23. Claire
"You didn't have to tag along, Leon," Claire said. "The doctor said you needed rest."
Despite Claire's insistence, Leon remained adamant in his decision to accompany her to the Alexander Institute. While Claire appreciated his company, she couldn't shake off her concern for his well-being. Leon was still in the recovery phase, and she didn't want him to overexert himself unnecessarily.
"And I believe the doctor also said I need to exercise," Leon snorted. "Don't worry about me. I'm not even limping anymore."
"Seriously, I don't know how you and Chris recover like regenerators," Claire sighed.
Her description wasn't exaggerated. Claire herself had a sped-up recovery rate, but that was only because she'd been infected with T-phobos, and later with LyMorphs. Chris and Leon however had never been infected by any virus and yet, their recovery rate could easily rival hers.
"I guess lady luck is on our side."
"Of course that'd be your explanation. Be careful with the steps, " she said, grabbing his arm to give him support.
"Really, Claire. I'm fine," Leon chuckled.
Claire wanted to retort, but she was promptly interrupted by Rebecca's excited greeting and another not so cheerful, but familiar voice.
"Chris?" Both Claire and Leon said in surprise.
The oldest Redfield stood behind Rebecca with his arms crossed. He stepped forward, embracing his sister in a tight hug before turning to Leon with a playful grin, mischief dancing in his eyes.
"So the rumors were true," Chris said smiling sheepishly when Leon and Claire entered Rebecca's office, closing the door behind them. "You somehow managed to fuck yourself and get hurt, Leon."
Chris's unexpected presence brought a wave of pleasant surprise to Claire. It had been quite some time since her brother had reached out to her, since he'd been busy with his own campaign, and she had missed him. The man's friendly teasing was a clear indication that he was in a good mood, which meant his mission had gone well.
"What can I say?" Leon replied in the same playful tone. "It might have been avoidable if you had just been around, Chris."
"Jill told me what happened. It's good that you didn't die."
"And leave Claire alone? Never."
"Ok, you two. Enough of the teasing," Claire sighed rolling her eyes. "Chris, I'm glad you're back but I didn't expect you to be here."
"Oh, it was a pure coincidence," Rebecca said cheerfully. " You just happened to have perfect timing."
"Yeah, I was around so I figured I'd stop by and say hi to Rebecca. Never thought I'd stumble with both of you, too."
Chris wasn't much of a science man, therefore his visits to the institute were and usually restricted to whenever he came to deliver something for Rebecca to study. A casual visit was suspicious and Claire's opinion something curious, too.
"I didn't know you had come back. How did that mission go?" Leon asked.
"Dreadful, like always."
"BOWs?" Claire asked, pulling out a chair for Leon and another for herself.
"Yeah, but not a big deal. A regular strain from the black market. You know the drill."
"Well, I'm glad you were luckier than me," Leon sighed.
"Yeah, Jill said there had been some new BOWs involved in a recent attack and you had been involved. How's that investigation going?"
"It's on going," Claire shrugged. "Why do you think I'm here today?"
"Social call? Maybe you came to have a science gossiping session with Rebecca," Chris snorted. "Just kidding.
Claire playfully rolled her eyes at Chris, a hint of amusement evident on her face. Despite the teasing, she couldn't help but feel a sense of joy in his presence. Gathering herself, she shifted her attention to Rebecca, ready to dive into their work together, while the two men were chatting between them.
"How did the audience go yesterday?" Rebecca whispered.
"Same old story as the previous two audiences.*
"Is that man still trying to convince everyone that Leon and agent Harper are a threat?"
"Yes, and he will most likely continue to do so in future audiences unless we can bring him tangible proof of our declarations."
"I don't get it," Rebecca groaned. "None of the hostile victims showed signs of any infection, nor were they positive to any of the virus tests. Most of them are recovered and with no recollection of the event now, and both Leon and agent harper got a clean bill except for their wounds. What other proof does he want us to bring out? "
"Probably something he can use to incriminate them."
Rebecca looked at Claire and sighed. Andrew Mercer had a bitter relationship with Leon. She wasn't sure what was the reason behind the man's clear distaste for the agent, but it was obvious that he wasn't making any effort to hide his intentions. He wanted Leon and Helena out and incarcerated if possible, and he was getting tired of Claire's impeccable way to prevent it.
