need your permission before he wants to see her?" Jill snapped.
Rebecca jumped slightly. "Ah..no..I'm just..happy that I'll get to see him again.." She replied lowly.
"We slept together, Rebecca, and he told me that he loves me at the airport." Jill blurted. Rebecca's eyebrows jumped and her lip quivered.
"O-oh. Good for you then." She replied, her voice cracking. "I have to go..get some things. Excuse me." She said, brushing past Jill, hoping that she didn't see her crying. With a sigh, Jill turned around and watched Rebecca stumble down the hall, vainly wiping away her tears, hoping that whoever she passed didn't see them.
"What's up with her?" Asked Carlos Oliviera, a former member of the Umbrella Countermeasure Force.
"I think I just broke her heart." Jill sighed.
"You what?"
"She's had this little school yard crush on Chris for the longest, and I just stomped on all her hopes and dreams with a smutty boot."
"You're _totally_ confusing me."
"Her chances of actually ever being with Chris are close to nill, and I rubbed it in her face."
Carlos shook his head. "That was really mean of you. What'd you do it for?" He asked.
"I didn't mean to be so...mean, but she's just been bugging me, going on and on about Chris. It's so irritating!" Jill replied.
"She's got a crush, big deal! Why'd you have to make her cry for?"
"Cause. Chris and I..are sorta..involved."
"Sorta? Do I gotta squeeze this outta you?"
Jill shook her head. "We're semi-involved, that's all. I didn't want her feelings to get hurt whenever she found out...and stupid me hurt them anyway." She said. Carlos shook his head.
"Sometimes, chica, I don't get you." He mumbled, continuing on his way. Jill wrinkled her face at him, and then went to her room to get her things. Grabbing her luggage, she headed out to the main hall.
"All ready to go, Jill?" Barry Burton asked, seeming to appear out of no where.
"Yep. Are you sure you guys are gonna be okay?" Jill replied.
"Probably. Carlos gets good work done, once he actually _starts_ working..but, we're down three people, so it's gonna be tough. Make sure you call us with any updates. No word about a serum for the virus we got?"
"Nope. I'm worried that Umbrella has finally found out about Steve's arrest. But...we gotta hope for the best, right?"
Barry nodded, and Rebecca and Carlos appeared. "All set?" Barry asked Rebecca. She nodded, avoiding making eye-contact with anyone. Carlos gave Jill a look, before bringing Rebecca's luggage out to their SUV. Jill tossed her stuff in the back, and was the last person to get into the truck. Rebecca sat on the left, then Carlos, then her. "And, we're off." Barry announced, as he headed to the airport.
"Rebecca, what did that letter from Umbrella say? About the virus, and serum and what not?" Barry asked a short while later. Rebecca rummaged around in her back pack, and produced a photocopy of the letter. "It says that Rain 405 is the serum for the prior virus, and Magma 737 is to be injected twelve hours after Rain 405. It doesn't make any sense. If Rain 405 is the serum, then Steve should be infected with a virus. Shouldn't he be dead?" She questioned.
"Maybe it wasn't leathal. Maybe this Rain thing was just a cleanser to get rid of whatever shit he was shootin' before. Counter-active measures or whatever." Carlos suggested.
Jill stared mindlessly out the window, half listening to the conversation. "We'll find out soon enough, I guess." She mumbled.
"I don't like that he's getting out of jail. It's infuriating what he did to Chris's sister...but now we're talking about new viruses with unknown effects, being used on humans that aren't in containment." Barry said in disbelief. Carlos popped a piece of gum into his mouth, and chewed it loudly.
"Yeah. But when you think about it, when things were contained, it wasn't necessarily safer. Look at Raccoon City, and the mansion and everything. That was all supposed to be contained, and yet all hell broke loose. So what if this asshole is on the loose? It ain't gonna be any worse." He snorted.
~^~
"Ladies, I wish you bon voyage. Call us once you get there, and be safe." Barry said, giving Jill and Rebecca brief hugs. "Thanks Barry. You guys be careful too. Keep your eyes open." Jill replied.
"My beautiful girls are leaving me! What am I gonna do while you're gone?" Carlos asked with a grin.
"Look at all your other beautiful girls on the wall?" Jill suggested. "Us being around never stopped you from reading Playboy."
"Jill, my love, you know me all too well." Carlos joked, wrapping his arm around Jill's neck, pulling her into a brute hug. "Take care back in the states, ah?"
"Yeah, I will."
"And Becky. My sweet little Becky." Carlos said, kissing her forehead, and hugging her tightly. "I just get so emotional with goodbyes. Bon noyage, or however you say it."
