Chapter Text
Sarah Lovalz was the woman that Albert Wesker had under his radar. The woman was just four years younger than the scientist. Albert had joined the Umbrella Facility at age eighteen in 1978. Then, four years later in 1982, Sarah also joined the Umbrella Facility at age eighteen. Since Sarah was coming in as an understudy, she was placed under Wesker as his assistant. Immediately, he realized there was something different about her. Sarah was quieter than most others. She was more reserved and kept to herself more often.
The woman was pale with brown hair and blue eyes, there was a deep red coloration just under her eyes to symbolize her lack of sleep. Her hands were always shaky from the amount of caffeine she would take in at a time and she almost always seemed to be tapping on something or moving around. She just couldn’t seem to keep still. This managed to peak Albert’s attention when he had first met the woman. Clearly, she had some sort of fear or anxiety. So, he had decided to get to know her better.
One thing he realized about her was that she always wore a locket with a little heart on it. Although, as she was doubling with college and her job as an understudy researcher, she was seeming to become more and more anxious as time went on. However, it didn’t seem to be just work that was bothering her. Wesker seemed to realize there was something going on behind the scenes. Sarah would appear to work with bruises or split lips, although she would play it off as a different excuse each time.
That was all up until she stopped wearing that heart necklace one day. The moment she stopped wearing that necklace everyday, Albert realized something else and ama he’d to put the pieces together. He predicted that Sarah had a partner of some sort… a partner that had beaten her or hurt physically at least… he wouldn’t have been surprised if there was any other sort of abuse going on at that point in time. Though, one day he decided it would be in his best interest to approach her. He would get up from his desk and head towards Sarah, who was analyzing how different bacteria was growing in Petri dishes.
“Sarah? Might I have a word with you?” Albert asked, positioning himself to stand behind her.
The girl finished up her notes in her notepad before she placed her pen back in her pocket. “Yes, Dr. Wesker? What can I do for you, sir?” She asked, turning on her heels once she managed to finish her notes.
“Come with me.” He told her, moving her forward and taking her into one of the break rooms. Currently, there was no one within those break rooms and they were completely alone together at that time.
“Sarah.. I’ve got a few questions for you based on things I’ve noticed.” Albert told her, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed firmly against his chest.
As if it were some sort of muscle memory, Sarah reached towards her throat where the necklace would have been if she was still wearing it. Though, when she grasped at nothing, she just rested her hand in its place as though to play off trying to grab anything at all. “Oh..? Is something concerning you?” She asked, looking at him with a slight sense of worry on her face.
Just then, Wesker pointed his finger at her. “See that motion right there? I realized you were missing that locket you always wore.” Suddenly, Wesker had taken a step towards her, causing her to look up a little. “For the past few months before this I’ve been noticing you appearing to work with bruises and different injuries every day.” He then lifted his hand to rest it on her shoulder, causing the girl to jump in place. “Was he hurting you?”
The question weighed on Sarah’s shoulders like a brick. It was almost as though he had read her situation like a book. She looked to the side, setting her hand on his wrist as though she was going to push his hand off of her shoulder. But she didn’t. All she did was hold onto his wrist while she contemplated what she was supposed to say next… she had not a single idea. She was stunned… dry mouthed. Her heart thumped in her chest, crashing against her body as if it were trying to escape her.
“I… would be lying if I said my situation wasn’t bad.” Sarah spoke with a hint of hesitance. “But, why should that matter to you? I’m nothing more than a coworker, isn’t that right? If anything, I’m just an assistant.” She told him, looking up hesitantly.
“Oh, Sarah. You poor fool..” Albert mumbled to her, although Sarah didn’t pick up on that quote as an insult. “You may be my assistant, but doesn’t that only give me more of a reason to care?” He asked her. “In my eyes, that means you’re under my care. In my eyes, I’m supposed to be looking after you and pushing you in the right direction.” His grip on her shoulder tightened ever so slightly. “What kind of boss would I be if I didn’t care for you?” He asked.
“I guess.. I just never thought of it that way.” Sarah said gently. “I never expected someone like you to care about someone like me in a way like that. I never thought you would have wanted to delve into my personal life outside of work.”
“That’s where you went wrong, my dear.” Wesker this time moved his hand from her shoulder, sliding it up her neck and planting his palm against her cheek. He could feel the woman’s body shiver beneath him… and that made him smile. “I’ve cared about you since day one. Now that I’ve gotten the chance… I simply wanted to check in on you.”
