Chapter Two
"Claire was so kind Daddy!" Belle gushed, beaming up at him. Her toothy smile took over her face, if there was a feature that one would notice before anything else, it would be her bright smile, followed quickly by her big, green, eyes.
Wesker hummed, watching his daughter talk about Claire through their reflection in the elevators mirrored walls. Claire had left something of an impression on his daughter, it seemed. He felt his lips twitch, it was funny the way the world worked sometimes. Of all of the people in the world, his daughter just happens to get on a plane with not only the sister, but the brother Redfield as well. If he believed in such things, he would have thought that the universe was teasing him, or punishing him.
"I really like her Daddy."
Wesker rolled his eyes and smiled at her. Of course, she liked Claire. Perhaps there was more to the universe, perhaps it was more cognizant than he gave it credit for, or perhaps he should take another look at his own spiritual beliefs, surely the only reason that something like this happening was due to some higher power playing with him. Wanting to make him miserable. The elevator came to halt, and the doors slid open with a light ding.
As he leaned down to pick up Belle's bags, he caught her watching him expectantly. Her big eyes waiting for his response. "I like her too." He replied evenly. If by like, he meant that he was less likely to kill her than her brother, then yes, he liked Claire just fine. Claire was not someone that he really thought about, he had met her at Rockfort and that was it. He had not put much thought into her since, with the exclusion of whenever Sherry talked about her, this was the first time he had actively put any thought into her.
"How do you know her, Daddy?" Belle asked as she followed Wesker from the elevator and into the hall. Following him down the hall she bounced across the square pattern detailing the carpet, landing only on the dark squares. She grunted as she jumped, the spaces between dark and light squares becoming seemingly further as they moved.
"How do I know who?" Wesker called back as he turned left down another hallway.
Belle followed after him, stopping her bouncing in favour of walking. "Claire, Daddy." She replied, her voice inflecting, indicating that he should have known who she was talking about. "How do you know Claire?" she asked. As she caught up with her father, she fell into stride beside him, her arms crossed as she looked up at him expectantly.
He came to a stop as they reached their room. He reached into his trench coat and pulled out a key card. Tapping the card against the reader, he pushed the door open as it unlocked with a click. As he stepped into the room, his nose was assaulted with the scent of air freshener- someone had been cleaning, recently. After the smell, the next thing he noticed was the strange feature wall separating the living area with the kitchenette. Strange because it was covered in fabric. Once Belle was in the room, he closed the door behind them and dropped the bags on the floor. Making sure the door was locked, he turned his attention back to the fabric wall. What was it? He stepped towards the wall and pressed his hand against it, it was squishy, but firm. He frowned.
"Daddy," Belle sulked as she strolled towards the sofa. The leather let out a sound as she dropped her body onto it. "This couch is too hard." She mumbled into the leather. A moment passed before she added, her voice muffled by the leather. "…and I'm hungry."
She was always hungry. How the girl ate so much but never gained weight was, quite frankly, startling. He stepped into the kitchenette and opened the mini fridge. A snort threatened to escape him. There was milk, some little butters and wine. Considering how much the hotel had cost for the night, he had expected there to be more food available. Was he simply paying to have their bedrooms separate from the living room? Surely there was something else. He searched through the cupboards, but was only able to find some complimentary bread, crisps and a bag of mixed nuts. He turned his attention to the pamphlet pinned to the fridge, advertising the room service. He took the pamphlet and scanned over it. Ah, that was his money was going. He was funding the expensive food options.
"We can get room service," he called out as he scanned the menu. Walking into the living area and towards Belle, he continued. "Or I can take you out?" he glanced out the big windows that made up the living areas main wall. It was getting late, and she had had a long day, it was likely that she would not want to go out.
His premonition turned true as she groaned into the sofa, her head had not moved since she had laid down. "Can we get room service?"
Rolling his eyes he pulled his glasses off and slipped them into his pocket, the room was oddly cold, cold enough for him to notice, so he was glad for his coat. He walked around the sofa and looked down at his daughter who was doing a good job as impersonating a barnacle, her whole body taking over the sofa- how she manage that always surprised him, she was so small, but somehow was always able to monopolize the furniture. He reached down and grasped her ankles. He caught her smile as he lifted her legs. Settling on the chair beside her, he allowed her legs to flop down atop his.
"What would you like?" He held the menu out to her. When he caught her scowl, he gestured with the menu again. "Try to read it yourself first." He instructed.
Grumbling, she accepted the menu. She did not lift her head from the chair as she scanned the document. "Es… esp.. eh, no…" she shook her head. "Ssss, ppp, ah, grr, eh, tee," she frowned as she sounded out the letters of the word. "Does that…" she lifted her head. "Does that say spaghetti?" she asked, pointing to one of the items.
Wesker leaned on his side and glanced at the item. "Very good." He praised, the corner of his lips pulled up. "Do you want to get spaghetti?"
Belle frowned. "I guess."
"Belle." His brows rose as he looked down at her. When she turned to him, he continued. "Do you want spaghetti because you want spaghetti? Or do you want it because you cannot simply be bothered to read the rest of the menu?" He knew the answer, he knew that she knew that he knew, but he was still going to tease her about it.
She pursed her lips and turned away from him with a huff. She held the menu to him. "I want spaghetti." She mumbled into the sofa.
Smirking, he accepted the menu and scanned over it. "So, spaghetti for Belle, aaaand," he paused, making an effort to take as much time as possible to scan over the menu, knowing that the silence would bother her. He was right, he could feel her leg twitching with her annoyance. "hmm.. steak for me, steak, with…hm, mash, vegetables and, hm, maybe ice cream for dessert."
She jumped, scrambled to sit in the chair, then turned to him with wild eyes. "Mash? Ice cream!?" she grasped his arm. Shaking him gently she pouted her lower lip. "Can I have some?" she shook his arm again. "Please!?"
Her big green eyes looked up at him pleading, water tinging them. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. She had a gift for making everything seem so dramatic. If she were so inclined, the girl would have a future as a thespian, or perhaps a spy, she was quite good at acting her emotions, so to speak. She shook him again and he ignored her in favour of taking his mobile phone from his inner pockets. Dialing the room service number, he proceeded to make the order. He noticed that she had realised that he was ordering what she wanted and was clapping her hands quietly in excitement- she was always polite like that, always understood to be quite when he was on the phone.
"Thank you, Daddy!" she cuddled his side as he put his phone away. She smiled as his arm draped over her shoulders and pulled her to his side. "I'm so excited for tomorrow!" she giggled. "I want to see the animals, and Claire!"
"So, you've mentioned." He wasn't going to mention that he very much doubted that Claire would be going with them. That he doubted that she would want to be anywhere near him, there was too much history, too much bad blood. Then there was also the fact that if, by some bizarre act of fate, Claire decided that she wanted to go with them, he very much doubted that her brother would allow her anywhere near him- there was far more bad blood -bad history- there for him to allow his little sister to spend five minutes, let alone a whole day, with him.
Belle frowned. "Hey." She said slowly, as though coming to a realization. She twisted her neck, tilting her head to look up at him. "You never told me how you know Claire?"
