A/N: I'll explain my switch to third-person later. Well, technically I did in the dated first chapter of Leave. I really want to get this up before I fall asleep!

Sequela

Chapter 1: Massacres, Bullets, and Cigarettes

September 23, 2004, Thursday 13:36

Massacres, bullets, and cigarettes. This had become Claire's life. If she were being honest, she wasn't even guilty about kissing her kids after tearing out a grown man's throat. Every person that she killed had been actively contributing to a rise in bioweaponry that was severely unchecked by any entity with previous experience or a clear plan. Though she was in strong disagreement with her husband's past power plays, he now could stand before the world with a true proposal on which she could grant him his points. They had children that were born of the union of two beings with previous unions of the human and inhuman. If despite their legal clearance, fractions of militia groups were still out to kill us, then Claire knew that deep within those same groups would come for their children. She would not allow it.

"You went a little too hard this time." Jack nearly stomped on the brake as they finally pulled up to the manor that Claire had just grown accustomed to after dispelling all signs of Spencer.

She continued to stare out of her window from the backseat just behind him, not acknowledging their arrival.

His gaze from the rearview mirror probably was one of concern and disappointment, "You're going down a path that you can't come back from. Once that gate has been closed… Claire?"

She continued to pretend not to hear him.

"…It's closed." He killed the engine and it sounded like he'd almost ripped the key from the ignition.

As the jeep door creaked upon opening, the subject of his concern finally raised her gaze to the rearview, stopping him dead in his actions. "They had pictures of my children. Remind me of why I should begin taking prisoners?"

He was stunned into silence. Claire grabbed her duffle and jumped out, but it didn't take long for him to recoup and march after her. As his boots squished in the mud, his charge trekked on, knowing that whatever he said next would not inject a morsel of remorse into her for the lives she had taken.

"Hey!" he barked, now sprinting as she sped up, but he reached out with that arm and grabbed ahold of one of hers.

Claire whipped around, surprised that Jack was now the one enraging her, not the memory of seeing a board of objectives centered on obtaining the two purest things in her life. "What?" She kept her voice low; Al would not hesitate to render his arm useless once more upon the sight of Jack grabbing his wife in an attempt to ignite an argument.

Jaw taut, the blond soldier whispered, "I remember a year and seven months ago. If I remember it like it was yesterday, I know you're still living it."

Teeth clenched, Claire balled her fist. "So you remember that my brother betrayed me yesterday? And every day for nineteen months?" She snatched her arm away with ease, a reminder that no matter how strong he'd become, Aceso had made her stronger. When she entered the front door that anger and fear were quickly shed because Claire knew that for the kids, she had to appear stronger than what was felt. "Hello?" she called loudly, soon after hearing the tiniest footsteps and squeals of exhilaration.

Haven and Liam ran to their mother excitedly, Liam almost leaping up into her arms. "Mommy!" they yelled in unison.

"You guys are so big!" she gushed, not even glancing at Jack as he entered the foyer. It was thankfully an exaggeration on her end and their growth had started to slow down, but they spoke so well that it always nibbled at the back of her mind that it would reaccelerate once more.

"And won't get any bigger if they don't finish lunch!" Sherry sang as she rounded the corner.

After setting Liam down Claire pulledHaven in for a quick hug.

Haven pouted, "I wanna play with mommy!"

Getting down on one knee, the mother bargained with the toddlers. "How about this? You guys finish lunch, and we'll play all the way to dinner!" She tickled Haven and drew a laugh out of her.

The young girl pushed back her blonde, curly hair that had grown thicker with time and was now the same dirty blonde as her father's. "Mommy, come eat with us!"

"Mommy needs to go see daddy first, and after we'll play. Okay?" Claire ruffled her curls, undoing her attempt to tame them, but she only chuckled in response.

"I'm gonna play with mommy first!" Liam proclaimed, running back towards the dining room with Haven hot on his trail.

Sherry turned to yell, "No running!" With a warm smile in place, she threw her arms out to embrace her friend.

As they pulled each other close, Claire whispered, "I missed you guys so much."

Upon pulling back Sherry quickly wiped her face, and Claire just knew that she'd tried to hide tears of joy over her return. "He's upstairs."

Nodding, the brunette grabbed her face in her hands, touching her forehead to the blonde's. This was the acknowledgment of the danger that Claire was walking into whenever she walked out of those front doors. "'See you in a bit," she whispered, walking backward and to the stairway where she lingered, resting her hand on the handrail. It was only six days, but it felt like a month. Ascending the stairway, Claire looked back to see Sherry smiling, but holding back tears.

