As I'm sure you're all already aware, this story is the sequel to my other story, Untouched. It is also my take on Resident Evil 6. I'd appreciate it if you came into this with an open mind, as I do not work for Capcom, therefore I have no idea how far off this story will be from the actual Resident Evil 6. This is just simply my take, or at least what I'd enjoy to watch go down.

This story will once again be a Claire/Leon story, but what's a romance story without a whole lot of complications and distractions along the way? (You take that in whatever way you want to)

There are most likely what people will consider spoilers in this story, so beware when reading if you haven't already played and beat Resident Evil 5.

Anyways, I hope you guys all enjoy my story. Please remember to leave a review. It's greatly appreciated.

Claire sat on her bed, her bedroom filled with darkness from the night that crept in through her open window. Only the lamp beside her bed illuminated her room, giving her just enough light to read the scribbles she jotted down in the open journal before her. Nightmares covered every page, night after night, since late September of 1998. She had to add pages to her journal every couple of months because the empty pages just seemed to disappear.

First, every page was dated with each passing day. She noticed that as time went on, and as the years passed, the scars she bore and the nightmares that came from them began to scatter themselves. Slowly, they were becoming scarcer, to the point where it was a few nightmares a month. She was relieved to find her nights full of restful sleep and not terrifying dreams about the undead. But still, when she found herself staring face to face with a nightmare that seemed all too real, sometimes it was just too much for even her to take. Dreams of what could have been, and how many people could have been saved danced in her subconscious. If she had been just a little bit stronger…how many people would still be alive? He would…

She quickly shook the thought away as her eyes began to scan the page before her. She shuddered at the simple words written on the paper as she suddenly found herself reliving the horrors of that particular dream.

No matter where I turned, they were there. They were huddled under desks, waiting for me around the corner, even watching me from the rooftops. I could feel their disgusting eyes on me as they patiently waited for me to let my guard down. I don't know what happened or how I got there. All I knew was that I couldn't escape. There was no way out of the ruins that were left of the city. My heart felt really heavy, like it was sinking further and further into my chest with every passing moment. All I could see was darkness and their piercing red eyes as they lunged at me from nowhere. I thought I had escaped from this nightmare for good…but I guess I was wrong. I'm not even safe in my dreams…

The all too familiar feeling of uneasiness swam through Claire again as she relived the dream. Flipping through more pages, she could recall every drop of sweat and every bit of terror she felt at the exact moment she awoke from each dream. She stopped at a page and let her eyes scan over her writing once again.

I saw him. He was so close and felt so real. It was as if they never got to take his soul. It was as if he were still here. I tried to reach out and touch him, but I couldn't. I started to walk closer to him, but I couldn't do that either. Something was holding me back, and pulling him farther and father away. I cried out, screaming his name. I screamed so loud, my voice echoed around us for what seemed like hours, and my throat was even sore. I watched helplessly as he was pulled away from me, again. My heart has never felt so heavy and so broken. I can't stop crying as I write this. I've never felt more alone and useless than I do right now.

Though she wasn't crying, she could feel the ache in her heart from her entry. Over the years, though the guilt and the pain were still in her heart and on her mind, she had learned to suppress the tears. Holding those feelings in was no doubt bad, but it was easier to deal with that than letting out the emptiness she felt inside.

She grabbed a hold of her pen and flipped to a new page. There, in the silence of her bedroom, she began to write her latest entry.

I know this journal is supposed to be used solely for my nightmares and that this entry may seem more than a little off. All this time, I was walking around believing that my nightmares were just that; my subconscious reminding me of everything that I've seen. But suddenly, my nightmares seem all too real.

It all started with Leon coming home again. I hadn't seen him for…God, just too long. So it was great to finally see him again, and it was especially great when our relationship went off in a whole new direction. As if planned by fate, Leon and I, and Chris and Jill all ended up coupling off. I cannot express my feelings for finally being with Leon, and for my brother and Jill finally having the guts to move forward themselves.

But I should have known that the excitement and happiness would vanish just as quickly as it appeared. Chris and Jill found the whereabouts of Spencer and decided to go and get some answers for what's happened in the past. And, of course, Chris decided to keep this fact from me and instead told me that he and Jill went on a vacation together to make up for all the time they spent being 'just friends'. I had no idea about their actual whereabouts until Chris came back completely shatter and without Jill by his side.

That's when he sat me down and told me what had happened. Albert Wesker was still alive, and he was the reason why Jill was dead. No, not even that. Chris blamed himself for Jill's death, and I know he will continued to blame himself until his dying breath. He told me exactly what happened. Chris didn't kill Jill, she sacrificed her life so my big brother could come back to me. I know Jill; she gave her life because she knew that Chris would fight to put an end to everything. Maybe she felt she wasn't strong enough to do so herself. I don't know what she was thinking, we weren't really that close. I'm 100% sure she gave her life because she loves him. Sorry…loved him. She cared about him so much that she gave her life so he could continue his.

I can't begin to understand the grief Chris must feel right now. I wonder if he's sleeping in his room. I can't hear him pacing anymore, so he may have actually fallen asleep tonight. I've met Chris's other girlfriends prior to Jill, and none of them have been more perfect for him than Jill was. It was as if he was created solely to be with him, and vice versa. The perfect couple. Soul mates. And it's all gone. Too many times have we had to sit by and watch lives and loved ones be taken from us. I don't know how many more times we can live through this. It's just getting too hard. Every time I look at Chris, though he tried to put a brave face on and pretend like he's fine, I can feel the sorrow and pain that he must live with everyday. I know because I remember what happened on Rockfort Island.

I want to sit him down and tell him that, though it doesn't feel like it now, he will be fine, and he will eventually get over it. But can I really speak; when the one I lost I had known for a matter of days, while he had known Jill for years? You can in no way compare them. But it still hurts as if I had known him since my very first breath.

Claire took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She looked inside herself and tried to find the strength to finish writing about how the world around her had shattered into a million pieces. No matter how hard she tried, she was painfully aware that some of the pieces would never be found again.

Pretty much as soon as Chris came home and gave me the news, Leon and I completely fell apart. He knew. He knew the whole time Chris and Jill were gone. And he lied to me and kept it away from me like I wasn't strong enough to accept it. I'm so sick of people constantly looking out for me, trying to protect me from the big bad world. I'm not a baby anymore, and I just wish people would remember that.

Anyways, I got a job at a local hospital, but at the last minute, they needed me at another hospital that was a few hours away. They offered me more pay, and after me and Leon's argument, I needed to get away. So I did. I come back every weekend or whenever I get time off work so I can be with Chris, so I can make sure he's okay. I don't have to worry about running into Leon because he went back to Washington to work again.

I feel terrible about the way Leon and I left things, but there's nothing I can do about that now. I've never been in such a huge fight with someone before. Chris doesn't think we handled it maturely, especially with how we both ran away from our problems. I ran to another city, and he ran away to Washington. I haven't heard from him since, and Chris knows better than to mention him around me. I don't even know if he's still alive…

A sigh escaped Claire's red lips as she closed her journal. She tossed the book inside the drawer of her nightstand and picked up the handgun she had next to her bed. She double checked that her gun was fully loaded before setting it back down next to her lamp.

Claire pulled out a bottle of prescription pills and tossed a few into her mouth. She took a gulp of water from the bottle beside her bed as she flicked off the light and laid down, her eyes staring out at the stars that gathered in the night sky. Maybe she would actually be able to sleep tonight. Then again, knowing her body, that's usually too much to expect.