New Horizons, XXIV
By: Hotaru
Warnings: I hate Steve, I curse, I have beaten all RE's sans the Gameboy Advance ones, so there will be some spoilers. None for Ø, tho.
~^~
Claire had started to get a little impatient waiting for Leon, so around two thirty, she quit painting, took a shower, and headed to the police station. Chris wondered whether he should give Leon a heads up incase he forgot. But then again, he didn't want to help Leon out. It would be a few more hours until Jill arrived, so he turned the radio up and kept on painting. "Tarzan Boy" came on, and Chris was tempted to sing. Claire always teased him when they were kids, so the only safe place he could sing was the shower.
"..Jungle life, I'm living in the ocean. Native beat that carries on. Burning bright, a fire that blows a signal to the sky. I sit and wonder: does the message get to you? Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh!"
Shaking his head, he went back to painting. He'd never be able to live with himself if Jill, Rebecca, or Leon walked in to see him dancing and singing like a fool.
~^~
Claire pulled into the police station parking lot, and took a deep breath. /He probably just is really busy. He's a detective, and there is crime, and when there is crime, detectives are busy. Yeah...ok./ Sighing, she got out of the car, and headed inside. Walking up to the desk on the first floor, she smiled. "I'm looking for Detective Kennedy." She stated. The man behind the desk nodded upwards.
"Third floor, office is right across from the stairs, you can't miss it." He stated, before picking up a ringing phone. Claire nodded, and jogged up the stairs. She peeked into the office, as if to catch Leon in the act of doing something naughty. But, he was sitting at a desk, hunched over a type writer. Claire stepped into the office and threw a nearby pen at his head.
"Ow! Son of a--Claire? Oh, Claire! I'm sorry!" Leon exclaimed, smacking his forehead. "I was supposed to call you!"
"Yes, you were. What happened to meeting for lunch?" Claire asked, trying not to be angry.
"I'd be lying if I told you anything other than it slipped my mind. But I am _so_ sorry. Here, I'll take care of this later, let me go tell my boss where I'm going, and we can get a late lunch." Leon said, closing a folder hastilly, and nearly falling over his chair.
Claire smiled at his clumsiness. /He must have really forgotten/ she mused, as he went into his lieutenant's office. She looked around at the vacant office, wondering where everyone was. "Ok, ready to go?" Leon asked, grabbing his coat and a radio from the wall.
"Yeah...hey, where is everyone?" Claire asked as they headed outside.
"Oh, ah, the desk clerk was in the can, and everyone else is on assignment." Leon replied.
"And why were you just sitting there, then? Why weren't you helping anyone?"
"I had paperwork to catch up on."
Shrugging, Claire unlocked the car and climbed in. "So, where are you taking me?" Leon asked. "I thought _you_ were treating _me_ to lunch?" Claire replied. Leon grinned.
"Then why are you in the driver's seat?" He questioned.
"Good question!"
The two switched places, and Leon drove off. "So, dear, how's the painting?" Leon asked after a few miles of silence.
"Good. It should be done soon, that is unless Chris quit after I left. But it should be done really soon." Claire replied.
"That's good. So, what's the deal with Jill, now?"
"She was on the plane, or something and she'll be here in a few hours."
"Ah. Is she by herself?"
"Nope, Rebecca is with her."
"Who's Rebecca?"
"She was in the Bravo team, Chris met up with her in the mansion. He helped her escape."
Leon snickered. "What?" Claire asked.
"Nothing." Leon replied.
"_What_?"
"Ah, nothing! What if she likes him, or something?"
"How do you jump to these conclusions?"
"I don't know! He saved her, he's her knight in shining armor, and now they're being reunited after however long it's been."
"Not long."
"Yeah, well, anyway, we're here." Leon said, pulling into a parking lot.
Claire looked up at the restaurant. It had black tinted windows, and the parking lot was under the restaurant itself. "What is this place?" Claire asked.
"The Piano Room, I think it's called." Leon replied, climbing out of the car. "Come on." He said, taking her hand, and walking up a ramp that presumably went into the restaurant. Claire could hear faint piano music, as they ramp turned toward a stair case.
"Should I have dressed up?' She asking, staring at the oriental carpet that laced the floor.
"Nope, you look beautiful as is." Leon replied, as they finally arrived at the restaurant.
