Author's note: I have a thing about William Birkin. Don't ask me what's so appealing (intelligent guys are rare…no offense to you gents) and I wanted to explore a lesser-known relationship in RE. Nobody ever sees William and Annette ALIVE and TOGETHER (well, rarely) so this is a how-did-they-meet story.
Its also (Loosely) inspired by an anime called "Voices of a distant Star" which involves the separation of true lovers. Despite their adversities I think William and Annette Really loved each other.
For the sake of argument-let us assume that Annette is 24 and William is (at least by my account and Wesker's report) 26. This gives them a nice distance-and the way she kinda discusses William its like he was older she was younger (shrugs) at least that was my interpretation.
Disclaimer:
She didn't own it
She doesn't claim to.
Don't sue her
Or she'll have to flame you.
(Or something like that-I sucks at rhymes)
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The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.
Carl Jung (1875 - 1961)
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1986
Thursday
Sunlight streamed in through the café windows. The town was too damn small to afford good coffee-but they did their best.
Annette LeDour paid the cashier and lifted up her coffee. She'd been working at Arklay for two years now-and Dammit if they didn't owe her a break. Or at least they should-She worked on Dr. Birkin's team-although it was well known that Birkin was a slave driver.
Besides-she had other reasons for being here-
"Hey."
Annette peered upward-her blue eyes wide.
"Hey!" She smiled. Jack Stevens sat across from her, his brown hair all a tumble. He had coffee in hand and a downcast look, "Are you alright?"
"That's…what I want to talk to you about."
Ever since coming to Arklay-Annette had hooked up with Jack. There were plenty of good-looking men working for Umbrella (A sexist world, but she didn't mind) but the men were few and far between. Jack and Annette had latched on quickly-and since the company didn't have a policy against inner dating (odd thing that) they had been known as a couple.
Until now…
"Listen Ann…I-" Jack looked torn, "I'm just gonna come out and say it-"
"You're seeing someone else."
Jack said nothing. His dark green eyes strayed to the counter. Suddenly the cheerful sunlight seemed far darker. Her stomach went cold. Annette winced-her sudden outburst had been unexpected.
But you…you and I…Long ago the two of them had made plans-assuring each other that it was love at first sight. Annette would finally be able to go back to New Orleans and tell her dear grandmother that-
"It was sudden." Jack looked at her with the wounded puppy look she'd loved so much, "Her name's Sarah-she works in-"
"You and I…" Annette felt the coffee grow cold in her stomach, "We made plans…"
"Foolish plans." Jack's voice was soft, "I'm so sorry Annette."
Sorry? Sorry doesn't cut it you Rat bastard! Annette clenched her hands. Her eyes closed. I loved you! I…gave you-I-
Jack was staring at something outside the window, " I hope this won't interfere with our working relationship. I really respect you."
Annette slowly opened her eyes, he was trying to smile.
"You-respect me?" she managed to restrain herself from grabbing the coffee. Every inch of her body had gone cold with the desire to burst into tears. Lightly, she raised a hand to the necklace he'd given her-a blue pendant.
"Take back your damn necklace." She tore it off her neck savagely. Jack looked hurt-then concerned.
"Listen-Annette-"
"No you Listen." The inhabitants of the café were staring at their outburst, "I loved you-and now-now you say its not real?"
"Well damn it," Now Jack was getting angry-he stood to his full six-foot two height, "We've only been together for two months!" He pounded a fist on the table, "Only two months-"
Annette said nothing.
She tossed the necklace down on the table and stocked out of the café. The trip down the street-to her car. She sat behind the wheel and pushed the car into gear.
I loved him…The Road out to Arklay was choked with weeds. Since whoever had built the place (some guy in the fifties) had decided to make it inconspicuous-the employees often got lost. That was bad-some said that you never returned from a trip into the forest-the usual nonsense about Indian curses on the site where Trevor built the mansion.
She pulled her car off to the side-where a collection of other vehicles awaited. Most senior executives lived in town-she was one of the few with a direct way to leave should anything occur.
She slammed the door shut and tromped through the weeds and various forest plants. Her dark shoes became stained with dirt.
Let them. She reached the entrance, Jack gave me these shoes.
"Good Afternoon Dr. LeDour." Annette blinked as she was confronted with an older woman-Wolf-that was her name-
"Hello." Annette was tired. Perhaps she should have driven off into the forest. She pushed past wolf-who would undoubtedly hurt her later-and down to the labs.
The labs were cool and quiet. All the researchers were either at lunch in the cafeteria or in town. Various experiments left in states of unfinished preparation littered the tables of her lab as she strode in, through on a lab coat-and sat down.
Then she burst into tears.
