Resident Evil 1. Psychobabble

**Disclaimer: I do not own Claire or Wesker or anything else in the Resident Evil universe, this is simply a work of FanFiction and a tribute to the awesomeness of the series.**

**Psychobabble – Claire/Wesker**

Claire sat hunched over her laptop, typing furiously in a last ditch effort to finish her college assignment due the next morning. She honestly had no idea why the use of emotive language was significant in the work of Edgar Allan Poe and her head was pounding just thinking about the hard hours ahead of her. She glared into the blue light of the screen brushing auburn bangs from her eyes. Sitting back in her chair she cursed under her breath.

It was a humid Friday night, the kind you would expect any sane college student to deem unproductive in favour of partying but Claire knew that she had to get this done now or risk not getting it done at all. I wouldn't be any easier in an hour's time. Taking a sip of coffee from her thermos she stretched her scantily clad legs out beneath the table. The hot weather had been reason enough for her to hang up her fat pants in favour of a pair of black boy shorts and a baggy t-shirt with an unfamiliar band insignia on the front. She assumed it must have been Chris's once but she was constantly stealing his stuff and considering his sudden increase in muscle mass it was probably far too small for him now anyway.

She rubbed her eyes with a clenched fist returning her gaze to the screen before her, determined to start the damn essay at least. After an hour of staring blankly at the screen Claire let her head hit the keyboard, closing her eyes and exhaling forcefully. In all honesty she would rather fight zombie hordes than sit down and do course work. Maybe this university thing wasn't gonna work out after all….

Claire sat up suddenly when she heard the ring of the phone break the silence. She swore loudly when she realised she had fallen asleep and groggily leapt to her feet. Stumbling into the living room, she stopped in the kitchen doorway and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" she spoke into the receiver, voice faint due to her sudden wake up call.

"Dear Heart… It's been awhile."

Claire almost dropped the phone before an unimpressed look crossed her face.

"Very funny Chris, don't you have more important things to do then prank call me? You do realise I am working on a very important assignment right now," She heard a mirthless laugh from the end of the line, one that caused her senses to sharpen with adrenaline.

"I can assure you my dear; this is anything but a prank call."

"Wesker…. How did you get this number?" She choked out, heart beating forcefully in her chest.

"That is of no importance at present Miss Redfield," Wesker drawled. She could hear the smirk in his voice. There was a long silence as Claire contemplated what she should do about this unexpected interruption.

"If you don't watch yourself I will wake Chris..." Once again an empty chuckle echoed in her ear.

"Don't be foolish Dear Heart. I know you're alone." She felt her stomach coil and her mouth go dry. Taking the phone with her she ran to the nearest window peering out into the night half expecting to see a silhouette with dark sunglasses staring back at her, but there was no one there.

"Really Claire you know I'm a more subtle man than that," Wesker said, voice deep and uncaring "I'll let myself in."

"No," she said firmly, moving towards the front door and locking it tight.

"I wasn't asking for permission," he said his voice cold. Claire dropped the phone when the sound of splintering wood suddenly tore through the tense silence. The front door was being ripped apart with great force from the outside. She stepped back slowly before turning and sprinting for her room. Her Beretta was on her bedside table, if she could just make it there she would…

She was interrupted mid thought by a sudden blow to the chest, one that sent her flying into a wall, knocking the wind out of her. The metallic tang of blood filled her mouth as she pulled herself to her feet, using the wall for support. She wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand looking around the room. She pulled a switchblade out of her slipper, cradling it in her hand. It gave her a little more confidence to know she was not completely defenceless but whether a knife would be any use against Albert Wesker remained to be seen.

"Show yourself!" She yelled, surprised by the confidence lacing her voice. As he emerged from the doorway to her room Wesker was all dark Armani and hard lines. She wasn't surprised to see her Beretta in one of his gloved hands and an expensive looking black cell phone in the other. Casually placing the phone in his pocket he took a step towards her. Thinking quickly she threw her knife at his dark form. Wesker moved with inhuman speed, the switchblade hitting the wall where his head had been seconds before.

The next thing she knew she was lying on the ground in a crumpled heap breathing heavily with pain sweeping up her side. A pristinely polished leather clad foot pinned her to the ground. Wesker clicked his tongue, staring down at her as she desperately struggled to escape. She slammed her fist into the ground in frustration before lying still, defeated. She glared at him with as much ferocity as she could muster before realising how exposed she was in this position. Her shirt had been pulled up in the scuffle revealing her bare stomach, her boy shorts leaving little to the imagination. Wesker was silent for a moment as he took in her dishevelled appearance, presumably enjoying the view. He didn't say anything but he must have taken note of the blush that dusted her cheeks and the way her gaze faltered because his smirk grew wider.

