13. Claire

Having breakfast with friends and family that morning was the best she'd had in a long time, even if Chris and Barry were driving her nuts as they insisted on pushing tons of food at her with the excuse of her being simply too thin. She knew both men were concerned for her well being, but her stomach couldn't handle that much food right now. The laughs, the bickers, and the talking were so familiar and warm, and it made her feel normal for a change.

As if we could ever be normal again.

Despite her annoyance, Claire was enjoying herself until she had, unconsciously, spoken in a foreign language that she didn't remember ever learning. She hadn't even thought about it at the time; she had heard the waitress ask the question, and she had answered automatically, surprising herself and the rest of the people around her.

How could she know Welsh when she couldn't remember ever learning it? It made no sense at all, but trusting Saya, to come up with a viable might had been learned during her time in captivity, but her selective retrograde amnesia was preventing her from remembering. Neuroscience was more Saya's thing than Claire's, so all those things were something she barely understood.

Thinking about it made her feel dizzy. The memories of her time in captivity weren't exactly gone. They were in her head in the form of scattered pictures that simply made no sense at all. She couldn't make the connection between them, and that made her frustrated.

They'll return.

Claire knew the voice was right, and she could start to feel her head becoming foggy once more, but she was soon pulled back by Barry's voice suggesting that they should all go out for a stroll around town. The idea had seemed promising but was sadly thrown away as Chris, Jill, and Barry were summoned back to BSAA base for a meeting. Claire couldn't help but feel the small pinch of guilt as she wished that they could have stayed like this: careless, happy, and free, for a bit longer.

The three BSAA seemed lenient to leave, but Claire knew far too well their job was much more important than a small stroll with her. She smiled and said it was alright.

It isn't really how you feel.

She could find something to do back in base, maybe use the time to catch up with the most recent events she'd missed or something alike, but then, Leon had spoken. The man had been so quiet until then that he could have easily sneaked out without anyone noticing at all.

"You three, go ahead. I can escort the ladies around town…"

Claire looked at Leon, shocked by his sudden offer. She knew Leon disliked the missions that involved escorting and guarding, so for him to offer voluntarily was so unlikely. The man looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, look at that; what a gentleman…" Claire grinned, shaking her head, "Don't you have some super important secret mission to attend?"

"No, I've got another important mission at hand," Leon said, shrugging, "Keeping you out of problems."

That caught her by surprise. Since when was that considered a mission? For all she knew, problems tended to follow her wherever she went. She never asked for them, of course, but just like Chris, she seemed to be a trouble magnet.

Chris seemed to be considering his offer, and after a few minutes, Claire had waited for Big Brother Chris Mode to kick in and point out how many wrong things and dangers it implied, but the list never came. Chris had only nodded.

"Well, I guess that's settled." Chris said; he then put his hand on Claire's shoulder "Go have some fun and buy whatever you need, Claire. Just set it to my account. We'll meet at lunch…"

Claire nodded, staring at him dumbfounded. He had not complained or made a remark of how much of a bad idea that was. She watched how Chris, Jill, and Barry got up from their seats and headed to the exit, but she caught Chris stopping a few seconds and giving Leon a meaningful look.

"Well, there it is...I knew Chris couldn't just leave without giving Leon a serious brother warning…"

To her surprise, the blonde agent smirked. When did Leon and Chris become good buds? She must have missed a lot. Claire made a mental note to ask for the recent reports so that she could read them during the flight home.

She had been too distracted with her thoughts, and she almost fell from the chair when Saya gently elbowed her.

"Well, it seems like there is your opening... " Saya whispered.

"What?"

"Going out with Kennedy…"

"Please, it's not like we haven't gone out together before. I spent the night with him yesterday…"

"Running away from monsters. That doesn't count…"

"We are on friendly terms. He doesn't see me that way, Saya." Claire said, shaking her head, " I'm just the tomboyish girl who ran away from Racoon with him."

"I wouldn't be that sure, Claire…" Saya said with an amused smile, "I wouldn't be so sure…"

Claire didn't know what Saya was implying with a smile, but before she could even think of a question, Leon's voice interrupted her line of thought, and she saw Saya's smile grow.

"Well, should we go?"

"Now that I remember…" Saya said, "I need to fill in some papers before Claire can travel to the United States; so why don't you two go ahead and have fun?"

