Old Vendettas

First topic message reminder :

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.

Jake was snorting with laughter. These people meant nothing to him, so their drama wasn’t as upsetting as it probably was for Sherry. “What’s that matter? Does Supergirl not like puke?” He teased.
Claire had gone into the hallway to speak to Jill, worried Sherry may overhear what she was talking to her about. The call didn’t go well. Jill broke down when she heard Claire’s voice, explaining that Chris had never come home last night, and when she got back from HQ, he had already taken his bike, leaving nothing but a note in his wake.

Wesker tutted, tapping a rather condescending finger against Rebecca’s pert nose. “But none as good as you. And I know Redfield, he never could resist you.”

Sherry shook her head, looking a little green. "I could deal with my father the monster but...not puke..." She groaned.

"Correction, Captain." Rebecca said sternly. "He can't resist Valentine. I am just a pawn like the rest of the STARS were."

Jake grinned and kissed the side of her neck lightly. “I’m gonna remember that for the next time I want something...” He mused, though pulled away when the door opened again as Claire returned, if possible looking even paler than when she had left.
She stared at Sherry for a long moment, obvious years in her eyes 5at she was trying to hold back. “He ended it.” She breathed. “Took his shit, left a note... and that was it. He fucking walked out on her!” Her voice had gotten considerably louder with each word until finally she grabbed hold of her brother’s face and slapped him roughly, needing him to wake up right that second.

Wesker shook his head. “Valentine was easy. She wanted him just as badly, where was the challenge in that?” He mused. “You... you were innocence. The sweet little genius, and I wager it was only the fact that you reminded him of his dear baby sister that stopped him from having you.”

Chris moaned and opened one eye. "Stop. The room is spinning." He protested. 

"What stopped him was me. I wasn't interested. And you sound jealous." Rebecca said. She got to her feet and stood up to him. "You're evading the issue. What is it you want, Wesker?"

“You’re goddamn lucky that’s all it’s doing!” Claire roared, her bright sapphire eyes blazing as she glared down at her brother.

“You figured out what Glenn Arias was doing while the rest of the world were running around, crying about the sky falling.” Wesker replied, his face almost twitching into a smile when Rebecca stood up to him. “I have a great many threads to pull loose, that would benefit greatly from your... eye.”

"Why are you chewing my ass out?" Chris snapped, taking the wet rag Sherry offered. "Don't even say hello...glad you're not dead... kiss my ass. Nothing."

Rebecca seemed to consider this. After a long moment she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "What's in it for me?"

“Oh, I’m sorry. Would you prefer I wrote you a NOTE?!” Claire knew she shouldn’t be getting this angry, and if she thought about it, she was probably venting her frustration towards Leon on Chris now. 

“Are you happy?” Wesker asked, seemingly out of the blue. “Working in a university, having the same use,ess fool bring you coffee every day?” He added, proving how closely he had kept watch over her. “You don’t feel at all like you are wasting away there?”

"The hell are you going on about?" Chris growled, waving Claire away from him. The room still spun. He needed that to stop.

"What does that matter to you?" Rebecca challenged. "You shot me. That tells me exactly what you have always thought of me."

“You walk out on your wife, and that’s the best you got?” Claire demanded, the way her eyes flicked to the bucket Sherry held more than betrayed how tempted she was to dump Chris’ own puke over his head in that moment.

“But you didn’t die.” Wesker pointed out, leaning back slightly to fold his arms across his board chest. “Don’t you think it odd, that of all the members of STARS, your’s was the only uniform with a bullet proof vest?”

"I set her free." Chris shouted, launching to his feet. "She is miserable and she hates me! I gave her a fucking out! Leave me alone, you don't know a damn thing!"

"I was a medic. I was never trained to fight." Rebecca said softly. But she knew he was right. "You planned... Why did you save me? The truth, Albert. No more lies."

“Bullshit!” Claire shot back, giving her brother a shove. “It got hard, and you left! Too chicken shit to even tell her to her face! Every think she was miserable because you would stick around long enough to even be a husband?!”

“Then... or now?” Wesker asked, though he knew exactly what she meant. “You were young and idealistic. That was useless to me, but your mind...” he actually smiled, reaching out and touching her temple lightly. “I simply needed to wait until the world had shown you what a monster she truly was. Then, you would be a little more willing to see how necessary it is to thin the heard.”

"You'd know alot about being a chicken shit, wouldn't you?" Chris hissed. "How old is Leon's baby now? Eighteen... nineteen?"

"People are shit." Rebecca hissed. "There are so many that are so weak. They don't deserve to live." Her chest was heaving and she gave Wesker a surprised look. She'd never spoken her dark thoughts to anyone.

That knocked all the bluster right out of Claire. Her lower lip trembled as she took a step back, watery sapphire eyes staring up at her brother. “She told you?” She whispered, suddenly finding it all too difficult to breathe. The room was closing in on her and all she wanted to do was press her hands over her ears and scream.

