Apologies everyone for the delay of which this chapter comes; also for the pause in which I've been working on this story. I've been paused due to being busy, then being sick. I'm still sick but I feel well enough today to post one of the chapters I had already prepared; I'm sorry again for the delay, I hope you enjoy this one!

This chapter is a particular favorite of mine and if you can spot just WHY it's my favorite (oh the irony) then you're a very clever person. ;)

Crystalyna du Starrvan; Glad you enjoyed it ahaha! I needed some of that typical Birkin scolding moment.

KyloRen'sgirl213; I hope you enjoy!

The starting song lyrics are from Footsteps by Pop Evil.

I've been counting all my steps, all my no's just turned to yes

Silently I must confess my troubled history

That's washed away all my sins, starting over once again

There is where it all begins, it's right in front of me

Down is not where I belong, this aching heart won't turn to stone

There's a fire inside these bones, it was meant to be

I see a world still full of light, how could I ever've been so blind

I still haven't lost my fight, this haunts me in my sleep

Time passed so slowly and all that accompanied me were snippets of memories that I got to view while unconscious. It was like watching a scene play out from behind a half broken glass screen, the spiderwebbed cracks making it difficult to see the full picture.

And the sound.

It was disorienting. Voices and words I couldn't quite grasp or make out. I was detached from it all.

I felt a pull and slowly felt myself returning to consciousness as my body became more clear to me.

I was floating on something. Cotton? Silk?

No, that was wrong. Awareness was coming back to me and I felt that I was in something rather than on. Water? Was I drowning?

My memories were slowly returning and from them I began to see what happened to bring me to be unconscious.

I had been kidnapped.. stabbed.. had I been dreaming when I saw Wesker? Had he come and rescued me or was he drowning me now?

I slowly opened my eyes and was met by a pale green shrouded reality. What the fuck? Was I in some kind of green liquid?

My vision was fuzzy and I turned my head down to see that I had cords running from parts of my body to the tank I was in. I was in my underclothes. At least I was somewhat dressed.

I pressed my hands out, finding the slick surface of glass as I ran my fingers along the stretch of it. I had the sudden urge to be free.

I reeled back my right hand, the action laced with both confusion and urgency, before slamming it into the glass.

Now normally when a girl about my weight, height and skill hit glass in a liquid they'd have to do several hits to get it to crack. It shattered under a single hit and the rest of the glass buckled from the liquid that began to pour out.

I was splashed onto the floor, sputtering as I started to pull the shit attached to me off, flinging them aside.

I reached up toward the table and dragged down to me a clean towel. I carefully moved to sit on my knees. Despite how disgusting the liquid had been to see it slid off just the same as clear water. But I still towel dried as much as I could get off before tossing away the icky towel.

I searched for another only to find a stack of clothes neatly on the top of another table.

I was struggling with the shirt, trying to get it on to gain some semblance of decency when I heard the tear of fabric and paused. I had ripped it almost in half.

I studied the ruined shirt with a look of disdain before discarding it onto the floor beside me. I didn't know what was happening to me so I carefully pulled on the sweatpants and found a white lab coat nearby on a rack.

Just as I was pulling it on, someone stepped into the room. I paused as I had tugged it close to cover myself, turning to see who when my eyes widened.

"How did you.." Wesker stood there momentarily confused, scanning between the broken tank and I before a neutral face took hold of him. "How do you feel?"

"Like.. surprisingly well rested. You really should invest in stronger glass."

"That was ballistic glass. It's bulletproof." He remarked, causing me to blink rapidly.

"It must have been faulty glass." I reasoned and he merely looked at me. His eyes noticed the discarded shirt before he walked over and picked it up, studying it. He peered at me with a look of interest at the clearly ripped shirt.

"Didn't want to dress modestly?" He teased, dropping it onto a table's surface before moving to turn off the broken tank. He began to pick up shards of glass and placed them into a metal bin in the corner marked 'hazard'.

