Epilogue:
Safe Return
"Hey Leon, wake up," Morning already, Leon's eyes opened. "Come on, Leon, get a move on." He felt a pillow strike his face. "We goin' or not," He let out a sigh forcing himself out of bed. "It's about time, your lazy ass woke up, it's noon." Moira crossed her arms. "Do you always sleep in like this?" Not usually, but it was nice once and while. Not often a guy like him gets to take a nap.
"Anyway," Moira picked the pillow she threw at him off the floor. "Chris and Jill left said something about going back to HQ." They must have gone to make their report. Which means, it was time for him to do the same. Unfortunately, Leon would have to inform them about what happened to Claire. "So," Moira shrugged. "Where are we going next?" She tossed the pillow back on the bed.
"First we need to get Al-," Leon stopped himself before he finished that sentence. "Natalia back to TerraSave. They have an operative there that can look after her until we find a suitable home for her." He answered. "So, where is she, she awake?" He grabbed his shirt from off the floor. "If not," He slipped on his silk blue dress shirt. "I could carry her back."
"That won't be necessary," Moira took a seat on the bed. "Natalia's awake and back on her feet. She doesn't remember anything about what happened on the island and-," She placed her hands on the mattress. "I felt that," She paused. "It would be better for her if she didn't. A lot of scary shit went on down there Leon. I don't think she needs to remember any of it." She rose to her feet. "You got me?"
"I got you," Leon agreed.
"Alright then," Moira took Leon's arm. "Let's go meet her." Moira brought him to the room where Natalia was resting before. The young girl was afraid, confused, nothing like the fearsome girl he met in the facility. She sat there curled up in a small ball, her arms resting on her knees, her face buried in her protective shell.
"Hey. Natalia," Moira took a seat next to her on the bed. "There's someone I'd like you to meet." Natalia's brown eyes looked up at him. "His name's Leon, he's the man who rescued us." Leon went to hold his hand out to her, she quickly retreated to moving to the far corner of the bed. She moved so far back that her back was now pressed against the headboard. "He's going to take you somewhere safe okay," Moira reached for her hand, she moved her hand away. "The thing is, he can't do that unless you trust him." Natalia looked directly at Leon, her hands still shaking. Her whole body was stricken with fear.
"Everything is going to be okay," Leon assured her. "It's safe now." If only Claire were here, this is usually her strong point. He had no idea how to approach a kid. A teenager maybe, kid, not a clue. "Look Natalia," He took a seat next to her. "We aren't going anywhere till you feel safe. So if you want we can sit here all day but," He let out a sigh. "To tell the truth, I'd really like to get going so what do you say?" She wouldn't budge. "Figures," He rose to his feet. "All right, I'll be on deck. Moira think you can-,"
"I'll stay with her." Moira smiled at him.
"Great," Leon walked off toward the deck. He had the girl but he couldn't get her to go with him. Another fine mess, what would Claire do in this situation? He heard footsteps on the dock. Intruder, he pulled out his knife.
"What's the matter out of bullets," The brunette laughed at him. Wait, he recognized that voice. It's Helena Harper, his old partner. Leon lowered his knife. "You know, you're a tough guy to get a hold of." She crossed her arms. "Hannigan has been calling you but it goes straight to voicemail. So, she sent me to give you this." She handed him a new cell phone. "Try not to break it this time." She started to leave. "Oh and, you might want to call her and give her your report. She's been eagerly waiting for it seeing as you haven't kept in touch." She advised. "Now, I'm going to go. You take care of yourself Leon." Helena walked away.
"You too," Leon turned on the phone. His contacts and everything were already backed up on the phone. He scrolled through and stopped when Claire's name was highlighted. He wanted to call her even though he knew it would go straight to voicemail. He skipped over her name and called Hannigan to give his report. "We have the girl in custody, I'm in the process of bringing her back now. Though," He let out a sigh. "She's not being very cooperative. Why does this feel like kidnapping?"
"I'm glad to hear your mission is going well," Hannigan replied. "It's not kidnapping Leon, I'm sure she's just afraid. That's bound to happen considering she has no idea what's going on or where she is. Wait a second," She paused. "How were you able to capture her, did our plan to use Claire to draw out Natalia work?"
