7. Helena

Helena was examining the panther's body alongside Carlos. She had decided not to follow Leon, opting instead to give him some private time with his wife after months of separation. As she worked, she couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction wash over her upon seeing their reunion. It was a sight that left her feeling content, even though it was not her own happiness. Wallace used to tease her about her unspoken fondness for the Leon-Claire relationship, but even Helena herself was surprised at how invested she had become in their story.

"Damn it," Carlos grunted. "How was this thing still moving after all those shots?"

"After all these years, nothing surprises me anymore," Helena replied.

"Yeah, those fucking corporations and their experiments. Damn. Well, at least we made it on time. I don't want to think what it would have done to Claire if given a chance."

"Well, technically, it was her who killed the panther," Helena snorted.

"Good point."

Carlos gave her a nod, he looked at Claire and Leon and snorted.

"Well, good to see her husband is as loving as she claimed him to be?"

"Leon?" Helena chuckled. "He'd spoil her rotten if only Claire left him."

Helena saw Leon and Claire standing close to each other, and she was relieved that they had finally reunited after months of separation. However, her relief turned to concern as she noticed Claire sway slightly before collapsing into Leon's arms. Helena and Carlos rushed over to them, her medical training kicking in as she checked Claire's pulse and breathing. She saw the worry on Leon's face as he looked down at his wife, and she quickly assured him that Claire was still breathing and had a steady pulse. Helena suggested they move Claire to a safer location and assess her condition further. As they lifted Claire's unconscious body, Helena couldn't help but wonder what had caused her to faint, hoping it wasn't anything serious.

Carlos led them to their base. The place was a humble laboratory compared to Claire's back in Washington, but it was big enough to shelter the scared survivors from the early attack. Helena watched Hiwamura lead Leon to a back room, and frowned with concern.

"I'm sure she is fine," Carlos said in a friendly tone. "You two should stay here and catch a breath."

The man was geared up again, and it seemed like she was preparing to depart.

"Where are you going?" Helena asked.

"There might be more survivors hiding around here. I'm going to look for them."

"Alone?" Helena said, "who knows how many of those animals are crawling all over the place."

"I can deal with some vermin," Carlos said with a wink.

"Let me come with you."

"Ain't you tired?"

"I'm used to it," Helena shrugged. "Leon's gonna be stuck there for a while and I'm not good at standing still and doing nothing when there's an apocalypse around me."

"Well, be my guest."

Carlos' intimidating appearance belied his friendly nature. Despite his muscular build and no-nonsense demeanor, he was quick to crack a joke and put Helena at ease. As she spent more time with him, she found herself genuinely liking the man and appreciating his company. Helena quickly realized that the man was not only friendly but also highly skilled in handling weapons. It didn't take her long to appreciate how much of an asset he was in combat situations. She could see why Hopkins had chosen him to be Claire's support. His expertise and quick thinking had already saved her from some dangerous situations. Helena was grateful to have him on their side.

"I hope Claire is well. Saya said these few weeks could be delicate," Carlos said as he scanned the empty storage room. Despite the lack of immediate resources, he still managed to scrounge up a few items that he believed could come in handy later on.

"What?" Helena asked, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I've never been pregnant," Carlos replied casually, "But even I know the early weeks are most prone to miscarriage. With all this mess, I hope the olive is doing well."

Helena came to a sudden stop, completely dumbfounded. Had she heard correctly? Was Claire pregnant?

"What?" Helena asked. "What did you say?"

"Claire is pregnant," Carlos realizing his mistake, he let out a groan and smacked his realizing his mistake, he let out a groan and smacked his forehead. "Oh, right. Maybe I should have let her tell you herself. Don't tell her I told you first."

"Pregnant?" Helena repeated. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I saw the little olive on the ultrasound earlier," Carlos nodded. "She'd been sick for the past few days. We figured she was having issues adapting to the heat and, well, the stress of the research, but she fainted yesterday during a very atypical autopsy. Saya decided to run some tests, and well, that was it," Carlos said casually. "Ten weeks. I think that's what Saya counted."

Helena was in shock as she processed the news. Ten weeks - that would mean conception happened before she and Leon left for the mission. It made sense, but what didn't add up was that according to the files they'd retrieved from Blackwell, Claire wasn't supposed to be able to conceive. What did this new development mean? Helena couldn't help but wonder.

"Are you completely sure she's pregnant? Couldn't it be something else?"