I frowned deeply. I could feel the sensation of cold but I didn't exactly feel cold. There weren't even any goose bumps on my arms as I lifted them to look.

"What degrees is this room?" I asked him.

"Low enough for those lacking proper clothes to shiver noticeably." Was all he answered with.

I scowled. "What the hell happened to me?"

He paused in his work of cleaning up the mess before moving to stand and coming closer. I stepped back until I bumped into a table's edge and stood there. He stopped just inside my personal space, removing his glasses to peer down at me. I stared into his red eyes, a little unnerved as I wasn't used to seeing them.

"You died."

I opened my mouth to demand answers but stopped myself. That's right. I had been bleeding, I had been stabbed. But.. if I died how was I here?

Judging from the fact he seemed to voice my concerns he must have read it on my face. "I managed to inject you to save your life."

Wait. Inject? "What did you put into my body?" I felt like I was drifting through a cloud of confusion.

"Dr. Shalfet had finished a vial meant to balance my system indefinitely. What runs through your system is a perfect balance of what is in my own. In some ways, Miss Redfield, you are now my better."

I began to hyperventilate. This wasn't happening. But it explained how I broke the glass, tore the shirt with such ease. I wasn't human anymore? Would he stick me in a lab? What was I going to d-

"Dear Heart, stop." I hadn't seen him move nor felt my own body starting to collapse. He caught me effortlessly, one hand holding my elbow, another pressed into my hip to steady me. "Whatever is going through your mind, halt it now."

His stern voice made me focus, stare at him with such concern in my eyes I'm sure.

"I can help you through this. Being this way isn't necessarily bad-"

"I'm infected." The full weight of the word was crashing down on me. "I'm a monster."

His hold on me tightened to an uncomfortable degree. He gave me a rough shake as my eyes had glazed over when the panic tried to set back in. "Claire, stop."

I froze, my intense gaze focusing solely on him as if he were the only thing present. Just then is when his scent hit me. At first I thought it was cologne but that was only surface level. Beneath the charming spiced smell was his scent, a deep smell that drew me in like a moth to flame.

I grabbed his worn lab coat and pulled him closer, burying my nose into the black turtleneck he wore beneath. I couldn't even describe the scent he had, it was like home, like a fresh breeze after a hot day.

"You called me Claire." That was the reason I had calmed down, I realized. It was the first time he had said my name.. not counting when he said my full name menacingly back on Rockfort Island. It was usually Miss Redfield or his little pet name of Dear Heart.

He didn't seem to know how to respond, merely stared down at me. He seemed torn between shoving me away or pulling me closer. It seemed the latter won as his arms shifted, wrapping themselves around my waist to draw me close to him.

That was fine by me.

I was enjoying the safety his scent seemed to bring me.

"Were you scared?"

My sudden question seemed to cause an almost unnoticeable flinch. "Scared of what?" He drawled, trying to decipher what I was referring to.

"You seemed panicked." I said softly, this memory or hallucination brought to the surface. Had that moment been real? When Wesker had me pressed against his chest, the feeling of running lulled me to unconsciousness. "Were you scared?"

"Yes, Dear Heart." His admission to this should have been a shock to me but.. I think I knew what was happening between us lately even if it wasn't as noticeable or prominent. "There were too many factors and you had lost a lot of blood. I had to weigh the choice of taking a risk with the virus or losing you to the hands of that man."

I lifted a hand, pressing my fingers gently into his cheek before rubbing my palm against his skin. He felt neither hot or cold, just like skin. He didn't pull away, didn't move his head, merely studied me with those unguarded red eyes.

At first they had made me nervous but they seemed so.. gentle.. and they were mesmerizing, the way they shimmered from a deep red to a pale red depending on his mood.

"Dear Heart, the longer you stay around.. the more dangerous it will become for you. More so now that you are infected. It will be dangerous regardless of whether you return to your old life or choose a new place. Things will never be the same for you now. I apologize for that."