"No, we used," Leon let out a sigh. "Something else." He added. "I injected her with some kind of drug that freed her of Alex's control but. We have no idea what the side effects are or what we injected her with. We might need to examine her at the lab." He heard scurrying on the deck. Shit, Natalia was listening in. "I got to let you go." He hung up. "Natalia wait, I can explain this just hear me out."
"Get away from me," Natalia ran into one of the rooms. The moment he arrived at the door she slammed it in his face. He started to open the door but she locked it. Great, now how is he going to talk his way out of this one? Things just keep getting worse.
"Way to go, Leon," Moira's voice filled with sarcasm. "I almost had her and you totally blew it." She knocked on the door. "Come on, Natalia, just open the door." She spoke calmly. "I will explain everything okay?" She placed her hand on the door. "Come on Natalia, I thought we were sisters."
"Go away," Natalia yelled.
"Moira, keep trying," Leon went to call Hannigan back for assistance. It was then, assistance arrived in the form of Sherry Birkin. "Sherry?" Leon put his phone away. "What brings you here?"
"Well, Leon," Sherry put her hands on her hips. "I think it was your boss that sent me here." She informed him. "Stand aside, I'll take care of it from here." She stopped in place. "Where's-, know what we can talk about that later. I'm sure Claire's already back at headquarters waiting for you." She walked past him to Natalia. "Hey Moira, is it?" She asked, Moira nodded. "You can go ahead and join Leon on deck. I'll handle it from here this is sort of my speciality."
"Have at it," Moira stepped aside. "Not like you could do any better." She walked away. "Speciality my ass." She crossed her arms standing beside Leon. "Watch," Her lips formed a cocky smirk. "She's going to fuck up."
"I bet you're really scared in there right now." Sherry's spoke in soft tone. "You're probably confused and nothing makes sense. I bet you just want to hide in this room forever. Well, guess what," She paused. "When I was your age, I was scared too. So scared," She confessed. "You know what helped me when I was scared?"
"What?"
"I got to watch someone else be really brave." Sherry answered. "Brave enough for both of us." She added. "It was by watching her conquer her fear that I learned to conquer mine. You know something," Sherry sat outside the door. "Once I did, I felt a lot better. I felt like I could do anything." She placed her hand on the door. "Guess what," She smiled. "You could be brave too, you just have to open this door. Can you do that for me?" She asked. "I swear," She placed her hand over her heart. "I'm not going to let anyone else in. I just want to talk to you okay?" The door unlocked. "Give me a few minutes," Sherry walked inside.
"What the fuck," Moira yelled. "She opens the door for her." She stomped her foot. "What does that girl have," She motioned toward Sherry. "That I don't?" Moira pointed at herself. "I was super nice to her."
"Experience," Leon answered. "Nobody knows what Natalia's going through better than her." He walked to the door to listen in on Sherry and Natalia. He was sure if anyone could convince Natalia that she was safe with him. It was Sherry.
"You wanna know something really cool," Sherry asked her. "We're kind of like sisters." She laughed. "That's right, we are. You wanna know why?" She took a seat next to Natalia. "When I was a little girl, Leon saved my life too. I was in a really scary place just like the one you were in. It was horrible but you know," Sherry smiled at her. "Something amazing came out of it. You see, not only did Leon save me. He gave me something that I never had before." Sherry explained.
"What was that?" Natalia wondered.
"A family," Sherry answered. "My parents were always busy with their work. They never had time for me. That all changed when I met Leon and Claire. It could be the same for you." She pointed out. "The first thing you have to do is trust him, so, what do you say we give him a chance?" The door opened and Sherry stepped out.
"Okay," Sherry let out a sigh. "She's in your hands Leon." He nodded. "I'll be back at Headquarters waiting." She went to leave but stopped. "Later the three of us should get together and have dinner or something. To celebrate, my treat?" She offered. "I swear you guys better not pay for me like you did the last time. I owe you guys a ton of free meals."
"Free food," Moira's voice filled with excitement. "Count me in." Moira lifted her hand up for a high five. Sherry glared at her. "What, did I say something wrong?" Sherry brought her lips to Leon's ear.
"Promise me," She whispered. "You won't invite her." She waved at Moira. "It was very nice meeting you Moira," Sherry's lips forced a smile. "I've got to get back to headquarters. There is this huge paper jam," She stressed. "I've got to fix it right away."
