Italics: Flashbacks

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Chapter Twenty-Six: Forces of Attraction

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"In which I brought home a Mr. Freeze. This…isn't happening…I mean this can't be happening. How in the world did we end up on the floor and in my house?! And Mr. Freeze makes a startling revelation. Things can't possibly get any weirder than this...could they? I just had to freaking ask!"

[Time: 12:30 a.m]

"This…didn't just happen."

Here I am, staring at the ceiling of my living room.

You might be wondering why I'm staring at the ceiling.

Well, for one thing, I'm questioning my sanity.

And right now I have a guest lying right next to me.

And we are both…naked, except for some random gray bedroom sheet covering us. It was the one I managed to leave out while folding the laundry last weekend and didn't see it on the couch.

This is either an accident or a major coincidence.

I guess it was a major coincidence because I didn't expect this to happen, at all.

Yeah, I totally left that stupid random sheet out because I had that distinct feeling I would end up on the floor with a man I swore never to date, let alone have this weird, obsessive crush on!

That's sarcasm by the way.

You should know me by now.

Sarcasm rears it's ugly head when I'm freaking out.

Clothes are strewn all over the floor—the bell bottoms, the platform shoes, the shirt, all covered in dried marinara sauce from the standoff I had with Mr. Freeze. His clothes are tangled with mine, still covered in bits of white cheese sauce.

Ladies and gentlemen...you guessed it, I brought home a human Greek statue.

And we ended up…doing more than kissing in that alley.

I couldn't stop myself from kissing him!

One minute I was freaking out, seconds away from attempting to push him off (keyword, attempt, because you know…height difference and he's built like a brick wall), the next minute, I turned into a puddle of goo, when his hands traveled south.

Both hands, wrapped around my waist.

Then my hands ended up around his neck, drawing him close.

We were at it for ten minutes before he broke away and murmured that he tasted my lip balm again and we should go to his place.

So, I argued that I was closer, and we should go to my place instead.

We went back and forth until I snapped at him to just shut-up, so we can get out of the alley. Then he was like 'Meh, do I always tell men in my life to shut up when things don't go my way'. Okay, he didn't use the 'meh' part but he honestly tries to control everything!

He's even trying to control this make out session that shouldn't even be going on in the first place!

We ended up in my house, kissing, tearing at clothes, and kissing some more. Well, it was more like I was hissing for him to keep it down and he was assaulting my freaking neck. Then I couldn't get the rest of the words out because of the moan that threatened to cripple me.

And then we toppled over, with a thud.

I...really hope I don't have a hicky. Hickies were deadly and they were hard to cover up. I don't even want to think about Lydia and Vanessa's reactions if they saw it!

My denial over this whole ordeal is bouncing off the Richter scale.

Right now, I'm begging the unnamed deity to keep Chris upstairs in his bed, that way he doesn't get 'curious' for a midnight snack and catches us on the floor. I can see it now…Chris attempting to tackle Mr. Freeze NFL style, only to end up crashing through the window. Then the whole incident wakes up the entire neighborhood and Ms. Schwartz spreads the rumors around that I'm sleeping with an FBI agent.

But since when did the unnamed deity show kindness to me?! I blame this deity for my accidental slips and failures!

This isn't supposed to be happening!

I know, I've said this several times, but how did I end up in his arms?!

We were mortal enemies! I swore never to ever fall for this man or give him the time of day!

Sure, we were partners (against my will), but this was forbidden! How could I let him have his way with me?!

What if he was right all along?

What if I couldn't resist him?!

What if I end up like a vegetable, drooling at the very ground he stands on?!

Again, I'm reminded of that blasted pen incident!

[Flashback]

"I require a pen, Officer Redfield."

If I wasn't locked in this stupid challenge with Mr. Freeze, I wouldn't have even hesitated glaring at him in a heartbeat.

A tall, looming presence stood over my desk, ruining the peace and quiet I so desperately craved. I was in the middle of my fourth paragraph, seconds away from screaming, yanking my monitor from the various wires it was attached to and throwing it out the window.