It was only luck that Claire's health condition had been kept secret. They knew she'd been a test subject and exposed to tortuous experiments, but they didn't know that she was technically an active infection. That secret was carefully kept in the heads of very few people.
"Does Leon know you've been getting psychologically attacked in his stead?"
"I wouldn't put it in such a dramatic way, and no he doesn't know."
Although Claire didn't want to admit it, the constant pressure was starting to affect her mental health a little. It was either that or her hormones were messing with her.
"I meant that perhaps his intervention could help. I mean you're obviously getting affected by it."
"Do I look that bad?"
"Oh no,"Rebecca quickly answered." I meant you look tired. That can't be good for your babies."
Claire sighed. She placed her hand over her growing bump. Rebecca wasn't wrong. Despite her efforts to look otherwise, she was tired. Being pregnant was far more demanding than she'd anticipated, and she wasn't that foreign to the process after seeing many Terra Save's refugees going through it. Then again watching it as a third party was far too different from experiencing first hand. Perhaps that's why Leon had insisted on coming with her today. He was observant and if Rebecca had noticed her tiredness, then it was a given that Leon had too.
"I just need a break," Claire sighed. "I'll be going to Chicago so it will be like a small vacation."
"Is Leon going, too?"
"Naturally."
"Will that be ok? With all the discussions, won't they put obstacles to him leaving Washington?"
"It's been all talk. There is no restriction order, so they can't forbid Leo from moving around the country. The most they can do without falling into illegality is place someone to watch him, but that would be stupid because Leon would know right away."
" That is true… "Rebecca giggled." Oh, you are finding out the genders on this appointment, right? "
" Most likely," Claire nodded.
" That's so exciting! I guess we should have another meet up once you return. That way you can tell everyone the news, don't you think?" Rebeca said moving some of the test tubes around.
Suddenly, a foreign and faint scent reached Claire's nose. Although it was a scent that she'd never smelled before, something about it was oddly familiar.
Oh, but isn't this something we already know?
As Claire's clipboard clattered to the floor, she felt a chill run down her spine. The familiar whisper echoed in her ears, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught a fleeting glimpse of a shadowy figure darting past. In that instant, the pristine white walls of Rebecca's lab transformed into a disconcerting scene of vivid red and black tiles. Claire's heart raced as she struggled to dismiss the unsettling image, squeezing her eyes shut and shaking her head in an attempt to regain control. It had been four years since she last experienced these hallucinations, and their sporadic return in recent weeks unsettled her. The presence of her alter, albeit not as distinct as before, casted an ominous cloud over her thoughts.
"Are you alright?"
Claire's consciousness snapped back into focus, and she blinked to find Leon's concerned gaze fixed upon her, holding her abandoned clipboard in his hand. His furrowed brow mirrored her own confusion, and she quickly scanned her surroundings, taking in the familiar sterile environment of Rebecca's lab. The disturbing imagery of the tiles and blood had vanished, as she knew it would. A wave of relief washed over her, and she mustered a reassuring smile for Leon, silently assuring him that she was alright.
"Y-yeah, I'm just a little dazed," Claire replied, her voice slightly shaky. But before she could steady herself, the room seemed to tilt and spin around her, causing her vision to blur. A disorienting buzz filled her ears, making her head throb with discomfort. Just as her legs wobbled beneath her, Leon swiftly moved to her side, instinctively wrapping his healthy arm around her for support.
"Woah, easy…" Chris said, standing nearby in case Leon needed help.
The two men exchanged looks of concern as Claire tried to balance herself.
"It might be a blood pressure thing," Rebecca said. "It's common to have slight balance problems around the 16 - 20 weeks. You should let her doctor know…"
"Yeah, I'll make sure to tell my sister," Leon replied. "Do you need anything, Claire? Water? Salty crackers?"
"No, I'm Ok," Claire replied. "It's already passing, but thanks for the offer super agent."
"You're probably working too much, Claire," Chris said. "I'm not saying you can't but maybe you should tone down your rhythm a bit. I'm not saying the babies are a liability or anything, but I'm sure they are taking a bit of a toll on your body along with the rest of the things you already have to deal with."
Understatement of the century, but it wasn't like Claire was planning to let Chris know about it.
"Well, I guess you might be right. These few days have been quite hectic, if you know what I mean."
"Yeah, those audiences have been annoying," Rebecca said with a nod. "I've been to one, and it was the worst thing ever."