They have little faith in us.

Shrugging off the voice, she reached the top and headed to the right wing, passing the library, guest rooms, the children's room, and bathrooms before reaching the door at the very end. Slowly, she reached for the golden doorknob and turned it, finding Al sitting in the bedroom nook with a book in his hand. "Hi."

Claire could tell that he wanted to drop the book to the ground, but instead, he set it on a shelf in the nook and crossed the bedroom that was the size of an apartment in what felt like a few strides. He pulled her in for a kiss that echoed the sentiments of Sherry and the kids: they didn't know if the missus of the estate would come home. How things had seemed to have changed. Al then picked his wife up and carried her to the bed, snatching his shades off and tossing them aside. She knew what came next, and she always wanted it. He ripped the buttons off of her pants, ignoring the sound of the fabric tearing, and had he not been hard already she would've attempted to do the same to him.

A few more rips later and about six seconds of her fumbling with his buttons and zipper and he was pumping into her. It all felt so surreal, seeing him above her, feeling his lips against hers, but she kept chanting that this was happening. She was back. With his hand beneath her thigh, she hitched an ankle around his hip, feeling herself already coming close to climax.

He came to a steady rhythm now, burying his face in the crook of his mate's neck. "Fuck," he exclaimed, sliding his hand to the bend of her knee and pushing outward.

Claire almost yelled out in a mix of pleasure and pain as he penetrated deeper, the feel of his head now almost hitting the end. She wouldn't let him finish just yet. Claire pushed against his chest, and with his help, she was now straddling him, slowly riding his length.

He could only allow this teasing for so long before he grabbed her hips, holding her in place as he bucked beneath his wife.

Eventually, Claire gave in and attempted to match his speed, but was wary of the intensity. Then, she felt it, her walls tensing, squeezing tighter around his girth.

"Come," he commanded.

Claire had meant to say no, but instead only moaned.

"Come," he repeated, noticing that she was attempting to fight it. "Now!" he hissed, and upon his command she finally did, feeling spasms shoot throughout her. As Claire was lost in her own haze of ecstasy, almost unaware of her surroundings, Al moaned out without care that anyone could hear, and she felt him give a final thrust and come deep inside of her, intensifying the ongoing orgasm.

She continued to grind against him for a few seconds longer, feeling him release one last, small stream of cum, and collapsed on his chest with him still inside of her. Almost sleepily, Claire whispered, "I missed you too."

14:48

As Jack rounded the corner, Al found myself questioning his lingering presence. He slipped a black tee over his head and looked at him with the acknowledgment that he had had something on his mind.

Hands now stuffed in his pockets, the soldier approached with his chin tilted down, almost as though he was ashamed. "Hey, boss? You think maybe you should talk to the missus?"

"About what?"

He trudged over to the wall, looking up to the ceiling, preparing for a declaration so bold that he required physical support. "She seems to be taking plenty of unnecessary risks on the field lately…"

With his brow furrowed, Al stared at him so intently that he must have felt it, for he finally looked back to his employer. "What kind of risks?"

Jack gave a single laugh. "She acts like she's invincible now. But you and I both know that everything dies."

Not everything.

Al took a seat on the bedroom bench, un-bunching the black socks that waited there. "How so?"

"Look," Jack pushed himself away from the wall, "ever since she learned that she can take a headshot, it's like she purposely leaps into the fray to activate…" He trailed off to avoid mentioning Aceso, as did many others. Jack wanted to believe that it was Claire that was responsible for her actions when she went into her "state" as Al preferred to call it, but a part of him also treated it like the few survivors of her rampage: a possession. The uneducated mercenaries that were sent after her like lambs to the slaughter would oftentimes refer to her as "The Morrígan," for her entry in battle signified the end of it and the end of her enemy's lives.

As the taller blond put on his socks, he was deliberately dismissive of his subordinate's attempt to tattle, "I am unable to force Claire to sit out any battle regarding Haven and Liam."

Jack became animated at this, walking towards him. "Tell her something to guilt her then! Like, how she's spending more time protecting them than with them!"

Despite it being true, Al shook his head. "Her physical involvement is my fault."

"No, you administered her with Aceso to save her life-"

"That's not what I mean and you know it." Both of the men stopped. With regret heavy on his heart, Al stared at the white and gold-gilded dresser against the wall. White and gold, white and gold everywhere now. It gave her the peace of mind that she needed when she returned here. Everything was shining, everything was new. From the marbled floors to the statues that adorned the yard, she had changed it all. It was no longer a Spencer Estate, but their estate.