"Paper jam," Moira crossed her arms. "Oh I'll give her a paper jam right after I shove my foot up her ass." She grabbed Leon's arm. "What did she say to you?" She asked. "I bet it was something mean, she's such a bitch." Natalia laughed.
"I like her," Natalia watched as Sherry left the docks. "She's nice," Natalia took Leon's hand. "Can we go?" Her eyes looked up at him. "Sherry said she'd be at headquarters." Leon crouched down getting eye level with her. "I wanna go see her."
"You got it," Leon patted her on the head. He rose to his feet taking Natalia's hand. "Let's go Moira." He headed toward headquarters. He stopped at a nearby park. Natalia was sitting down by a lake. She held pieces of bread out feeding the ducks. Moira was with her keeping an eye on her. Which gave Leon the time he needed to finish his report to Hannigan. "Sorry about that, Hannigan, thanks for sending Sherry to help us out. Everything is going smoothly now."
"About this drug you injected her with," Hannigan asked. "Have you noticed any changes in her behavior or anything out of the ordinary?" Leon glanced over at Natalia, she seemed like your everyday little girl. Nothing strange, no signs of Alex. Memory loss, she didn't remember anything about what happened at the facility.
"Perhaps Memory loss," Leon offered. "But, I'm not so sure that it's the drug that caused it. She was taken over by Alex. It wouldn't surprise one bit if Alex's memories didn't transfer over to Natalia." He took a seat on a bench.
"Powers," Hannigan spoke. "In the B.S.A.A. report left by Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine. They both disclosed that Alex had telekinetic powers. Have you noticed any signs of those?" Leon glanced over at Natalia. Not really, whatever powers she had were gone now. Then again, the powers would only grow stronger when she was angry. At the moment, Natalia showed no signs of anger.
"No but you might want to test her to be safe." Leon answered. "I will keep a look out if I see anything." He noticed Natalia and Moira coming toward him. "I've got to go." He started to hang up on her.
"Leon," Hannigan called out. "One more question," He brought the phone to his ear. "Your partner, Claire Redfield. She didn't make it back did she?" Claire, Leon had to tell Hannigan the truth. She needed it for her report. "Leon, you, there?" He let out a deep sigh.
"She didn't make it," Leon hung up the phone.
"Hey Natalia," Leon crouched down. "Did you have fun with ducks?" She nodded happily. "Good, let's go see Sherry." He rose to his feet holding his hand out to her. Natalia took his hand as they walked. "So, Moira," She glanced over at him. "Where are we taking you?" He asked. "You want me to call Chris so he can take you to your father or do you wanna go back to Terrasave?"
"Let's worry about Natalia for now." Moira suggested. "Once we get her back then I'll make my decision. I probably should go back to my dad either way." She put her hands in her jacket pockets. "I don't know if I'm ready to face him." She confessed. "I can already hear him now." She let out a sigh. "I told you it was dangerous, you didn't listen to me and because you didn't listen. You almost died. Typical Barry." She rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised if he Rapunzeled my ass after this."
The three of them made their way to the Terrasave headquarters. Once Leon arrived with Moira. The secretary dropped her phone in shock. Everyone in the room was fixated on Moira. Someone that was presumed to be dead. "Hey guys," Moira waved at them. "Remember me." The people in the room gathered around her. Each of them curious to know how she survived. "Don't worry about me Leon, just finish your mission. I'll be here in the waiting room."
Once Leon and Natalia reached the main office. He felt a slight tug on his pants. "Leon, I'm scared," Natalia started shaking. "What are they going to do to me? You said something about a lab and-," He crouched down getting eye level with her.
"Listen to me Natalia," Leon stared into her eyes. "I'm not leaving your side until I know you're safe. I made a promise to a good friend of mine that I would look after you. I'm not about to break that promise." He placed his hand on her head. "Now what do you say we go in there and face some suits."
"Okay,"
They walked inside where Sherry and the founder of TerraSave were waiting. "Sorry for the delay," Leon shook the founders hand. "Leon S. Kennedy, secret services." He let go of the founder's hand. "This is Natalia," He brought Natalia forward, she quickly retreated behind him. "Now there's some things I'd like to go over before we proceed any further." He spoke. "I'm not handing Natalia over until I'm sure she's safe. I made a promise to Claire that I would keep her safe and that's exactly what I plan to do. So, living arrangements what are they?"