Of course, Mr. Freeze wasn't making things any better. He was wearing his usual 'Agent Smith' suit, complete with a mustard colored tie. That expensive cologne was filling up my personal space, not to mention his aftershave.

Just great.

"Don't you have a box of them somewhere on your desk or in your drawers instead of nagging me?!" I retorted, willing myself to just look at the screen.

'Do not engage the enemy.' Inner voice warns me. 'Whatever you do, DO NOT engage the enemy! Don't you dare give him the satisfaction of making you stare at him! You've been doing well so far!'

"What the hell do I look like, the mistress and keeper of blue and black ink?! Go bug someone else!"

With the way I'm staring, it seems like I'm just yapping to my computer screen.

"But your desk is closer," Mr. Freeze said, and I could have sworn people were staring in our direction. I mean, its bad enough that everyone knows he's my partner but for him to be near my desk?!

He never comes near my desk!

He's either on his phone, out of the office or just sitting there, ignoring me, which is like a breath of fresh air! And now he's here, ready to cause hell on earth.

What a brilliant life I have right now!

I'm sure everyone wants my life!

This is the phenomenon known as 'Livin' La Vida Loca'.

When my life is becoming this insane, it's only a miracle that I'm not confined to the crazy jacket, frothing at the mouth like a cannibal on steroids.

"Why should I neglect to ask my dear partner first? Surely you have one to spare?"

Okay, I wasn't born yesterday!

He's trying to force me to look at him, but Claire Redfield is not going down today or any other day! Oh no, no, no, he is not pulling that crap on me!

He has some nerve!

"I'm busy! And stop talking like that! I am not your 'dear partner'! You're being creepy, as usual!"

"Creepy?" Mr. Freeze cocked his head sideways. "How is asking for a pen creepy? And how else was I supposed to address you? I highly doubt that you are that busy to not take five minutes of your time to lend me a pen."

"I know what you're trying to do…" I hissed. "…but it's not going to work on me! I've been avoiding you so far so call off this stupid challenge while you still have the chance!"

How can he act so freaking innocent and yet conniving at the same time?!

The smoothness in his tone was disgusting. "I have no idea what you're referring to. I asked for a pen and you decided to act hostile for no reason at all. It must be another case of waking up on the wrong side of the bed. That's been happening a lot lately, hasn't it?"

"Oh sure, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed! No, it couldn't be that you're driving me insane! Absolutely not! You're my perfect little partner who can never go wrong!"

"I'm not driving you insane Officer Redfield. I've been perfectly civil ever since we met. I would say that your interpretation of me is a delusional ploy to reassure yourself that you're clearly sane. As I've mentioned before, perhaps you woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

"I'll show you a wrong side of the bed if you don't go away!"

"Are you threatening me again? Your threats never work Officer Redfield. Either your memory short circuits or you choose to ignore that simple fact."

My nails dug into the wood of my desk.

That…that…THAT FREAKING…!

I couldn't even fathom a rebuttal right now. Even my inner voice was transformed into mush. If I answered right now, my words will be incoherent, with the likeness of a rampaging cave woman.

Instead, I took the deepest breath I could possibly muster in a situation like this.

"Officer Wesker…" I began in the sweetest voice (and I cringed at saying his name, even though we agreed that he was Mr. Freeze the minute we met. But unfortunately, sacrifices have to be made) I was known for when I was trying to keep my inner Redfield rage in check. "…I'm sure I'm not the only one you could ask for a pen. Now please, withdraw from my desk, otherwise I may be forced to do or say something I'll regret. And you really wouldn't like when I'm angry."

I waited, expecting Mr. Freeze to back off, but then again this was like asking a lion to step away from its prey.

Nope, he doesn't heed my warning.

He just makes himself home at the edge of my desk, complete with that fake smile he's 'oh so famous' for. And the desk made a small creak under his weight, just for good measure.

My eyes travel to my L.A.P.D bottle that's filled with cold, refreshing water. I got it from some local charity event where our department was involved.

