The fateful parking lot
It was late June, when Claire decided to visit her brother. While being on a vacation, she thought that maybe it would be a cool surprise to show up at the RPD out of the blue. The mere image of Chris's amused face brought huge grin on Claire's face. She was in good mood anticipating the long-awaited reunion with her big bro, so she speeded up her motorbike and flew on the highway in the direction of Raccoon City.
The weather was fine. She liked it when it was not too hot in the summer, because she just couldn't live without her favourite cowboy high-boots, especially when it came to motorbike trips.
Driving into the city, Claire tried to remember the location of the Raccoon Police Department, where her brother worked. She visited the place only once and it was a year ago, when Chris had been appointed point man for «Alpha» Team in «S.T.A.R.S.» unit. So now she just needed to remember where to make the right turn.
Soon she found what she was looking for and drove to the back of the building, where the parking lot was located. She knew that Chris wouldn't mind if she took one of the marked places for the police vehicles. And so, without a care in the world, she parked her iron horse, took off her helmet and was about to get off the motorbike, when a man's voice interrupted her actions.
"I am sorry, Miss, but this parking lot is not for the civilians. I have to ask you to leave it immediately."
Claire turned her head to look at the person, who dared to tell her what to do and where to park. Before her eyes there was a blond young man in a police uniform. By the way he was shutting the door to the driver's seat, it seemed that he had just came back from a patrol and found a new victim to impose a fine.
"I am sorry, officer…" she uttered, when he headed towards her in a steady and firm pace. Her gaze touched the nameplate on his chest, "officer L. ."
"What a strange name," she thought.
By the time he came closer to her, Claire was ready to tell him the truth, but he outran her with his own speech.
"Well, if you are sorry, then I will forgive you just this one time. Take your motorbike and leave the police parking lot, and we will pretend that this matter has never happen."
This handsome face had well-shaped lips, that spilled stingy words. This guy was just another example of arrogant and brash men. Claire rolled her eyes mentally and get off the motorbike. She threw him a serious gaze and said in a steady voice:
"No. I don't want to be a cause of crashing the police officer's brilliant career. My brother has always told me that a man who tells lies is not a man at all, so, officer L. , you may arrest me or impose a fine, whatever you please, but I'm not leaving this place nor do I pretend about anything considering this situation."
She really didn't know, why she spoke with him like that. Judging by his bemused expression he, too, didn't know why she acted so hooligan-like.
They looked at each other for some seconds. Well, no. They bore holes in each other with their gazes. Both stubborn and determined.
The duel lasted for another couple of seconds before the blond said through slightly gritted teeth. It was obvious that he was mad with her behavior.
"Alright, Miss. I tried to be polite, but you left me no choice. I have to arrest you for insulting the police officer and for parking your vehicle at the RPD closed parking lot. You must follow me," with those words he pointed at the building behind him. And of course there was the very building she had been looking for just some minutes ago.
"This is not how I imagined my first day here…" she uttered under her breath and followed the nasty officer to the Police Department.
He marched into the station and stopped by the reception to report his "catch", to which Claire just rolled her eyes. And while doing so, she caught a glimpse of a familiar face among the police uniforms. There was a red-haired young woman giving some orders to her subordinates. Maybe she felt someone's eyes on her (mind you, almost every man's eyes of the station were directed at her non-stop, the redhead was that pretty and cool) or maybe it was her inborn intuition, but the police woman turned her head in the direction of Claire and met her gaze.
There was no time for them to communicate as officer Kennedy commanded Claire to follow him to his desk, but the other woman had a chance to read the words Claire formed with her smiling mouth.
"Hello, Jill."
Several minutes later Claire was sitting across from her "captor" at his desk, on which there was a nameplate with the same inscription as on his uniform.
"Lt. L. "
"So, Mr. Lieutenant, what punishment awaits me?"
The said man took a paper with a form of registration out of his desk and prepared to fill in the information. He just threw a quick gaze at the girl in front of him before uttering in a slightly irritated voice.
"It depends on your behavior, Miss Troublemaker."
Claire snorted audibly. This guy was starting to get on her nerves like…pretty bad.
"Likewise," she hissed, to which the officer arched his brow inquiry.