He had hoped that she had forgotten about that. "I once worked with her brother… Chris, we were," he paused. "we worked together, I met Claire a few times during this acquaintance." He was careful with his words, but really, what else could he say? Even he wasn't idiotic enough to tell his daughter about his relationship with the Redfield's, though he had a feeling that with enough- or very little- prompting, Chris would blab then entire history to her. He was so dimwitted.
"Is that why they wanted to hurt you?" She asked quietly, her eyes glancing down at her hands.
Quiet took the room. Wesker looked down at his daughter with a frown. He never talked to her about his work, there was no need to. Perhaps there was more, perhaps she saw more than he was giving her credit for. He made a mental note to be more careful with what was said around her- then again, she knew not to name herself to others, not to talk too much about him to people, perhaps she had put things together, was understanding more. She deserved so much more credit than she received, the clever girl.
"In a manner of speaking." He answered, his thumb brushing her shoulder.
She nodded and frowned. Her brow's creased as she mulled over his words. "But Claire said she'd come…"
"She did."
She bit her lip and looked up at him. "Why did she say that she'd come then?"
Why indeed? He noted that she had not asked what he had done to incur their wrath, which was good, he wouldn't tell her, but he felt that that line of questioning would sour the evening. He could not find fault in her current line of questioning, however, why would Claire want to go with them? Did she want to spy on them? Did she want to attempt to take Belle to 'safety'? He frowned. That seemed like something that Chris would attempt, not Claire. Claire held an innocent about her, a naivety that made it almost impossible for her to be deceptive in such a way. Perhaps the simplest explanation was the correct one?
"Maybe," he said quietly. "maybe, she simply likes you."
His words had an effect on his daughter. She grinned and snuggled closer to him. "I like her too."
XXX
Claire's eyes snapped open as the blaring sound of her phone's alarm sounded to her side. Blinking blearily, she reached her arm out of the blankets and shifted awkwardly to grasp her phone. Her eyes squeezed shut as pain throbbed through her skull at the sound. When she felt her arm touch the phone, she moved to grasp it, only for it to slid off the table and onto the floor. Somehow, this made the sound louder- or perhaps she was simply more awake now. Grumbling, she rolled onto her stomach and reached down to the floor. After a few pats of the carpet, her hand found the plastic of her phone. Grasping it, she pushed a button and felt a sense of relief wash over her as the sound came to a halt. Scowling, she pulled her phone up to her face and checked the time, it was eight o'clock.
She closed her eyes with the intent to go back to sleep, only for her eyes to snap back open as she realised what her plans for the day were- remembered what she had agreed to the previous day. Images flashed through her mind, memories. Memories of meeting a girl on their plane, of helping the girl, memories of meeting the girl's father. She pulled herself up to sit, resting her back against the pillows and the headboard. Her blanket pooled at her waist as she reached up to run her fingers through her hair.
She had agreed to go to the zoo with Belle, and by proxy the girl's father, Wesker. The thought was surreal- no, insane. What had she been thinking when she had agreed to it? Why had Wesker consented to it? Was it his way of messing with her and her brother? Was it a way for him to trap her? to get revenge on her brother? Or, a thought tugged at the back of her mind, had he simply agreed to make Belle happy? Was he that kind of father? The way that the girl spoke about him certainly seemed to point that way, but from everything that she knew of him, that idea seemed completely insane.
Shaking her head, she tried to push away her thoughts. It had been done, she had made her decision, her bed, if you will, and it she now had to lie in it. pulling the blankets from her waist, she stretched as she inched off the bed, her back kicked as she stretched- her bed was much comfier, which in the hotel's defense, was because she had splurged and bought a fancy bed. She missed her bed, a thought that made her lips twitch.
Pulling herself from the bed, she stretched again as she walked to the window. Grasping the curtain, she pulled it back and blinked as the bright sunlight burst through. The blackout curtains had done their job. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she rubbed at them. She pulled the curtain further back and let more light into the room. She scanned out at the city, her brother had liked the sight from the night, had liked looking at all of the little lights, but she liked looking out at the sunlight. The visage of the sun beaming down and reflecting off the building.
Rubbing at her arm, she turned away from the window and crossed the room towards her bathroom door. Walking inside, she shivered as her feet touched the cold tiles- the rest of the hotel was heated, but the bathroom only had the heated lamp that switched on with the lights, which she was quick to turn on. As she padded to the shower, her eyes landed onto Jill's toiletry bag, which prompted her to lock the door- not that she was worried, but to prevent any unplanned surprises.
Jill and her rooms were connected by their bathroom, the same went for Chris and Leon. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She hadn't cared who she shared a bathroom with, but it had been an issue for Chris, who had made a fuss, all but demanded that he shared a bathroom with Leon- it was ridiculous, she wasn't a teenager, and they were both adults. Her brother could be such an idiot at times. It was also interesting that Jill even had her own room, from what she had seen, the two were quite close and she had thought that they would want the time together- though she did not know all of the details surrounding her brother and Jill, perhaps they had not reached that stage of whatever their relationship was? She frowned and continued to muse as she washed herself, perhaps her brother would relax more if he simply took the relationship to the next level? If anyone needed to remove the proverbial stick from their rear, it was Chris.
When she had finished her shower, she found herself standing in her room, with her towel around her waist, looking at her open suitcase and trying to decide what to wear. A voice inside her told her that she was putting too much effort into deciding her outfit, that it was Wesker, and the zoo, not a date or something. She blinked, she had not just thought about Wesker and a date in the one sentence. Pushing her thoughts away, she reached into her suitcase and pulled out a selection of clothing.
"Decisions, Decisions." She jumped at the voice and looked up to see blue jeans and a white shirt, she then caught sight of the person wearing the clothing, it was Jill and she was stepping from their shared bathroom.
Clutching at her towel, she straightened her back and watched as Jill closed the door behind her. Had Jill knocked? She hadn't heard her, but had she been so distracted by that she had completely missed it? She inwardly frowned, she was slow at times, but she didn't think that she would miss something like that. She smiled at Jill and tried to ignore the fact that Jill had just walked into her room. She heard the sound of the bathroom fan blaring, perhaps Jill had called out, but the sound of the fan had blocked her?
Jill returned the smile and stepped towards her. Her eyes swept over the clothes littered across the bed, then to Claire. As Claire, stammered, fumbling for something to say, to explain herself, she raised a silencing hand. There was an expression on her face, one that she had never seen on Jill, or anyone else, before. Her face was almost completely blank, empty of all thought or emotion, the only way that she could tell that Jill was even thinking was from the way her eyes moved from side to side as she blinked. Claire remained silent, whatever this was, something in her gut told her that her silence would be appreciated and needed.
"You've made up your mind, haven't you?" It wasn't a question. "I won't stop you, Chris tried and that clearly didn't work." She paused, thinking on her next words.
Chris had tried. Claire remembered the night before, when she had told them what she had agreed to during their taxi ride home. She inwardly flinched at the memory. Chris had, for lack of a better term, not agreed with her decision to go with Wesker and his child to the zoo. The poor cab driver had nearly crashed into another car when Chris had flown into a rage, shouting obscenities and ranting about Wesker wanting to kill Claire, rather than go to the zoo with her. She understood his concerns, and even shared some of them, but she had chosen to go, and she was going to do it. There was a small girl who wanted her to be there, so she was going to be there.
