•Lighter Than Air•

•Chapter 4•

The next morning, Leon awoke to the sound of his phone ringing. He groggily sat up, rubbing his eye with a frustrated grumble. He pushed himself up, walking over to the dresser and answering his phone. Momentarily, he glanced over towards the bed to see Claire with her head pressed hard against the pillow. He knew she wasn't too fond of waking up early. Quietly, he walked out into the hallway, heading downstairs so he wouldn't have to wake up the girls.

"Hello? Leon Kennedy speaking." He said, hand resting on his hip as he yawned again.

"Leon, I apologize for waking you, but we've got another mission lined up for you." It was Hunnigan, the one who guided him through his previous mission.

"Another one? Seriously? I just got home." Leon groaned, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"I apologize, but this is urgent! It's a cold case they've finally got a lead for. It could be dangerous, that's why we need you, Leon. At this rate, they're pretty sure you could handle anything." Hunnigan stated.

"After a zombie outbreak and a head on match with a so-called religious cult? Tell me about it," Leon muttered.

"Say, your girlfriend's brother was in S.T.A.R.S before Umbrella disbanded, right?" She suddenly asked.

"Yeah, that's right. Chris Redfield. Why do you ask?"

"The missing person was in S.T.A.R.S too, it was quite possible that they knew one another. She disappeared shortly before the outbreak in Raccoon City." Hunnigan explained.

Leon paused for a moment... he remembered Claire mentioning something like that. What was her name again? After racking his brain, it dinged in his head. Rebecca Chambers! She was a rookie officer in S.T.A.R.S before she disappeared. There was a train derailment along with the threat of Billy Coen on her shoulders. The only thing left of Rebecca was the death report, filed for Billy Coen. But, what reason would Rebecca have to disappear after filing it? The entire timing of it was sketchy.

"Are you talking about Rebecca Chambers?" Leon suddenly asked.

There was silence on Hunnigan's end for a moment. "Yes, how did you know that?"

"Claire was telling me about it on my way to the airport." He said. "She's been getting into journalism.. and this case resonates with her. Ms. Chambers was only eighteen when she disappeared. She was the same age our daughter is now. Not to mention the link between her and S.T.A.R.S. It's only natural she'd want to take on the case."

"Well then, maybe she could help you on your mission." Hunnigan suggested.

"Claire? She isn't exactly trained for this sort of thing." He quickly countered. Even the thought of her being hurt made his heart sink.

"Why do you think the government wanted you as an agent?" There was a hint of agitation in her tone.

"Right... because I survived Raccoon City." He mumbled, seeming to realize where Hunnigan was going with this conversation.

"If she survived Raccoon City, she should have the basic combat skills for this mission. Even so, it isn't entirely combat based. This is more so about going undercover to find this missing person. She's been missing for six years. It isn't common that we get lucky enough to find someone who's been missing so long."

Leon sighed, resting his forearm against the wall as he held his phone. His heart was racing at the mere thought of  Claire having to join him on a mission. Wherever he went, danger seemed to follow. Was he really willing to bring Claire into that? Knowing her, she would be more than willing if not persistent to join him on this mission. She was always more bite than bark. Though, it was all part of her charm.. he cut himself short before he could swoon anymore.

"Alright, Hunnigan.. I'll talk to her about it." Leon said. "Try and sleep sometime, won't you?"

"Work never sleeps, so neither will I. Have a good day, Leon. I'll send the case files your way."

Just before Leon could say another word, the phone call clicked and ended. Sighing, Leon attached his phone to his hip and went back to the bedroom. Claire was sitting up by now, rubbing her eyes and stretching shortly afterwards. She glanced over towards Leon when she saw him leaning on the doorframe. She noticed his look of exhausted hesitance right away. She could read him better than she could read any book.

"I take it that was your big bad government job?" She asked groggily.

A small laugh escaped in the form of a sigh. "Yeah.. you're not wrong about that. That's why I need to talk to you."

Leon walked over by Claire, sitting down besides her as he rested his hands in his lap. Claire shifted to sit beside him, her hand resting over his. Her head moved to lean against his shoulder, her hair falling delicately over the side of it. She looked at Leon with those blue eyes he adored so much. His arm lifted and carefully moved to wrap around her shoulders, rubbing her freckled skin.

"Alright, I'm listening the best I can for how early it is." Claire commented, another yawn escaping her.

"Understandable." Leon chuckled gently. "You told me you were writing about Rebecca Chambers. That missing S.T.A.R.S officer, right?" He glanced toward her.

As he had predicted, her eyes seemed to light up while she was putting the puzzle pieces together in her mind. Claire was clever like that, and didn't need to be told everything or what to do. She was an independent thinker that could handle her own. Nothing better than a woman with intelligence. She turned her head to look up at him again.

"Don't tell me. You're being assigned to look for her, aren't you?" She asked, a hint of excitement in her tone.

"Bullseye. Had a feeling you'd catch on fast." Leon laughed lightly at her enthusiasm.

"Of course..! I mean, it's a case you know I've been wanting to solve since I heard about it. Now you're on the case? I can help you..! I already have a collection of sightings from far up north! All the way towards Wisconsin.. almost Michigan, really." Claire was beginning to ramble on with her findings.

"Claire." Leon cut her off, setting his hand on her shoulder. "I want you to come with me on this mission. Hunnigan even suggested it."

There was a moment of silence between the both of them. Claire wasn't expecting him to actually allow her to come with... needless to say ask her to come with him. This was practically unheard of. She knew how much he preferred to keep her out of harm's way. However, Claire seemed to be the one chasing the danger. It certainly wasn't the other way around. Especially when it came to the Redfield family. They were built like tanks and had a hunger for justice.

"You already know I'm going to follow you there. Whether you like it or not." Claire told him, grinning and resting her fist over his shoulder. "When do we head out?"

"I'd say in a day or two. We've got to arrange the flight and all the files." Leon told her, standing up from his place. "So, finish up whatever we have done here. We can tell Sherry about it when she wakes up for the day." He said.

"Sounds perfect to me."

Even if it was early, Claire wasn't able to rest anymore. She was far too excited that she got to follow on the mission. Such perfect timing too! Luckily for them, Sherry wouldn't be alone when they left. Chris and Genevieve were returning from one of their missions as well. They were meant to arrive later that afternoon. Claire smiled to herself, running down the stairs and setting up her laptop. Then, before she could do anything else, she was already typing away, delving into much research..

Leon watched as she scrambled around the house, his arms crossed over his chest. He had a bittersweet feeling lingering around his mind, his heart tightening in his chest. He had just gotten back from something horrific. An entire village worth of people under mind control. Being infected with a parasite, only for it to be exterminated within him.Saving the president's daughter. All of it was a lot. Now, he was already up and ready to go.. he hadn't even fully spoken to Claire about what happened in Spain. Though, he kept quiet with a smile. She just seemed so happy to be included in his work, for once.

For once she approved of it. Because of that, he would savor each moment with her.