Sarah paused for a moment. Did he just call her dear? She wasn’t quite sure if she was hearing him correctly.. “Did you just.. call me dear?” She asked him, eyes flickering towards him with furrowed eyebrows. “Dr. Wesker.. Is this really just a checkup?” She asked. She was a smart woman, she normally could pick up on these sorts of cues.
“Ah… Must have been a..” Wesker waved his free hand in a circular motion at the wrist as he pondered for the word. “..a Freudian slip.” His eyes moved back to her.. waiting to see if she had picked up on what he meant.
Of course, with her studies of the science field, she did know quite a bit about psychology. Sigmund Freud was an important name in the fields of psychology. While many didn’t necessarily agree with his thought process, due to them being deemed disgusting or even sexist at times… but, regardless he built the basis for what psychology really was! And a Freudian slip… was more or so a slip in the tongue. Where someone accidentally says what they were really thinking. Even though they didn’t want to say it outright.
“But, if that was a Freudian slip… something in your subconscious would have actually wanted to call me that. You do realize that, correct?” Sarah called it out… needless to say, this impressed Wesker. She was proving herself more and more as they spoke… Albert’s intrigue only continued to grow.
“Clever girl.” Albert commented, smiling down at her. “So, you’ve caught on…” His palm began to press harder against her cheek, fingers gripping the soft flesh of her face with a small bit of pressure to the motion. As if he was testing how far he could go before she moved away… but she never did. “Truth be told, I’ve grown fond of you during our time working together. Perhaps that’s why I’ve been so worried for you.” He spoke. “So, tell me. Did you leave him? Did you finally become sick of the abuse?”
The woman beneath him seemed to become more nervous when he asked this question. He picked up on her discomfort almost immediately while she spoke. “No… Actually, he was the one who left me. Turns out he was talking to another woman behind my back… He said he wasn’t quite interested in me anymore. But, it was strange because he had been so… loving with me the night prior..” she decided to open up to him.
So she didn’t leave despite him abusing her? How interesting… Albert decided to press further on the subject. “What was he doing to you, Sarah? Do you know what he was trying to get out of you during that.. loving moment, you say?”
Sarah hesitated. “Well… I mean he was being touchy when I say he was being lovey. The only times he ever seemed to love me anymore was when I was unclothed or he was touching me.” She didn’t dare look her boss in the eyes, instead looking at the floor. “Whenever I told him I was busy or tired, he would either hit me from that rage or try to coax me into it. Either way, he would get what he wanted. Whether I wanted it or not.” She looked down, hugging herself. “Unfortunately that happened the night before he left me.”
That’s when her boss’s hand moved from her cheek to just under her chin. He took hold of that place of her and directed her face upwards to look up at him. She couldn’t quite see his eyes from under his sunglasses, but regardless she would look up into them.. knowing there had to be eyes behind those dark walls. Her body shivered slightly once again as her hands dropped to her sides.. falling limply while her boss held her face firmly.
“Dr. Wesker? What are you doing…?” She asked softly.
The woman in front of him was vulnerable and he knew it.
“Listen to me, Sarah. How many times has the world wronged you? How many times did he wrong you?” He responded with another question, holding her chin in place all the while.
“That’s how… our entire relationship was. No matter what I did… that was all he wanted from me.. those touches. No matter what I said. It didn’t matter.” She spoke gently, closing her eyes.
“How about this…” Wesker’s arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer. In that hold, Sarah seemed to tense up, unsure of what to think. She slowly looked up a bit further, eyes wide with two different emotions. Fear.. and intrigue. “How about you let me take care of you from now on?”
“Take care of me? What do you mean..?” Her hand came up slightly, shakily planting itself on his chest… she stared at her own hand for a moment before lifting her head to look at him once more.
“Tell me, Sarah. What would it take for you to feel better after this loss? Let me care for you, dear. I can make things better. I can fix your situation and give you anything you want..” His voice rumbled in her ears and she couldn’t help but shiver.
“Hah… that’s very kind of you. But, I’m pretty sure the only thing that would make me feel better is him being dead..” she laughed, playing it as a joke. “I can’t stand to breathe the same air as the man that did that to me.”
“Consider it done, my dear.”
Pause.
“Wait. What?”
Wesker smiled down at her. The both of them were so close together now. She could feel every single exhale he released on her skin. Goosebumps had raised on her arms despite having her lab coat on. Her hand clenched, gripping a part of his dark navy button down shirt. He still had a hand on her face and an arm around her waist. Though.. she would be lying if she said she hadn’t fantasized about something like that in the past.. Could you blame her? Her boss was quite the attractive individual. Plus, he had power. What could have possibly caused him to take a liking to her.
