Old Vendettas

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The BSAA were as swift as ever with their rescue and clean up efforts in the aftermath of the New York attack. People were already being evacuated from the worst affected areas, a precaution they were told, nothing more. It was a chance to sweep the bodies from the streets and remove the charred remains of one Glenn Arias. There were emergency medical units being errected in many buildings. People were thankfully vaccinated, but there were still a great many wounded wandering the streets. Even the heroes themselves had found their way the one of the larger medical units, though one of their number would soon be regretting that decision. 
Chris Redfield would be given little warning before his wife zeroed in on him, lean limbs pushing people aside before she slapped him hard enough to make a sound that echoed. “You force me behind a desk, and this is how I have to find you?!” She hissed, holding up her PDA with a flashing red dot that showed Chris’ current location.
The small nurse who had been treating Chris for superficial wounds stared at the brunette with wide eyes, already quite terrified of this formidable looking woman.

If Chris had come home even the early hours of the next morning, he would have found the dinner plates smashed on the floor, the food strewn beneath them and the table cloth and all the silverware lying around them in general disarray. Jill had waited all night for Chris to come home. Only to be greeted with nothing. Not even a text message. By the time dawn hit, she too was no longer in the house. The tall brunette had hit the gym at BSAA HQ, pushing herself well beyond her limits in a bid to forget that her husband hated her so much he couldn’t even speak to her.

Claire heard it. She wished she hadn’t, but there it was. He loved her. Leon S. Kennedy loved her, the sarcastic, bratty little sister of the BSAA’s own golden boy. The words throbbed like a thousand tiny paper cuts. This was why she had never hung around after they each got what they needed from the other; love changed everything. Love put her in danger of losing him. Claire was lying against Leon some time later, a slender finger tracing the scar on his chest that the bullet wound from all those years ago had left. It reminded her of the other woman in Leon’s life. The one he took the bullet for, and felt like had constantly rubbed his on/off relationship with her in claire’s face.

The driver of the car pulled away from the curb the moment the two passengers were in the back. Rebecca was seated beside her captor, his arm around her shoulders holding her steady as she drifted closer towards unconsciousness. He had his phone out, taking a video call. “Yes. I understand. Keep the sample secure until I contact you again. Attempt to contact me before, and I promise you, you will not appreciate my response.”

Chris was on a flight home though for no other reason than to gather his things. He wondered if Wesker would be happy if he could see this marriage falling apart. Since the beginning he'd worked hard to break Chris of his infatuation with Jill. Maybe he'd been right, maybe he should have left her alone from the beginning. Look at the nightmare it had caused her. 

Leon gave her a sleepy smile and yawned. "It's just a scar, you know. I've gotten alot of them over the years. What's one more?" He rested his hand over her's, dying for her to tell him her feelings as well. If Jill was even telling the truth.

"Do you work in sales?" Rebecca asked, feeling like she was floating above her own body. She was warm and safe. At least...she thought she was. "Sorry...I didn't mean to listen in..."

Jill was pounding hell out of a punchbag in that moment, a destroyed one lying on the ground several feet away. She was still strong, quick, and could heal within days. That’s why it infuriated her so much that Chris had forced her behind a desk. Was he afraid she would show him up? That was Jill’s thought as she kicked the bag so hard it flew from the hook it was on and rolled across the otherwise empty training room. She couldn’t help what Wesker had made her.

Claire’s sapphire eyes continued to stare as the scar, even as Leon rested his hand over her own. “We all have that one scar that means more than the others.” She breathed before she could help herself. “Even if it’s one you can’t see.” She exhaled and simply kissed the puckered flesh gently. 

“Yes you did.” Rebecca’s date replied with an amused smile. “Always listening, aren’t you?”

Chris sighed when once again Jill ignored his calls. He took this as a sign that she was done with him. He left a note on the ruined table, taking a moment to clean the house before he packed his motorcycle and heading out of town.

"That's not the one that means something. I don't even know where that one came from." Leon admitted. "I've gotten so many over the years."

"Yes. No one pays attention to me. They don't care...no one notices me listening. Except..." Rebecca paused to yawn, her cinnamon colored lashed touching her cheeks. "My Captain."

