This story takes places after the Antarctica incident. Claire, my personal favorite video game character, finally got a solo story.

Disclaimer: Any reference from Resident EVil game mentioned in this story belongs to Capcom

Claire opened the door to their apartment and was greeted by her brother.

"Hey, Claire bear." She rolled her eyes before closing the door behind her and walking over to him. His given nickname sounded cute and she loved it when she was seven. Despite her habitually rolling her eyes every time he calls her that, Chris doesn't seem to get the signal or he purposely ignores it.

"Hey, I see you bought supplies." She replied as she sees the pile of paper bags on their dining table.

"Yeah, I figure it's time for us to restock the shelves." He said as he starts arranging the canned goods in one of their cabinets. "Where did you go?"

"I went to Sherry." She shortly answered.

Chris heard her rummage through the stuff he bought. If it was the first time she told him she visited Sherry then he would ask how it went. But no, he already knows what Claire would tell him. Claire certainly despises Sherry's so called guardian, Derrek Simmons. Thankfully, his sister is allowed to visit Sherry as often as she wants to. If it was up to her, she would adopt Sherry and keep her safe herself. He is proud to say that Claire already managed to do it when they were trapped in a Raccoon City Outbreak. It's just that Claire hurriedly come looking for him and needed to separate with the young girl. Still, Claire is the family Sherry deserves after her both her parents died during the outbreak, not the perplexing and controlling Simmons. Chris would gladly break his neck if that bastard will ever do something inappropriate to Claire or even Sherry too.

"I'll cook this for dinner." Chris turned his attention from the canned goods to his sister then gave a proud approving nod at the frozen steak she was holding. "You wouldn't buy this if you didn't want me to cook it, Chris."

"I can honestly admit that you are the better cook between the two of us." He chuckled as he reaches for the pan hanging above him and hands it to her.

"I don't want to brag but University and dormitories in College are not a walk in the park like how they show in the movies." She let out a small smile and begins cooking the steak.

Chris continues to restock their kitchen with the necessities. Once in a while he glances at his sister. Time flies so fast indeed. One day he is guiding her how to use combat knife just as a hobby and the next thing he knows his sister is one of few survivors of a citywide outbreak then breaking in an allegedly illegal and high security pharmaceutical company headquarters while looking for him. It's astounding by how both of their life escalated into a dire circumstance.

"Why am I the one in the force again? You seem to be better at surviving and adapting than me." He is serious about it. He had severe training and conditioned his mentality for battle but his sister is a mere college student when the tyrant company Umbrella caused havoc. Imagining what more if she underwent the same path as him, she would have bested him in the force.

She simply replied with a shrug. "There are a lot of things I don't understand. Like why you haven't dated your partner yet or brought her here for dinner."

He flinched. That was such a low blow. He happens to be comfortable and perfectly fine with being professional with Jill Valentine. "It's not like you are dating anyone either."

There was a dead air for a few seconds. He kept all the used paper bags inside a small drawer near the sink before turning his attention to his sister who still hasn't delivered any witty rebuttal. That's when he quietly cursed to himself. "Claire . ."

"Can you please hand me a big plate. This looks done." He was quickly cut off but complied with her request.

"Claire-"

"Let's not talk about it." She retorted and busied herself with setting the table.

Nothing will prepare you to a loss of a comrade or friend. Regardless of the ruthless training he underwent or experience he had, he was still shell shocked when he saw his STARS teammate dead, many of them barely recognizable due to the horrendous manner of death. He cannot imagine what his sister felt when the person she worked with in order to escape the prison island she was thrown at die before her eyes. Guilt rises up in his system again. If she never looked for him then she wouldn't have been caught by Umbrella and sent to Rockfort Island to be a prisoner in the first place. It might have been a blessing in disguise that there was an outbreak in that very same island the same day she was captured. Ironically, she escaped because of the chaos. Amid the chaos she met another prisoner named Steve and also the head of the prison Island, the Alfred Ashford then later his sibling Alexia Ashford.

He never knew Steve but judging by how resilient she was towards taking down the woman who killed her friend. He assumed Steve must have been genuinely helping Claire throughout their endeavors in that prison island. If only he arrived earlier then maybe, just maybe, he could have saved them both.

"Do you have any update regarding Umbrella?" Claire changed the topic as they both take a seat at the dinning room.

"We found a lead. Somewhere in Europe. We are still finalizing when to go and who will go." He stared at his sister as he delivers the news. Checking for any protest or negative reaction.

"You should go ahead. They need all the manpower they can have on the field." Claire suggested. Even though she just got her brother back, she knows he has other important priorities. This is not the time for her to be a dead weight.

"Who will take care of you once I'm out there?" Chris looks at his sister while chewing his food.

Stubbornness might just be in the Redfield DNA. Chris asked her why she doesn't want to go back to college time and time again. She keeps shrugging the idea off and insists that she likes to help with their investigation, compile evidences, research for leads and self-study human rights. Claire knows she is more compulsive between the two of them.

"I think I already proved that I can take care of myself a long time ago, Chris. I don't necessary need anyone to look after me." She replied while keeping her head down and slicing the meat on her plate. Why does he always think I'll be in trouble? She thought to herself and wonders what else she needs to do in order to prove that she can very much handle herself.

It pains Chris to see her is such a lethargic state. "Ok, I'll tell them I'm willing to go. You can come along with me. Just stay hidden or be convoy. I'll think of something just so you can come along."

The younger Redfield couldn't help but give a small smile to her older brother. Despite being aware how independent she is, he recently prefers for them to stick together as much as possible. She loves his brother. After all he is the only family she has left. "I'll be fine here, Chris." Despite not being in her best state, she should be fine.

