•Thicker Than Blood•

•Chapter 35•

Nightfall would arrive soon. Leon and Claire were the only two left awake, considering Leon had to go to work soon and Claire was far too restless about Sherry. Leon was already in his uniform, Claire was sitting beside him outside in the grass. It was a known fact that fights couldn't be left unresolved before one is off to rest. So, they decided to talk it out before Leon went to work.

"Claire, listen." Leon spoke first. "I never wanted you to think I would change. In my mind, I haven't... I might be in a different place with a different job sometimes, but there's something that will always stay the same." He looked toward her.

"What might that be..?"

"I'll always be coming back home to you. That's my goal now. It'll be my goal then too."

Claire looked to the side, knowing he was right about that. Leon was always on time. Leon always came home when he said he would unless something came up. He always made the effort to do sweet little things throughout the day that melted Claire's heart. She always seemed to be plaguing his mind. Just like he did for her. Despite everything, they still loved each other. That wouldn't change.

"I... I know. I should know that." Claire looked towards him. "I don't like to admit it... but, you know... I.."she could hardly muster up the courage to admit it.

Leon set his  hand on her shoulder, smiling toward her. "You were scared."

"Yeah, really scared." Claire set her hand over his and looked up toward Leon. "I didn't want to have to lose you. I didn't want to get hurt again. Especially not by you. I don't know what I would do if something happened to you, Leon.."

Claire was never good with trusting people outside of her inner circle. It took her a while to even start trusting Leon, though she had been forced to give him trust during the outbreak of the t-virus. She had a lot of boyfriends while she was growing up. Time and time again she was fucked over, fought with, and abandoned by most of them. Seemed she really didn't have the best taste in her youth. But, these experiences , plus her childhood, made it very difficult to trust people.

But then, a good boy rookie cop with an... interesting sense of humor had to roll in and change that during the most inconvenient time possible. Their first encounter was unlike no other. He pointed a gun at her. She told him not to shoot. He told her to duck. And she did. Then the zombie behind her fell. He had saved her from certain death and an undead mindless hunt for food.

They got through it all together. She couldn't have imagined it any different. She couldn't imagine a world with him. A world without Leon. Not being able to wake up beside him or hear his voice. Not even to mention, Sherry. Sherry wasn't only Claire's daughter, but Leon's. What would she do without them? Her life felt as though it would be meaningless. Since the beginning, they did it all together. Survived together. As a team. No, family. They were a family.

"I don't know what I would do without you." Claire said gently, leaning against Leon.

Leon wrapped his arms around her fully. "I'm not going anywhere, Claire. I promise. I'm never going to leave you. I'm never going to leave Sherry. You'll never have to be alone." He pressed a kid to her temple.

She swore she could nearly feel tears in her eyes when he said that. She hated being alone. Hated being afraid. She hated feeling weak. Of course, she knew how to take care of herself. Though, that didn't get rid of the fear of abandonment. The fear of loneliness. She found herself never able to let herself be alone. But, she was always the one fighting for it. Now, Leon was the one fighting for her not to be alone. For once, that weight was off her shoulders.

"Y,know...all of this fighting we've been doing has been scaring Sherry quite a bit." Claire suddenly changed the topic, looking to the side.

"That's right... I haven't seen panic attacks so bad in quite awhile." Leon commented, nodding to himself.

"I think we should set her up with a therapist.. See what we can do for her." Claire looked up.

"I think you're right. I can make some calls while I'm at work in my downtime. How about it?" Leon questioned, pushing a strand of hair out of Claire's face.

"I think that sounds great... whoever you're able to reach, get their information and we can go over it together. Okay?" Claire suggested.

"Perfect, we'll make sure our girl starts feeling better. We'll get her the help she needs." Leon rested his palm against her cheek, to which she leaned into it.

For a moment, they stayed there. Cradling one another. Claire leaned against Leon, her arms laying around him weakly while she messed with the strap that held his holsters and radio. She gave a content hum while he held her face, allowing her to take the pressure off of herself. Leon smiled down at her and she finally returned to her. Claire felt closer to herself once more. No more silent aggression or aggravation.

"We'll get through this together." Claire whispered.

"Everything will be okay. I'm not going anywhere." Leon responded, also in a whisper.

"Our girl will be safe..."

"Our girl..."

Leon's hold on her face became a little bit more firm while he angled her face to look at him. He smiled toward her, leaning in and pressing his lips to hers in a gentle fashion. Claire wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the motion. They held it for a moment, until Leon's watch buzzed. It was time for him to go and their kiss was cut short. He carefully got up, helping her up after.

"I'll see you after work, red..."

"Don't die, okay, agent?"

"I'll come home in one piece."

"I love you."

"I love you too."