"You are not coming?" Leon asked, looking at the Asian.

"Oh, I am afraid not this time. You two, go have fun. I'll see you later. Oh, I'll take this back with me."

The woman got up, picking up the packed food that the waitress had brought back a couple of minutes ago, and put a hand on Leon's shoulder with a secretive smile. Claire was suddenly feeling annoyed by the implications of Saya's little trick, and she cursed the day she told her that Claire had had a crush on Leon for quite a while when they were younger and that she still found him quite handsome. Right now, she feels like she wants to slam her head against the table. By the time she had looked back up, the Japanese doctor was no longer in the pub.

"Oh, now you're fast, aren't you, Saya?" Claire mumbled, rolling her eyes.

"Tricky little fox…"

And yet...you are glad you will get some time with him, don't you?

Claire would have liked to smack her inner voice, especially since it might be right. She enjoyed the times when she got to spend time with Leon, and having the chance to do so without a zombie horde chasing after them, was a present from the heavens.

"It seems like it'll be only you and me…" Leon chuckled, making Claire wake up from her monologue, "Sounds like a date…"

A date. Claire knew Leon was joking, but the word made her shudder. She was sure of her crush over him, so why was she feeling so awkward?

"A date, huh? Let's hope we won't get any party crashers, then," she said, following his joke.

"Don't worry. I'll shoot their heads off for you."

She had no doubts that Leon would do that, but then, he'd probably find himself in a tight rope, and she would have to come crashing to save him.

"Aw, that's charming. That's what you tell your girls these days?" Claire snorted, " I'll shoot a hundred headshots for you. Can't get any more romantic…"

"Unfortunately, I don't think all girls can appreciate the art of zombie's heads exploding at a perfectly aimed headshot…"

"You're right. Most girls probably won't. Guess it is a bad flirting phrase…"

"Well, that depends on the girl. It worked with you, didn't it?"

Claire wondered if it had. It was no secret that the man would live through his words and blow up any enemies' head, who dared to attack her, but she would do the same for him. There was nothing implied in the innocent joke.

"Really, Kennedy? Aww, maybe it's because I can see the art in zombie's brains flying all over the place, but how about we shoot them together instead of you shooting them for me?"

"Reasonable," Leon said, raising his arms in defeat, "I couldn't expect less from you."

Claire laughed. Those were the kind of things that she enjoyed from Leon's company: his smartass and sassy attitude. She saw him get up from his chair and mock gesture as a gentleman, pulling her chair out and offering her his hand pompously.

"Should we?"

Claire took it, laughing as she shook her head.

"You'll always be such a player."

"I'm a gentleman…"

"Really? How do your partners keep with you? Your poor guide, Hunnigan, was her name, right? She must be all fed up with you."

"Hunnigan knows me as much as you do. You two would probably become good friends since both of you seem so immune to my so-called charm. She sends you her regards, by the way…"

"I've never talked to her…" Claire said, surprised, " Wow, should I know her?"

"She works for the DSO, Claire. She probably knows more about you than yourself…"

"You have a point, but you should introduce her to me someday…"

Claire felt the cold sea breeze as soon as she stepped out of the pub. The BSAA had settled their base in the small village of Llanon at the side of the Irish sea coast. It barely had around 2500 inhabitants, tiny houses, flower pots, and cobbled roads filled the streets. The whole picture was something that Claire found charming.

" It is a pretty place, isn't it?" Claire said happily.

"It is…" Leon admitted, "I'm more of a city boy though…"

"You are? Chris and I were from a small town; after Chris finished his military training, he was stationed in Racoon and eventually joined STARS. A couple of years later, I moved into the college dorms in the neighboring city. I didn't like it; don't get me wrong, the city it's nice, but sometimes I just miss the peace…"

"I didn't know that. So Chris is a farm boy…"

Claire and Chris weren't exactly farm people, but they just happened to live in a small town in a more rural place because their parents liked it better. Their mother was a veterinarian, and their father was a local sheriff; that was the reason why Chris always said she'd taken more after their mom and him after their father. It was kind of cliché, but Claire had certainly inherited the bug for academics that her mother had.

"Not quite, but we did play a lot outdoors when we were younger. I remember my mother freaking out whenever we came home covered in mud after a nice session of mud-wrestling…"

"That's not quite lady-like…"

"I know, mom used to say the same, but my dad would laugh and say she had nothing to criticize me about when she spent her time stumbling around the mud with the animals. She was a vet, you see…"

"I see, and what about your dad?"