The man gripped his pen tighter and added in a more friendly tone. At least he tried to sound friendly.
"If someone listened to what the man of the law was telling her to do, nothing of the current situation would have ever happen."
The girl straightened on the chair and looked in his navy-blue eyes with reproach.
"You ordered me to leave the parking lot never even trying to ask why I was there in the first place! Do you think that I am that stupid to leave my motorbike at the police station parking lot? Just like 'hey, here is a vacant place! Wow! I am lucky, let's park here'. Dah!"
The girl bored a hole in him with her fierce gaze before hitting her back against the chair and crossing her arms on her chest.
The young man breathed out and ran his hand through his thick blond hair. Irritation was very obvious in his actions. And he didn't like the way she made him feel.
"Alright. Let's go back to square one. Why were you at the police station closed parking lot?"
"I'm not telling you. Your time is up, Mr. Rookie."
"You do understand, that by insulting me, you are digging worse punishment for yourself, don't' you?"
They crossed their gazes again. Both beyond stubborn and uncompromising.
"I don't have time for this nonsense," the man said firmly. "Your name, age, place of birth, your driving license."
He clutched the paper form and prepared to write down the info, never leaving his eyes from the flighty delinquent.
"Claire Redfield. 20 years old…"
While officer L. was amazed by her name, noting that the captain from "S.T.A.R.S." unit had the same last name as this girl, he didn't catch what she said next.
"Place of birth?" he repeated the question.
"The USA. And my driving license ID is none of your business."
"You find it entertaining, don't you?" he put a pen and just stared at her blankly.
"If I found it funny or entertaining, I wouldn't be so bored and irritated right now," she scoffed.
"That's my line, Miss Redfield. Well, maybe except for the "bored" part," he confessed and continued to look at her with almost calm expression.
Claire was about to add some spicy remark but she was interrupted by the knocking on the door.
The officer, who kept her hostage in his small cabinet, gave the permission to the person to come in.
In the doorway there were two figures: a tall mighty man and the red-haired woman that Claire noticed in the hall.
"What's going on here?" the older man's thunderous voice broke the silence, when he witnessed the scene before his eyes.
"Captain Redfield, sir!" Lt. L. jumped up from his chair and saluted to his superior. "I am filling the report concerning the offense."
"At ease," the captain said to his subordinate and directed his piercing gaze to the young girl. "Claire, what have you gotten yourself into? And why are you here?"
Claire just smiled uneasily under the large man's gaze and told in a light voice.
"Well, I am on a vacation and came to visit my big brother and make a surprise, but I parked my motorbike at the police station parking lot and this fearless officer arrested me. So, yeah. Eh… surprise, brother!"
Claire grinned as cheerfully as she could in this situation, looking at her brother's stone face. Then she glanced behind him and waved her hand at the young woman.
"Hi, Jill! I'm glad to see you again!"
"Hello, Claire. The pleasure is mine," Jill answered with a friendly smile.
Meanwhile, the younger officer was amused, bemused and totally confused.
"Captain Redfield, I didn't know about the circumstances regarding your family," he drew everyone's attention to his person by saying those words.
Chris offered him a faint smile.
"Well, you both are something else. I've got a double surprise today. When Jill told me that Claire was here and she was arrested by you, I really didn't know what to think. I am just glad that this misunderstanding is cleared. And about the parking lot. I am the one who is in fault. Last time Claire came visiting me, I gave her permission to leave her motorbike there."
Somehow, the whole atmosphere changed from dark and sour to joyful and nice. The Redfields and Valentine left the small cabinet, parting their ways with the lieutenant, who sat in the chair totally exhausted. How did he end up in this mess? It was a miracle that the captain treated him well, after finding out that he had arrested his sister. For some reason, he started to understand those strange words she had been telling him about being a cause of crushing his brilliant career and digging worse punishment.
"What a sly red fox," he thought dramatically, running a hand through his hair.
Four hours later the sun was slowly setting behind the horizon, illuminating the city and its streets with warm golden light. At the police station closed parking lot Claire was about to put on her helmet, when she noticed a familiar figure that was heading towards his parked car. When their eyes met, there was some kind of uncomfortable silence.