"Hold on a second," Sherry walked up to Leon. "Where's Claire?" She looked directly into his eyes. "Where is she Leon?" She asked again, he couldn't answer that. Leon couldn't face her knowing that Claire's death would crush her. "I searched headquarters for her but she wasn't here. I thought maybe you guys got seperated or," Sherry searched his eyes for an answer but he wouldn't give her one. "I don't understand. She should be here." She stepped back. "Know what, she might be running late, I'll go look for her." Leon took hold of her arm stopping her. His lips mimed the word "Later." She nodded and returned to her spot.
"Living arrangements," Leon asked again.
"We have a family lined up to adopt her," Sherry answered. "That's after we determine that the threat has been neutralized. What I mean by that is," She put her hands in her jacket pockets. "We need to make sure that Alex Wesker stays dormant. Otherwise, she could endanger the family adopting her." She explained. "Natalia's safety is top priority but we need to make sure the family is safe as well." Fair enough, "Until then, I will take full responsibility in looking after her."
"What about the Jake case?" Leon asked her. "Won't it interfere with what you got going on there?" He crossed his arms. "We need both Jake and Natalia for this to work. If we lose either one," He pointed out. "This all would have been for nothing." He wasn't sure that Sherry could handle looking out for two big cases such as these. It's a lot to take on especially for one person.
"I'm already way ahead of you," Sherry stressed. "I talked to Jake about it and we worked out a deal." She pulled out her cell phone. "As long as he reports to me on a daily basis and agrees to wear a tracker device that only I can locate." She showed him the map on her phone which had a dot signifying Jake's location. "He's allowed to do as he pleases. If he comes across any trouble," Sherry put her phone away. "He's to notify me immediately. He also," She let out a sigh. "Expects compensation for his cooperation."
"Weren't we already paying him?" Leon crossed his arms. "Let me guess," He leaned against the wall. "He wants more money." Sherry nodded. "Piece of work that one but at least he's cooperating." He let out a sigh. "So, these tests," He glanced over at Natalia. "Will there be someone present to monitor them for Natalia's safety?" Leon asked.
"I'll be there to keep an eye on her," Sherry answered. "See Leon," She boasted. "I told you I got it covered." Seems like it, it appears the little girl they rescued from Raccoon city is growing up. He couldn't be more proud of her.
"As for the tests," The TerraSave founder spoke. "We will be the ones running them." He rose from his seat. "We've got our best people on the case." He assured him. "Perhaps with her," His eyes shifted to Natalia. "We could end bioterror for good." He smiled at her. "Sherry, we are leaving Natalia in your capable hands for the time being. We will begin the testing, first thing tomorrow morning."
"Understood," Sherry acknowledged. "Well Natalia," She crouched down getting eye level with her. "It looks like you get to come home with me." She smiled at her. "Before that, what do you say we go clothes shopping?"
"Okay," Natalia smiled. "I can't wait to see where you live." She jumped up with excitement. "Oh, before that, do you think we could stop by the toy's store. If we go, could I get a teddy bear?" She asked. "Please Sherry."
"Well," Sherry laughed. "You didn't take anytime warming up to me." She smiled. "Sure, we can go but only one stuffed animal." She reasoned. "I don't get paid till next week so until then, we're a little low on funds. Try not to break me okay?" She patted her on the head. Natalia wrapped her arms around Sherry giving her a hug. "Aw, you're so sweet." She hugged her back.
"Don't worry, Leon," Sherry looked up at him. "I'll take good care of her." He wasn't worried, he knew Sherry would do a good job. "Alright," She rose to her feet. "Let's get a move on, we've got some shopping to do." She started to leave. "Oh, Leon, don't forget," Sherry turned to face him. "Dinner later," She pointed at him. "I want you to tell me everything about what happened to Claire." She left with Natalia. He couldn't hide Claire's death from her forever. He had to face her, even if he didn't want to.
The mission was a success. They had Natalia in custody. Now, it was only a matter of time before a cure was made. A world free of infection no longer felt like a pipe dream. Sacrifices were made to see it come to fruition. Claire, Ada, they had given their lives for this moment. Leon just hoped it was worth it...