"He was the local sheriff. He was the one to set Chris in the "hero" path; if you know what I mean…"

"And I assume yours as well."

"I'm not a hero. I don't go kicking asses as Chris does…"

"You're still a hero, you know…"

"I'd say you and Chris are the heroes, while I am the sidekick…"

"Claire, you'll never be a sidekick. You can be sure of that."

"Oh, I don't mind being in the background. I don't do well with too much attention." Claire said, looking around the place, "This place kind of reminds me of the place I grew. It's not how it looks, but how it feels. Chris and I had tons of little misbehaved adventures there..."

"You and Chris were always close then."

"We were. Chris always took the big brother role too seriously. I blame Dad for it." Claire laughed. They reached a small vantage point that gave them a nice view of the bay, "You know, it's just strange how well I remember these things that happened so long ago despite my "amnesiac" state, but I just can't remember what happened to me the past eight months…"

"You heard what Hiwamura said. They'll come when they need to…"

"I guess…I hate neurosciences..."

"That's why you went for genetics? Or our viral experiences inspired you to that?"

"I went for genetics even before the Racoon mess. I just picked virology after that…"

"You are such…"

"A nerd? Yeah, people told me that a lot. Especially Chris…"

She walked around the commercial area, looking at the store windows. She wasn't much in the mood for shopping, but she did need some clothes. Leon wasn't too thrilled about clothing shopping either, but if she had to grade him, he did much better than Chris. Whenever she went shopping with Chris, she would often pick up the most outrageous outfits just to see her brother's horrified look. With Leon, it didn't quite work that well. He would just go along with the joke and suggest something even more outrageous. After trying out some things just for the fun of laughing about them, Claire ended up buying only a couple of simple outfits so that she didn't need to rely on borrowed clothes until she went back home where she hoped her clothes still existed.

The shops in town weren't as fashionable as the ones in the big cities, but the clothes were nice and comfy, something that Claire favored more than fashion. Claire wasn't too much into brands or styles that were trendy; her criticism was most usually more focused on practical, easy to move in case she had to run, comfortable and covered enough in case of zombies. She never understood why movies insisted on throwing the protagonists to fight in heels and miniskirts.

"That should do…"

"I think you may be the only woman I know who receives a green light to use her brother's money and only buys two sets of clothing."

"I'm guessing I still have my clothes back at home, so I see no reason to buy more than I need." Claire shrugged, "I'd rather…"

Claire suddenly stopped in her tracks and looked around, startled. A distant sound had caught her attention, and she was on alert immediately. Nothing seemed abnormal in the surroundings, but she felt something off. Claire sharpened her ears and caught the sound once more. It was the soft chiming of a music box. It rang soft and soothingly, but the melody made her shiver.

"Claire?" Leon said, but she didn't hear him as her mind was busy with other thoughts.

The tune was familiar. Claire remembered hearing it before. A sting of pain pierced her head, and a whirlwind of blurry images and voices filled her head. Without realizing it, her feet were carrying her to the source of the music.

It turned out that the music was coming from a small antique shop; inside the establishment, an old man was sitting at the counter. There were a variety of tools scattered all over the surface, and his wrinkled and calloused hands were holding a small brass pocket watch that rang with the melody.

The bell of the door chimed, announcing their presence. The old man raised his head and pushed away from the thick set of glasses, smiling.

"Goo' mornin', miss…" Welcome. Wha' can I do f'ye?"

The old man's voice seemed to break through the music spell, and Claire was woken from her trance. She looked around her, feeling a little bit lost and wondering how she had arrived there when she felt Leon's hand on her shoulder.

"Claire?" he said, looking at her in concern, "Are you ok?"

"What...happened?"

"You spaced out and suddenly started to walk until you reached this small shop."

"I did…? The song…!"

Leon stared at her, confused, while Claire turned to the old man.

" Good morning, sir. The song that was just playing. Could you tell me where it was coming from?"

"Ah, the Suo-Gân, ye mean?" the old man said with a thick accent "it's from this ol' watch'"

The old man handed her the pocket watch. It seemed old but well cared, and it had tree-shaped carving on the cover. Claire wound up the thing and opened its lid, letting the mechanism play the song.

