Archive of Our Own ^beta

“I want the green one!” Sherry’s voice was so loud that it caught the attention of the young shop assistant in the tight dress suit, who showed off a perfect row of white teeth from behind a red-lipped, nervous smile when she stepped into the changing room to check on the bride-to-be and her friends. When the woman had left, Sherry added, “I like how it makes my eyes shine.” 

Jill chuckled amusedly as she put the green dress back onto the hanger. She could have foretold that the wedding dress shopping session would become a rather ridiculous event, but she hadn’t expected Claire to be the main reason for it.

“You’re going to wear white on your wedding day, Sherry. End of discussion.”

The petite blonde crossed her arms before her chest and stared wordlessly at her friend as the redhead picked another white dress for her.

“Try this on.”

Sherry shook her head at Claire.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Claire. You didn’t wear white either!”

Jill stopped searching the hanger for more fitting wedding dresses immediately. She didn’t want to miss Claire’s reaction to this very valid, very accurate accusation. Before the redhead could reply, though, Sherry continued her rantings. 

“And neither did Jill!” Oh, alright, now she was part of the discussion too. Jill gave Claire an apologetic look as the redhead looked at her in certain despair, right before she exhaled, put her hands on her hips, and bowed over Sherry.

“Jill didn’t wear white because she and Chris married in Vegas wearing their fucking BSAA uniforms.” She gave her sister-in-law a cold glance over her shoulder, at which Jill rolled her eyes in an avoiding manner. “And didn’t invite anyone to the ceremony.” She then turned back to Sherry. “I could wear red because Chris is absolutely oblivious to the symbolism of purity the white dress carries,” Claire explained with a smug smirk on her lips and lifted a finger. “But Leon isn’t. Walk down the aisle in anything that isn’t pure white, and he’ll kick Jake’s ass for touching you before making it official.”

Sherry deadpanned. Jill frowned in confusion, and the eyes of all three women rolled to the little bump Sherry was carrying.

“Claire,” she said, voice now calm. “I’m pregnant. Trust me, Leon knows I don’t start my marriage pure.”

It was true. Sherry was five months pregnant with her first child and Leon knew about it. No dress in the world, white or not, would be able to hide the fact that Jake had indeed touched her already. And it didn’t help that the former mercenary, incredibly proud of the baby bump his fiancée was carrying, never missed a chance to boast about how quickly he’d gotten her pregnant. Claire pouted. That argument was lost, it seemed.

“Why is it so important to you that I wear white on my wedding day? You were so beautiful when you married Leon. I don’t need a white dress. I just need the man I love. Just like you.” She moved her arms effusively as she spoke. She was really excited about her wedding to Jake. “And we’ll be just as happy as you two are.”

Those words kind of put a frown on Claire’s pretty features. Upon seeing her reaction, Jill and Sherry exchanged a short glance of doubt and approached the redhead, who was absentmindedly caressing the fabric of a white dress.

“Claire?” Jill touched her shoulder sisterly. “Is everything going well between you and Leon?”

A small smile blossomed on Claire’s lips as she turned to Jill and nodded.

“Yes!” she exclaimed, before turning back to the dress. “Yes, everything is fine, don’t worry.” Sherry and Jill kept staring as the redhead kept inspecting the fabric. “But you know? I picked the dress back then without thinking about it. I knew I didn’t want to wear white, but seeing these beautiful garments now…” She shook her head and took the dress from the hanger, handing it to Sherry. “Please, Sherry. Just try it on. Make sure you get the dress you want but don’t just pick the first one you see. The green one is fantastic, but you can’t know if you wouldn’t prefer a white one if you don’t try it on.”

Sherry’s look softened as she saw the warm glance her friend gave her. Claire had always been her guide, her mentor, in every single aspect of her life. And she loved her and Leon madly, the two people who had been more of a family to her than her real parents. She had been disappointed to find out that they weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend when they’d escaped Raccoon City together. When they’d announced they were finally dating, many years later, Sherry had cheered. When they’d gotten engaged, she had cried tears of joy. And when they’d finally gotten married, she had known that she wanted a ceremony like theirs: intimate, genuine, and real. No string band, no church, no white dress. Just the love they felt for each other.

And now Claire seemed to admit that love wasn’t enough and that she had wanted a traditional wedding in a white dress.

Sherry smiled and took the dress Claire was handing her.

“I will,” she said and giggled. “But so will you.”

God, he hated waiting. What was taking the girls so long in the dressing room? Were they having trouble finding a good dress for Sherry? Or maybe they were just discussing the choices all alone. He sighed. He was fairly excited about Sherry’s wedding, but having to accompany her to get a dress was excessive. 