I furrowed my brows, trying to understand and knowing that things had now become complicated. "You're apologizing for saving me?" That sounded wrong coming from him. "I can't.. I can't be mad you saved me, even if that means my life will never be normal, not that it ever really was before." I gave a lighthearted chuckle meant to lighten the mood. "When I was chained to that chair, struggling to break free, I couldn't cry. I couldn't cry knowing I was probably going to die. I didn't panic. I was just.. insanely mad. Mad at Umbrella. Mad at that man, Isaac. Mad at myself for letting my guard down around someone with hidden bad intentions."

He didn't speak, merely allowed me to say my piece that he seemed to know I wanted to get off my chest.

"I wasn't scared. I made a promise to myself that if I managed to get through it.. I'd live my life to the fullest. I wouldn't live in fear or stress over how to live my life, only to do so with what I feel is the right thing for me."

I inhaled, studying his face to see what he was thinking. Did he feel the same way I did? Did he care? Yes. He had saved me. He valued my life more than anything else when he chose to give to me what he had made for himself.

He gave me a second chance. I wouldn't waste it.

Sure, I'd have to learn how to live with my infection, what all it gave me and how it affected all aspects of my life. But I could learn to live with it.

"Dear Heart." He paused, considering his words before he carefully lowered his head, pressing a gentle kiss to my lips. It was a cautious kiss, one that was still unsure of if it was the best thing to do or not.

I, just as carefully, returned the kiss, molding my lips to his with a sense of concern behind my movement, unsure to what this would mean for the future.

After a few moments he pulled away before lifting my chin. "I'm attached." He said, drawing a small smile to my face.

At that moment.. when he said it first all my fears seemed to melt away, all my worries and concerns dissipating.

It all felt right at that moment. I pulled him back down for a much deeper, more sure kiss.

That kiss changed everything.

Jill had been back a month and it was refreshing to have her around. She tried to fill the gap as to what had happened to her but she only really knew that Wesker hadn't let her die and had kept her in a sort of hospital. She had been in a coma but sometimes she'd confess that she could have sworn Claire had been with her.

I admitted to going dark in my despair and anger, neglecting my sister in the process. During that time we tried to get ahold of Claire but for the life of me I couldn't remember her phone number and neither could Jill. She had changed it around when she started working with TerraSave and I was too stupid to have memorized it before I broke my phone during my dark times.

Her work said she was out on a leave for a while due to personal matters and I figured she was probably holed up somewhere.

Was Claire ok? Was she eating properly? Has she met a guy?

Around the month mark was when I was going through my barrage of emails I'd received but ignored because of the nature of my work and that I had also taken a month off when Jill returned.

So of course I wasn't aware of a specific email pending in my mailbox that was from an unknown sender.

I had wanted to brush it off at first as spam and moved my mouse over to delete it but I paused. Something told me to click it.

It was dated around November and so I opened it.

What I found disturbed me.

Inside were attached photos of my sister sitting in a chair with chains on her hands. She had what looked like a side wound with blood pouring out and she was struggling in the pictures. There were about ten in total. One picture had her slumped forward in the chair. Another picture had a blonde crouched in front of her chair, his arm lifted.

My blood boiled.

The last picture showed the same blonde holding her bridal style, leaving from whatever room she had been kept in. I recognized the all too familiar man holding my sister.

Albert Wesker.

The message sent with the pictures read:

Thought you'd like to see these. Cheers to you, mate, I know all too well what it's like to lose someone you care about to a man you hate. Good luck, Redfield.

I had tried since finding that message to get in contact with the sender but no replies ever came back. There was no phone number and even tracing the email led to dead-ends.

Two days had passed and my patience had peaked as well as my worry. It was time to get back into the field.

Jill was all too happy to dive back in after being awake for a month 'recovering'. She was just as antsy as I was.

I showed her the pictures and she seemed just as upset as I had felt.

Was Claire dead? Had Wesker killed her like he had killed Spencer? What happened to her body?