Wesker smiled again, knowing now that it had been worth waiting for the world to break here rather than him. His fingers slid from her temple and back through Rebecca’s hair as he pulled her face close to him again. He didn’t even say anything before he pressed his lips to hers in a possessive kiss.

"You really think I'm stupid don't you?" Chris snarled. "You think I'm blind too. She contacted me. Wanting to meet her family. I met up with her in Rio a few weeks ago. When she turned eighteen the agency gave her your name but she was scared. So she called me. God, Claire...she looks just like you. I can't believe you lied to me. Hell, I can't believe you lied to him. And Jill. You let her lie to me too. And she did it. Do you have any idea how much that hurts?" Chris breathed.

Rebecca felt that familiar heat settle deep in her belly. It had been so long. She deepened the kiss, burying her fingers into the fabric of his shirt. Damn this man. He had her soul in his pocket and he knew it.

Claire had no answer to what Chris had just told her. A fat tear simply rolled down her cheek as she struggled to even remember to breathe. Her whole world was crumbling around her, and the one person she needed right then, was the one person who would never even be able to look at her again once he found this truth out. “I can’t expect you to understand.” She finally whispered. “I won’t apologise for the choice I had to make. Look what Wesker did to Jill, you think he wouldn’t have jumped at the chance to use your own niece to hurt you? She needed safety, and that was something I, or any of us, couldn’t give her!”
Jake was squeezing Sherry’s hand, though he was unable to tear his gaze from the trainwreck before them. It felt kind of wrong standing there, listening to Chris expose his sister’s darkest secret, but he couldn’t look away.

Wesker let his fingers wander down to Rebecca’s pert behind, then down her slender thighs as he lifted her up and sandwiched her between his own lean frame and wall of his office. She tasted like strawberries. It was sweet, and sickening, and something no other woman had.

"Fuck you." The hurt was there like a physical thing. It stood in the room like a triple headed monster, roaring between the siblings. 
The reminder that he was unable to protect those he loved was the lowest blow his sister could strike. "Fuck you and the boy scout you rode in on." He snarled, kicking over the bucket of vomit as he shoved past Jake and Sherry and stormed out of the room.

It was several hours later when Rebecca began putting on her clothing in silence. This was certainly not what she'd planned for when she'd allowed him to bring her here. 
The man that was staring at her like the cat who'd gotten the cream had changed everything. And not for the first time.

Claire slumped onto the edge of the bed and sat there with her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. Wind back the clock only on hour or so, and she was happy. Well, the happiest she could be for people like them. She and Leon had simply been lying there, talking about nothing at all, and now her life lay in tatters. She didn’t even remember that Sherry and Jake were still there as the proud Claire Redfield began to sob quietly.

Wesker’s own clothing was already back in place, like it hadn’t been lying around the room only minutes earlier. Rebecca wasn’t alone in her thoughts; this really hadn’t been his plan. Not yet at least.

Sherry knelt in front of Claire and rested her head in the other woman's lap. She didn't know what to do. This was all turning into a nightmare. 

When she was dressed Rebecca sat on the desk in front of Wesker. "So...my role here...basically the new Excella with smaller boobs?"

Sherry sat back, not knowing what to say. This was out of her element. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. "I...really think you should have told him, Claire. I mean he didn't leave you on Rockfort on purpose. It was my fault...they were interrogating him. Making sure he never said anything about Raccoon city. He...was signing adoption papers over to Jill and Chris...so if you blame anyone...blame me..." 

Rebecca closed her eyes and smiled. Not even realizing she was doing it. How wonderful it would be to be free. To do as pleased. To make a virus that would hurt instead of heal. All those assholes that stepped on her and thought she was worthless. How wonderful it would be to show them...

Claire couldn’t help but feel somewhat attacked by Sherry’s response to her pretty much baring her soul. These had all been fears and feelings that she had been bottling up for eighteen years. “And both of you could’ve told me the truth about that.” She countered darkly. “I need a drink.” She declared quickly, leaving the room, still wearing Leon’s shirt. The part that stung the most? This girl, this half of her who had been living a good life without her? She had been too scared to reach out to Claire, choosing Chris instead. 

Wesker basked in that moment. He saw the final thread snap, allowing Rebecca to truly be the woman she was supposed to be.it was almost as delicious as knowing how much Chris Redfield had suffered all those years he had been without his dearest Valentine. Almost.

Sherry stayed where she was on the floor, pulling her knees to her chest. She blamed herself for all of this. If she hadn't run from Claire in the first place she never would have gotten into the situation she was. 

After a moment Rebecca opened her eyes. "What?" She asked softly. "Do I have something in my hair?"

