Chapter Ten: Decisions

After a time, Claire drew away from him, rubbing her eyes free of her tears of confusion. Wesker stroked her shining hair away from her eyes, looking at her almost tenderly. For Wesker that is. Claire smiled slightly up at him, then kissed his cheek gently.

"Thank you again," she murmured as she stepped away from him and headed towards the stairs to the bedroom. Wesker nodded at her and watched her step gracefully up the stairs, her form firmly etched in his mind as he turned to go back to his lab.

Claire wandered through the upstairs rooms, discovering a large bathroom, two more bedrooms, an enormous wrap around balcony, part of which was covered, and the master bedroom that had another bathroom attached.

As she inhaled deeply, she could smell everything. There was the almost overpowering smell of the exotic flowers outside, the smell of old blood from the living room downstairs and the faint, seductive smell of Wesker lingering in the air. She stepped into the bathroom and turned the shower on. Even the water smelled fresh. As she washed her hair, rust colored water streaked down her body as she washed her blood from her hair. The smell was almost overpowering and nauseating. She was grateful that her soap was fruity otherwise she wouldn't have been able to stand it.

Once the blood was cleaned from her skin, she stepped out into the bedroom, and flung open the closet to find clothing already stocked. She smiled when there were a few black sets of clothing hung there as well, but lacking the smell that made them officially Wesker's. Fishing around in the closet a bit more, she came up with a pair of loose pants and a tank top. Tying her hair back once more, she went downstairs to begin cleaning up her mess.

Under the sink she found a bucket with cleaning supplies. Filling the bucket with soapy water, she grabbed a scrub brush and went to work scrubbing away the last moments of her humanity. Quickly, the water turned crimson. Claire emptied the bucket and refilled it again. Four times she did this before the carpet and walls were finally clean. Rinsing the rag, she hung it up to dry and once again stripped off her dirty clothes and threw them in the hamper.

This time, she put on a white sundress and let her hair loose over her shoulders as she stepped out into the sunset and walked down to the beach. Unable to help herself, she stripped her dress off and dove into the crystal clear water. The water was cool against her skin as she swam under the waves, snatching little pieces of bright coral off the ocean floor. The fish darted away from her as she slid through the water, her bright eyes watching them flicker away.

Claire marveled at how fast she could propel herself through the water now that she had been transformed. It no longer took effort to push herself twice as fast as she could have normally swam. Breather was hardly necessary because she could hold her breath almost indefinitely. Soon she had a little collection of pretty rocks and bright coral piled on the beach, making her feel like a mermaid.

The sun had already gone down and the moon was slowly making her presence known with her soft light reflecting on the water. The darkness had no effect on Claire's ability to see which surprised and delighted her. She had always loved being out in the dark. It was quiet, cool and calm, almost like the calm after a storm. Now she could see and it made it that much better.

Naked, she lay on the sun-warmed beach, relaxing and thinking about her options in life so far. She was now no longer human and she was positive her brother wouldn't take her back. He had sent her to Wesker to be given an anti-virus, not to become like Wesker himself. And Claire was happy there with Wesker. If she left, she felt like she would be losing very precious to her. Wesker was no longer the same Wesker to her as the one from Rockfort Island or the Wesker who was the captain of the S.T.A.R.S. team. This Wesker had feeling, however small. He genuinely cared about her.

Maybe Wesker had been missing something in his life and now had found it in Claire. She snorted softly at that idea. Wesker didn't need anyone and never had. Just because he had changed however slightly, didn't mean he wasn't still Wesker. Claire was just an experiment to him with whom he had a fondness for. There's no way she could ever mean anything serious to him.

The dried on sand started to itch against her skin so she slid back into the silky water, swimming leisurely. Slowly she drifted through the water, her hair billowing around her in a fiery cloud. Her thoughts mimicked her slow movements, sliding fluidly through her mind never completely becoming clear. The moonlight on her skin made her glow faintly, and she felt like a goddess. Too lulled by the gently lapping waves and her own thoughts, she didn't hear or smell Wesker watching her from the shadowed archway draped with flowers.

He watched her with glowing eyes. She was magnificent. She was much faster than she had been as a human, almost rivaling his own speed. The way she moved was graceful and confident, almost like that of a leopard; delicate-looking, but very dangerous indeed. She looked like a fierce deity come down to earth swimming naked in the lagoon. And she was his.