"You didn't know-" Jack started suddenly, only to be cut off.

"Some of us have ambitions and don't seek fulfillment in the most mundane of things." Finally, Al looked at Jack. "Do you know how I remember those words verbatim?" He expected no answer; the soldier was far too respectful of him to even speak the truth. With his elbows now on my knees, Al twiddled his thumbs out of frustration that was directed inward. "When I said those words I knew that I shouldn't have. Every day during every month that I barely spoke to her, that I didn't touch her, I knew I should have never said those words." He also was very aware that his failure to be a husband during that time was because of pride. Had Claire been slipping away from him? Had her proclaimed fight to protect the children been more about her desire to unleash her resentment on others?

Jack had turned to walk away.

With Al's gaze back upon the dresser he said, "On second thought, there may be a way to ensure that she begins to sit out these outings. How much has she been consuming?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Al saw Jack turn back towards him. "On the field: she barely leaves anyone or anything. That's why cleanup takes way less time; she hasn't been playing with her food as much. She recently started eating with the crew so she wouldn't completely freak everyone out. 'Makes her and them feel she's more human."

"Her weight appears to have increased, yes?" The habitually black-clad man turned his head just in time to see Jack a bit flustered at the question. Al would have been a fool to believe that Jack Krauser paid no mind when he retrieved his wife's exhausted, naked body from the battlefield.

He stammered, "Ye- I think so sir." It was something that the other man did not wish to bring to her attention as it could have been intentional on her end, but the cause needed to be known before proceeding along his train of thought. "What are you thinking?"

"That she'll protect our children at all costs."

"Sir…" he did not follow.

"Bring me her charts and after dinner send her downstairs."

It won't be like last time.

20:30

"So, the kids are down I assume?" Sherry took a seat next to Claire on the couch inside of the closed veranda, catching her in one of those moments as she stared out through the glass of one of the many windows.

The older woman took one of the glasses of red wine from her as she snuggled into her white, chunky, knitted blanket, thanking her old friend before taking the smallest swig. "They went down without a fight, surprisingly." Biting her lip, she looked down at her own blanket that was almost as deep a red as the wine in the glasses. "It's almost like they didn't miss me."

With her brow raised high, Sherry said, "Claire. Did you see how they were high-energy for like two hours straight?" With a scoff, she sat back and took a drink from her wine glass.

Claire made a mental note that she needed to check into whether or not the young Sherry Birkin had been having too much fun with a lower drinking age in this country.

The blonde continued, "They saw Mom, got excited, went ballistic with you across this whole yard, and almost fell asleep face-first in their mashed potatoes."

She was right, but her words could not pacify her guardian. "I just feel sometimes that…"

"The ectogenesis." The blonde almost rolled her eyes. "Look, whether you carried them or not doesn't change that you're their mother. They could smell it on you when you held them."

"Not Haven," Claire countered, shaking her head.

"Well, that's 'cause she's a daddy's girl. He's her everything. A real knight in shining armor."

"Well, then I'm just her guard in glistening viscera…" Perhaps that was the issue. Claire wanted children first, wanted to keep them safe so badly that she threw herself into the midst of battle to keep them safe. So why didn't Haven think of her in the same way that she saw Al? He was here, but was he really here?

With a hint of irritation, Sherry asked, "Aside from your new Morrígan act, what's been going on with you? I can understand the psychology of it after what happened in Russia, but this?"

With a pause, the brunette stared down at the glass of wine, using a free hand to adjust the red blanket. It wasn't because of the cold though, but for security. "My period came." When she looked back up, Sherry's eyes were the size of saucers.

"Holy shit. How long has it been?"

"I stopped counting." She'd hoped that it was just spotting from sex earlier, but a few hours later it had become a deep red. Claire was menstruating again, and unsure what that meant. Was Aceso that ingrained into her DNA now and she would resume typical bodily functions?

"If you want, we could do some lab wor-"

"Hey!" Jack's gruff voice cut Sherry off and the pair of women looked behind them to see him running across the yard.

Claire threw her head back in annoyance at his interruption, but then remembered Sherry's concern over her recent change in attitude. Earlier, Jack looked genuinely concerned and hurt that she had dismissed his worries. By the time he entered the veranda she had pasted on a fake, small smile. "Yes?"

Taken aback by her lighter mood, he said with what seemed to be an air of relief, "Wesker requests your presence downstairs for a physical."

Throwing the blanket off of herself Claire got to her feet, "Good thing I've only had one sip of this." With a shrug, she decided to down the glass rather than let a fine wine go to waste, and when finished she saw Jack staring back at her in what could have been mistaken as horror. "What?"

