"Oh wow. I honestly am shocked by the awesome reviews I got for Chapter 1. So quick too! Thank you guys so much for showing interest in this. Makes the work put into it pay off even more."

That was what I wanted to say over a year ago. Sorry I've been gone so long. My original intention was to post every month but A LOT of things have been going on. I won't go into any detail because I don't want to come off like I'm all about excuses. Let's just say everything from computer viruses to a death in the family has happened.

Well, how about I step aside and let you guys move on to what you really came for, hmm?

Without further ado, I present to you…

Disclaimer: I don't own this. Just the desire to see how to things could have been.

Mine to Claim
Chapter 2 – Trap
~Part 1~

Italics – Flashback/ Thoughts

It was so quiet and so dark. He had no idea where he was. It felt like he wasn't moving at all but he knew his feet weren't on any kind of ground. Whether he was standing or on his back he didn't know.

'How long have I been here? What was this place?' He found himself asking only to find that while his lips moved no sound came out.

Just as those thoughts entered his mind, they seemed to vanish. In their place was a numb feeling that seemed to take over everything. He didn't care where he was. He didn't care that he couldn't remember what he had been doing before this.

Cares, obligations, loyalties and fears were all gone from his mind leaving him hollow and void of anything. All he wanted to do was continue on floating in this darkness and allow it to swallow him. All this nothingness inside was beginning to make him sink deeper.

At moments he could hear what he thought were voices echoing from the abyss but the stillness of his mind urged him to leave them unanswered.

All this emptiness moved to a strange beat that could be compared to the riding in the back of a car and falling asleep. His eyes drifted closed. At least, he thought they had. Either way, it was still dark around.

At the same time there was a second figure lurking within the darkness. It was moving along the ground rather than simply floating. Moving with a purpose towards the first man like a great cat stalking its prey. It was soundless as it drew in closer with a proud look shining in its eyes, knowing the search was over and its prize was just entering arms reach.

The shadowy figure's hand touched the floating man's chest none too gently. The rough contact was like placing a fork in an electrical outlet… it was painful in the way it seemed to flow through his chest following the path of the blood vessels deep in the flesh. The severe discomfort burned away the nothingness and brought him out of the downward spiral that would have left him beyond hope. Everything was rushing back to him all at once blended as one long stream of information far too muddled to make any sense of.

There were faces flashing in his mind like an old film strip. Some were quick, gone as fast as they came, like the image of what could have been a hospital room where a young woman sat holding a newborn wrapped in a light pink blanket. Behind her was a man leaning over her shoulder to see the baby. They looked so proud and happy to have their family grow once more. There hadn't been a force on earth that could have darkened such a joyous moment.

As the image faded back into memory the hospital appeared again but this time the thoughts of warmth and safety had frozen over and shattered like glass. The newborn baby had long since grown up and was sitting across from him in the waiting room. She was shaking with fear as the clock ticked away. A similar feeling crept through his heart as they awaited word from the surgeon. The image jumped some time a head where it appeared that he has moved to sit beside her. She had a hold on one of his hands, squeezing so tightly there was a glimpse of white in her knuckles. Cheeks flushed, eyes puffy… she has been crying but his own remain dry in an effort to remain strong for her.

And the image jumps, the girl, what was her name?

…Claire…

Oh, that's right. How could he have forgotten that even for a moment?

Claire was leaning on him, her head against his shoulder. She was still holding his hand tightly as he used his other to hold her head close in a soothing gesture as if to say 'I'm here for you'. The moment was cut short by the sound of footsteps and the solemn voice that sounded from the entrance to the operating room. They both looked up and stood at the sound of their names. They followed the lead surgeon away from earshot of anyone else. It was there the last fiber of their control over their emotions broke. One freak accident had taken the most important people in their lives away. Claire was shaking again as she slid out of his grip and dropped to the floor as a new wave of tears fell. He made no move toward his sister. He couldn't, he was frozen. All he could do was stare at the surgeon's blood stained scrubs as his mind replayed those horrifying words over and over to the images of his parents from before this moment.

"I'm sorry but there was nothing we could do. Their injuries were just too severe. I…" From the tone it was obvious this guy was no stranger to giving bad news but something about this moment makes his voice crack, "I-I know words will never be enough to sooth this pain but I am sorry… They didn't give up without a fight. They-your parents, didn't want to leave you like this…"

"Chris, watch out!"

Something was off. He could still see the doctor's lips moving but the words didn't synch.

"I expected more of a challenge after all this time Chris."

