The bonds of family

First topic message reminder :

Claire Redfield was sat at her desk, chewing on her pen as she stared at the faded photo in a battered frame. She had just gotten back from Rio on business and she had already thrown herself into another case. The photo she kept safe was taken such a long time ago, Sherry was still just a little girl in it, and Leon... Well he was no different. They had all been so happy when they made it out of Raccoon City, despite everything that had happened. It was years later and Claire still sometimes woke with nightmares of that place, and her time spent at Rockfort Island. She had barely spoken of it to Leon when she had made it home, but she figured Chris probably told him everything anyway. That was when she had drifted apart from the people she called family. They all seemed to have their mission and she had always just been 'Chris Redfield's baby sister'. Claire was much like her brother, in the aspect that she just wanted to help people. A shame Chris thought she was still that nineteen year old student. They still spoke on the phone often, had dinner together at the holidays, but pinning big brother down long enough for anything more seemed harder work than finding all traces of Umbrella and making them disappear for good. The young woman shook her head to try and clear the melancholy away, then pushed the dark red hair from her eyes. "Come on Claire..." She scolded herself, laughing quietly when she thought of the fun her friends had made in the past when she talked to herself.

Claire saw the bottle, then looked down at where her purse was by her chair. "None of your business, that's what!" She snapped, storming back to snatch the bottle from her brother.

"Dangerous?" Wesker scoffed that single word and advanced on Ramona until he was looking down at her.

By that time Chris had her purse on the table and was digging through it. A scowl depend his features. "Claire, what the hell?!" He hissed, pulling out more bottles.

Ramona stood her ground, the only one to never back down to Wesker. "You heard me." She said. Her words as firm as she could make them.

Claire was trying to snatch her belongings back from her brother as he rifled through them. "you have no right!" She hissed, trying not to make a scene, despite the fact she wanted to burst into tears right then.
"Chris..." Jill gently laid a hand on her lover's shoulders, wanting him to stop so they could at least get an explanation.

Wesker nodded slowly. "Dangerous for little girls." He agreed, his hands on Ramona's hips and backing her away from the relative safety of the path to the shadows of the trees.

"No. I'm not going to let this go. I can't believe you kept this from me." Chris shook his head at Claire. "After everything I've done for you and you can't even talk to me. Gee thanks, sis." 

Ramona's heart pounded in her chest, even as she stumbled over one of her broken high heels. "Danger doesn't scare me anymore than you do." She breathed.

Claire stopped trying to pull her purse out of her brother's fingers and glanced at the faces of the three people now looking at her. Before she could help it a fat tear was rolling down her cheek. The last thing Claire needed right then was for Chris to make her feel guilty over something she couldn't control. Claire couldn't do it. She couldn't stand there and have Chris ridicule her for not being as strong as He and Jill were. The younger sibling did what she had been doing a lot lately; she ran.

Wesker slammed her back roughly against one of the large yew trees they had disappeared into middle of. "It isn't me you should be afraid of, princess." He breathed, taking her hand and cutting the palm very slowly with the rough bark of the tree. "Yew's are poisonous, and you're drunk. Think you can make it back to your pathetic little facility in time?" He added, stealing a kiss from Ramona's warm, plump lips.

Leon turned to follow her, giving Chris a dark glare before her went. Chris sighed deeply looking at Jill. "I'm going to follow them." He muttered. "Then I'm going to kick his ass."

Ramona returned his kiss, her thoughts hazy. The idea that she might not live through it didn't seem to bother her a bit.

Jill shook her head and laid her fingers lightly on Chris' arm. "Let them go." She breathed. "I know you Chris, you'll try and force the truth out of her, and it will just push Claire further away. I know you love her, but maybe this is one you should let Leon handle, hmm? He loves her too."
Claire was several minutes away by this point, tears still running down her cheeks as she walked with her arms hugged around herself. 

Wesker had almost known Ramona was too far gone to understand her predicament. That didn't stop him from lifting her slender legs around his waist as he kissed her again. He could taste the wine on her lips, and smiled slightly; Neil had done most of the work for him.

Leon followed Claire to a dark park, somehow knowing this was where she would end up. "Your brother is an ass." He said as he fell into step with her. "There are nicer ways to say he's worried about you. Like...why didn't you call me? Why keep this to yourself? I thought we could talk about anything, Claire?" He asked her gently. 