Every day, I needed my aqua pronto when it came to menial office work. Los Angeles heat was brutal and showed little mercy to even an officer of the law. Thankfully there were only a few times where the air conditioners broke down but when they did, the office turned into the Sahara Desert.

And that handy bottle of water was about to be dumped on Mr. Freeze if he didn't move, Chief Randall be damned.

"I will disarm you if you attempt that." His gaze wandered over to my bottle as well, as if he knew what I was planning in an instant. "And trust me, it will be disastrous on your part. Imagine the embarrassment that will yield. I wouldn't mind handcuffing you to this chair. In fact, it would be the most amusing part of the day. Also, your retort is as harmless as a feather."

[Present]

I ended up staring at him and I didn't mean to! And then his voice gets all…you know!

What have I done?!

"…You're adorable when you're in denial." Mr. Freeze was staring at the ceiling as well. "I find it very interesting, actually."

"I'm not in denial about anything!" Why does he keep assuming that I'm in denial about something?! He has this way of dissecting every little thing I say and knowing exactly what I meant! I mean, yes I was in denial about us being on the floor of my house naked but I didn't want to exactly admit to it!

"I believe your exact words were 'this didn't just happen'. That sounds like denial to me."

"You don't get to psychoanalyze me, okay?"

"I don't have to psychoanalyze you. Your case study speaks for itself."

"I know what I said, and I was right about that! This shouldn't be happening! You're…the last man on the planet I would ever sleep with!"

"And yet, here we are."

"I'm serious!"

"I'm serious as well."

"You're arrogant, rude, manipulative, and you have more mood swings than anyone I've ever known!"

"Did it ever occur to you that I found you attractive as well?" Yes, that was his exact response and did he just change the subject?!

Where did that come from?!

How does he keep doing that?!

There's no possible way I heard him say those words.

I must have heard a ghost say that...not this man lying next to me.

"How were you attracted to me when you tried making my life a living hell?!" He has some nerve!

"I've had partners who were either incompetent cretins or wasted my valuable time. You, on the other hand are different. I'm surprised you've kept up with our partnership this long."

Wait a minute...did Mr. Freeze hit his head or something?!

I mean, we did tumble to the floor and if it wasn't for his reflexes, he would have landed head first on the coffee table I had in the middle of the living room.

I couldn't answer him.

I was too busy pretending that this whole incident didn't exist.

"You pretended that you had everything figured out between us, when in the end, you couldn't resist me." He continues, as if he's enjoying my stunned silence. "Your face changes color whenever we have our little arguments. You blurt things out and try to deny them afterwards. Testing you did have it's little quirks after all."

My jaw threatens to dislocate from my face, again.

"My face doesn't change color! What the hell are you implying?!" I found my voice after gaping like a fish for two whole seconds.

"An intelligent woman of your caliber should have no problem reading between the lines. And I would stop denying your color change whenever we have our little conversations, if I were you."

He didn't just say that.

I mean, he couldn't have, right?

Denial mode is still ongoing.

I am not attracted to him…!

'Yes you are Claire…' Inner voice giggles. 'Denial doesn't really change what just happened already.'

'Shut up! I'm not attracted to him!'

'Are you seriously going to deny that seeing him shirtless for the first time didn't cause a chain reaction?'

"My life…will never be the same again..." My voice goes into zombie mode, monotone, and completely out of it. "...what have you done to me…?"

"I haven't done anything." I felt his smirk on me the minute he turns away from the ceiling to stare at me. "I told you that I would win our little challenge in that cafe. You should have known better than to challenge me."

I found myself turning away from the ceiling to stare at him. Heavens, he was too attractive for his own good. Stunning blue eyes, sharp, masculine features...wait, what the hell am I doing?! Why am I analyzing this man in the first place?!

Again, my face heats up like a firecracker during the fourth of July.

I should not be reacting this way!

I blame Chief Randall and Jill for this! If he didn't just decided for himself I needed a new partner and Jill didn't freaking leave me in that restaurant/cafe, this whole thing would just be a wet dream that came out of nowhere! If only Mr. Freeze wasn't such an arrogant piece of work! We could have gotten along much better without the whole dramatic 'love/hate' relationship!

