Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil

A week and a half ago

"See you, tomorrow guys," Chris waved as he started to leave.

There was a chorus of goodbyes as he made his way to the elevator. Once he was downstairs, he headed straight for his car.

He had spent a long day performing team training exercises for foreseeable missions, and he was tired….and in need of a shower.

Just as he reached for the car handle.

"Chris Redfield?"

Chris instantly reached for his gun as his head rounded to face the newcomer, only stopping at the hilt when he saw they were unarmed (as far as he could see).

It was a man roughly in his late thirties or early forties with long dark hair tied back in a ponytail, brown eyes, and a short beard, wearing a white tunic shirt and black trousers and shoes.

"Relax," he raised his hands as a sign of assurance. "I come in peace."

Chris narrowed his eyes. "I hope that's true. By the way, who's asking?"

"Oh, I'm sorry where are my manners?" he chuckled. "My name is Raymond Williams. I was wondering if we could talk. Preferably somewhere public where we won't make a scene, but private enough no one will hear what we have to say."

"And why would we make a scene?" Chris responded sarcastically.

"We won't," Raymond retorted. "Well, I won't. You probably will though after hearing what I have to say."

One hour later

And so, they went to a small café where they sat in the corner away from the eyes and ears of others. The fact that it was mostly empty also helped.

They ordered coffee just to make things look a little more normal.

"Alright, it's just the two of us, in private, just like you asked," Chris listed off. "Now, what do you want?"

"Right to the point. I like that!" Raymond applauded. He took out a photograph and placed it directly in front of Chris. It was of a woman with blonde hair and brown eyes. "Her name is Saoirse Winters. Do you in any way know her?"

Chris stared at the picture for about a minute before everything came back at once.

"Yeah, I do," he admitted. "She's a journalist. We met last year by chance when we were both tracking leads on a case."

The woman was witty, sharp-tongued, and brave. He had been reluctant to work with her at first because (unlike his other partners) she was a civilian with minimal combat experience. However, after seeing that she could handle herself (and a gun) along with her resourcefulness and intuition Chris promptly shut up and agreed to cooperate.

"Why? Is she in some kind of trouble?"

"She's dead," Raymond said flatly.

Chris froze. He had not been expecting to hear that (though at this point in life he probably should have).

"She was found dead in her apartment, a gunshot wound to the head, and the entire space ransacked," Raymond continued. "I don't know what was stolen since I'm not privy to that information."

"Why not?" Chris asked without thinking.

Raymond took a long sip of his coffee and gave Chris a look of disappointment.

"You know, having worked in law enforcement, especially something like STARS, I would have expected you to ask more questions like who I work for, what I do for a living, or why I'm coming to you with this at all?" the man's eyes bore into Chris. He took out an ID Card to show him. "You see the reason I am not privy to that knowledge Mr Redfield is that I don't work for the police, nor any other law enforcement firm. I work for social services." He allowed the soldier to digest that information before continuing, never once giving him the chance to interrupt. "Ms Winters was not living alone. She had a child there, one under a month old."

"Okay, stop right there!" Chris ordered his hand held up. "I can see where you're going with this but it's not possible."

It couldn't be. There was just no way.

He and Saoirse had only ever…once, just once, and never again.

"Then why's your name on the birth certificate?" Raymond questioned.

"Hell, if I know! I only heard about this just now!" Chris shot back. "It could be a mistake for all you know."

"It could," Raymond agreed. "However, since Ms Winters has no surviving relatives, and you were declared the child's father you are next in line to be his legal guardian and after that your sister Clarissa." Chris wasn't so sure Claire would be up for that. "That's why I'm here, to verify that it isn't."

Chris said nothing for a moment before understanding. "You want to do a paternity test?"

Raymond nodded. "It's the fastest way to confirm whether you are or not. If the result comes back negative the matter will be dropped and the kid will be placed in the foster system. After that, you'll never hear from me again."

Chris contemplated his answer for a minute. On the one hand, it would resolve everything quickly, but on the other hand, it may actually backfire.

What if he was the father?

What then? He couldn't just assume responsibility for a baby, especially not with his lifestyle.

"Even if it is true, what makes you think I'd be a suitable parent?" he asked incredulously. "I was prepared to pull a gun on you."