"Why are you all so reluctant to take the news?" Carlos snorted. "That was almost the same reaction Claire had when she found out. Yes, we are sure. I doubt something that is not a baby shows out in ultrasound with a beating heart."

Helena was stunned by what Carlos had just revealed. Her mind raced with the implications of Claire's pregnancy. If this news were to reach Leon, he would undoubtedly be overjoyed, but it also raised some troubling questions. What if this was exactly what Mobius had been waiting for all along? If the virus was supposed to render its victims infertile, how could Claire have become pregnant? Did this mean that she had somehow managed to overcome the virus's effects?

While Helena was thrilled for Claire, she couldn't help but worry about what this development could mean for their mission. The thought that Mobius could use the child as leverage against them was terrifying. Nonetheless, she knew that Claire would be an exceptional mother, and that brought her some comfort in these uncertain times.

"You said she was indisposed these days. Was it all pregnancy symptoms?"

"More or less, "Carlos chuckled. "Though she thought she had food poisoning at first." Carlos answered. "It has been a little rough for her. When she fainted last time, she had a little bleeding. Saya was worried it was a miscarriage, but luckily it was fine."

"Bleeding? That's never a good sign, especially during pregnancy," Helena said with concern. "Given that Claire wasn't supposed to be able to conceive, it's possible that the pregnancy is unstable."

"Exactly what Saya thought, but fortunately it was a false alarm. Saya isn't an expert, but she said bleeding can happen due to hormonal changes and stress, so we decided it was better if she took things slow from now on. That is why she was staying up there, away from work. Of course, we didn't expect something like this to happen."

"All these years I have been dealing with this, and I still never expect it, so it is understandable."

Carlos shrugged with an ironic smile. They had decided to move Claire to a separate room out of concern, knowing that she tended to overwork herself. It was their attempt to force her to take things easy. Unfortunately, it wasn't their fault that the animals had suddenly gone berserk, resulting in Claire being cornered by a mutant panther with murderous intentions.

"I hope nothing bad happened," Helena said worriedly, remembering how Claire had passed out earlier.

"I'm sure she is fine. She probably got a big scare there, but that kid has Claire's genes and from what I heard, the father's side isn't too shabby either. The kid is already a tough cookie by default." Carlos chuckled.

Helena scoffed. Somehow, it sounded suitable.

"If you put it like that, that baby is probably a hurricane. Claire is tough enough, now add Leon into that equation…"

"You said you were her husband's partner, right? How long have you two worked together?"

"Maybe 5 or 6 years?" Helena answered. "We don't work together all the time, though."

"Oh, I see," Carlos nodded. "But you seem to get along well with Claire, seeing how worried about her you look. Not that I can't blame you. She's easy to be fond of."

"She is indeed charming," Helena chuckled. "I'm sure Leon can vouch for that, but how do you know Claire?"

"Me? I met her here actually, some years ago. She was only a TerraSave operations agent at the time, and I was a random mercenary doing my stuff. Things got complicated due to the conflict between the natives and foreigners. We ended up becoming allies and eventually friends. When she got the note about coming here again, she gave me a call."

"Claire has friends everywhere, doesn't she?"

"She has charisma, and with the job she had, it was easy to meet people all over the world."

Although she may not have recognized it herself, Claire's charisma was a force to be reckoned with. Her natural charm and magnetic personality drew people towards her effortlessly, and she had an innate ability to make deep connections with others. Being in her presence was enough to make people feel energized and uplifted. Her undeniable charisma was one of the reasons she had once been considered a star agent for Terra Save.

"I'm guessing that charisma was most likely what hooked Leon, too," Helena chuckled.

"Well, I don't blame him."

Carlos and Helena stumbled upon a group of survivors who were hiding in the drugstore's storage room. Before entering, they had to take down a pair of blood-thirsty mutated animals that were lurking around the door. Once inside, Carlos and Helena offered their assistance to the group, ensuring that everyone was safe and unharmed. They then guided the survivors back to the basement.

To their surprise, Hiwamura was there to receive them with a playful smirk.

"Well, well. Welcome back, Carlos. You sure took your sweet time, huh?" Hiwamura said.

"Hey, I had to be a gentleman and help out there," Carlos winked back.

"Right, I'm not not surprised at all. It's nice to see you again, agent Harper."

"Likewise," Helena answered. "It's good to know you are all safe."

"Barely! How bad were things up there?" Wallace asked. "I tried hacking into the security system, but the server is dead."

"Well, I'll put it like this. It looks like some weird animal horror movie," Carlos answered. "Makes me feel a little bad, having to kill local fauna, I mean."

