16. Claire

Claire pushed herself away from the desk, setting aside the half finished report, and removed her glasses. Closing her eyes for a moment, she took a deep breath, trying to find some relief from the persistent waves of nausea that had been plaguing her throughout the morning. As she pinched the bridge of her nose, she couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration.

Leaning back in her chair, Claire attempted to find a comfortable position, hoping it would alleviate some of the discomfort she was experiencing. The room spun slightly, a reminder of the delicate balance her body was struggling to maintain. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't ignore the fourth wave of nausea that had hit her within the hour. With a mixture of resignation and determination, Claire tried to focus on her work, but the persistent churning in her stomach made it challenging to concentrate. She couldn't understand how a person could feel both sickly nauseous and hungry at the same time. It was as if her body couldn't make up its mind, leaving her caught in an uncomfortable middle ground.

"Mini Kennedy causing trouble to you?" Saya asked, picking the folder from the desk.

"I don't know why suddenly I'm just nauseous all the time."

"Well, you can't expect a typical pregnancy in your situation," Saya shrugged. "Morning sickness should stop being an issue in a few weeks, theoretically speaking."

"Well, I've stopped believing in theory when it comes to my physiology," Claire sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose "What time is it again? Sherry said she'd drop around noon."

"It's still early, 11:15," Saya replied, checking her watch.

"Oh, well. I guess I'll keep working," Claire sighed. She picked one of the crackers from her cabinet and began munching on them as she proceeded to review the pile of files on her desk.

Chris had left several unknown samples in the lab the night before. From what Claire could gather, the sample must have been recovered from Leon's lead. Both she and Saya had spent most of the morning processing them for analysis. The results took their time, but they had some preliminary results they could review.

"All the samples tested positive for LyMorph virus," Claire said, checking the charts, "Not shocking at all. We only need to figure out what combination."

"Or combinations," Saya added. "According to your brother, all the test subjects were supposedly female, but I don't know if that's relevant."

"With Mobius, everything is relevant. There is a reason why all of them were women," Claire sighed. "Run some hormonal tests. Let's see how those levels are, and maybe we can do a link: estrogen, progesterone, and oxytocin."

"At it," Saya nodded. "Anything else?"

"Not that I can think of," Claire shrugged.

At that moment, someone knocked at the door, and both Claire and Saya turned to find Carlos standing at the door.

"Sorry to interrupt, ladies," Carlos smiled. "Someone is here to see Claire."

"That someone happens to be Sherry?" Claire asked, tilting her head as she stood up.

"Of course it is me!" Sherry said, peeking into the room.

The girl smiled brightly at Claire, and before the woman could react, the young blonde girl was hugging her tightly.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in ages!" Sherry pouted. "I hate that I got assigned to the white house!"

"Is it that you hated it, or is it because you don't like the president?"

"Both," Sherry pouted. "I heard you got caught in another bioterrorist outbreak. Are you ok?"

"Please," Claire chuckled. "It's me. You should know the answer."

"Besides," Saya added. "The prince in shining armor came to her rescue."

"Yeah, I heard Leon was in the area," Sherry nodded. "I am glad he could help you."

"Yeah, it was lucky," Claire nodded.

"So, you had something to tell me, right?" Sherry asked. "I've been suffering trying to figure out what it is about."

Sherry had always been a lively and curious girl. That hadn't changed as she got older, and while she was now more discreet when she asked questions. When it came to Claire and Leon, the girl had the luxury of acting a little more childish. Claire could see the spark of pure curiosity shining in Sherry's blue eyes, and she got reminded of that little girl she'd rescued during the Raccoon incident.

"Why don't you sit, Sherry?"

"Am I in trouble? Because that definitely sounded like I was in trouble."

"No, Sherry. You are not in trouble. It's just that I have something important to tell you..."

"I think that's our cue," Saya snorted. "Come on, Don Juan. Let's give the ladies some privacy..."

"Sure," Carlos laughed. "Call if you need anything or if you are hungry."

"Oh, very cute. Get out of here!"

Saya and Carlos left the office laughing, and Claire shook her head in disapproval. Sherry gave her a confused look.

"Do they know something I don't?"

"I'm afraid they do," Claire sighed.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, not really. Well, it depends on what you consider wrong."

"That sounds bad," Sherry said. "Oh, my god. Don't tell me you and Leon are going to break up."

"What?" Claire said, shocked. "No, of course not."

"Well, that's good news," Sherry said with relief.

"Leon and I are doing fine. Besides, it would be stupid to break up now that a baby is on its way."

