Nightfall

Disclaimer: Again, I do not own Resident Evil or Capcom or any of its creators. This is solely a work of fan-made fiction. Now, on to the story! I present to you, my newest WeskerxClaire multi-chapter story! :3

Chapter 1: Coming Home

The snow was truly beautiful. The holiday lights reflected off its whiteness in a sea of glittering colors. The sky was so dark, rolling in with more snow to come. The lights of Raccoon City were coming up, and Claire Redfield was glad to see them. She was taking a bus from Denver to get here. Her motorcycle was up for the winter, and her brother couldn't leave work to come and get her. It wasn't uncommon for them to be busy during the holidays.

Claire checked her wristwatch for the time. It was almost seven in the evening. Chris should be at the bus depot waiting for her. The bus was crowded and stuffy, and she was ready to get off. She had a small bag sitting beside her, but her main suitcase was in the cargo hold of the Greyhound bus. She was bundled up for the cold outside. Claire was an autumn person. She loved the colors and the mild weather. The winter was a little too much for her, but she did indeed enjoy the snow. It was the best part of winter.

She had her auburn hair down, something she normally didn't do. She wore a blue scarf, as well as a white jacket over her dark blue tight shirt. She also had on her favorite pair of jeans and a pair of brown boots.

Claire was relieved to hear the screech of the breaks as the vehicle was parked at the depot. Claire proceeded to get off with the other riders and get her bags. It didn't take her long to find Chris. His breath came out in puffs, and he wore a large black coat over his STARS uniform. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"Chris!" she exclaimed. She came over, hugging him.

He returned the hug, and also took her bags for her. "How's my little sister?"

"I didn't enjoy the bus ride too much, but I am glad to be off from college for awhile and stay with you."

Chris frowned. "Yeah, sorry I couldn't come pick you up. Normally, Wesker is good about letting me off to go get you, but we've been so busy."

"It's fine. I know you guys get busy this time of the year."

"So, how about we go get some grub and then we can head home?" Chris asked.

Claire smiled at her older brother, nodding. "Sounds good to me!"

Chris guided her to his parked truck, a dark green 1995 Dodge Ram extended cab 4x4. He unlocked it, putting her bags in the back seat and they climbed in. He drove to one of their favorite places to eat in Raccoon City. It didn't look like much, just a small restaurant called Emmy's Diner. The restaurant looked similar to a railroad dining car on the outside, but on the inside was set up to look more like a normal restaurant.

The two sat down at a booth and looked through the menus while catching up. Claire hadn't seen Chris in over a month, and she was glad to be able to sit down and talk. They ordered their food and told stories about how they were doing. Claire didn't forget to mention about all the college finals and assignments she had just finished to be able to get back here. She could tell that Chris was tired from all the overtime, but he was lively now talking to her.

"So how are the guys? Oh and how's Jill?" Claire asked, laughing softly. She had met most of Chris's fellow STARS members when they were off of work and hanging out. The only one she had never met was the captain himself, Albert Wesker. Of course, she heard all about him from not only Chris but the others as well.

"Everyone's good," Chris chuckled. "Just getting ready for the holidays. It's hard to believe that Christmas is only twenty days away. I still need to do some gift shopping. How long will you be down again?"

"I have to go back January 10th," Claire stated. "So, do you have all the decorations up?"

Chris snorted, waving her off. "You kidding? I saved all of that for you!"

Claire slightly glared at him. "Great, we can do it together."

"Can Jill come over and help?"

"No, Chris, she can't," Claire replied with snide. "Well duh, ya goof! It's your house and you know Jill and I get along great."

"Eat your food," Chris joked, trying to sound like a parent.

"I got a fork and I am not afraid to use it," she chuckled.

They took their time eating and enjoying each other's company. Chris paid for the meal and they left afterwards. Chris drove home, pulling into his driveway in Raccoon City suburbia. It wasn't much, just a two bedroom, one bath house with a small fenced in backyard and cemented driveway with a small overhang for his truck. Ironically, Jill only lived three houses up. Chris had also told her that Wesker lived a few blocks up, where all the fancy, larger properties were.