The next facility we were set to hit was one in Europe, somewhere in Germany. It was a more outdated one supposedly but had been recently reopened and was in the throes of renovation.

We quickly packed and began our newest raid.

In a forgotten lab I laid. The cold tiled floor had long since warmed due to the pressure of my body against it. My fingers twitched before my hands shifted to push myself up, moving to stand carefully.

Well. How much time had passed?

I was rather grateful he hadn't mutilated me. A heart I could regrow with time but severed limbs were harder to put back if they were away from my body for some time.

I stretched, exhaling sharply. I spat blood onto the floor before wiping my chin.

I walked over to another room where my clean clothes had been placed. I quickly changed after removing all the dried blood left from my encounter with Albert Wesker.

My phone, discarded onto a table, was vibrating like crazy. I grabbed it and snapped it open, pressing it against my ear.

"Finally you answer. I thought you had been put down permanently." A cool female voice hissed. She sounded so exasperated it was almost comical.

I banged my closed right fist against my chest, trying to force a cough up. "Sorry milady, I didn't expect him to go for the heart. I had actually hoped he would have tortured me."

"Your violent fantasies always repulse me. Now! Isaac, my dear, I need to return to Viztec. They are on the verge of completing my work and I need you to retrieve it then remove the excellent CEO Glastin." I could hear some scraping from her end and it was hard to determine what she was doing to make that noise.

"You don't want to keep him around?" I asked, double checking her words.

"No. Once you've picked up the subject I want you to exterminate all present, burn the building down for theatrics of course." She said with a deep rumble of a chuckle.

"As you wish, milady."

She seemed to go silent, knowing there was more to be said. I was making my way to the room that had held my captive, finding it empty.

"Milady.. I do have news. Something I kept until I had undeniable proof." I waited a moment and she hummed in response for me to continue. "It seems Albert Wesker has taken a fancy to a woman. I took her, injured her and left her to die. He came, killed me and retrieved her."

"Oh? Pray tell whom he has an interest in. A scientist? A doctor?"

"Her name is Claire Redfield, a member of TerraSave. Her brother, Chris Redfield, is a B.S.A.A. operative with history between him and our blonde fanatic given they were both in S.T.A.R.S. and at the Arklay Mansion. Claire was present at both Rockfort and Raccoon City."

"How juicy." She purred. "I get the impression you did something nasty."

"I might have set things up to send her brother pictures of his injured sister to make it look like Albert killed her." I made my way into a dark room with an open laptop, which had been set up to send the email to Chris on a certain day. Finding that it had been sent I promptly destroyed the laptop and it's hard drive.

"You never cease to impress me, Isaac. You're living up to the dramatics of your uncle." I could hear her tapping her finger against the side of her cellphone. "Complete your next task and then return to me."

"Of course, milady." She hung up with what sounded like a little moan, a grin on my face.

The woman I worked for was everything I could have dreamed about. She had supplied me with the conception I had in my bloodstream that allowed me to heal from grievous wounds. She was intelligent yet the epitome of beauty.

And she was all mine.

How fitting. A Spencer with a Wesker. Wasn't that just perfect?

I gathered up my things and found a vehicle. My plan was to head to Viztec's headquarters to finish that part of the event.

Snow had started to fall and it set the mood for festivities. I had spent my time on my island better understanding just what was inside me. Wesker was careful to explain things in a way that I could grasp. While I wasn't stupid scientific mumbo jumbo did elude me. So I was grateful he took that extra step to help me to understand.

He spent some time gauging my skills as well. While outwardly I looked exactly the same internally I was completely different. I could do things I wasn't able to do prior.

My strength had increased quite a lot. I had to practice how to hold things and how to control my limbs. My increased speed and strength proved to be dangerous to simple tasks so I had to constantly remind myself 'slow and steady' when performing tasks.

I didn't require as much food, just here and there or when I expended too much energy. Same went with sleep, it wasn't necessary but a few hours.

