A/N: This chapter was hard to write. I've done some big changes to the narrative from the original, which took me longer to work through. I hope you like these changes, I think that they were necessary for characterization and just worked for a better story. I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Chapter Three
Claire stretched and reached for her cocktail. The glass was cool against her fingers and the condensation refreshing, though not as refreshing as the feeling of the icy daquiri as it slid down her throat. Raspberry daquiri's were her favourite. She fiddled with the straw and shifted in the deck chair. Once she was comfortable, she looked out at the pool, at the speckles of light flickering against the moving water. It was peaceful, even with the other tourists playing in the water. She took another sip of her cocktail before placing it on the side table. she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the sun pressing down upon her face.
"That as delicious as it looks?" Her eyes slid open, and she tilted her head to see Leon slipping into the seat beside her.
Her eyes slid across his naked torso before she caught herself. She couldn't help herself, it was just there, and while Leon was her friend, even she had to admit that he was pretty. Very pretty. Tearing her gaze away she looked out at the pool again. She watched a pair of children throwing an inflatable ball to each other. She smiled and reached for her drink. She could feel him watching her as she sipped the beverage. She finished her drink, let out an exaggerated sigh to show pleasure, then placed the glass back. Her lips curled as she felt him pouting at her, no doubt he had wanted to try her drink.
"It was absolutely fantastic." She stretched, then jumped as she caught her bikini top start to move. She quickly adjusted the blue material so that it stayed in place. She inwardly sighed, glad that she hadn't accidentally flashed Leon.
Leon frowned, as though weighing his options. He looked at his chair, then at the now empty glass, then at his chair again. Eventually he sighed, his shoulder's slumping. He grunted as he shimmied out of the seat. Claire watched him stretch with a wry grin- the man was acting like it was a big effort to get up from the chair, he wasn't that old yet. Then again, she wondered how difficult it was going to be for her to get up, she had had three drinks already and had been napping off and on for several hours now.
"You want another one?" Leon offered.
Claire smiled and nodded. "Thanks Leon, you're a gem."
He huffed a breath of laughter. "I just asked if you want another one," he waved a hand at her. "You've got legs." With a wag of his eyebrows, and a wink, he turned on his heel and strutted to the bar.
"Leon!" Claire whined, slapping her hand down on her chair. That was mean.
With a groan, she pulled herself from the chair. Her legs protested at the treatment, and it took her quite some time to will them to move. Eventually her body agreed with her and she moved, following Leon to the bar. In the distance, she could see Chris getting a massage by the pool. She smiled, Chris had been spending most of his vacation time getting massages, he deserved it. She turned her gaze away from Chris. Their relationship was, strained, at the moment. He, naturally did not approve of her day out with Wesker and Belle, but he had not spoken to her about it, instead he had been terse with her- which all things considered, was a fairly normal response for him. She was just glad that he hadn't gone to the extreme, like locking her away or something.
"Another daquiri?" Leon prompted as she moved to stand beside him.
She leaned her forearms against the bar, as she scanned over the list of cocktails. "Ooh, I don't know, that long island iced tea sounds alright."
Leon smirked, then nodded. "Add a long island to my order." He called out to the man behind the bar. He looked back at Claire. "How many have you had?" he teased, as he watched her sway her hips.
Claire rolled her eyes. "I'm not drunk." Yet. "I'm just moving my back, I've been lying on that chair for some time."
"Getting old, are we?" Leon teased. He nodded in thanks as the bartender passed him his daquiri. "Your old weary bones starting to feel it?" he stuck his tongue out, before turning his attention to his drink.
Claire's lips thinned, then pursed in an angry pout. She was not getting old. She had simply been lying down for too long. Her condition was not something that had been steadily increasing the older she got. She elbowed him, giggling as he coughed, having inhaled part of his drink. She accepted her drink from the bartender and turned away from the bar. Her lips curled down into a frown. Was she getting old? No. She sipped her drink. Leon had simply been teasing her. Why was she stressing about that sort of thing? She sighed. She needed a boyfriend, or to get laid- it had been far too long, so long that she was over-analyzing things… or perhaps a make-over, the hotel had a salon that she could book into. She nodded. A make-over, could do wonders for her esteem.
"If I'm old, you must be getting ancient." She pushed herself from the bar. "Perhaps it's your bones that are weary."
As he huffed a breath of laughter, she wagged her brows. "Old man." raising her head high, she strutted forwards. She let out a gasp as her ankle bent sidewards and she tripped lightly. Her arms rose as she balanced herself. Ignoring his laughter, she righted herself and continued her trek to her chair. Glancing at her glass she smiled as she realised that she had not spilled a drop. She held her head high. She was not drunk. She didn't need to slow down.
As she slid back into her chair she sipped at her drink. She watched as Leon slid into the chair beside her. He held his drink out, as though indicating to something. She glanced in the indicated direction, her eyes squinting as the sun hit her eyes. At first, she was unable to see what he was indicating to, mostly due to the sun, but then she caught it. Chris and Jill, who were in the spa pool, sitting close together. They seemed to be talking about something, what, Claire had no hope in hearing, but they looked comfortable with each other, cozy even.
"Cute." She said.
"You think they'll ever figure it out?" he asked.
She shrugged. "Who knows?"