Rebecca and Jill headed to the terminal, while Carlos and Barry stayed behind, waving. Jill wanted to say something to Rebecca, but she didn't know how. They made their way onto the plane, after giving the flight attendant their tickets. Jill gave Rebecca the window seat, seeing how she just flew to Europe recently. That had been awkward.
"Listen, Rebecca...I'm sorry about being so blunt with you before." Jill said finally as the final people boarded the plane.
"Yeah. You _were_ blunt." Rebecca replied, looking out the window.
"I'm sorry. I just...I don't know, maybe I was jealous or maybe I wanted to boast. I'm just...I don't want it to be like this between us. We're friends, and I shouldn't have said that to you...not like that."
"Yeah..well, I had to find out one way or another."
"But it shouldn't have been like that. I'm sorry."
Rebecca sighed, and shifted in her seat. "Yeah." She muttered. Jill sighed lowly in aggrivation.
"What do you want me to say, Bec?" She asked.
"There is nothing you _can_ say. You ruined everything for me. I knew that there was something between you and Chris, and unspoken bond or something, but to have it pointed out in brutal honesty, and rubbed in my face? Nothing can fix that." Rebecca retorted.
"I didn't mean to rub it in your face..I just was getting aggrivated with you going on and on--"
"So you felt it necessary to break my heart? Well congratulations, Jill. Mission successful."
Jill sucked her teeth, and pulled a magazine from the pocket on the seat in front of her. "If you want to leave it that way.." She spat.
~^~
"I'm glad we're finally getting around to doing this." Claire said cheerfully. Chris grumbled an assortment of curses while he unplugged numerous cords behind the computer desk.
"Yeah, that's cause _you're_ not the one who'll have to plug all this shit back in!" He retorted, yanking on the last cord.
"Ah, quit yer bitchin'." Claire giggled, moving her paint bucket and brush as Chris moved the desk, and covered with with a sheet.
"Imagine what Jill is gonna think when she gets here and the room is half red, half blue."
"You shush. I'll finish it by tonight, if you help me that is."
"Sure..I have nothing better to do anyway."
Claire smiled sadly at her older brother. "Why don't you be a waiter or something? We need attractive waiters around here." She suggested. Chris looked up at her. "What?" He asked.
"They can't hire you at the police station, and you're just going to become saggy if you just sit around here. At least if you're a waiter, you'll be moving a lot." Claire replied.
"Where do you get these ideas?! What are you gonna say next, that I should become a pimp?"
"Hm, I dunno. You'd have to change your name. But it's a good suggestion; worth looking into."
Chris chose to ignore his sister and her wild giggles. Instead, he grabbed a can of paint and a brush and pried it open. "So." He began, mixing the paint with a wooden stirrer. "So. We really don't have anything to talk about, huh?" Claire remarked.
"It seems so...while we're on the topic of jobs, why don't you get one? I'm sure you're tired of being cooped up in this house all day." Chris said.
"Yeah, you're right. I wish I could get out of here for a few hours, but I don't know what I could do."
"You could be a waitress. We could use pretty waitresses around here."
"Yeah, I could do that. Ooh! And you know how in movies, people always go to diner's and squeal their secret plans cause they think no one is listening? Well, maybe I'll be an undercover spy disguised as a waitress!"
Chris chuckled. "What ever floats your boat. Hey, you've got paint on your nose." He remarked, dabbing at Claire's nose with his paintbrush. She grinned and painted a beard on his face. "You need a trim buddy." She snorted, turning back to the wall.
"When are you meeting Leon for lunch?" Chris asked a short while later.
"I don't know. He's going to call." Claire replied, rolling her shoulders.
"It's nearly one already."
"Are you saying he forgot? He didn't forget, Chris, he's just busy."
"I know he's busy. I was just saying..." And with that, the phone rang. "I'll get it." Chris muttered, tossing his paint brush onto a sheet of plastic.
"Hello?" He greeted, leaning against the wall.
"Hey cowboy." It was Jill.
"Jill! How are you?" He questioned.
"I'm fine. Becca's a little..uhm...angry right now, and she was getting on my nerves so I figured I'd call."
"Oh, what happened?"
"I'll tell you later. We're on the plane now. It's going to be about three more hours until we get there, but I figured you should know we were on our way."
"Wow..well, I guess I should let you go. Give us a call when you get to the airport, ok?"
"Yeah, no problem. See you soon."
"Right, bye."
TBC
By: Hotaru
Warnings: Steve bashing, strong language, RE: Code Veronica spoilers
~^~
"Claire? Yo, earth to Claire." Leon said, shaking Claire's shoulder.