"While I personally wouldn't…" Jill continued, glancing up at Claire. "I, I do understand the want to put thought into what you're wearing. Something about him does that." There was a story behind her words. The story of someone who had felt something similar.
Claire felt her cheeks heat up, which internally brought some nagging questions to the back of her mind. Questions that she was not sure that she wanted answered. Questions, that she certainly did not want to Chris to ever hear, so there was no chance that she was every going say aloud. She cringed at herself, cursing at her own intrusive thoughts, Wesker was the last person that she wanted, or needed to be thinking about in such a manner.
Jill mistook her red face for something else. "You don't have to go." She said, a forceful edge to her phone. "If you feel pressured, or anything…" her eyes flashed. "Don't do it, you shouldn't have feel like you have to-" She cut herself off, sucking in a breath. "You don't have to." She said again.
Claire shook her head, her hand shifted as she tightened her hold on her towel, she was cold. She had mostly dried off, but it was still cold without real clothing. She wondered why Jill had waited for her to get out of the shower before coming in for the pep-talk, couldn't she have waited a little longer for her to get dressed? She mused on Jill's words, Jill had obviously come to try and talk her out of going with Wesker, she understood that, and were it any other situation, she would have been successful in her endeavor. Now, however, things were different; Belle added an element that no one could have accounted for.
"I'm going for Belle," she said quietly. She glanced to Jill, the severity of her stare causing her to flinch. "She seemed to really want me to go with them.
Jill nodded in understanding, but the severe expression on her face did not leave. "I still can't believe that he has a child." She shook her head, her hands moving to rest on her hips. She tapped her finger against her hips. "If there was anyone who was not the type, it's him."
Claire inclined her head in a small nod, agreeing with her. Images of what had happened the previous day, of Wesker, his daughter and the strange glimpses of kindness that he had displayed with the young girl. "But we saw it." she said quietly, what else could she say?
Jill closed her eyes and sucked in a breath. Her shoulders shifted and hunched as her back tensed. "I wouldn't go if I were you," she rolled her neck and let out a shuddering breath. "but… since you've clearly made up your mind." Her face spasmed, as though there was a bad taste in her mouth. "Chris is having a massage, you've got about an hour."
Claire watched as Jill span on her heel and stormed from the room. She blinked and frowned. Had Jill just given her an out? Why would she do that? She knew that the other woman hated Wesker, and had every reason to convince her to not go, to do everything in her power to keep her from going- she knew that Chris would have appreciated that course of action. But she hadn't, she had instead helped her, given her a way to leave without the inevitable confrontation with Chris. Her lips trembled as she fought back a smile, a wave of appreciation for the other woman washing over her. Picking some jeans and a plain blue tee, she prepared for the day.
XXX
Claire panted as she power walked through crowds of people. The streets were busy today, a factor that she had not taken into account when she had decided to walk to the meeting place rather than catch a cab. She would not blame herself, however, the weather was wonderful, and the sun was warming the streets perfectly, it would have been a crime to drive instead of walking. She took a quick glance at her watch and hissed. She had about ten minutes left. Ten minutes to get to the meeting point or Wesker would leave- she shouldn't have taken so long with her breakfast. Shaking her head, she glanced at the streets, she wasn't that far, she would make it.
She adjusted her backpack on her shoulders and sped up her pace as she turned a corner. The sound of a horn caught her attention and she looked to the street to see an older gentleman and a young man fighting over a street parking spot. She found herself watching as she continued to walk, the older man was shouting with his fists raised from his car, honking as the younger man sat in his car shouting back, but making no effort to move. Whatever had happened between them was none of her business, but she still found herself watching. Claire let out a gasp as she collided with something. She waved her arms as she tried to grasp anything, but did not and fell, landing on her rear on the sidewalk.
"Ouch." She hissed, shifting as her rear and back complained from the drop. A chuckle snapped her from her pain, and she looked up to see Wesker staring down at her, a grin on his face. She flushed, wanting to punch it from his smug face, but she also found her cheeks heating. It was embarrassing. Why did these things need to happen to her? Though perhaps it was good? Perhaps Wesker would be less inclined to hurt her if he thought her to be a complete idiot.
"How nice of you to drop by." Wesker's smug grin seemed to deepen. He held a gloved hand out to her.
It was a strange expression to see on his face. The most that she had ever seen from him was a grimace, but this, this was real. It looked nice, she thought before blanching at her own thoughts. It made him look human. She scanned him over, he looked normal, was dressed normal. Her eyes took in his black long-sleeved shirt and slacks, while black was normal for him, the way his was dressed was nice, there was an odd homey vibe from him. Her eyes returned to his hand, the one that he was holding out to her. He was helping her? Why would he do that?
"Claire!" Blinking, she looked to his side to see Belle staring down at her, a grin on her face. Oh. That made sense. He was offering to help her for the sake of his daughter, otherwise he would simply enjoy her suffering. She eyed the hand briefly, she could simply refuse his help and pull herself up, but she found herself taking the offered hand.
"Thanks." She murmured. As his hand closed over hers, she tried to ignore the warmth coming from the appendage. The warmth that was missed as soon as she was standing, and his hand had withdrawn. She caught him incline his head in response before she turned her attention to the girl at his side. "Hey Belle."
The girl grinned and played with the strap of his crochet handbag that hung from her shoulder. "Hi Claire!"
Claire leaned down, closer to the girl's level. "How are you today?"
"I'm good!" Belle rolled back and forward on her heels. "Daddy and I had waffles for breakfast!" She looked up at Wesker and grinned. "Daddy makes the best waffles." She turned her attention back to Claire. "He puts so much syrup on them!"
Claire smiled wryly at Wesker. The image of Wesker making waffles with a small child was something that she had never thought that she needed, but now that it had been said, it was now something that she knew that she wanted to see. She raised a brow at Wesker and he returned the expression, at least, the way that his brows rose above his glasses indicated that he was. She wondered if he ever took the glasses off- then realised that it would be silly to take them off in public, people would stare, even if they did think his eyes were contacts.
Wesker glanced down at his watch. "Should we make a move?" he questioned before stepping to the black Audi parked on the sidewalk.
"Yes!" Belle ran to the car. "I want to see the elephants!" she pulled the rear passenger door open and clambered into the vehicle.
"Miss Redfield?" Wesker inclined his head to her. He stepped to the car and opened the passenger door, his hand gesturing for her to climb in.
Claire eyed the car that she would never be able to afford in her lifetime warily. This was it. This was her last chance to say no. Her last chance to turn around. To listen to the nagging voice in her head that told her to flee- that running away from him was in her best interests. Her eyes slid to the girl in the back, who was plugging herself in. The girl who looked up at her with her big green, innocent, eyes. The girl who wanted her to be with her. She had once helped a girl similar to her, Sherry. Sherry had looked up at her with that same expression. Sherry had been older, but Claire wondered if that was part of the reason that she felt compelled to help Belle, some strange guilt over allowing the government to take Sherry, even with the promise of keeping her safe. Perhaps it was more than that, perhaps she simply wanted an insight into Wesker? To see something more than what he was? Whatever the reason, with one long inhale, she found herself sliding into the car.