From what she understood, Chris and Jill had been dancing around each other for years. She could remember when he had first joined Stars. He had called her, excited to tell her about his new position, his duties and the people whom he would be working with. When he had talked about Jill, she could remember talking about her like had had when they were younger, when they were talking about their crushes. He had been excited. This excitement had continued whenever he talked about her, and after Raccoon City, they two were still close, if not closer. From what Claire had seen and could see, the two were one small push away from admitting how they felt for each other. She really hoped that they would figure it out soon, if anyone needed to get laid, it was Chris- it might help him get his head out of his rear.
"Oh well, it's none of our business," Leon shrugged. "I suppose."
Claire nodded in agreement. What business did she have interfering with her brother's relationships? Even if it would be for his benefit. She picked her drink up and sipped through the straw. It was strong. Delicious, but strong. She watched the other guests, her eyes locking onto a pair of children who seemed to be arguing over something- it reminded her of her own childhood. Of her and Chris. It was wistful. They still fought, but things had been different when she was little. They had fought over things that seemed so inconsequential now. She missed it, missed being able to talk to Chris without the weight of world experience behind her. To argue over things like who was playing with the ball, rather than serious things- like death, virus', or even the people she could and could not interact with.
She sighed and placed her drink back onto the table beside her. Snuggling back into the chair, she closed her eyes. It was comfortable. The sun was so warm, it would be nice to have a nap. Felt sleep tickle at the back of her mind. It was so comfortable… She heard the sound of her phone rumble against the table before the sound of her ringtone flowed through.
Groaning, she rubbed at her eyes with one hand, and grasped the phone with the other hand. The ringtone was loud and irritating. Her vision was discolored from closing her eyes in the sunlight, and she continued to blink in an attempt to chase the colours away. Secretly, she hoped that the phone would stop ringing, so that she could go back to napping and call them back later. The ringing held on strong, however. Eventually, her vision had become normal enough for her to see the screen and the buttons. She did not recognize the phone number. She frowned.
"Hello?" she said hesitantly, as she held the phone to her ear.
"Hello Claire!" Came the cheerful reply. Claire blinked, confused as she reconised the voice.
"Belle?" Her brow's creased in a frown, but her lips curled into a confused smile. The girl was calling her? So soon? It had only been two days since their zoo visit. The fact that Wesker had actually given the girl her phone number? She had thought that he would have thrown it away after she had left the car. that he had given her the number, was shocking. "How are you?"
"I'm good!" The girl's voice maintained its excited tone. "Daddy let me call you!"
Wesker had given her the phone number. "I'm glad." She answered. "It's so good to hear from you." It was, even though she hadn't been expecting it, she was glad to be hearing from her. She was also touched, it was incredible that Wesker would trust her with being able to speak to his daughter. She honestly had not thought that Wesker would want his daughter interacting with her. Hers and her brother's history with him would give him more than enough reasons not to allow it.
"I wanted to ask you to come to lunch with us today!" The girl spoke. While Claire could not see it, she could easily picture the girl kicking her feet nervously, something about the tone gave to the imagery.
Claire paused. Lunch sounded fantastic. If it had been any other day, she would have jumped at the invitation. Today, however, it was not a good idea. She had been drinking since breakfast, and since it was now closer to lunch, it was safer for her to stay at the hotel, rather than go out- especially since she had started on her long island iced tea. Guilt washed over her. She was sad. Sad that she was going to have to say no to the girl, which she should have thought was strange- she hardly knew the girl- but she didn't. She liked the girl, and it felt natural to do so, besides she didn't like telling kids no- disappointing them.
"Aww…" she could hear the disappointment in the girl's voice.
"I'm sorry…" Claire fingered the condensation on her glass. She could feel Leon's eyes on her and she did her best to avoid looking at him. She bit her lower lip, she didn't like hearing the disappointment. It reminded her of herself when she was little, when she would seek attention from Chris, and he would turn her down, too busy for her.
An idea struck her. Not one that that she could imagine Chris approving of, but an idea all the same. In that moment she did not care about Chris' opinion, she only cared about hearing the smile return to the girl. "I can see you tomorrow, if you have the time?" she caught Leon's eyes widen in the corner of her eyes.
There was a silent pause before a fumbling could be heard. "Daddy!" she heard Belle call out. There was more fumbling, and what sounded like feet tapping against the floor. "What are we doing tomorrow?"
"Our collection has been delayed, would you like to go shopping?" she heard the faint voice of Wesker reply.
She glanced up at Leon, who was watching her with a quirked brow. She raised her brows in response and reached for her drink. She sipped as she listened to the conversation that was happening on the other phone. "Claire can't come to lunch today." A pause. "But she said that she can go out tomorrow, can she come with us shopping?"
There was silence, before the sounds of fumbling and crackling flowed through the phone. It sounded as though the phone was being fumbled though hands, or even dropped on a sofa. She heard hushed voices, muffled, as though the receiver was covered- possibly by a hand. She sipped at her drink and waited, listening to the muffled sounds, though she could not hear any of the words. She wondered if they were arguing, or perhaps her suggestion was unwanted on Wesker's side. She could believe that. Wesker had probably had enough of her at the zoo.
Suddenly the muffled sounds were gone. "Miss Redfield?" she heard Wesker say.
