Authors note, I do not own Resident Evil.

" Leon?" She whispered into his ear. His blonde hair is covering his face from her view. He is sleeping on the couch, and in a chair next to the bed is Chris. He stirred, he wasn't sleeping, and looks up at her.

" Yes, Clair?" He sat up and placed his hand on her shoulder. But she winced and stepped back. He looked hurt…….. She felt bad.

" I need, ……….I need to talk to you." He shook his head yes and stood.

They sat on a bench in the little courtyard of the motel. He was so happy to be sitting there with her, they hadn't spoke yet, he didn't want to push her. Claire looked up at the sky, there was just a little hint of pink in it, the sun almost rising. But she didn't notice the colors, or the smell of the fresh cut grass…….all she could notice was the thoughts running through her head. None stop, turning and racing around. She had to force her breath to be calm, force her heart not to race. So she looked at him, looking at him brought back so many memories. And she was so grateful he didn't try to speak, he just looked at her…….waiting. She smiled for the first time.

" It's been a long time…………..I cant believe you are here." He looked down at the peeling bench, the ugly faded red was rubbing of on they're clothes.

" What? Not happy to see me?" he looked into her eyes when he said that. She just looked away………..she thought she saw Wesker sitting next to her,…………..just her mind playing tricks.

" I am…………Really happy to see you Leon……. I missed you so much." His heart lightened and he felt some tension lift from the air between them.

" Well, I know there is something important you want to talk about, so what is it?" He came slightly closer, she looked so cold in the frigid morning air.

" I cant tell you yet, I cant bring myself to say it……..please just, lets have small talk first." He understood and they fell silent. He sat there.

" How have you been Claire? I mean I know about Rockford island, I know what happened, but I was wondering how……you feel about it?" She nodded and lost her smile.

" I, can remember the first time we met, I think about it a lot Leon. I think about everything that has happened, and the dangerous thing is that I cant stop. That's how I feel, harassed, harassed by my past." He didn't say any thing, because he knew nothing he said would change any thing, but he felt for her, he felt because he knew exactly what she meant. He reached out and put his arm around her shoulder. This time she didn't flinch or turn away.

" Have …….have you ever…..ever had something happen to you that, that you had to tell people………..tell, but have trouble telling?" She said this vary slow, as though every word was costing her. He nodded his head.

" Sure, but I want you to know you can tell me any thing Claire, because, you and me understand each other, and its always going to be that way." She closed her eyes and let her head hang back, how was she to tell him that she wasn't human any more! How do you tell some one something like that!

" Leon ( She turned to him) After I tell you this, you might not want to see me any more, and I want you to know……I understand." He started to say something but she cut him of.

" Leon, I'm infected with a virus called Pegasus……….Wesker altered my DNA."

There, it was said.

There was a matter of moments, moments that felt like hours of silence, hours of torture. Then he did something….. She didn't expect him to do……he leaned in and hugged her, he wrapped his arms around her body and held her tight! She couldn't read his face, she couldn't believe he wasn't scared! He pulled back and looked her in the face.

" Claire you never have to worry about me wanting nothing to do with you, Claire I love you to much." this sent silence through the courtyard, even the birds stopped singing.

" Leon……..( She loved him to in a way, and she didn't want to hurt him, but her heart wasn't meant for him.) I love you to." He smiled and went to kiss her. She stood up.

" But, this hurts me so much to say, but my heart is for some one else, Leon, I'm broke, I'm worn, I'm different from the Claire you love……..I cant be with you." She looked him in the face. He looked away for a moment, sadness and loss crossed in his eyes, but he took a deep breath and stood too.

" Claire, thank you for being honest about it. I guess I kind of knew. I'm to late. But you need to trust me Claire, even if you and I aren't together, I want you to know, I will always be there for you." She smiled, it felt good to be able to count on some one.

" Leon, what about what I told you?" He shrugged.

" It doesn't change any thing Claire, your alive, and your sane, you're lucky he didn't kill you. But Claire…….you do have to tell Chris." She knew she had to but until then she just wanted to sit and talk with him. The calm before the storm was here.

In the room…..

When he woke and Claire wasn't in her room he freaked out! Where did she go? But after he looked out the window he breathed again. She is talking with Leon. So he stood looking out the window, in the dark little room,…….trying to shake the nightmare he had just had in his sleep.

" It's a sad day,( he said quietly.) when a man cant escape in his sleep."

His phone rang, so he rubbed his eyes before answering it.

" Hello?" Jill was on the other end.

" Chris, what's you're ETA?" He thought about it for a few seconds.

" About………..3 hours, we would have come last night, but we were just to tired."

" I know, its important we all enter this mission on the top of our game. Any way, Umbrella doesn't know, we have cleaned all the lines and blocked our signals, they don't have a clue." Chris was relived.

" So lets go ahead with it, tomorrow night…….we go in."

After he and Jill talked for a few moments he hung up and went to return the key, but when he got to the door Claire walked in.

" Where's Leon?" She closed the door.

" In the car…………. He wanted to give us privacy, Because we need to talk."