"Correction, zombiefied local fauna. And no jokes about the horror film. It's like a pet cemetery or somethin," Wallace replied. "One of the girls over there said she saw a man get eaten...By a cow!"

"A cow?" Helena asked with disbelief.

"Yup, I made the same face," Wallace nodded."Mutant cow, decaying but fierce."

"Well, I got attacked by parrots," Carlos replied. "So I have no trouble believing it. How's Claire?"

"As good as she could be in this situation," Wallace replied. "She's in the other room with the husband."

"That panther stalking her was a big deal. How about the olive?"

Hiwamura raised an eyebrow, looking at Helena. The agent shrugged, and she saw with some amusement how the asian woman rolled her eyes.

"You really have problems keeping your mouth shut, Carlos."

"Heh, it was a little slip of the tongue," he laughed. "You won't be snitching me, will you?"

"I should," Hiwamura sighed. "It's alright. "Claire's blood pressure is low again, and she might have hypoglycemia, but the baby is doing fine. Given all the hormonal changes during pregnancy, it's not surprising that she got shaken up."

"That's good to know. Does Leon know the news already?" Helena asked.

"Claire should be dropping the bomb any time now."

"Bomb is an understatement," Wallace snorted. "Nuclear is more wants to bet on his reaction?"

"Good to see the apocalyptic situation hasn't messed up with your sense of humor," Hiwamura sighed, rolling her eyes. "Any idea of what we are going to do? The power plant won't last us forever, and we are in a basement. Thus we do not have natural light sources."

"The sunrise is almost here," Carlos announced. "We could go out and check if it's safe before making any decisions. Hopefully, I won't have to worry about getting arrested for illegal hunting.

"Illegal hunting is the last thing we should be worrying about," Wallace shrugged.

Leon was absent from the lab for nearly two hours before finally returning. Helena could tell from his demeanor that he was already aware of the news about the baby and was absolutely thrilled. Though he maintained his typical cool and composed demeanor, Helena knew him well enough to spot the subtle signs of his excitement.

"Hey there," Helena greeted him. "How's Claire doing?"

Leon cleared his throat before responding. "She's alright," he said, hesitating briefly before continuing. "However, there's something we need to discuss. The situation has changed slightly, and we may need to adjust our plans accordingly."

"I think I might have an idea," Helena nodded with a chuckle.

Leon raised an eyebrow as he looked at Helena. It was clear to him that the rest of the group had already informed her about the news, but he didn't seem to be bothered by it. In fact, he appeared to be almost relieved that he didn't need to explain the situation to her himself.

Helena smirked and patted Leon's back. "So, how do you feel about becoming a father?"

Leon snorted before answering. "Honestly, I'm not entirely sure how to feel," he sighed. "Don't get me wrong, it's fantastic news, and I'm over the moon about it."

"But?" Helena prompted.

"I'm also feeling anxious," Leon admitted. "Mobius is still out there, and I'm concerned about what they might do. And, there are other things to consider too."

"We'll deal with Mobius," Helena assured him. "They won't harm Claire or the baby."

"Oh, trust me. I'll burn the world before I let Mobius lay a hand on either of them," Leon grunted. "But now, I only need to find an excuse to stay with Claire."

"Well, I doubt Hopkins would deny your request considering the situation."

"Yes, but I am not planning to tell him yet," Leon replied. "I'm not even telling the news to Hunnigan yet."

"What? Why?" Helena asked. That took Helena by surprise. She knew both Hunnigan and Hopkins would be delighted by the news.

"We know there is a mole in the DSO. I don't want to risk someone eavesdropping on us and telling Mobius."

Though a little paranoid and cynical, Helena found that answer reasonable.

"Well, we can always say we found traces of Mobius here and that we want to look into it," Helena said, crossing her arms. "That, assuming that Claire is staying."

As the two agents exchanged glances, they heard a rustling noise behind them. Suddenly, Carlos' shaggy head popped up in front of them.

"Hey," Carlos said. "All good with you two?"

"Yes, thank you," Helena asked.

"That's good to hear," Carlos said. "We have a little bit of food and drink if you need some. But considering that we don't know how long we'll be stuck here, and we have a pregnant lady who certainly needs food, I was talking to my guys. We decided that we'll venture out as soon as the sun is up." Carlos leaned forward. "With some luck, and if Claire is right, which I tend to believe she is, those things will be gone as long as the sun shines. We can get some provisions and maybe barricade this place until we can get help."

