Between The Lines

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Part V

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"Our love's floating up in the sky in heaven, where it began back in God's hands." –In God's Hands; Nelly Furtado

A soft, pained groan escaped feminine lips. Eyelashes fluttered rapidly, vision still spinning and unclear. Finally her surroundings began to clear and she caught the flicker of bright reddish hair.

"…Steve…," She croaked weakly, her voice breaking.

The red haired male was starring at her somewhat concernedly. His hand touched her forehead but the touch felt unfamiliar—like that of a stranger's. Claire's mind finally cleared and her bright orbs glanced up at the unfamiliar face of an attractive somewhat younger male. He did have red hair like Steve's but his eyes were a dark brown color, like chocolate. His face was more defined too. He looked mature, probably approaching his late twenties. He had a cleft in his chin and despite the fact that he wasn't smiling she could make out the imprints of dimpled cheeks.

"Are you feeling alright? That was quite a blow you were dealt." He asked. His voice was deep and Claire could make out the hint of Spanish accent in his voice. He was probably from Spain descent; she heard some of them had red hair despite that his skin tone was a pretty light peachy tone.

"I'm fine.." She mumbled weakly and attempted to sit up quickly. It turned out to be a very bad idea because instantly a rush of dizziness came to her. She gasped in pain and would have fallen back had not she been held upwards by him.

"Easy there." He murmured lowly, helping her upwards slowly.

Claire held a hand to her head and glanced over at him. Of course he wasn't Steve. Steve had died in the future too. She couldn't stop it. And now Sherry and Regina were dead too. It was like a domino effect. Blow after blow. She didn't know how much more loss she could suffer.

But she had seen…

"I saw…a girl in the streets." She said, eyebrows furrowing down trying to remember despite the throbbing in her head. It even hurt to try to think.

The male's expression changed and he almost appeared irritated. "That was Abagail."

"Abagail?" Claire questioned but a sudden noise interrupted them.

It was the same blonde she had almost run into the road earlier. Upon looking at her closely, Claire realized that she too had mistaken her for someone else. She did have similarities to Sherry, however. The short, blonde hair and childlike face was accurate but the similarities ended there. This girl had like her companion, had a set of brown eyes more like caramel, and her figure was petite but there were hints of developing curves. She looked like she was a teenager.

"Those things are crowded up at the doors and boarded up windows." Abagail pointed out in a soft voice.

"I told you to stay put. You could have been killed earlier when you left."

Abagail blew her bangs out of her face exasperated. "I said I was sorry Sebastian."

The red haired man, who appeared to be named Sebastian, ran fingers through his hair. Claire couldn't figure out the relationship between the two exactly but it appeared like they were partners in this. The idea reminded her so much of the times where she had been partnered up with Leon and then Steve. It made her feel slightly wistful.

"We have to get out of here. It won't be long before they burst into here as well." Claire said as a matter-of-factly.

"Are you crazy? There are tons of them out there!" Abagail exclaimed incredulously.

Claire shook her head. It sounded stupid she knew but she also knew that the small store wouldn't hold them out for long. And that was if there weren't already some of them inside.

"We have to keep running. I've already called for help so—we just have to stay alive in the mean time."

The blonde didn't seem appeased but Sebastian was already loading up his shotgun. He rested the weapon on his shoulder and looked around observant. "She has a point. And besides zombies aren't the only things we're dealing with. I doubt those things can be held out by mere wood."

Abagail muttered something under her breath that Claire couldn't make out. It didn't matter either way. If she was already starting to dislike Claire it wasn't important. Their survival was top priority.

Claire felt in her jeans and was relieved to find her handgun still by her side. She pulled it out checking the chamber. It was still pretty full. She closed it and unlocked the safety. She was the veteran at this situation. It was her duty to make sure the two got out of this.

"I'll lead, just follow me." She declared clenching the gun in her grasp.

The two walked behind Claire as she walked towards the metal door at the end. She began to unlock it while holding her gun. Her fingers grasped the door knob and opened it quickly, aiming her gun readily at anything that would jump out at them. They were met with silence and nothing else. She released a breath and headed out the door into the dark alley. A lone zombie was found shuffling in the alley and she quickly disposed of it with a head shot. The sounds of low moaning and shuffling were heard in the background. They needed to get somewhere safe to lay low. Like a warehouse…

'That's it!'

"There's a sealed up warehouse down Avenue H where we can be safe. It's just a block from here." Claire stated looking around her surroundings.

"That works. But that means we have to use the open streets to get there." Sebastian nodded.

Abagail stiffened, positioned behind Sebastian, and Claire could see the horror come across her face. In the open streets most of the zombies were staggering around. They would have to run around them to get to safety. It wouldn't be hard due to the openness of the roads but it wasn't going to be pleasant either.

"They aren't fast. We can avoid them and run." Claire assured noticing the girl's trepidation. She felt sympathy for the young girl. It certainly wasn't a pleasant experience for a young girl to have to deal with.

"I'm scared," she whispered softly, voice shaking in fear.

Sebastian glanced over at her noticing her body shaking. He felt sympathy towards her despite the fact that he didn't know her very well still. He felt sort of an unwritten obligation for him to protect her. It was hard to explain but he just did. She was the age his younger sister had been after all…

"Just hold my hand and don't let go." He said calmly and held his hand out to her. She hesitated before reaching out and grasping his hand in hers. It was big…and warm. Her fears suddenly were calmed a bit.

