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Description
It was snowing outside Claire Redfield's hotel room when she woke up that morning in New York City. She only knew that because of the cold drafts slipping under the patio door and tickling her feet. The woman curled up slightly, shivering and sliding under her covers a little more. It had been one hell of a week, running around and trying to catch a bioterrorist. She had failed to find him still, and it was getting to a point where she was about to call TerraSave and abort the mission.

But she swore she would give it one more day and give it her all to try and find him.

There was a loud knock on her door, and she rolled over with her face now stuffed into a pillow. Her arms and legs were sprawled out on the bed, making her almost have the appearance she owned it. "Who is it?" she called out, muffled.

No answer. Claire lay there for several long moments before someone knocked once more. Grumbling, she finally rolled out of bed and stumbled over to the door, rubbing her eyes. She opened it, blinking for a few moments before a set of arms grabbed her in a tight embrace. She could smell his body wash and shampoo while looking up at him and gasping quietly. Her arms slipped around him too before he spoke. "…Claire…"

"H-How did you find my hotel?!" she whispered. "How did you know I was here?!"

Chris Redfield glanced down at his only family, smiling a little and brushing her unkempt hair out of her face. He was disturbed to see her in such tired and fragile condition—tired eyes, weak grin, almost as if she was just trying to keep a smile there for his sake. Like a mask. Some bad things had happened when he was away; she probably didn't wanna talk to him about it. Nonetheless, Chris played along with her little charade and chuckled softly. "You just gotta know the right people, sis."

She tugged him inside and he willingly obliged, shutting the door behind them both and shrugging apologetically at the mess. Chris glanced around the room, taking in his surroundings. Clothing was strewn everywhere, food boxes from restaurants stacked up in the garbage can. He watched his sister pick up pieces of clothing here and there, sitting on the bed and running fingers through his hair. "So what're you doing here?"

"TerraSave asked me to investigate a case here about a potential outbreak at this hotel," she explained, throwing her things into the suitcase. "Told me to spend a week here, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. I haven't found anything all this week. Feels like I'm rasping for straws or some shit like that." She turned to him, rubbing her head and trying to look more alert. "What're you doing here?"

He shrugged a little, watching her scramble about. "Just- came here to talk to you. I'm worried about you, you know."

Claire laughed. "Don't have to worry about me! I'm your sister after all. Once a Redfield, always a Redfield."

"But Claire… I AM worried about you."

She turned to him, dropping her clothing in the suitcase and keeping that smile plastered to her face. Her eyes screamed different, though- she was tired, frustrated, and so irritable with the world right now. "That's a first."

Chris didn't smile. "What happened here?"

She sat next to him for a moment, and Chris looped a bicep around her and pulled her close. She laid a hand on his torso, taking a deep breath and shuddering for a moment before sniffling. He was quiet, not wishing to prod her for anything as of yet. He knew girls took a bit of time to say much of anything to anyone, but then again—Claire wasn't an ordinary girl. She took another breath before curling up slightly next to Chris and shaking her head. "…why me?"

"Huh?"

"Why did I get sent here, out of all the members of TerraSave?!" Claire burst out, sounding both angry and depressed. "They keep giving me all these missions that lead to dead ends, and they constantly seem to get leads on everything!" She sounded childish, but in a sense, she was sadly correct. "It's 2010, Chris! Hell if I know what I'm looking for! Wesker's dead, isn't he?! He was the main source of ALL the problems in the world of bioterrorism!"

Her shoulders shaking, she curled into her brother's arms now and cried. Chris didn't say anything to her, looking up and feeling a wave of resentment he hadn't felt in a long time. Since the BSAA had placed Jill on desk duty and him still in the field, there was a lot of animosity between him and his superiors. To a point where he almost wanted to quit because he as so frustrated with them. And now TerraSave? He stroked her hair, watching her sob. "Claire…"

She didn't move for a few minutes, the man stroking her still and looking lost in thought. It wasn't a typical moment for Chris and Claire; for the both of them to be in a hotel room and not fighting anything but their own demons. It was strange, but the silent cries were oddly comforting. At least they were alive. Together.