His look drove to the two little girls that were busy pulling shoeboxes out of the shelf and stacking them up. His daughter and niece seemed to have more patience than he'd ever had. Actually, Hannah and Summer even seemed to have a great time while they waited for Sherry to get dressed.

Leon yawned and leaned over to Chris, who closed the Candy Crush game and pretended to be checking his emails as soon as he realized the blond could see his phone screen.

“Remind me why we’re here,” Leon said, and Chris shrugged with disinterest.

“I’m here because Claire said If Chris cries, we have a winner.” He laughed darkly and shook his head. “As though a dress could make me cry.”

Leon watched him with wide-open eyes. That didn’t explain why he had come, especially when the girls wouldn’t even get out and let them participate in the selection. He was about to complain loudly when the curtains to the dressing room opened, and Jill stepped out.

“You,” she said, pointing at him, and Leon frowned. “Come with me!”

Leon climbed to his feet and pushed his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. Jill inspected him closely, under the scrutinizing look of her husband.

“What are you wearing under the jacket?” she asked, and Leon showed her the red, short-sleeved shirt he was wearing underneath, upon which Jill shook her head. “Not good. You can’t receive her like this. Take it off.”

It was when Chris’ jaw was tensing visibly, and he launched Leon a murder glance when the blond as much as dared look a little too long at him. Jill, in the meantime, had turned to a nearby rack with tuxedos.

“This is all too classic,” she complained, making the hangers clink loudly. She stopped suddenly when she found something she liked. “This is nice!”.

Leon had just placed his shirt and jacket neatly on the backrest of the armchair he’d been sitting in, attracting the accidental but not unwanted looks of the other female customers of the shop with his bare chest. In another time of his life, he would have felt flattered and charmed. Right now, he just wanted to get home with his wife and enjoy the rest of his day off with her. Jill handed him a white button shirt and a dark vest.

“Put this on,” she ordered, and he just nodded, doing as he was told. Jill had an eye for garments and sizes, and the shirt and vest fitted perfectly. The vest had a comfortable cut, and together with the small pocket square, it was elegant but casual. And one look in the mirror confirmed that it looked damn good on him. It even combined with the government smartwatch he was always wearing to communicate with Hunnigan in case of emergency. But he already had a suit for Sherry’s wedding. Why the effort?

When he’d finished, he spread his arms and shrugged.

“Can you now tell me what this is about?”

Jill watched him. With a finger placed on her lips and eyes narrowed, she shook her head.

“Something’s missing,” she whispered and turned around. When he fell onto the mannequin in the corner, Jill’s eyes lit up, and she dashed to get the tie the figure was wearing. The excitement on her face could barely be overlooked. She gestured for Leon to bow so she could place the sling around his neck. 

“Ready?” Sherry called from the dressing room and caused Jill to hiss.

“No!” she yelled and ripped desperately on the tie. “Why the fuck doesn’t the knot loosen?”

“May I?” Leon offered his help in goodwill, but Jill just grunted, without letting go of the string. And they said Chris was the stubborn one in the marriage.

“We’re coming!” Leon heard Sherry announce and turned his face to the arch ornamented with satin curtains from where the bride-to-be emerged, dressed in a precious, white wedding dress that slung around her round body in shimmering waves. Sherry looked incredibly beautiful, but the one that stole his breath and all his thoughts was the person that followed only half a step behind her.

“Claire.”

Silence spread among the group when Claire stepped out, dressed in a dream of white and tender cream color that hugged her curves in all the right places. The wide sleeves reached down to the waistline, framing the picture the dress drew around her breasts. It dangled so dangerously between seductive and innocent that it drove him crazy. The hemline floated right above the ground, and when Claire lifted the skirt a little to keep walking, he saw the pearl shoes she wore underneath to avoid the fabric would brush the floor. 

Wow.

She was stunning.

Leon walked past Jill and toward his wife, and he felt like the most special man on Earth. That was Claire, his best friend, the mother of his child, the woman who’d said yes to him once and who showed him every day all the love he’d never believed to deserve. The woman looked as irresistible in a biker suit as she did in a bikini. But right now, the wedding dress she was wearing for him made her shine in a completely different light. He was magically attracted to her, and he couldn't stop his arms from slinging around her waist.

“Hello beautiful," he whispered and planted a kiss on her lips. "You look amazing."

"Thank you." Claire's eyes shimmered and he suddenly understood it all.

"You regretting not getting a real dress for our wedding?"

Claire laughed shyly and turned her face down.