"What?" Claire asked, lowering her head from the head rest.
"Are you okay? You just sorta phased out there." He replied worriedly.
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I used to listen to this song to get rid of my head aches when I was younger. I haven't heard it in so long, so...anyway, ready to go?" She asked.
Leon nodded, and buckled himself in. "Have any place in mind for lunch?" Claire asked.
"Yeah, there are some vending machines in the basement." Leon grinned, rolling his head to look at Claire, who was glaring daggers at him. "In case you haven't realized it by now, I was kidding. Where do you wanna go?"
"Anywhere but vending machines." She answered.
"Hm..how 'bout Applebee's?"
"Isn't that a bit expensive for lunch?"
"Money's no object, babe."
Claire smiled and pinched Leon's cheek. "So, I bet Chris' happy about Jill coming back, huh?" Leon remarked, looking out the window.
"Yeah. He's been gaga over her _forever_. I'm glad they finally got together. He's too lonely." Claire replied, as they neared the police station.
"Really? Now that you mention it, I guess he does seem a bit depressed without her."
"'A bit'?! He's about a foot from sticking his head into the oven now! You haven't known him as long as I have. He's had girlfriends in the past, but none of them have affected him the way Jill has. He's almost a different person."
"Better, or worse?"
She had to think about that. "I guess better. But she has to be around all the time, or else he goes into ultra-depressed mode, and sits around doing nothing. How many times do I have to mention that I want to paint before he gets off his ass and helps me?" She answered finally.
"Maybe he doesn't realize you want his help." Leon replied, as Claire pulled in front of the police station.
"Yeah, he _would_ be that dense. Have a nice day, anyway. I'll talk to you later, right?"
"I didn't know you wanted help...but yeah, I'll call you later. Gimme kiss."
Claire raised her brows at him as he pulled her, by her chin, towards him, and kissed her. "Alright, I better go." He said, climbing out of the car. Claire smacked his ass right before he slammed the door closed. "Hey, missy, don't get fresh." He warned, before waving, and heading inside. Giggling, Claire watched him walk into the building before driving away, and heading back home.
~^~
"Chris?...Chris?! I'm home, where are you?" Claire called into the house, hanging up her coat. There was no response. Taking a deep breath, she went into the drawer by the computer desk and pulled out her gun. "Chris? Where are you?" She called, listening for movement. A door opened upstairs, and there were loud footsteps. Chris appeared, donning a white towel around his waist; Claire aimed her gun.
"Shit, Claire, put the damn gun down!" Chris exclaimed, jumping back behind the wall.
"Chris! Jesus fucking Christ, didn't you hear me calling you!?" Claire retorted angrilly.
"Yeah, didn't you hear me yell back to you?"
"Obviously not! What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Chris closed his eyes in aggrivation, and held the bridge of his nose. "I was taking a shower. What the hell is wrong with you?" He asked, sitting on the top step, making sure to keep his legs closed. Claire returned her gun to the drawer and sighed. "I don't know." She answered. "I'm just always nervous. I feel like there's someone watching me, _all_ the time. I don't feel safe, even with you and Leon here. Why can't I just go on and live?"
"Well, Umbrella, for one. Raccoon City, Antarctica...there are dozens of reasons why you can never live a normal life, Claire. But you should be able to live as normal as possible. Maybe it's that mystery chick that has you spooked, or Steve getting out of prison, I don't know. It's probably all normal."
Claire looked up at him. "I don't _feel_ normal." She spat, before storming off into the kitchen. Groaning, Chris stood up and returned to the bathroom.
~^~In Europe~^~
Rebecca Chambers sat on her suitcase, trying to clasp the locks. "Come on..." She grunted.
"Need a hand with that?" Jill asked, appearing in the door way. Rebecca looked up, smiled, and nodded.
"Thanks. You all done packing?"
"Yeah. My suitcase was never really empty to begin with."
After the locks were clasped, Rebecca climbed off her bed and sighed. "Wow. I didn't think I packed _that_ much stuff." She remarked, putting her hands on her hips. "What time does the plane leave, again?" She questioned.
"Ten-thirty. The guys are going to see us out of here." Jill replied, glancing at her watch.
"I'm gonna miss it here, as silly as that sounds. I've gotten used to the messes, and being around guys all the time. But then again, I'm really looking forward to seeing Chris again. It seems like it's been ages. How's he doing?" Rebecca asked eagerly.
Jill smiled, although she didn't feel like it. Rebecca had been a little obsessed with Chris, and was devestated when he left to take care of Claire. And now that she was going to him, she was ecstatic. "He's just fine. He's been doing good, taking care of Claire. She's one-hundred percent cured." She replied.