"Yeah, that would be stu...what?"

Sherry's eyes widened in shock. Claire could tell that the girl wasn't sure if she'd heard correctly.

"What did you say?"

"Baby?" Claire replied, resting her chin on her hand. "You know, infant, offspring...that."

"I know what a baby is," Sherry replied. The girl grinned widely. "Yours and Leon's?"

"I would assume that," Claire nodded. "We are married, after all."

"Oh my god!" Sherry jumped from her seat in excitement. "It was about time! How long is it? When did you find out? Does Leon know? How did he react? Do you know if it's a girl or a boy?"

"Ok, easy," Claire chuckled. "Yes, he knows, and no, I think it is too early to know the gender. I am in my tenth week, and I found out while in the Amazon region."

"You found out during an outbreak? Talk about timing."

"Yeah, I know. Everything worked out, luckily, but Leon wants to be discreet with it since they haven't caught Mobius yet. So, you can't say a word."

"Oh, damn it," Sherry said with disappointment. "I wanted to see the President's face."

"I thought you were supposed to keep her safe, not antagonize her."

"I don't antagonize her," Sherry replied, pouting. "It's not my fault she's annoying. I don't know why Mercer decided that I should be up for presidential security duties. I'd rather be out there doing missions instead!"

"As much as you dislike it, Leon had to do that for several years, you know?"

"But I bet his president wasn't an obnoxious woman like her! She needs to get over the fact that Leon is happy and married."

Claire snorted. She ruffled the girl's hair and shook her head.

"That's right," Sherry suddenly said. "If you and Leon are having a baby, what does that make me? Their aunt?"

"Maybe, or their surrogate older sister. Weren't you the one that wanted Leon and me to adopt you?"

"Well, you guys are like my parents," Sherry nodded. "I want to be the big sister."

"The spot is all yours, Sherry. No one is taking it from you."

Sherra gave a joyous screech that made Claire smile wider. She unconsciously placed her hand on her womb and chuckled.

"If you finished rejoicing? How about you escort me to do some shopping?

"Baby shopping? "

"No," Claire laughed. "Grocery shopping. Before we can do baby shopping, it needs to grow a little more. And for that, I need to eat. "

"Oh! Sure! " Sherry said with cheer. "I can do that! Do we go now?"

"Just in a minute," Claire said, shaking her head. "I want to finish this first. Then we can go."

"Ok!"

Sherry sat down to watch Claire work. The girl didn't want to interrupt her, so she tried not to talk too much while Claire typed on her computer. Claire gave her a couple of furtive glances and found her reading something on her phone. It had been a while since Sherry came to visit her, and she couldn't deny that she was happy to have the girl around.

"For real, though. How is the baby supposed to call me? Sister or aunt? It might get confusing later, so maybe we should decide early."

Claire put the milk cartons in the fridge. The grocery store visit took longer than Claire had planned. Being pregnant was grim news for her pocket since Claire ended up buying triple what she had planned to buy, and 90% of those purchases were things that she spontaneously craved.

The woman took the strawberries they had just bought and put them in the sink to wash.

"I don't know, Sherry," Claire replied, putting the washed strawberries on a plate and popped one into her mouth. "Whichever you like best, I suppose."

"It's just that I am too young to be an aunt but too old to be a sister," Sherry said thoughtfully.

"Well, you have enough time to reflect on that," Claire laughed, sitting at the breakfast table and munching on the strawberries. She offered some to Sherry, but the young woman rejected them politely.

"How come Leon hasn't arrived yet?"

"It's early," Claire said, looking at the clock over the cupboard. "And he's probably busy with his report."

"Ugh, paperwork sucks," Sherry sighed.

"90% of my work involves paperwork," Claire shrugged. "I'm cool with it."

"Well, you are different. I guess that is the only good point of this assignment," Sherry sighed. "Bodyguard work doesn't have paperwork."

"Oh, it has paperwork," Claire said, finishing her plate of strawberries. "It's just that you don't have to do it."

"Well, Rhodes loves his papers," Sherry grunted. "He's so annoying. I can't believe he's Leon's friend. He's always criticizing him."

"Criticizing is also a way of friendship, Sherry. Only people who know us well can have a say, right?"

"Have you met agent Rhodes?"

"I've seen him," Claire replied. "I wouldn't say I know him, but he does look like the uptight type."

"Uptight is an understatement. Only a stick is stiffer than him."

"Are you talking about Patrick?"

Leon closed the door behind him and left his keys over the table stand before making his way to the kitchen.

The man looked around him before reaching Sherry and patting the girl's head.