"No. And yes." Looking up again, her gaze met Leon's. "Our ceremony was perfect, darling, but I have to admit that there's something very nice about this dress."

The sound of quiet sobs came from behind and had them turn around. Chris got up and walked toward his sister, wiping away a little tear.

"Well, if you had to get married again, I'd say that's the dress," he mumbled and pulled Claire into a hug. "You look beautiful, Clairebear."

Getting married again?

Leon smiled. He would marry Claire over and over again. As often as needed and as often as possible, but the lack of a previous divorce kind of eliminated the need for more weddings.

"You should renew your vows," Sherry suddenly blurted out and made Jill nod in agreement.

“Yes,” she said. “That’s a nice idea.”

Claire gave Leon a warm look.

“Like, right here?” she laughed shyly.  “I have nothing prepared.”

“Oh, come on!” Jill exclaimed. “Just tell what you feel for each other. Wedding vows don’t need preparation!” Chris nodded as he slung an arm around his wife’s shoulders.

“They don’t,” he said and leaned into Jill for a small kiss.

Sherry, in the meantime, grabbed one of the flower bouquets and handed it to Claire. “I would take the chance now that you’re both dressed. If not, we’ll have to make you buy the clothes and I’ll force you to renew your vows at my wedding.” She gave Claire a chiding glance. “And you wouldn’t want to steal the show, would you?”

Leon laughed and looked Claire in the eyes. The vow renewal sounded like a good plan, actually, and between bioterrorist attacks and secret missions, they never got the chance anymore to tell each other and the rest of the world how much they loved each other.

“Okay, let’s do it.”

Little Hannah came running and pulled on his leg, demanding to be part of the ceremony. Leon laughed and took his little daughter up. Holding her with one arm, he still had a hand left free to hold Claire’s. He felt her shiver. 

“Claire Redfield-Kennedy,” he spoke softly. “From the very moment we ran into each other in that godforsaken city, I knew that you would be an important part of my life. I wasn’t wrong.” He looked at her and saw the tears glisten in her eyes, and he felt his eyes burn a little as well. Little Hannah patted his cheek and laughed. “You never lost faith in me and never took back your unconditional love for the mess that I used to be. You just took whatever I was and bathed it in love and made it better. And you still do.”

Now Claire began to sob. It was true, not every chapter of their story had been a happy one. They had been young, they had been lost, and they had been confused. Not just Leon, but mostly Leon. But they had never given up on each other.

“Waking up every morning next to you, to start a new day as your husband and father of your daughter, is everything I ever needed.” His grip around her hand tightened. “And I want that for the rest of my life. I love you, Claire. And I promise that I always will.”

Sherry was quick to pull out a small handkerchief so Claire could quickly dry her tears and not ruin the borrowed dress with mascara tears. Leon watched as she struggled with breathing. Had he ever seen her that nervous? Not even on their real wedding day had she been shaking that much. With the mere intention of calming her down, he cupped her chin and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

It worked wonders.

Claire took a deep breath and nodded.

“Leon.” She began speaking with confidence and security. “My partner, my friend. In this world of chaos and evil, you’ve always been my constant, my rock, the one who knew me like no one other and made me feel loved, safe, and special even from the longest distance. You made a dream come true the day you made me your wife, and another one when I became the mother of your child.” Claire sobbed shortly when she saw the tears in Leon's eyes, and her hand curled tightly around his. “And yes, our journey has been full of challenges, but every single one of them made us grow stronger. Now, after years of marriage and a wonderful daughter, I know that I wouldn’t change the slightest detail about our story.” She considered a second. “Okay, maybe the bioterror part wouldn’t be entirely necessary.” The group around them laughed a little, and Leon nodded at her. “But in the end, even the worst of all evil can lead to something wonderful. Leon, today and always, I choose you as my husband, best friend, and forever love. With you, I am complete, and with you, my heart has found its home.”

The salespeople and other customers had joined the round to witness the beautiful, improvised ceremony, and all of them started clapping loudly when Claire finished her speech, encouraged by Jill and Sherry. Chris looked strangely happy, with little Summer on his arm.

“You may now kiss the bride, I think,” Jill exclaimed and Leon smiled at his wife.

“I love you,” he whispered against her lips before kissing her.

“I love you too,” Claire replied between kisses.

Sherry wiped away her tears of joy and sighed.

“Okay,” she said and shrugged. “Now that this is solved, can I get my green dress, please? I like it more than this white one.” She looked at Claire, receiving a warm look from the redhead. “And if I ever regret it. Jake and I can renew our vows in a dressing room, just like you did!”