"Ready?" Claire asked lowering her gun to her side.

The two nodded and then the three ran down the empty alley into the open streets. Abagail had ever right to be frightened. The streets were a mess. Many zombies were either standing still in wait or staggering around aimlessly until they spotted the three live, breathing humans. It was then they began to stagger towards them slowly yet it was enough to invoke fear upon them. The smell was strong—rancid like a strong smell of spoiled milk several days old. The three kept running and up ahead two zombies were on the floor feeding upon the now dead body of what appeared a young female. Munching sounds echoed and Abagail wailed, squeezing Sebastian's hands frightened. They ran around the feeding zombies and continued their mad dash.

Claire's chest heaved up and down with every breath as she led the way down the streets. It was dark and the street lamps lit the pathway eerily. She could hear the shuffling and moaning sounds behind them and dared not falter to take a peek at the opposition behind them. They couldn't afford a distraction. She spotted the warehouse up ahead and hope filled her.

"There!" She exclaimed.

They jumped over the wired fence and made their way into the warehouse through the metal door. Sebastian locked it in place behind them, making sure to board it up with a discarded pipe through the handles of the door. The huge warehouse was already lit with the lights allowing them to notice its hugeness.

"I can't believe we made it." Abagail sighed brushing her bangs out of her face.

"There could be some of them in here. We have to take them out before we can relax." Claire muttered making her way towards the steps that led to an upper pathway and door. Sebastian was right behind her with Abagail at his tail.

They made their way across the upper pathway and through the door. It led towards a dark corridor that was barely lit with bulbs that flickered on and off. Sebastian looked around and then turned towards Abagail.

"You should wait in the other part for us."

She froze, eyes widening and then narrowing in stubbornness. "I'm not staying out there without you two. You said we were in this together."

He sighed and parted his lips to probably argue but Claire cut him off. "She's safer with us. It's dangerous for her to be alone and unarmed."

Sebastian pressed his lips together obviously not pleased with the idea of Abagail heading into dangerous areas with them but he agreed with Claire's reasoning. She after all seemed to know what she was doing. He wasn't exactly sure how though but it didn't matter at this point.

"Fine..,"

The three continued down the corridor cautiously, weapons aimed. For the most part there didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary. It appeared like the warehouse was abandoned of anything. The light bulbs flickered off then and they were left in darkness. Claire blinked trying to adjust her eyes to the darkness. Suddenly a loud cry alarmed her, making her turn around swiftly, weapon aimed at darkness.

"Abagail!" She heard Sebastian cry and rushing footsteps that were more than likely him.

She could barely make out his departing figure as well as another huddled into the corner. A screeching sound of something was heard and the sound of air swishing. Sebastian's groan of pain was heard along with Abagail's wail of horror. Claire dashed forwards stopping shortly as she made out a much bigger, deadlier figure up ahead. The lights finally flickered on and she made out the Licker with its long tongue flickering out. She didn't hesitate in aiming and shooting it dead on in the back of its head, embedding a hole. It hissed and screeched in pain, turning and dashing at her. She dodged the slashing attack and ended up near Abagail who was now holding Sebastian in her arms protectively. His shotgun discarded on the ground a few feet away from them.

The Licker turned around, blood dripping from beady eyes, and its claws elongated and sharp enough to rip through bark even. Claire jumped for the shotgun as it raced towards her and she aimed it, shooting swiftly. The loud gunshot echoed in the small corridor as well as the loud screeching sound of the creature. It fell back with the blow and Claire shot again, this time decapitating it. A puddle of blood gathered and oozed from the now dead and headless creature.

She sighed in relief and turned her attention towards her other companions. Abagail was sniffing, tears running down her porcelain cheeks, holding onto a wounded Sebastian. Blood was soaking his white shirt and Claire could make out the long scratch mark across his chest. He was breathing heavily, his face distorted in pain and agony. They would have to take care of his wounds and fast otherwise he would bleed to death. Claire looked around. She had to search through the place in hopes of finding some first aid items but she didn't want to leave the two alone. After pumping the shotgun, Claire held it out to Abagail. The young girl looked wide-eyed at the weapon and then back to Claire uncertain.

"I'm going to look around to see if I can find something to help him. Take the gun and if anything, and I mean anything, appears don't hesitate to shoot it."

Abagail's lips parted, nothing coming out but air, and then she closed it. Something like determination set in her caramel eyes. She raised her hand and took the gun in one while still holding onto Sebastian with the other. Claire smiled, a brief, supporting smile, before she turned on her heels and out the door at the end of the corridor. She had to hurry.

There were several rooms past the last room she came through. She went through the first one and found several zombies that were more than likely the workers and shot them with her handgun without hesitation. It appeared to be the break room. She found a handgun on one of the men, more than likely the guard, and pocketed it. Afterwards she dug through the cabinets in the nearby bathroom at the end and found a first aid spray and a bandage wrap. Relieved, she placed the items in her pocket and made her way back the way she came from. While heading back she heard a loud, deep roaring sound and froze in her tracks. It was coming from the door at the end of hall. She hesitated before realizing she didn't have anymore time.

Abagail and Sebastian were still in the same place she had left them. The blonde's eyes were wide and she was looking everywhere alarmed and ready. When she spotted Claire relief came across her soft features.

"Thank god you're back…" She muttered placing the shotgun down finding no reason to clutch onto it anymore.