They finished their meal and Claire called dibs to take a bath and firmly pointed out that Chris should do the dishes since she was the one who cooked dinner.

"You're warm." There was a distinguishable difference between her warm hands and his cold skin. Claire is no stranger when it comes to undead. If there was a borderline between the living and the undead itself, she has been standing on that line a long time ago. She must have done something in her previous life for fate to fuck her up like this.

"Steve. You've got to hang in there. Ok? My brother's coming to save us. We're getting out of here." She said not to comfort him but because she knows that's what will happen. It's not the first time someone she grew attached to is moments away from dying. Back in Raccoon city, she managed to find a cure for Sherry and saved her. She is convinced that this won't be any different.

"You're brother kept his promise, I'm sorry . . . I cannot." His grip on her hand is starting to loosen, his skin getting colder and colder as seconds pass by. He promised to save and protect Claire just as she did to him. He did manage to do it a couple of times but unfortunately he couldn't keep the momentum and didn't last until they escape.

"What? What are you saying?" Everything is just too confusing for her to process what's happening in front of her. The pool of blood on the floor is starting to seep through her pants.

"I'm glad that I met you. I . . . I love you. . . Claire."

"Steve?" She continued to utter his name. Countless of times as she shakes his lifeless body. But nothing happened. All she could do was cry. Leaning her forehead on his shoulder she continued to cry. Just a few moments ago this was the very same shoulder she leaned on as she took a peaceful short nap.

He wasn't supposed to die. No, she couldn't handle it. She was just wanted her brother back and while searching for him, she met this boy who was really annoying at first. But she loved his company. She was looking forward for Chris to meet him, for Steve to meet her friends, Sherry and Leon. She was looking forward to get to know him better under normal circumstances.

Now her compulsiveness and carelessness got the best of her. She was fooling herself whenever she thinks that she has everything under control. Now she is just lost, surrounded in a pool of blood.

Claire shot up from her bed and gasped for air. Waking up in her familiar bedroom, she felt dried tears on her face as the cold night wind gust on her face. And still her tears didn't cease to fall. She got out of the bed and shuts the window with her shaking hands. Taking deep breaths while wiping her hands on her face, she calmed herself.

Her feet slowly walked out of her bedroom but without a clear pathway of where she needs to go. No sense of direction. She is not a trained special force nor an intelligent scientist nor a genius IT graduate. What could she possibly do to help her brother?

She thinks that Steve would've had a higher chance of survival if he wasn't caught in between the Ashfords and the Redfields. He deserved more than to be just a collateral damage.

"Claire?"

She stopped on her tracks when she noticed that she is already at their living room, her brother confusedly looking at her. "Chris . . I just. . "

"Come here." He gestured her to sit next to him. She can't keep her composure anymore. Her legs almost collapsed as she sat next to him, wrap her arms around Chris and let her tears fall down once again.

They sat in silence for a couple of seconds. For someone who is crying, Claire is quiet. She is not sobbing or whimpering. Just occasionally sniffing while drawing steady breaths. Chris rubbing his hand on her shoulder and back.

"Was it my fault? It was my fault isn't it?" The first thing she asks as she recalls what happened in her dream. No, nightmare. A painful nightmare to remind her how she screwed up. If her friend Leon wasn't able to reach Chris on time then she would have died with Steve too. She feels him sigh while gently patting her head.

"No, of course not. It's not anyone's fault." He is not quite sure what she is specifically talking about but he is sure that his sister is crying about something that's definitely not her fault.

"I miss him. I couldn't save him. Probably because I'm too careless." It was one of the rare times that Claire is sulking like a kid. Chris doesn't mind, it's also one the rare times he can be a real older brother to her.

"You are not careless, just carefree. You can't save everyone. I couldn't either."

Claire slowly pulled away from him while wiping her tears away once again. "Why are you drinking in the middle of the night?"

"Because I can and I want to." He fills up a half of the glass with whiskey then hands it to his sister. "Claire, we all have our ups and downs. I want you to stop bottling everything up. It's gonna be too much for you to deal with it on your own."

She looks at the drink in her hand for a few seconds. Later drinking the contents and giving the empty glass back to Chris without a word.

"Talk to me, Claire. If not, talk to Sherry about it. Even if she is young, I trust that she can definitely understand you." He ruffles her already messy hair.

"But-"

"I know that you care about her, Claire. I do. I know you care about me too but please don't deprive yourself from the comfort you need." He takes a deep breath, he reminds himself that he is not good with words but it's about time he steps up as her big brother and not a trained agent. "You are a brave smart girl. Keep that in mind. You always have a soft spot for being compassionate towards people and that is one of the reasons why you are such a wonderful woman. That's whats makes you special. Those emotions don't make you weak. Ok? It's your motivation."

She gave a small smile to him once again. He is right. Her source of strength might be her empathy for people. She simply can't allow others to take advantage of the vulnerable individuals. She previously heard it from others but it felt better when someone reminded her about it.

"Have you told your team that you are joining them already?"

"I'll tell them tomorrow. What do you plan on doing while I'm gone? Don't make me worry, Claire."

It might take a while but she is positive that she can definitely get back on her feet. As long as she continues to surround herself with people who are worthwhile then she knows she will be fine soon. "Are you kidding? I thought tough guys like you don't get worried?"

Chris smiled and ruffled her hair once more before pulling Claire into a tight hug.

I feel like I dedicated this story to myself. I badly want a Claire and Chris Resident Evil game but I think Capcom isn't planning any Code Veronica Remake anytime soon. I hope this wasn't too soft for you fellas. As always, drop a review if you want. Thank you.