There were times when my aggressive side tried to take control and I had to practice breathing exercises and learn to mentally tone myself down. I had to stay in control.

Wesker seemed to act a little different when we started and my temper unexpectedly flared. I was tired of not knowing why so one match I stopped and demanded an answer.

"Why do you seem startled when I get angry?"

He pulled out his phone, snapped a photo of me before turning it to show me.

I blinked, leaning closer. My eyes.. the blue had been replaced by a brilliant golden hue. I looked up at him. "Does this mean I have to wear glasses?"

"That or contacts. You'll need to work on your temper to lessen the chances of this anomaly." He explained. "Though I'm unsure as to why yours change due to emotional involvement rather than being permanent like my own."

"They're beautiful though." I remarked, taking his phone to study my eyes in the picture. I noticed I had paled a little more than usual.

Another side effect was temperature. We were sparring in a gym that was supposed to be warm but I didn't feel the temperature. Wesker had explained that only extreme temperatures I'd feel and even then it'd be the equivalent of those temperatures being as regular temperatures to mortals. So a volcano would feel like a warm sunny day rather than blistering hot. Being frozen solid would feel like a cool breeze.

My endurance was actually slightly better than his. We started for the better half of a day and I could tell he was forcing himself a little while I still felt fine.

"Being different isn't a bad thing, Dear Heart." He reminded me as we walked back down to the labs.

We frequented them to make sure my body was stable. Even though I felt fine he wanted to keep a close eye on all my vitals and the virus within.

"Yeah I know. I think I'm more worried about what Chris will say. Will he.. reject me?" I had this fear now that I was infected that my brother would see me as a monster. I wanted to trust in our sibling bond but.. some things can change.

"If he does then he is an idiot. You are still very much who you were before."

He was right. The virus didn't change us, merely heightened how we were. It had made him colder, more detached from humanity but he was still a workaholic and a sarcastic ass.

I had become more emotional but I was still stubborn, strong-willed and blunt.

"Thank you.. for saving me.. and helping me." I stopped and he turned to face me. We stood in the hallway outside the lab. He had a blank expression while I'm sure mine was softened with gratitude. "If someone had told me that you'd be helping me to accept what I've become I'd have laughed."

He stepped closer and lifted my chin with a gloved finger, studying me despite the glasses covering his eyes. Mine had since returned to blue. "I believe you had something you wanted to tell me after the party that had been delayed due to circumstances."

My eyes widened at his words. Had he been eavesdropping on Sherry and I's conversation?!

I sputtered, trying to come up with a means to postpone this moment because I was so not ready. But he wasn't giving me a chance as he pointedly stared at me waiting.

"Alright! You already know since I kissed you so it's not fair." At this he smirked. "I wasn't sure how you felt but I was going to admit how I felt. I can't say I'm in love because I've never been in love but I'm attracted to you and willing to give whatever this-" I gestured between us. "-a chance."

A chance.

I never expected her to voice her own admission. I suppose knowing the words behind the actions further connected us as something beyond what we had been, whatever you wished to call it.

"Why, Miss Redfield." I started with a teasing note to my amused tone. "That is not how one goes about courting." We have made our way into the lab and now we're separated by some space. She had moved to sit onto a table and I was preparing a syringe to draw blood.

"Courtin- god, Wesker, no, that's such an old term. Makes me feel like I'm in the 1700s." She made a look of disgust.

It was the more accurate term for one such as I had. I didn't have a "girlfriend" and "partner" was a word reserved for work. Companion did no justice to what I would call her.

"If you're wanting some modern outlook to relationships you'll not find that with me." I reminded her how outdated my look on relationships was. I drew blood before moving to place it into the machine that would give me exactly what I was looking for.

"What do you want us to be?" She asked, folding her arms as she arched a brow at me.