"Are you prepared to be civil Miss Redfield?" Wesker asked in a bored tone. She nodded but kept her gaze locked on his face, not wanting to show any sign of weakness. He took his foot off her chest and offered her a hand which she completely ignored. Once back on her feet Wesker let out a dry laugh, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Good girl, that wasn't so hard, was it?" His tone was condescending and it made Claire's blood boil.

"Fuck you," she spat at him.

She felt a sudden pain in her jaw. He had hit her. Hard. She lost her balance and unintentionally gripped onto his arm for support. Her lip was bleeding, she noticed as she assessed the damage. Blood was trickling down her chin but it didn't faze her. In fact it reminded her of their last encounter on Rockfort Island. She was shocked when he pulled off a leather glove and raised his hand. She closed her eyes, readying herself for the force of the blow but instead a bare hand gently cupped her face. Her body tensed as he slid a thumb across her bloody chin, collecting a thin film on the tip. Her eyes widened as he raised his blood stained thumb to his mouth and licked it clean, quirking an eyebrow at her. It reminded her of how dangerous he was - a predator among men, and she was the prey. She pulled away from him defiantly, attempting to distance herself from him and gain some control over the situation. Wesker slammed her against the wall.

"Make no sudden movements and no one gets hurt," He whispered in her ear, his hot breath causing a shiver to run down her spine.

He had the Beretta pressed into her stomach; she could feel the cold weight of the barrel through the thin material of her shirt. That chill also made her uncomfortably aware of how tightly he had pressed himself against her. She could feel his body heat and his breath on her face.

"What do you want?" She hissed, gritting her teeth together tightly.

"Why I want your brother broken, or better dead. It would be easy for me to track him down alone however," Wesker said casually, pulling the Beretta away from her stomach and concealing it within his coat.

"If you think it's so damn easy then what do you need me for?" She spat, glaring at him in what she hoped was a threatening way.

"You underestimate the significance of your role in this Miss Redfield," Wesker replied cryptically.

"You're not making any sense. What the hell does your grudge against Chris have to do with me?" Claire cried, failing to conceal her growing frustration.

Wesker moved his face closer to hers, gripping her forearm tightly. "It has everything to do with you Dear Heart," He hissed. "Your idiot brother has destroyed everything I worked so hard to bring to fruition. All that progress just to end up back at the start," Wesker shook his head before he continued. "That is why I have vowed to destroy everything he loves starting with you, then that bitch Valentine."

They both froze when they heard a noise from outside. Someone was pulling up in the driveway. Wesker growled low in his throat, obviously not pleased by this sudden interruption.

"We'll finish this another time Dear Heart," He whispered. Claire was caught off guard when Wesker pressed his lips against hers in a savage kiss. Before she could pull away or fight back it was over and she was left alone, dazed and relieved as her flatmate Amy swore in shock at the state of the front door.

"Claire, what the hell happened, Oh god, what happened to your face?" Amy cried, finding Claire sitting against a wall bloody and bruised but fully alive.

"It's a long story," Claire said, staring out the window and into the dark.


	2. Nightcall

**Nightcall**

**Thank you so much for the reviews everybody :D I am really happy that people are enjoying this, hopefully you'll like this chapter too! This particular chapter was inspired by the song Nightcall by Kavinsky.**

Night was closing as Claire took the elevator down to the atrium of the TerraSave building. She was intending to head to the local bar for a celebratory drink, having just published a vital article detailing the implementation of viral testing within Clarke Pharmaceuticals; a respected health organisation. Despite the enormous amount of time and effort it had taken to complete, it gave Claire hope to know that this battle against bio-terrorism could indeed be won. The elevator doors opened, and Claire stepped out into the ambient foyer where a number of heavily built but strangely well dressed men stood. She was shocked when one of them addressed her by name.

"Miss Redfield, I'm Agent Miller, a representative of Clarke Pharmaceuticals. I have reason to believe you published a report detailing the company's involvement in a corporate conspiracy," the largest of the men detailed. Claire stopped outside of the elevator, before giving the men a polite smile and a shake of her head.

"I'm sorry but that information is confidential," she explained. "If your employers wish to answer for their crimes they can do so in a court of law. Now if you'll excuse me." Claire attempted to walk past them, but Miller's lackeys cut her off.

"Mr Clarke is not a patient man Miss Redfield," Miller said. His tone grew threatening, and Claire flinched when she felt the barrel of a gun between her shoulder blades.