"The same one," Sherry replied. "He's always commenting on your luck."

"That's old Patrick," Leon snorted. "That never changes."

Leon walked behind the breakfast table and kissed Claire.

"Having dessert before dinner?" Leon asked, pointing at the strawberry plate.

"Just a snack," Claire winked at him. "Dinner is going to take a while, and I was starving."

Leon snorted, shaking his head.

"I don't see Midnight, isn't it back?"

"Oh, since we were going grocery shopping, I didn't bring Midnight back today. What? Are you missing her?"

"Kind of," Leon shrugged.

"I thought you were not an animal person, Leon," Sherry laughed.

"I wouldn't call myself an animal person," Leon replied. "I just tolerate Midnight."

"Liar," Claire said, shaking her head. "I've found them cuddling on the couch. I think Midnight likes him more than she likes me."

"That is nonsense," Leon snorted. "So, what's for dinner?"

"Homemade lasagna," Claire replied. "Courtesy of Sherry."

"You get to taste my homemade cooking today!" Sherry replied cheerfully. "I wasn't going to let Claire cook."

"I didn't know you could cook," Leon said with his eyebrow raised.

"That's mean!" Sherry pouted, slapping his arm. "Claire taught me how to cook. Of course, I can."

"Are you sure it is safe to eat?" Leon asked Claire, and the woman laughed. "I'm just teasing, Sherry. Of course, I know you can cook as well as Claire."

Leon added the last part as he dodged Sherry's napkin ball in one smooth movement.

"Alright, you two," Claire laughed.

She gave him a stern look, and the man snorted.

"Of course," he answered. "My wife always has the last word."

Claire rolled her eyes. She grabbed one of the pickle jars and tried to open it. The lid didn't budge, and she glared at the offending object.

"Let me help you," Leon chuckled. Leon grabbed the jar and twisted the lid open with such ease that Claire pouted. How come she couldn't open a silly pickle jar?

"Pickled cucumbers? You really liked those you had for breakfast, huh?" Leon said, passing her the open jar with a faint smirk.

"Yeah, I was surprised, too," Sherry laughed. "I know Claire hates pickles, but today at the grocery store, she took almost a whole shelf."

"I don't like them," Claire admitted. She pulled out one of the cucumbers and ate it. "But suddenly, it tastes good.

Leon snorted. He opened one of the cupboards and took out another jar.

"Try them with peanut butter. According to Bella, it's the best thing you can have when you are pregnant."

"Ew," Sherry said.

Claire looked at Leon skeptically, but since her tastebuds seemed to have gone crazy, she saw no wrong in trying it out. She scooped some peanut butter and spread it over her half-eaten cucumber. She expected the combination to be awful, but to her surprise, the mix turned out to be the most delicious thing she'd tasted in the last three weeks.

"Oh my god," Claire groaned."It looks and sounds terrible, but it is delicious."

Leon gave Sherry a shrug and a knowing look.

"I thought that the whole pickles-and-peanut butter thing was a myth from the movies."

"Believe me," Leon snorted. "So did I, but then my sister got pregnant, and she ate this all the time. Since Claire was starting to like pickles, figured she would enjoy it."

"Being pregnant is weird," Sherry laughed. "So, are you happy, Mister Future-papa?"

"As happy as I can get," Leon smirked. "So, what about you? I heard you are not happy with your assignment."

"I can't stand the president," Sherry sighed. "And since she's up running for another period, things around the White House are a fuss."

"Yeah, I heard something about that," Leon snorted. "It seems Ashley is one of the favorites."

"Well, despite all your complainings, she's been a good president," Claire shrugged. "I suppose people like her."

"Yeah, Ashley isn't stupid. Her father taught her the ways of politics, and it seems she's doing well."

"President Graham wasn't the best president, but he wasn't the worst either," Claire nodded. "Graham did a lot of good things, messed up in some, but overall, did good things."

"Well, I'm not saying she's a bad diplomat," Sherry replied. "But that doesn't make her any less obnoxious."

"You just don't like her because she seems smitten by Leon."

"Yes, and I can't understand why you are not."

Claire turned to Leon, and he shrugged, shaking his head.

"Well, considering I am the one who's carrying his baby," Claire said, pointing to her belly. "I dare say I already won."

Sherry giggled. The rest of the evening was cozy and enjoyable, filled with laughter and good company, and by the time they noticed, it was already very late. The young woman ended up staying over, and Claire caught Leon mouthing "College daughter" silently at her, making Claire's smile grow.

"Oh! It's so good to see you, Claire!"