Claire kneeled beside Sebastian whose eyelashes fluttered open at the sight of her. He groaned lowly, weakly, under his breath. Claire pushed his shirt up and her eyes widened in horror at the sight of his wound. The scratch was long and deeper than she expected. It ran down from the top of his chest to his lean, muscular stomach. The skin was ripped, spreading apart in a line through his skin where blood was seeping out from.

"This will sting." Claire said softly pulling out the first aid spray.

Sebastian nodded weakly, eyes shutting whether in pain or preparation she wasn't sure. She shook the can and then sprayed it onto this wound. He hissed instantly, face distorting in pain, and Abagail clutched onto his hand supportively. Claire sprayed a bit more until she was sure his wound wouldn't get disinfected. Afterwards she tied the bandage wrap around his chest slowly and made sure it was tight enough to soak up the blood.

"There. How are you holding up?" She asked concerned.

Sebastian opened his eyes slowly. He looked tired. "I've been better." He said weakly.

Claire stood up then and turned around facing the opposite door. She had to go check what that noise was earlier now. If she didn't then it could take them by surprise later on. As soon as she began to walk away Sebastian stopped her.

"Where are you going, you—"He stopped, wanting to call her by her name but realizing he didn't know it yet.

Claire smiled seeming to realize what he meant. "Claire. I'm Claire." She introduced and then turned her attention towards the door. "I heard something earlier and I'm going to check it out. It sounded big."

She heard shifting sounds and Sebastian was getting to his feet, stumbling weakly, while balancing the shotgun over his shoulder.

"Sebastian!" Abagail called his name worriedly. "Sit down, you're hurt!"

He shook his head stubbornly. "I'm fine. I'm going with her."

Abagail bit her lip and Claire remembered the handgun she found. She pulled it out and held it out to her. The blonde took the gun into her hands eyeing it.

"I found it. Use it if you run into anything."

She nodded and looked at the two worriedly. "Please be careful…" She pleaded; her eyes wide and childlike.

"We will sweetie. Don't hesitate to run if you must, okay?" Claire said soothingly, almost in a motherly tone that she often used on people younger than her especially younger girls.

Abagail looked up to her with her childlike eyes. She was a pretty girl. In ways she reminded Claire of Sherry so much that she couldn't help but project a protective, caring motherly vibe towards her. The blonde nodded her head in understanding and clutching the weapon in her hands ready. Despite her youth she looked resourceful. They wouldn't delay that long either way.

Claire turned her attention to Sebastian who was watching her, head cocked to his side slightly. He was either really brave or really stupid and reckless.

"You should stay with her."

"I'm not letting you face that thing alone, Claire." He replied back simply.

Her lips twitched a bit. His tough macho guy act reminded her a bit like Steve. At the thought she felt an overwhelming feeling of sadness and longing stir in her. Just when she realized how she felt about him… She shook the thoughts away. Now wasn't the time to be distracted. She'd figure out everything else later.

The two walked down the corridor, through the door, and headed through the other hall. There were two more doors Claire hadn't checked earlier.

"Let's each check a room and meet up in about five minutes."

Sebastian nodded and took the nearest door while Claire took the one at the end. She opened the door and closed it behind her quietly. It was a small room filled with papers and boxes. She assumed it was the office room. Her crystal blue eyes darted away seeing if she noticed anything out of the ordinary and spotted nothing. There was another door at the end and she decided to check in there as well. Her fingers grasped the knob and turned it, gun ready and aimed for anything. She opened the door and found herself on the upper deck of the warehouse. After taking a few steps down the walkway she looked over and saw how high up she was. Abagail was spotted at the bottom, pacing back and forth, gun aimed in every direction but for no reason. They shouldn't have left her alone. It was obvious she was beyond frightened.

Claire parted her lips to yell something to her but then a loud, growling sound was heard. She stopped and looked ahead startled. It was big and walked on two legs. More than likely it was an experimented creature. Its skin was a green shade and there were some parts of the flesh ripped showing red muscle tissue underneath. Long arms elongated in front of it as its nails flexed, long and sharp as steel. It had red boils on its neck along with red glowing eyes and a face distorted in every way almost appearing burned.

She stepped back raising her gun, eyes narrowed. Her finger began to ease on the trigger but she then spotted something that made her stop. There was a flash of silver dog tags that hung around its neck. One of them had a green edged rim around it.

"You're secretly obsessed with green aren't you, Chris?"

Her finger slipped from the trigger and her eyes widened in horror and recognition. This thing didn't look anything like her older brother and yet… It was him.

"Oh god, Chris…," Claire breathed in disbelief, feeling her body begin to tremble as she lowered her gun.

The creature roared and charged at her. Claire screamed in pain as its long claws made in contact with her shoulder, scratching and ripping through the skin. Her body felt like it went aflame. It burned and ached. She urged her body forward and ended up jumping up ahead a few feet away from the creature on the other side facing the door. It turned around swiftly and gave a screeching sound, hands raised. Her gun was still clenched in her left hand and yet Claire couldn't raise her gun.

"Chris, no, it's me; Claire." She pleaded feeling her eyes water.

It wasn't her brother anymore, she knew that. And yet she could still never hurt him. It started approaching her slowly and Claire realized she was trapped. The walkway was too thin to try to run past it and if she fell, it was to her death. Her body began to give small tremors and then she saw a figure appear behind it. A strong numbing feeling came across her body when she saw him raise his shotgun.

No!