As Wesker closed the car door, Claire found herself hit with the scent of fresh car, before she noticed the immaculate state of the car. It was the first thing in the last two days that actually seemed in character for the man. Him having an expensive, immaculate car seemed normal, more normal than him having a child and being remotely caring. The car door opened and Wesker slid into the driver's seat. She glanced at him as he started the car before looking at her door, he had left it unlocked. She wondered if he had done that as a courtesy to her?
"Are you excited to see the animals, Claire?" Belle asked.
Claire twisted her neck to look behind her. "I am." She smiled. "What animals do you want to see?"
"The Elephants, the turtles, the snakes…" As the girl listed off the animals that she was excited to see, Claire turned back to look out the window. Her eyes scanned the people and cars that they passed. There was something about watching people pass by that was relaxing, something that she needed when in a car with Wesker.
Their drive was mostly silent, save for the girl talking about the things that she wanted them to see and do when they were at the zoo. Claire enjoyed it, the girl had a light energy that made her feel lighter. It was bizarre, how relaxed she felt in the car. She sent a glance to the man beside her. He seemed relaxed as he drove. His arm rested against the door as he drove with one hand. It was odd. A small thing made him seem more human. If she had put any thought into how he drove, she would have assumed him to be stiff, like the T-1000 terminator. She resited the urge to giggle as she pictured Wesker charging down the street, running with his arms stiffly swishing up and down, like the terminator had. When he tilted his face to her, his brow raised, she ducked her head and looked away.
"Claire." Belle called out.
"Yeah?" She turned to see the girl looking at her with a frown. She returned the frown, what was wrong? "Everything alright?"
"I don't like your brother."
Claire's first instinct was to question why and what her brother had done to her- but the words died on her tongue. If there was anyone in the vehicle who had any real reasons to dislike her brother, it was the girl sitting behind her. Wesker's relationship with Chris was something that she only had vague insight into, but she doubted that he had any reason to hate Chris as much as he had when it all began- now, she supped, he had reason's to, but not in the way that Belle did.
"I," she sighed. "I understand," she bit her lip as she thought on her next words. "I'm sorry about yesterday… he shouldn't have frightened you like that."
Belle fiddled with the hem of her skirt. "Why were they pointing their guns at Daddy?" she asked, her gazed shifted down and she shifted uncomfortably.
She scrambled through her mind for her words. For something that she could say to explain her brother's crazed behaviour. She found herself struggling to find what to say, there were so many things that she could say. There were so many reasons for her brother and companions wanting to shoot Wesker- but none of them were appropriate for discussion with a small girl. The girl seemed to adore her father and while he was a bad man, the girl was innocent.
"Claire's brother suffers from delusions of hysteria." Wesker explained, his lips curling upwards as Claire's gaze snapped to him.
"Oh." Belle frowned thoughtfully. "Maybe he should get some help, Claire?"
"He had every reason to be angry at you!" Claire hissed, her lips thin.
As the car stilled for a red light, Wesker turned his face to her. His grin widened, and he looked far too pleased. "Oh, did he?" his voice held a smugness to it, almost like a song. "As I recall, I had been simply collecting my child. I never raised a hand to your brother, or your companions." His brow seemed to wag over his glasses before he turned his attention back to the road.
Claire wanted to slap the smugness from his face. Her fists clenched and her back straightened as she readied herself for the ensuing argument. She caught herself as she heard a sound, a whimper. Frowning, she turned to see Belle watching them. Her eyes wide and bright, almost watery. She clutched tightly at the hem of her skirt and her feet kicked nervously. Claire instantly felt a sense of guilt wash over her.
"Why are you yelling at Daddy?" she worried at her bottom lip as she eyed Claire carefully.
She could have told her it was because her 'Daddy' was saying mean, and untrue, things about her brother. It would have been quite easy. But she was the better person. She licked her dry lips. "I'm sorry Belle," she said. "I, I just don't like people saying bad things about my brother." She sent Wesker a look. "Even if they are debatably true."
She swore that she heard him chuckle.
Belle nodded, her eyes flashing. She smiled in understanding. "Daddy didn't mean to be rude." She shifted in the seat and inclined her head towards Wesker. "Daddy, you didn't mean to be rude, did you?"
This time, it was Claire's turn to smirk. She watched as the muscles in his jaw tightened and his lips curled downwards. "My apologies." He said thinly.
She grinned. It must have taken a lot for him to apologise to her. She wondered how often he apologized- possibly quite rarely. She winked at Belle and leaned back into her chair. She liked Belle, the girl was able to influence her father into doing things that she hadn't thought he would do. It had been a long time since she had met Wesker, perhaps having a child had, and would, be a good influence on him.
"Thank you." She felt Belle's eyes on her. "And…" she sighed. "…and I'm sorry for snapping at you." Somewhere Chris was having palpitations and not knowing why.
They continued in silence for some time before the road signs for the zoo began to appear. As Wesker pulled down another road, dropped a question. It was an innocent enough question. Innocent in the way that he asked it. he spoke in a tone that was almost asking about the weather. It had the intended effect, however, as Claire stammered and fumbled for an answer.
"Speaking of Christopher… however did he let you go out with us today?"
XXX
"Good morning, guys." Leon greeted, as he walked to their table. Reaching up in a stretch, he eyed the buffet table. From what he had had for dinner the previous night, he was sure that the breakfast would be amazing. Although, from what he could see, there were quite a lot of lunch foods and not many breakfast items.
Jill looked up from the table. "Good afternoon, Leon." She smiled then reached for her coffee.
Chris nodded in acknowledgement but said nothing. His attention was purely focused on the brisket burger on his plate. Leon could understand, it looked delicious. He took note of Jill's statement of 'good afternoon' and took a quick glance at the clock on the wall above the buffet table. It was just after eleven, still technically morning, but late enough that breakfast had moved to brunch/lunch. He looked down at Jill's plate and caught sight of the chicken sandwich- it also looked delicious. His stomach rumbled.
"Still technically morning." He replied to Jill, who shrugged. He eyed the buffet table again. "I'm going to get something to eat."
When he reached the table, he noticed that the majority of foods available were lunch meals, but there were also some breakfast foods left. He eyed the food hungrily, so many decisions. He was tempted to just grab one of everything, but if he was getting that massage later, it was probably not the best decision- especially if he had to lie on a full stomach for an hour. After some time, he settled on some French toast, bacon, eggs and a side of salad.
As he walked back to Jill and Chris' table, he took note of the other hotel guests sitting at their tables and eating. There weren't too many other people, so he was able to scan them all. He noticed a distinct lack of Claire. Where was she? Had she gone to the pool, or a massage, or something else. He frowned. She had been invited to go to the zoo with Wesker and his daughter, but surely she hadn't gone? It wouldn't be that hard to agree to save face in front of the girl, then cancel to be safe.
"Where's Claire?" he asked as he reached the table. He slid his plate onto the table and slid into the free chair.
He watched an expression pass Chris' face. The man's lips tightened, and he reached for the newspaper that rested beside his plate. He opened the paper with an exaggerated flick and proceeded to read the contents- though from the way he had simply opened to a random page, Leon wondered if he was actually reading. Beside him, Jill's eyes widened meaningfully, and she took her coffee and sipped quickly. Both of their postures, and behaviours, saying everything that Leon needed to know, so much so that Chris' words almost became redundant when he answered the question.