"You're trying to kill me...like him..." Ramona breathed against his lips. Her fingers rested on his powerful shoulders, almost waiting for him to finish her off as he had so many others. Giving her a fighting chance, that wasn't like him. "I'm not going to beg you for my life. It's not worth the breath." She pushed him away stumbling out of the trees. "Call me when you figure out you still need those damn injections, you son of a bitch. I'm the only one that knows the serum combination..."

Claire stopped walking, and for a long moment said nothing. "I didn't want to bother you." She finally confessed. "You were so strong after everything that's happened... And I felt like a failure for feeling this way." She added, looking up at Leon at last. "Your job is important to you, the last thing you needed was me phoning you with my problems."

Wesker was smiling as he watched Ramona stumble away. It was worth it. He couldn't have her thinking he was some neutered bunny.

"Believe it or not, the first thing I needed was you." Leon said before he could stop himself. "Claire, you're my best friend. Talking is what we're supposed to do. It's killing me to think that you don't feel comfortable with me. Is it because you were afraid I'd do something stupid like I did tonight?"

Ramona did her best to walk upright. What Wesker had done hurt her and she didn't understand why. Everyone treated her this way, why should she expect him to be different. Saving his life meant nothing to a man like him. He was little more than a caged snake saved from a roadside. It didn't matter to the snake that it had almost been run over. It was still going to strike the hand that saved it. 
Her vision blurred and she lost the battle to keep her stomach contents. She no longer felt drunk just extremely sick.

"Leon... Nothing you did was stupid." Claire breathed, making an attempt to wipe at her eyes. "I was taken by surprise, that was all. You never showed any interest in me that way. I just... You know, thought Ada was the one." She told him, wishing she had handled things better. "I wanted you to be happy, and I thought it was with her... Or Angela. You didn't need me and my baggage."

Ramona of all people should understand how much Wesker needed to be in control, of any situation. Him being made to feel dependant and weak was simply unacceptable. He had turned the tables and Ramona would find herself lying in his bed when she next woke.

"Leon... Nothing you did was stupid." Claire breathed, making an attempt to wipe at her eyes. "I was taken by surprise, that was all. You never showed any interest in me that way. I just... You know, thought Ada was the one." She told him, wishing she had handled things better. "I wanted you to be happy, and I thought it was with her... Or Angela. You didn't need me and my baggage."

Ramona of all people should understand how much Wesker needed to be in control, of any situation. Him being made to feel dependant and weak was simply unacceptable. He had turned the tables and Ramona would find herself lying in his bed when she next woke.

"Angela?" Leon had never even thought of the other woman like that. He frowned deeply, feeling like he'd missed something. "And Ada...you know it's hard to love someone when you discover they were never doing anything but using you. But Claire, you were never my baggage. I've told you before you're my friend. you're important to me." 

Ramona woke up in a cold sweat, a scream in her throat. She'd dreamed about snakes, lots of them. They were the one thing she was afraid of. Oddly enough, however, all of them had had familiarly cruel yellow eyes.

Claire managed a genuine smile when Leon told Her these things. "I've missed you." She breathed, daring to be brave and slide her arms around Leon and breathe him in.

"You talk in your sleep." Weaker commented coolly without looking up from the laptop he was using.

"I missed you too." Leon whispered into her hair. "Ivery been dying to see you and then all I could do was act a fool. Forgive me, claire."

"All I did was remind you what an ass you are." Ramona told him, shoving her fingers through her sweat soaked hair.

"Still want that burger?" Claire laughed, though she hadn't yet let go of Leon. "I'm sorry I ruined your evening. I just wasn't prepared for Chris attacking me like that."

"No, you reminded me how controlling women think they are." Weaker mused. "How certain can I be that your injections weren't designed to keep me weaker?"

"A burger sounds good. Let's not talk about your brother. Ok? At least not until you're ready. You just tell me what you're comfortable with." Leon said, resting his hand on the small of Claire's back.

"Don't do that." Ramona said firmly pushing back the sheets. She was surprised to find she was in nothing but one of Wesker's shirts. "You're trying to mistrust me when I haven't done anything to deserve it. You just woke up. It's only natural that you'd be weak..."