Once she was done venting her physical anger Jill hit the shower and changed. It was only when she picked up her bag and saw the missed call on her phone that she knew Chris had tried to reach her. She didn’t call him back, deciding he needed to stew a little longer. Once she reached the house and found the note however, Jill would be left shattered into a thousand pieces. He was done with her. He had broken her and left. Just like that. Jill slid to the ground and sobbed uncontrollably. 

Claire tilted her head back to rest her chin on Leonks chest as she looked up at him. “More scars than women?” She asked with a teasing grin. All the scars in the world couldn’t stop him from being the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

“Your captain?” He asked, though was smiling as he said it. “He sounds like a smart man.” He added, surprising himself as his fingers reached up and touched the cheek of the woman leaning against his shoulder. There was a slight bruise there, like someone had struck her quite recently.

Chris found an old haunt of his and settled at his favorite table. There was no time to waste. He wanted to get drunk and forget.

"Not according to your brother." Leon snorted softly. "Claire...I..." He found himself unable to speak. Telling her the truth would only end in laughter on her part. He couldn't bear it.

Rebecca winced more from the reminder of her captain than him touching her bruise. "Not so smart." She breathed. "He's dead now."

Jill couldn’t move. She didn’t know how long she simply sat there on the kitchen floor, the note still in her hand as she now just stared vacantly ahead of her. She had gone past anger, even going so far as to blame herself. She should’ve seen this coming... It had been this way since Chris had gotten back from China, and they had just refused to speak about it. 

“What does Chris know? He’s only ever loved Jill.” Claire replied with a grin. “I guess it’s the Redfield curse... to only ever love just one person.” She added, almost looking away when she said that, certain it was the tequila still in her system that was making her so loose lipped. 

“And that... makes you... sad?” He asked uncertainly, perplexed by the almost familiar inflection in her voice when she spoke of her captain.

Chris stumbled out into the street, barely taking note of the mud as he fell face first into it. How long he laid there he wasn't sure. But at some point someone was helping him to his feet. He was shouting at them to leave him be, but they weren't listening. 
Sherry sighed deeply as she helped Jake shove the extremely drunk and horribly smelly Chris Redfield into her car. "Some date this turned out to be." She muttered to her lover as she dialed Jill's cellphone number.

"You must miss him." Leon said softly. He was already pulling away, that guarded look returning to his eyes. He thought she meant Steve. After all, he'd seen the picture. Hell...he still had it.

"I could never tell anyone but...I mourned him. Both times." Rebecca whispered, finding herself coming to a startling clarity. Even woozy from sleep this deep grief she held for a man who she believed never truly cared for her was eating away at her. "But...we shouldn't be talking about him. The past is....buried."

Jill was glaring at the elder man, indeed hating him for ruining their date. “You could’ve just left him there, you know.” He muttered.
Jill stared down at her phone, her puffy red eyes barely even able to focus on the name that was on the screen. “Yeah?” She asked, hoping whoever it was would think she was simply tired, not completely broken.

Claire’s own defences were slipping back into place when Leon pulled away from her. She didn’t know anything about the photo Steve had taken while she slept, had she done she would’ve questioned how it got into Leon’s hands in the first place. “I do, every day. Then he says something that makes me realise he can be a real ass sometimes.” She swung her legs over the opposite side of the bed, glancing round for where Leon had tossed her clothing in their desperate haste to undress. 

“Both times?” He asked with another amused smirk. “He made a habit of dying, did he?” He added. “Office Chambers, what would the Redfield’s think?” It was a test, to see how alert she actually was.

"We're bringing Chris home." Sherry as almost casually. It was almost like she'd done this before. "We found him passed out in a mud puddle near Gypsy's." 

Leon assumed she meant Steve. He didn't even bother to answer her. He did get up and dress as well, thinking her dressing was a cue for him to leave.

Rebecca's head shot up, trying to focus her eyes on the stranger. She was out of it. No matter how hard she looked there was only darkness. "The Redfield are busy with their own lives...why do you ask?"

“Then he already is home.” Jill replied darkly, though she didn’t elaborate.
Jake could hear Jill’s voice on the other end of the line, and shot Sherry a worried glance. Something was wrong.