"No, don't shoot!" She cried out but it was already too late.

The loud sound of a gunshot echoed in the warehouse along with the loud, shrieking sound of something entirely inhuman. Claire watched in horror as it fell down with a thud, blood pooling around its body. She was shaking uncontrollable and wasn't aware of the tears that had already began to drip down her cheeks. It took much energy for her to push her body over to what had once been her beloved older brother. Her fingers touched it, feeling instant coldness and hardness underneath her fingertips. Her fingertips felt sticky, blood sticking to her skin, and despite the bile rising up her throat from the sight she didn't pull away—couldn't find the strength to do so.

"Chris…" She called, softly, painfully.

Sebastian was by her side immediately. His expression was perplexed but suddenly it appeared like he realized what had happened and sympathy came across his handsome features.

"Claire." He murmured her name quietly.

"Just go…"

"What? What are you saying?" He furrowed his eyebrows. Stubbornness set in his handsome features.

"Go!" Claire ordered, voice filled with heavy emotion. He hesitated before finally turning on his heels and walking away slowly.

"I'll be back."

And then she was alone with her once brother. She couldn't have wanted more than anything at that moment than to have it be her instead of him dead.

"Sebastian!" Abagail cried out, running over to him eagerly. She noticed something different about him almost immediately. His position was stiff, and he appeared to be conflicted about something. She cocked her head to her side. "What's wrong?"

"Claire—I had to kill someone she knew I think."

Abagail's expression softened and she felt a strong sense of empathy at that moment. She had lost her parents too to those things outside. Then again all of them had. It was probably why they all understood each other well.

"I see…"

"I have to go back for her. She ordered me to go but…" He stopped, lips pursed, and concern etched across his face.

The blonde shook her head, "Leave her be."

"What? Are you crazy?"

Abagail was looking away, her expression so distant. Eyelashes fluttered lowly and she wet her lips. "She just lost someone Sebastian. We can't make her want to live if she doesn't want to. It's like trying to order the sun not to shine; it doesn't work that way."

Sebastian frowned obviously not enjoying her reasoning despite the truthfulness of it. "We have to make her."

Abagail looked over at him and smiled although it was a sad smile. "If only it were that easy…" She muttered softly.

It was at that moment that Sebastian realized that their suffering ran deeper than anyone else could ever know. He was suddenly reminded of his little sister that he had lost. Their parents had turned into zombies right in front of their eyes and he had to gun them down to protect themselves. She hadn't taken the loss well and had proceeded to shot herself with the discarded weapon. He had tried to stop her, pounded on the locked bathroom door yelling at her to please come out, all the while hearing the clicking of her taking off the safety from the gun. She too had lost the will to live.

"Damnit!" He cried out slamming his fist onto the wall bruising his knuckles but not caring. They felt raw afterwards from the slam but it was a numbing pain compared to everything else.

It wasn't fair. God couldn't be this cruel. Yet at that moment he couldn't help but wonder if there truly was a God after all…

Her throat felt extremely dry. Claire didn't know how long she was lying there so near and yet so far away from the dead body. Her body was sticky with blood and the dizziness that came upon her was almost satisfying. Her body felt numbed. She rose up the dog tags above her, glancing up at her brother's name imprinted on the metal. She felt so tired…

Claire closed her eyes, feeling her head spin.

Was she still alive? Did it even matter anymore?

Sudden heavy, sharp pains ran through Claire's head. She gasped in pain and rolled onto her side, clutching her hands into fists. The stabbing pain if anything felt even more painful than before. It felt like a thousand needles pricking inside her head, slowly, painfully. She coughed and was shocked to find herself coughing up blood.

Was she dying?

Despite the cloudiness of her mind she thought about everyone she had lost. Steve…Sherry…Regina…Chris. Was Jill dead too? Or was her fate now even worse than death? None of them had deserved to die. Had she caused on this upon them?

"I think everyone would want to change the mistakes in their past; its normal. But I think that things happen for a reason and it's not up to us to alter them."

Jill... She could hear her words so clearly despite the pain. And she knew what to do then. The answer had been always in front of her when everything started going downhill but she had turned her head away refusing to see. It was the original path—she had to take the original path. Steve's and Sherry's fate was already determined—she couldn't control it as much as she wanted to. It wasn't hers to change. Everything must be returned back to God's hands.

I'm sorry…

Pitch blackness came upon Claire.

"I have to find my brother."

Sherry blinked with wide childlike eyes and something like acknowledgement came across her young face. Leon was by her side, his chest wrapped up in bandages with blood drenching his police uniform. Claire felt herself freeze as she watched them both look at her waiting, knowing what was coming all too well as she did.

"Go." Was Leon's simple response. It held little civility.

She glanced at him. His shoulders were still so tall despite the beating he had taken in their last battle. He looked tired and yet unwilling to rest. His steely eyes met hers and although she saw the disappointment and anger in his eyes she knew he understood her. Because her brother was all she had left now.

Claire turned away not daring to look at then again, feeling guilty. She began walking away but then faltered and turned her head back looking at Sherry. The young blonde was watching her with sadness and loneliness.

"Sherry…" She called her name softly and when the girl looked up, she merely smiled and continued on her way.

'I'll find you again…I promise.'

Things began to spin. Her head felt light, like she was floating into nothingness. Her heart willed her mind to listen; to give her one last moment of happiness before she would give it all back. It would probably only hurt her more in the end but she wished whole-heartedly for it, then she would manage the strength to move on. Blackness came upon her for a second time.

