Do you remember?

The fall season had finally settled down, but a constant warm breeze kept playing with the woman's hair as she walked down the silent path filled with dead but colorful leaves. On each side of her, rows of tombstones were stoically reflecting the last sun rays of the day.

Step by step, the woman went further in the territory of the dead until she reached the end of the path. However, the purpose of her visit was still feet away. She had to cross more rows of tombstones which were beginning to be less organized, the stones being scattered around, breaking the symmetry of the previous ones.

The woman continued to walk on the cold grass, her feet barely making any sound, excepting the seldom crisping of the dead leaves. She walked forward until she reached a solitary tombstone. It was small, barely as glorious as the rest of the symbolic stones of the deceased, but it was clean and still polished, revealing its recentness. It also had a beautiful golden coloration because of the setting sun.

A forlorn sigh escaped the visitor's lips. She stood quietly in front of the stone. She didn't dare to approach it without saying something. The warm breeze continued to tug and toss her hair that was always pulled back in a neat ponytail. She never really liked them down anyway. Putting her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket, the woman stared at the name carved into the stone.

That name. She hasn't said it since so long. She then wondered if she would be able to pronounce it correctly without feeling the guilt, the pain, the remorse she thought she had lost seven years ago. But she was alone and no one would judge her except herself. She thought it was a bit silly to speak out loud to a rock, but she did it anyway, knowing that it would do her some good.

"Hi, Steve…

It's been a while, eh?" she finally said, somewhat content that she didn't break into tears like she would have done a few years ago.

"I know that I haven't visited you since long ago…sorry about that," she continued, suddenly feeling her heart getting heavier.

"Something happened the other day…something big. I was coming back from a work trip and I had to meet a colleague at the Hardvarville airport, but the place got infected by the T-Virus…can you imagine that? I had to fight zombies again…! It's been now seven years since the last time I had to confront them. I never thought I would again…"

The red-head woman then stopped speaking, looking sadly at the non-responsive stone. The sun was slowly disappearing, creating a halo of light around the monument. A small smile found itself on the woman's lips.

"But don't worry. I didn't get hurt badly. You know how stubborn I can be. I also met Leon. It's been a while too. The last time I saw him was even before meeting you…Meeting him brought back memories of Raccoon City, but also of what had happened afterward. And…I'm a bit ashamed of saying that, but I had suddenly remembered you and how we had to fight together to survive. I guess it's the reason of why I am standing right here at this moment.

But don't think I have ever forgotten about you…"she whispered, feeling her heart tightening even more. "Hey Steve…do you know why I joined Terra-Save?" she then asked, staring at the tombstone.

Since the red-head figured it wouldn't respond, she took a step forward and crouched down to be closer to the only concrete representation of her lost friend.

"I joined them because of you. Yes, because of you, because I felt so guilty, so ashamed of myself when you died. I had promised you that we would escape together…but you certainly know that I was naïve to believe that….You have no idea how terrible I felt when I realized that I couldn't do anything to save you…

That's why I joined the organization. I thought that if I could help victims of bio-terrorism, I could pay my debt to you and have the feeling that I'm doing something right… something that I could be proud of. Something that would ease my guilt…"

The woman stopped once again from talking. The sun was almost gone. She had so much more to say, but she hesitated. She was getting to something deeper, more personal, and she wasn't sure if she really wanted to say it out loud, or even think about it. She could still remember clearly every detail, every moment, every struggle of her misadventures on Rockfort Island and in Antarctica, but the feelings she had had for the boy back then remained clouded and confusing. She was pretty sure that it hadn't been love, but she knew she had been quite attracted to him in many ways. She had considered him as a friend and a partner, not that she hadn't thought of them being closer, but it would have been futile anyway. Steve died.

And he was still dead.

There wasn't a body under the tombstone. The bastard with the name of Albert Wesker had stolen it because of the dormant virus that was flowing in the boy's vein. But Steve was still dead. She was there when he gave his last breath, his last look in her eyes, his last smile…She was there when his body went entirely limp and got cold as ice. She was there when he had whispered those last words.

She was there when Steve Burnside died.

But now, it was so way behind her. She had moved on. She got a job and a nice apartment. She had a cute kitten waiting for her return from work each day. She had made some nice friends. She had also thought about having a relationship, but she was still wondering if she was ready for it. It sure could get lonely when she would find herself watching TV during the evening with her kitten on her lap. But, the idea of caring for someone who could ultimately die prevented her from thinking about it too seriously. She didn't know if that state of mind was solely because of the loss of Steve or because of her experiences with the un-dead in general. One way or another, she still feared of reliving what happened in that dark room in the Umbrella base seven years ago.

But that aside, the woman could consider herself being happy and somewhat lucky…if the events at the Harvardville airport hadn't happened. Zombies. Again. It was as if she was begging for more. But that time, nothing catastrophic happened beside the return of painful memories…

"Hey, Steve…do you remember when we were in that plane? I fell asleep against you…you were so warm…so, alive. It's strange to say that now, but I felt comfortable with you. I knew you were trying very hard to protect me. I was happy. Knowing you were there for me and I was there for you. But that still led to…the inevitable."

Her words then ended there, sensing that feeling of guilt appearing once again. But the woman shook her head. She knew that the boy died so she could live. She should feel grateful for that. She was, but it was so much more complicated.

"Hey Steve…do you remember when that freak Alfred found out he was dressing himself as his sister? It's so funny now that I think about it," she continued, chucking a little bit. "He was really fucked up. But I also felt some pity for him; being separated from his sister for so long…I know how that feels. Oh and, Chris has joined an organisation called B.S.A.A. They're fighting bio-terrorists. I think it's nice, but he's still exposing himself to danger…eh, I'm still worrying for him. I should grow up, don't you think?"

Another pause. The cemetery was completely silent. The sun was definitely gone and only some scattered lamps were providing light to the place. The temperature had also lowered and the woman found herself stroking vividly her arms. It was about time to go.

"Oh and Steve…do you remember when you said you would take me to Hawaii? Well…I'm still sad that it didn't happen. But you know what? If I ever go there, I'll make sure to enjoy myself in your honour. You can count on that…"

Sighing once again, the red-head was about to say her goodbyes and leave, but she suddenly heard the crackling sounds of dead leaves not far from behind her. She didn't move nor turned around. She cursed inwardly when she realized she wasn't armed. She got that bad habit of being paranoid, thinking that Umbrella, even if it was gone, would get back to her somehow. When she didn't hear the person moving, she thought about confronting it squarely, but a somewhat sensuous voice prevented her from even breathing.

"Sure feels weird to see your own name on a tombstone…"

To be continued...

Author's notes: Still alive. I'm glad to post that new story, but on the other hand, that means that I didn't keep my word. I didn't update one of my in-progress stories ...buuuut...I wanted so much to write that story after I saw RE:Degeneration. Actually, that story was inspired by a dream that I made about Degeneration XD In it, Claire was visiting Steve's tomb after the events that happened in the movie. And since I was kinda disappointed that there weren't any mention of Steve in the movie, I thought about writing that. In my opinion, Claire is still sad about Steve's death. I'm guessing that he's one of the reasons of why she had joined Terra-Save. Since nothing can prove me wrong, I'll believe in that. There's gonna be a sequel, of course. I just don't know when I'll write it though ^^; Hope you enjoyed it. And I'm still sorry if I didn't continue my other stories. I'm actually working on a new chapter for one of them, so....please, be patient.