"They way he looked at me when he found those pills... I don't think I'll ever be ready." Claire confessed softly, allowing Leon to guide her through the park. To anyone else they looked like any other young couple out walking.

"At what point did you think anything about me was natural?" Wesker scoffed.

"are those pills helping?" Leon asked her, not sure her really wanted to know. "Do they make you forget the things you need to?"

"Where are my clothes?" Ramona demanded, scowling at him. She wasn't about to satisfy him with any kind of answer.

"It isn't about forgetting." Claire replied, still feeling like she was a failure for needing them at all. "Forgetting is like trading the lives of the people we lost for a little more sanity. They help me see a future a little more clearly. You, and my brother... You had your set purpose. You were the heroes, even Jill was the one everyone turned to. I kind of felt lost... You know?"

Wesker simply smiled. "What bothers you more, wearing my shirt, or know i saw you naked?" He purred.

Leon shook his head, "People looked up to you to you too. You just didn't notice." He said softly.  

"It's the fact that you don't trust me." Ramona shot back, her tone icy cold. "If I wanted you weak, I would have kept you on the syrum that Excella was using."

"You were trained to protect people, I just..." Claire stopped herself and shook her head. "This is exactly what those pills were for, to stop me thinking like this." She breathed. "I'm sorry." She couldn't help but keep apologising.

"I am still wondering why you helped me at all, little princess." Wesker confessed. "What are you actually gaining from this?"

"Claire, don't. this isn't your fault." Leon whispered. He turned her to face him, tipping her chin back so that she was forced to look into his eyes. "You are not alone in this. No matter what you think. You are loved. By your brother, by Jill....by me..." 

"Albert Wesker. That's what I'm gaining. No one else can say that." Ramona said, her feet touching the floor. "I helped you because..." She turned her head to look at him, wondering why she was so ready to confess something like this to him. "Because you're an asset." She finally snapped. "Unlike Spencer, I have no intention of shooting myself in the foot. My company needs a great mind that can command fear. I refuse to let that die because the fucking Redfield bunch want to die for a made up cause." It was the truth but not all of it. He didn't need to know it all.

Those were exactly the words Claire needed to hear. She yearned for more than family love. "I've loved you for a very long time, Leon." She confessed softly.

Wesker arched his brow slightly at Ramona's little outburst. "The Redfields simply do not die, surely even you have noticed this by now?" He asked calmly. "And you cannot trust me not to double cross you, that is also a well known fact."

"Same here, Claire." Leon breathed, leaning get forward to press his lips to hers. "I'm terrified of losing you." he confessed. "If the pills help..take them. Just don't forget I'm here too. Ok?"

Ramona sighed. "You don't think I haven't thought of that? I'm not an idiot, Albert. I'm prepared for a betrayal should the need arise." she got to her feet and began hunting out her clothing.

"I don't want to have to take them." Claire breathed, though she did offer Leon a bright smile. Five minutes alone with him and she felt like she could take on the world. "How long are you in town for?"

Weaker smiled as he watched Ramon's bare legs moving around the room. "I see... You seem to think you have everything figured out then."

"Only a few more days but...you could come back with me." Leon suggested knowing he was probably going to far again. Certain of this he reached out, threading his fingers through her hair. "You are so beautiful. I was so stupid not to have seen it before. I guess it's too late now." 

Ramona paid no attention to him as she bent down looking beneath the bed. It didn't seem to cross her mind that her bare bottom was on display for him. "Of course I do." She said distractedly. "I've had time to plan this out, Albert. Plenty of it. This is all going off exactly like I thought it would."

"It's not too late, I promise you that." Claire breathed, closing her eyes for a moment as Leon ran his fingers through her hair. She'd watched Her brother and Jill with envy all these years, wanting what they had, but too afraid to trust someone enough to get it. 

Wesker couldn't help the smirk that stretched his lips slightly as Ramona bent down. "Including my incinerating all your clothing?"

"I'm going to miss you when I go home." Leon confessed. "Unless you come with me...forget Terrasave. Come with me." he was all but begging her now, needing more than just the friendship.

"You wouldn't dare." Ramona narrowed her green eyes at him, giving him a hateful glare.

"And what would I do?" Claire asked, wanting so very badly to just say yes. "While you were running round the world saving everyone?"

"You do realise who you are talking to, don't you?" Wesker asked with an amused smirk.