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She hated going to these events. Sucking up to politicians to help increase Terrasave’s funding. Her boss, James, brought her along because she survived Raccoon City which helped to get more money since their prospective donators could use her to increase their chances of winning reelection. Everyone loves a survivor’s endorsement. Worst of all though, she had to wear a dress.
“God, I wish I were back in Raccoon…” She said, idly taking a sip from her glass.
“You would not believe how often I tell myself that.” A rugged voice said from behind.
She turned to see a familiar ex-cop, wearing a tuxedo and a tired expression. “Leon?” She asked. “What are you doing here?”
He gave her a relaxed smile. “The president is speaking today, so I was brought on for extra security in case things went south. Right now, they want me as another face in the crowd."
She looked him up and down, a surprised but happy smile plastered across her face. “Where’s your jacket? You look…wrong”
He laughed and shook his head. “Believe me, I hate wearing monkey suits like this, but if I’m supposed to be blending in, I can’t just wear a tattered leather jacket.” He took a quick look around and leaned in. “Listen, I really hate talking to just about everyone here. Think you can bear sitting down with me and making my job a little easier?”
“Anything to stop these guys from brownnosing me any further. Do you have any idea how often I get asked for public appearances at these things?”
“Let me give you a tip,” He said. “Give them a thousand yard stare like you're remembering everything that happened and start shaking your hand. Gets them to shut up every time.”
She looked at him in complete disbelief. “You fake a PTSD episode to get out of conversations?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s not always fake.”
“Oh my god.” She chuckled, shaking her head. “You’re terrible.”
“I’m easily annoyed.” He reasoned. “Anyway, let’s find a table. There’s usually an empty one in the back until the speeches start.” He said, already making his way through the crowd.
“All right, fine, but if my boss finds us, tell him you’re an investor interested in funding Terrasave.”
“Anything for you, Redfield.” He smirked.
Finding an empty table, they sat down, Leon setting down his drink and pulling a flask from his jacket pocket. “You brought a flask to an event with free drinks?” She questioned.
“You should know me well enough by now to know that wine and champagne don’t do it for me.” He retorted.
She looked at her friend with worry, thinking back to how her brother had described him during the A-Virus incident. “Are you okay, Leon?”
He smiled as he took a drink from the flask. “I hate people, and I hate my job.” He said with a broad smile, offering the flask to her.
She took it and tilted head in an agreeing manner. “Can’t say I’m much better on that front.” She kicked her head back and downed a good portion of the whiskey inside. “I know things aren’t easy on you. If you ever want to talk-”
He cut her off. “Nothing to talk about, Claire.” Leaning back in his seat, he took in a deep breath as he closed his eyes. “I’m just tired. Tired of all the shit I have to see day in and day out. I think back to Raccoon and I can’t help but be envious of how ignorant I was. That night, I was just some rookie cop trying to survive.”
“And now?”
“Now I’m a mean, bitter son of a bitch who can’t even sleep when it’s quiet. I could be locked in the most secure room in the world, but if it’s quiet, I keep thinking about how some B.O.W. is gonna try and kill me at any second. Like it’s just waiting for my guard to be lowered.”
She gently grasped his hand and gave him a reassuring smile. “You’re not the only one, Leon. I have nightmares like that all the time.”
He turned away, shaking his head and pulling his hand away. “Claire, you work for a relief organization. I get put into the thick of it all. I know you have your fair share of troubles, but I’m always in Raccoon City. And the worst part about it is that I can’t leave.”
“Why not?”
“Because I can do something when I’m there. Help people.”
“That’s not the reason, Leon. You can always help people. You were a cop the first day I met you.”
He sighed and returned his hand to hers. “You know, when I was a kid, I always wondered how I’d grow up. I think I’d have been pretty damn proud knowing that I’m some professional zombie killer as an adult. Thing about kids though, they don’t see anything but the glory. They don’t see the pain or the loss. The regret.”
“Regret?” She asked.
Leon laughed at himself for a brief moment. “I said there was nothing to talk about, but I’m still talking…” He took another look around the room, keeping his eye on the crowd. “I’m talking about Raccoon. I said we’d stop what happened from happening again. ‘Whatever it takes’ I said. Apparently, whatever it takes slaving my damn life away until some lucky zombie catches me off guard.”
She let go of his hand and leaned in, wrapping her arms around his neck. “You know that there are other ways to help. Say the word, and I’ll get you a job working with me. We can help make the world a better place without fighting.”
She felt his arms snake around her waist as he stood from his chair, pulling her in a bit closer. “Thank you, Claire.” All the talk about Raccoon City brought her back to thinking about how young and even hopeful he sounded back then. Now, his voice was coarse and deep. “But that’s just not an option.”
He backed out of the hug and held her by her soft hands, smiling at her. As she looked into his eyes, she noticed how little happiness was in them when they had first met tonight. Now, though, now she could see him relaxing ever so slightly. “You know, I’m not sure I’ve told you this, but I almost always regret not going along with Sherry’s idea from when we got out of that place.”
She thought back to their walk back to civilization, laughing when she remembered. “Mister Kennedy, are you proposing to me?”
Leon laughed with her and pulled out a set of keys from his pocket. “I don’t have a ring on hand, but I’ve got a nice Harley if you’re interested.”
“I’ll get Chris on the line. He’s been on me to find someone I can settle down with.”
They both laugh heartily for what felt like an eternity to the both of them with a few tears even escaping Leon’s eyes. Sitting back down, he sighed, hoping to get the laughter out of his system. “I meant what I said. About you, me, and Sherry.”
