Live to see the dawn

"I wanted you when you were still finding your feet in the world, is that not in itself enough?" Wesker replied, surprised to find he was gently stroking his fingers through Rebecca's hair.

Rebecca clung that much tighter to Wesker, the feel of his battle roughened finger so gently stroking her hair was almost too much. "I don't know..." She confessed finally. "I'm not sure what's enough anymore."

"Then isn't it time you found out?" Wesker replied simply. "How many years have you followed someone else's lead now? Take charge, little mouse."

"You shot me, Wesker!" Rebecca shouted suddenly, shoving away from him to fix him with a narrow eyed glare. "You...I worshiped you and you wouldn't even acknowledge me unless we were in a place where no one knew you. You didn't want me. You were ashamed of me!" Angry at herself for giving in after everything that had happened, she threw a beaker at him. "Damn you!"

Wesker caught the beaker, and crushed it in his powerful hand, almost like he was trying to demonstrate something to Rebecca. "A little late to be getting cold feet now, wouldn't you say?" He remarked. "You just allowed me to neuter your future husband."

It seemed forever before Rebecca could force herself to speak. When she did it was so quiet no one but Wesker would have been able to hear it. "Did you really do that for my sake? Or because you were afraid he was going to tell someone what he knew about us?"

"Did it really matter what he knew?" Wesker asked, watching Peter with no more than a vague interest now. "Who would believe him, that the prim and proper Miss Rebecca was screwing around with one of the monsters?"

"You're not a monster, Albert." Rebecca said evenly. She spent several moments wiping at her burning eyes. "Peter is...was a jackass. He was the real monster. I can't tell you some of the terrible things he did."

"I think you should." Wesker replied thinly, many terrible things already burning through his mind. "Did he... hurt you?"

"Lots of people hurt me." Rebecca sighed, moving to begin cleaning out her drawer. "It was no worse than what happened that night in the mansion. Besides, Chris said to...endure it. He said it was the only way we were going to win."

"Endure... what?" Wesker asked thinly, his jealous mind not really letting him see past what it had already settled upon. "What the fuck did Chris force you to do?!"

Rebecca sighed again, lifting her head so that she could look at Peter. "It doesn't matter anymore. And besides, I was never one of the better players in this game, Albert. It's the pawn's job to take the brunt of the war. Right?"

"And Jill did just that." Wesker replied. "They would be nothing without you, little more than soldiers with no war to fight. They would be useless and crash and burn eventually."

"I still don't understand why you're still here." Rebecca said, turning her gaze back to Wesker. "I'd have thought the moment you realized you weren't trapped anymore you'd be out and going back to causing trouble." She rubbed her hands as she turned to him, not sure she really wanted to hear his answer. "I know you didn't mean the things you said about taking me with you."

"And why do you think I don't mean them?" Wesker asked coolly. "Unlike these fools, I would never dream of stifling your brilliant mind. We have much to offer each other."

Rebecca noted the cool tone to Wesker's voice and yet again, she had no idea what to make of it. "And what do you have to offer me, Albert? I mean, considering what happened between us the last time we met."

"The chance to do things your way." Wesker replied, finally looking down at Rebecca. "You have always been under someone else's thumb, be it Chris, or Peter. Don't you want the chance to prove they were holding you back?"

"You have no idea just how much." Rebecca breathed, her eyes now locked with Wesker's. "I want to prove to them all that they never should have underestimated me!"

"Then why are we still here?" Wesker asked, offering his hand out to Rebecca. "We can be anywhere in the world."

Without further hesitation, Rebecca slipped her fingers into Wesker's. Whether she knew it or not, this was the second time she'd placed her destiny in his hands. "How about Mexico?" She asked him softly. "For the weekend?"

Wesker smiled in amusement. "Maybe they would remember us in that hotel we stayed last time?" He teased, lifting Rebecca's hand up and pressing his lips lightly to the back of it.

"I doubt it." Rebecca snorted, a slight blush creeping up her cheeks. "The way I moaned like a...hooker and all...I hope not at least."

"At least I, and eeryoe else, knew you were emoting yourself." Wesker replied with a smirk as they finally made an exit from the lab.

"What about Peter?" Rebecca asked, pausing to look back at the man that seemed nothing more than an unmovable puppet. "We can't just leave him here. And...what about Chris? We can't leave loose ends with this..."

"Peter will follow whoever we go, until given a differing direct order." Wesker replied. "As for Chris... Let him think you dead." He added with a malicious smile. "Another teammate he abused, and ultimately failed."

Rebecca didn't smile at this thought as she thought she might. Instead she simply nodded. "I'll get the self-destruct. You head for the roof with Peter. I'll meet you two there." She said finally, letting go of her lover's hand to head in the opposite direction.

"Don't linger, and don't bring anything with you, someone may notice it's gone." Wesker replied, shoving Peter roughly in front of him.

Rebecca found herself pouting at this. Not taking anything meant leaving all her research. She had ten years worth. This was going to be more than a blow to her work.
She obeyed however, taking only one thing that she was sure no one knew she had. Soon the alarms and warning voices were sounding and she was stumbling onto the rooftop, praying Wesker remembered how to fly a helicopter.

The helicopter was hovering a few feet above the rooftop when Rebecca came bursting out there. The door opened, and Wesker's hand was reaching out to her. "Hurry! Someone from your company will have heard the warning by now!"

Once again Rebecca's tiny fingers were sliding into Wesker's hand. She felt herself being lifted as if she weighed no more than a feather. And then she was there in his arms. It was like things had never changed for them. But of course, they had.