"Barricade?" Helena asked. "Wouldn't it be wiser to evacuate?"

"The storm is raging hard, and we have no communication," Carlos said, shaking his head. "We don't know how far this madness goes. If we ended up stranded in the middle of the forest after dark, things could get harsh. No, it might be better to stay put and see if we can get some help."

"We can try contacting Hunnigan," Leon said. "If we get out of the city, we might have a chance."

"Out of the city?" Carlos asked.

"We believe that your communication problems are because of a jammer somewhere within the city," Helena answered.

"A jammer?" Carlos grunted. "Who would want to jam our communications?"

"A terrorist group, maybe?" Leon answered, crossing his arms.

"What? Why would a terrorist group want to attack this place?"

"I don't think terrorists need too many excuses to cause havoc. We know there might be a group in the area since we came to investigate that in the first place." Leon answered.

"And you got caught in this mess," Carlos nodded. "Lucky us I guess. I thought it was too coincidental that you arrived when you did."

"We just happened to be here. Our original target was a small village northeast of this city where we suspected a dangerous terrorist group performed bioweapon tests."

"Ahg," Carlos said, ruffling his hair. "Do you think this shit was their doing?"

"We don't know," Helena sighed. "But it could be..."

"Crap. These assholes never learn or what?" Carlos sighed, rubbing his face. "If you are right, then our communication problem won't end anytime soon. Still, I don't think it'd be wise to try to leave the city with this storm. The terrain in the forest gets a little difficult when it rains too much. Mud and landslides are probable. The best thing to do is to stick to the plan for now. Either we get help or we hold our place until the weather improves and we can get the shit out of here."

That plan sounded a lot easier said than done. It wouldn't be easy to stand their ground against those monsters.

"Let us try to contact DSO," Leon said. "We'll ask for back-up."

"Yeah, that might help," Carlos nodded. "Ok,then. You guys do your thing, and we'll do ours. Rest up for the time being. It's gonna be a rough day."

Carlos nodded at them and then walked to where Wallace and Julie were talking over a computer.

"He's growing on me," Helena chuckled. She looked around and sighed. The laboratory was big enough to house the few survivors from the attack, but it was in no way suitable for them to stay for long. Many of them were gravely hurt and tired, and Claire's group had done the best they could to make them comfortable with what they had. Helena suddenly understood why Carlos had taken the medicines and blankets when they'd been scouting the upper floors for survivors.

"Since we are not doing anything in the next three hours," Helena said, turning to his partner. "Why don't you spend some time with your wife?"

"That was just what I was thinking," Leon admitted. "You should come and say hi, too."

"Yes, that's not a bad idea," Helena agreed. It had been a while since she had seen Claire.

As Helena and Leon entered the room, they found Claire hunched over a trash can, her face twisted in pain. Hiwamura was standing beside her, rubbing her back in a soothing motion. Claire groaned and retched again, her whole body convulsing with the effort.

"Oh, god..." Claire grunted, pushing the bin away.

"I know. I know..." Hiwamura nodded. "Look at the bright side. At least we know it's not food poisoning now."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Claire moaned.

Claire groaned and rubbed her temples, her eyes squeezed shut in pain. She reached out blindly, her fingers fumbling for a water bottle on the nearby table.

Leon, who was standing next to her, noticed her struggling and quickly grabbed the bottle. He unscrewed the cap and handed it to her, his expression filled with concern.

"Here you go," he said gentlyCrouching by her side and taking over the task of rubbing her back. "Drink slowly, okay?"

"Thanks," Claire replied, taking the bottle.

Hiwamura had moved away, to give space for Leon to stay next to Claire. The poor woman seemed tired and pale, and Helena couldn't help but feel pity.

"Hey," Helena greeted. " You don't look too peachy."

"Hi, Helena," Claire said, drinking a gulp of water as Leon circled her shoulder with his arm. "It's good to see you after so long."

"Likewise. It's been a while. So, little Kennedy is bothering you already?"

Claire scoffed.

"Uhg, I don't know why people call it morning sickness when you are sick all the time," Claire groaned. "How am I supposed to function like this?"

"Honestly, honey," Hiwamura said, crossing her arms. "I am surprised your symptoms waited until ten weeks to show up. Most pregnant women start having issues in week four."

"Well, we already knew I am not most women," Claire sighed.

"Not that it is a bad thing," Leon said, caressing her lower back. "Do you need anything?"

"No, I'll deal with nausea somehow. I refuse to be defeated by this," Claire sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "What are you two up to?"