He was the one, who broke the ice.
"Leaving already?"
The girl relaxed by the sound of his calm voice. Maybe their little argument was already in the past? She hoped so, because she didn't like the feeling in her chest, when she was leaving his cabinet with Chris.
Claire put her helmet back on the motorbike and made several steps towards the guy and his car. Right now he indeed looked just like any regular guy in his casual clothes. Well, among a bunch of regular guys he would be the most handsome, Claire noted.
"No. I came to Raccoon City for a couple of days. I just dropped by at the police station to make a surprise to my brother and take a key to his apartment, but well, as you know, something went wrong and I ended up here for longer than I expected," she told with a light smile, which he returned willingly.
"Yeah, those "wrong" things always happen, when you don't expect them to," he said jokingly.
There was a small pause, in which Claire decided to act. She summoned all of her willpower and courage and looked straight at his face.
"Look, I want to apologize for my behavior and words. I'm truly sorry for what I have told you, Mr. L. ."
"Ah," he was caught off guard by her frank confession, but immediately took a grip of his emotions. "Lesson learnt. Actually, it was my fault too. As you said earlier, I really had to ask the reason why you were at this parking lot in the first place and only then should I have judge you. That's why, I apologize to you too. And the name is Leon Scott Kennedy, just for the information."
Claire grinned.
"Lieutenant Leon Scott Kennedy. Still hot from the Police Academy, huh."
She found it funny to tease him, but then the meaning of her last words hit her brain. His visibly blushed face proved that he, too, caught the other meaning.
"Emm, thanks?" he smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck uneasily.
"Well, that's not exactly what I meant, but okay," the girl tried to act cool, scolding herself mentally for her stupid phrases.
"Just so you know I was assigned to Raccoon Police Department two months ago."
Okay, he was a funny guy, alright.
"Still a rookie though," she grinned at him and he nodded, never trying to refute the obvious.
"Listen, Miss Redfield -"
"Claire," she corrected him. "Just call me Claire like everyone does."
"Claire," he repeated her name and after receiving a light nod from her side, he continued. "I know that our first encounter was a terrible misunderstanding and disaster, but I'd like to fix that. And not because you are technically my boss's sister, I assure you."
"Hmm, go on," the girl arched her thin eyebrow in intrigued manner.
"If you are free right now I'd like to treat you to a cup of coffee and something nice."
"Something nice, you say?" she let out a laugh in her hand. "Okay, if to be honest I am starving. If you know a good place that serves decent food, then lead the way."
"I think you'll like the raccoon-burgers that we'll find at that new café "Witty Raccoon"," the blond young man made several steps towards the parking lot exit.
"I like the title, it's very optimistic," she started to walk beside him in a comfortable pace.
"Yeah, like everything in this city," he added fondly. "And the place is a block away from here, so don't worry about your motorbike."
"I don't. It's a police station parking lot after all. And I'm about to share a dinner with a police officer. I am surrounded with protection," Claire laughed sonorously and Leon liked the sound of her silver laughter. But then she threw him a suspicious gaze and added in a serious tone, "And my brother is always on call, so mind you, I AM surrounded with best protection."
To which Leon just smiled charmingly, trying to fight the uneasy gulp in his throat.
"A really, truly sly red fox she is," he thought before offering her his leather jacket.
"Oh, Lieutenant Kennedy, you are very courteous, thank you."
Claire took the jacket with gratitude and put it on, smiling at him playfully.
"Please, call me Leon. And protecting civilians is the job of my life."
"You are a really funny guy, you know that?"
"I hope it was a compliment."
"Well, more or less."
They talked and laughed on their way to the "Witty Raccoon" and even during the dinner.
Who knows, maybe that disastrous meeting at the parking lot was actually a fateful one?
A/N ah, this story is a Birthday present for our dearest friend Kristinochka!
And the idea came to us, when a single thought crossed our minds. What would the first meeting between Claire and Leon look like if Raccoon City tragedy had never occurred? It's just a random idea, we didn't try to base it entirely on the events from the game. So, here we have summer, healthy Raccoon City and just a nice chat between the characters =) Claire is a little bit older, so is Leon.