It's not fair! Jack had been her only outlet. The two of them had been able to make fun of the work they did. Annette had her degree in medicine-his was in bio-physics-they made the perfect team…
She sniffed, the air conditioning was comforting-like her grandmother's hands through her hair. Annette had grown up in New Orleans- (no real accent sadly) but that was because she'd been born in England-
She peered at her notes, now covered with tearstains. Dr. Birkin was going to have a fit when he saw them-
Jack…he'd once doodled all over her note-he was a fantastic artiest. She'd scolded him-and then received a reprimand from Dr. Westlake. Peyton Westlake had transferred her to Birkin with the words "He'll straighten you out."
Birkin, turned out to be one of the company's "wunderkind." He'd been working for them since he was 16. He never said anything-he didn't laugh or joke with the other researchers. Annette had often seen him staring at something under a microscope-
Jerk He thought he was so much better then the rest of them. Secretly she respected his ethics, his loyalty-but his attitude…
She continued sniffling as she tried to salvage her notes-but the very memory of happy times with Jack caused her to burst into tears again. The air conditioning roared louder-concealing her shame.
"Are you alright?"
Annette shot up like a cat.
"Don't do that-" she turned and came face to face with her supervisor-manila folder in hand. He looked the same as ever-blond-lab coat-loosened tie-etc. She wondered if he'd spent his lunch here.
"Of course I'm alright." She snapped. She brushed her hair back from her eyes, "I was just-trying to get back to speed on what we're doing."
Birkin did not look convinced. He folded his arms and studied the floor, then met her eyes. He had weird eyes, unnaturally bright blue.
"Ah."
That was it. Birkin was a man of few words.
"Well-" Annette sighed, "I'm having some trouble."
"With what you're doing?" Birkin looked arrogant, "It's high level material."
"No." He was so goddamn arrogant, "With-boyfriend." She gestured helplessly. She realized that her short blond hair was matted and wet with tears.
She sighed.
"I should go back and fix myself up." She sighed, "There's a certain level of decorum that's supposed to be expected-"
"Nonsense." Birkin waved a hand, "Nonsense LeDour. Now." he looked serious and leaned against a computer, "what boyfriend?"
"Jack." Annette said, "He and I…well we've been going out for two months." It came pouring out from her then, "He was the first person I had ever-slept with-and that's saying something. I gave him everything-I was totally devoted to him and everything he did." She clenched her fist. Birkin's presence forgotten, "Then he has the nerve-to tell me that he's in love with someone else. That he wants to get married to her." She shook her head, "That bastard."
Birkin listened quietly; the only sound was the roar of the air conditioning so deep underground.
" I mean-I LOVED HIM!" Annette threw the papers down on the floor-oblivious to Birkin, "I gave him everything-he-" she bowed her head.
"He was the only person that mattered to me."
It was true, her grandmother was dead. Her parents didn't give a shit; Jack had been the first person who had loved her-
Or so she believed.
Did he really care about her as much as he'd professed? Long nights spent together-deep conversations, working side by side.
"I thought…" her voice was small, "we had something."
She had no idea what was driving her to explain this to her supervisor. People praised him to the skies to his face, but made cruel jokes behind his back.
"He was a fool." Birkin was blunt, "A fool."
Annette snorted, "What do you mean?"
"He was a fool to throw away your affections." Birkin looked totally serious-despite his somewhat antiquated ideas, "Any man with eyes can see that you're young-attractive-and intelligent. You would make any man a fine companion."
Annette frowned, "You hated your mother didn't you?" His remarks had been so male chauvinist pig that they'd surprised her.
Birkin laughed.
Annette blinked. His laugh was…odd-like a mad scientist from some movie. She felt herself instinctively backing away.
"I never knew my mother-my father was a college professor." He stared at the floor, "He had very…obscure ideas about women-and men as well." Birkin snorted, "The Ass. He ended up loosing his job because of these ideas."
"You don't like your parents."
"And you do?"
"My parents…" Annette said, "Died."
Birkin frowned, "I'm sorry."
"Its nothing to be sorry about." She had hardly known her mother and father, "I was raised by my grandmother. And you…" here she was walking on eggshells, "You were raised by the Umbrella Corporation."
Birkin snorted again. He walked over to a nearby desk and dropped the folder he'd been carrying, "Is that what they say?"
Annette nodded.
"I suppose its true then." Birkin did not look at her as he spoke, "This Company is all I've ever had. My grand family." He swept the lab, researchers had still not yet returned, "A thousand bacteria and viruses. And monsters." His eyes darkened, "Let us not forget the monsters."
Annette could not forget the monsters either. They haunted her dreams at night-she dreamt that there were police-coming in to rescue her and her friends-colleagues-but her colleagues were flesh eating zombies and she was held captive by a horrible monster.