Oh God, don't tell me that I'm attracted to his arrogance too! How am I attracted to this man's arrogance in the first place?

Wait, there's too many how's in this scenario.

Great, now this is like a 'who, what, when, where, and how' episode in my already deranged life.

Why do I have a feeling that Rebecca planned this?! What if she knew that Jill and I were planning on spying on her and Mr. Freeze and formulated a counter plan of her own? I mean, yeah, she was smart but to pull this off?! I blame her for this whole incident too! And then she mentioned the whole crush thing with Mr. Freeze present!

Why do I have another bad feeling that I was unconsciously attracted to this man the entire time we were partners?!

I didn't have an answer for his declaration of victory. The only thing I could do at this point was get him out of my house as soon as possible.

"You should uh…go to your place…" I managed to stutter, forcing myself to not stare at him anymore, which easier said than done. "I...uh...need my beauty sleep and...um... we have to be in the office soon…"

I tried to get up, but his arm snakes around my waist and yanks me back down to the floor.

"Eeek!" I squealed, but immediately covered my mouth when I realized how loud it was.

You didn't hear a squeal from my lips.

You heard nothing!

"What's the rush?" He murmured. I end up in his arms and pressed up against his body again, while my nose threatens to explode from an incoming nosebleed. Please tell me that he's not about to do what I think he's about to do…?!

His voice suddenly had that sleepy tone to it.

Oh no...

This…is a bad sign.

Somehow, he was about to use me as a pillow, so he could get his beauty sleep!

"Oh no you don't!" I hissed, struggling to get out of his arms, but it was like trying to remove a heavy tree trunk with your bare hands. "We can't lay down here like this! My brother is going to see us the minute he wakes up and comes down here to leave for work! And…and we can't be late! Chief Randall—"

"Shut-up Redfield…" He cuts me off, giving me a sleepy, raised blond eyebrow. "…you talk too much."

My eyes widened to the point I had to do a double take on what he just said. Did he just say that I talk too much?! "Now I know you didn't just say that to me!"

"And what if I did?" His face ends up buried in my hair. "What do you intend to do about it?"

"You…you…oaf!"

"Oaf? I'm glad that you've found a new insult to use against me. The frozen television dinner comments were boring. But even then, your oaf comments will get old as well." Well...his body was pleasantly warm—okay Claire, bad thoughts, bad thoughts!

"You…!"

"Your hair has that distinct smell of apples and strawberries. Not bad…actually." Here he goes, changing the subject again! I'm lying on the floor again, with his arm snaked across my waist and snuggling right next to me.

I...really shouldn't have used that L'Oreal shampoo this morning!

"I hate you…so much…" I managed to utter through gritted teeth, but I hear snoring on his end. It's that light snoring that makes him look like a little five-year-old kid during nap-time. Come to think of it, he doesn't look so intimidating from that angle...wait, what the hell am I thinking?!

Bad Claire, bad Claire!

But that reprimand didn't stop me. No, I found myself staring at his torso. There were faint scars, healed and leaving a mark that was whiter than the rest of his body. It did remind me of his portfolio and how much military training he held over the course of his career.

And...I have no idea why I'm studying his scars.

Or the six pack.

What the hell am I doing?!

'Well, you finally bed the man Claire.' Inner voice teases. 'It was bound to happen sooner or later. That unseen force of attraction…'

'Shut up!'

My head smacks against the floor with a soft thud and I end up staring at the ceiling once again.

I was ensnared in this man's web of arrogance and mystery.

And there was no escape.

[Friday]

[Time: 7:00 a.m]

I was picking at my orange juice.

No, it's not like my fingers were inside the glass. I was just stirring around the freaking pulp with a straw. Meanwhile, across the table, Mr. Freeze was reading the local newspaper, with a fresh cup of Joe in front of him.

He left my house at three in the morning, by the way. That left me with just four hours of sleep before he returned to pick me up.

The whole car ride to the cafe was as silent as a pin, unless you count the world news. I was too busy thinking about the fact we literally had sex and he was focused on the road.

