Forbidden Love:

Chapter one:

Claire Redfield awoke in the middle of the night, she sat bolt upright in her bed. She looked around with wide scared eyes, she'd had another nightmare and couldn't figure out where she was.

It had been three years since the Raccoon and Rockfort incidents, Chris had been true to his word, despite trying to bring down Umbrella and their B.O.W.s he hadn't left his sister alone for more then a few days at a time, afraid she'd be used against him. They were currently hiding in a rundown house out in the woods, it was large enough to hold the Redfields, Jill Valentine, Barry Burton, Rebecca Chambers, Leon Kennedy, and the small girl Claire had rescued from Raccoon, Sherry Birkin.

After looking around a little, Claire realized where she was, alone in the small room she'd chosen. She rolled over to climb out of her bed. She was thirsty and probably wasn't going to be getting back to sleep after that dream anyway.

She padded downstairs in a pair of short cotton shorts, a tee-shirt with the S.T.A.R.S. logo, stolen from her brother's laundry weeks before, her light red hair messy around her shoulders. She decided she'd get herself a drink of water and fix a snack.

Meanwhile upstairs in the room right across from her's Chris Redfield was still awake, surfing the internet for clues to Umbrella's wrongdoings when he heard someone downstairs. He jumped up from his chair, grabbed a ball bat and rushed downstairs in his boxers.

Claire wasn't paying attention to the sounds behind her as she made popcorn. Chris rushed up behind her, not able to tell who it was in the dark. "Who the fuck are you?" He demanded, raising the bat high. Claire turned at the sound of his voice and screamed. "You dumbass it's just me! Your sister!" She covered her head with her arms.

Chris lowered the bat and allowed his eyes to adjust to the dark for a few seconds. "Claire, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize you were down here." He explained, watching her trembling figure. His thoughts turned down a very wrong alley as he watched her firm breasts rise and fall with her breathing. He shook his head to clear it.

Claire had lowered herself onto a chair, her eyes wide and frightened. "Chris you scared the hell out of me." She said softly, finally looking up at him with a look that nearly made his heart break. She studied him as well, his broad muscular chest, strong arms, her eyes took in his boxers. Claire stop that, he's your brother! Her mind screamed.

Chris sat down beside her, feeling bad for scaring her. "What's the matter Claire-Bear? You're never up this late without a reason." He said softly, watching her slowly calm down, she either wouldn't or couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. This worried him, even when she was as young as three or four she would always come to him first. Maybe she knows how you feel about her and she's disgusted. The voice in his head suggested. He told the voice to shut up.

"I had a bad dream." She explained. "Another one, about Raccoon and Rockfort and the Ashfords, and Steve, hell even Wesker was there....and you..." She added softly, tears springing into her eyes again.

Chris cursed Umbrella yet again for all they'd stolen from him, his friends and his baby sister, he could tell just by looking at her she hadn't been sleeping much. "Claire, what was the dream about?" He asked softly, putting a hand on her shoulder, she was still breathing heavily, weather from the nightmare or from him nearly taking her head off he wasn't sure, but he felt pretty bad just the same.

"It's hard to explain but I'll see if I can." She said slowly, closing her eyes she began to speak. "I was in Raccoon, surrounded by zombies and that was bad enough, but then suddenly I was on the island again...and Steve was there, but he was dead...and he had you...and the Ashfords were making out with each other....and Steve handed you to Wesker...." She stoped talking, the tears she needed to shed finally comming out.

Chris just sat there helplessly, wanting to murder Wesker, anyone who had ever hurt him or his sister. "Claire what is it you're not telling me? I'm your big brother, whatever it is I'm not going to get angry." He tried to get her to open up even a little, knowing he had secrets he couldn't really tell her either.

She frowned, afraid to tell him, for fear he'd leave forever. "Chris if I tell you this, you can't hate me, I can deal with the nightmares and the lack of sleep but I can't deal with you hating me." She said, sounding terrified.

"Claire-Bear there's nothing you can tell me that would ever make me hate you." He was taken aback by her thinking he could ever hate her.

"Chris, my feelings for you are changing...I used to think of you as my big brother, my protector, and my best friend. But lately I've realized that I've been wanting something that can never be, I've fallen in love with you Chris. Not just that I love you as a little sister loves the brother who's taken care of her most of her life but as a woman loves the man she wants to marry." The last was said nearly in one breath, looking at her hands, fearful of his reaction.

Chris sat back in shock that his sister felt the same way. "Claire...I've been feeling similar feelings since I saw you in that Umbrella facility, I've hidden them with my work and staying away from you when I could manage it." He explained softly.

Claire yawned and her brother smiled at her. "Come on Claire-Bear why don't we go rest on the couch?" He offered, standing and holding his hand out for her. Claire nodded and accepted his hand.

They went into the living room and curled up together on the couch, both of them finally getting some much needed rest for the first time in weeks.