A/N: This story was supposed to be a one shot, but I decided to split it into three parts because shorter chapters are so much easier to read. Let me tell you that this story is finished and I'm not letting anyone correct this so, two things:

1. Unless I die, I will update this regularly.

2. You might find typos and grammatical mistakes. Let me apologize for that.

I hope you enjoy.

X.

Chapter One

The first snow had fallen as soon as the night had coated the city in darkness, and it was freezing cold. Nights like those Claire appreciated having kept her small two room apartment, which was as easy to heat as to clean, ignoring Tom's suggestions to look for a bigger home. Who was Tom to suggest anything anyway?

It had been a long day and, tired of the daily house works, she dropped into the comfy armchair next to the window and watched the snowflakes flying in beautiful curls through the night from the dark safety of her home while she sipped some steaming tea. She used to love snow, it meant winter was coming and it'd soon be Christmas again.

Christmas.

Her heart ached as she remembered the happiness the holidays had so often brought her. Chris and Jill with their little son, herself, Sherry, Leon… They all tried to come together for those dates, always praying that there wouldn't be another outbreak in any corner of the world that would put all their organizations in a state of emergency. Fortunately, since the Edonian civil war in 2012, there hadn't been any more distractions that would force them into battle, interrupting their celebrations. Yes, Christmas used to be a peaceful time, too bad that this Christmas wouldn't be the same.

A heavy sigh left her lips as she wiped over the moist glass of the window. The snow kept falling and would hide the streets under its veil, and it made her feel as lonely as never before. So much had changed in the past months that she actually feared the holidays that were about to arrive.

After yawning widely, she decided to go to bed as soon as she'd finish her drink before she'd doze off in the armchair again. It wouldn't be the first time and her back would remind her of it the following days. But the night had other plans for her.

A sound caught her attention and put her on alert. Sharpened instinct and always ajar doors made it impossible for her to miss a sound that wasn't supposed to exist in her apartment. Intuitively, her hand reached for the secret compartment under the armchair and pulled out her gun, before she quickly removed her shoes and walked barefooted towards the bedroom. Nobody would ever disturb what she had built up here, whoever dared, would soon regret it.

Claire pushed her ear against the door. All she could hear was the sound of the wind blowing through a window she hadn't opened, of that she was sure. Finger on the trigger, she took one last breath and pushed the door open, ready to surprise whoever was in the room behind. Stepping inside with dangerous attitude, she soon stared into the barrel of a gun.

"Hello Claire." Dark eyes watched her from the shadows, only the moonlight glowing around the silhouette of the woman in front. She looked attractive, young and trained, as if time stood still for her.

"Ada," the redhead whispered, still keeping the gun up. "I'd say it's a surprise, but I somehow knew you would show up here someday." She chuckled. "Sorry I haven't any leftovers from dinner anymore."

Ada grinned.

"I didn't remember you so overconfident, Redfield," she murmured lifting a brow. "But it suits you."

"What do you want?"

They stared at each other in the darkness with lifted guns, none of them willing to grant their opponent any peace. Ada shook her head slightly.

"I came to see her."

"Screw you!" Claire hissed, loud enough to startle even herself. In a lower voice she repeated her words. "Screw you."

The woman in red tilted her head and stared at her unwilling host in silence.

"Look, Claire," she said in a calm voice. "It wasn't difficult to tell that she was with you, and finding you was even easier." She chuckled ridiculing the redhead in front of her. "I have been watching you two for months. I know your schedule, your habits, I know when you wake up and I know that you can't have any leftovers from dinner because you haven't had dinner tonight." Her challenging glance rested on the redhead as she smirked victoriously at her. "So, if you allow," she pointed to the crib in the corner of the room. "I will now have a look at my daughter."

Claire's heart started beating in despair. It was true, she had always known this moment would come, but a part of her had clung to the hope that the spy would remain as uninterested in her child as she had been until now. Why she had chosen the days before Christmas to show up wasn't easy to tell. She sighed.

"If you know so well what happens in this house," she whispered as Ada approached the baby bed, about to lift the covers. "How come you don't know that Holly doesn't sleep here?"

Ada watched the pillow under the blanket as if it was a mirror reflecting the blackness of her own soul. She hissed and turned her head back to Claire, hesitating a second, before she put the gun down.

"Where is she?" It was hard to tell in the utter darkness of the room, but Claire could have sworn she saw a tear in the spy's eye as she pressed out the words she'd never expected her to say. "Can I please see her?"

Maybe it was the spirit of the upcoming holidays, or just the look on the spy's face, but something made her reconsider. Defeatedly, Claire put the gun down as well and turned the lights in the room on, so they could finally see each other clearly. Two women, part of the same mess; one by accident, the other by choice; one, red by nature; the other because it suited her. They also saw the pain in each other's eyes.

Claire pointed somewhere behind her.

"She's in my bedroom," she cleared her throat as her look dropped to the ground. "Leave your weapons here, will you? She's pretty fast grabbing things in her reach."

Ada doubted. It was a luxury she allowed herself, because doubting was human and Claire was human enough to understand, but she eventually laid the gun onto the floor and freed several knives from their holster. It was suicidal, and she wouldn't have done it for anyone else, but she had come to make things right and there was no reason to start it with a wrong choice. Claire put down her weapon as well and led the uninvited guest into her bedroom.