"Audiences?" Chris asked, looking at them with a frown. "What audiences?"
"CDC and National Security," Rebecca sighed. "Long story."
"National Security? You didn't mention the government being involved in those meetings."
"Oh!" Rebecca said with wide eyes. "Ops…"
Claire covered her face as Rebecca had inadvertently revealed what she'd been so careful to hide from Leon.
"Claire?" Leon said, with a frown.
"You were recovering from your surgery. I didn't want to bother you with this matter."
"What are you talking about? I thought you said they were requesting your scientific opinion of the event…"
"Yeah, well…" Claire began, unsure on how to explain the situation. She looked at Rebecca asking for help.
"They were!" Rebecca tried to help. "The thing is…there was this man saying that since you and agent Harper had potentially been exposed to whatever agent caused the hostility phenomena, you were most likely dangerous, therefore you should both be detained and observed."
"What?" Both Leon and Chris.
"Claire and I have been working on keeping you on the clear, but it hasn't been easy. I mean we have all the proof that you are not dangerous nor remotely affected by whatever that was but…"
"Andrew Mercer insists that my criteria isn't valid because I'm biased by my relationship with you," Claire sighed.
"What kind of bullshit is that?" Chris groaned.
"The kind that apparently sounds reasonable enough to smash my scientific credibility."
"Wait, so all those recurrent audiences these past few days…" Leon said.
"We were our results and went through an audit so that they knew it was unbiased information," Rebecca sighed.
Leon looked at Claire, and she could see his irritation clear in his eyes. Naturally, she could tell his irritation was aimed at her, but at Mercer.
"You should have told me. If they had anything to say they should have come to me, instead antagonizing you. You've been completely drained off because of those meetings," Leon said, angrily.
"I just wanted you to focus on recovering," Claire sighed.
Leon's anger seemed to soften a little.
"Ok, hold on a second," Chris said. "Let me see if I got this right. You and Claire have been called to audiences regularly in front of authorities of CDC and National Security because they think Leon and Helena are infected with something and should be jailed?"
"Yeah, that's pretty accurate, in a nutshell," Rebecca nodded. "To be fair though, they haven't found anything that proves Mercer's accusation, therefore, you and agent Harper are safe."
"That's the least of my concerns," Leon said. "That bastard of Mercer has gone too far if he was actually taunting my pregnant wife. He can mess with me, but he has no right to mess with Claire."
"To be fair, he doesn't know I'm pregnant," Claire said.
Leon clearly didn't care about that detail, and Claire sighed.
"It doesn't matter," Leon grunted. "Mercer hates me and he'd look for any excuse to make my life miserable."
Claire hadn't planned for Leon to find out about the situation like that, but it was too late to do anything about it. The agent was clearly upset on a level that was very unusual for him, and the only thing she could do was try to buffer down his anger.
"Either way there's nothing to do about those audiences, so…can we focus on what's important?" Claire said, shaking her head. "Did we get the NMR spectrogram for the compounds?" Claire asked.
"We did," Rebecca nodded. "We also have the results of the blood samples, too. How good are you at reading NMR spectrograms?"
"Basic knowledge," Claire replied. "Aren't you a biochemist? Shouldn't you know?"
"Biochemistry doesn't use NMR most of the time."
Claire opened the files and scanned through the images with a frown. She had learned to read spectrograms as part of her basic courses in science, but she'd never really used it.
"Esterification, hydroxylation, and conjugation, and add up recombination. We knew this was lab made, but I didn't expect such an elaborate structure. There are indeed analog structures to 11-cis-vaccenylacetate and hexadecanal, but it is obvious that there are constructs from other things there. I just don't know what and why. "
"Yes, and look at the results from the blood samples."
"It's the same thing. That means our hypothesis was correct."
Rebecca nodded enthusiastically.
"I know you girls like to talk amongst yourselves," Chris said. "But Leon and I are not science geeks so we might need some translations."
"Oh, sorry!" Rebecca giggled.
"One of the vials that Carlos managed to retrieve from Dr. Addams laboratory ruins turned out to be a protein with pheromone properties. Common substance used widely for biocontrol in agriculture. We also found other pheromones and concluded that one of the labs was working in pheromone research. When the news of hostile survivors reached us we thought a pheromone might be the cause."
"Pheromone?" Chris asked. "Aren't those a sexual thing?"
