when had she not been the one to pick up the torch and keep pushing forward in order to do what was right, even if pieces of her own health could be at stake ? it'd been an easy 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 to make over and over again when it had only been about her, or when she'd been trying to find and save those who she considered family. past dangers weren't something claire wanted to linger on for any longer than necessary, but a certain decision made with her loved one had required some glances towards what'd once been; choosing life hadn't been possible for some who they'd both known, but him and her still could.
having olivia had been no less than a wonderful miracle, and it'd taken a long time for claire to even dare dreaming about welcoming another child. still, once her and leon had decided to let it happen if it was meant to, she'd found herself hoping for it enough to pay just a little more attention to some markings in her calendar. and with the agent having more time off than he usually did, well... they'd undoubtedly made every moment count. 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬, the third positive test she'd made before booking an appointment to the clinic had caught her completely off guard. it'd felt too unreal and terribly fragile, as if all could end if she'd do as much as step outside the upstairs bathroom.
but it hadn't. it hadn't, and witnessing the light of pure happiness finding leon's tired eyes made the weight of quiet worrying suddenly shift away, filling her chest with relief and anticipation instead. with her arms wrapped around his shoulders and his pulling her into a warm embrace, they were all safe. she was safe.
❝ gosh, seriously. watch your fucking language, babe... ❞ she teased in a soft chuckle which led to her welcoming another wave of realization, one that made her lip quiver while she nuzzled his neck. what she murmured next was nothing more and nothing less than a 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞 thank you. a sweet promise was one thing, and preventing the smart little olive from finding a stash of treats would surely become mr. kennedy's most challenging mission yet.
once her feet met the floor again, claire planted a kiss to the corner of leon's mouth before allowing her gaze to shift to their beloved beam of light whose pair of bright eyes were still very intently fixed at the television screen. ❝ a little yeah, i'd say. what do you think ? ❞ keeping her voice hushed, she added, ❝ maybe we could make it, you know, a lil' bit more about her kind of thing. ❞ in her opinion, a miracle in the shape of a girl deserved nothing less than truths and recognition. while still holding his hands, her thumbs gently stroked his knuckles and she pondered, ❝ i don't know if there's a right or wrong way to do it but since she's been hoping for it, maybe we could have a ' big sis talk ', whatever that means. ❞
when the sounds of the doorbell ringing reached the trio and the youngest one bolted up to run and meet jill, claire grabbed the remote control and offered leon a playful 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐤. ❝ go on, dada. the t-rex backpack is in her room. i'll prep us some soda and gather all the blankets here in the meantime. ❞