Was there ever a human being who had seen actual emotion on her face? she wondered. Had ever anyone known the side of Ada Wong she was knowing now? Had Leon gotten to see her this way or had she hidden her emotions from him as well? Claire watched in silence as the woman in red walked hesitantly toward the crib where Holly was sleeping. Bent over the child, she whispered softly.

"She's beautiful."

She truly was. Dark hair, Asian features, she had Ada's face and would someday turn into a copy of her beautiful mother, and no matter how much Claire loved the child, watching her would always remind her of something she had always longed for, but never gotten to call hers.

"And she's very smart," she breathed. "It's amazing how quickly she learns, and she's just a year old."

Ada chuckled and turned to the redhead who was leaning against the door frame.

"I expected he would call you," she said sighing. "I guess it was the right thing to do."

Claire's eyes fell shut as she gulped down the knot in her throat. She had always been the right choice, the responsible choice, but never the exciting, passionate one. The memory of how the little girl had made her way into her life wasn't precisely a fairytale.

"You said her name is Holly?"

Ada caressed softly over the girl's hair as Claire kept watching her.

"He chose it," she replied. "He said it was his sister's name."

The spy turned to the redhead.

"His sister?"

Claire rubbed her nose, cocking her head.

"She died when they were children, it seems." They both nodded, in acceptance and understanding, before Ada looked back at the child in the crib.

"She sleeps so peacefully. Does she sleep the whole night long?"

The redhead took a deep breath. Ada's shallow comments wouldn't make her forget the questions that were burning in her chest like hot iron.

"Why did you leave her?"

She knew there wasn't an easy answer to that. Work, maybe? Okay, yes, there was an easy answer. Claire watched her as Ada opened her mouth, trying to explain. She felt curious about what excuse the spy would come up with.

"I wasn't ready."

Wasn't ready. Did that mean she was ready now? Claire felt a heavy weight pressing down on her heart.

"Why did you have her in the first place?"

And something seemed to crack inside the woman in red. Claire knew that child wasn't meant to exist, for many reasons. She had been an accident, fruit of just another one of those nights they both considered so forbidden it was hard to say no.

"I wanted it, at some point." She smiled tenderly. "What a thing to say, huh? A child is impossible in my line of work." She sighed and got back up, giving Claire a soft look. "Can I hold her?"

Claire sucked in an impatient breath.

"You're gonna wake her." That wasn't the problem. Holly used to sleep so tight that nothing would interrupt her slumber, and it was something Claire was entirely grateful for. What she feared more than a crying child in the middle of the night was the magic spreading from that tiny being, because once Ada would hold her, she'd never want to let go of her again, just like it had happened to herself. The other woman's deep gaze impacted on her and seemed to hypnotize her. Who was she to tell a woman she couldn't take up her own child? With a heavy heart, she nodded slowly and stared as Ada removed the soft blanket and pulled up the baby girl.

Drool bubbled from Holly's mouth as she opened her almond shaped eyes and looked at her mother for a second, just checking who was disturbing her sleep before leaning against her shoulder and drifting back into slumber. Claire grimaced in pain as she saw the smile popping onto Ada's face.

"Hello Holly," she whispered softly, rubbing her hand over the dark locks, trying to watch her little face. "Damnit she's precious."

"She's…" Claire's voice was soft, trying to hide how close it was to break. "She is a wonderful child."

Ada looked at her.

"I want to thank you for what you've done, for taking care of her," she said and turned her head back to Holly. "But I will take her with me now."

What could one do when someone ripped their heart out? Stand and watch? Let them take it? Go down without fighting? Giving up was something that didn't exist in Claire Redfield's vocabulary. She pushed her back against the door, closing it behind her and shaking her head.

"No, you won't."

They locked eyes, threatening each other with stabbing gazes and hateful thoughts. They were both willing to take down the other, but for the sake of the child, they decided not to pull out the last weapons they had kept, hidden from each other's eyes.

"Claire," Ada spoke in a calm voice. Ever since she'd met her brother, she had known that the name Redfield stood for stubbornness, and the never ending need to help others. "I am incredibly grateful for your sacrifice, but I think this is the best for all of us." She cleared her throat. "I know you gave up your position in TerraSave and that your fiancé made his mind up about your wedding. You even cut contact with your brother. How are you going to do this alone? How are going to pay for all the costs?"

Claire blinked. It was true, she was alone after she'd decided to take in a child that wasn't hers and had been called all kinds of stupid by Chris. Jill had understood, but it wasn't enough to make her stay. Tom, at least, hadn't even pretended he was worried about her, leaving her apartment right after being told she was adopting Holly.

"Don't worry about that. I've always been good at saving money," she hissed. "And if there's ever an emergency-" She exhaled deeply. "There's still her father's life insurance."

Those words triggered something in both of them, a feeling of regret, failure and loss. They got quiet, as if the ghost of Leon Kennedy had told them to stop fighting, keep calm, and talk. After holding gazes for a while, Claire lowered her head.

"Do you want a drink?"