"Suo-Gân..." she whispered. She had heard the name before.

The tune began playing, and the sense of familiarity washed over her. The bombarding of images started, again as a flashback hit her. She was sitting on a bench in some sort of inner garden; there were roses around her; everything around her looked white, lifeless, and blurred, and her hands were holding a circular brass box. Someone was sitting beside her. His hands were resting over something that seemed like an old cane, but his face seemed blurred.

"It oozed to be m' daughters…"

"Your daughter's?"

"Made et for her when she was born."

"It's a cute song…"

"Et's the Suo-Gân. A welsh llul fore the lil' folk. I can teach ye."

"You would?"

"Yes, of course. When ye go out 'rom 'ere, you might sing it to yer children…"

The image disappeared almost as fast as it had come, and Claire was pulled back into reality. It took her a few seconds to remember that she wasn't inside that memory, but standing in a small antique shop in town with Leon by her side.

"Aye, et's a welsh song...a lullaby for the young folk. Ye like et, miss?"

"It is a traditional lullaby?" Leon asked him.

"Aye, all keds 'ere 've heard et since young. Every'ne knowz et."

"Huna blentyn ar fy mynwes. Clyd a chynnes ydyw hon;

Breichiau mam sy'n dynn amdanat,Cariad mam sy dan fy mron;Ni chaiff dim amharu'th gyntun,Ni wna undyn â thi gam;Huna'n dawel, annwyl blentyn,Huna'n fwyn ar fron dy fam…."

Claire recited as if she was reading the lyrics. The man from her memory had taught the song, but who was that man?

Claire tried to think who that man was, but all she could come up with was a mixed feeling: fondness, warmth, and familiarity; overall, positive sensations. Did it mean that the man in her memory had been a friend?

"Oh, miss knows…" the old man smiled.

Claire tried to hide the surprise in her voice with a nervous smile.

"Someone happened to teach me once…" she said honestly, "He said I could sing it to my children someday…"

The old man smiled.

"Ye look like the motherly type. Ye like children?

Claire smiled. She did like children, and she used to spend a lot of time with the rescued children at Terra Save's refugee center when she was still a regular agent. She would play with them, tell them a story, and bring them candy when she was around, but her visits became fewer when she became chief.

"I do." she nodded, "Maybe more than they like me…"

"She's a liar. She's very good with them…." Leon commented, "Kids tend to love her…"

"That's not true…" she replied.

"Sherry loved you…"

"She loved you, too."

"Not as much as she loved you, I am sure…

Claire was about to say something, but the old man's amused chuckle reminded her of the man's presence.

"Ye wife is quite the modest kind, too."

"Wife? Oh, no, she's not…"

"We're not married…" Claire quickly said, "We are just friends…"

"No? What a pity. Ye two 'ake a pretty pair…"

Claire stared at him, shocked. What was up with the world today? Everyone seemed to be pushing her at Leon for no apparent reason. If she didn't know better, she would have suspected Saya to be behind it. Leon seemed kind of amused when the man had mistaken them for a couple, though.

Claire sighed and looked at the pocket watch in her hands. It was a beautiful thing. Antiques weren't much of her thing, but maybe it was the song that made her feel somehow attached to it. Her hand traced over the complicated tree pattern carved on the worn-out metal.

"What's this carving?"Claire asked.

" Ah, et's the crann beads; better known as The Tree of Life. It's an ol' symbol of the ol' folk."

"Old folk?" Leon asked.

"The Celts…" the old man explained, "symbol of harmony, strength, and wisdom."

So it had a cultural symbol. Since Claire was shopping in Wales, she should at least get a souvenir.

"I think I'll buy the watch…" Claire said.

"Of course, miss."

Claire paid for the pocket watch, and some minutes later, Leon and Claire were walking through town once more. It had gotten colder, but Claire still didn't feel like going back to BSAA base, so Leon suggested that they should take a look at the beach since they were already there.

The shoreline was beautiful. Unlike the beaches Claire had seen back in the United States, the coast from Llanon was cold and surrounded by green grasses. Not too far from them, she could see a small hill that faced the sea in a small stony cliff, and the seagulls flew over their heads, chirping. The whole picture made Claire smile.