Jake sat down behind Sherry, pulling her back against his chest as he circled his arms around her. “Stop that.” He told her firmly, though his voice was in fact no more than a deep rumble against her ear. “This isn’t your fault, Supergirl. They fucked everything up just fine by themselves.”
Claire was in a horrible dive of a bar, thinking it the safest place to hide from anyone who might recognise her. She knew things were only going to get worse, as Sherry and Chris were right; she should have told Leon about the baby. For all she knew, he may have agreed with her decision. She threw back the shot of dark amber liquid in her glass she shook her head, who was she kidding? Leon would’ve wanted to marry her, being the boyscout he was. Claire stared down into her glass, realising that that wasn’t something she hated the thought of. But she had seen what had become of Jill and Chris. If they couldn’t survive it, who could?

Wesker leaned back in his chair, making a point to not answer right away. He wanted her to squirm under the heat of his gaze. “I have someone I think you should meet.” He finally replied, though his eyes gave nothing away.

"Do you want a refill? If not get the hell off my table." A young woman said in a firm voice, having to shout to be heard. "You're hogging my tips and seriously...no offense but the guys tip better." She was short with dirty blonde hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. Several loose wisps had come free and were framing her face a face that would look very familiar. She was wearing a red vest that barely covered her breasts and shorts that covered even less. She had tattoos that ran up the length of both arms. But the most startling thing about her was her blue eyes. They were Leon's. There was no doubt about it. "Well? Are you going to answer me?" She snapped when Claire didn't bother to respond to her.

Rebecca would probably surprise him by not squirming or acting surprised, though her insides burned with worry. No matter what she knew better than to trust Albert Wesker.

Claire had been about to wave the surly young woman away and demand another drink. “Who the hell do you...” She then made the mistake of looking up. It didn’t matter how dark the bar was, Claire had looked into those eyes enough times to recognise them in a heartbeat. She simply stared at the young woman with an open mouth, certain the universe was laughing at her. 

“I thought you should meet your lab assistant.” Wesker remarked, clearly enjoying this moment as he rose to his feet, extending a hand to Rebecca as he passed her. The tall blond said little else until they arrived at a cell like room where a man was sat with his head leaned forward, dark hair hanging in his eyes. His well defined arms were chained so they were pulled out horizontal to the floor. Arms... that were covered in intricate tattoos. On his bare chest there was a glowing red device, just like the one that was used on Jill.

"Hey lady, are you drunk or something?" The young woman leaned forward and snapped in Claire's face. When she didn't get a response she snorted. "Oh great. Hey Beef! We've got a live one here!" She shook her head as she walked away motioning to the very large man in the corner. "Why does this always happen to me?" She muttered. 

Rebecca lost her poker face in an instant. She pressed her fingers to her lips and she shook her head. "Billy..." She breathed. "Wesker....what have you done?" She stepped forward into the cage, now kneeling before the man who had once save her life.

“Hey! Don’t walk away from me!” Claire shouted, which probably wasn’t the best idea. “You forgot my drink!” She added quickly, having been caught completely off guard to see those eyes in a place like this. It made her miss Keon even more, and at the same, realise how much her actions would ultimately hurt him.

Wesker had expected this reaction. “So much for leaving your old life behind, officer Chambers.” He sneered as he watched her fawn over the well built marine.

The young woman stopped mid-stride and turned on heel, her indigo eyes blazing. "You want your drink? I'll give you your drink!" She grabbed a glass out of a customer's hand and threw it at Claire, lunging at her in the same moment. 
"Ciara!"The enormous man roared, grabbing her around the waist before she could get too far. "Get out girl! You're fired, you hot headed bitch!" He shouted, tossing her toward the bar back. "And you get out too!" He growled at Claire. "You started this!"

The jealousy was there in Wesker's voice and it was deep. Rebecca couldn't miss it if she were trying. But that didn't stop her from reaching out to touch the familiar tattoo on Billy's arm. Her stomach lurched. This was her fault. He was a slave like Jill had been and it was her fault. Like her he was probably very aware of every single dark deed Wesker had forced him to do.

Claire wiped a hand over her face, more angry that the drink had gotten on her shirt than in her hair. She followed the younger woman outside and grabbed her by her upper arm, taking note of the tattoos. For a brief moment, Claire actually smiled. She imagined she would have done just the same, had Umbrella not sent her life spiralling down a different path. “Ciara, was it?” She asked, her voice betraying the fact she was indeed far from drunk. 

Wesker watched the gentle way Rebecca touched Billy, and knew right away the meaning behind it. “The same as I did to Jill, but that never upset you.”

Ciara yanked her arm free, giving Claire a burning glare. "Don't you think you've done enough? Now I'm going to have to find a new job."

"I never slept with him, Albert. But he treated me like..." She paused her fingers reaching up to cup Billy's grizzled cheek. "Like I mattered."