Chapter 2: The Meeting
The next few days seemed to pass by with a blur. Claire pretty much had the house to herself until Chris came home in the evenings. She had spent her time going downtown to shop for Christmas decorations and gifts, and also picked up a real tree at a farm outside of the city. The one night Chris had gotten off early they spent putting the decorations up, as well as the tree. Jill showed up awhile later to help them with decorating the tree and house.
She looked tired; much like Chris did from all the overtime, and complained about the infinite stack of paperwork on her desk. The three decided to go out for dinner afterwards. They went to one of the better bistros uptown to enjoy a relaxing dinner.
"So, Claire how have you been?" Jill asked.
"Well, I was going to say very busy from school, but you guys looked as though you've been dragged by a horse. So, I will just go with I am doing fine."
Jill laughed. "Thanks. It's always busy this time of the year. Not only is it our time to catch up on stacks of paperwork, but this time of year also has more crimes to deal with."
"Oh, and I have to go in at freaking three in the morning," Chris groaned, slapping his forehead.
"You're not the only one," Jill sighed.
"Three? But you've been going in at five already, and that's earlier than your normal shift as it is!" Claire stated, looking between them.
Their food arrived shortly after that. The three ate their meals, talking about upcoming Christmas and New Years as well as Claire's dealings with college and Chris and Jill's work. Jill parted ways from them after Chris paid for the meal, saying she had to go pick up a few things.
Chris drove him and Claire home. He immediately prepared for bed. Claire watched him walk over to her while she sat on the couch. He had showered, brushed his teeth, and looked ready to drop dead.
"Well, I will see you tomorrow."
"Going in at three in the morning is insane," Claire grumbled.
"Hey, the good news is I should get off earlier," Chris weakly chuckled. "Goodnight sis."
"Night, Chris."
Claire was relieved the lights looked great outside the house. The white and blue lights danced in a pattern as they rimmed the roof of Chris's house. She walked inside to check out the tree. It was decorated with the same colors, white and blue. Claire hated the rainbow color lights, and these two colors came off as elegant to her, with a deep sense of meaning. The three of them truly did a great job at putting up the decorations.
She checked her watch, wondering where Chris could be. He went in with Jill at three this morning, hopping a ride in Jill's Mustang. He had called her around lunch time to let her know that he should be off by three or four.
Claire sighed. Her watch said nearly seven thirty. She was starting to worry. It was dark outside, and she could see that other houses on the block had their Christmas lights on. "C'mon, Chris."
Just as she spoke those words, the phone started ringing. She knew it had to be him calling again, so rushed to the kitchen to answer the phone. "Hello?"
"Claire, hey. Something came up. I will have to be on patrol with Jill and Brad until ten tonight. Don't wait up for me, alright?"
"What? Ten o'clock?"
"Yeah, I know. We had a damn bank robbery earlier, but the investigation is still going on. We are just going to stay out until Richard and Forest are able to take our places."
"Do you know how many hours that will be that you have worked?" Claire growled.
"Yes, mother, I know! Don't sweat it, sis. I got my day off coming up in a couple of days. Trust me; I'm used to working these hours this time of year."
"Fine. Just be careful okay?"
"I will. You too. Love ya."
"Love you too." Claire hung up, sitting the phone back in place. She was now extremely annoyed with this. She came here on her winter break to visit with her brother, not live in his house alone.
She tapped her fingers on the bar, thinking with a scowl. She suddenly felt like driving over to the precinct to give Wesker a piece of her mind. The next thing she knew, she was grabbing the Dodge keys and heading out to town. She remembered that Chris didn't want her to talk to him for the sake of his reputation. He knew how his sister could be when she was angry.
I won't do anything hurt Chris's reputation. I'm just gonna go in, talk to his captain, and see if there is someway we can figure something out. I'm not going to let my brother become a mindless, drooling zombie after working so many freaking hours when I am trying to spend time with him!
The grand hall of the precinct was busy with officers and normal citizens. Claire had been here a few times, but never upstairs where the STARS office was located. She looked around for a familiar face and just about jumped in joy when she saw Joseph Frost talking to another cop. He stood out with his red bandana on his head, and he wore his STARS uniform as well.
"Joseph!"
"Claire! Hey girl!" he laughed, hugging her. "What are you doing here? Didn't Chris call you before he left on patrol?"
"Yes, he did. But I am here to talk to Wesker."
The color drained from Joseph's face. "What? S-say that again?"
"I came to talk to Wesker. I'm not very happy with these hours that Chris has to work."
"Oh…" Joseph trailed off, scratching the back of his head. "Well, good luck with that, kid."