"And under normal circumstances, I would be worried," Raymond interrupted. "However, given your reputation and history, your reaction is…understandable."

Chris couldn't believe how calm he was about this. Any normal person would be more concerned. Then again, the definition of 'normal' had somewhat changed in recent years.

With a deep sigh, Chris finally admitted defeat.

"How long will the results take?" he asked.

"A week at most?" Raymond informed him. He took out a card and passed it to him. "Come by this clinic tomorrow, or whenever you have free time. I've informed the staff to expect your arrival."

Chris snorted. The man was prepared he'd give him that much.

There was one thing he was confused about. If he was the father, why had Saoirse never contacted him?

He would have helped to provide if he could. Then again, it may have had something to do with the fact that he never planned on having children, to begin with. It's not that he didn't want any it was just that, in his job death could happen at any time, and in the event that it did he didn't want to leave them as an orphan like he and Claire had been when their parents died.

"Out of curiosity, is it a boy or a girl?" he asked. "And what's their name?"

"Ethan," Raymond said softly. "Ethan Winters."

A week later

After going to the clinic as he was told, the week passed by very slowly for Chris. His colleagues had picked up on his behaviour and asked him if everything was alright, only to receive the same answer.

He was dealing with an ongoing family issue. He didn't elaborate much further.

Of course, they all thought he meant Claire, so they dropped it.

When the day of the results finally arrived, the thing Chris had been dreading happened.

The results came back with a positive match.

He was the boy's father.

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.

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Chris wasn't sure how long he sat there as his brain struggled to process the information. He kept rereading the letter to make sure he had read it correctly and even went as far as to check it wasn't forged. That may have been a bit over the top, but he was in too much of a shock to think straight.

He was Ethan's father.

He was a father.

As he fretted over this newest revelation a million thoughts and questions plagued his mind all at once.

What am I going to do?!

I can't be a father!

I don't know anything about…babies or…how to look after them.

What if I end up hurting him?

Or what if he gets sick and I don't know how to help him?

Should I call Claire?

Should I ask Barry? He's a father, right?

I can't do this. That kid will end up dead if he's with me.

I can't abandon him though.

I can't just readjust my life like that.

I can't even be there 24/7.

I can't do this.

I shouldn't do this.

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What am I going to do?

Later

There were some things in the universe Chris could not understand no matter how hard he tried. For example, global warming, some laws that should exist and others that should not, and why it took Umbrella so long to go down despite all the fucking evidence against them.

Okay maybe he did understand that last one a little, but it still pissed him off.

But this! This one made no sense.

After everything he had seen and fought, the idea of picking up and holding a baby in his arms was terrifying. The only time he had ever done that was with Claire, and for the record, he was six at the time.

"This way please," the woman requested.

Chris followed her through what he perceived as a nursery based on the colourful floral designs. They walked slowly by several cribs each with a baby sleeping peacefully inside.

"The one on the far right at the end," she said. "The one with a yellow mobile of aeroplanes." Chris nodded as he slowly approached the crib. "I'll leave you two alone to get acquainted."

After she left, Chris slowed his advance. He fought the urge to turn tail and run, but it wasn't easy. He was nervous, more than he had ever been in his life. He may have been a military man, but nothing from training or everything he had experienced could prepare him for this.

As he neared the crib, he heard movement coming from it.

Peering inside, Chris saw the baby was awake. Dressed in a yellow onesie, moving his arms and legs while glancing around, Ethan's eyes directly locked on with Chris's.

For a moment they both froze. Ethan had Chris's undivided attention and vice versa as they gazed into each other's eyes.

'He has my eyes,' Chris realized.

It was true. Ethan's eyes were a perfect replica of his own, both in shape and dark blue colour. It was a little unnerving, but also captivating.

Ethan gazed at him with a mixture of confusion and curiosity as he wiggled around in his crib.

Moving slowly, Chris lowered his hand in, with the baby following the movement very closely. Holding out a finger towards him (something he remembered doing with Claire when she was born), Ethan grabbed hold of it with his tiny hands and squeezed tightly (well, as tight as he could for a baby). A small smile crept over Chris's face.