There was a large grand piano in the center, and tables circling around it. The pianoman was playing a sweet song, while a young Asian couple smiled and held hands.* Claire smiled as a waiter led them to a table. The two sat, and watched the pianoman, and the couple, as the woman fingered a diamond ring on her finger. When the final note was played, the patrons applauded, while the couple shared a teary embrace.
"How sweet. Wait, you don't plan on doing this for me, right?" Claire asked, turning to face Leon, who chuckled.
"No, well, not today at least." He replied. Claire raised her eyebrows at him, and picked up a menu.
"Jesus, this place is expensive!" Claire hissed.
"That's ok with me. Get what ever you want." Leon replied.
"A pound of salmon...Mm. I'll have that."
A waiter approached the table, and Leon whispered something in his ear before ordering a extra-well done steak, and Claire ordered the Teriyaki Salmon. "What'd you tell him?" Claire asked. Leon smirked. "You'll find out soon enough, my sweet." He replied, taking her hands. The piano man returned from a brief intermission, and took a look at the sheet music that was just handed to him.
With his fingers poised over the keys, the piano man began to play. Claire turned and looked at him, as the familiar notes of Pachelbel's Canon rang through the restaurant. She turned back and looked at Leon, who merely smiled. Resisting the urge to cry, Claire turned back and watched the piano man. With tears welling up in her eyes, Claire wiped them away quickly, wondering why Leon went through all this trouble for her. Leon got up from the other side of the table, pulled Claire up, and hugged her tightly.
Closing her eyes, Claire smiled, and the two rocked back and forth as the song slowed, before the piano man completed the song. "Thank you." Claire whispered, burying her face against Leon's neck. "Why did you do this for me?" She asked.
"Because I love you. And you deserve to know what that feels like."
"That's sickeningly sweet, you know."
"Yeah, but you deserve it." Leon replied, fingering a small velvet case in his coat pocket.
*Since it's what I'm listening to now, Mr. Pianoman is playing Automatic by Utada Hikaru, the piano arrangement, obviously.
Ok. Sorry to cut this ending short, but the fic is so stale (IMO) and I haven't felt like writing in eons. So. Hopefully, I can start the arc to this in a bit, and it won't be nearly as long, so people will stick around to read the rest of it. My apologies. G'day.
By: Hotaru
Warnings: I hate Steve, I curse, I have beaten all RE's sans the Gameboy Advance ones, so there will be some spoilers. None for Ø, tho.
~^~
Claire had started to get a little impatient waiting for Leon, so around two thirty, she quit painting, took a shower, and headed to the police station. Chris wondered whether he should give Leon a heads up incase he forgot. But then again, he didn't want to help Leon out. It would be a few more hours until Jill arrived, so he turned the radio up and kept on painting. "Tarzan Boy" came on, and Chris was tempted to sing. Claire always teased him when they were kids, so the only safe place he could sing was the shower.
"..Jungle life, I'm living in the ocean. Native beat that carries on. Burning bright, a fire that blows a signal to the sky. I sit and wonder: does the message get to you? Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh!"
Shaking his head, he went back to painting. He'd never be able to live with himself if Jill, Rebecca, or Leon walked in to see him dancing and singing like a fool.
~^~
Claire pulled into the police station parking lot, and took a deep breath. /He probably just is really busy. He's a detective, and there is crime, and when there is crime, detectives are busy. Yeah...ok./ Sighing, she got out of the car, and headed inside. Walking up to the desk on the first floor, she smiled. "I'm looking for Detective Kennedy." She stated. The man behind the desk nodded upwards.
"Third floor, office is right across from the stairs, you can't miss it." He stated, before picking up a ringing phone. Claire nodded, and jogged up the stairs. She peeked into the office, as if to catch Leon in the act of doing something naughty. But, he was sitting at a desk, hunched over a type writer. Claire stepped into the office and threw a nearby pen at his head.
"Ow! Son of a--Claire? Oh, Claire! I'm sorry!" Leon exclaimed, smacking his forehead. "I was supposed to call you!"
"Yes, you were. What happened to meeting for lunch?" Claire asked, trying not to be angry.
"I'd be lying if I told you anything other than it slipped my mind. But I am _so_ sorry. Here, I'll take care of this later, let me go tell my boss where I'm going, and we can get a late lunch." Leon said, closing a folder hastilly, and nearly falling over his chair.
