Work Text:
Walking away from the ARK's ruins, Leon felt relieved.
When he heard about other Raccoon City survivors and the black marks appeared on his hand...he knew things would get bad. That what was coming would be unlike any other prior mission. With Las Plagas, the C-Virus, the A-virus, and everything in between, Leon always accepted that dying was a possibility. But tonight, he came closer than ever before, at the hands of something lingering from nearly thirty years in the past, no less.
The night that changed everything.
He tried to push down the flurry of memories. Fighting lickers, a tyrant, and a nemesis variant certainly helped to keep him on task, but now that it was over, painful, old images stabbed at him. All the things he couldn't do. All the people he couldn't save. The fact that somehow, Umbrella, and organizations like it, crawl back into existence to unleash horror after horror on the world like a never-ending avalanche.
Leon took a breath, reminding himself of what they accomplished. Gideon was dead. ARK and the remnants of Umbrella was finally gone. Grace had been smarter than him. She figured out what Elpis was and made the right choice. If anything, she was the real hero. Because of her, he was still alive, Sherry would be okay, and countless others had been protected.
Speaking of Sherry, it had been a while since he'd spoken to her.
"I'll be damned. Can't believe that antiviral actually worked," He said, turning his mic back on, "I feel better than I have in ages."
Sherry's high-pitched tone came through the earpiece, "Thank God. I'm glad you're okay."
Leon smirked, "I've got a dose with your name on it. You'll be back in action in no time."
"Thank you, Leon."
"Would've been a lot smoother if Chris hadn't been so late to the party."
There was a small pause before Sherry's chuckle, "Where is Chris anyway?"
He shook his head. The last time he saw Chris in person had been last year. Coincidentally, DSO and the BSAA were investigating a BOW incident simultaneously and the two crossed paths. It had been brief, and Leon couldn't really remember what they talked about, but he definitely remembered the little white-haired girl by Chris's leg. Still not sure what that was all about. Maybe that had something to do with why he wasn't here with his team.
"No idea. I'm sure I'll run into him at some point, though."
A flicker of movement caught his attention. To the right, Grace sat on the edge of a helicopter, staring down the brim of a steaming coffee cup.
"I'll call you back, Sherry."
Seeing her alone, head dipped and shoulders hunched, Leon's chest sank. It felt like looking in a mirror. After Raccoon City, he'd been so confused and overwhelmed, questioning everything he knew about the world. Grace's situation was obviously different, but he felt he could at least help her through the process.
"It's over, then."
Grace lifted her head, expression brightening a shade upon noticing his approach, "Yeah. Elpis really was our last hope."
"Well, let's pray Umbrella hasn't left us any more nasty surprises."
She nodded, any trace of a small smile vanishing at an intrusive thought. "I...just wish we could've saved Emily."
Leon winced. When it happened, he only saw a BOW going after Grace and acted on instinct. Knowing now it had been a little girl, one Grace cared for, he felt horrible. While he'd grown numb to the fact most BOWs were once people, a mutated child always struck a nerve.
He stepped closer, "Grace, I didn't hit any of her vitals. She could still be alive."
Honestly, he didn't know for sure if that was the case. Emily had been moving around a lot, too much for him to land clean shots, so there was a chance she survived. Leon didn't like giving false hope, but he felt compelled to comfort Grace. The feeling of grasping onto the hope of another's survival was all too familiar.
The sentiment seemed to work. Grace's lips slowly stretched upward until she was beaming at him. Leon matched the grin with one of his own. She still had fire in her eyes. The last few days' events would scar her, but they would lose color with time. Grace was strong. She could draw hope from within herself and keep pushing forward, where so many others couldn't. Though he hadn't known her very long, he could clearly see the kind of person she was, and that made him proud.
"Leon!"
The sudden shout snapped his attention away. That...sounded incredibly familiar.
Behind him, physically struggling with two BSAA agents, was the last person Leon expected to see here. Claire Redfield. His wife.
Which meant...
Uh oh.
Leon froze. The two taller agents were blocking most of her, but every other second, he'd see a flash of the gray and red in her hair, or a waving hand trying to get his attention.
Finally, Claire had enough and shoved one of the agents, "Let me go! I'm the Captain's sister!"
Leon rushed forward, "It's alright. She's with me."
The two backed off, looked between them a few times, and awkwardly walked away, figuring it was better to take his word than tussle with the feisty visitor.
Once the path cleared, Claire didn't miss a beat. When she beelined towards him, Leon felt a certain fear he'd never experienced before. It was strange. He'd faced countless monsters, some with enough size and power to destroy a small army, yet at the moment, that paled in comparison to the sight of the angry woman before him. If someone told him all the universe's power had been harnessed in her clenched fist, he'd believe them.
However, instead of releasing her rightful fury, she dove forward and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing tight enough to break a rib.
Despite the pressure, Leon smiled, returning the hug. "Hey, hon."