Melissa Kennedy, Leon's mother, hugged Claire almost as soon as the couple had crossed the front door, making Leon snort. She was a pretty woman who looked young, despite her age. Her hair was darker than Leon's, and unlike her son, her eyes were dark chocolate colored. Leon had inherited most of his father's physical traits, but according to both of his parents, he had inherited everything else from his mother.

"Oh, hehe. It is good to see you too, mom," Claire replied, hugging her back. After learning that Claire had grown most of her life without her parents, Melissa had insisted that she called them mom and dad. Claire was ok with that, technically speaking, they were her parents in a way since she had married their son.

"Mom, you're going to squish the air out of her," Leon chuckled.

"Oh, you just want me to hug you," Melissa laughed. "Come here, Leon."

Leon hugged his mother, and Claire watched them with a smile.

"How was the flight?"

"Well, I've had better flights," Claire replied. She'd spent most of the trip suffering from morning sickness. It had made the already tedious process of flying even more complicated than it already was.

"Aww, you look tired. Come on, let's take a seat! I've made muffins, and you look like you might need one."

"Or two..."Leon chuckled.

Claire would have rolled her eyes if she wasn't already feeling hungry and figured that Leon was most likely right.

"That sounds splendid," Claire said. "I'm starving."

"Oh, you can eat all you want. I made it for you," Melissa said excitedly. "I was so happy when Leon called saying he was coming home. You know that's not a frequent thing."

"Mom," Leon sighed.

"You know it is true," Melissa said with that mother-like tone that sounded like a resentful complaint. "I hope he hasn't been as neglectful with you as he is with us, Claire."

"Oh, no. Leon has been as devoted as he can get."

They moved to the kitchen, where Melissa promptly picked several fresh-baked muffins and placed them on a plate for Claire.

"Really? Well, he better be," Melissa replied, nodding with approval.

"Hey, mom. Is Bella home?"

"Not yet," Melissa answered. "You seem very adamant to speak with her. Did something happen?"

Claire and Leon exchanged looks. Telling the news to Leon's mom went as well as Claire could have imagined. The woman was delighted, so delighted that as soon as she had processed the information, she went off in a frenzy to find Tom, Leon's father, and tell him the news.

Leon's parents were so excited that it took Leon almost half an hour to make them understand that they had to be discreet about the baby.

Leon's sister Isabella was very happy for her little brother, and she didn't hesitate to say yes when Leon asked her to be Claire's medic.

"Of course I can be Claire's medic," Bella said, nodding. "But wouldn't you prefer to have someone in Washington?"

"I already explained the reason," Leon said, rolling his eyes. "I don't want to risk it."

"Is he always this paranoid?" Bella asked Claire, and she laughed.

"Usually not. I'm the paranoid one in this pair,," Claire shrugged. "But it might be my fault that he's become like this. I've given him enough reasons to be paranoid."

"Really? Sounds like a story I would like to hear, " Bella said curiously, "Anyway, I guess we will have to work out some schedules and logistics then. Will that be alright with you and your work, Claire?"

"I'm technically my own boss," Claire shrugged. "If I wasn't a workaholic, I could take a year in the Bahamas if I wanted."

"And I'll figure something out," Leon added. "Thanks, Bella."

"Hey, it's my potential niece or nephew there. You don't need to thank me," Bella snorted. "So, since you are already here, how about I give you a check-up tomorrow?"

"Sure, oh..." Claire added, digging out a yellow envelope from her bag. "Medical records, courtesy of my colleague, aka my doctor as well. You will probably have to review it. It's complicated."

"Yes, I think Leon mentioned a condition. I'll take a look. How long are you planning to stay? If things are tricky, I might want to run some extra tests."

"I think a couple of weeks, maybe?" Leon added.

"A couple of weeks? Wow, you never last more than 48h. Well done, Claire," Bella said, giving her sister-in-law the thumbs up. Claire giggled as Leon rolled his eyes. "Maybe next time you can bring him around for Thanksgiving."

"I'm sure I can work that out..."

"Thank god, he married you."

"Do you always have to be so annoying?" Leon groaned.

"I'm your older sister," Bella replied, slapping his head. "If I don't tease you, who will?"

"That's a valid response," Claire shrugged. "Chris uses it with me all the time."

"Siblings are a pain..."

"Oh, shush, Leon. If you really felt like that, you wouldn't have brought Claire here."

Leon didn't answer, but Claire knew Bella had hit the nail on the head. Leon trusted his family, and no matter what he said, that was a fact that wouldn't change.