Circumstancial Decisions
Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil.
Pairing: Wesker/Claire if you squint. Maybe some Wesker/Redfields in general.
Warnings: SPOILER for RE5 trailer...? violence. UN-BETA'd.
Summary: Wesker has Chris at gunpoint, and in that brief moment of time, he reflects on the Redfield siblings. He spares Chris not only because of what he is, but who he is: Claire Redfield's beloved brother.
edited Feb.10.09
"Time to die, Chris."
After ten years, he finally had him where he wanted him, and he was certain that there would be no interruptions. Christopher Redfield had been a thorn in his side for as long as he could remember. When he'd think back on it, he didn't think that the information he'd gathered on the combative skills of the T-virus had been worth meeting him. Chris was everything that Wesker never believed existed in the world; he was trustworthy, honest, and resilient – a chivalrous knight who would have been made king back in the Middle Ages. If Wesker could just get rid of him, then there'd be nothing else to stop him from destroying the world; there would be no one else left to redeem it.
There was still her, but Wesker would find her once he was done with this Redfield.
Sometimes, his mind would trail off to Claire Redfield. When a file would take more than five minutes to upload or when the test results were being printed out onto a tray, he'd think of her, of her red hair and clear blue eyes. He'd only seen her once, but that was enough. It was enough to have him investigate her whereabouts just to make sure she'd stay out of his way. He hadn't been surprised to find her working with the TerraSave. She was a protector whilst her brother was a fighter. They were two sides of the same coin, the only token that kept all of humanity in a balance. Wesker couldn't stand them. They needed to die, and he'd start with the eldest first.
Chris was on one knee on the floor in front of him. He'd been in the process of getting up after recovering from a blow to the ribs that had sent him flying, but Wesker had halted his progress by putting the barrel of a magnum in his face. Without his ever present sunglasses, Wesker could see the blue fire in Chris's eyes. His vision made acute by the virus allowed him to discern their every nuance of color. They were dark blue around the pupils and sky blue at the rest of the iris. He could make out little flecks of green near the center; the flecks of gold he saw were probably his imagination.
And even as he faced death, knowing that luck could no longer save him, Chris didn't look frightened or resigned in the least. In fact, he looked defiant and angry, like a tiger staring at its poacher. It was a look that told Wesker that Chris had no regrets, that he'd lived his life to the fullest and had done all he could to save the world. He'd loved, lost, killed, and saved, and the only thing he had left to do was die. But there was still more. Chris wasn't saying anything, but his eyes were asking Wesker to spare him this one last time.
If Wesker killed him now, he'd be left with one remaining obstacle. Claire would come after him when she discovered her brother to be dead, and Wesker would have no difficulties killing her. He idly wondered how that scenario would play out. Would he kill her with a gun or with his bare hands? Would he toy with her for a bit or beat her at the first chance he got? Would he let her speak or silence her? He wanted to see the raw emotions on her face. He wanted to see a Redfield finally break, and although it would have been more satisfying to see Chris in tears, he simply didn't have the convenience of finding Claire and torturing her in front of his face.
A deeper part of him wanted to see her cry instead. He'd gotten more satisfaction out of thrashing her around back on Rockfort Island than if he had been bullying her brother, but maybe that was because he knew Chris would be hurt more by it. Chris, that bleeding heart, would rather suffer a thousand deaths than see anyone he loved in pain. But after he was dead, Claire would be the only one to suffer. Wesker wouldn't be torturing anyone but her. Whenever he'd hit her, it would be to cause her pain – not Chris, not anyone else.
He pulled back the hammer of the gun. The click echoed loudly around them.
Chris didn't flinch, didn't blink. Wesker shifted and pulled the trigger. The bullet grazed Chris's left cheekbone, leaving a burn that would surely scar. Chris cried out in pain and brought the back of his hand up to his cheek. Wesker grabbed his wrist to stop the movement. Their eyes met. Blood dripped from Chris's cheek and landed on Wesker's gloved hand.
"I've changed my mind. Let's run into each other again, Chris. Don't die unless it's by my hand."
He released him and walked away, knowing that Chris wouldn't attack him with his back turned, not after he'd been spared. He picked up his shades and placed them back on the bridge of his nose, obscuring his eyes once again and veiling the world in grey. There were only three colors he could tolerate to see, and those were dark blue, sky blue, and flecks of green.
He walked out of the lab, ignoring the comatose body of Chris's latest partner. She'd served her part. Now he had to gather his resources, relocate, and find a new set of test subjects. As he boarded the helicopter to leave Kijuju, he looked back. He saw Chris helping Sheva out of the building. At that moment, Chris looked up, but Wesker was already in the chopper and in the air.
Back there, the tables had been turned. By hurting Chris, he would have hurt Claire, and he'd much rather cause her pain directly. He'd spared Chris's life because killing him was the worst thing he could have done to her, and there was still so much he could do to make her suffer, to force her to her physical and emotional limits. He didn't want to turn her into something she wasn't ready to become. He liked her as a protector best. Her type of spirit was the most satisfying to destroy.
I've always had an obsession with Wesker/Redfields. Please don't ask why. It just seems so...canon... whether its Wesker/Chris or Wesker/Claire. This is my first attempt at some shadow of Wesker/Claire without trying to be too cliche or OOC about it. Please be gentle in any comments you might leave! And thanks for reading!
