Work Text:
November 19, 2026
8:30 PM
The neighborhood was quiet.
Some night birds chirped in the nightlights, declaring that the evening had settled and night time had begun, now sinking into the houses on the streets. The occasional dog walk was seen here and there, but for Leon and Claire, they were catching up, enjoying themselves, and now forever freed from the scars of Raccoon City.
A lot happened over the course of a month for them.
Leon went to stop Victor Gideon, met Grace and Emy Ashcroft, was saved by the help of Elpis, and ended another chapter of Umbrella for good. He then stayed in touch with Grace, who's starting to enjoy herself again seeing she has a father-figure to lean on when she needed help. Something deep inside Leon felt proud of having.
The best of all, out of what happened in his last mission, he finally cured himself of his black marks, lingering T-Virus that was once in his body for over twenty-eight years. Having that be lifted off his shoulders was a huge relief, for he never felt this great in ages.
The same with Claire Redfield, who was sitting with him on the couch, watching a movie that very night, hands interlocked, her head planted on his shoulder while their eyes were glued to the screen and behind a pair of blue blocker glasses.
They didn't have problems with their sight, all the more thanks to Elpis, but they enjoyed the idea of it. It made them feel normal, like Clark Kent and Superman. It was their way of having a secret identity, a distinction between their work and home life.
As they were watching the movie, Claire shuffled her body a bit, her head leaning more and more into Leon's shoulder. Beforehand, she couldn't have done this because of the T-Virus in their body, but now it felt like the early days of their marriage, blissfully enjoying the physical contact of her partner. As for Leon, he was enjoying the warmth Claire gave, letting go of her hand and placing it on her arm.
“You missed this, didn't you?” Leon joked quietly.
“I sure did.” Claire kissed his neck.
“Me too.” Leon continued to massage her arm before he simply held his hand there, holding Claire closer.
“You know, Grace plans on coming next week with Emily.” Leon looked at Claire now, kissing her forehead.
“Grace has taken a liking to you, huh? I'm jealous.”
“Haha. Very funny. But she has. She sees me like a father of sorts.”
“Not surprised. The moment you even spoke about her, I knew you adopted another one.”
“You make it sound like I do it all the time.”
“Sherry in 1998, Ashley in 2004 though she's more like an adopted sister, and Grace now in 2026.” Claire held up her fingers, her body still comfortably positioned next to Leon. “I'm wondering who else in that twenty-two year gap, but I'm sure there's plenty.”
Claire's eyes lit up for a moment. “Wait Grace is a two for one special because of Emily. So we also have an adopted granddaughter.”
Leon rolled his eyes in defeat.
She got her there.
The movie kept playing in the background.
“Would you consider yourself a mom to Grace?” Leon asked.
“It depends on what she wants. I'm not Alyssa, and I don't plan to replace her.”
“Well you're not replacing her, Claire. You’re…filing her role. Continuing where she left off.”
“It's the same as replacing her, Leon.” Claire's tone sounded a bit serious, and Leon understood.
Claire had always a kind and compassionate soul for others, almost to a fault at times. She is a motherly being, the rescuer in every right. However, with Grace, she's held a distance. Made it more like a role model figure, and Leon believed Grace felt the same way.
“No it's not. It's different in a-” Leon then saw Claire looked back with more of her serious face. It was through kind that sometimes felt threatening on the other side because it meant you screwed up badly.
Leon remembered the first time he saw that face and it was when she slapped Senator Davis back in Harvardville.
She wasn't going to do the same here, but Leon knew his argument wasn't worth the risk. He even admired how the same look has changed over the years, with some wrinkles here and there like Leon's complexion. The grays between her reddish brown hair.
It was a sight Leon loved waking up to everyday.
“Oh okay, fine, say it is. What if Grace actually wants that from you?”
“Then I want her to tell me. Trust me.”
“Alright. That's fair enough.”
“Yupp.”
They kept watching the movie, now close to the third act. Claire passed Leon some chocolate chip cookie dough bites and he opened his hand to receive. Leon then leaned forward for a bit, still holding to Claire and passed her a soda can. She thanked him.
Now it was her turn to ask a question.
“How are you feeling now, Mr. Kennedy?”
“Well, Mrs. Kennedy, I feel like a million bucks.”
Claire chuckled and she too rolled her eyes in defeat. “You know what I mean, mister.”
Leon chuckled as well. He knew what she was really asking. As she asked that question, he briefly looked at his left hand, the wedding band gently placed on his ring finger. He remembered how excited he was to put it back where it belonged after months of pain and physical suffering. Yet he also understood Claire's deeper question.
Did you finally let go of your failures?
The failures of Raccoon City, his failures at STRATCOM, his failures at the DSO. His endless fighting that brought him nearly on his knees with endless nights of drinking away his thoughts. Had he let them go? He thought about it intensely.
