Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Resident Evil characters, Capcom does. (this doesn't include the OC's that will be mentioned along the way.)

"Are you sure you'll be okay now?", he asks, standing on the outside part of the door to her apartment, while she stood inside, holding the wooden material with her right hand to stop it from swinging shut. The two of them had just returned from Chris' little personal parental training program, and they never thought they'd have a blast, all thanks to the cutest, friendliest little boy, Shane. Claire and Leon had promised the infant that they will visit him whenever they can, and that they will also help Chris with raising him up, at least if they get the hang off and balance of taking care of their own children and him. Going back to his question, Claire recalls the time earlier when he had teared up and wants to bring it up but in the most gentle way she can, she didn't want to hurt his feelings any further and add to what he might've thought that had made him emotional, she puts her hand under her belly as support to its weight and now replies, "I'm fine Leon, don't worry too much...I've been through worse than a pregnancy.", she says as a matter of factly, she had seen multiple deaths, whether it's enemies or friends, she also had experience a lot of "extraordinary" events that she would never forget.

"Are you sure though?", he asks again, he can't help but worry, she's nearing her scheduled operation, and he wants to do his best to aid her in every little thing possible, and Claire looks at him, "Leon...I am- really.", she states again and he can only nod, "Please, worry about yourself...since you seemed to get a little emotional earlier.", hearing her brought up the topic, he denied it once again, "But I told you, something just got in my eye-"

"I'm not buying it...there was another reason, and if you want to talk about it, you can come in for a bit if you don't have a mission.", she offers him and he contemplates on whether to accept it, he doesn't have any scheduled report or field work today, technically a mini day off or staycation as he would call it, a minute has passed and still no answer, so Claire bobs her head understanding, "I- get it if you don't want to so- I'll see you when you can.", she smiled at him and she moves the door to close it, but before she can fully do so, he placed his hand on the door to stop it and she was taken aback, she stared at him as he speaks his mind, "Alright Claire...I admit it- I lied.", he blows with his mouth as he looks at her, and she opens the door welcoming him in and he steps inside passes Claire while he looks back at her, hands in pocket as she closes the door behind them, she walks before him and he follows while both pair of eyes gaze at the other person, as they sit down on the couch in the living room, Leon flopping on the soft material, opposite to Claire who cautiously rests her back. Leon's full attention was on her, and she seemed to be struggling now, he wanted to do something to at least ease her pregnancy. He had researched a bit about what soon to be fathers can do for the mothers and he did find something on social media, he was about to suggest it to her but she beats him to it.

"So...about it?-", she reminds him, and his glare went from her to the floor in front of him, "I-just...the moment I saw you and that little boy...I just somehow remembered my mother and I in you two...I don't know why.", he looked back at her, bobbing his head a bit, while Claire seemed to listen attentively, "I was my mom's son, since my father wasn't really physically and emotionally present in my life, just a financial provider...and he was a cheater anyways.", he smirked ironically to his story, he had become numb from his past, and the experience of becoming an agent contributed to it, but once in a while, there is still that breakdown that catches up with him. In Claire's perspective, this was very interesting, he had never shared how he became an orphan to her before and it broke her heart, "I've seen my mother suffer without even realizing it years after she died along with my womanizer of a father, you know- they were murdered...and how I wish that at least- my mama survived...but she didn't and I was left all alone.", he glances at the floor again, "And how I swore I won't be my old man...but how wrong was I, I'm sure my mother is very disappointed in me now.", he adds, with his head down again.

Claire didn't get what he meant at first but she eventually did, the factor of flirting with multiple girls, he had somehow compared to his father's cheating, she can't deny that he isn't but he's a much better man...at least to her, so she focused on him and reached for his hand, caressing the back of his hand to comfort him in a small way she can, "You're nothing like him Leon, don't think like that."

He interrupts her, "But I am Claire, his blood runs in my veins, I can't deny that...", he lifts his head to face her and look in her eyes, "But what I think I can do now is become the father I never had...and also be a better man to my children's mother.", a faint breath escaped from her mouth as she hears him say that, she had never heard such sincere words that are directed to her, and the feeling got even bigger when he extends his arm on top of her baby bump, and flipped his other hand under hers to hold it, palms together and fingers beginning to intertwine, "I care about you too Claire, as much as I care for our babies, but I promised to your brother that I wouldn't tell you those three words yet until I still hadn't found myself...and it's all I can give you now, but know that I care- I really do and it hurts.", he starts to feel a lump in his throat as he traps his emotions but his physical body betrayed him as he sheds tears. The event had taken an unexpected turn for the both of them, first they were only just talking about his past and now he's half confessing, as Claire watches him break down in front of her, she quickly follows as she cries and her hormones didn't help to lessen it either. Due to the shared emotion and their unconsciousness to anything around them but each other, their heads starts moving towards one another as their foreheads touched, she lifts her right arm to caress his liquid filled cheeks, and soon- her instincts told her to kiss him like she did the night of October 1st, 1998 and November 5th, 2021, and she did as her lips searched for his and he seemed to mutually return the act as both adults lived in the moment and soon after did what lovers would have done in a scenario like this but in their case...as friends.

That was it, they had given into lust for the third time, as clothes are familiarly scattered all over the bedroom, her bedroom, as a dim light of a night lamp illuminates the 4 corners of the room with the help of the moon's natural purpose shining through the window. Leon stays awake, while Claire sleeps peacefully in his arms, passed out on her side as he keeps his right arm around her and on her midsection, he is cuddled against her back, his head resting against the back of her head as he lifts it up briefly to kiss her on the cheek. Their bodies are covered by the thick sheets of her bed as their skin still touches beneath the material. He is now thinking of what just occurred, he had gotten intimate with her again, but this time it was different but not by the fact that she's heavily pregnant in her 3rd trimester or that he had to be careful due to him not wanting to hurt her or possibly their unborn kids while at the same time try to satisfy her like what she deserves. But it was the fact that he felt that he had connected with her in a different way that he had never had before with any other women he's slept with...not even Ada, the feeling for Leon felt deeper than just "sex", that it was not just simply for self satisfaction but that he had made love to her, like what she described he did to her 23 years ago, but back then he was immature, now he knows what she really meant when she said that, and it was a pleasure better than anything else. Now after all of it, he didn't want to leave her side anymore, he didn't want to take his arms off her, not after everything she's done for him. He wants her to belong to him now, but he knows that won't happen until he's fixed his life, and if she will still accept his love, after all, he had just told her that he just cares, not love yet and she hadn't spoken about it but just followed his lead.

Thoughts were interrupted when she moved slightly in her place, and he focused on her immediately, she moved closer to him, closer again his chest as they touched more like never before and the heat warming up their bodies, he also held her tighter and buried his face on her shoulder and kissed it. He had thought she was asleep but she isn't she tilts her head to him and lifts her right hand to touch the back of his head and his hair as her nose reached the top if his head while he is still in his position, she smelled his familiar scent as well as he did her and as he lift his head to look at her, at her eyes, "I-", he was about to say it, those three words he said at their last doctor's appointment but he shuts his mouth, he can't...not now. Claire on the other hand got what he tried to say and she replied, "I...love you too Leon, I still do-I just want you to know that.", she slid her palm on his cheek, "And please don't find yourself for anyone else...find your true self for you- do it for you only.", she was right, so he nodded slowly. He didn't know what he would do without her words, but he can't promise her that he would do it only for his own good, but also for her and their three kids.