Claire smiled at his clumsiness. /He must have really forgotten/ she mused, as he went into his lieutenant's office. She looked around at the vacant office, wondering where everyone was. "Ok, ready to go?" Leon asked, grabbing his coat and a radio from the wall.
"Yeah...hey, where is everyone?" Claire asked as they headed outside.
"Oh, ah, the desk clerk was in the can, and everyone else is on assignment." Leon replied.
"And why were you just sitting there, then? Why weren't you helping anyone?"
"I had paperwork to catch up on."
Shrugging, Claire unlocked the car and climbed in. "So, where are you taking me?" Leon asked. "I thought _you_ were treating _me_ to lunch?" Claire replied. Leon grinned.
"Then why are you in the driver's seat?" He questioned.
"Good question!"
The two switched places, and Leon drove off. "So, dear, how's the painting?" Leon asked after a few miles of silence.
"Good. It should be done soon, that is unless Chris quit after I left. But it should be done really soon." Claire replied.
"That's good. So, what's the deal with Jill, now?"
"She was on the plane, or something and she'll be here in a few hours."
"Ah. Is she by herself?"
"Nope, Rebecca is with her."
"Who's Rebecca?"
"She was in the Bravo team, Chris met up with her in the mansion. He helped her escape."
Leon snickered. "What?" Claire asked.
"Nothing." Leon replied.
"_What_?"
"Ah, nothing! What if she likes him, or something?"
"How do you jump to these conclusions?"
"I don't know! He saved her, he's her knight in shining armor, and now they're being reunited after however long it's been."
"Not long."
"Yeah, well, anyway, we're here." Leon said, pulling into a parking lot.
Claire looked up at the restaurant. It had black tinted windows, and the parking lot was under the restaurant itself. "What is this place?" Claire asked.
"The Piano Room, I think it's called." Leon replied, climbing out of the car. "Come on." He said, taking her hand, and walking up a ramp that presumably went into the restaurant. Claire could hear faint piano music, as they ramp turned toward a stair case.
"Should I have dressed up?' She asking, staring at the oriental carpet that laced the floor.
"Nope, you look beautiful as is." Leon replied, as they finally arrived at the restaurant.
There was a large grand piano in the center, and tables circling around it. The pianoman was playing a sweet song, while a young Asian couple smiled and held hands.* Claire smiled as a waiter led them to a table. The two sat, and watched the pianoman, and the couple, as the woman fingered a diamond ring on her finger. When the final note was played, the patrons applauded, while the couple shared a teary embrace.
"How sweet. Wait, you don't plan on doing this for me, right?" Claire asked, turning to face Leon, who chuckled.
"No, well, not today at least." He replied. Claire raised her eyebrows at him, and picked up a menu.
"Jesus, this place is expensive!" Claire hissed.
"That's ok with me. Get what ever you want." Leon replied.
"A pound of salmon...Mm. I'll have that."
A waiter approached the table, and Leon whispered something in his ear before ordering a extra-well done steak, and Claire ordered the Teriyaki Salmon. "What'd you tell him?" Claire asked. Leon smirked. "You'll find out soon enough, my sweet." He replied, taking her hands. The piano man returned from a brief intermission, and took a look at the sheet music that was just handed to him.
With his fingers poised over the keys, the piano man began to play. Claire turned and looked at him, as the familiar notes of Pachelbel's Canon rang through the restaurant. She turned back and looked at Leon, who merely smiled. Resisting the urge to cry, Claire turned back and watched the piano man. With tears welling up in her eyes, Claire wiped them away quickly, wondering why Leon went through all this trouble for her. Leon got up from the other side of the table, pulled Claire up, and hugged her tightly.
Closing her eyes, Claire smiled, and the two rocked back and forth as the song slowed, before the piano man completed the song. "Thank you." Claire whispered, burying her face against Leon's neck. "Why did you do this for me?" She asked.
"Because I love you. And you deserve to know what that feels like."
"That's sickeningly sweet, you know."
"Yeah, but you deserve it." Leon replied, fingering a small velvet case in his coat pocket.
*Since it's what I'm listening to now, Mr. Pianoman is playing Automatic by Utada Hikaru, the piano arrangement, obviously.
Ok. Sorry to cut this ending short, but the fic is so stale (IMO) and I haven't felt like writing in eons. So. Hopefully, I can start the arc to this in a bit, and it won't be nearly as long, so people will stick around to read the rest of it. My apologies. G'day.