The picture turned grey as a hole wear through the image until it was no more. He could hear the voices both familiar and foreign talking all around him. They all spoke as one making it nearly impossible to pick any one out.

"A pleasure to finally make your acquaintance Mr. Redfield."
"We need to get out of here."
"…Chris."
"Are you alright?"
"Chris? So you're Chris."
"…You make me proud…"
"Hey, Chris…"
"I'll leave this to you…"
"You can't do this alone."
"Chris!"

The voices were as loud as if they were standing beside him. It wouldn't stop; he wanted to cover his ears if only to gain a few moments of silence. It felt like his head was pounding. He blinked to clear his vision he couldn't recall becoming blurry. A figure stood before him watching with a deadly silence only possible in a strange dark place like this. At first, he could only make out the rough shape of what he assumed was a man. As his vision cleared and more detail was gained a thought occurred to him, how was he able to see in this darkest?

It was almost like the darkness couldn't touch the figure. It was afraid of that being and therefore pulled away allowing Chris to see.

There was one detail he soon discovered about this person that created a mix of dark emotions to swell inside him. Here, standing in front of him was someone who looked exactly like him. It WAS him. Every hair, facial structure and just the vibe given off by this man was him, Chris, in every way.

Every detail… but one.

The eyes…

They were all wrong…

Those were far from the expressively rich brown hues he now remembered to have been his own. These were animalistic with the bright golden rim of the iris that lined the elliptical pupil, dangerous from the red that bled from the gold as you moved away from the pupil all together.

There was something about those eyes that Chris knew had haunted him for years. They were a part of a nightmare that embodied all his darkest emotions. Together they clung to his form like the very muscles and skin he was born with. They penetrated down the very fiber of his being. They were apart of him. The side that made him push forward striving to right the wrongs of the world so no one would ever be tormented with nightmares the way he had.

The longer Chris stared into those eyes, the brighter they seemed to glow as the dark vacuum around both him and the doppelganger seemed to shift. Sounds of fighting could be heard echoing as the world around morphed from the endless abyss to a stone ruin. While the main light seemed to be from old fashioned fire lit torches, there was no denying the modernized touches of the otherwise ancient room. He knew this room from one of the quick flashes from his returning memories.

"Your future hinges upon this fight."

A loud crash sounded and, once more, the room changed; now appearing now as a sort of tomb.

It was then Chris realized the viral version of himself had vanished during the shift. He could still feel the warm burn running through his chest spreading like impact waves resonating from the initial point of where the double had touched him.

"Here I am offering you my precious time and you waste it by running around."

Weapons and clothing had been restored as a fog came down over his mind. He was still there inside his own body, but it was as if something had placed him on autopilot. His arms and legs moved, his lips opened to speak but none of this was under Chris' control. He was forced to simply relive these memories from the backseat of his own mind.

Adrenaline raced through his veins, feeding the body that miracle drug that took away the pain but also clouded all rational thought leaving only instincts civilized people tend to disregard.

Leaving only the animal inside.

Under dangerous situation it was difficult to shut out the animal in favor of rational thought. Chris had found himself in such a predicament as he pushed up against the stone wall. He felt fear as he tried to calm the frantically beating heart in his chest. Taking a deep breath he willed his heart to quiet down as he listened to the space around him. His earpiece would flicker to life whenever the broadcast trigger was touched allowing him snippets of the fight happening elsewhere.

As he adjusted his hold on the pistol Chris slowly moved to the doorway and peeked out around the corner. It was dimly lit but it was plain as day that the corridor was empty. No sound could be heard to alert him that his pursuer was nearby.

Worry began to creep into his mind like a cold hand gripping the base of his skull. What if he wasn't being followed at all? What if his partner was left back in the main room facing down both of their superhuman opponents?

He reached for his earpiece, "Sheva. Were you able to get away?" Eyes looking up and darting around in a paranoid fashion as he spoke.

"Chris! Are you okay?" He could hear the adrenaline in her voice as a grunt was heard in the background.

"Yeah I'm fine. Listen, were you able to hide?" Facing either of their pursuers head on was a bad idea. Tactics needed to change and fast that much they had agreed on.

"No but Chris something isn't right. Jill won't le-"

"Sheva…" All he got was static, "Shit." Chris slammed the side of his fist into the stone. What the hell was going on? Something wrong was stirring and it made his gut twist in an uncomfortable knot. They were so close to ending all this. The one behind this was there somewhere in that maze. There was no going back now. The B.S.A.A. had ordered them to pull out but Chris had gone against orders and now had dragged Sheva into the midst of this old grudge that stemmed from bad blood. He'd never forgive himself if something happened to her. There was no way in hell Chris would allow that to happen, not again.