Since Elpis, his mind was cleared. It had more meaning, even more so when he heard and saw Raccoon City getting the true recognition it deserved. A final requiem for those who departed from the tragedy.
“I feel like myself again.” Leon answered. “At least, how I remembered being before everything happened.”
“Oh?” Claire was intrigued. “Tell me more.”
“Are you interrogating me or acting as my therapist?”
“Can it be both?”
“...sure.” Leon pinched her arm in an affectionate manner. “Ever since Grace released Elpis, I have never felt better than I have now. I don't mean physically, I mean-”
“You're more hopeful.” Claire interrupted.
“Hopeful.” Leon sighed with relief saying the word. He'd remained optimistic, but it was jaded the more he continued on the path he was on. Claire felt it too, which bothered him and tried to mask it as much as he could with his cheesy one-liners here and there. Nowadays, it's different. All thanks to one anti-viral and young woman.
Grace Ashcroft.
“Grace said something about Elpis being our last hope. I think she was wrong.”
“Hm?” Claire felt his tone now had his sense of conviction, the type where he knew what he had to say and needed to say it.
“Elpis in some way was going to happen, but Grace being where she was, at that moment, she was our last hope. Not Elpis.”
“Wow.” Claire paused, seeing how much she's come to see Leon admire the young woman. “You really have a liking for her.”
“She could use our help, especially with Emily. I mean we have an idea with Sherry, and I think we did a good job with her.”
“Oh, by good job, you mean just visiting her while Simmons turned his back for us to even be allowed to?”
“Yeah. We helped her with all sorts of stuff. Like guy troubles, school, even her prom. Remember that?”
“Oh she had a beautiful dress that night. Even Simmons was impressed before he sent out the security detail.”
“A perfect night before I was sent to Spain too.”
“Yeah. Good thing I kept the photos.” Claire smiled. “But a grandparent, already? I was expecting that in my lifetime.”
“Same here honey, but we didn't expect what happened the last few months either.”
“No, no we did not.” Claire rested her head back on his chest now, eyes now watching the movie, slowly reaching the credits.
“Say, Leon.”
“No further questions, your honor.”
Claire chuckled.
“Just one more.”
“Alright, alright.”
“Would we have met had Raccoon City never happened?”
Leon thought about it for a moment. Would they? Considering Leon had always wanted to be a cop, and chose Raccoon City because of what was going on in that city at the time, if Umbrella never happened, would he still station himself there?
He thought long and hard before he came up with an answer.
“Yeah.” Leon looked at Claire, eyes smiling back, beaming with love for his partner. His trusted companion, whom he was sure he would have met regardless.
He was sure of it.
Claire’s face became red at the answer, but it was the type of red where she felt happy in knowing her husband’s confident response. But, she felt the need to keep asking, keep egging him on with what he had to think because this was an opportunity she didn’t want to miss.
“Why?”
“You really are inquisitive today, Mrs. Kennedy.” Leon saw that the movie had now ended and turned off the TV. Now, silence filled the living room.
“As for why…I’d say because it was meant to be. Some way, shape, or form, I feel like we were bound to meet. If it wasn’t Raccoon City, it was probably giving you a ticket on the interstate for going too fast on your bike. Or maybe if it was Raccoon City, but it was…normal,” Leon paused. “Then I would’ve met you through Chris. The point is, if we were meant to be, it was going to happen. We just ended up getting this set of events.”
Claire moved from her position, now swinging her body to face Leon’s, no longer nestled close to his body. Her pivot made Leon stare with confusion before their eyes locked for a moment, the two staring at each other briefly before she kissed him on the forehead and smiled warmly.
She loved the answer Leon gave her, and she felt the same way too.
“I really don’t deserve you, Leon.”
“Stealing my line there, Red. I feel like I have a lot to do.”
“Haha. In that case…” she leaned closely to his ear, and Leon’s eyes widened for a moment before she recoiled back and smiled heavily, winking back at him. Leon then laughed.
“I see, Mrs. Kennedy. Well if that's the case, why don't we just-” He began to tickle her sides, making her laugh hysterically while telling him to stop, but it made him keep going. He was enjoying every ounce of it, especially when the last few days had been nothing but reports and check-ins with Grace. Not that he didn't mind, but this was all he wanted to do.
“Stoooppp! Haha!” Claire's voice was giggling, and the two ended up continuing, with Claire fully on her back while Leon was above her, eyes looking at each other's souls. He couldn't help but admire how much he's grown with Claire over the years, and here they are now after everything.
“I love you, Claire Redfield-Kennedy.” He spoke softly.
“I love you too, Leon S. Kennedy.” She replied.
The two kissed and continued to stay by each other's side as the night continued on, lingering onto the time they spent being as normal as possible.
To truly enjoy the simplicities of life.