"She's gone to the zoo." His head bobbed from side to side as he spoke, sarcasm lacing his voice. "She's gone to see all the little animals." The inflection in his voice spoke volumes.
Jill's lips shifted awkwardly from behind the rim of her mug. She eyed Leon meaningfully. He understood. Claire was a touchy subject- no talking about Claire. He turned his attention to his plate and reached for his toast. It was cold when he took a bite, but that didn't matter, it was still delicious- needed salt though. He reached for the salt. As he ate his food- the salt was definitely worth it- he mused on the revelation. Claire had willingly gone to the zoo with Wesker. He hoped that she had made the right decision. He made a mental note to send her a message to check in with her- just to make sure that she was safe.
"Anyone know what the massage's are like here, I'm thinking of getting one?" Massage's were safe. Massages weren't Claire. Surely Chris would be in the mood to talk about massages.
Chris closed his eyes and dropped the newspaper onto the table. "It's fine." He sounded flat, defeated. "I haven't tried the other people, but the guy with the tattoos knows his job." He reached for his coffee and sipped.
"The lady with the red hair is good," Jill piped. "She likes to talk too, if that's your thing."
Leon raised his juice in thanks. "I might see about that after this."
XXX
"Claire, I like your cardigan." Belle commented as Claire pulled her grey knit cardigan from her backpack.
Claire smiled and slipped the garment on before strapping her backpack to her back. "Thanks." She adjusted the cardigan. "It's one of my favourites, Chris hates it though."
She had never understood why her clothing was a point of contention between herself and her brother, but it seemed that whenever she wore it, he complained about it. The only thing that she could think of was that it had been given to her by their great Aunt Emmie, whom Chris hated with a vehemence. She frowned and paused as she pondered on her own subconscious for choosing to wear something that Chris hated, while going out with someone whom he hated.
Belle frowned. "Why?" she tilted her head. "It's very pretty."
Claire shrugged. "Perhaps he just thinks it's ugly?"
Wesker brushed past her. "And Christopher is the authority on fashion statements? Good to know." He continued onwards, walking towards the giant billboard that served as the zoo's map. His hands slipped into his pockets and he seemed to almost have a spring in his step.
Claire blinked, her mouth hanging open. "Wha…?" Had Wesker just made a joke? This wasn't the first time that day that she had heard him say something that sounded like a joke and it sounded just as strange now as it had earlier. Before she could stop herself, her feet moved, charging her after him. He was fast, so she had to do a small jog, but she quickly fell into place beside him.
"Did you just make a joke?" she asked, a hint of laughter in her voice. She was tempted to pinch herself, she had been seeing far too many strange behaviours from him.
The corner of his mouth twitched. "It does happen." He continued to walk with the confidence of a man who had brought a woman to speechlessness- which he had.
"Are you alright, Claire?" Belle asked, concerned as she fell into step beside the older woman.
"Yeah…" Claire replied hastily. "Yeah I'm fine." She repeated, as thought trying to convince herself of the fact, which she was. Shaking her head, she tried to not ponder on what she was seeing. Clearly there were things that she had not seen, especially since this was a man who played monopoly with the girl, so making jokes had to within his capability.
"Let's go see the animals!" Belle reached out and grasped Claire's hand. She grinned up at Claire, who returned the smile. "Let's go!" she began to bounce, skipping in her steps, she laughed as Claire skipped with her.
"Where should we go first?" Claire asked as they came to a halt beside Wesker. Her eyes scanned over the map, taking in the various places that they could go to. They had a paper map, but there was something about looking at the billboard that was better than the paper- the marker saying 'you are here' could possibly be the reason.
Belle hummed, her eyes scanning over the map. She placed her free hand on her hip as she let out an exaggerated hum. She swayed her and Claire's arms up and down as she continued to hum. After a few more moments, she stopped. Her head turned to look up at Wesker and she grinned. It was the kind of grin that left little doubt in Claire's mind that this was Wesker's daughter, the expression was so purely him.
"I want to see the Llama's."
Deciding not to question the fact that the zoo had Llamas- because weren't they a farm animal?- she instead chose to focus on the fact that Wesker's lips seemed to tighten at the mention of the animal. She watched, fascinated, as he looked down at his daughter, his arms folding over his chest. He seemed irritated with her, which was interesting- there was a story behind that reaction.
"If that is what you want." His voice seemed as though it was the last thing that he wanted.
When they arrived at the llama's, Claire found herself amused by the sight of the creatures. She liked llama's, there was a strange ridiculous cuteness to them. She glanced at Belle, who was watching the creatures with unadulterated glee. It was days like this that she wished that she could return to being a kid, before the hardships of adulthood, before racoon city.
"Do you like them, Daddy?" Belle giggled teasingly.
"Hn." Wesker grunted, he turned away from the creatures, but was unable to get very far with the way Belle was holding his hand.
"They are pretty cute." Claire commented. "My gran had a blanket made of llama wool, it was so warm."
It was then that Claire noticed the way that Wesker seemed to be, pouting? He was turned away from Belle and the llama's and whenever Belle tried to tug on his arm to look at them, he avoided looking at them. If she wasn't paying attention, she would have assumed that he was being rude- and she had at first. However, the more attention she paid, the more she realised that it seemed to be a game between the two. But why llama's? Why did Wesker seem to disdain the creatures? How had this disdain become a game between the two?
"Belle?" she whispered. Leaning down she whispered. "Why doesn't your dad like the llama's?" She caught Wesker shift and knew that he had heard her. She didn't care if it bothered him, she wanted to know.
"Daddy doesn't like llama's very much." She chuckled a chuckle that was filled with cheek and conspiracy.
Claire's brow quirked. "Why doesn't he like the llama's very much?"
Belle giggled and inched closer to Claire. Her mouth was against Claire's ears as she answered. "las time we saw llama's, one spat at daddy!" she cackled before saying louder. "It was all over Daddy's face and in his hair!" she threw her head back in laughter.
Claire blinked. Her eyes slid up to Wesker who had turned and was now looking down at her. She did not have to see his eyes to know that he was challenging her, daring her to say anything. Her lips twitched. Her stomach clenched. Air pushed through his nostrils. She tried. That is, she tried very briefly, to not react. But as the chuckles slipped through her lips. She covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to stop herself, but she found herself giving up just as quickly. Images of Wesker being spat on flashed through her mind. It was completely absurd. Completely against everything that she knew of the man. she clutched at her stomach as her laughter erupted.
"Llamas!?" She cackled. Her stomach hurt as she laughed. She could feel the eyes of the other zoo-goers on her, possibly wondering what could possibly be so funny as to cause such a reaction. She did not care. They could stare all they wanted; she had just learned something about Wesker that painted him a different light- a ridiculous light.
She could hear Belle giggling, but it was not as impressive as her own chuckles. She tried to stop. But as she looked up at Wesker, and his glare, she threw her head back and her chuckles continued. Why was it so funny? She could think of one thousand reasons, but also no reasons for it to be funny. Her knees complained as she fell to the ground. She was being hysterical. She knew that she was being hysterical, but she couldn't help it.