She bit her lip and put her drink on the table. "Wesker." She answered. She turned away as she caught Leon's brows snap up. "Erm." She fumbled for something to say. What could she say? Hello Wesker! Your daughter wanted me to go out with you two, I can't today, but shall we go tomorrow? She inwardly shook her head, she did not feel comfortable talking with him so casually.
"You're joining us tomorrow?" he asked.
She nodded, then realised that he could not see her. "Um, yes, if that's alright." She could feel Leon's eyes on her. She shifted awkwardly on her seat.
"Do you have a pen? Or should I send you a message with the details?" He sounded bored, like he knew the answer to the question before asking it.
She shifted in the chair. Ducking her head, she smiled and let out a breathy chuckle. "Could you send it to me? It'd probably be easier."
She imagined him nodding as he answered. "Alright, Miss Redfield. Tomorrow, then."
She nodded. "Bye Wesker." No sooner had she said his name, he had hung up. She pulled the phone away from her phone and stared at the screen. A few moments passed and then her phone pinged, and a message notification flashed on the screen. She opened the message and scanned over the details. He wanted her to meet the at the same place as before, which caused her to wonder if that was where they were staying. She eyed the time. Eleven. He wanted her to meet them at eleven, which she felt grateful for- it offered her time to wake up and sleep through the potential hangover.
"Date tomorrow?" she jumped and turned to Leon.
She expected him to look at her with disappointment. To be sad, or angry, at her for organizing a day out with Wesker. She would not have blamed him for doing so, and she doubted that their companions would blame him either. There was no disappointment on his face though, merely curiosity. A wave of something washed over her. She was unable to name it- gratitude, perhaps?- either way, she was glad for him to not be judging her. Even if he was, it was nice to not see it plastered on his face. She frowned at his use of the word 'Date', it was not a date! Lunch, maybe, date, no.
"Belle wanted me to go to lunch with them." She answered easily, then paused, she reached out for her drink. "It's probably just going to be something small, some shopping and a quick lunch."
Leon smiled. "You don't have explain to me," he wagged his brows, then nodded his head, indicating to the distance. "Just, maybe break it to him gently."
Claire glanced to where he was indicating. To Chris. She took another sip of her drink. A long one. "If at all." She murmured against the glass.
"Want me to put him in a sleeper hold?" Leon offered with a chuckle. "Knock him out, give you a clean escape?"
She could hear the joke in his voice, and it made her giggle. "Maybe!" she laughed. "Maybe."
X
"Then she thought that sneaking in through the window, drenched, was a good idea, and that nobody would notice her muddy-ass footprints all over the kitchen!" Chris waved his arms dramatically, putting emphasis on his story.
Claire ducked her head as the other's laughed. Chris had made his fun for the evening by sharing stories about her teenage years, regaling the others with her embarrassing stories. She shook her head, while it was embarrassing, it was refreshing to see Chris enjoying himself. She reached for her drink, a screwdriver- somewhat safer than the iced tea had been- and took a sip. She would have to stop soon, or she wouldn't be getting up the next morning. She moved to excuse herself, to have a shower or something, only to stop as Leon delved into a story of his own teenage years. She was always eager to hear stuff about him, things from before Raccoon City.
An hour, and another drink, passed. Claire checked the clock that hung on the wall of the room that served as the living room. It was getting closer to eight, early for her on a normal day, but as the room around her began to move, possibly a good time to go to sleep. She shifted to pull herself up, then realised that she was about to spill her drink, and quickly placed it on the table. She shifted, grasping the arm of the sofa for support as she tried to pull herself from the chair- a task easier said than done.
"Hey no Claire." Chris whined. He held his hand, which was holding a beer, out to halt her. "Where are you going? Not to bed?"
Claire noddled with a weak chuckle. She was not at all surprised that he had known her to be going to bed without even saying it, they had grown up together, they knew the signs. "Yeah, yeah I am."
Ignoring the sound of Chris' whine, she pushed herself out of the chair. She looked down the others and smiled weakly. Standing was hard, and the walls around her were shifting, swaying, she had had too much to drink. On wobbly legs, she tip toed around the sofa and came to a halt. Standing behind the sofa, she placed a supportive hand on the back of the chair. She caught Leon watching her, and smiled at him, she then turned to Chris and Jill.
"Goodnight guys." She said.
Jill nodded and raised her wine glass. "Night Claire, I think you've got a good idea." She elbowed Chris. "We've all had a bit too much. Probably a good plan to start winding down."
"Woah, woah, woah!" Chris waved his hands, as he pushed himself up from the sofa. "We're having a good time," he held his arms out to the others in an attempt to rally their support. "Why end it now?" he gestured with his hands, his face pleading. "Come on Claire, we haven't done this is ages."
Claire felt her heart twist. Chris wanted to spend time with her. He was actually enjoying their holiday and wanted to spend more time with her. Instead of doing so, she was getting ready to go to bed so that she could go out to lunch with a person whom he more or less considered his mortal enemy. She would love to stay up, to spend time with him, but she was tired and she needed the rest. She caught him watching her, the expectant, hopeful, expression on his face and felt her stomach drop. Had she had less to drink- had she not woken up with a breakfast cocktail- she would have stayed.