"Not so fast! You are going to take me to where he is!" Claire snapped, grabbing his arm before he could slip away.
"Alright, alright!" he sighed. "C'mon, this way. I will just take you to the STARS office. You are on your own talking to him. I got too many things to worry about right now."
"That's fine by me, Joseph. Thanks."
The Alpha Team member led her through the police station and up the stairs in another lobby. Claire looked around, nodding at friendly officers while taking in the sights of the hallways and rooms around them. She had never been so far into the RPD before. Joseph brought her to a door in another hallway. On the left was an emblem in gold that read: STARS: Special Tactics And Rescue Service.
"Here ya are! Good luck!" Joseph exclaimed.
She hardly had time to thank him before he was heading off, waving at her over his shoulder before he disappeared around the corner. Claire rolled her eyes, looking back to the door. She took a moment to gather herself. She wasn't nervous; she had a knack for dealing with people no matter what position they were. She knocked on the door with a few strong taps.
She waited for a long moment, listening for a voice to call her inside. She never heard one. She went to knock again and then the door was swinging open. Claire took a step back, seeing a man step forth into the doorway to glare down at her.
Claire blinked, surprised and very much not expecting the man she saw before her. He was tall, handsome, and strong-built. He wore a dark STARS uniform and a pair of sunglasses. His blond hair was slick back, and a small headset rested on one ear. And though she was expecting an older, completely different looking man to be serving as Captain of STARS and one of Raccoon City's Finest, she knew all too well that this was Albert Wesker.
He peered at her curiously. "Can I help you?"
Claire almost forgot what she had come here to do.
"Wait a minute. You are Redfield's younger sister, aren't you?"
She looked at him in surprise. "Yeah, how did you-?"
"He has a picture of you on his desk," Wesker interrupted. "Chris isn't here. He is on patrol. Is there anything else I can do for you? I'm very busy."
"Yes, you can actually," Claire stated calmly, glaring at him slightly.
"Of course there is," he snorted, moving out of the doorway to let her into the office. Claire hesitated just outside the office and he glared at her. "Well?"
She moved into the STARS office. Wesker shut the door behind her and headed over to his desk. Claire glanced around, seeing several desks for Alpha and Bravo Team. There was paperwork and folders on every desk as well as personal items. Wesker offered her a seat that sat right on the other side of his desk before he sat down himself.
"So, Miss Redfield. It seems you need to talk to me about a problem."
"Actually, yes," Claire sighed, sitting down.
Wesker took off his sunglasses and tossed them onto his desk before rubbing his face with his hands. He leaned back in his chair, staring at her with intense gray-blue eyes. "Well, go on then."
"I think it is unfair that you are making Chris work all these hours."
Wesker didn't say anything at first, but he did slightly cock his head and twitch a smile. His chuckle made her shiver. "Unfair? And you think he is the only one suffering?"
"No, I don't," she answered calmly. "But 3 a.m. to 10 p.m. is a little too harsh for anyone, don't you think? I would think that you would have more members to divide the work between."
Wesker chuckled again. "Let me put it this way, Miss Redfield. Raccoon City has a population of 100,000 people. At this time of year there are more crimes, more accidents, and this is also the time of the year that the federal government wants more paperwork done. I cannot help any of this, but as Captain I try to make it fair between all my officers for these long hours. Senior members with a family to tend to get more time off than those who don't have a family. That explains why Chris, Jill, Brad, Joseph, and I are here most of the time. Does that make sense, Miss Redfield?"
He did make a very valid point. Claire felt depressed now. She mumbled her next response. "Yes."
Wesker was quiet for a moment while studying her. Sighing, he got to his feet, watching as Claire got up as well. "I tell you what, Miss Redfield. It slipped my mind that you were coming here on your winter break to visit Chris. I will inform Chris that he has the next two days off. And I will try to keep in mind not to make him work so many hours while you are down. Fair?"
Claire couldn't believe it. She smiled at him. "Thank you."
Wesker escorted her to the door, opening it for her. "You have a good night, Miss Redfield."
"Yeah, you too."
He shut the door behind her, leaving her out in the hallway alone. Claire started heading for the main hall of the police station. Her thoughts were thick on the conversation she just had with Wesker. He came off as a calm, collected, and respectful leader, but Claire couldn't help but notice the darkness that were in his eyes. She tried to tell herself that it was normal for an experienced officer like him to come off with somewhat a dark side. She was sure that Wesker had seen things in his line of work that no one would wish to see in a lifetime. Still, the strange feeling never left until she made it home in Chris's Dodge. She made herself a small snack and read a magazine while she waited for Chris to get home. It wasn't long after ten o'clock before Jill's Mustang pulled into the driveway. Chris got out, and then the Mustang backed out and headed home. Chris entered the house without having to unlock the door. Claire forgot to lock it, and she twitched a smile as he sat the magazine down, already acing the script on what her brother was going to say.