"Most of the time they are indeed used for mating purposes," Rebecca nodded. "But not exclusively. There are certain pheromones that may control specific biological processes from metabolism to behavior."
"So you think a pheromone caused the survivors to become aggressive," Leon said.
"That's the hypothesis," Claire replied. "But since pheromones are secreted externally we couldn't prove it. Most of it would have dissipated in the air or degraded. OUr hope was to find traces within the samples we received."
"And you did?"
"Yes, in fact… we found one that matches one of the extra vials that Carlos found."
"Judging by its structure it is definitely bioengineered. This substance isn't natural. It was synthetically produced."
"Because it is a chimera of different compounds," Rebecca replied. "Some of which are known pheromones associated with aggressive behavior. With this we can prove that we were right."
"Only partially, as we can assure that the pheromone was free during the event, which I'm sure Mercer will be kind enough to remember."
"Well, we had a lab studying this thing and that lab pretty exploded. An accidental leak wouldn't be improbable."
"I don't know if that would be enough to convince him. Either way, if they accept this result all we'd need to do is test for the compound in Leon and Helena's blood and this should close this nonsensical case."
"So the case is solved," Chris asked.
"Only half of it. Even if we know that the pheromone was involved in the aggressive behavior, we still have one unknown factor: the source," Claire sighed.
"You said there was a tube with the thing recovered from the lab," Chris said. "Isn't that enough to prove it came from there?"
"Nope," Rebecca sighed. "There were Bows present. We don't know if there's a correlation between the pheromone and those BOWs."
"Is there any way to find out?" Leon asked.
"I'm not sure."
"There might be something we can try. It's a long shot but it could work," Claire said. "The pheromone skeleton is proteic, the rest of its structure is due to posttranslational modifications. If I reverse engineer it I might be able to find the coding sequence and perhaps identify if there's anything that codes for a receptor in the genome of the Bows."
"You can do that?" Chris asked.
"I can try," Claire shrugged. "And honestly… That's better than nothing."
Finding a specific gene can be a challenging endeavor, especially when you have no clear direction to follow. Claire was well aware that this task would be far more complex than it sounded. Without any prior knowledge or clues, she was essentially embarking on a blind search, which meant it would require a significant amount of time and effort to accomplish.
As the days slipped away, Claire became immersed in her research, losing track of time. Before she realized it, the departure date for her trip to Chicago had arrived. The change of pace was a welcome respite for both her and Leon, whose mood had been dampened since discovering the truth about Mercer. Though Leon's doctor had recently removed his arm casts, he was still under strict orders to rest and recover.
"You need to fix that face, or your parents will think I've been torturing you with unreasonable requests," Claire said as they sat in the plane.
"You barely have any requests for me, but I can think of the reason."
"Are you still angry with me because I didn't tell you about Mercer?"
"I'm not angry," Leon said, rolling his eyes. "But for the record, you should have told me."
Claire scoffed. She rested her hand on her womb and rubbed it gently. The last few days had been exciting ones as she had felt the babies move for the first time. Their movements were too vague for someone else to feel, but to Claire, they were an amazing experience. It was a reminder of the fact there were some living beings growing within her.
"Sorry. I just wanted to prevent you from going berserk against him when you still needed recovery."
"You don't have to worry about that. It's not the first time that I have had to deal with Mercer."
"He's technically your boss."
"No, Hopkins is."
"You are going to create a feud between them."
"No need," Leon shrugged. "It already is."
Claire sighed and her gaze fell to the view out the window. Fortunately, the plane seemed to be moving steadily, so unlike the last few times she had visited Chicago, she would arrive at her in-laws' house without having emptied the contents of her stomach. A small victory.
"How are you feeling?"Leon said, looking at her.
"I'm good, but if their movements are meant to imply something," she said smiling. "These two are going to have your kick."
"They are kicking already?"
"Not quite a kick. I mean I don't think it is strong enough for you to feel it yet, but I do. It feels funny."
Leon placed his hand over her abdomen and his face showed a focus that Claire found adorable.
"Well, last time I checked, you had a great kick,as well."
"Not half as good as yours, I'm afraid. Do you feel it? They are at it right now."
Claire wasn't sure if it would be too faint for him to feel it, but the babies seemed to have reacted to Leon's first touch and they seemed to follow his hand. The agent focused for a second and then smiled.