Claire shifted, eyelashes fluttering open and trying to process her hazy surroundings. Had she fallen asleep? Blue eyes glanced down at her hands and body surprised to find herself back in her nineteen year old body. Had her mind actually listened to her and took her back to her past time with Steve?

It was quiet, only the sounds of outside life were heard from the slightly opened window. She sat up from the couch where she had apparently fallen asleep on. Her eyes darted around the room trying to take in her surroundings.

"Steve?" She called softly, getting no response in return. A sigh escaped her lips until she heard the sound of a door opening then and closing.

Steve was somehow balancing a white box along with two cups of what appeared hot chocolate in his hands. He looked funny; his eyebrows furrowed down in concentration, lips slightly pursed, all the while his hands were being forced to cooperate. Claire was unable to stop herself from smiling and standing up to greet him. She pressed an earnest kiss against his lips and he stiffened, taken back by her sudden forwardness. He returned the kiss briefly until the burning in his hands reminded him what he was holding and with much disappointment and a groan he pulled away.

"I bought us some breakfast," he said placing the items on the table and sat down soon after urging her to do the same.

Claire sat in front of him and opened the box grabbing out a chocolate donut to enjoy. The bread was still warm, the chocolate melting on her tongue, as she munched thoughtfully on the food. She wasn't really hungry nor in the mood to eat but she appreciated his kind gesture and didn't want to be rude. Time was running though and she knew she didn't have that much time left in his company. Her eyes glanced over to Steve. He was blowing onto his cup of chocolate obviously not patient enough to let it cool off itself. She smiled as he took a gulp and afterwards shoved down a chocolate donut in his mouth. She found herself hypnotized at the small amount of chocolate he had left on the corner of his mouth, staring without meaning to. Steve appeared to notice her staring and glanced over at her, blinking unaware of it.

"Something wrong Claire?" He asked obliviously.

A part of her wanted to lick the chocolate off. Taste his smooth skin. The thoughts made her skin tingle in anticipation. Their first time had been slightly rushed, uncertain. The second time was always different. Their bodies would be more used to the other, more in tune.

"Nothing," she hummed with a shake of her head taking a sip of her drink as well.

After Steve ate another round of donuts the two sat on the couch watching television. Their fingers were entwined, warmth spreading through the contact. A guy on the television was speaking but Claire couldn't focus enough to catch his words. Her eyes met with Steve's suddenly and she wasn't too sure who made the move first; perhaps they both were guilty.

She sighed in content, fingers running into his red strands of hair, as her lips molded against his. His hands were on her hips, tightening in response to her sigh, and then afterwards rubbing his thumbs across the exposed skin of her sides where her shirt had risen. She could practically taste the chocolate in his mouth from the donuts he had eaten. She found herself eager for more of a taste. Her lips pressed harder against his, teeth slightly grazing his lower lip all the while his lips parted from the action allowing her to have a deeper taste. He pulled away to catch his breath, and his eyelashes fluttered open, light gray eyes clouded in passion.

"Claire," he called her name, voice sounding heavy with want.

Her fingers went up to his buttoned up shirt and began to fumble with the buttons. She managed to get half of the buttons down before Steve stopped her.

"What are you doing?" He asked dumbfound, eyebrows raised.

Claire gave him a dry expression, one that said isn't it obvious?

He must have understood because his cheeks colored somewhat and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed.

"I want you," she mumbled continuing on with unbuttoning his shirt now that he was distracted. His shirt opened then as she unbuttoned the last button revealing his open chest and stomach. Her hands went up, her warm palm darting up from the muscles of his firm stomach up to his just as fit chest. He wasn't as built as other men she knew, like Chris or even Leon but he wasn't scrawny either. He must have worked out while in prison; after all what else was there to do?

Steve took in a deep breath, his chest moving with the action. Claire slipped off the shirt and Steve allowed her to without any protest. She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his warm chest. He stiffened in surprise and Claire found herself pushed back, his hands on her shoulders, and his lips slammed against hers as if his mind finally processed where she was going with her actions. She returned the kiss with just as much fervor as his hands were working on slipping the vest off her shoulders. She pulled back from the kiss briefly to slip her vest off along with her shirt before pressing her lips back against his as if she couldn't bear a moment apart from them.

Steve pulled away catching his breath and began to trail soft kisses down her neck, chest and then to her flat stomach. Her skin burned pleasantly everywhere he kissed. She opened her eyes, head feeling slightly light-headed, and found Steve watching her. She flushed slightly at the appreciate stare he was giving her.

"What?" She questioned with a quizzical brow.

He merely smiled, "nothing. You sure you want to do this here and not the bed?"

She hadn't really thought about it. At this point it didn't matter to her. She merely wanted to touch him, feel him.

"It doesn't matter," she said simply, pushing on his shoulders so that he stumbled back onto the couch. The arm of the couch dug into his back.

"Wha—" He started to say but Claire cut him off by kissing him, his words dying instantly.

Claire shifted her body so that she was now straddling him, making it easier. Her head tilted, lips parting, allowing him to be able to kiss her deeper which he so gladly obliged. His tongue in her mouth slightly distracted her but she continued, moving her fingers down to begin to work on his belt. She undid the belt and began to work on the button and zipper of his jeans. She pulled away then, catching her breath while panting a bit, and merely stared at him. She tried to mark everything into her memory. How he looked, how he felt, how he kissed…

Steve opened his eyes noticing her abrupt stop and looked at her. Gray eyes met blue eyes.