He set dropped his glasses in the sand next to her discarded dress, and was soon slipping silently through the water as naked as her, his own clothing discarded as carelessly as hers. Silently, he swam up to her and set his hands on her hips, making her scream and whip around in fright.

"Relax, dear heart," he soothed, gently kissing her neck.

"W-Wesker!" Claire said, her eyes wide with shock. "Y-you're-you're naked!" She finished with a little scream, trying to cover herself halfheartedly.

He chuckled and said, "And so are you."

"What are you doing here? I thought you were in the lab!" she said, slightly hysterical.

"Do I need a reason to enjoy a swim at night?" he asked, swimming away from her a few strokes and looking back at her with a strange glint in his crimson eyes. "This is my island after all."

Claire didn't relax and lowered herself farther in the water even though it was crystal clear. It made her feel better at least. Why, now of all times, was Wesker taking advantage of his 'house rules'? Now, when she was so conflicted about everything? Damn you, Wesker, she thought as she let him pull her close again. Why did he have to be everything she wanted? A man who was strong and independent, wanted her around, but didn't need her for everything. A little dominating, but not overbearing, handsome, intelligent. Why did he have to be her enemy? She didn't want him as her enemy anymore. She was in love with him. Claire was in love with Albert Wesker, god help her.

"Dear heart," he murmured against her neck, brushing his lips there. "I shall give you this choice. It is unconditional and there is no going back once you're mind is made up. I shall give you some time to think on it, but remember, once you give me your choice, there is no going back." He kissed her softly on the lips, his fingers tracing small circles on her back as he held her close.

Claire nodded, but looked troubled. What could Wesker be her a choice on? He didn't give choices unless they had a bad choice and a worse choice.

"It's as simple as this, dear heart. Either you stay here with me and give up your brother, or you go back to him and we become enemies again. It's your choice, Claire," he said, kissing her neck again.

She let out a sigh, tilting her head back to allow him more access to her skin. "Are you trying to persuade me?" she whispered, holding on to his strong shoulders.

He grinned wickedly against her skin. "With me, you wouldn't have to hide who you truly are. We are two of the same, don't you think we should be together for safety reasons at least?" he said, planting seeds of doubt in her mind. "People might get suspicious when they see your eyes, don't you think? I think they are magnificent, to go with a magnificent woman."

His words cut through the sensual fog in her mind. Leave her uncaring brother for the man she loved? That sounded like a good idea. But wait. This was Chris. They had been through so much together. They had watched out for each other since they were children, taken care of each other when they were sick, comforted each other when they had had a bad day or lost a boyfriend or girlfriend. They were best friends aside from being brother and sister.

And she would be leaving him for Wesker? The man who had betrayed them in Raccoon City, attacked Claire on Rockfort Island, set hunters on Chris in the destroyed facility on Rockfort, the man who had destroyed two elite S.T.A.R.S. teams just because he needed to test his new play toy. He needed no one and he knew it.

But Chris had betrayed her to Wesker to begin with. Claire felt a pang of pain slice through her heart as she thought about it. She knew that if she went back to Chris, he would never accept her as she was now. He had spent too many years destroying bioweapons to let his sister become one. Especially if she was like his former captain. It just wasn't in Chris to look the other way.

She took a deep breath and said, "Before I can give you my answer, will you give me one thing? Please, I have to do this. Then I will give you my answer," she said, taking his face in her hands and looking him in the eye. She kissed him softly, all the while never breaking eye contact with him.

"What is it you want, dear heart?"

She swallowed before she answered him. "I want to visit my brother."

Instantly, Wesker eyes hardened and he slipped away from her in the water. He gave her a hard look and went towards the beach, but she quickly caught up to him.

"Wesker, please! I only want to visit him. I already know my answer, but I have to make sure it's right. Please let me do this," she pleaded with him, holding his hand to her cheek.

He looked at her for a moment, then said, "Alright. However, I shall be accompanying you. I have business I need to attend to, so I shall be leaving you for a short time while you visit your dear brother. I hope you are making the right decision, dear heart."

