---

Three months... Christ, it's been three months...

Parking her motorcycle in front of the apartment complex, Claire continued to dwell on her thoughts. It was a bright, sunny day in New York City, but she wasn't bright.

She was still very much in the dark, almost every waking moment spent replaying those few seconds three months ago when she staked her own brother in the heart.

Staked...

Like a piece of meat... like a vampire...

Like what he was.

It was tearing her apart inside. She simply didn't know how to deal with it. Maybe it would have been easier if he weren't himself, if Dracula was controlling him somehow, like things usually are in horror stories.

But it wasn't a story. Wesker may have done… it… to him, Dracula may have made him an offer he couldn't refuse, but Chris acted on it through his own volition.

He wanted to do for her, his little sister, who deserved anything he could give her in his eyes.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Claire realized she had to stop stalling and get up. Setting the kickstand, she dismounted her bike and entered the building, climbing the stairs slowly. Her father lived on the third floor. Her parents had separated a long time ago; she would have to ask him where her mother was. She didn't want to tell either of them about Chris over the phone, she'd only called her father to make sure he would be home when she arrived.

At least they won't hear it on TV...

Of that much was certain. The latest news was the death of Adrian Farenheights, CEO of Castlevania Pharmaceuticals, and his replacement by his son.

They wouldn't know why "Adrian" had died, of course, or that Alucard was a willing puppet, using his "inheritance" to gain trust while taking orders on what to do every day by the US government. They weren't so bad, really, just making sure the company didn't start doing anything illegal again. With Umbrella gone, Alucard was head of the most powerful pharmaceutical company in the world.

And of course, they'd given Claire legal custody of Sherry. Not to mention a job. She had no intention of going back to college. The Associate's degrees she had weren't in fields where two years of study could merit a high paying career, but she needed to be out doing something. She needed to keep busy. And so, Leon recommended her 'services' to is superiors and got a partner.

Her key in the doorknob, Claire told herself to go on.

C'mon girl, be strong... you've accepted it, at least. Dad isn't going to believe me for a few days.

The key turned quietly. Stepping inside after opening the door, Claire made last minute changes to what she planned to say in her mind. She doubted any of it would come out like she planned.

"Dad?"

She turned to her right, closing the door. The living room extended in that direction, and her father's favorite chair was in front of the window. Sure enough, the chair was sat in, the newspaper was being read, although Claire didn't think her father liked wearing black jeans, she didn't really care.

"I'm afraid he went out for a few minutes," a voice that was most assuredly not her father's answered. "Note's on the table if you don't believe me."

She never turned her head, staring at the stranger in the house as the newspaper lowered.

"You," she breathed, malice in her voice, disbelief in her mind as she saw she was talking to Albert Wesker.

Claire reached down to her boot and pulled the knife hidden there; wishing she hadn't stopped carrying a gun. She felt like everything was moving in slow motion. To Wesker, she probably was moving in slow motion.

She expertly flung it at him before she even raised… and Wesker grabbed the blade in his hand as it flew toward him.

He stood and quickly walked over to her. His wound hadn't healed and it was still hindering him, but he was quick enough to get in her face before she could think.

Claire swung a punch, and Wesker easily grabbed her arm. She tried with her other fist, and Wesker did the same.

"Now that's enough of that, be a good girl," he smiled. The side of his face was home to a couple of bandages; the injury she'd given him hadn't healed fully either.

He tossed her onto the couch.

Claire tried to stand, but Wesker leaned over her and pressed her shoulders into the fabric.

"Now now, sit still for a minute, I'll be gone before you know it."

"What the hell do you want," she tried to shout, only able to whisper.

"Heh heh, I just wanted to say 'thank you,'" he answered.

Claire's expression gave away that she had no idea what he was talking about, but Wesker was expecting that. He leaned closer, his lips almost touching her ear as he lowered his own voice.

"You see Claire, I've hated your brother for a long time. I wanted nothing more then to tear him limb from limb. Alas, he was the only guinea pig around and I had to give him a gift beyond his wildest imagination."

He pulled back again, still holding her down but face to face with her.

"And then you show up. And you killed him. Just like that. Because of what I did, Redfield's own sister killed him. I can only imagine the look on his face. It's a better revenge then I could have dreamed of. So thank you."

He stood, smiled, and walked out of the apartment.

Claire tried to stand up. But her face fell into her hands, and all she could do was cry.

---

~fin~