It was just that funny.
X
"Daddy." Belle asked as the three walked away from the llama pen.
Claire sucked in a breath of laughter through her nostrils as Wesker tilted his head to give the girl the attention that she wanted. She bit her bottom lip as Wesker tilted his head to her, his lips thinned, and Claire's stomach shook with silent laughter. She needed to stop laughing. She needed to stop or she would not be making it home, he would deal with her before she had the opportunity to. She cleared her throat and attempted to calm herself. She was amazed that he hadn't said or done anything to her as of yet, he surely couldn't be appreciating her humour in him.
"Yes?" Wesker turned his attention back to his daughter.
The girl pointed to the ice cream vendor. "Can I have some ice cream?" she put her hands behind her back and rolled the heel of her foot along the ground. She ducked her head and looked up at him innocently.
Claire, knowing what she did about Wesker, doubted that such an expression would work on him. She was surprised then, when he pulled his wallet from his rear pocket- a normal dad thing, that struck her by how normal it was- and passed her some bills. She watched as the girl grinned at her father, said a quick 'thanks' and dashed to join the queue. Claire smiled at the girl's braveness- she certainly wouldn't have been lining up to make her own purchases when she was that age.
"She's such a sweet girl." She commented, moving to sit on the empty bench beside Wesker.
Wesker replied with a hum but offered her nothing else. He stood silently beside her as they waited. Claire looked up at him. She wanted to talk, not necessarily to him, but to someone. But even If she wanted to talk to him, she couldn't think of anything to say- she was there for Belle, not him. She jumped as he let out a sound. He shifted, stepping past her, he sat beside her, leaning forward he rested his forearms on his knees.
She glanced at him through the corner of her eyes. He seemed oddly relaxed beside her. Perhaps because he knew that she couldn't do any real damage to him? Even if she could have, they were in public and his child was a few feet away. The thought should have made her bristle, but it didn't. It was true, she couldn't hurt him, even if she tried- not that she would with Bell there.
She closed her eyes and leaned back, smiling as the sun hit her face. It was one of those days where standing in the shade was cold, but the sun was wonderful. She found it odd. Odd just how relaxed she was beside him, she had certainly not thought she would feel that way- even as she had left that morning. She opened her eyes and tilted her head, looking at the man beside her. She could not see his eyes, but she took in the way his face was relaxed. He looked almost peaceful. She was beginning to see it. Beginning to see the man that Belle talked about.
"Wesker?" she prompted, causing him to turn to her. "Can I ask you something?"
"You can ask, Miss Redfield." He replied evenly. "Who knows, maybe I'll even answer you." There was a teasing lilt in his voice.
Ignoring the fact that he had made yet another joke to her, she leaned forward. Resting her forearms on her knees, copying his action. "Why doesn't Belle live with you?" That was a stupid question, she didn't even need his eyebrow raise to know that. "I mean," she corrected herself. "Why is she living with her Aunt and Uncle?"
Wesker's brow did not drop. "They are her family."
"But Belle isn't happy." She retorted. "She talked about it on the plane, she doesn't seem happy with them.
She had no right to be bringing the topic up, to be questioning his parenting. She was an outsider, she didn't know it all, but what she did know was the way that the girl had been on the plane. The way that she had become quiet, been hesitant to talk about them, as though she were frightened of them. The fact that she had mentioned them as family by blood only, all of these things spoke volumes. As loath as she was to admit it, the girl was happier with Wesker than her family- if her dialogue and actions were anything to go by.
At his silence, she felt her lips tighten. "I'm just saying, do you know what it's like at her home?" she pressed, wondering if she was walking on thin ice- it was technically none of her business, but something inside her told her that she needed to talk. To speak up for the girl.
"They aren't physically abusing her." There was a tone in his voice. A warning that Claire heard clearly. She understood. It was one of the few things about Wesker that she truly understood. He was harsh, wouldn't let someone cross him.
"I'm not saying that they are." She replied placating. Belle had not said so- or indicated that that was what was happening. However, she had also not said that it was not happening. Either way, she felt that Wesker needed to know that his child was at least bothered, and unhappy with her current living arrangement. "She didn't say so, but she's not happy with them- that much I could tell."
"Hn." He frowned, his gaze fixed in the distance.
Claire studied his face. Something that she had said was clearly bothering him, but she could not tell what. Was he bothered by the potential ill-treatment of his daughter? Was he bothered by her interfering in something that was not her business. Was it something more simple? Was it her presence that bothered him? It was entirely possible, considering how he felt about her brother.
Laughter penetrated their silence. Claire's head shifted, snapping to the vendor where Belle was. Her lips twitched as she caught sight of Belle standing with an eight-year-old boy. She was laughing as the boy said something to her. Claire could not hear what, but whatever it was, Belle thought it was hilarious. Claire glanced at Wesker and caught him also looking at Belle. The frown on his face had seemingly deepened, as though he was not pleased with his child talking with the boy.
"Wesker." She giggled, catching his attention. "Please, please, please, let me be there when she brings home her first boyfriend." Her giggle turned into a cackle as his brows shot up. "Please, I'll do anything!" she begged, her hands clasping together in the universal sign for begging.
Wesker frowned and straightened his back. For a moment it seemed as though he was going to say something, only he didn't- rather, he was unable to. A hand slid onto his forearm, effectively cutting him off as Belle slid beside him. He stared at her with his raised brow expression, though Claire couldn't' tell if he was annoyed or merely questioning her- he had a serious resting face. She wondered how Belle was able to stay so relaxed with him, if her parents had acted the way that he did, she would have real problems with her parents.
"Thank you for the ice cream, Daddy." She squeezed his arm in a brief hug before releasing him and turning to skip away. "Let's go see the butterflies!" she pointed with her ice cream holding hand, before eating it again.
As Wesker pulled himself up to stand, he noticed Claire watching him. A smile on her face. He raised his brow, and she shook her head. "Nothing." She said walking past him. There was nothing. Whatever she was thinking about, it was not worth talking about with him, or acknowledging for herself. She knew, that if she were to ever say her inner thoughts aloud, she would quite possibly give Chris a heart attack as well as the embarrassment from admitting that Wesker was kind of adorable… only with his daughter… definitely only with his daughter.
She jumped as she felt a vibration in her pocket. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and unlocked it to check the notification. She had received an SMS. Opening the message, she noticed that it was from Leon, and that he was asking her if she was alright. She smiled at his concern and quickly replied that she was fine. When he replied with a simple 'okay', she slipped her phone away. Warmth washed over her at her friends concern. She appreciated that he wasn't making a big deal over her decision. That he simply wanted to know how she was, and when she said that she was alright, he was fine and had nothing else to say. She appreciated it, appreciated him.
X
"Look at all of the butterflies!" Belle squealed with excitement.
She ran into the butterfly house with her arms held out. She giggled as the butterflies scattered, flying across the room. She ran to a railing by a nearby tree and leaned over the railing, looking down at a pair of butterflies. One orange and one blue. Claire couldn't name the butterflies, but she could admit that they were pretty. She brushed past Wesker as he closed the door to the enclosure and walked to the girl. She leaned on the railing beside Belle.
