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The door opened slowly as Leon entered, the weariness leaving his body as he breathed in the scent of the house. It was an intricate house, Victorian gothic, with wood paneling everywhere. A stairwell sat to the left, heading upstairs to the bedroom, while the hallway in front of him led to the kitchen. All over the walls were photos, dozens of them.
Photos of vacation.
Photos of small moments.
The first time the kids rode their bikes. Date nights. The wedding, of course.
Smiling faces.
"Hey Leon." He looked up and smiled, softly, as Sherry leaned against the kitchen's entryway. "How are you feeling?"
"... Better." Leon answered after a moment, his voice still low and gravely, his body still bruised. "Elpis helped. What about you?"
Leon's fingers cupped his adopted daughter's chin, examining her face intensely for any pain or hurt, before slipping the black glove off of her hand to inspect the pale skin. There was no trace of the black discoloration on her hand.
"I'm fine." Sherry grinned and tugged her hand back. "You don't need to worry about me — "
"What kind of father would I be, Sher?" Leon answered instantly. Sherry gave a warm huff and, slowly, enveloped the man into a tight hug. Her head rested against his shoulder, his heart thudding softly in her ear. "You seen mom?"
"She's upstairs. They gave her a shot of Elpis too. Scuttlebutt is that they're going to dose all of the other survivors of Raccoon City too, or they're tracking them down so they can." Sherry murmured after a moment. "I've been babysitting — like always."
Leon gave a low chuckle, his fingers threaded in Sherry's close-cropped hair. "Not my fault little Marvin likes his big sister Sherry."
Sherry rolled her eyes but the smile stayed on her lips. The two parted, Leon pressed a kiss to his adopted daughter's forehead, before he slowly made his way upstairs.
He had never expected to be married. He had been in a relationship for almost three years, before she dumped him on September 28. One day before he was due to arrive at Raccoon City to start in the police department. He never expected to be a father twice over. First to Sherry, his adopted daughter, whom he had met that night when Raccoon City had fallen. Nor the son born just six years ago. The boy he had named after Lieutenant Marvin Branagh. After the man who had saved his life. After the man who had shown him kindness. But that dark and terrible night, he had met —
"Hey stranger." Claire Redfield looked up at him from where she lay in the king-sized bed, faint light from the lamp beside her casting long shadows against the floor. Her skin was pale, her face slightly gaunt, but she was still as beautiful as the day Leon had first met her. Her voice was weak but he could hear the growing strength coiling there. Umbrella's curse had affected her worse than either him or Sherry, leaving her bedridden and in excruciating pain for months. "Heard you had an exciting day."
"Understatement." Leon leaned down and kissed her. She tasted like vanilla and raspberry, flavors that he couldn't imagine life without tasting. His hand cupped her chin lightly as they tumbled down the familiar road of intimacy. When they finally broke apart, they were panting. Lips swollen. "Missed you."
"Missed you too." Claire whispered as her forehead rested against his. "Found a cure though."
"Spencer's apology to the world." Leon gave a wry snort as he sat beside Claire, his fingers interlacing with her own. It was like her hand was made for his. "I'm just glad you're okay."
"Like a million bucks." Claire giggled as she raised their joined hands and pressed a kiss to the back of Leon's. "The doctors still want me to take it easy for a couple of weeks until I start to feel better. Raccoon City Syndrome was... intense. But there's no pain."
Leon's smile lit up the room.
"That's all that matters." Leon breathed and kissed Claire again. "Without Grace, we wouldn't have been able to get Elpis."
"Grace?"
Leon nodded. "Alyssa Ashcroft's adopted daughter. Alyssa was a reporter in Raccoon City. She... interviewed Spencer before he died." He kissed Claire's hand, then her wrist, and winked as she raised an eyebrow. "Some data packet that her mother hid before she was murdered helped us figure out what Elpis was, how to save it. BSAA and Hound-Wolf distributed it."
"Easy there, tiger." Claire teased in amusement. "Your girl's still on bedrest."
The two sat in silence, comfortable, with the only sound their in-sync breaths.
"When you're up for it," Leon spoke after a long moment, "we should go on a date. Been a while since we did that."
"Family date." Claire answered with a slight shake of her head. "All of us. It's been a long time since we did anything as a family. Chris too, if he can get away from Hound-Wolf."
"Family date it is." Leon nodded. "You should meet Grace. She's FBI. You'd like her."
There was a loud clattering from downstairs. A plate had fallen. Sherry.
"Leon!" Sherry's voice called up and the two slowly relaxed, the tenseness leaving their bodies. "You need to stop teaching your son how to fight! Little monster hit my ribs!"
"Can't catch me!" Marvin Redfield-Kennedy squealed loudly and the pitter-patter of feet on the hardwood floor below them echoed upwards. Leon sighed, glanced at Claire, and shook his head.
"I'm giving them twenty minutes." He murmured before he kissed Claire again. "Then I'll separate them."
Claire snorted, slipped her fingers through his hair as she cupped the back of his head, and pulled him close.
"Just remember, Leon." Claire murmured against his lips. "No more kids."
"Deal."