"Then...why is he still there?" Rebecca asked slowly.
"Do you expect him to spend every day of his life over here with you? Claire's the only family he's got. Does he need your permission before he wants to see her?" Jill snapped.
Rebecca jumped slightly. "Ah..no..I'm just..happy that I'll get to see him again.." She replied lowly.
"We slept together, Rebecca, and he told me that he loves me at the airport." Jill blurted. Rebecca's eyebrows jumped and her lip quivered.
"O-oh. Good for you then." She replied, her voice cracking. "I have to go..get some things. Excuse me." She said, brushing past Jill, hoping that she didn't see her crying. With a sigh, Jill turned around and watched Rebecca stumble down the hall, vainly wiping away her tears, hoping that whoever she passed didn't see them.
"What's up with her?" Asked Carlos Oliviera, a former member of the Umbrella Countermeasure Force.
"I think I just broke her heart." Jill sighed.
"You what?"
"She's had this little school yard crush on Chris for the longest, and I just stomped on all her hopes and dreams with a smutty boot."
"You're _totally_ confusing me."
"Her chances of actually ever being with Chris are close to nill, and I rubbed it in her face."
Carlos shook his head. "That was really mean of you. What'd you do it for?" He asked.
"I didn't mean to be so...mean, but she's just been bugging me, going on and on about Chris. It's so irritating!" Jill replied.
"She's got a crush, big deal! Why'd you have to make her cry for?"
"Cause. Chris and I..are sorta..involved."
"Sorta? Do I gotta squeeze this outta you?"
Jill shook her head. "We're semi-involved, that's all. I didn't want her feelings to get hurt whenever she found out...and stupid me hurt them anyway." She said. Carlos shook his head.
"Sometimes, chica, I don't get you." He mumbled, continuing on his way. Jill wrinkled her face at him, and then went to her room to get her things. Grabbing her luggage, she headed out to the main hall.
"All ready to go, Jill?" Barry Burton asked, seeming to appear out of no where.
"Yep. Are you sure you guys are gonna be okay?" Jill replied.
"Probably. Carlos gets good work done, once he actually _starts_ working..but, we're down three people, so it's gonna be tough. Make sure you call us with any updates. No word about a serum for the virus we got?"
"Nope. I'm worried that Umbrella has finally found out about Steve's arrest. But...we gotta hope for the best, right?"
Barry nodded, and Rebecca and Carlos appeared. "All set?" Barry asked Rebecca. She nodded, avoiding making eye-contact with anyone. Carlos gave Jill a look, before bringing Rebecca's luggage out to their SUV. Jill tossed her stuff in the back, and was the last person to get into the truck. Rebecca sat on the left, then Carlos, then her. "And, we're off." Barry announced, as he headed to the airport.
"Rebecca, what did that letter from Umbrella say? About the virus, and serum and what not?" Barry asked a short while later. Rebecca rummaged around in her back pack, and produced a photocopy of the letter. "It says that Rain 405 is the serum for the prior virus, and Magma 737 is to be injected twelve hours after Rain 405. It doesn't make any sense. If Rain 405 is the serum, then Steve should be infected with a virus. Shouldn't he be dead?" She questioned.
"Maybe it wasn't leathal. Maybe this Rain thing was just a cleanser to get rid of whatever shit he was shootin' before. Counter-active measures or whatever." Carlos suggested.
Jill stared mindlessly out the window, half listening to the conversation. "We'll find out soon enough, I guess." She mumbled.
"I don't like that he's getting out of jail. It's infuriating what he did to Chris's sister...but now we're talking about new viruses with unknown effects, being used on humans that aren't in containment." Barry said in disbelief. Carlos popped a piece of gum into his mouth, and chewed it loudly.
"Yeah. But when you think about it, when things were contained, it wasn't necessarily safer. Look at Raccoon City, and the mansion and everything. That was all supposed to be contained, and yet all hell broke loose. So what if this asshole is on the loose? It ain't gonna be any worse." He snorted.
~^~
"Ladies, I wish you bon voyage. Call us once you get there, and be safe." Barry said, giving Jill and Rebecca brief hugs. "Thanks Barry. You guys be careful too. Keep your eyes open." Jill replied.
"My beautiful girls are leaving me! What am I gonna do while you're gone?" Carlos asked with a grin.
"Look at all your other beautiful girls on the wall?" Jill suggested. "Us being around never stopped you from reading Playboy."
"Jill, my love, you know me all too well." Carlos joked, wrapping his arm around Jill's neck, pulling her into a brute hug. "Take care back in the states, ah?"