"Yeah, I think I did.I guess those little taps will be much more noticeable in a couple weeks. Everyone will be lining up to place their hand on your bump by then."
"I can see that coming," Claire giggled. "But perhaps they recognize you, because they keep following your touch."
"Perhaps they just react to the stimuli. I doubt they are conscious enough to know who I am."
"Oh, I wouldn't underestimate them."
"You are right," Leon chuckled. "If they have your brains, they actually might understand this conversation."
The pleasant weather in Chicago warmed up their drive to Leon's parents' home, filling Claire with a sense of nostalgia. It reminded her of carefree days from her childhood when she would ride on the back of Chris's bicycle, cruising along the streets during warm summer days, and many other memories she hadn't revisited in quite some time resurfaced on the drive from the airport to the cozy home in the suburbs. Claire pondered if her current emotional state, influenced by hormonal fluctuations, was intensifying her longing for the familiar comforts of her past.
Claire sat quietly within Bella's office, flipping through a cheesy parenting magazine. Leon, now fully recovered from his injuries, paced nervously around the room, his restless energy filling the space. Claire was relieved to see him healthy again, but his incessant pacing was starting to grate on her nerves. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for missing the quieter moments when he couldn't walk.
"Leon, sit down. Walking around like a caged lion won't make those test results come any faster."
Leon gave her a frown, before he finally settled on the chair beside her. It was clear that he was still restless.
"You're worrying too much."
"And you are too calm. Aren't you worried?"
"Not really," Claire shrugged. "The last few tests came really well and I've been feeling great, so…"
"How come I'm the only one feeling this restless?"
"Because you are the dad," Bella said teasingly, closing the door behind as she stepped into the room. "Sorry for the delay. I see my little brother has been driving you crazy."
"Rather than crazy, dizzy might be more accurate."
"He's got the pacing father tic, huh? It's very common, you know?."
Claire and Bella exchanged knowing looks and giggled.
"Cute," Leon said, rolling his eyes. "I'm just worried, so, how are the results?"
"Patience, my little brother," Bella chuckled. She sat down in front of her desk and pulled a yellow envelope. "Well, you'll be happy to know that everything is in order. You're doing really well for your situation, Claire. We should continue as we are with the supplements."
"See? I said it was fine."
"One never knows."
"Well, with that out of the way. Should we go to the most exciting part of the visit?"
"Sure thing, because after all that water I drank, I really feel like I'll explode."
"You're not the first one to feel like that. I've got many mothers with the same issue whenever they come in for a check up. Come, let's get to business."
Claire stood up and Leon courtly escorted her to the bed area where Bella was already preparing the equipment.
"So big question. Do you guys want to know the genders?"
"Well, there is a horde of people back home waiting for the news, so yes?"
"Not a fan of surprises?"
"With our lives, we don't really need more surprises."
"Good surprises are always good, though," Leon said with a smirk.
"Well, Leon is not wrong," Bella laughed. "there you go. It seems we have two beautiful and healthy babies."
Claire's gaze fixated on the ultrasound screen. It wasn't her first encounter with such images. Over the past few weeks, she had undergone numerous ultrasounds herself, and during her time at TerraSave, she had provided care for pregnant women and accompanied them during their routinary check ups. Yet, this particular image, depicting two tiny creatures in black and white, stirred something deep within her. These two little innocent lifeforms were no other than Leon's and hers. Emotions welled up, and she felt a lump forming in her throat, threatening to bring tears to her eyes, as her tumultuous hormonal swings seemed to want to take over again.
"Development looks great. I see nothing to worry about them, spine is good, limbs, organs, and their vitals are also good," Bella said with a warm smile. "The results of the amniocentesis and the chorionic villus sampling you requested also came out negative."
"So, they are alright then?" Leon asked.
"Yes," Bella nodded. "Very active as you can see. They are moving a lot and I can predict that they will move much more in the future."
"I guess it is good that they are active," Claire smiled.
"Indeed!" Bell grinned. "And it seems you hit the jackpot."
"What do you mean?" Leon asked.
"You got a cute little couple," Bella said. She pointed at the left side of the screen. "This is a lively boy, but this one is a little girl." she added pointing at the right.
"You mean, we got one of each?" Claire said.
"So it seems," Bella smiled.
Claire didn't know what to say. She hadn't had any preference for gender. Either boy or girl, she would love them with the same intensity, but having one of each was amazing. She turned to Leon, so that she could see his reaction, but he seemed even more awed than her.