The hand clutching his shoulder blade shot up towards the back of his head, deep into his hair.
"I'm so glad you're okay."
"Me too."
The tenderness lasted a moment too short for his liking, as Claire couldn't hold back her frustration any longer. She pulled away sharply and palmed his shoulder, "Why didn't you tell me what was going on?!"
Leon's smile remained, more out of nervousness than anything. When the symptoms first started, he hid it from her. The details of the mission, the deaths of the other survivors, all of it. Now it was coming back to bite him.
"I knew you'd want to get involved," He explained, "I had to keep you safe."
"Safe?" She mimicked incredulously, "What about your safety? Raccoon City, Leon? Umbrella? I could've helped!"
"I know. I just- wait, how did you know about Umbrella?"
Claire lowered her voice, scoffing, "Chris called me. That's how I knew you were here. Were you planning on hiding all of this from me?"
Sometimes, Leon wondered whether or not Chris enjoyed stirring the pot. He imagined his brother-in-law was laughing right about now.
Before he could piece together an answer, Claire's hard gaze softened, her blue eyes finding the area behind him.
"Who's that?"
Grace, who seemed to have been eavesdropping, practically jumped up from her seat, leaving behind the coffee cup.
"Claire, this is Grace Ashcroft," Leon introduced, "Grace, this is Claire. My wife."
Grace's eyes widened, "O-Oh...I didn't know you were married." She offered her hand, "It's really nice to meet you."
Claire shook it, smiling warmly, "Likewise."
"Kid saved my life," Leon praised, "And she released the antiviral. If anyone deserves credit for what happened here, it's her."
Grace blushed, "Oh, I-I don't know about that. I just made a gut decision. You got rid of most of the zombies."
"Shooting and swinging a hatchet isn't all that impressive. Gets pretty old if you ask me."
Claire placed her other hand on Grace's, "Thank you for looking out for him, Grace. I'm so sorry you had to go through all of this."
"It's okay."
"If you ever need anything, or just want to talk, we're here for you. Claire's a Raccoon City survivor like me. It's where we met, actually."
Claire straightened, "Yep. All the way back in '98."
Grace shook her head, "That...sounds like a hell of a first date."
"That's what I said!"
Leon rolled his eyes, "Alright, alright, as much as I'd like to keep reminiscing, I've gotta make some calls. DSO's probably ready to fire my ass."
He and Claire both gave Grace a final, friendly nod, before turning to walk away. It seemed the fire set to the ARK had been contained and extinguished. BSAA were packing up shop, preparing a departure. Pretty soon, any trace of their arrival would be wiped, the public would get a vague explanation, and the next steps would be taken towards shutting down the Connections. Or at least, he hoped so.
Leon felt an arm wrap around his, "Did you lose the Porsche?"
"Uh...kind of. It's still in the city."
Claire pouted, "Ah man, I liked that car."
"DSO will give me something else if they don't hate me too much. Wish I could've kept that motorcycle, though."
"Motorcycle?" She groaned half-heartedly, "Are you trying to rub it in my face?"
Leon snickered, "Sorry."
Though it was banter now, he knew later, they would need to have a serious conversation. Claire understood fighting bioterrorism as well as he did, if not better, and the toll it took on a person's well-being. It was one of the reasons why he married her. They'd both been in the fight for so long, it seemed like they both shared a unified experience. A unified pain.
It was unfair. She was allowed to talk about her exploits with TerraSave all day long, while DSO missions were top secret, even to loved ones. Leon never approved of how they operated. In the shadows like a league of assassins, covering up events and robbing survivors of answers. The circumstances that got him there in the first place would never be forgotten, either. He never signed up for any of it.
The only spark of light was being able to help people. Like Ashley, Helena, Sherry, Grace, and all the others indirectly protected over the years. If he could just do that, even once per mission, it would be enough to keep going.
"Hey, Leon?"
He and Claire stopped. Grace was still standing in front of the helicopter, looking at the ground, struggling to formulate the words.
"I just want to say, about Emily, and what you said...I-I appreciate it. I appreciate everything you did for me."
In that moment, he tried to look beyond the moment and towards the future, at an image of her with a little girl clinging to her chest, far away from here. As long as there were people like her, that could overcome their past and still retain hope, people like Gideon would never win. As dark as the night could get, the sun would always rise in the morning.
Leon nodded, "Stay safe, Grace."
With that, the couple walked away, leaving the last embers of the past behind them.
It was a long flight. Leon spent most of it asleep. Even though Elpis rejuvenated him, he wasn't a spring chicken anymore. Fifty-one years, added on to a full forty-eight hours of uninterrupted combat, didn't exactly have the same effect as a luxurious massage. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he took a good nap.
Claire only woke him when they were about to land. From there, a cab took them twelve miles through early morning mist, stopping at the end of a small suburb, in front of a two-story house. Since he was still groggy, most of the unpacking and showering was a blur. He might've spent an hour in the bathroom, decompressing, trying to come back down to Earth. That was always the hardest part. Now, after enough repetition, it had gotten easier to recognize when the mission had been completed.