"Moira," Leon searched the waiting room for her but she was no longer there. "Where did she," He searched through the crowd of people but she was gone. He could hear a voice in the distance, a familiar voice.
"Hey, mind if I borrow your phone for a sec," That voice, Leon knew it and at the mere sound. He felt relief. "It'll only take a second, I swear. You see, I lost mine and," Leon followed the voice. He knew that voice, if he was right about this then. "Thank you so much, I just need to make one phone call." Leon heard his phone ring and dropped it at the sight of her.
It was there in the crowd of people. He caught sight of her beautiful brown hair, those enticing blue eyes. That sweet smile. Her white tank top was a bit torn, her khaki pants had gashes in them, she had bandages on her arms. Leon was certain that he had lost her but Claire was alive, she survived. Somehow, she escaped the island before the explosion. He pushed through the crowd trying to get to her. He had to know this was real, that this was really Claire and not some illusion.
"Claire," Leon called out to her. She glanced up at him, it's her. He rushed over to her pulling her close to his chest. "You're alive," He pulled her away getting a closer look at her. No mistake, it's her, it's really her. He held her close to his chest. "I don't understand." Leon ran his fingers through her hair. "How?" He asked. "I thought you were gone and,"
"Ada," Claire answered. "She caught me before I fell." She pulled herself free. "We got out," We, then that would mean. "Both of us," She explained. "Which reminds me," She reached into her pocket. "This is for you," She handed him a sticky note. Leon read the note: "See you around." There was pink lipstick on the note from where Ada kissed it. "I should probably go, I got to get a new phone, make a few-," Leon pulled her in for another hug.
"I'm glad you're okay," Leon confessed. "When you fell, I thought, know what, it doesn't matter. I should probably go." He started to leave but remembered he had Claire's knife. Chris had given it to him. "Wait, um," He pulled out Claire's knife. "I believe this is yours." He held it out to her.
"My knife," Claire took it. "If this is mine then who's was I using?" She snapped her fingers. "I bet it's Jill's. I had taken during our fight. That's right, well, I'd better give that back to her then." She put her knife away. "So, Leon, is everything okay?" She asked. "I didn't get back in time to finish the mission so-,"
"It's better than okay," Leon smiled at her. "Sherry wants to take us out to dinner." He added. "You should come just don't invite Moira."
"Moira?" Claire searched around for her. "I guess she must have made it out too," Her eyes continued to wander around the room. "Funny cause I don't see her anywhere." She looked over Leon's shoulder. "She's probably hiding from me. But when I find her, I'm taking her straight," Claire turned around but saw nothing. "to Barry." Moira's head popped up from behind a chair that was behind Claire. She put a finger over her lips and went back into hiding. Claire turned to face the chair but didn't see anything. "She's behind that chair," Claire pointed at the chair a few feet behind her. "Isn't she?" Moira stuck her head out and mimed words "Cover me." then hid again.
"You mean that chair," Leon pointed at the same chair. "No you might want to look behind a different one." He lied covering for Moira. She crawled away getting behind the curtains. "I'm sure you'll find her." He brought his lips to her ear. "She's behind the curtains," He whispered, Claire turned around catching a glimpse of Moira's feet behind the curtains.
"Thank you Leon," Claire half smiled. "For everything." He nodded. "Anyway, I should go, I got a lot of calls to make. I'll see you at dinner?" Leon's phone rang. It was Hannigan, that's right, he needed to write his report on the mission. He had to get it on her desk first thing in the morning or he'd never hear the end of it. "Seems you've got a busy schedule. Perhaps some other time." She started to walk away, Leon stopped her.
"Actually," Leon hung up on her. "My schedule just cleared." Claire turned around and faced him. "Dinner would be great, I will see you there." He had all night to write that report but it wasn't often that he got to spend quality time with Claire or Sherry.
"Okay," Claire smiled. "I'll see you then," She started to walk away. "Oh and Leon," She turned to face him. "Don't be late." She winked at him, Leon's lips formed a slight smirk as he watched her leave.
End Note: This marks the end of Leon and Claire's Campaign. I hope you liked it, feel free to leave a review share a few thoughts. Stay tuned because this is only Leon and Claire's story. I intend to make another one for Chris and Jill telling their side of the story. I'm not sure if I'm going to do it as a different story or just add it on as a Chapter. But I do intend to make one for those two as well. - Kiba Blackfire