His gaze stuck to the screen, as if he was still trying to process the reality of the news. However, it was easy to see that he was overall as happy as she was.
"Ok, then I'll print this for you as well. I don't know if you are making a baby scrapbook, but it's always nice to keep this as mementos."
"Yes, thank you. Did you have a baby scrapbook?"
"Me? Not really," Bella laughed. "Mom did. I think she's probably making one for you, too, since she asked me for the prints as well."
"That sounds like her," Leon sighed.
"Get used to it, little brother. Once these little cuties are born, you will understand."
Claire's routine check-up had ended on a heartwarming note, and a few minutes later, she and Leon were back on the road. Initially planning to head straight home, Leon surprised her with a suggestion for a change of plans. It was a rare moment of normalcy amidst the chaos they were used to dealing with in their daily lives . The weight of reality seemed to have settled upon him, making him acknowledge the significance of the situation.
Up until now, their babies had been more of an abstract concept, represented by mere blobs on ultrasound images. But today, as they saw their more defined shapes on the screen, a wave of different emotions washed over them. The babies felt more tangible, more real than ever before.
"A shopping mall?" Claire said, surprised, as Leon pulled into the parking lot. "I thought you hated these types of places. You're always sneaking away from Sherry's shopping trips."
"They aren't my favorite thing," Leon admitted. "But not for what you might think."
Leon stepped out of the car, and with his usual galant manners moved to open her door.
"Oh?"
"Too many factors I can't control."
"What?"
"In case we have an emergency. I don't know who might be lurking in the corners, too many entries; too many places where a threat could hide…"
Claire stared at him in shock. Then again, could she blame him? She had the same problem and that was why she always tried to avoid any public spaces as well. She never thought Leon would have the same issue.
"I didn't know that."
"This job has given far more traumas that I can't list," Leon shrugged. "I'm sure you know that feeling."
"Yes, I do," Claire sighed, hooking her arm with his. "But why did you suddenly decide to come to a mall?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
Claire gave him a puzzled look.
"Baby shopping," he smirked.
The answer took Claire fully by surprise. From all answers that Leon could have given her, that was the last one she could have predicted.
"What?" Claire looked at Leon with a mixture of surprise and amusement. His suggestion caught her off guard, but she couldn't help but smile at his thoughtfulness.
"Once we get home, my mother will go on a rampage buying stuff for the babies," Leon explained. "And I can already imagine a similar situation when we return to Washington. Everyone has been eagerly waiting for this moment since they found out you were pregnant. I don't blame them, they're as excited as we are. But with our busy schedules, it might be challenging for us to find the time to do the shopping ourselves. Plus, we'll likely end up with a lot of presents. Right now, it's just our little secret, so I think it would be nice for us to be the ones to buy the first items for our babies, don't you think?"
Claire couldn't help but feel touched by Leon's thoughts. She hadn't expected him to be that sentimental, but he was right. His words resonated with her, and she nodded, realizing the importance of this little gesture.
"You're right," she said softly, with a smile. "Let's make it special. Our first gifts for our little ones."
Walking hand in hand with Leon through the mall, Claire couldn't help but feel a sense of disbelief. For so long, their lives had been consumed by emergencies, conspiracies, and the constant threat of danger. It had become their version of normalcy. But now, in this store filled with colorful plush toys and tiny baby clothes, they were experiencing something entirely different.
The sight of the adorable little outfits and cuddly toys sparked a newfound excitement within them. It was a reminder of the precious new lives they were bringing into the world, a stark contrast to the chaos they had become accustomed to. The simple act of browsing through the aisles, imagining their babies wearing those tiny clothes and playing with those toys, felt like a beautiful escape from their intense reality.
As they peruse the shelves, occasionally sharing smiles and pointing out items that caught their attention, Claire couldn't help but feel a sense of joy bubbling up inside her. It was a precious moment of normalcy amidst the extraordinary. The weight of their responsibilities and the world's troubles seemed to momentarily fade away, replaced by the anticipation and happiness of impending parenthood.
In that store, surrounded by the innocence and sweetness of baby items, Claire and Leon were just like any other couple, filled with hope and dreams for their growing family. It was a surreal experience, but one they embraced wholeheartedly, savoring the rarity of such a lighthearted moment in their lives.