Claire nodded, grinning at him. "Thank you," she said, and slid her hands up his chest and around his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair and kissing him deeply. His hands slowly came around her back and held her too him as he slanted his mouth over hers and kissed her deeper. His tongue slid along her lips with velvety smoothness, making her groan softly.

"We leave tomorrow, dear heart. Be prepared for this," he said and drifted away from her towards the beach and his clothing. Claire watched him go, relishing in the fine figure he cut, his skin shining in the moonlight, glistening with water.

In her heart, she knew which answer she was going to choose and was using her brother's visit to say goodbye to the one she wasn't picking. She watched Wesker pick up his clothing from the beach and disappear under the trellis of flowers, still completely naked. He paused just before he disappeared and turned back to look at her, his red eyes gleaming in the darkness.

Moments later, Claire followed him into the house, pulling her dress over her head. She found him sitting in the living room typing on his laptop, per usual. He was dressed and she found that she was ever so slightly disappointed. She sat on the couch across from him, curling her legs up underneath her.

"Can I use your phone to call him?" she asked, rather timidly. He had allowed her to visit him, but she didn't want to push his charitableness too far. She peeked at him through the fall of her hair. He nodded silently, and handed over his phone. Claire stared at him. "Aren't you afraid that he will be able to track it and find you?" she asked, turning the sleek black phone over in her hands.

Wesker chuckled. "Dear heart, don't you think I would have already thought about that? It's untraceable. No matter what technology he has, there is no way he could track it."

That made her feel a little better about using his phone. Flipping it open, she dialed his cell phone and waited for it to connect. A moment later, she heard Chris's voice growl, "What the hell do you want, Wesker?"

Claire took a deep breath. "It's not Wesker," she said quietly. "It's me."

Chris was silent for a moment. "Claire?" he asked, not believing his ears.

"Yes, it's me. But listen, I don't have long to talk." She glanced at Wesker, who was staring at her over the top of his computer. "Meet me at home the day after tomorrow."

"Wait! Are you okay? Has he done something to you? If he has, I swear to god, I'm going to murder that bastard!" Chris yelled, and Claire heard Jill in the background asking what was going on.

"Look, just meet me at home, okay? Tell Jill and the team hi for me," she said, and felt tears come to her eyes.

"Wait, Claire-" But Claire had already shut the phone, stroking it absently with her fingertips. Silently she handed the phone back to Wesker and went upstairs without saying a word.

This might be harder than she thought.

*****

Claire dressed her jeans and a plain white t shirt as she and Wesker got ready to leave the next morning. He had told her that they were leaving and that a helicopter would be there to pick them up in an hour. As she looked over the rooms to make sure she wasn't missing anything important, she heard Wesker come back from the lab. As she entered the living room, she saw that he had a briefcase in one hand and was on the phone with the other. He wasn't wearing his glasses yet, but they were tucked into the pocket of his shirt.

As he stepped in the room, he snapped his phone shut and slid it in his pocket, motioning Claire to follow him out the door. He led her up a narrow path and to the top of a hill. The round part of the hill was flattened to allow for a helicopter pad to be placed there. Already, Claire could hear the steady beat of the chopper's blades. They waited another five minutes for it to appear and descend to pick them up.

Wesker helped Claire into the chopper and hauled the door shut behind him, settling himself in the seat next to her, nonchalantly throwing his arm over the back of her seat. Claire smiled as they took off, snuggling into his side. She casually reached up and kissed him, giving him a soft linger kiss and a long look in his eyes. He nodded to her slightly, then said, "Dear heart, you know I can't let you see where we are located."

Claire frowned up at him. "I suppose that means you get to prick me with your damnable needles again, doesn't it?" She shifted against him, trying to get comfortable.

"Unfortunately for you, yes," he said, taking a syringe out of his coat pocket. "However, it is not a long trip, therefore a lesser dosage."

She wrinkled her nose at him. "Still. I don't like needles; they're unnerving," she explained, extending her arm to him.

He brushed his thumb gently over her smooth skin, looking at her with a strange look on his face. "Dear heart, I do hope you know what you're doing," he murmured, leaning down to kiss her as the needle slid into her flesh, depositing its load of sedatives into her blood stream. "I shall miss you if you choose wrongly," he whispered as she lost consciousness.

Miss her he would indeed.

