Whatever it takes (Claire x Leon)

Chapter 7 - Repair Duty

Leon and Claire wandered to yet another generator. Their third one to be exact. The one they did together first, and then the one with Meg. They walked to another building they saw in the area. It wasn't the barn, but now a smaller shack.

Creeping their way along the plains, the two reached the hut, seeing a generator in the front of them. Making their way to it without any thought, Claire and Leon bent down to repair the machine as they did before. This time was different though. Something was off.

Claire looked down in guilt while repairing. She felt ashamed for dragging Leon away from facing the killer. And now not having a clue what would happen to Claudette. Claire worried as she always did. But then in the midst of worrying, she thought back to memories.

Before Claire knew it, she was thinking back to even her earliest childhood encounters. When she was just a child, she valued the safety of others. She tended to the wounds of her friends, patching up cuts and scrapes when she was needed most. Along with watching out for her brother, even though she was the younger one.

Claire also thought back to learning. She always pushed herself to learn both inside and out of school. She worked hard all her life to get where she needed to go. When she got accepted into university, her drive never stopped. She worked hard every day, studying, and typing up papers. Even when working hard at her desk one evening, surrounded by piles of books, she got a call about her brother.

She cared about both her studies and her brother, but she knew that his return was ultimately more important. Claire made her way to Raccoon City in search of him, but still awaited his return. Instead, she saw countless amounts of zombies, and... Leon. Which she wasn't at all complaining about.

But that's what her memories led up to. Claire wanted Leon to stay safe. It had always been like that. Ever since they first talked. And she learned new things alongside him. About Umbrella, the mutations, and now, repairing things. They brought out the good in each other.

The two heard a yelp from the far side of the area, near the red barn. It was Claudette again. This time taking another hit from the killer. "Do you think she's gonna be alright?" Leon asked, shaking in his voice, most likely due to fear and uncertainty. Claire put her head down. "I'm not sure."

The generator was half way done. The two person strategy was working. Claire wasn't surprised. Two people working at once was helpful, and Claire always loved having a partner around. Especially now that her partner was Leon.

He worked just as quick and efficiently, most likely to get it done fast and rush to aid Claudette. Claire worried about him getting hurt. She could always patch him back up, but she still wanted Leon out of the killer's way. She'd much rather have him near her.

"Please don't tell me you're looking to go back out there. Ya know, to end up taking hits?" Claire asked nervously. "No. Not for now at least. I promised myself I'd stick with you for now." Leon said "But if I have to, I will not hesitate to take hits for you." Claire was going to object, but no words left her mouth.

She wanted to tell him that she would rather take those hits for him. Tell him that she wanted to keep him safe as much as he did with her. But she just let her head look down on the machine that needed repairing.

Another yelp was heard, and it couldn't be ignored. "What happens now? She's been hit twice." Claire asked. She didn't really expect an answer. She didn't think anyone but the killer knew what to do. "He hooks people onto the large hook objects. Not sure if you saw those in the area while running." Responded a working Leon.

"Oh, that's right. I remember hearing Claudette say something about that once injured-" "AHHHHH" Screamed Claudette from across the way. Claire's thinking was interrupted, but quickly resumed. "Was that it?! Was that the hook stage she was being put in? Oh god, oh no."

Claire looked over her shoulder with immense fear. Leon brought her face back into view with his hands. He now was off the generator, bringing Claire back into his gaze. "Focus." He said to her. He was calm and collected. Exactly how he wanted Claire to be. She shivered. She didn't know if Leon was aware of how intimate this was.

She nodded her head in agreement, and Leon took his hand away. He started up on the gen again, and so did Claire. It was almost complete now. They still didn't know how many needed to be done to get out of there, but they were one step closer at last. Within another ten seconds, the two saw a bright light fly out of the gen. It was done at last!

Claire looked at the white light with glistening eyes, and a happy smile. She looked like a child seeing snow for the first time. It was pretty cute, and Leon couldn't ignore it. "Thank you." She said, taking her eyes off the light. "I'm glad I had you here to help me snap out of it. But let's not get all mushy just yet, Leon. We have a friend to save."