The bonds of family

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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.

"You're still my baby sister. I don't care how old you think you are." Chris said firmly. "Just because you get into bed with the boyscout doesn't make you grown up."

"Sure." Ramona shrugged, not sure what else to say.

"But you wouldn't care if I told you i'd slept with a hundred guys, right? It's just Leon you have issue with." Claire replied thinly.

Neil sighed quietly, realising this was going horribly. "So okay, shopping then? And then I can take you for that meal we never got to?"

Leon's the only one who did you wrong, Claire. Need I bring up Ada's name?" Chris asked his sister firmly. "Good riddance I say. Let's go home."

Romana nodded. It reminded her of a rare evening with Spencer, when he was trying to talk her out of a blood sample. It was the reason she'd offered him extra money. No one did something for nothing.

"Why are you blaming Leon for everything?" Claire asked wearily. "He wanted Ada, and had things gone differently I may still have been with Steve right now." She added. "How about this, did you ever ask Jill if anything happened between her and Carlos when you abandoned her in Raccoon City?"

"Good." Neil breathed, seeming more than a little relieved. "So, do you at least have shoes?" He teased, looking down at her bare feet.

Chris had opened his mouth to say something but at the mention of Carlos he closed it again. He'd spoken to Carlos recently and he still didn't like the man. in fact, he'd made sure he kept him from speaking to Jill when word got out that she was, in fact, alive. "I don't want to talk about him." He muttered. "And that's not the same thing." 

Ramona looked down at her own perfectly painted toes and didn't look back up. The fact that she didn't have shoes brought back terrible memories of when she was a child. Spencer had taken her from a home where her parents had left her in a dirty trailer alone. Umbrella had been searching for the gifted and talented children and instead of telling her parents, the school had told Spencer of her "gifts". When the old man had come to get her she'd been sitting on the front porch, trying to pull a nail out of her foot. It was something she'd sworn she would never live through again. 
All at once she stomped away from Neil and grabbed a gun from a drawer in the hallway. She said nothing as stomped into her room and fired it several times at Wesker. She knew it wouldn't come close to hitting him even once but it made her feel better.

Claire knew better. "How is it any different? You're keeping Jill from someone she considers a friend out of a childish fear that he might be the one she belongs with." She pointed out. "Don't you trust Jill?"

"Ramona!" Neil wasn't fully aware of just what kind of creature Albert Wesker was. He had tackled her to the ground, pinning her down as he tried to wrestle the gun from her slender fingers.

"It's him I don't trust."Chris snarled, thinking of Carlos. "Hes no better than Leon. Did you know he used to be a mercenary? What does that say for him? He was probably a prisoner before that. Bastard."

"Get off me, Neil!" Ramona shouted "You know nothing! You were screwing Claire Redfield! The son of a bitch incinerated my Jimmy choo's!"

"He's fighting the same war you are, Chris! They both are!" Claire insisted. "Jill would be dead if not for Carlos, the same for me if Leon hadn't been there for me!"

Neil pulled away from Ramona and looked down at her with a confused expression. "What does any of this have to do with Claire?" He asked, scratching his head. "And he incinerated your shoes?"

Chris shook his head. "I'm not sure who's side either of them are on. One of them works for the government and the other has gone off the grid. He wouldn't even tell me what he's been up to lately. What does that say for him?" Chris asked, flicking his cigarette to the ground and stomping on it. 

"Yes! Along with my clothes! Why do you think I'm wearing his? You don't think it's because I would actually crawl into bed with that snake do you?" She demanded. "Look at him!" She lifted her head, glaring at Wesker. "He's all proud of himself. Stupid son of bitch. I should never have saved him. I should have let Chris blow his ass up and saved the clone. The clone bought me those goddamn shoes...with your money!"

"It says he isn't help back by anyone." Claire replied thinly. "Look, Chris... I don't need you meddling in my life. So just back off and take care of your own problems."

Nil back off slightly, scratching his head as he watched Ramona and Wesker. "Uh... I'm not sure what's going on with you two, but it seems... personal."

"I'm your brother. I raised you. Of course I have the right to meddle in your life." Chris said firmly. "Come on, we're going home. Jill's waiting for us."

"Nothing is personal." Norma said, pushing Neil away from her. "Are we leaving or what?"

"Leave me alone, Chris. Go home with Jill." Claire told her brother bluntly. "I can fix my own messes."

Neil sighed quietly and ran his fingers through his hair. He wasn't so sure he wanted to get in between Albert Wesker and this woman. For now, however, he was going along with it. "What do you feel like eating once we have you all dressed up?"

"There's nothing to fix. Leon is gone. come on. We'really going home." Chris said firmly. "Leon let you down. It's time you figured out you should move in."

Not to her credit, Ramona found herself glancing at Wesker. Though she was still Mad at him a part of her was still worried. She'd managed to nick him with a bullet to the cheek. He was getting weak again. He needed another shot. She should stay and give it to him.

Claire couldn't deny that it was indeed painful to think Leon had simply walked out on her, but at the same time she was stubborn enough that she wouldn't just give up. "You're the one who needs to give up. I don't need you ruling my life, Chris!"

Neil could see the way Ramona was looking back at Wesker and he sighed quietly; yet another woman who was fixated with someone who wasn't him.

Chris would have said more. He'd have truly liked to. But a tall blonde woman made her way toward them, looking every bit like the cat that had gotten the cream. He didn't like her one bit. "You two are a bit loud." she purred, focused on Chris. "Is there a problem?"