"What I want.." I said, turning and slowly closing the distance. As I moved closer her head tilted, blue eyes sharply following my every movement. She seemed to be holding her breath, waiting for whatever move I was going to do. This deepened the smirk I had. I carefully removed my glasses as I stood in front of her, tucking them into a pocket of my pants. I then removed my gloves and placed them into the table a bit beside her. I splayed my hands on either side of her legs and leaned down. "..is rather simple. I do not require titles to complicate it. You may call me whatever you desire so long as you understand that I take commitment very highly."

She scowled at me. "As if I'm going to have a fling with some guy if I'm with someone. Sorry to burst whatever fantasy you might have but.." she stretched her head up at me stubbornly. "I don't cheat." She quickly stole a kiss and gained a growl from me.

"If we go into this.." I warned, making her look at me. "..you will become factored into all my plans. However I will not tolerate any meddling, especially if it involves your brother. I take betrayals personally as I'm sure you know."

"I understand. Whatever happens between us will stay there, I'm not going to run off and tell Chris your dealings."

I was leaning closer, down, and I could see her eyes flicking between my own and my lips. She wasn't sure if I was going to tease her or kiss her and that caused a low chuckle to escape me.

"So does this mean.." She was struggling with herself between pushing out a question and wanting me to kiss close the rest of the distance. "I mean.."

"Is this what you want?" I asked instead.

She nodded her head, still looking down and up as she grew more and more frustrated with the little gap I had purposefully left.

"Say it." I moved my left hand to her leg, trailing my fingers up against her thigh.

"I want this so long as you do too."

I laughed and the sound caused her to squint, staring now solely into my eyes as she tried to figure out what specifically I was humored by.

"I've already considered this direction and found it desirable. I don't kiss just anyone, Dear Heart. I never have the care or need for physical intimacy unless by choice such as this."

That seemed to satisfy her.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and drew herself to me, sealing whatever words might have continued to fall between us, settling on actions now. I pulled her to the edge of the table, using my hands to wrap her legs around my waist and then moving to undo her pants smoothly. I undid my own just as skillfully, roughly lifting her. She squeaked and pressed herself flush against my chest. I trailed hot kisses along her jaw, down her neck to her collarbone before feeling her struggling to pull off her shirt.

A smirk flashed from me but I stopped her, pulling it off lest she rip it in the heat of the moment, discarding it onto the table before continuing to kiss further down her collar to her chest. She tilted back a little, giving me every inch of skin I desired to give attention to.

I laid her back down onto the table's surface, both of us not caring that it was a bit hard, only wanting to go further than we had started out with.

"A-Albert.." She said breathily and I stilled, staring at her.

She felt that I had stopped and peered down at me confused, a second pause to realize she had said my first name. She flushed and was about to apologize when I gently kissed her stomach.

"Say it again."

"Albert, I-"

Rather than listen to whatever nonsense she was going to spout I sealed the words behind her lips, forcing her into the moment rather than her head.

Had I known what would happen between the spirited redhead and I surely I would have prevented it. But to me she wasn't a weakness. As a mortal she might have been but now that she was like me and solely mine she was no weakness.

She was a strength and one I planned to hold close to me.

My Dear Heart.

As the days passed Claire had said that she missed her brother but couldn't get into contact with him. I couldn't either and it seemed he was back to his old problems again.

He had hit a European branch and it seemed he was more determined but level headed. From what I understood from the reports Krauser delivered Valentine was back at his side. I wasn't sure what specifically was motivating the pair with such fervor but I knew they were becoming an issue.

An issue Claire said she'd deal with. But I didn't consider it safe. Claire might be accepting of her new abilities and what they came from but Chris might try to attack her.

It wasn't quite fear I was feeling but a protectiveness I had never before experienced. I was almost territorial over the redhead when it came to things I viewed as a threat.

First view is Claire's, then Chris, then ISAAAACCCCCCCCCC, yes, the lilfucker is alive (*insert dramatic gasp*), back to Claire, TO WEEESSKKKERRRR (because gotta love a good Wesker reaction).