-- Seems like it was yesterday when I saw your face --
Claire stared blankly out the balcony window, brushing through her dripping red hair. Something had been bugging her lately.
Or someone.
Someone who would always be a memory; one that made her heart feel heavy with anger and sorrow. Someone whose prescense still lingered in her thoughts, haunting her.
--There's nothing I wouldn't do to hear your voice again--
There had been a tug in her heart for the last year. Every once in a while, she'd sink into a sort of depression, crying softly and whispering his name. Ever since that incident on Rockfort, in the Antarctic, where she'd met him.
--Sometimes I just wanna hide 'cause it's you I miss--
"Claire?" came Chris's concerned voice. "You still up?"
"Mmm... can't sleep." she replied simply, still staring out the window. She felt his hands lightly sit on her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her. Claire knew that he didn't know exactly how she felt, but he could try. And most of the time, it worked.
Not tonight, though.
--If I had just one more day I would tell you how much that I've missed you--
Rain hit the window in light waves. In her reflection, two raindrops rolled down the other Claire's pale cheeks. Hidden tears, shown by the inner Claire? She couldn't tell for sure.
"You alright?"
She gasped, realizing that the tears were her own. Her reflection was just giving her reason to let out her hidden feelings.
"Claire?"
She trembled, choking back the sobs. All the emotions she'd hid away, anger, hatred, greif, sorrow, hit her with one fell swoop and became one: Pain.
--To look into your eyes and see you looking back--
Claire spun around and wrapped her arms around Chris, crying into his chest like a small frightened child.
"Chris, I can't stop thinking about him! I can't accept the fact that he's gone! I want him back!"
Shocked and confused, he gentley placed his hands on her back.
"Shhh... Claire, it's alright..." he whispered into her hair. "Who do you miss?"
She looked up at him, blue eyes wide with fear and pain as she said one word: "Steve,"
"Steve?"
All the memories came flooding back. Rockfort, Antarctic, the computer message, Claire crying, and the motionless body of the kid beside her.
"Chris, it's Steve. Everytime I close my eyes I... I see him, Chris."
--Thank you for all you've done Forgive all your mistakes--
Steve Burnside. The kid who'd stuck with Claire nearly the whole trip. The one who'd said that-
"I... I love you... Cl.. aire..."
-that'd he'd loved her. Claire had told him that she had been the first person he'd trusted in while, and that she hadn't been sure if she'd loved him back.
"You see him?"
She nodded, burying her face in his chest again. "I see him. I see his face, I see his smile... I see his motionless bod-"
Claire cut herself off before she made the tears worse. She'd simmered down to a sob and didn't want to start again.
"Claire? How long have you-"
"Ever since the incident." she replied, muffled by his shirt. He rubbed her back a bit to calm her down. It seemed to work effectively; the sobbing was now ceased.
--It's so out of line to try and turn back time--
"I... I just want to see him again. I want to hear his voice, feel his warmth while he holds me..."
He felt her grip on him loosen up a bit, her breathing becoming a steady pace again. Chris looked down into her puffy red eyes and smiled.
"Hey, what do you think... tomorrow, we go hang out with Leon and Barry? Hm? Take your mind off things?"
She smiled back, a bright, happy smile, and nodded. "Sure... I need some fun to clear my head..."
Claire let go of him and calmly made her way to her bedroom. "Thanks, Chris."
"It's what I'm here for, Claire." he grinned, watching her walk to her room. He could tell she still felt bad, but at least he was able to cheer her up a little before bed.
--And it's so hard to say goodbye when it comes to this--
Claire closed the door quietly, flicking on the small lamp on her desk. As she walked over to her large bed, a small grin spread across her face. She sunk to her knees, clasped both her hands together and closed her eyes.
Chris walked by her door, and wanted to know what she was doing. He could hear her talking, and turned the doorknob, opening it a crack.
"Hey Steve. I hope you can hear me where you are. I really, really miss you. You remember, back in the Umbrella lab, when you said you loved me? Well..."
She hesitated, thinking it over and over in her mind to make sure she was telling the truth.
"... I love you too, Steve. Please, if you can hear me, give me a sign, alright? Just to let me know where you are."
She climbed into bed, falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Chris just smiled a bit, praying to himself that she would make it through alright. But before he closed the door, everything went cold. The lights flickered off, and the rain stopped, clouds dispersing to reveal the moonlight shining through Claire's window.
He could swear he saw something in that moonlight float down and kiss her on the lips.
"I love you Claire Redfield. And I'm always here with you..."
------------
A/N: I love Steve, and this song always makes me think about that scene with him and Claire.
Song: Hurt by Christina Aguilera