As she lay snuggled against his side, he wrapped his arm around her as they tilted in the air for a turn. Never before had someone so impacted him as the little redheaded Redfield girl had. While he was completely convinced that he would never need anyone at his side, he was certainly enjoying having her there. She was the only one who could ever get away with touching him, much less kissing him and swimming naked with him. She had so effortlessly broken down his defenses and snuck through the nonexistent crack to find him there beneath it all. He sincerely hoped that she would choose the right decision.

Could they really face each other on the opposite sides of a battlefield and feel nothing as they destroyed each other? He might, but he doubted that his little redhead could. She was an emotional creature who followed her emotions and what her heart said. But she was not weak for it. No, she was one of the strongest women he had ever met, not that he would tell her this, of course.

But, Claire Redfield would be his, no matter what it took. No one ever told Albert Wesker no and got away with it. He smiled slightly as Claire pulled his arm tighter around her, pressing her nose against his arm and inhaling deeply. She didn't seem like she wanted to leave him, but Chris was her brother after all, and they were technically supposed to be enemies. He would just have to be patient and wait.

*****

When she woke, she was reclining in the passenger seat of an expensive looking car, with Wesker at the wheel, looking contemplative. She was lying under his coat. It smelled wonderful, making her pull it closer, burying her nose in it. Content to just sit there, covered in the scent of Wesker, she looked out the window to find that it was night.

"Where are we?" she asked, looking over to him. His face was illuminated by the lights from the dashboard, giving him a rather disturbing appearance. Claire frowned at that. But when he turned to look at her, he looked like his handsome self again.

"Almost there, dear heart," he stated, reaching over to brush a stray tendril of hair out of her eyes. She leaned against his hand for a moment then he drew away to drive again. Claire settled back in her seat for the rest of the drive.

Her eyes lit up when they entered the neighborhood where she and Chris lived. All that could be seen were her brilliant green eyes glinting in the darkness as she cuddled into Wesker's coat. A few moments later, they pulled into the driveway of the house the siblings shared.

It was a small, simple home. It had white siding and a small, neat little yard. Claire stepped out of the car, throwing Wesker's coat around her shoulders and strode up the walk. She bent down where the bottom of the siding met the brick foundation and fumbled around for a moment before pulling out a key and inserting it in the door's lock.

Opening the door, she stood back to allow Wesker in. "Impressive hiding place, dear heart," he commented as he stepped past her.

Claire just shrugged and said, "It works." She felt slightly awkward having Wesker in her house. It wasn't messy but it wasn't exactly clean. It looked lived in, unlike Wesker's homes that had the air of pristine newness. "So, um, do you want anything to drink or eat at all?" she said, standing in the doorway, looking nervous, still draped in Wesker's oversized coat.

Wesker's answer was to pull her against him and brush the coat from her shoulders to puddle on the floor behind her. He kicked the door to the outside world shut behind them and kissed her deeply. He would not lose her. His lips moved over hers with unrestrained hunger, but in the bruising crush of his mouth she sensed a touch of anger-an element she might have understood at some other time. She could feel his desire struggling just beneath his skin, waging a mighty battle against his will. And losing, she though smugly as his grip on her hair gentled enough for him to tilt her head, allowing his tongue deeper access to her mouth.

Claire softened against him, clung to his shoulders, and gave herself over to the dizzying waves of sensation. How could a simple kiss resonate in every inch of her body and make it seem like the floor was tilting beneath her feet? She kissed him back eagerly, fiercely. This is what she wanted, this right here, with him.

Wesker pushed her backwards until she met the wall with a thud, still kissing her deeply. Almost as if the world depended on it. As his lips trailed down her throat, she whispered his name, her eyes gleaming with pleasure. He trapped both of her hands above her head with one hand and pulled her hips against his own with the other. She was trapped between the hard wall and almost impossibly harder man.

"Are you still trying to persuade me?" she murmured, her eyes fluttering with passion.

He chuckled darkly, his eyes flashing. "No, Claire. I'm reminding you of what you're giving up should you choose the wrong option." His hands slid down her back then up her chest to cradle her head in his hands as he kissed her again and again and again.

"Tomorrow you will have your answer, Wesker," she whispered as he pulled her into the modest living room to tumble onto the couch.

For one more day at least, Wesker was all hers as she sat wrapped in his arms, not really watching the television, too wrapped up in Wesker.