"If only things would stay like this…"

"You know. This is probably the first and only time we have done something normal together…" Leon said, watching the waves break against the shore, "Took us 12 years to have a normal meeting, huh?"

"Has it been that long?" she replied, thinking back to that deal they had made after the Harvardville incident, "Wow, we are getting old…"

"You think?"

"Don't worry. The age will just get you more fans…"

Leon snorted, and she laughed. It was a nice feeling, and it was in moments like this that she wondered how things would have gone if bioterrorism had never come into their lives.

But you wouldn't have met him, then.

If umbrella had never begun the mess with bioweapons, Chris would have never gone to Bravo Team's rescue at Spencer's mansion, and he would have never run off into hiding. Then Claire would have never gone to Racoon searching for him. She wouldn't have met Leon or Sherry. Leon would have never become a government agent, and he would probably be at his desk reading some silly magazine with a cup of coffee. Sherry would have grown with her parents and gone to college. Steve would be alive and messing around somewhere around the world. Terra Save would have never existed, to begin with, and Pedro, Gave, Edward, and Gina would have never died in Alex's hands. Neil would be alive and living happily somewhere in Terragrigia like Natalia.

So many things would be different; so many things would be better, but some of the things she had now made her happy, too. Was it too selfish to say that sometimes she thanked those terrible events for letting her know all the people she had come to care for and love with the years? People with whom she shared a bond that was beyond friends and family.

"Hey, Leon…" she said as she watched a seagull dive into the sea for a catch, "Have you ever thought of how life would have been if we had been normal?"

"You mean if Racoon never happened?"

Claire only nodded. The blonde agent's gaze stared at the horizon as he seemed to think about the question.

"I'll be lying if I say no…" Leon finally answered, "I've wondered about that on many occasions, to be honest. Where I would be if the events of Racoon never took place. I would probably be the cop I was supposed to be from the beginning. Maybe, I would have been promoted, or I would be happily married, with children and a dog. Who knows…"

"I think I could probably picture you." Claire smiled, imagining Leon playing in a grassy courtyard with a giant golden retriever, a red ball, and kids running around him and calling him dad, "Who would think Mr. Pretty boy thought of having a family…"

"I may be flirty sometimes, but even I know when to cut off the jokes and take things seriously. What about you, Claire?"

"I...don't know…perhaps I'd have a family, too, and we wouldn't know each other."

"Chris would still be in STARS. We would have eventually met when you came to visit or when I made you a ticket for careless driving. …"

"And I would have tried to flirt my way out of it…" she laughed.

"And who knows, it might work…" Leon chuckled, "But there's no point in thinking that. Those things can't change anymore, but we can still build the future we all wanted once…"

"So you have plans for the future, Mr. secret agent…."

"I won't be an agent forever, Claire, and you know, maybe someday I'll just want to pull out and settle down; get the family I once thought of having and spend lazy afternoons watching the tv with them. "

"I wonder if that certain spy would agree to that arrangement, though…"

"Ada? When did I say that I'd settle down with her, huh?"

"You didn't, but I'm sure it passed your mind." Claire chuckled, "I hope you get it, though; you deserve it."

"We all deserve it…" Leon corrected, "You can't expect to stay in Terra Save forever, do you, Claire?"

Did she? Claire had stopped thinking about her future a long time ago when somewhere along the way, her future wishes had lost importance compared to making other people's lives better. Now, all she knew was loneliness and work.

"I don't know," she answered frankly.

The conversation ended there. Claire and Leon stayed at the beach for a while longer; they watched the ebb and flow of the waves while enjoying each other's silent company. Claire took out the small pocket watch and flipped open the lid. The music began to ring, instantly, echoing through the empty shoreline.

"This is a nice place."

"Yeah, quiet and peaceful. I've got the feeling that we won't have much of it for a while, so we might as well enjoy it while we can."

"Yeah, I guess once we get back to the USA, things will get busy. I've got eight months' worth of work to catch up."

"Have it easy, Claire. You don't need to push yourself that much."

"I know everyone worries, but now more than ever, I must focus on my work; at least the one with research…" Claire said, shaking her head, "I wonder who's been helping out BSAA with the analyses…"

"Chambers…" Leon replied, "Dr. Chambers has been the one leading the researchers the past eight months."