"They're really pretty, aren't they?" she asked. She reached out to touch a green one, only to jump as it flew away. She pouted. "I love butterflies."
Claire shifted, pulling at the sleeves of her cardigan. The butterfly enclosure was hot- she possibly should have taken her cardigan off before walking into the enclosure. She looked up into the tree, smiling at a group of butterflies that had converged by a flower. She had always loved the butterflies, even when she had been a child, her favourite part of the zoo had been the butterflies. At a hushed squeal beside her, she turned to see Belle staring cross-eyed at a butterfly on her nose.
"Wow Claire!" she cried out in a hushed whisper. "Claire!" she waved her hands low at her sides, so to not bother the butterfly. "Daddy! Daddy, isn't it amazing!"
"Very, Belle."
Claire carefully pulled her backpack from her back and pulled out her camera. Amazingly, the butterfly had not moved yet, so she was able to take a photo of Belle- how she was going to get it to her after it was developed, she didn't know, but the photo was absolutely adorable. After taking the photo, the butterfly flew away and Belle dashed away to investigate the other butterflies. Claire watched the girl for a few moments, before turning to Wesker. She froze. Her lips twisted as she held back laughter. Hearing her, he tilted his head questioningly, only before he could say anything, she had snapped a photo of him.
"Miss Redfield?" he questioned.
"Daddy!" Belle called out as she dashed towards him. "Daddy, there's a butterfly on your head!" she giggled.
There was. Claire snorted and took another photo. She frowned as Wesker reached up to shake the butterfly away, but she had taken the photo, she would have the memory. She slipped her camera into her bag, protecting it from him, and slipped the bag onto her back. She wondered if he had known about the butterfly and had waited to show his daughter. She smiled.
"That was cute." She winked. Turning, she followed after Belle who proceeded to tell her about the different coloured butterflies that she had seen.
X
Claire blinked as drips of water splashed against her face. "Can anyone see the seals?" she shifted and stood on the tips of her toes as she tried to see the swimming mammals.
They had already seen quite a few of the animals, such as the monkeys, the big cats and the elephants. They had avoided seeing the seals due to the amount of people crowding around the viewing area. She shifted again, trying to see past the people- the seals must have been doing some tricks, otherwise there was no reason for there to be so many people blocking the view.
Belle, was much in the same boat as herself. The girl was bouncing beside her, trying, and failing to see above the people. She probably would have had a better time at attempting to scoot through people's legs, but Claire didn't suggest it, Wesker probably wouldn't appreciate it.
"I guess we'll have to go and wait for the crowd to die down." Claire gave up with a sigh. Though she doubted the crowd would die down, it hadn't in the time that they had been there.
Wesker folded his arms over his chest and frowned at the crowd. Claire sighed and walked over to a nearby bench. Sitting down she watched Belle continue in her attempt to see the seals, while her father stood stoic beside her. She reached for her camera and rolled it in her hands. She had taken so many photos of the animals and Belle that day. She would have to ask Wesker if there was some way that she could send them copies of the photos- it wouldn't be fair not to. Looking back up at the pair, her mouth hung open as she watched Wesker bend down, hooking his hands under her arms and lifting her. The girl squealed in delight as her father lifted her over his head and placed her onto his shoulders.
Belle let out a shriek of laughter, wrapped her arms around his head and pressed a kiss into his hair. "Thank you, Daddy!" she lifted her head up and pulled a face- which Claire understood, who knows what brand and/or strength of hair gel the man used- and proceeded to watch the seals.
"You're welcome, Belle."
Claire smiled and clicked a few photos. The two of them looked so lovely together. The way that they interacted was so natural, there was no doubt that they were father and daughter, and that they care for each other. She licked her lips and pondered the next decision that she was about to make. Would Wesker appreciate it? She eventually decided that she did not care if it bothered him, he had yet to complain and there was no way that she was letting the moment pass. Hastily pulling herself from the bench, she bolted to the two, standing in front of the pair and clicking a few photos.
"You two are so adorable." She smiled, looking up at Wesker whose head and inclined towards her.
Wesker said nothing, but she caught the way his lips spasmed, she was unsure if he was displeased, or amused, either way she did not care. As she slipped her camera out of his reach, she caught sight of an elderly couple watching them. She caught the way that their eyes twinkled as they looked at them. At first she was confused as to why they were watching them with such an expression, but then it hit her. The three of them must have painted a picture. Not an accurate one, but from an outside perspective, definitely a picture.
While enjoying his spa bath, Chris felt a chill run down his spine.
X
Claire leaned down and watched as the boa slid across the damp rocks to the edge of the little pool. She watched as it leaned its head down and drank some water. It was interesting, watching a snake drink. It was something that she had never really thought of, she had never really thought that snakes drank. As she watched it, she realised how silly that was, of course snakes drank. It was actually kind of adorable.
"Do you like snakes?" Claire tilted her head to see Belle standing beside her. The girl's eyes fixated on the drinking boa.
Claire nodded. "They're nice to look at." She replied, then chuckled awkwardly. "I mean, I wouldn't own one or like one in my house, but they are pretty." As Belle frowned, she began to think that perhaps she had said something wrong. "Do you like them?"
Belle nodded. "I do, I love them." Her lips curled into a beautiful smile.
Claire eyed the girl. "Why do you like them so much?" she questioned. "If you don't mind my asking."
Belle tore her gaze away from the snake. She turned around, her eyes flicking to her father before she turned back to Claire. Her beautiful smile turned into a cheeky one. "Because their eyes remind me of Daddy!" she pulled away from Claire and bounded over to her father, her small hand sliding into his.
Claire watched as Wesker looked down to the girl, and placed his hand on her head in an affectionate pet. She thought of her words. That his eyes reminded her of snake eyes. She knew what his eyes looked like, so she understood the comparison, it was interesting though. Interesting that people hated snakes, that snakes represent the fear in most people, their eyes included. Though Belle felt nothing but love for those eyes, and even the eyes of snakes. She felt her chest clench, and her eyes watered.
Belle turned back to her, as though to say something, only to pause, her eye widening. "Are you alright, Claire?" she held her hand out to Claire.
Claire smiled wistfully. She stepped forward and accepted the offered hand. "I'm fine." She insisted.
She felt a lump in the back of her throat as the girl squeezed her hand.
X
"Look at all of the toys, Claire!" Belle all but gasped as the three walked into the gift shop. She released Claire and her father's hand and dashed towards the pyramid of plush animals in the center of the room.
"They're very cute!" Claire called out. She would have loved the toys when she was a little girl. She watched the girl pick up toys to inspect them for a few moments, before turning her attention to the clothing section of the gift shop. She scanned over the scarves, the hats and the shirts with prints of the different animals.
"Daddy, can I please have this?" Claire turned to see Belle holding a giant plush green python on her shoulders. It was ridiculously adorable, the snake was huge in comparison to her- it was even quite large when compared to Claire and Wesker.
Wesker's brows rose over his glasses. "I suppose." He paused. "Where is it going to live?" he asked.
"In my bed!" Belle replied easily, and Wesker hummed in response.