She sucked in a shuddering breath and willed herself to remain standing, despite the way her body begged her to collapse onto a comfortable bed. "I can't Chris, I'm… I'm busy tomorrow." She hoped that he would accept that answer, she really did not want to have to explain to him what she was doing. Or have to deal with an argument.
Chris lowered his arms with a small frown. "Oh?" he said. "What are you doing?"
Claire blanched. She scrambled for something to say, had she been sober, she possibly would have thought about saying something like; 'going out shopping' or 'visiting a museum', or something that he would not have been interested in, but instead she could not find her words. She grasped through her mind silently, Chris watching her. His curious features morphing into one of suspicion. Claire heard the sound of her heart beating in her ears, the sound thrumming like drums. She glanced to the others, trying to grasp for ideas from their features. She came up with nothing.
When she thought that she was going to have to come clean, Leon saved her. "We're catching a movie- some foreign abstract film that she wanted to see."
Claire felt her lungs empty as she laughed a sigh of relief. Thank the gods for Leon. She made a mental note to buy Leon something while she was out- a bottle of fancy whiskey perhaps. "Y-yeah." She laughed. "It's French, I read a review on it, and it sounds really interesting." Chris hated watching films in another language, and combined with an abstract independent film? Leon couldn't have given her a better out.
Chris glanced between the two. "You're willingly seeing that?" he prompted. When Leon's brows wagged in feigned annoyance, his shoulder's dropped as he seemed to accept that Claire wanted to go to be. "What about tomorrow night?" he asked. "Want to have dinner and drinks?"
Claire smiled and nodded. "Of course." As she turned to leave, she tried to ignore the gnawing feeling in her stomach.
XXX
Claire groaned as she as she walked through the streets. She was hardly paying attention, but she had been there before, so she did not need to pay complete attention. She was grateful for that fact, especially considering the way that her head was pounding. Despite her best efforts, despite going to bed early and drinking a good liter of water before sleeping, she had woken with a hangover. She squeezed her eyes shut as sunlight seemed to flash with laser accuracy.
She was being punished. She decided. She had lied to Chris and her punishment for going out with Wesker for the day was to have to do it hungover. Her head throbbed as she opened her eyes. strange colours flashed over her vision from the light hitting her previously closed eyes. She squinted and tried to look around, blinking as she did so. She caught sight of a hot dog vendor and licked her lips. She really wanted a hot dog, but she knew that it wouldn't be a good idea, especially if she was going out. She instead opted for a bottle of orange juice.
Sipping her juice through a straw she hurried onwards. It wasn't a long walk, but everything was longer when it felt as though there was an orchestra playing Beethoven's number nine in the back of her mind. After a few minutes of walking, she caught sight of Wesker and Belle. Her instinct was to raise her hand and call out, but she held herself back preferring to simply watch the two. The two weren't doing anything spectacular or particulary interesting, but Claire felt compelled to simply stand back and watch.
Belle was eating an ice cream and talking to her father about something, a bright smile on her face. Wesker, for his part, seemed to be paying attention to her, at least he was nodding at whatever she had to say and she seemed pleased with his response. It was strange, she decided. Strange and wonderful at the same time. It was such a simple interaction, but seeing Wesker in such a normal position.. strange was the only word for it. She also found herself staring at his choice in clothing, a simple black turtleneck and slacks- it was simple, but there was something about it that looked nice. He looked nice. She inwardly blanched at her thoughts.
"Claire!" Claire jumped at the sound of her name. She had been noticed. She watched as Belle bounced towards her, holding her ice cream so she did not spill any- from the white dress the girl was wearing, Claire understood the concern for accidental spillage.
With more effort than Claire cared to admit to, she knelt down to the girl's level. "Hi." She returned the side hug as Belle wrapped her free arm around her. Looking up from the girl's shoulder, she watched Wesker as he stepped towards them, his expression unreadable and she wished that she could take his glasses off so she could gain some insight into what he was thinking.
"Hello." She greeted him quietly.
"Miss Redfield." He returned the greeting with a tilt of his head.
Belle pulled back. "Thank you for coming today!" she grinned, her white teeth gleaming.
Claire smiled weakly, trying to ignore the throbbing in the back of her head. "You're welcome." She pulled herself up to stand with a grunt. "Thank you for inviting me, I'm sorry that I couldn't go with you yesterday!"
"Shall we move on?" Wesker's prompt cut through their discussions.
Claire turned her attention from Belle and to Wesker. The man did not seem irritated, despite the way his tone would indicate. She glanced at the car parked on the sidewalk, it was the same car as the one that he had used during their visit to the zoo- was it his car? Or was it simply one that he had rented for the moment? She shook her head, why was she even worrying about that anyway?
She nodded. "Let's go."
X
"Claire, Claire!" Belle shouted as she tugged at Claire's arm. She pulled Claire across the walkway, nearly crashing into some other shoppers, and to the window of a clothing boutique. She waved her hand wildly at the displays in the window, her finger pointing frantically at a light blue tartan dress. "It's really pretty! Do you like it, Claire?"
Claire scanned over the dresses. Even as a little girl, she had never liked wearing dresses. She had always preferred to wear pants and shirts- a tomboy, Chris had liked to tease her. She owned very few dresses, the only exception being her few cocktail dresses for her rare moments of going out on a date. However, she could admit that the dresses were pretty and would look absolutely adorable on Belle.
