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Truth never hurts

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Leon took a sip of water to swallow the pill. Before returning the glass to Claire he looked into her eyes smiling.

"Thank you, you've been like an angel in my life."

"Don't mention it, Leon. Are we or aren't we friends?"

Claire smiled and took the glass from Leon's hand.

Dylan appeared at the door and ran towards Leon.

"You're home. How are you, Leon? Missed you."

"I'm great, buddy. I also missed you."

Anne showed up behind Dylan, but she didn't come close to Leon, she just crossed her arms as she always did and stared at his brother.

"Anne!" Dylan called her.

"I'm behind you, you idiot."

"Won't you say hi to Leon?"

"I don't want to and you're not the one who tells me what to do."

"Why you are so impolite?"

"Dylan, stop with that my love." Claire placed her hands on the boy's shoulders calming him down "Respect your sister's will."

Dylan looked at Claire and said nothing, but seemed sad at her sister's attitude. Anne turned and walked out the door .

"Dylan, I know you can understand me, you're very smart and mature for your age." Claire really believed that he could understand what she was about to say to him "Your sister is hurt. It is also difficult for her to stay away from mom and dad, but she will recover that someday."

Dylan little eyes lit up and he accepted the tender embrace that Claire gave him .

"Now go play with the other children." She said winking at the boy.

Dylan walked out the door and Claire met Leon staring at her. Claire tried to smile embarrassed, but he continued serious.

"Any problem?"

"No!" Leon shook his head as he turned to reality "Just realized how much you have patience with children. You have the gift."

"This is no big deal. Just love them."

"Yes, but If I were in your shoes I would have quarreled with that girl, I would have done it wrong."

"She's just scared. Fear makes some depressed and others aggressive. Anne is part of the second group. She feels lonely and her way of reacting to pain and fear is by attacking people, including the brother she loves."

"Yeah, you are right."

"She'll be fine. She just needs to feel that she's not alone and we need to find out what she's afraid of."

"I'd give up, I wouldn't know what to do."

"Never, Leon. Don't give up on people. The ones that are most aggressive are also the ones suffering the most, so they need help."

Leon said nothing, just stared at her thoughtfully. He always saw Claire as someone who dealt with children. But he never saw Claire that way.

Claire seemed more than a nice person, she had proved to be a special person. The way she looked at people, she seemed to know people intimately. The way each person seemed important to her. All those things made Claire a different person from all the other people he knew.

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Claire helped Leon sit by the fireplace. The children were already sleeping and Leon asked her to get him out of his room a bit.

"How I wish it was summer."

"I don't like winter either." Claire sat on the floor in front of the fireplace .

"In fact I like it. But at this moment I wanted to be able to go out there and look at the dark sky."

"I miss it too."

Claire stretched out her arms in front of the fire to warm up her hands.

"Is it cold?"

"Just a bit."

"Come here, I can embrace you." Leon smirked .

Claire tried to hide her surprise and irritation. She didn't know whether to laugh about that to appear friendly or to ignore him.

"Thank you. I can get a blanket if I feel cold." Claire stared at the fire asking him mentally to stop with that.

"Nothing is better than a hug to warm us up. Like that day in the car." Leon realized that Claire kept quiet and decided to tease her "But it was not better than that night in Havardville."

Claire felt like she had gotten a stab wound in her stomach. She didn't know what Leon was trying to do with that comment, but she felt really angry. Claire took a deep breath to try to calm down and not reply him. She didn't want to fight him, but she knew that she wouldn't withstand another provocation. Trying to warn him, she looked at Leon and frowned.

"C'mon! Tell me you don't remember that night and even miss it sometimes?"

Like a pressure cooker, Claire exploded .

"No, my dear!" she sounded ironic "I have a thousand different things to do everyday, much more important than thinking about it. I'm not saying it was horrible, I'm just saying that I don't find myself remembering it. I don't have time to waste on these little seduction games. So useless. I have over twenty children in my care in Terra-save, here and at the headquarters. Children who don't know where they are, who they can count on and what will their future be like."

"Gee, Claire. You don't need to react this way. I'm just kidding about a different feeling, seduction is about love and passion."

"No, Leon. You're not talking about love. Love is pure, is peaceful, is giving. You're talking about these games that you and that woman like and this is anything else but love. I really don't have time for that"

"You think I'm not capable of loving someone?"

"I think we are all capable of loving. But you are clearly looking for passion, fire, not love."

"What do you mean?"

"You are a serious, fair and responsible professional. But you're like a child when it's about relationships."

"How could you say this?" Leon sounded annoyed.

"What kind of man would accept spending years in cat and mouse game as you do with that spy? I have nothing to do with it, it is your problem, but don't tell me you're seeking love."

"I never said I loved her. I just can't disconnect my life from hers."

"Exactly. Because you both enjoy these games. All those years saving people and at the same time wasting your hours with this game without a future. You help the others and what do you do to yourself?"

"I'm not playing, Claire, I like Ada."

"If you do, go after her."

"I don't know. I don't see both of us in a common relationship."

"You see? You only like it because it is impossible. You like those games. Admit it."

Leon was sad suddenly. What if Claire was right ? He really loved Ada or was he just hooked on that cat and mouse game?

Maybe Claire was right, he could not see himself in a relationship with Ada or even living with her. Leon believed that even the spy could feel the same, or she would also have become closer after so many years.

"Forgive me Leon. I didn't want to make you sad. I'll be more carefull with my words."

Leon just tried to smile and nodded showing that she didn't hurt him. But deep down inside of him he knew something had happened.

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A/N: Hmmm.. time for reflections. It's really a tough job to define what is love and what is passion. How is Leon going to react after these deep thoughts...?

PurpleKillerPanda : I didn't plan to bring Chris, but I think that may be interesting. Seems everybody wants to see Chris' reaction :D lol Thank you very much for your review and support :)

NerdGirl4Life : Hello amigaaaa! You know, as you'd love to see that, I'll make that happen :D Thank you sweet friend!