"What about Dr. Wesker?" she'd seen Albert Wesker around-he mostly spent his time speaking to Birkin. Albert Wesker and William Birkin were supposedly in the same boat…
"Wesker?" Birkin smiled-then shook his head, "He and I are colleagues-nothing more." He sighed, and stared at his folder, "I have my work-that's all I need."
Annette frowned and stood up, "Just your work?"
Birkin looked confused, "What else is there? I have my work. And someday I'll be known all over the world." The ghost of a smile fluttered on his lips.
I think that's the first time I've ever seen this guy happy. When he smiled he was almost endearing-it made you forget that he was your superior.
Get a grip Annette- he's your superior-your boss! You can't develop a crush on your boss-besides he's "Bacteria Birkin" and several other not-so nice names.
He's insane.
"You might make a friend."
"Nobody who could compete with me." Birkin sighed, "The people here-"
"Are people. Just doing their job. Not everyone's a genius-not everyone's perfect." She shrugged, "I'd hazard that even you've made a few mistakes."
"Never." Birkin flushed, "I don't make mistakes."
"Whatever." Annette rolled her eyes, " Comme vous dites Mon ami. It is as you say."
"Un travail de l'homme peut être sa vie n'importe ce que l'occupation." Birkin muttered.
"You speak French?" that through her for a loop, "Impressive." The notes lay forgotten on the floor, she bent to pick them up.
"Ich speech Französisch und Deutsch. Seines wichtiges, die zwei hauptsächlichen Sprachen Ihrer Überseekollegen zu wissen." Birkin rifled through some papers, "I sometimes make trips to Austria-or France-albeit rarely." He sighed.
"Listen…"she felt almost on friendly terms with this man, "I owe you an apology-I once made a couple of jokes…"she squirmed in her seat, "A few of the gals…we were talking and-"
Birkin waved a hand, immersed in his work once again.
"Um…" there were noises outside, "You…you listened to me-and I…" she was being an idiot. Damn her and her need to be with someone, "You-listened. And-thanks." She gestured helpless with her hands, " I mean-you didn't strike me as the kind of person who cared about your fellow employees."
Birkin looked up at her, "I care about you."
The remark hung in the air between them for a moment.
"Um-Um."
Birkin had returned to his work. He'd said the last line the way someone might say, " I care about fish sticks. No warmth-no passion-"
"Did you really mean that?"
Birkin looked up at her slowly, " I am not one to share my feelings with anyone. You can consider-any remark made by me about feelings and science-genuine."
Annette digested this.
"So-you-"
"Yes."
Annette giggled, "Oh my god I feel like a fucking schoolgirl." She snorted, "Christ." It went against every instinct of her being, dating a guy straight off the rebound-
Birkin was staring at her; his folder lay on the desk forgotten.
"Well."
"Do you require some sort of act to acknowledge the fact that I have feelings for you?"
He was obviously inexperienced at dealing with women-he treated this revelation like he was making a business transaction.
Yet there was something about him…
"Dinner?"
"I was thinking something different."
Before she knew it, she was in his arms and they were kissing. Not softly-but full on passion-romance movie-true love at last had conquered ring the bells and tells the king cause the princess was getting married.
They pulled apart.
"Whoa."
Birkin was beet red, "I'm sorry-I didn't mean to-If I offended you-"
Annette smiled, "Nobody's ever kissed me like that before." Jack had been timid-her high school boyfriends had been unsure.
"I should go-" Birkin gathered up his papers, "I have-things-I must-"
"Stay!"
Birkin turned to her-Researchers were filing past them upstairs-the sound drowning out the roar of the air conditioning.
"What? You want me to stay?"
"If you don't mind."
Birkin sat back down.
"I'm on the rebound-and I don't normally date men on the rebound-"
"Forgive my outburst then." Birkin busied himself in his work, "I apologize profusely-it was inappropriate."
Annette kissed him that time-pressing him back against the seat.
"You smell like cinnamon." She frowned. It was as if all inhibitions had walked out the door and clocked out.
" I had-um-a cookie."
Annette laughed.
Birkin pushed her off of him gently, "Don't let it get around, if they found out that bacteria Birkin liked cookies like a normal human being it would ruin my tough-guy image." He was friendlier now. Annette was relaxed-dawn had not yet come up on her night of drinking.
"Since you mentioned dinner however-"
"I know this great little place in town-"
"Nonsense-I'll take you out to Pravda." Birkin said. The door to the lab opened and two researchers appeared at the steps chatting amiably.
Annette smiled, "That sounds great."
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Author's note: This was NOT originally intended to be more then a one-shot. Shoot. I had a lot of fun writing this. R&R and tell me if you liked it ne? I might go all the way up to their wedding.
Translations:
French-
Annette: As you say my friend.
Birkin: Sometimes a man's work can be his life's occupation.
German: I speak French and German-it is important to know the primary language of one's colleagues.