Claire was staring at her feet, wondering how they had gotten from teasing smiles and light hearted pillow talk, to the end of a booty call. She finally gave up searching for her dress, and reached for the t shirt that was slung over the chair next to the bed. It was one she often wore to sleep in. One Leon would quickly recognise; one of his old RPD training t shirts. 

“Because they treat you shamefully. Tell me, until he needed your help, when was the last time Chris even contacted you?” The man who was far from a stranger now asked.

"Ok..." Sherry said worriedly. "I guess I'll take him to Jessica."

"That shirt looks good on you." Leon said as he crossed the room to her, kissing her deeply.

Rebecca stared at her knees feeling the burn of the truth. "He's busy. They all are."

There was a long pause on Jill’s end of the line as the poisonous seeds of doubt began to take route in her mind. “I imagine that will make them both very happy!” She finally snapped.

Claire felt that kiss all the way to her toes. Leon hadn’t replaced his own shirt yet, allowing her fingernails to sink into the hard muscle of his back as she held onto him. Could he really be under any doubt how she felt about him?

“Too busy to pick up a phone? Your best friend was too busy to even speak to you instead of whoring herself out to a boy scout?” He asked, though he was leaning down close to whisper the words against Rebecca’s ear.

"Ok...if that's what you want." Sherry said softly, glancing at Jake. "Bye, Jill..." She hung up and looked at her lover. "Do we take him to the hotel?"

"I'd better go." Leon whispered against her lips, hoping to be the one to leave first for once.

Rebecca stared down at her knees. Claire was always dumbing her for Leon. Everyone left her for someone else. Even her beloved Captain. "Why are you trying to hurt me?"

Jake poked Chris, not surprised when he got little reaction from him. “Can’t say I blame her for not wanting this back in her home.” He snorted, thought quickly ran his fingers over his hair when he remembered how much these people meant to Sherry. “What about his sister? Can’t you take him to her?”
Jill tossed her phone across the kitchen when the call ended. Of course Jessica would be a part of this. She had never once doubted Chris’ fidelity, but now he had given up on them... what man would pass up something as easy as Jessica?

They had done this so many times over the years, but it didn’t mean it hurt any less when they parted ways. Claire always consoled herself by telling herself it was better this way. Better the hurt of walking away, than the heartbreak of knowing she caused his death. “I know... work, right?” She asked, though didn’t move an inch. That was the second obstacle between them. 

“If the truth hurts, how am I the one causing it?” He asked, a slight rumble to his voice before he paused and breathed Rebecca in. “Perhaps you are at fault,for giving them so many chances?”

Sherry dialed Claire's number, effectively giving Leon and out without even knowing it. She'd have hated herself if she had. 
Leon was gone by the their ring, having never answered Claire.

"They are my friends and these days living ones are hard to find." Rebecca said, once again yawning.

Claire simply slumped down on the edge of the hotel bed, her head in her hand as she answered the phone. “Hey Sherry, what’s wrong?” She asked, glancing at the clock beside the bed to see what time it was as she put on her best fake ‘everything is okay’ voice.
Claire didn’t know why it felt so much harder to let Leon go this time. 

“Then make new ones.” The tone of his voice didn’t exactly make it clear if he meant make new friends, or make new friends. “You’re a smart woman.” He added, then said nothing more until they reached their destination.

"We've got Chris passed out in our a car." Sherry said sadly. "Jill doesn't want him at home. I'm not exactly sure what's going on."

Rebecca had fallen asleep, her head on Wesker's lap. She was relaxed and happy.

That caused Claire to suddenly sit up, her brow furrowed in confusion. “Jill doesn’t want him there?” She echoed, not sure she had heard that correctly. “Bring him here, I’ll send you the address now.”

What was it about the elfin woman with her head in his lap that always made him make rash decisions? He had shot her all those years ago, so why was he suddenly so willing to risk everything, just to come get her?

Chris felt himself being left up and muttered Jill's name. He stumbled against the body that held him up, muttering loudly. He had no idea where he was or why he was being taken away. All he wanted was the wife he was sure no longer wanted him. 