"I love you," she mumbled softly, so soft that he almost didn't hear it himself.

He smiled and pulled her down onto him, pressing his lips against hers earnestly. She melted into his embrace instantly. He would show her how much he loved her.

Claire awoke in her bed. Her eyes darted to the clock that read that it was close to the afternoon and then to her sleeping bedmate. She was sated. Her body ached either from when they made love on the couch or her being on top that time as well. The second time they had decided the bed would be more comfortable.

She pulled the covers up to cover her bare chest as she leaned over to watch Steve sleep. His expression was soft, relaxed. She smiled and pressed a kiss to his forehead knowing her time was up. Her body trembled in the realization of what was going to happen. Stifling a sob, Claire forced herself to take a deep breath and relax. She didn't want to leave. The thoughts of Chris suddenly flashed in her mind, his body mutated and dead, and she regained her strength.

Claire slipped out of her covers, sparing a final longing glance at Steve's sleeping form. She closed her eyes then focusing and on cue the pain attacks returned. She gasped in pain, trying to hold herself up but stumbling onto the ground. Her head pounded painfully, numbing all her other senses so that she could only focus on the pain. She blackened immediately after without delay.

Pain. She felt immense pain. The grip around her body was tight, squeezing the very life out of her without remorse. She let out little gasps, her eyelashes fluttering open to take in her surroundings. Steve was near her, holding a giant axe in his hands but he was no longer the young red haired boy. He was a tyrant; an experiment of Alexia's. She shut her eyes even though she knew the axe would never touch her. His voice croaked out her name, distortedly, before instead he cut the tentacles that tied her but not without them piercing his side in retaliation.

Claire fell to the ground just as the tentacles drew back and Steve's body slammed into the wall changing back to his human form.

"Steve!" She cried out his name rushing over to him.

He was so pale. His reddish strands of hair looked even brighter due to his almost white complexion. There was a strong, sickly scent of iron in the air from the massive amount of blood that was dripping from his wound. He raised her hand against his cheek and she felt the coolness of his skin radiate under her palm. He felt chilled to the bone.

"You're…warm…" He mumbled lowly, weakly, almost nuzzling her hand against his cool cheek.

He looked oddly so peaceful and tranquil despite his death right around the corner. Claire felt herself blink away tears. God, it hurt even more the second time around seeing him die. She felt herself tremble and tears began to fall down her porcelain cheeks. Drip, drop.

He looked happy. He was dying and yet he looked happy. She wanted to smile for him but she couldn't manage even a ghost of a smile. Her heart was breaking.

"Steve…"

It wouldn't be much longer now. In a few seconds he would be gone for good.

She gulped, her throat feeling suddenly so dry. What she wanted to say then wasn't what she had said originally. But now that she knew how she felt, she couldn't hold it down. Maybe it would save him—emotionally that is. He would die knowing that his feelings were indeed returned.

"I love you." Claire whispered softly, her hand beginning to shake under his grasp.

He smiled, weakly and yet tenderly, and closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. The light was fading in his eyes; she could see it. It was a sign that the end was so close. She knew it, he knew it and yet she didn't want to accept it. At this point it didn't matter though; death didn't care if someone else was unready or unwilling to let the dying person go.

"I love you too. I'm…glad that I met you…Claire…" His head fell forward slowly then and she felt his grip slip from hers. Her hand dropped down to her side immediately afterwards and silence ensued.

"Steve…" She called and then proceeded to shake him a little rough out of desperation. "Steve!"

It was in vain she knew and yet she couldn't stop herself. She shook him and shook him until her arms began to burn and ache. Reality sunk in. A sob escaped her lips and she fell into his dead, cold chest. She sobbed and sobbed clutching onto him. The tears continued to run down her cheeks and it was as if they would never cease. How she wished it could all be a dream. That everything was okay and had worked out like she had wanted. But there was no "perfect happy ending" in real life and the reality of it made her slightly bitter.

Her sobs finally quieted but it didn't stop the tears from continuing to fall. Claire closed her eyes and everything suddenly felt so cold—numbing. What happened to all the warmth?

"I love you…I'm so sorry." Claire muttered although it fell on deaf ears. He was gone.

And even though this was what she had to do, her heart cried out to her against the cruelness of it all.

She sniffed and brushed her fingertips across Steve's cheeks. His eyes were shut eternally and he looked so much younger. Like the day she saw him sleeping in her apartment. She leaned in, brushing her lips against his cool ones briefly, and pulled away feeling the anguish overwhelm her. The remembrance of how warm and soft his lips had been against hers before brought more tears to her eyes. Her body began to shake uncontrollably.

Remembering was the hardest thing. Remembering how things were—how things could have been.

Claire brushed Steve's bangs out of his face then. "Goodbye Steve…"

She stood up then slowly and awaited the numbing pain to come. It didn't take very long before the stabbing sensation in her head returned. It felt this time like someone was tearing her from the inside out. She cried out in pain, falling to her knees, all the while holding her arms around herself as if to try to protect herself. Maybe this was the end for her too. Heavy, little gasps escaped her lips as she fell forward still hugging herself. The stabbing pain didn't stop but instead increased by every minute. Over and over again. Claire shut her eyes tight, feeling her body tremble in pain, and it wasn't long before pitch blackness overcame her.