"They are pretty!" she grinned down at the girl beside her. Bending down, she leaned her shoulder against Belle's. With a sly glance, she nudged the girl. "You should get your dad to get one."
Belle's lips twisted into a wicked grin. "Daddy." She chimed sweetly. She turned to him, her hands slid behind her back and linked together. She swayed from side to side. "Can you please buy me a dress?" her eyes were pleading as she looked up at him.
Claire watched as Wesker's brow quirked. His lips quirked and he was silent for a moment, long enough for Belle's shoulder's to slump. Eventually he shrugged and held his hand to her. Claire could not stop the smile that took her face, even if she tried. She rose and watched as Belle dragged her father into the shop. Following behind, she watched as Belle dragged him to the rack with the blue dress- which upon observation, came in different colours.
She watched, almost shocked, as Wesker allowed her to take him through the store, to investigate all of the different racks. Again, it was strange, to be watching him in such a way- she had seen him at the zoo, but she still could not wrap her mind around it. She wondered if she would ever get used to it, it was completely strange. She watched as the girl looked up at her father with the biggest and brightest, loving eyes as he brought her a dress.
It was sweet.
Leaving the shop, they carried on through the mall. Usnsurprisingly, there were a lot of people, but it wasn't that crowded- which was strange. Her stomach growled, she would have to eat something soon. She turned to Wesker and Belle, with the intent of asking if they wanted something to eat, only to pause as she caught Wesker passing Belle some money. Frowning, she watched as the girl ran towards a vending machine.
As she watched Wesker slip his wallet away, she reached to the ring on her index finger, the one that had been given to her at their zoo visit. Belle had picked it for her, but there had been no reason for Wesker to actually purchase it for her. Why had he done it? Was it to make his daughter happy? The concept, when attributed to any other dad, seemed perfectly normal, but for Wesker? It was something that she couldn't picture, even with the evidence in front of her.
Feeling eyes on her, she glanced up, her eyes meeting with her own reflection in his glasses. "You," she briefly wondered if she should continue with her train of thought, but before she could stop herself, she continued. "You really care about Belle," her eyes slid to the girl who was pulling a bottle of water from the vending machine. "don't you?"
As she looked back to him, she caught something in his lips twitch. He hummed, but did not offer her an answer to her question. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Was it that hard for him to admit that he liked his daughter? It was clearly obvious, even she had to admit. He had to care about her in some capacity, she wouldn't use the word love- she doubted he had that capability, but he had to at least like her. Then, in an action that surprised herself, she nudged him with her elbow.
"Come on, admit it." She grinned at him. "You have a soft spot, somewhere."
Pulling her arm away, she felt a small wave of panic wash over her. She had just elbowed Wesker. She had just casually touched a man who could, if he so felt the need to, snap her in half over his knee in a way that would make mortal combat look like a baby game. Inwardly cursing herself for her stupid actions, she eyed him warily. He did not seem to react, or notice, her action. She knew better though, she knew that he had noticed her touching him. She jumped as his lips moved. She watched as a small smirk curled into the corner of his lips. Was he amused at her? Or at something else? She itched with an urge to have him talk to her- to engage in conversation.
She glanced back at the girl, who was now attempting to twist the cap off the bottle. "She's a sweet girl." She wondered if he was annoyed by her talking with him. He was possibly annoyed by her small talk, but she decided that she didn't care. She wasn't about to stand around quietly for the whole day and talking was keeping her busy, and being busy meant that she wasn't focused on her hangover.
As she turned back to him, her eyes widened as she watched the tiny smirk turn into something of a grin. It would have looked somewhat attractive- she washed that thought away- if it wasn't absolutely terrifying. He placed a hand oh his hip, that if it were on anyone else, Claire would consider the action sassy, but on Wesker, she wasn't acknowledging it as such.
"How is Chris today?" His smirk seemed to widen, as though he had caught something on her face. "Does he know about this little outing?"
Try as she might, there was no way that she could have stopped the flinch that shook her body. Without saying anything, she had given him the answer. "I see." His tone, more than his face, showed his amusement.
"Are you okay, Claire?" Claire turned to the voice and saw Belle looking up at her with worried eyes.
Forcing a smile on her face, Claire nodded. Sucking a calming breath, she answered. "I'm alright." She slapped a hand on the shoulder of the man beside her, harder than strictly necessary- but she knew that he could take it. She squeezed the shoulder and sent a thank you to whatever deity was listening, for the fact that they were in public and as such, Wesker was less likely to strike her for the treatment. His shoulder was firm, she noted- before inwardly rolling her eyes. Of course, the man's shoulders would be solid, he was mostly muscle.
"I'm fine." She beamed down at the girl. "Just enjoying a friendly chat with your dad." She squeezed his shoulder again. Hard. As hard as she could. Warning him not to talk about her brother. She squeezed again as she felt his shoulder shake with silent laughter.
Belle reached out and took Wesker's hand. "Daddy." She smiled up at him. "Can we go to more shops?"