At the end of it all, he found her sitting on the couch in the living room, pouring him a glass of wine. Leon joined her, immediately taking a sip. It was amazing. Not only that, but to be here, with her, in the lull of the infinite battle. Leon hadn't had a real home since his childhood. It had always been a temporary apartment, a cot in a training facility, a sleeping bag in a foreign country, but never anything stable. They'd bought the house a few years ago, and though it was rare for both to be in it at the same time, given their respective careers, when it did happen, Leon cherished it.
For the next couple of hours, sip after sip, he dropped all protocol and explained everything to Claire. The DSO was already mad with him, so to hell with it. They wouldn't find out anyway unless they bugged the fireplace. Which...is definitely something they would do.
Despite the possibility, he went into great detail. The breakout in Wrenwood, the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center, the infection, the ARK, the Connections, Gideon, the man in the suit with him...everything, and she didn't interrupt. It was different than giving a report. When he talked about it, especially the parts involving Raccoon City, it felt like unloading thirty years of pressure, sending it out into the void. He and Claire had talked about it before, but never like this.
After a few minutes of silence, Claire spoke, her voice low, "Leon...you should've told me."
"I know. When the infection appeared on my hand, and you weren't showing any symptoms, I thought by keeping it to myself...I was keeping you safe. Then hearing about the other survivors, I had a feeling I might have to go back to Raccoon City, and I didn't want you to have to relive anything. You shouldn't have to think about what happened."
"That's sweet," Claire said, frowning, "But stupid. Come on, you know I can take care of myself. It sounds like most of what happened was off the books anyway. You should've had some help."
"I did. Grace and Sherry, remember?"
"Yeah. Sherry...I'll call her later and thank her. She's getting some of that antiviral, right?"
"Chris said he'd have his team deliver it personally. She'll be fine."
"Good."
Leon sighed, "I don't know, going back there felt like walking through a nightmare. I just kept seeing people I couldn't help. Marvin, the gun shop owner and his daughter, everyone that got infected..."
He averted his stare toward the couch cushion beneath his knee, "Day after day, they keep coming, and it all started in that place. Going back after all these years, still fighting the same monsters...it just makes it seem pointless."
Claire reached out and took his hands, "Hey, don't say that. It's not our fault that the virus got leaked. The psychopaths behind Umbrella are to blame. We just got caught in the crossfire."
"But thirty years, Claire." Saying it felt like heaving a hundred-pound sack. "When does it end?"
She shrugged, "I wish I knew. All we can do is keep fighting. If we stop, if we just give up, then they really win. Every death, every horrible tragedy will be for nothing."
Leon knew she was right. He'd had the same mental pep talk before countless times. Reminding himself why he did it had turned into a daily routine at this point.
"And hey, I know sometimes it feels like the incident changed our lives for the worse. It did in some ways, sure, but think about the good things that have happened. Umbrella was shown for what it really was. We managed to save a grieving little girl's life and help her through her parents' deaths. Look at Sherry now. She's so amazing at what she does."
Leon smiled. Claire always knew how to make him feel better. She was good at seeing the silver lining.
"And that's where we met each other." She winked, "Which is good for you, because I'm pretty awesome."
He laughed, and she did too. It was nice.
"Yeah, you are."
Those blue eyes shimmered before she pulled him toward her. Their lips met. Despite it being too long since they'd shared one, the kiss wasn't rough or wild, but it was passionate. A physical acknowledgement that they were good, and that it would be okay, because they were always in each other's corner.
Claire pulled away first but didn't go far. Gently, she let go of Leon's hands and placed them on the back of his neck, interlocking her fingers. "We're in this together, alright? I know everything's top secret with you, but we can talk about the hard stuff without digging into confidential mission reports."
"Deal. And same goes for you, too. I know I'm not the best with words, but I'll always listen. In case you haven't noticed, I kind of like hearing you talk."
Her hands slid away from him. She pulled back and smirked, "Do you? It's a shame, then. I don't think there's going to be much talking today."
"What do you mean?"
The devious smirk turned into a giddy smile. Claire popped another peck on his cheek, "I'll be in the bedroom, rookie."
Promptly, she left the couch and made her way upstairs, shooting him an interesting look on the way. Leon was still pretty dense, but even he got the message.
Duty calls.
He flattened his palm against his leg and looked at it. Hard to believe just a few hours ago, it had been completely black, throbbing, itching, and threatening to turn against him.
He was here, alive, and feeling better than he had in a long time. That strength couldn't be wasted. Even if the chaos outlived him, even if a thousand more organizations emerged to take advantage of the BOWs, he wouldn't give up, because that meant quitting.
There was still a lot to be done.
But not at the moment. For now, Leon could afford to forget about all of that. He had something special waiting for him.