"I should have been there."

Jill looked over at Chris who was staring through the glass window to the hospital room with Claire inside. He looked tired, having noticeable bags under his eyes. With Claire being unconscious for two days straight, Chris had taken it upon himself to never leave her side unless it was to use the restroom and to shower, of course. Even eating was something he ignored to be by her side.

"You couldn't have known. None of us could." Jill reassured him calmly.

Chris's shoulders slouched and he suddenly looked so defeated. It was one of those rare moments that he appeared vulnerable. Jill couldn't imagine the pain he was feeling seeing his younger sister in the hospital bed fighting for her life. She placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. Warmth radiated from the touch and she felt jolts run through her body but he for the most part seemed unaffected. At another time maybe he would have.

"Chris. Jill." Another voice called out to them.

The two turned to find Leon heading towards them. The three exchanged greetings and afterwards Leon turned his attention to Claire beyond them. From the window he could see her form covered in a white hospital gown and a blanket on top. Her face looked so thin and the bags under her eyes dark and noticeable. Her normally bright and beautiful complexion was now pale as the reddish-brown strands of her hair flowed past her shoulders.

"How is she doing?" Leon asked concerned.

"Same." Chris answered with a heavy sigh. "Doctor's won't say anything official yet."

"And the man responsible?"

Upon hearing Leon's question Chris's lips curled in anger and hatred. How he wished he could kill that man. To make his sister end up in the hospital was unforgivable. And to think she was so trusting of him. Bastard.

"They caught him trying to flee and arrested him. It turns out he used to work with Umbrella secretly and was working on a secret project to reverse its downfall. But he needed a test subject…" Jill stopped feeling the need to go no more into details.

His name wasn't even Blake it turned out. It was just an alias. Why he had targeting Claire wasn't clear but Jill figured it was because he had been friends with her and she was all too helpful. Not to mention she was the sister of one of the people that helped to take down Umbrella. It still didn't mean she deserved this.

The doctor appeared then before them. He was an older man in his late thirties with dark hair that had a few strands of white in the mix. He held a clipboard in his hand.

"Doctor, how's my sister's progress?" Chris questioned immediately.

"Your sister is showing very ill signs mentally and physically Mr. Redfield. There is a great strain on her body and her brain waves have been disrupted and battered."

Jill saw the anguish come across Chris's face and she felt the same feeling overtake her as well. It was as if she could feel his pain. She could feel the terrible weight of sadness and pain flowing through his body. Her feet felt frozen to the ground beneath her.

"What's that mean?"

"The medication in her system damaged her brain. She appears to have a tumor in her brain as a result."

A tumor….a deadly tumor.

Chris clenched his fists so tightly that he thought he might have broken through the skin with his nails. He should have killed that bastard, made him suffer as much as he made Claire. It was over and done with and yet Claire was still paying for it dearly.

"We can undergo surgery to remove the tumor but there is no guarantee it will succeed." The doctor added calmly.

Chris nodded weighing the options. It might all end up being false hope but they had to take this chance. He wouldn't let Claire die. He just wouldn't.

'You're not dying on me Claire. I won't let you.'

"Go ahead with it." Chris said assertively.

The doctor nodded and was gone. Leon continued to watch Claire from the viewable glass window as Jill turned her attention to Chris. He was staring and yet not seeing. There was emptiness in his facial expression. Nothing radiated back and that scared and worried her. He had been there for her so supportively when she had returned from Kijiuru broken and now it was her turn to be there for him through this hard time.

The brunette reached over and took his hand in her grasp. His hand was so much bigger than hers and warm to the touch. It spread tiny goose bumps across her skin. Her heart fluttered in her chest at the contact. Despite the fact that they weren't a "couple" it felt natural to her to hold his hand. Something as natural as breathing.

"It's going to be okay, Chris." Jill commented softly, soothingly.

Chris didn't look at her or even acknowledge her and she felt a bit dejected by it. It was only until she felt his fingers entwine in hers that she realized he had heard her. His blue eyes glanced down at her briefly and she spotted the many flickers of emotion flash in his eyes. Just as quickly as their eyes met he looked away however. She tried not to be too disappointed by this. A gentle squeeze brought her back to reality and she darted her glance back up to him despite the fact that he didn't met her gaze this time. The little action told her it all though.

Thanks.

She smiled, squeezing his hand back in response, and turned her eyes ahead towards Claire. Claire would survive. She was a fighter just like them. There was no doubt in Jill's mind that she would make it.

'It's not your time just yet Claire…'

It was dark and there was fog everywhere. She reached out aimlessly, wandering without any destination in mind; a path with no ends. Something caught her eye and she heard his soft, low voice call out her name.

"Claire…"

Claire walked ahead and stopped when she spotted Steve up ahead at a distance. He was smiling that boyish smile of his and his reddish strands of hair were over his eye again. Despite the darkness she could see him so clearly. Like a light in the darkness.

"Steve..," She breathed his name taking steps towards him.

He raised a hand up alarming her to stop in which she did hesitantly. She blinked noticing then his wardrobe consisted of white.

"Don't blame yourself anymore, Claire, okay? Everything is going to be fine, trust me."

His voice was soft and smooth like velvet.

She licked her lips, unable to stop the pounding of her heart at that moment. He looked…beautiful. Like a red haired angel. A part of her wanted to touch him to see if he felt just as soft as she thought.