"There's a car waiting in the alley outside," he said. He pushed the gun into her back in a way that insisted she move. Claire began to walk, a feeling of dread pooling in the pit of her stomach. A few pedestrians walked past them on the street, and Miller pulled the gun away from her back, hiding it in his suit jacket. Noticing this lapse in concentration Claire acted quickly. She turned and slammed her elbow into his face, breaking his nose with a sickening crunch. One of his accomplices moved in to detain her. She brought her foot down hard on his knee, shattering it in a practised motion, before punching another hard in the jaw. The men greatly outnumbered her. As she tried to run she felt strong arms grab her, forcing her into the alleyway and onto the hard concrete.

"You little bitch," Miller hissed, clutching at his bloody nose. A psychotic look flashed in his eyes. "I should just kill you here." Claire refused to back down, even with a pistol in her face. She glared at him angrily.

"Have the pawns of Clarke Pharmaceutical really dropped to the level of common criminals, executing unarmed women in the streets?" A familiar voice drawled. The group looked up, and Claire froze when she saw it was Wesker who spoke.

Wesker approached the group casually. "Did you not hear me or are you mongrels too stupid to speak?" Before anyone could react Wesker slammed Miller against the wall, gripping him by his throat. One of the men went to pull the gun from his jacket, but Wesker was faster. He broke the large man's wrist, throwing him through the glass doors of the TerraSave building. Claire stood up, kicking one man in the stomach before making a break for it. Ducking around a corner she continued to run, heart pounding in her chest. What the hell had just happened? Had Wesker just saved her? Reaching her motorbike she put the keys into the ignition, starting the engine with a roar, and speeding down the street.

Wesker broke the last fumbling goon's neck, and pulled off his bloody gloves. The bodies of Clarke's dead messengers littered the pavement like trash, and Wesker found it strangely appropriate. He heard a strangled yelp of pain and turned to see one of the men attempting to crawl away. His leg was a mess, bone protruding from his skin, and piercing through his suit pants. Wesker grabbed the man by his collar and pulled him to his feet, causing a scream to erupt from the man's throat.

"Listen you worthless piece of filth," Wesker hissed into his ear "Tell your employer what happened here and tell him that if he touches Miss Redfield again I will personally see his head sent to her doorstep. She is mine, and she is worth far more to me alive. Do we have an understanding?" The young man nodded, before Wesker threw him onto the hard pavement. Sighing he walked away from the devastating scene, leaving the bodies thrown across the street and the gutters flowing with blood. He pulled out his cell phone and dialled the number. _Her_ number. She picked up on the second ring.

"Hello," Claire said, her voice cautious.

"I hope you are not on your way back to your house, it will be crawling with these vermin by now," Wesker said, cutting straight to the point.

There was a long silence before Claire responded "That's quite a thing to say considering that until today you were the most eminent danger to my life."

"We don't have time for this," Wesker said, urgency all too clear in his tone.

"What do you suggest I do then?" Claire asked.

"I don't care what you do," Wesker said. "Just get out of town for a week at least."

"Okay… Just one more thing," Claire said, as he went to hang up.

"And what would that be?" Wesker asked, genuinely intrigued by Claire's words

"Why… Why did you do save me?"

Wesker smirked, a rumbling laugh coming from somewhere deep within his throat. "Save you? Dear Heart that was the never my intention, it's just business." With that he hung up.

Claire sat there, phone still in hand as his final words rang in her ears. Just business? Even she could see it was more than that. She didn't know much about the mind of Albert Wesker, but she knew that had he been in her position she would have let them blow his head off. She drove down the freeway, bobbing and weaving between the cars on her way to Chris'. She wondered how he would react to this situation. Would he be angry? Worried? Well probably both. She had to admit she was pretty shaken up herself. Even an experience like Raccoon City couldn't prepare you for a confrontation like that. Her thoughts once again strayed to her mysterious rescuer. Yes he was evil, monstrous even, but there was something about him that she couldn't explain.

Pulling up at Chris' apartment building Claire parked her bike and went inside. She felt safer knowing that Chris was nearby, but the thought that she may be putting him in danger was constantly in the back of her mind. Taking the stairs to his apartment she stood outside the door, hesitating. It suddenly occurred to her how late it was. Maybe she shouldn't bother Chris with her stupid problems. Swallowing her doubt she knocked on the door and a dishevelled Chris answered.

"Claire?" He asked, squinting at her "Do you have any idea what time it is?" She put her hands up and shook her head.

"I know… I'm sorry!" She said and then sighed. "Look, I have bad news; I think we should discuss this over a drink."

Chris eyed her suspiciously. "Okay. Meet me at the bar; I'll be down in five minutes."


End file.

Resident Evil, Romance, Suspense