"Yeah, I will."
"And Becky. My sweet little Becky." Carlos said, kissing her forehead, and hugging her tightly. "I just get so emotional with goodbyes. Bon noyage, or however you say it."
Rebecca and Jill headed to the terminal, while Carlos and Barry stayed behind, waving. Jill wanted to say something to Rebecca, but she didn't know how. They made their way onto the plane, after giving the flight attendant their tickets. Jill gave Rebecca the window seat, seeing how she just flew to Europe recently. That had been awkward.
"Listen, Rebecca...I'm sorry about being so blunt with you before." Jill said finally as the final people boarded the plane.
"Yeah. You _were_ blunt." Rebecca replied, looking out the window.
"I'm sorry. I just...I don't know, maybe I was jealous or maybe I wanted to boast. I'm just...I don't want it to be like this between us. We're friends, and I shouldn't have said that to you...not like that."
"Yeah..well, I had to find out one way or another."
"But it shouldn't have been like that. I'm sorry."
Rebecca sighed, and shifted in her seat. "Yeah." She muttered. Jill sighed lowly in aggrivation.
"What do you want me to say, Bec?" She asked.
"There is nothing you _can_ say. You ruined everything for me. I knew that there was something between you and Chris, and unspoken bond or something, but to have it pointed out in brutal honesty, and rubbed in my face? Nothing can fix that." Rebecca retorted.
"I didn't mean to rub it in your face..I just was getting aggrivated with you going on and on--"
"So you felt it necessary to break my heart? Well congratulations, Jill. Mission successful."
Jill sucked her teeth, and pulled a magazine from the pocket on the seat in front of her. "If you want to leave it that way.." She spat.
~^~
"I'm glad we're finally getting around to doing this." Claire said cheerfully. Chris grumbled an assortment of curses while he unplugged numerous cords behind the computer desk.
"Yeah, that's cause _you're_ not the one who'll have to plug all this shit back in!" He retorted, yanking on the last cord.
"Ah, quit yer bitchin'." Claire giggled, moving her paint bucket and brush as Chris moved the desk, and covered with with a sheet.
"Imagine what Jill is gonna think when she gets here and the room is half red, half blue."
"You shush. I'll finish it by tonight, if you help me that is."
"Sure..I have nothing better to do anyway."
Claire smiled sadly at her older brother. "Why don't you be a waiter or something? We need attractive waiters around here." She suggested. Chris looked up at her. "What?" He asked.
"They can't hire you at the police station, and you're just going to become saggy if you just sit around here. At least if you're a waiter, you'll be moving a lot." Claire replied.
"Where do you get these ideas?! What are you gonna say next, that I should become a pimp?"
"Hm, I dunno. You'd have to change your name. But it's a good suggestion; worth looking into."
Chris chose to ignore his sister and her wild giggles. Instead, he grabbed a can of paint and a brush and pried it open. "So." He began, mixing the paint with a wooden stirrer. "So. We really don't have anything to talk about, huh?" Claire remarked.
"It seems so...while we're on the topic of jobs, why don't you get one? I'm sure you're tired of being cooped up in this house all day." Chris said.
"Yeah, you're right. I wish I could get out of here for a few hours, but I don't know what I could do."
"You could be a waitress. We could use pretty waitresses around here."
"Yeah, I could do that. Ooh! And you know how in movies, people always go to diner's and squeal their secret plans cause they think no one is listening? Well, maybe I'll be an undercover spy disguised as a waitress!"
Chris chuckled. "What ever floats your boat. Hey, you've got paint on your nose." He remarked, dabbing at Claire's nose with his paintbrush. She grinned and painted a beard on his face. "You need a trim buddy." She snorted, turning back to the wall.
"When are you meeting Leon for lunch?" Chris asked a short while later.
"I don't know. He's going to call." Claire replied, rolling her shoulders.
"It's nearly one already."
"Are you saying he forgot? He didn't forget, Chris, he's just busy."
"I know he's busy. I was just saying..." And with that, the phone rang. "I'll get it." Chris muttered, tossing his paint brush onto a sheet of plastic.
"Hello?" He greeted, leaning against the wall.
"Hey cowboy." It was Jill.
"Jill! How are you?" He questioned.
"I'm fine. Becca's a little..uhm...angry right now, and she was getting on my nerves so I figured I'd call."
"Oh, what happened?"
"I'll tell you later. We're on the plane now. It's going to be about three more hours until we get there, but I figured you should know we were on our way."
"Wow..well, I guess I should let you go. Give us a call when you get to the airport, ok?"
"Yeah, no problem. See you soon."
"Right, bye."
TBC