When her father nodded, she held her hand out to Claire. Who released Wesker's shoulder in favour of taking the girl's hand. As they walked off to peruse the other stores, Claire took note of their reflections in the shop windows. She could easily imagine what anyone who looked at them might think, as she could see it from looking at their reflection. Under any other circumstance, she would blanch at the very idea of the picture that was painted, but she wondered if that was exactly what the girl wanted. Perhaps the girl wanted to feel like a 'typical' family- it would certainly explain why Belle had taken to her the way that she had.
She looked down at the girl with a soft smile. It didn't matter. The outing, her getting along with Wesker and the imagery the painted, it didn't matter. What did matter was the way that it made the girl feel. The happiness that Belle felt. If she could bring a smile to the girl's face, then she would do what she could to keep it there… even if it meant spending time with Wesker.
X
Claire ran her fingers along the spine of a hardback copy of 'The Lord of the Rings'. A sigh escaped her lips. She wanted to take it home with her. It was telling her to take it home with her. Its price tag, however, argued against her lifting the hefty novel and purchasing it. She frowned in mourning. Mourning for what could have been. Mouring for the Claire that could have been snuggled on the sofa with a hot chocolate, set for a night of long reading.
With a great amount of willpower, she tore herself from the novel and turned to Belle. The girl was perusing the fairy tale section of the bookstore. She grinned as she watched the girl pull out a thick book, collective works of The Brothers Grimm. She had had a similar book when she had been young. She had loved fairy tales as a girl, and it was lovely to see that the girl seemed to like them as well. She wondered if the interest was something that Wesker encouraged. Her lips twisted bemusedly. Did Wesker read fairy tales to his daughter?
The thought was both amusing and sweet.
"Do you have a favourite story?" Claire asked as she stepped towards the girl. She knelt down to the girl's level and scanned the books that she had been looking at. Fairy tales. Her eyes landed on a copy of Hans Christian Anderson's, 'The Little Mermaid'. She could probably justify buying that, it was probably significantly cheaper than, 'The Lord of the Rings'.
Belle nodded and slipped the thick book back onto the shelf. She ran her fingers over the spines of the lined-up novels. Claire watched the focus on the girl's face. She was studying the books, deciding which ones she would want. She wasn't like other children that Claire had seen. She wasn't running through the shop and just grabbing at random bright books. She was quietly calculating,- studying- the books. She was taking her time to make her decision. If there was any doubt that she was Wesker's daughter, it was swept away as she took in the girl's expression. So much like her father.
"I love all stories.." she said quietly, turning away from the books to look at Claire. "There's a book that we have at home." she smiled. "It has so many stories in it! Daddy always reads it to me. I like it when he reads the tin soldier story-" she paused as though thinking. "I also like the beauty and beast one!"
Claire sucked a breath through her nose at the girl's words. She had thought that perhaps Wesker read to her, but the idea that the man read fairy tales to her? It was completely absurd. If it had been anyone else, someone who was not his child, that had told her that he read fairy tales, she would not have believed it. She glanced across the store to Wesker who seemed to be reading the back of a novel. She tried to imagine it. Tried to picture Wesker sitting by a little girl's bed, reading children's stories. Try as she might, she could not conjure the imagery in her mind's eye.
"Excuse me for a minute, Belle." Claire pushed herself up to stand.
While she couldn't imagine the man with reading fairy tales to his daughter, the imagery of him being spat on by llama's had decided to make itself known in her mind. She bit her lip to stop a giggle from escaping them. Stepping away from the girl, with every intent of finding a quiet corner to giggle inappropriately, she instead found her feet take her towards the man in question. As she moved towards him, she noticed a woman attempting to stir up a conversation with him. She watched, interested, as Wesker did not look up from his book as he said something to her. she could not hear what he had said, but from the way that the woman stormed off, it had not been kind.
"What was that about?" She murmured as she moved to stand beside him. She watched as the woman looked back at him, send them both a filthy look, then continue storming away. She raised her brows- what had she done to offend the woman?
Wesker lifted his head, turning his attention from the book, and tilted his face to Claire. "Nothing of any consequence." He slid the book onto the shelf.
"Didn't look like nothing." She folded her arms over her chest and quirked a brow at him. As he returned the gesture, Claire felt as though he was teasing her. A strange feeling twisted in her stomach. Was he teasing her? Were they sassing each other? What was this? Who was this?
His mouth opened, as though he was going to say something- perhaps return her own sass- but he paused and looked down. Claire followed the action and saw Belle standing by his side, a book in her hands. She was looking up at him with large eyes. The kind of eyes that a puppy would use when they wanted something. Whatever it was, if she asked Claire, Claire would give it to her- those eyes held a power.
"Can I have this book?" She held up a novel with a picture of a unicorn on the cover. 'The Last Unicorn', Claire noted.
Wesker accepted the book from her. "Are there any other's that you want?" he asked.
Belle twisted her foot against the floor and she fiddled her fingers almost nervously. "Can I have more?"
Claire watched his lips curl into a small smile. "Of course you can."
Belle almost bounced with excitement. "Yes!" she clapped her hands. "Thank you, Daddy!" She moved to run back to the fairy tale section, only to pause. She frowned and reached for a book on the shelf.
"What's this book about?" she pulled out a copy of Lolita and held it out to Wesker.