"Chris?"

Her big brother glanced down at her.

"Please don't tell anyone."

That was gonna be easier said than done. No one- no one made his sister cry and got away with it. He smiled a little, but it was a dark one. She noticed this, plaintively staring at him with those red eyes. Claire didn't want him to get in trouble, and she didn't want to get in trouble herself. Lose her job. Lose her sense of what she was meant to do in this world—protect everyone from the evils of bioterrorism. She wanted Chris to not destroy everything they worked for.

"I just want to talk to them about it," he told her softly. "If it is making you this upset—it's going to make me pissed off. You shouldn't be depressed, of all people." His eyes were fierce, protective. "Claire, you're a bright and wonderful young woman with the biggest heart of gold in the world. I don't like my sister being sad. At all. I'm going to change things so it's not like that. So you enjoy your job, if only a little."

She laughed weakly. "Like what?"

Chris grinned a little. "Well, for starters, we're gonna get you out of this mission. You've been here long enough, I think. No more hotel bullshit and finding a virus. Sound good with you?"

Before she could answer, the lights flickered. She frowned, sitting up and wiping her eyes. Chris looked puzzled, standing up and pulling out his Samurai Edge and cocking it. Claire watched him nervously as he went over to the door and opened it. The lights flickered once more, and he stepped out into the hallway with his weapon aimed for anything undead.

Then he saw it. He froze for a moment before slowly backing back inside Claire's hotel room. He shut the door and turned to his sister, her face pale. "So. About that so-called 'hotel bullshit'…"

"I take it back," he muttered. "You ready to fight for what you believe in?"

She walked over to the suitcase, digging out her weapon and nodding. "With you by my side, big brother? Hell yeah."

Chris grinned a little, grabbing the door handle. "Let's go."

He opened it up once more, Claire right behind him.

Description
It was snowing outside Claire Redfield's hotel room when she woke up that morning in New York City. She only knew that because of the cold drafts slipping under the patio door and tickling her feet. The woman curled up slightly, shivering and sliding under her covers a little more. It had been one hell of a week, running around and trying to catch a bioterrorist. She had failed to find him still, and it was getting to a point where she was about to call TerraSave and abort the mission.

But she swore she would give it one more day and give it her all to try and find him.

There was a loud knock on her door, and she rolled over with her face now stuffed into a pillow. Her arms and legs were sprawled out on the bed, making her almost have the appearance she owned it. "Who is it?" she called out, muffled.

No answer. Claire lay there for several long moments before someone knocked once more. Grumbling, she finally rolled out of bed and stumbled over to the door, rubbing her eyes. She opened it, blinking for a few moments before a set of arms grabbed her in a tight embrace. She could smell his body wash and shampoo while looking up at him and gasping quietly. Her arms slipped around him too before he spoke. "…Claire…"

"H-How did you find my hotel?!" she whispered. "How did you know I was here?!"

Chris Redfield glanced down at his only family, smiling a little and brushing her unkempt hair out of her face. He was disturbed to see her in such tired and fragile condition—tired eyes, weak grin, almost as if she was just trying to keep a smile there for his sake. Like a mask. Some bad things had happened when he was away; she probably didn't wanna talk to him about it. Nonetheless, Chris played along with her little charade and chuckled softly. "You just gotta know the right people, sis."

She tugged him inside and he willingly obliged, shutting the door behind them both and shrugging apologetically at the mess. Chris glanced around the room, taking in his surroundings. Clothing was strewn everywhere, food boxes from restaurants stacked up in the garbage can. He watched his sister pick up pieces of clothing here and there, sitting on the bed and running fingers through his hair. "So what're you doing here?"