Chris took her bags to her room. Claire decided to wait to unpack, and just sat down in the living room to chat with Chris some more. She knew he would need to go to bed soon for his early shift tomorrow.

"I'm gonna go in with Jill so you can have the truck to drive around tomorrow," Chris stated, tossing her his keys.

She caught him. "You sure? I probably won't go anywhere."

"Well, you never know. Also, the phones will most likely be busy at work so you may have to come to the precinct if you need me for something."

She slowly nodded. "Alright, but I should be fine. I'm a grown woman you know."

"Hey, you just turned nineteen so don't give me that," Chris warned, pointing at her with a grin.

"Fine, fine," Claire sighed, holding up her hands in defeat and rolling her eyes. "So, does this mean I don't get any of Chris's Awesome Breakfast?"

"That's right. We'll have to do that Saturday morning. Sorry, sis."

"Just don't stress yourself out too much, okay?" Claire sighed. "You do this every year when you have to work all these hours. I worry about you sometimes."

"I'll be fine, don't you worry," Chris answered, smiling softly. "We'll slow down again real soon."

"I still don't think it's right for you to work all these crazy hours," Claire grumbled. "I should have a good talk with that Chief Irons of yours."

Chris chuckled softly. "If only it was Chief Irons who was making us work all these hours. All of us could easily work out something with his fat ass. No, Captain Wesker is making us work all these hours."

"I thought you said he was pretty lenient when you needed to get off to come get me?" Claire asked, giving him a look.

"Well, he usually is, but we are busy, and Wesker couldn't let me go because we were short. Barry and Enrico took vacation days today."

"I still should have a talk with him."

"Uh, no you don't. He can be pretty scary."

Claire gave him a dull look. "Scary? C'mon, Chris. You're just saying that because he is your boss."

"Yeah, so don't embarrass me! It's taken me a long time to prove myself as one of the best to him! Don't screw it up!"

"Alright, alright. Sheesh," sighed Claire. "Really, you guys act as though this guy ranks higher than Irons."

"He pretty much does in our books," Chris chuckled, looking up at the time. "The whole STARS team holds more respect for Wesker than anyone ever would for dip shit Irons. He's a good leader."

He came over and ruffled her hair. She glared up at his goofy grin. "Well, I better go get ready for bed. You know where everything is at. Remember, if you need something and can't get through by phone, you will probably have to come by the RPD. Unless it is an emergency, then you know the line for that."

"Yes, yes, bro. I'm not a kid."

"But you're my little sister, and even when you are fifty I'm gonna treat you like this," Chris joked.

The siblings hugged and Chris went to get ready for bed. Claire decided it would be a good time to get unpacked and sit down on her bed to read a book. Chris would be gone until the evening tomorrow, so she would have the house to herself. Maybe she would use the truck to go pick up some Christmas decorations for them to get started on. Oh, and she would definitely need to go get a tree.

Claire was relieved to finally be able to forget about school for awhile and enjoy some time with family and friends down here. Her small break for Thanksgiving proved to be stressful for her and Chris since she didn't have much time. Now, Claire had almost six weeks off to enjoy everything down here in Raccoon City.

She twitched a smile as she unpacked at the thought. She looked outside the nearby window, and saw that more fluffy snowflakes were falling from the dark sky, only being illuminated by the nearby street lamps.

She could feel it in her bones. This winter break was going to what she was craving for awhile. Something she needed, something she would never forget.

A/N: So there is the first, short chapter! Those who know me know that my first few chapters are short but get longer as the story progresses! Yes, the diner Chris and Claire went to eat at was the same diner from Resident Evil 2 when Claire bumped into Leon and they get into the cop car! :) I'm clever like that, oh irony! Remember, this story is an AU! Also remember this is Pre-RE1! So that means right here we are at the end of the year 1997. Resident Evil 1 happens in summer of 1998! That means older vehicles, technology, and no cell phones! I say this because I started writing them with cell phones and then I realized...hey they didn't have cell phones really back then! XD Anyways, hope you all enjoyed the next chapter! This story is going to take Illusion's place when that story is finished! Thanks! :)