"You forgot to lock the front door! Someone could break into the house!"
"Chris, I think if someone was going to break in, then a simple locked door isn't going to stop them. I'm sorry, I forgot okay?"
"Alright, alright," Chris sighed. He was taking off his belt and supplies from his STARS uniform, sitting them on the kitchen counter.
Claire followed him in there, watching as her brother glanced up at her with a suspicious expression. He leaned on the counter. "So…Wesker just informed me before coming home that I get the next two days off."
"Really?" Claire tried to sound surprised. "That's great!"
"What did you say to him exactly?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about!"
"Sis, he told me you came down there, don't try that."
Claire held up her hands in defense. "Alright, you got me. I just told him that you deserved more time off, especially with your sister down visiting. Don't worry, bro. I highly doubt I ruined your reputation."
"No, but I will never live it down that my little sister came to my rescue and talked my captain into giving me a couple days off."
Claire laughed. "See? Your teammates should be lining up begging me to be their sister!"
"You must have caught Wesker in a good mood, that's all I got to say," Chris chuckled. "Now, I am going to take a shower. I guess tomorrow we can actually go do something together for once!"
"If you don't sleep in all day. You look like a zombie," Claire said, shaking her head but also grinning.
"Thanks. And I was trying to keep myself looking good."
"For Jill?"
"Hey now, that's uncalled for!"
In her first week down, Claire was glad to finally be able to enjoy Chris's awesome breakfast. Her brother definitely knew how to cook, and made sure he learned. Chris always told her that women always wanted a guy who could cook, and that was one of the main reasons he learned to cook well. She could care less; it was a nice break from ramen and other packaged cheap foods that she lived on in her college dorm. It also didn't matter that he made this breakfast a little after noon, since he slept in. Claire knew he needed the sleep.
"So? What do we have planned today?" Chris asked.
"Hmm…how about we go see a movie? Then I can help you pick out a gift for Jill since I know you are dying to find one. Tonight, they are having a small festival for the city's Christmas lights in Central Square too."
"Sounds good to me! Wait…what movie are we going to see? No romantic comedies or chick flicks!"
"Am I the kind of girl that watches those?" Claire asked, glaring at her brother across the table as they ate.
"No, but I just had to yell it out."
"That new thriller that we both want to see it out finally."
"Oh, then I'm game!" Chris laughed.
Their schedule had been set. The Redfield siblings got ready, and then headed out to town. They went to the theater and watched a movie, then headed to the mall to find Jill a gift. Chris had no luck, even with Claire's help, only because he was unsure of anything. Claire decided to tell Chris that she would talk to Jill and see if she could stealthily get something out of Jill that she wanted. With a little time to spare before the festival in the Central Square, the two decided to stop by their favorite coffee shop to have some hot cocoa and talk.
By the time it got dark, and they made their way over to Central Square, it was crowded. They wore thick coats for the icy wind that blew. The city had salted and cleared the roads mostly, and so only snow was left on various parts of buildings, cars, and some of the sidewalks. Chris and Claire were able to get food and drinks as they lit up the city's own tree that towered in the square. Main Street was then lit up as every business showed off their own decorations that seemed to bathe the street even more so than the street lamps.
The siblings stayed for awhile, visiting with people they knew and listening to the carols play. By the time they arrived home, it was late. They decided to stay up to watch some old movies before going to bed.
"I think Jill is off tomorrow too. Maybe if we all three go do something you can talk to her?" Chris asked, looking hopeful.
"Of course! And don't worry, I will be sneaky about it!"
"Great! Oh, by the way! That next morning when we both go back to work, Jill has to go in earlier than me. Do you mind getting up and giving me a ride to the police station in the morning? I want to keep the truck with you in case you need to go somewhere."
"Yeah, it's fine, Chris!"
"Good. Well, we better head off to bed so we can maybe get up a little earlier and have breakfast on time."
Claire laughed, getting up with her brother from the couch. "Yeah, you're right. Goodnight, Chris."
"Night, sis!"
A/N: I don't know why, but in some fics I make Chris a horrible cook, and in some I make him a good cook lol. This is one where he is a good cook! I have no idea why I do that, but I do! This chapter was a little shorter than intended, but that's alright. They get longer as the story progresses! It won't be long now that Claire will start to get into trouble...well, she doesn't mean to...it's just that she ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time...mwahahahaha! Thanks for reading folks! :)