"TerraSave asked me to investigate a case here about a potential outbreak at this hotel," she explained, throwing her things into the suitcase. "Told me to spend a week here, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. I haven't found anything all this week. Feels like I'm rasping for straws or some shit like that." She turned to him, rubbing her head and trying to look more alert. "What're you doing here?"

He shrugged a little, watching her scramble about. "Just- came here to talk to you. I'm worried about you, you know."

Claire laughed. "Don't have to worry about me! I'm your sister after all. Once a Redfield, always a Redfield."

"But Claire… I AM worried about you."

She turned to him, dropping her clothing in the suitcase and keeping that smile plastered to her face. Her eyes screamed different, though- she was tired, frustrated, and so irritable with the world right now. "That's a first."

Chris didn't smile. "What happened here?"

She sat next to him for a moment, and Chris looped a bicep around her and pulled her close. She laid a hand on his torso, taking a deep breath and shuddering for a moment before sniffling. He was quiet, not wishing to prod her for anything as of yet. He knew girls took a bit of time to say much of anything to anyone, but then again—Claire wasn't an ordinary girl. She took another breath before curling up slightly next to Chris and shaking her head. "…why me?"

"Huh?"

"Why did I get sent here, out of all the members of TerraSave?!" Claire burst out, sounding both angry and depressed. "They keep giving me all these missions that lead to dead ends, and they constantly seem to get leads on everything!" She sounded childish, but in a sense, she was sadly correct. "It's 2010, Chris! Hell if I know what I'm looking for! Wesker's dead, isn't he?! He was the main source of ALL the problems in the world of bioterrorism!"

Her shoulders shaking, she curled into her brother's arms now and cried. Chris didn't say anything to her, looking up and feeling a wave of resentment he hadn't felt in a long time. Since the BSAA had placed Jill on desk duty and him still in the field, there was a lot of animosity between him and his superiors. To a point where he almost wanted to quit because he as so frustrated with them. And now TerraSave? He stroked her hair, watching her sob. "Claire…"

She didn't move for a few minutes, the man stroking her still and looking lost in thought. It wasn't a typical moment for Chris and Claire; for the both of them to be in a hotel room and not fighting anything but their own demons. It was strange, but the silent cries were oddly comforting. At least they were alive. Together.

"Chris?"

Her big brother glanced down at her.

"Please don't tell anyone."

That was gonna be easier said than done. No one- no one made his sister cry and got away with it. He smiled a little, but it was a dark one. She noticed this, plaintively staring at him with those red eyes. Claire didn't want him to get in trouble, and she didn't want to get in trouble herself. Lose her job. Lose her sense of what she was meant to do in this world—protect everyone from the evils of bioterrorism. She wanted Chris to not destroy everything they worked for.

"I just want to talk to them about it," he told her softly. "If it is making you this upset—it's going to make me pissed off. You shouldn't be depressed, of all people." His eyes were fierce, protective. "Claire, you're a bright and wonderful young woman with the biggest heart of gold in the world. I don't like my sister being sad. At all. I'm going to change things so it's not like that. So you enjoy your job, if only a little."

She laughed weakly. "Like what?"

Chris grinned a little. "Well, for starters, we're gonna get you out of this mission. You've been here long enough, I think. No more hotel bullshit and finding a virus. Sound good with you?"

Before she could answer, the lights flickered. She frowned, sitting up and wiping her eyes. Chris looked puzzled, standing up and pulling out his Samurai Edge and cocking it. Claire watched him nervously as he went over to the door and opened it. The lights flickered once more, and he stepped out into the hallway with his weapon aimed for anything undead.

Then he saw it. He froze for a moment before slowly backing back inside Claire's hotel room. He shut the door and turned to his sister, her face pale. "So. About that so-called 'hotel bullshit'…"

"I take it back," he muttered. "You ready to fight for what you believe in?"

She walked over to the suitcase, digging out her weapon and nodding. "With you by my side, big brother? Hell yeah."

Chris grinned a little, grabbing the door handle. "Let's go."

He opened it up once more, Claire right behind him.