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it sometimes. Believe it or not, I had a little bit of a crush on you back then.”
He sputtered out a disbelieving laugh. “Excuse me?”
Her face grew slightly red from her confession. “Hey, I was young! We all make bad decisions.”
Leon laughed, taking another drink from his flask. “And one good one, apparently.”
She shook her head in exasperation. “Yeah, I’m glad I decided to let Chris teach me how to use a gun.”
“I’m confused. Are you saying you’re glad that you could use a gun because it helped you get through Raccoon, or are you threatening me?”
She smiled at him and winked. “Can’t it be both?”
He snickered before turning his gaze back to the crowd, though half-heartedly when compared to before. “You’ve been doing that since we sat down.” She pointed out. “Are you looking out for someone?”
Leon licked his teeth, unsure if he should tell her. “Sometimes when I attend these things… Ada finds me. We typically leave soon after that. I’m on assignment, but there’s always an empty room somewhere.”
The redhead scoffed. “Ugh, Ada. I can’t believe you’re so smitten with her.”
He looked at her with his trademark smirk. “Is that jealousy?”
She laughed harshly and gave a demeaning smile. “Hey, I have standards now.”
“And I don’t fit the criteria?” He asked, taken aback. “I think I may actually be offended.”
“Oh please.” She rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Leon, you’re suave. Why not find some woman who’s actually going to stick around. And who’s not likely to literally stab you in the back?” He opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off before he could get a word out. “What about your diving partner from Harvardville?”
He sat there for a moment, his eyes darting off to the side and his mouth hanging open before finally saying, “I don’t even remember her name.”
“Hunnigan? I met her once when Terrasave and the DSO were working in tandem to provide relief efforts. She told me about how you flirted with her during your mission in Spain.” Claire flashed her eyebrows, as if to encourage him.
“First of all, the mission was almost over. Second, all I did was ask for her number.”
“Which is flirting.” She pointed out.
“And third, she’s the best handler I’ve ever had, and if we ever got together, she couldn’t be anymore because of a conflict of interest.”
“Your lady partner when you were in China?”
“How do you know about all the women in my life?” He asked, genuinely confused.
“That girl in the grocery store who’s always staring at you?”
“Excuse me?”
She shrugged her shoulders and flashed him a smile. “I took a shot.”
“All right, enough,” He chuckled, leaning back in his seat. “Truth is, I know I’m an idiot. But I’ll tell you the same thing I told Ashley Graham. She’s like a part of me I can’t get let go of.”
“Then why’d you flirt with Hunnigan?”
“I’m gonna have to get a girlfriend to get you to shut up, aren’t I?”
“Girlfriend?” She asked. “I’m your fiancé, so you better at least get married. I’m not letting you go that easily.”
“How am I gonna get married if I’m already engaged to you?”
She thought for a moment before shrugging and giving him a dumb look. “Not my problem.”
“Fine. Then how about I just take you out on a date?” He said, leaning in to her. “I do have a thing for redheads, you know.”
She looked at him doubtfully. “Where were you twenty years ago?”
He looked up, searching for an answer before wincing at his companion. “I’m guessing that ‘in the arms of a beautiful Asian temptress’ isn’t the answer you’re looking for.”
“No, it’s not.” She said with a smile.
They continued to talk for a while longer, topics changing faster than they had expected. One of the party’s attendees had even interrupted their conversation, hoping to talk to the two of them about their experiences with bio-terror. Leon had winked at Claire, and she knew exactly what he intended. She watched as he made a few quick blinks and swallowed his saliva hard, uneasily stating he was open to questions. In the middle of the man’s question, he visibly stiffened, picking up his breathing and clenching the fist that was resting on the table tightly.
The man, noticing this, immediately apologized, stating there was a far better time to discuss such things before running off. Claire’s mouth hung open as she watched him speed walk through the crowd. She hit Leon in the shoulder. “You’re terrible. That man feels so guilty now.”
Leon reared back in confusion. “He’s a politician. He doesn’t know what guilt is.” He laughed. “Besides,” He leaned in, giving her a knowing look. “You thought it was funny.”
She huffed and crossed her arms, looking the other way so as to not expose her smile. “It’s still mean.”
They sat around a bit longer before the president’s speech began. The lights darkened and everyone found a seat, even filling up Leon and Claire’s table. As everyone began sitting, she noticed Leon pick up his chair and move it closer to hers.
The speech started and Claire spotted a familiar blonde girl in a tuxedo standing behind the president, sunglasses blocking her eyes and giving her a slightly intimidating appearance. She leaned into Leon’s ear and asked, “Is that Sherry?”
He smiled and whispered back sarcastically, “Our baby girl is all grown up.”
She looked at him with suspicion. “You knew I was coming here, didn’t you?”
“Me? No.” He denied, sneaking his flask out once more, never once taking his eyes off the stage. “Though, now I have a pretty good idea why Sherry was so damn adamant about me being assigned here.”
Claire smiled mischievously. “Play along.” She whispered, wrapping her arm under his, and holding him tightly.
He smiled and gave her a small kiss on the top of her head. “And you said I was being mean to the politician…”
Sherry’s eyebrows raised for not even half a second, but the two of them still saw it. Claire raised her glass up and drank from it, resting her head just to the side of Leon’s chest. “So how long do you wanna play her like this?”
“I mean, you are my fiancé, right?” He asked.
Claire struggled to keep her laughter contained. “Oh, you are evil, Leon Kennedy.”