Claire smiled at the image of a bed covered with plush animals, in Wesker's home. An image flashed in her mind. An image of a cold, stark white and black hospital-like home, with one bright pink and plush bedroom. She let out a breath of laughter through her nose and turned her attention back to the gift shop items.
Her eyes met what appeared to be a jewelry section. When did zoo's have jewelry? Her brows creased in a frown, and she stepped towards the glass cabinet. Her eyes scanned the items. The lion earrings, the monkey and safari animal broaches, the snake necklaces… then her eyes landed onto the rings.
Like the other jewelry items, the rings were much the same in the sense that most of them represented an animal. She was impressed with some of them, especially the ones like the monkey rings where the band was the monkey's arms and legs. Her gaze slid to the butterfly jewelry, the butterfly rings. She scanned the items before pausing at one, it was a simple silver band, but engraved on the band were three butterflies, two big ones with a little one in the middle. It was so simple, not as beautiful as the other ones, but something about it caught Claire. She loved it.
"The butterflies are pretty." Claire turned to see Belle standing beside her, the giant plush snake wrapped around her. "I like that one." She pointed to the ring that Claire had been looking at.
"I like it too." Claire said, returning her gaze to the ring.
Belle yawned. "Why…. Why don't you get it?" she covered her mouth as another wave of yawns took her.
Claire smiled wistfully and eyed the price- perhaps because it was zoo merchandise, it cost far too much. More than Claire could afford. She looked down at the girl who was stifling another yawn. The girl smiled at her sheepishly when she was caught, and rubbed at her eyes with her snake. When she tried to stifle another yawn, Claire scanned the room for Wesker.
"I'm going to get your dad." She said before walking away.
Belle yawned again, then stared down at the ring. A thoughtful frown on her face.
X
Claire looked back at the sleeping girl in the rear passenger seat. She smiled at the sight of her, wrapped in her plush snake, her little head using the snake as a pillow and cuddle toy. She smiled as the girl mumbled something in her sleep, shifted in the seat and clutched the plush to her chest. She could understand the sentiment. It had been a long day, long for her, she could hardly imagine how tired the girl must have been. She tore her gaze from the girl and looked back out to the road. She hoped that Wesker would take her back to her hotel, rather than expecting her to walk by herself.
"It's been a long day." she commented, expressing her inner thoughts. She looked out at the sky, it was still sunny but she knew better. She knew that the sun would be setting soon and that it would soon be time for dinner- or bed.
"Oh!" The girls voice sounded and Claire twisted to look at her. The girl fumbled in the seat beside her, hissing as though she could not find what she was looking for. When Claire was about to ask her to go back to sleep. That whatever it was, it could wait, the girl found her prize. Grinning she passed a small black box to Claire. She barely waited for Claire to say her thanks before falling back asleep.
Claire blinked. She looked down at the black box in her hand. What was it? Why had Belle given to her? She sent Wesker a glance that went ignored, and slowly opened the box. Her eyes widened and she felt her stomach flip. Inside the box was the butterfly ring that she had been admiring earlier. Wesker had bought it for her. Even if it had been Belle that had asked him to, he had still agreed to it. He had still chosen to get it for her.
"She wanted to thank you." Wesker spoke. When Claire looked up at him, he continued. "She wanted to thank you." As if feeling her silent question, he continued. "Thank you for coming with her today. Thank you for being so nice to her.
She wanted to give the girl a hug. Would it be safe to climb over the seats and pull the girl into a hug? Probably. She bit her lip. She wished that she could do something for the girl, something to repay her. to say thank you. Her mind slid to the photos. She wondered if getting them to the girl would be a way of repaying her? She had a feeling that the girl would love to have photos of herself and her father. She glanced at Wesker. Would he allow her to get the photo's to them? To benefit Belle? She had a feeling that he would, but..
"Wesker." When he hummed, she continued. "Is there any way that I could send you, or Belle the photo's from today? I want her to have them-" she brushed her hair behind her ear. "-that is, I think that she would really like them."
A pause. "I can give you an address where you can send them."
Silence filled the car as Wesker drove them through the streets. The drive home seemed quicker than the ride to the zoo had been. There also seemed as though there were less people- or perhaps they all wanted to go home, so were moving faster. She looked out at the people. It was getting darker, the light was rapidly disappearing.
"Wesker." She mused, turning to him. When he flicked his fingers on the wheel in response, she continued. "Thank you."
Another pause, this time accompanied by a frown. "For what, Miss Redfield?"
She laughed awkwardly. She had hoped that he would have just accepted the gratitude. Him asking for a reason meant that she had to actually think of the reason why she was grateful- and she wasn't sure that she was ready to acknowledge it. No, even with the kindness that he had shown her that day, actually talking about it, and addressing it, was not something that she was mentally capable of that day.
She brushed her hair behind her ear. "You let me see something today." She explained quietly. she looked down at her hands which were fiddling with the ring that she had removed from the box. "You were kind, funny… and even adorable at times." she bit her lip.
"Even if… even if we go back to hating each other, after today, I.." she ducked her head with a blush. "I don't know if I'll be able to look at you without thinking on today, and I'm grateful for the day." she looked up at him, her eyes bright.
"Miss Redfield." He did not turned his gaze from the road. "Whenever did I claim to hate you?"
The question was simple. Too simple. She felt a rage trickle in the back of her mind at his words. How dare he? Of course he hated her, hated those whom she cared for. She could not even mention her own brother around him- not without him poking fun, or her feeling a discomfort. She wanted to demand an explanation from him. Demand him tell her what he meant. As she moved to demand from him what he had meant, she caught sight of a street sign and realised that they were not too far away from her hotel.
"Thank you, for taking me back." She said as he pulled the car in front of her hotel. She had honestly thought that he was going to go back to his hotel and make her walk back. It was a pleasant surprise that he had not.
When he sad nothing in response, she turned in her seat to look back at the sleeping girl. "Goodnight, Belle." She whispered. She wished that she could have given the girl a cuddle, but it was probably better that the girl was asleep, it would have hurt to say goodbye to her. Her brow furrowed as a thought occurred to her. Snatching her bag from the floor, she zipped it open and rummaged through it.
"Can you give this to Belle?" she asked, pulling a piece of paper and a pen from her bag. Scribbling some numbers on the paper, she held the paper out to him. "She probably won't but she can call me whenever she needs. Even if it's just to say hello." She would offer to take the girl out, but she doubted that she lived in the same state, or city as the girl. It was highly unlikely that taking Belle out was a viable option, this was the next best thing.
He accepted the paper, then passed her a card of his own, a quick glance at the card revealed a P.O box address. She understood its meaning. That was where she could send the photos. She offered him a grateful smile and slipped the card into her bag. She then shifted awkwardly, should she say goodbye? Or would it be better to just dash without saying anything?"
"What, Miss Redfield, would cause your kindness?" when she frowned at him, he held up the paper with her phone number.
Oh. She licked her lips. "I like Belle." She said simply. "and she seems like she likes me too, so I want to be there- even if its just a friendly voice on the phone."
Then he smiled. It would have frightened her on any other day, but today, she found herself smiling back. "Have a good evening, Miss Redfield."
"You too, Wesker. You too."
A/N: I actually wasn't sure how to end this chapter, it's a little different from the original. I hope you guys liked it, let me know!
