Reawakened Memories is a rewrite of my A New Meeting. I'm hoping that this will turn out better and that I personally will be more satisfied with this. So far I am. Constructive Critism is welcome and I hope that everyone who reads this finds this to be satisfactory as well. I've already stated why I have decided to do this on A New Meeting Chapter Six which is also incomplete I might add. (I won't be finishing that chapter unless someone really wants me to) Also I am not deleting A New Meeting even if I believe it's a failed attempt. It's something that can be looked back on to see how I've improved from that first fanfic.
Resident Evil and all Resident Evil characters belong to CAPCOM
The story and the personalities of these characters are mine. They are my own vision of what the characters are like and how they'd react.
Thank you and please enjoy.
EDIT: I've fixed this up and added about 400-500 words-mainly to the ending. I'll hopefully get started on chapter two soon. My younger brother keeps bugging me though about him getting the computer or me playing Code:Veronica though. I had to restart from one of my ealier saves on it so Claire has enough health to get past Steve. Bit ironic. At least I get to see Chris slap Wesker again : P I'm right at that part where Wesker chokes him. Hate Bandersnatches and then the poisonous Hunters though. BAH. WHY'D STEVE HAVE TO KILL ME A MILLION TIMES?! _
Claire was frowning when she came home from work, exhausted, but happy that her vacation started the next day. She dropped her stuff on the couch, going to untie her shoes when she noticed that her answering machine was blinking and went over to check it instead.
"First message," said an automated voice before a familiar one was heard. "Hey, Claire, I finally got a chance to call you. I'm going to be home this month. I'll call you again to tell you my flight schedule. Talk to you later."
She smiled at that; he had made her day just then. "Chris," she said aloud, feeling slightly excited at the chance to see her brother after a few months.
"Second message," the automated voice spoke up.
"Another?" Claire muttered to herself, maybe it's Leon. Haven't heard from him in a while.
"Hey, this is Steve. Meet me at the café on Twelfth in three days."
"End message . . . no more messages," the answering machine sounded with its artificial voice.
Claire stood in shock for a moment, "Steve?" she whispered, shaking her head in astonishment at the voice that struck a needle through her heart, "p-prank call." She walked off toward her small two bedroom apartment's only bathroom to take a shower, trying to shrug the strange message off.
After her shower, she dried her hair and got dressed. Claire scolded herself for continually thinking of the message from "Steve." He's dead. She reminded herself, Steve Burnside is dead.
Claire walked past the answering machine again while on her way to the couch, but she couldn't help but stop and stare at it for a moment before replaying the last message.
"Hey, this is Steve. Meet me at the café on Twelfth in three days."
Sounds fake, she convinced herself, leaving it alone and watching whatever she could find on cable.
The next day, the phone rang while Claire was making something for herself to eat. Figuring if it was important enough that they would leave a message, she left it alone.
When she finally checked her machine, it said after the usual computer generated voice, "Steve again. You'll meet me at the café in two days, right?" "End message . . . no more messages."
"Uh . . ." she backed up, having not expected that. She sat on the couch and leaned onto her arm. Whoever it is, I guess they aren't the type to give up. She glanced at the machine again, ignoring the goodies that were being made on the food channel.
After what seemed like an eternity of just staring at it, she got back up and replayed it again, trying to remember exactly how her Steve had sounded.
"It still can't be him," she said, giving up after about twenty times, the voice sounding more and more like the Steve she knew.
She tried to push back her returning thoughts of Steve for the rest of the day, it not being a very successful attempt. That night she had dreams of that moment, the moment he had died. . .
. . .and when she awoke, it had sent chills up her spine and she found herself crying.
Claire had woken up later than usual, it being one in the afternoon. She saw that she had another voice message and prayed that it wasn't "Steve."
She had waited a while before playing it, just getting herself composed.
"Meet me at the café tomorrow at noon, okay?" was today's message from the stalker Steve.
After that, Claire decidedly called Leon about it, figuring he'd be more calm than Chris. Claire mainly just wanted someone's support or guidance in the matter.
"This is Leon," he had picked up after a few rings; he sounded preoccupied.
"Hey, Leon. Can I talk to you about something?" she asked, trying to get straight to the point.
"Claire? Uh, yeah. Sure. What about?"
"Well there's been this guy calling me the past few days and asking me to go to some café tomorrow. I've only let the machine take it though."
He was silent for a moment, "I'll be over tonight. Make sure your door's locked. If he knows your number, he knows where you live. We can't take any chances of you getting hurt."
"Leon, you don't have to. I just wanted to tell someone about it. You know Chris would absolutely freak if he knew. If you really want, just come to the café with me tomorrow and we'll catch him. You'll be my backup."
She heard Leon sigh, knowing he liked to play hero, "all right, what time?"
She smiled a little at his submissive attitude about it, "the guy wants me to meet him there at noon. The café on Twelfth is what he said. Think you can make it?"
"Yeah. I'll meet you at your house at eleven then, we can talk about it then. Bye."
"Okay, bye," she waited for him to hang up before doing so herself. She then went to make sure she was ready for the meeting with "Steve."
Claire got up at nine the next morning, doing her usual routine until the phone rang. She answered it, "Claire Redfield."
There was a chuckle in her ear which made her twitch slightly, "hey, you going to show up at the café?"
She tried to stay calm and ordered, "who are you?"
"Didn't you get the messages? It's Steve. It's been a long time, but I'm alive."
Claire shook her head, quickly hanging up and sitting, trying to let the small amount of information sink in. "No. This is too weird. It really does sound like him."
A while later there was a knock at the door, forcing her to get up and answer it.
"Sorry I'm a little early," Leon said immediately.
She shook her head, "no, it's fine, come in." Claire stepped back to allow him in before shutting and locking the door.
"Did anything happen?" he walked over to the couch, standing by it.
"Nothing really. He called a while ago," she hadn't moved from the door.
"Did you answer it?" he asked, sounding tense.
She nodded, "yeah. Yeah I did."
Leon then pulled out a map, "got a table?"
She nodded and led him into the kitchen where there was a table pushed up against the far wall, a foot away from a counter.
Leon set the map out on the table, an area was circled in red which he pointed at. "Here's where the café is located. The Sunrise. Cheesy name if you ask me."
"Agreed," she looked the map over, "you could park a block away and walk in after a few minutes, couldn't you?"
"Yeah. You'd have to be careful even when I arrive though. He shouldn't know that we know each other. It'd put a damper on us if it slipped though."
"I know, I know," she rolled her eyes at his "professionalism." "So I'll park out front and head in while you park a block away," she glanced at him, looking for a reaction.
"Right. And then you'll head inside. I'll guard the outside for about ten minutes and then come in. If anything happens, I have my cell. Do you got yours on you?"
"It's in my room. I'll go get it," she jogged off while Leon packed the map up. When she came back, he was at the door.
"Ready?" he asked, "we might as well get there early."
She nodded, her brown ponytail bobbing as she did, "yeah."