The sound of rock under a heavy boot bounced off the walls from down the corridor.

Breath held, ears perked up to listening to the footsteps. They were slow but without hesitation as if the world revolved around them.

"There's no point in hiding."

'Wesker…' Just the mere sound of that voice made him hiss through clenched teeth. Quickly checking the number bullets in the clip and taking a deep breath to steady the mind he retreated back into the room, pressing his back to the wall and waited for the monster in shades to round the corner.

"Come on out Chris… this is no way to treat an old friend." Chris knew the man was close. He could practically hear the leather of the bastard's gloves stretch and strain as knuckles cracked. The footsteps stop just on the other side of the wall with an annoyed sigh being the only confirmation he needed.

Chris could feel the adrenaline surge through him again in anticipation of the confrontation he knew would begin any moment.

He waited until his adversary began to advance down the corridor again to make his move. Careful not to disturb any loose gravel he rounded the corner with his pistol aimed high. As he turned he was met with an empty hallway. Chris blinked confused; he knew he hadn't been hearing things. The bastard had been just on the other side of the wall.

'Where…' his mind started to process only to stop short when he heard a whistle come from right behind him.

Snapping his body around, Chris had just in time caught a glimpse of blond hair before his face felt the impact of what felt like a ten ton steel ball smashing into his cheek, spinning him around. And another movement, a quick strike to his abdomen. And another, a grab to his arm, and a twist. Grunting back a pained sound, Chris was forced to let go of his pistol or lose his arm. Another graceful motion and Chris find his entire body, sore, smashed onto the stone floor.

"Sloppy, Chris. I would expect better from one of my best men."

Chris gasped for breath as the virus-infected man mocked him. Each gulp of air accompanied by pain.

Gritting his teeth, Chris twisted his body to the side. In one solid movement, his body turns; a steady hand finds his knife strapped to his pack and pulls it free while his legs pulled under his sturdy body in a taut coiled crouch.

Raising a brow, Wesker smirked, unimpressed, nevertheless, humors his ex-teammate and braces his stance, one leg back.

Eyes narrowing, Chris launches himself forward; his previous position providing the necessary momentum he needed to (hopefully) give him the speed to at least match the monster before him.

Wesker dodges the knife, as expected, ducking underneath Chris's extended arm to land a hit of his own at the brunet's side, only to have it parried. Well, attempted to parry. Unfortunately for the human, his speed did not match the infected-psychopath's, and despite being able to thwart Wesker's blow, he did not manage to halt the momentum of Wesker's fist fully and was propelled backwards with a grunt.

Regaining his balance, Chris once more readies himself, keeping his center of balance lower to the ground as he, again, moves to attack , knowing that if he should give his all-too-clever opponent the unintended chance to act first, he might not have the chance to recover.

Minutes flew by in a stream of blows exchanged. Chris remained focused, refusing to allow the older man the satisfaction of seeing his verbal taunts working. Until finally, another thrust blocked, then parried pushes the two apart once more.

Wesker pulled back with a smirk on his face that aroused Chris' suspicions, but he's too into the fight, too pumped on the adrenaline to actually think of 'what' it could be focusing only on the fact that Wesker, the one who killed all those innocents, who has turned his old partner against him, is standing right in front of him and he has to take him down.

To Be Continued…

Initially, Chapter 2 was supposed to go all the way to where Chris wakes up in his new location but after staring at these six pages for over a year and fighting with my apparent weak points –fight scenes- I decided to break up the chapter into two parts. After a while things started to feel hopeless seeing these pages complete but not where I wanted to be for you guys.

Why am I pushing this now and not waiting until it was fully done? Easy, I set a deadline of my 23rd birthday on the 13th to post something. Sadly, school and plans have gotten in the way of the weekend. So I have decided to give you all this gift early. Wait…what? It's my birthday and yet you guys are the ones receiving… well if that isn't the story of my life I don't know what is.

Also, everyone give a round of applause to my editor the wonderful MyraHellsing, whom this chapter is dedicated to, for sticking by me and pretty much writing the fight scene for me when my brain failed. I love you, Imouto.

Oh, let me clarify something for you. A few people have mentioned this to me: I am aware that Chris' eyes are supposed to be Blue. When I did my research on the characters I was mainly focused on RE5 and no matter how many screenshots I looked at Chris always had a band of shadow over his eyes which made it very hard to tell what color they were. Then I found his B.S.A.A. badge that said brown was the color. So I just rolled with brown and at this point blue would look strange for what I want.