Claire giggled as Wesker accepted the book from his daughter. She moved away, back to the fiction section and left Wesker to his explanations. He had been embarrassed enough in front of her lately. She paused at the thought, why did she suddenly feel pity for the man? Was it because she had seen him become uncomfortable and slightly embarrassed when the had been at the zoo? Or did it have something to do with the fact that he had been oddly pleasant to her, and she felt as though he had earned the pity?
X
Claire looked around at the food stalls littering the food court. Her stomach rumbled as the smells assaulted her nose. There were restaurants from McDonalds to Thai places. She was so hungry. Her stomach complained. She was hungover. She had would have to get something filling, something that would stave off her hunger- something to combat her hangover. She ignored the voice in her mind that told her that she needed water to fight a hangover- she needed food. She scanned over the shops, trying to spot one that had less people, she couldn't handle waiting in a line.
"Jill's sandwiches." At Wesker's thoughtful voice, she turned to the man. She noticed him staring at in the distance. She followed his line of sight and noticed a shop, 'Jill's Sandwiches!'. She had noticed the shop earlier, but there was something about the way he said it, and the way that he was staring at the shop, that made her giggle.
"I saw that earlier, I wonder if it tastes any good?" she paused then added. "Probably better than her cooking." She had only experienced Jill's cooking a few times, but she knew that the woman was a fighter, not a culinary expert. She had two more days left of her holiday, she wondered if she could make time to take Jill there- if only for the funny photos they could take.
He said nothing, but she caught a slight twitch of his lips, he was amused by something- perhaps what she had said? Something about that made her smile. She liked that she had been able to cause him to smile. She felt bad that it was at Jill's expense, and mentally sent the woman an apology, but that did not stop her joy at the experience.
Wesker turned his attention to the girl standing beside them. She was standing, looking around at the crowds. In her hands were the bags from the shops that she had stopped at. The bags swayed from side to side as she shifted back and forwards on the heels of her feet. She hummed lightly as she looked around, it was difficult to hear her due to the crowds, but it sounded like a cute tune.
"Go with Miss Redfield and find a table." He instructed.
Belle nodded. "Come on Claire," she called with a tilt of her head. "Let's go."
Claire glanced at Wesker, watching his retreating back as he walked out into the crowds. She frowned. She was hungry, hopefully he wouldn't be too long so that she could go and get something to eat. As she followed the girl, she scanned for an empty table. Unlike when they had first arrived at the mall, there were much more people, meaning that tables were full. There were people everywhere.
Where had Wesker gone? Would he be able to find them when he chose to come back? She was surprised that he trusted her with his daughter. She thought that he wouldn't trust her enough to simply leave them alone together- he was surprisingly trusting of her, especially given their history. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of an empty table. Acting quickly, she all but leaped at it. dragging herself and the girl to the table.
Belle put the bags on the floor and shifted in the plastic chair to make herself comfortable. She thrummed her hands against the wood of the table, her eyes scanning around as Claire climbed into her own chair. Once comfortable, Claire observed the girl. She was completely comfortable. She wondered how many times Wesker had left her to her own devices while he went off to do his own thing- possibly a lot, it seemed like something he would do.
"Are you having fun, Claire?" Belle asked, fiddling with her fingers.
Had she been having fun? She smiled. "I've been having a good day." she answered. "I like spending time with you."
Belle smiled, almost sadly. "I'm going to miss you, Claire." She reached to fiddle with the plait that slid from her shoulder. "You're kind Claire."
Claire felt something twist in her chest. She wanted to give the girl a hug. She could see Belle for what she was. A lonely girl hiding behind smiles. Belle had said that she lived with relatives most of the time, but she had not sounded happy when she had talked about them- the only time the girl seemed happy, truly happy, was when she was with her father. It must have been lonely. Lonely to be without the person who she loved- who made her happy. There had to be something that she could do. Something to help the girl.
"I gave you my phone number," she reached her hand out, when Belle took the offered hand, she squeezed the girls gently. "You can call me whenever you want- whatever you need."
It was true. She would endeavor to do what she could for the girl- it was a little frightening, how quickly she had become attached to the girl in front of her. Logically, there was no sense to it, there was no reason for her to have become as attached as she was, but there she was, caring for the girl. She questioned her own sanity, a little. She wanted to look after her, to be there for her when Wesker could not. She wanted to blame him, to shout at him for abandoning such a lovely girl for most of her life- for only being there in fleeting moments… but even then she knew that she could not. While she did not agree with him, she understood the need to keep her at a distance, she did not deserve to be dragged into his world.
"Daddy!" Belle's eyes lit up ant she looked behind Claire.
Claire turned and watched as Wesker walked to the table, in his hands was a paper Subway bag. Her stomach rumbled. Subway sounded amazing. Mentally preparing herself for the effort it was going to take to get up and walk to the kiosk, she watched as Wesker pulled wrapped sandwiches from the bag. He handed Belle a six inch, then surprising her, he passed her one as well. She looked down at the sub. He had brought her one?
She stared up at him with wide eyes. Her eyes widening further as he passed her a bottle of blue Gatorade. A part of her, the hungover part, cried out in pleasure at the offered treats. He had brought her lunch. He had not questioned her, and had just simply brought her food. She felt something in her stomach twist. It was such a normal action, to buy people lunch, but from Wesker… it was strange.
"T-Thanks." She stammered as she went to open the wrapping. As she opened the wrapping, she noticed that it was a meatball sub, her hangover sang his praises.