"Carlos is planning to venture out and assess the situation once the sun is out," Leon answered. "We'll get out with him and try to find a spot where we can get a signal. I'll contact Hunnigan and ask for reinforcements."

"That might work," Claire nodded. "I guess I'll try to sort this out in the meantime. I need to see whether the hemorrhagic fever has any link to this. Of course, only if our little olive here will let me work."

"You seem busy despite that. I'm surprised you didn't write on the walls," Helena snorted, looking at the doodles on the windows.

"Unfortunately, whiteboard paint isn't a standard when it comes to building painting, and the whiteboard isn't wide enough."

"What's all that?" Helena asked, tilting her head.

"Sequences," Claire shrugged. "We can't connect to the server due to the signal issue, so we have to do it the old way."

"We? More like...you," Hiwamura said with a frown.

"Insignificant details."

"Don't push yourself too much. You need to rest," Leon said, rubbing her arm. "If there is anything you want or need, just let me know."

Claire smiled at him.

"You mean like cravings," Claire snorted. "No, no need to send you on a hunt for questionable food in the middle of an apocalypse."

"I'm sure I could handle that," Leon snorted.

Claire snickered. It was funny to imagine Leon shooting zombies' heads off only to get her a pint of ice cream from the store.

"No, I'm fine. Honestly, I don't have an appetite, and I don't see the point in eating if I'm only going to throw up some minutes after."

"Well, eating is important when you're pregnant," Helena commented.

"So they say,but what am I supposed to do when I can't keep the food in?" Claire sighed

"I'll tell Carlos to get her some salty crackers and ginger, if possible, when he goes out on the supply hunt," Hiwamura said. "They might help her with nausea. Since I don't think we have anything you can take here."

"I'll make sure to remind him," Helena nodded.

"I doubt that would make much difference," Claire shrugged. "I'll still be nauseous."

"It should help a little- Are you sure you don't want anything?" Leon asked again, looking her in the eye.

Claire let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head in amusement. Helena couldn't help but join in, her lips curving up into a grin. Leon had only known about Claire's pregnancy for less than 24 hours, and yet he was already trying to pamper her with whatever she might be craving. It was both endearing and amusing to see him fussing over her so much.

"I'm fine. If you want to get me something, just get your butt back soon. I need some cuddles..." Claire sighed, leaning her head against him and giving him a puppy look.

"Well, that's a new one," Hiwamura scoffed. "I never thought I'd see Claire acting like a spoiled child."

"I am not acting like a spoiled kid," Claire pouted. "I'm just hormonal, apparently pregnant, and I haven't seen my husband in almost three months. Oh, and I don't forget I got attacked by a zombie and then almost eaten by a damn rabid panther. Don't I deserve to get a cuddle at least?"

Helena giggled, and she caught Leon holding back a chuckle as he brushed Claire's hair.

"Don't worry," he said, kissing her temple. "I'll be back soon, and I promise to devote the whole evening to cuddles. You're not the only one that has missed it."

"No joke. You won't imagine how bad his mood has been in the last few months," Helena said, winking at her. "If we weren't partners, I would have shot him already."

Leon rolled his eyes at her, and Helena snickered.

"Leon can be a handful, but I would appreciate that you didn't shoot my husband, though," Claire smiled."Especially now, since I don't want to get through this pregnancy alone."

"Believe me," Helena laughed. "Thinking of you was what prevented me from doing it."

"Oh, he couldn't be that moody," Claire said, looking at Leon.

"Well, he almost beat a guy to a pulp because he was refusing to cooperate on a questioning," Helena scoffed.

"What?" Claire answered with wide eyes. "That's not your style..."

"He was being uncollaborative," Leon shrugged. "And I was running out of patience. Let's say I just gave him a little incentive."

"Oh, you need to stop hanging out so much with Chris," Claire said, shaking her head, "and Barry. They are passing you their bad habits."

"I'm just taking tips from my brother-in-law," Leon snorted. The agent leaned over and kissed her head.

"Bad tips," Claire said, shaking her head. "Don't be like Chris. Most of the things don't get fixed by punching them."

"I am sure Chris disagrees."

"Well, don't listen to Chris's opinion," Claire shrugged. "I'm the smart Redfield."

"I know, "Leon laughed.

As Helena watched the pair, she made a silent vow to do everything in her power to protect them and keep them safe. After all, some things were just meant to be together, and she was determined to make sure that Leon and Claire had the chance to be together for as long as possible.