"I see...yeah, sounds about right. Rebecca is brilliant…"

Rebecca Chambers was a former STAR member and Chris's friend. She was a prodigy in medicine and biochemistry. Claire had met her once or twice during a couple of academic conferences, but Claire never really had the chance to speak to her. Claire knew, from Chris, that Rebecca was an undercover agent for BSAA, and she was active in vaccine research. Claire's team would often send their results to her.

"Yeah, CHambers is good, but not as good as you."

Claire shook her head. She wasn't a prodigy like Rebecca, so there was absolutely no truth behind that affirmation.

"You are overpraising me, Leon."

"Not really. Don't get me wrong. Chambers is good at what she does, but I've heard the word between colleagues, and she's not as fast as you were."

"As my anonymous team, you mean. Well, Rebecca is a medic. She's not exactly trained to deal with the things my team does. It's not her fault…"

"And no one is blaming her. I am just saying, she's not as good as you and your team, that's all…" Leon said with a small smile, "Helena and I retrieved a viral sample from a small group in Mexico a few days ago. It is presumed to be a new virus, but it seems Chamber's team has had no luck on reproducing it for study or something like that."

"Oh, she must be struggling to find the target cell…" Claire realized and, noticing Leon's questioning look, quickly explained," Virions have protein signals on their outer coat that can bind to a receptor protein on the surface of a cell that it will infect. These receptors and protein signals are specific, so some viruses can only infect certain cells in specific."

"Guess that would make sense, and how exactly do you fix that?"

"Well, people would usually test the virion with different cell types, and we see how that goes, but that's quite a task, and it takes way too much time and money."

"Right, maybe I should have asked what would you do?"

Claire laughed.

"I am a geneticist. Most of my approaches would go that way. Proteins are coded by genes. If you can locate the protein receptor coding sequence, you can more or less work on it to identify it, and then you can reduce the number of possible receptors."

"Sounds complicated."

"A little, but compared to the losses by trying different cell lines, it is a lot more efficient if you know how to approach it. I guess I should ask Chris if I can get a hold of a sample of the virus…"

"I am sure they will agree."

"So that was the mission you were before you came here?"

"Yeah."

"You sure have an exciting life."

"You could say that; my new mission doesn't sound like it'd be easy either."

"Oh, can I ask, or is it classified?"

"It is classified, but you can ask. It's an escort and guarding mission…."

"Oh, no...your nightmare….you just love those." she teased.

"This one sounds promising, though. The subject seems likable."

"Subject, huh? Testosterone or estrogen?"

"It is a she if that's what you mean."

"I should have guessed it was a female. Pretty girl?"

"She is pretty, has quite a temper, and certainly won't like the arrangement. You know, she's the kind of woman who takes care of herself perfectly well…"

"If she's that good, why does she need you as an escort."

"Because she tends to worry more about others' safety over hers, and right now, she's being targeted by a dangerous group."

"Huh, sounds nasty. I wouldn't like to be in her shoes. You'll do a great job, though, and she'll eventually accept you; she'll probably end up crushing over your heroic form as every girl does."

Leon snorted, and he pinched the bridge of his nose trying to keep down a laugh.

"I don't think that would happen this time."

"What? You know that always happens."

"I don't think there's that kind of attraction…"

"Why? Oh, she likes other women then?"

"No, it's not that. I think she's too smart to fall for that."

"Oh, so you know her…"

"Yeah, we might have some story…"

"Oh, don't tell me it is Ada…."

Claire swallowed a laugh when Leon choked and stared at her as if she was crazy.

"No. It is not Ada…"

"Oh, then I have no idea who it might be…"

"You'll find out soon enough."

"Oh, come on…Do I know her?"

"Oh, yeah; you know her very well…"

Claire looked at him curiously. She began to list down all the woman acquaintances she and the blonde agent shared and came out blank. She had decided to press into the matter a little more, but Leon was busy speaking on his phone.

"That was Chris…"

Claire rolled her eyes.

"Please tell me he wasn't checking on me…"

"Ok, I won't tell you," Leon smirked, "but he also said that they'll meet us at the pier by noon. It's 10 am….so we still have two hours."

"Aren't you bored of following me around?"

"Surprisingly, not at all. I am enjoying myself..."

"Ok, who are you, and what did you do to Leon?"

Leon laughed at Claire's sudden outburst. He then stared at her with a smile.

"Claire?"

"Yeah?"

"I am glad you're back."