"Steve I…"

He cut her off, "I know." He smiled then, a gentle, and yet somewhat bashful smile.

"Live your life Claire. Keep going and don't look back anymore."

He reached his hand out and Claire immediately did the same. Their fingers touched and she felt something wonderful run down her body. It was like a piercing light sensation that filled her body. It was warming—comforting. Like a piece of him entered her body and filled it to the core.

"I'll see you on the other side Steve," she mumbled.

Outside of her dream Claire smiled, her fingers twitching, and the machine beeped to life.

3 weeks later…

The operation had been successful. The tumors were gone and Claire was back to living her normal life—whatever normalcy was for her.

Claire placed a heavy, brown box down onto the floor with a sigh of relief. They finally had all of her things in Chris's apartment. After coming home from the hospital it was still impossible for Claire to deal with all the information. To think that her friend was the one that caused her illness, her time-travelling adventures… The first week was the hardest and she had moved about like crazy to distract herself. It was a Redfield trait—to keep oneself busy when things were tough. Chris soon after suggested, or more like ordered, that Claire move in with him. He also asked the BSAA not to take him away in the mean time while Claire adjusted to everything she had dealt with in the past couple of months. Jill had offered to cover for him if necessary as well.

There was a small clanking sound as Leon placed down another much bigger box down.

"Watch it there Kennedy; those are valuables." Claire quipped finding it a bit easier to do so now. It was still hard but she was bearing it all. Resilience was a big trait of hers after all.

"You said that about every box Claire." Leon said dryly.

Her lips twitched somewhat but for the most part she didn't smile. Smiling was a bit harder for her to accomplish. The last time she had smiled was when she saw Steve in her dreams. Upon remembering that detail, wistfulness and longing washed over her. After that she hadn't had anymore dreams with him. Maybe it was her mind's way of telling her to move on. Or maybe it was Steve's…

She brushed away those thoughts and started to open the box with her pocket knife. The knife cut through the tape and she opened the flaps easily. At that moment she became very much aware that Leon was watching her so she glanced over at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" She questioned quizzically.

"I was wondering how you could have so many boxes and yet not that many things." He stated simply although she could sense the light humor in his voice.

"That's your problem. You think too much."

He let loose a low, deep chuckle.

"Guilty." His lips twitched upwards into a smirk.

"So, where are you going next time you leave us, Mr. Bond?"

Leon snorted at her little nickname and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Sorry but that's classified information." He said seriously but she noticed the light in his eyes. He was teasing her once again.

"Hm, I could beat it out of you, you know." Claire replied beginning to pull out a couple of things out of the box.

"I'd like to see you try."

She laughed lightly. It felt good to laugh again. Before it had felt like a hard task but it was slowly becoming easier for her. After awhile she would be back and her old self again. She'd didn't doubt that.

"Oh, I have to check the mail. Chris is expecting something important." Claire finally remembered and grabbed the set of box keys on the way out.

She dashed outside where the sun was warm and sunny in the bright blue sky. The air was crisp and felt good. She jogged over to where the boxes of the condo complex were set and opened Chris's box. The locked clicked open and Claire opened the metal box grabbing the envelopes inside. As she was turning to leave she bumped into someone. Claire staggered a bit back and her eyes drew to the male's messy reddish strands of hair. Her throat suddenly felt parched and she slipped out a name even though she knew it was hopeless.

"Steve?"

The male blinked and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

Chocolate brown eyes, dimples, a cleft chin…

It wasn't Steve, it was Sebastian. Surprise and shock filled Claire. She didn't think she'd ever run into him again. She had met him before only because of her time interference. It never crossed her mind that she'd run into him again. If he was alive then that certainly meant Abagail was too. After all, the New York incident never happened.

"Sorry, wrong person." Claire smiled slightly and then went on her way.

"Wait…" Sebastian called and she paused turning around. He instantly flushed obviously not having thought his words out before speaking. "This is going to sound weird but I swear I feel like I know you."

"Maybe we did in another time?" Claire said light-heartedly. She didn't really believe in reincarnation but the statement seemed to suit. Plus there was honesty in her words. They had met in a different time period, he just wasn't aware of it.

He rolled his eyes but there was a smile across his lips.

"Sebastian!" A feminine voice called out and Claire spotted Abagail appear. She looked the same as she remembered; young, pretty, and childlike. "My brother is looking for you." She said and darted a curious glance over at Claire.

"Ah, right. Um…" He paused, looking over at Claire as if unsure how to progress from here.

"I'm Claire; Claire Redfield."

He smiled, nodding his head. "I'm Sebastian Maldonado and she's Abagail Conner." He added gesturing his head towards the young blonde who was watching him with something like appraisal. It was cute despite the obvious age difference between them although Claire doubted there was anything going on between them.

"I'll see you both around then." Claire waved and headed off.

"Bye." The two both replied back.

As Claire walked back down the pathway towards her condo she realized that some things just weren't unchangeable. And she could deal with that. She would continue going on with her life and make the best of it because she was still alive to enjoy it.

The End

Ending note: Yes, this is the end. I know; it isn't the "omg and they lived happily ever after" ending but I wasn't aiming for that. I wanted a more "realistic" ending. I want to thank everyone with supported me with this story—it wouldn't have been completed without you guys.

Oh—onto another note, if you want to read another story of mine with Steve and Claire I do have another out, Until It Sleeps. It's been neglected for this story but now I can finally get back to it.