Rebecca woke as she was being carried inside. "Did I miss something?" She asked quietly.

Jake wasn’t relishing having to practically carry the well built Chris Redfield, but finally he dumped him on Claire’s bed, giving Sherry a look that pretty much said she owed him.
“Shit... I thought he had given all this up after China?” Claire muttered when she saw the mess her brother was in. “Did Jill say anything when you spoke to her?”

“Constantly.” Wesker replied, though said little more until he had Rebecca slumped in a seat by his desk. “I take interest in those I believe worthy of my time. You saw that with Valentine, if not for Redfield she would have been a master piece.” He told the small doctor as he powered up the computer on his desk. “Such is the way of your own, much different, skill set. You are wasted as their back up plan.”

"She basically said Jessica could have him." Sherry told Claire with a sigh. "She didn't sound like herself."

The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She knew him. Her former lover and attempted murderer. "Wesker...how in the world..."

Claire was wearing her jeans once more, but had neglected to change out of the RPD shirt she had been wearing when Leon had left. She was currently rolling the hem of the fabric between her fingers as she watched her unconscious brother, trying to assess what Sherry had just told her. “Why did Jessica’s name come up?” She finally asked uncertainly, worried Chris had done something stupid.

Wesker simply smiled and leaned back in his seat as he watched Rebecca. “You know the answer to that, Dr. Chambers.” He told her coolly. “Or perhaps Chris and Jill haven’t been entirely honest with you. Which seems the most likely answer?”

Sherry shifted uncomfortably. "I may have told her that I was going to take him there when she acted like she didn't want him." She said softly, looking ashamed.

Rebecca leaned forward, daring to touch his face. "You are still the same..." She breathed. Before she could stop herself she was leaning forward, pressing her lips to his.

Claire found herself unable to keep from smirking. “Now where would you learn a dirty trick like that?” She asked, glad of the distraction from the giant void Leon had left her with. 

Wesker’s snake like eyes remained open, watching the woman in front of him as she dared steal a kiss. Why did he find this so attractive in her, yet repulsive in women like Excella? Finally he simply slid gloved fingers around her slender throat, just enough pressure to push her back slightly. “That won’t buy you the answers you want.” He warned, thinking she was simply still acting under the guise of the do good doctor.

Sherry blushed to the tips of her ears. "I grew up with Chris." She shrugged. 
"Jill...don't leave me..." Chris muttered.

Rebecca gave Wesker a confused look. "If I want answers from you, I'll just ask or get them myself. What is a simple kiss worth?" She asked, taking off her glasses to clean them on her shirt.

Claire’s smile faded when she heard Chris beg for Jill not to leave him. “That’s why she wouldn’t come get him? She walked out on him?” She gasped, her fist balling up in anger. It never even occurred to her that Jill was the wronged party in all this.

“More than you will ever know, officer Chambers.” He breathed, taking her glasses and tossing them on his desk. “You were an anomaly, you still are.” He added, standing up now to lean over her with his hands on either side of the chair he had sat her in. “You knew who I was the moment I spoke to you in that club tonight.”

"There were clothes in his bikes bags. I think they broke up. He must have left her..." Sherry said softly, chewing on her lower lip.

There was no fear in Rebecca's eyes as she met her reflection in Albert Wesker's dark glasses. "I did. I also knew the thing that died in the volcano was a clone. But what I don't know is why you've come for me. You said yourself I'm not very useful to anyone."

That news seemed to knock the anger right out of Claire. Her brother and Jill were her constant, the one thing she could rely on to never change. They had been through hell and back for each other, so why now? “I need to speak to Jill.” She breathed, suddenly panicked that it was her own secret that may have caused this.

Wesker smiled thinly, having planted the seed of doubt in her mind earlier had been leading to this moment. “Because you are of use to Redfield. Which makes you a valuable commodity.” He replied coolly.

Sherry motioned to her phone, her eyes going wide as Chris began to heave. She grabbed the ice bucket and held it under his head. Her own face turned green as he filled the bucket and she turned toward Jake, her eyes begging him for help.

Rebecca shook her head. "They have other scientists. What's your point?" She asked, crossing one leg over the other.