Leon

A week had passed since Jill's phone call, he had reluctantly agreed to wait before meeting her. Jill said they needed more information before knowing where to start. Leon understood, but was becoming increasingly inpatient. He sat inside the tiny pizza diner, it was almost empty apart from a few truckers who had stopped along the way for something to eat, before heading back to their miserable jobs.

He sighed looking at his watch, she was late. After waiting for another twenty minutes a brunette walked in. She was tall and stressed looking, in all honestly she looked like shit. "Sorry I'm late Kennedy", she said sitting down across from him. She looked beyond tired, the stress of Claire missing was starting to show.

Leon awkwardly sipped on his glass of water, "Sorry, do you want anything?" He offered, Jill shook her head.

"No it's fine, but thank you. Look Leon I phoned you because I didn't know who else to call...I can't ask this of Barry cause of his age and his family is finally getting back to normal. And Sherry... well Sherry isn't coping too well either...and"

"I'll help anyway I can, that was never a question. But why isn't her brother or boyfriend here as well?" He asked cutting her off.

Jill sighed before answering, "Truthfully... I also asked you because I'm being selfish. I love Claire like a sister, I really do, but me and Chris's second child is due in a few months" Leon glanced at her stomach, she didn't look pregnant. "And I can't have him dying on me. I'm assuming you heard what he was like when he thought I'd died?"

Leon nodded, he remembered Claire crying on the phone to him because of how erratic and crazy he acted, he also remembered what he was like when his men died in China. He grimaced at the thought. "What can I do to help? Also, where is piers? I thought he would be here"

Jill almost smirked, yeah he was definitely the man for the job. "Being an agent I assume you have contacts, I need you to get any help that you can. And I'm guessing she never told you who she was seeing then?...I know you two hadn't seen each other in a while, Claire said you only spoke on the phone a few times a year"

Leon was getting annoyed now. Not at Jill, but the thought of Claire keeping something from him bothered Leon more than he would admit. "Tell me what?"

"Piers was who Claire was in a relationship with, when he died..." She said sadly, "it broke Chris and Claire's heart. Neither of them had been right since".

"Jesus", why didn't Claire tell me? "I have been on missions none stop since China, the night you phoned me was the night I arrived back. I-i spoke to Claire once on the phone last year, but she never mentioned it. Him. If I had known... I didn't even know he had died."

Jill looked uncomfortable, she knew he felt guilty but didn't know what to say. "I need to be quick about this, our surrogate has a scan first thing in the morning", well that answers that question.

"How do you know she's still alive?" Leon asked, holding his breath waiting for an answer. He needed to know she still was. He didn't want to believe she was dead, but he knew better than anyone to prepare himself for the worse.

"She's Claire Redfield, she can't be dead".

The answer seemed to satisfy him, Leon cleared his throat. "Tell me everything you can. I'll do everything I can to find her". I promise.