And he was the one who suggested driving me to my favorite cafe!

Here I am, dressed in my black business pants suit with a burgandy shirt that matched my hair color, while he's wearing the same prevelant black suit with a white shirt and a tie that was just as blue as his frozen eyes. Hair is devoid of that dried white sauce mess and is slicked to perfection, yet again.

I don't think we even spoke to each other this morning.

I mean, unless you count him opening the door for me and saying 'ladies first' with that usual smirk plastered on his face.

That's it, I can't take this silence anymore!

"Well?" I demanded, glaring at the newspaper he was engrossed in.

The blasted paper never left his freaking face. "Well what?"

"You're just going to ignore what happened between us last night?!" I shot back.

"Why would I ignore it?" He's still reading.

"You...you used me as a pillow!" I point a shaky finger at him.

"You felt comfortable at the time. I don't see why it bothered you so much." He murmurs.

"How do you keep doing these things?!" I snapped.

"Your adorable nature allows me to do it." Okay, I'm just going to ignore that 'adorable' part because it's creepy hearing that from him!

Why does he make simple words sound so creepy?!

"You're not the least upset by this?! You know, the whole restaurant thing? One minute we were at each other's throats, the next minute we had sex! Does this even bother you in any way? What are we anyway? Frenemies? Partners with benefits?!"

"You enjoyed it. As for the restaurant incident, I have yet to make you pay for that. Last night was only the beginning of your punishment." Great, now the cold Mr. Monotone voice is back!

I could have sworn a lump made it's way towards my throat. "Uh...what...?"

"I don't believe I stuttered, Officer Redfield."

What the hell is that supposed to mean?!

You see, this is another reason why I have to get back at Jill for leaving me behind! If she didn't freak out and ran off, this whole thing wouldn't have happened!

Before I could utter another word, Wendy comes over to take our orders for the day. She has this new short hairstyle, where most of her dark hair is leaning on the right side of her face. Now I don't know if she's trying to get Mr. Freeze to notice her or not, but she wasn't doing a good job because one thing, he didn't even acknowledge her wink and two, he didn't even acknowledge the morning special she was advertising in her own 'Wendified' way.

I would snort at this whole thing if I didn't feel awkward about the fact that I had sex with this man!

"So...what would you two like to have this morning?" She uses the sweet, peppermint coated voice she's known for when she's after something. Okay, I didn't know Wendy that well, but she was about an eight on the 'Must impress tall, attractive men' scale.

Every attractive man that entered the cafe, she was on the prowl to impress them. The shirt looks tighter than usual, and her voice is dripping with added sweetner.

I almost felt sorry for her.

Almost.

"I'm not hungry." Mr. Freeze mutters from the newspaper.

Wendy's face transforms to the color of a rose. "...Okay...um...so, what about you Claire?"

My mouth feels like sandpaper the minute I'm about to order. "...Um...I'll take the...USUAL!"

My voice suddenly goes into high pitched mode. I jumped in my seat, nearly spilling the orange juice all over my suit. I could have sworn Mr. Freeze's dress shoe traveled up to one of my legs.

No, I didn't just imagine that!

I just stared in his direction.

His face still hasn't left the newspaper!

And Wendy is giving me that strange look. "Uh...Claire, are you...okay...?"

"Just peachy!" I squeaked a response, turning away and giving her my best smile. "I'm...peachy! Just fine...! Um...you know what? I'll be right back! I need to use the little girl's room...pronto! I um...yeah! Just get me the usual!"

I leapt out of my seat and made a beeline for the bathroom.

What in the world was that?!

Rule #28: Mr. Freeze is a true psycho. My life will never, ever be the same again. In other words, I must have set the world record for the fastest woman alive to hit the bathroom running.

Author Notes

And...another chapter down! I was going to include the shootout in this chapter but I decided that it was better reserved for the next chapter.

I know the story is a slow burn, but I hate rushed romance stories in fanfiction. You see, you need to have the relationship blossom first. Once it blossoms, then everything falls into place.