Fists at his side he exclaimed, "PHYSICAL!"

Shrugging again, Claire walked to the door, handing off the empty glass to him. She pulled the cardigan she wore tighter around her body as she began the trek across the yard, and the sight of the house made her feel a bit warmer all on its own. There were lights on that could be seen through the window, the light interior making it appear more welcoming than it had at the beginning of their habitation here. Carefully placed plants gave it more appeal and showed that it wasn't just a hideout, but a home. Then Claire's reflection of what had been ended when she saw him moving through the kitchen, causing her to stop dead in her tracks. She didn't know why the sight of Al had rendered her frozen at this moment, but it did. She told herself to keep walking, and reluctantly her legs and feet complied.

Do we sense danger?

"No," Claire answered aloud. Lately, she'd been doing that even though she wasn't even sure if the voice being heard was real. Aceso had proven to be a symbiont though, one that Al believed may have settled in with one of the many preexisting viruses that live peacefully in humans, and so maybe there was a chance that she hadn't lost her mind.

Are we sure?

"It's my husband. And he vouched for you so why would you think otherwise?"

You stopped. Not us.

Shaking her head, she sped up her walk. She briskly made her way into the house and downstairs, locking the door behind her before heading towards the office that Al kept only for records regarding my infection. Despite having locked the first door, Claire also locked this one behind her, turning to see Al standing right before her and almost scaring a scream out from her throat. "Hi?"

Without a word, he looked to the left and tilted his head in the direction of the exam table.

His eagerness to begin was a bit bothersome, but the brunette made her way over anyhow, disrobing to her panties only to put on a cloth gown that was set on the adjacent counter. She hopped up onto the edge of the exam table, waiting for him to retrieve his stethoscope and blood pressure equipment.

As he came towards her though, he only had the stethoscope ready, already placing the earpieces in his ears. He checked his wife's heartbeat, staring down into brilliant, blue eyes with not quite a smile. He whispered, "Deep breath in."

As Claire inhaled, she felt the cool diaphragm rove over my upper back and his left hand fell to her hip, squeezing slightly.

"Deep breath out."

Exhaling, She could feel that he was much closer than in previous examinations, and the smell of his cologne was almost dizzying with the combination of his seemingly thoughtfully, placed hands.

He repositioned the diaphragm. "One more," he commanded with yet another whisper. With this intake of air, he seemed to pull her small form closer, his grip tightening on her hip. "Let it out slowly." This time, he blew simultaneously with her, and after she began to feel his hand trail up until he cupped her breast. With an unwavering gaze, he looked down into her eyes that refused to leave his. Then, softly, his lips touched hers. Eyes still open, they gave in to the passion that had lacked earlier. Earlier was fucking, but now they were truly saying, "I missed you."

As she found herself giving in to the kiss, her eyes began to close, but when then she felt his hands fall from her back and breast and heard the sound of his zipper being undone, the previously eager woman pulled back, pushing him away, but was met with a hint of resistance. "I'm on my period," She sputtered, immediately looking down as if ashamed, and it overpowered her surprise that he wanted to go again. It wouldn't be out of the norm, but it never occurred during a physical as it was much too serious of a moment.

He grabbed his partner's chin and brought her gaze back to him. "Are you sure?"

For some reason, Claire wanted to cry, but licked her lips and nodded. "I was hoping you'd be able to tell me if something is wrong."

His demeanor suddenly switched to the one he usually presented during these physicals, except he began to run a hand through her hair which was finally its original color. "Aceso is just finally stabilizing. Not to worry."

"Are you sure?" Claire reached up to grab his hand beneath her chin.

"I've been waiting for more basic functions such as this one to return."

"It won't be a problem, will it?"

With a smirk, Al shook his head. "Your body just continues to mimic certain functions that you had before. That's all."

With a tinge of disappointment, Claire said, "Oh. Can you just promise me one thing: full transparency about everything having to do with Aceso?"

With his brow raised, he looked into her eyes from behind his shades, bringing a hand back to her chin as he closed the space between them. "Of course."

Claire gave a small laugh and smiled up at him. Now she felt a bit better about everything, and maybe she had been being too hard on everyone lately. Her worries should have ended the moment that she set foot on the driveway. "Then let's get this over with and have another glass of wine!"

A/N: I swear that I'm working on the next chapter. I said that Leave was next but I decided to update Sequela since there's one other chapter to update the POV on instead of like ten. Please review if you haven't and I promise that I'm trying to get an update out!