"Are we going?" Ramona asked suddenly, giving Neil's arm a hard pinch. She turned her back on Wesker, deciding it best to let him suffer for a few hours. He certainly didn't mind letting her do the same.

Claire heard the female voice and just rolled her eyes. "Stop hassling me, Chris. Take care of your own problems first."

Neil didn't give Wesker chance to do anything as he whisked Ramona out to his waiting car.

The blonde turned  her head, giving Claire a dark look. "No one asked you, girl." she purred. "we need to talk, chrissy. Alone." she whispered, turning him away from his sister. 

Ramona forgot about Wesker for a while as she and Neil went shopping. So she had no idea that Alex Wesker showed up at her house.

Alarm bells rang for Claire when the blonde lead her brother away. Her gut was to call Leon, until she reminded herself that he had just up and left. That only left Jill, and she didn't want to do that until she had something to tell her.

As far as Neil knew, Albert Wesker was one of a kind. He didn't even have the thought that the man may have a sister. Of sorts.

Chris followed the woman, leaving his sister and his motorcycle where they were. He seemed to be in a dream like state, giving her a goofy smile that was usually only reserved for Jill.

"You don't move as fast as I thought you would." Alex said as she let herself in the front door and dropped Ramonas keys on the hall table. "Still alive though. That's a surprise..."

Claire rubbed at her forehead, and finally dialled Sherry's number. She really couldn't face Leon or Jill right then. Jill was scary when there was another woman involved.

"Time certainly hasn't been kind to you, however." Wesker remarked coolly from where he simply sat by the fire, a drink in one hand and the daily paper in the other. The funny part was, he hadn't even looked up.

"Hey, Claire." Sherry didn't sound too happy to speak to the elder woman. She was still a little hurt by the way she'd been treated a few days before. "What's up? I'm kind of busy...Is everything all right?"

Alex idly touched the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and scowled. "As if it's done anything for you." She snorted. "At any rate...I came here to give you something. Some files I found while digging through Spencer's computers. You'll be interested in this. It's about you..."

Hearing the tone in sherry's voice, and then the universal line for 'i don't want to talk to you right now', Claire instantly knew this was a bad idea. There was a rather long pause as she tried to decide what she should actually do. "Oh, if you're busy it's fine. My boss just needed some information on... uh... some people." She lied.

"Of course it's about me." Wesker snorted, as arrogant as ever. "What you really came here for, was to find out why it was about me, and not you."

"Oh sure. I can do that while I'm working." Sherry said, her tone lightening considerably. "Give me the list. I'm in front of my computer now. Is it anyone we already know?" 
Chris was already long gone, not even his shadow remained in view. 

"If that's what you want to think..." Alex said darkly, seating herself on the edge of the hearth. "Spencer had notes about Ramona Briggs. About her genetic makeup. He picked that little redneck urchin for you. His researchers claim that your makeups compliment one another. I want to know why that would be so important. I saw things from you in the files. You obviously know about it. Start talking."

Claire realised her brother was nowhere to be seen and was literally hopping from one foot to the other now. "Oh... Silly me... I left the list back in the office. I'll call you back!" She hurriedly told Sherry, already swinging herself onto Chris' bike.

Wesker smiled ever so slightly, taking the time to finish his drink before even glancing up at the woman he was supposed to consider his 'sister'. "Is someone a little upset?" He mocked. "Did daddy not find a toy for his little princess?"

"Claire, you don't sound okay. What's wrong?" Sherry asked, finally catching the hint that not everything was okay. "Is there something I can do to help?" 

"Unlike you I can take care of myself. I am just as much of a god as you are. Probably more so. I just want to know what makes her so special that he would seek her out for you." Alex said, smoothing her hands over her legs with a sneer on her face. "And why he deemed it necessary to leave his company to her when you killed him."

"No, everything is fine. Just be sure to tell Leon he can kiss my ass next time you talk to him." Claire snorted as the motorbike roared to life. 

Wesker continued to smile, knowing all the little tells that gave away just how much this bothered Alex. "You always were second best, and too slow to realise it." He sneered. "You assumed you were favourite when he sent you to your privileged swiss finishing school, while I attended his 'training facility'." Wesker tutted and shook his head at this. "The things you missed, sister dearest."

Sherry wasn't sure why but she would pass along the message. 
Chris wasn't sure where he was. He couldn't remember how he'd gotten onto the bed where he was laying. He knew very little about the woman who was straddling his lap. "Jill?" He breathed.

"Shut up" Alex snapped. "That has nothing to do with that little redneck girl. You will tell me the connection Spencer was trying to create between you two."

Claire pushed her phone back into her boot and realised she would need to change clothes before finding her brother. This dress was not practical at all. It felt strange to think the tables may be turned and Chris needed her help for once.

Wesker knew exactly how to push Alex's buttons, and smiled thinly. "Oh I don't think it's something the pampered daughter could ever understand. Face it, Alexandra... You simply were never good enough."

Sherry was so worried about Claire she ended up calling Chris' phone. As luck would have it, the number he'd given her was old. It belonged to a phone he'd given Jill if she needed to reach him. 

"I asked for an answer, Albert. Not an insult. I deserve that much." Alex said darkly. "She us not like us. He never experimented on her. The notes said you wouldn't let him. Why? I want to see her. I'm not leaving until I do."

"Hello?" Jill wasn't expecting the phone to ring, given that she thought no one but Chris had the number, and he hadn't been gone all that long.

"You are under the impression I couldn't make you." Wesker snorted with all the sibling hatred any other family may share. "You have once again created some fantasy world inside that pretty little head of yours."