"Thank you, Daddy." Belle smiled up at him as he moved to take the seat beside her.
"You're welcome." He said, before unwrapping his own sandwich. As he moved take a bite, he paused and turned to Claire. "Surely this is better than Jill's?" he quipped, then chuckled as Claire choked on her Gatorade.
X
As they arrived to the car, Belle ran in front of the car with her arms held out, in an attempt to block the two from entering the vehicle. Her expression was serious and her body was stiff, as though preparing herself for a fight. It was strange, seeing such an expression on the girl. For Claire, though she hardly knew that girl, she felt as though it was not an expression that she wore on a regular basis- if at all. Claire watched, confused, as the girl stomped her foot.
"I don't want Claire to go." She said firmly, but there was a waiver in her voice, as though she was holding herself back from crying.
Claire pressed a hand to her chest. "Belle…" something in her gut twisted.
Wesker sighed audibly, causing Claire to look at him, then moved to the girl. Kneeling, he leveled his gaze with hers. He reached out and took the girl's hand, his thumb brushing against the back of her hand gently. Claire watched with wide eyes. There was something about watching Wesker being gentle with a small girl that was utterly bizarre- she wondered if she would ever get used to it.
"Belle." His voice was firm, stopping any protest. "Claire has to go home, and in two days we're getting picked up." His brows shot up above his glasses. "We're going home too."
Belle sucked him a shaky breath, her lips twisting as she tried to hold back her tears. "I like Claire Daddy.. I want Claire to come with us."
Wesker shook his head. "I doubt that Miss Redfield would want to come to our home." he held his arm open, and Belle moved forwards, wrapping her arms around his waist as he pulled her into a hug. "She has work, and her own things that she needs to do." His voice was oddly soft, comforting. It was such a strange thing to hear from her.
"I can for a few days." The words left her mouth before her brain, and her senses, had caught up with them.
She froze. A ringing sounded in her ears, and she reacted on instinct as the girl pulled herself from her father and lunged at her. She grasped the girl and lifted her onto her hip as the squealing girl cried out happily into her shoulder. What had she just agreed to? Had she actually just told Wesker that she was happy to go to his house? What had she been thinking? What would Leon say- what would Chris say?
"Is that what you want?" Wesker quirked a brow and pulled himself up to stand.
Was that what she wanted? It certainly wasn't a good, or clever, idea. But she had said it, and could she take it back? She could, but she did not want to break the girls heart. She squeezed the girl in her arms. The girl deserved it all. She had time- she had planned the holiday so that they could have the weekends recovery before going back to work. But what were the logistics? Would he be getting her home, or would she have to get herself home? She had agreed to something without thinking about the details- let alone the fact that it was Albert Wesker of all people.
"How…" she began quietly. "How do we get there? and… how will I get home?"
Something passed over Wesker's face. Was he impressed, or confused with her. "We will be getting picked up from our hotel in two days," his voice had slipped into a formal, informative one. "Two days later, we will organize your safe return home."
Safe return home. Something about the way that he said that should have sent chills through her, but she instead found herself believing him. "Then…." She bit her lower lip. "Then I'll do it. I'll go with you both."
X
As she entered her hotel room, her phone dinged. She checked the device and read over the message. It was from Wesker, filled with the details for her to go with them, what time and their room number. At the bottom of the message was a simple, 'do let me know if you are unable to leave with us'. An out. He was giving her an out. It would be so easy to do so. To simply send a text, tell him that she wasn't going. It would be so easy… but she couldn't.. she couldn't let that girl down.
"Enjoy the movie?"
Claire jumped at the voice. Looking up form her phone, she saw Chris standing a few feet from her. She remembered the lie that she had told him. That she had been going to see a movie. She glanced down at the bags in her hands, clearly she had not gone to see a movie. She looked back up at Chris, who was watching her with a raised brow. He looked like their father- had the same expression that the man would have whenever he had caught them in a lie. She shifted uncomfortable, the bags in her hands crinkling as she did so.
"I didn't go." Start with the truth, twist it into a lie. "Leon wouldn't wake up, so I went shopping." She wagged her bags to put emphasis on her point. "I found this place called Jill's Sandwiches!"
Chris was quiet, his gaze piercing. He seemed as though he was coming to a decision- Claire wondered what, he had no way to prove that she had done anything other than what she had said she had done. Anger flared inside her and her fists clenched as she mentally prepared herself for a verbal fight. She knew that she had no right to be angry with him, especially after what she had agreed to, but she still felt the emotion all the same.
Chris let out a chuckle. "Were the sandwiches any good?"
Claire barked a laugh. "It didn't look that great!"
Snorting, Chris waved for her to follow him. "Come on, we're looking at places for dinner."
As she moved to follow, she paused, and frowned. Moving forward, what did she do? Did she talk to Chris? She knew that she was going to talk to Leon, she needed to hear his opinions, but Chris? She had no idea what, or how, to even begin to talk to him. He could take her actions as a very betrayal of him and even if he didn't, she very much doubted that he would see kindly to it.
Two days. She thought as she moved to follow him.
Two days.
A/N: sorry this chapter took so long! Again I changed the narrative, which made the chapter take a little longer than before. What do you guys think? Do you like the changes? Let me know!
Thanks!