"Hi, Ethan. My name is Chris… Chris Redfield," he awkwardly introduced himself. Ethan continued to play with his finger as if he had not heard him. "I'm…" he paused. "I'm your male parent, father, I meant father or dad if that's better."

'Nice job Redfield!' he internally groaned.

Steadily, he freed his finger from Ethan's grasp and scooped him up out of the crib. Ethan jerked slightly at the sudden movement but didn't cry. He just continued looking at Chris, though the action was mutual.

After settling Ethan into a comfortable position in his arms Chris began to marvel at how small the boy was.

'Are all babies like this?' he wondered.

It might have seemed like a strange question, but Chris had not been around another baby for a very long time. Not since he was a kid himself.

"Anyway, today you'll be coming home with me," he said softly and slowly. "Is that alright with you?"

Ethan's only response was to squeeze his finger.

"I'll take that as a yes," Chris said. 'Well, this isn't so bad. Maybe I can do this.'

How hard could looking after a baby be?

Present Day

"It was an absolute disaster," Chris exclaimed. "Things were fine at first when I brought him home. Then he started crying and I didn't know how to make him stop. I thought he was hungry and tried to give him a bottle of warm milk but that didn't work. I thought he needed a change, which turned out to be the problem only I had no experience with changing diapers and…and…and you don't want to even look at the bathroom right now. It's a mess. A very big mess. After that, he stopped for a little bit but then he started crying again and he wouldn't stop. He's been doing it since last night and I don't know how to make him stop. He stopped ten minutes before you arrived but when he starts again, I won't know what to do. This was a bad idea, Claire. I can't do this. I can't."

"Okay, Chris!" Claire interrupted. "Breath!"

"I am breathing!" he cried, literal tears beginning to form in his eyes. "Why? Did it look like I wasn't?"

'Shit! He's actually serious about this!' she thought worriedly.

"I meant you need to take a deep breath and calm down," she said softly. "You're clearly sleep-deprived, and overwhelmed. You need a break."

"Like that will help," Chris argued. "What if Ethan starts crying again? I can't sleep during that. And I don't think you'll be able to calm him down. And…and…" he paused before sniffling again. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I'm doing. I've never undergone any training for… this."

"I don't think anyone has," Claire said softly. "But even still, you need rest. I can help you clean up first to make things easier, and then you can take a nap. When you wake up, we can talk properly."

Chris gave her a look of longing before giving a defeated sigh. "Okay, fine."

Later

The bathroom turned out to be a mess just as her brother described. However, having crawled through the disgusting sewers of Raccoon City during a Zombie Apocalypse, it meant absolutely nothing to Claire.

After that, she had been formally introduced to Ethan and kept an eye on him while her brother slept. Unlike her brother, Claire had much more experience with babies. In college, she occasionally babysat for a bit of extra money. Also, a couple of her friends had younger siblings who she helped babysit from time to time.

Needless to say. She knew what she was doing.

"Hi Ethan, I'm your Aunt Claire," she said smiling into Ethan's curious face. "That means I'm your Daddy's sister, his younger sister to be specific. Our parents, your grandparents, aren't around anymore so it's just me and him. Well, I guess it's now me, him, and you." Ethan wiggled in her arms, causing Claire to laugh. "I have to say I'm impressed. There aren't many things that can shake Chris, but you managed it in a single day and all by yourself."

It was true. Not even his job could make him do that (not now at least).

Ethan let out a small yawn with his eyelids just fluttering to stay awake. Thinking it would be better if he was also asleep, Claire continued talking.

"He might seem a little stressed right now, but once he gets to know you, I'm sure things will flow smoothly," Ethan's eyes began to droop tiredly. "Have a nice nap, Ethan. You and your dad."

Despite having just met him, Claire had already taken a liking to Ethan. She hoped that Chris would do the same. She knew having a child in your life was a large responsibility (doubly so these days) and required a lot of adjustment. She did think her brother could do it though.

After all, he had raised her all by himself when their parents died.

And that's it for this chapter! What did you think?

I don't know if a child would be passed on this quickly (though I doubt it) but for the story's sake let's just go with it.

The topic of Ethan's mother will come up later (along with a flashback arc), but she does hold significant relevance to the story.

The next chapter will feature a conversation between Chris and Claire and will also show Chris adapting to his new role.

Hope you enjoyed reading it! Please review!