What she didn’t know was that.. while she was attracted to the power he had… He was attracted to the power she didn’t have. The power he had over her was what attracted him in the first place to her. She was his assistant. Now, all he had to do was prove his sickening loyalty to her. Because, in her vulnerable state, he knew she would return it tenfold. She would return it with all of her might and consider him a savior. Perhaps that was exactly what she craved from a person she would be doomed to love. That’s just what trauma can do to a person if not treated correctly.
Sarah never had a good family life. Her mother was absent and her father was an alcoholic who never paid attention to her. Since her youth, she was left alone. She craved that feeling of security. She craved having another person with her at all times. She wanted nothing more than to finally have that protection and love from a person that she never had back then. Unfortunately for her, this meant she attracted the wrong people. People that would use her and her devotions. Wesker just happened to be one of those people. Although, something was different about him. The measure he was willing to take was far greater than any other person. For his morality had run thin when exposed to the power he could have.
“Trust me, my dear. I will make it all worth it in the end.” Wesker pulled her closer, his lips right besides her ear while he whispered to her. “If you let me, I could give you everything. I’ve found something great… and I need a partner by my side. I can prove my devotion to you this way. Think about it, Sarah.” He whispered to her.
Feeling his breath hit her ear, along with the low rumbling of his voice caused Sarah to shut her eyes and tense up. She I gained things like this in her head… but never did she think it would be happening in reality. She was.. nervous, to say the least. Though, something inside her told her that… she loved this attention. Someone was willing to kill for her? The act was unthinkable. But, someone wanted her so badly to where they would kill for her. That thought excited her… made her heart thump against her chest.
“I’ll.. definitely consider this..” Sarah whispered back to him, her hands resting on his chest, holding the fabric of his shirt as if to keep him close.
“Until then, my dear.” At that moment, his lips pressed to the space behind her ear before he pulled away. Only then, did he turn on his heels and leave the break room. All Sarah could do was wait… watching the door with wide eyes as what just happened dawned on her. He was actually going to do it.
…
There was nothing other than radio silence for the next few days. Every time Sarah came into work, the day was regular. The only interactions she had with Wesker were about usual work things. Nothing too out of the ordinary, although she did realize he would longer near her more often whenever he came into the office to ‘check’ on her. He always lingered by her desk, leaning on it to watch her while she worked and analyzed samples. He only seemed to leave when he was needed elsewhere or doing work of his own.. something she found interesting.
However, that day was different. Sarah had bundled up in her winter attire and as they were brought to the facility through helicopter. They got off the landing pad and headed into work. However, Albert grabbed her arm before she could enter the research facility. She was confused as everyone else went inside without them. Slowly, she turned her head to look at him… he had a sinister smile on his face.
“My dear, Sarah… It’s complete. I’ve done as you asked of me.” He told her, then took something from his pocket.
Her eyes went wide with both horror and intrigue alike as she saw the severed finger of what she could only assume was her ex. It was coated with some sort of clear plaster as though it would help avoid further rotting of the already decaying appendage. Not only that, but it was on a string… he had turned it into a necklace. He made it special for her. This was a sign of his devotion that she could wear around her neck. The finger of the man that once hurt her would drape over her heart as a reminder of what Wesker was willing to do for her. Slowly, she reached out… and took the severed finger from him.
“You actually did it..” She whispered, looking at the chunk of flesh in her hand. It was smooth from the plaster. Although, some bits of the finger were brown with dried blood. That was the only color on it aside from the dead pale blue that had overtaken the body part. “Holy shit, you actually did it.”
In a normal situation, anyone would be sick. They would have thrown the limb and run for the hills. They would have felt their stomach turn while they threw up in their disgust. However… a different feeling seemed to encapsulate Sarah. Her eyes seemed to light up with joy… her heart racing as she looked down at the trophy. A sigh left her lip as her fingers curled around the severed part. She was impressed… taken aback… and even excited. She looked up towards Wesker with a smile on her face.
“Consider me yours.” She spoke, taking the necklace and wrapping it around her throat.
However, she couldn’t just wear a severed finger out in the open. So, she took it and tucked it beneath her shirt where no one would see it. This would be easy, considering she always wore turtlenecks. She never let her neck be exposed to the open. She felt it to be too vulnerable. That was an area on the body that could easily be used against another person. She wasn’t willing to let anyone have that advantage over her. Not even for a moment of weakness. However, even with those precautionary measures, she had just walked right into a trap with open arms.
“Then mine you shall be.” Albert then leaned in, taking her by the shoulder while he pressed a kiss to her lips.
Sarah didn’t even hesitate this time. She didn’t tense you at his touch or anything of the sort. Instead, her arms wrapped around his neck and she returned the kiss. His hands moved, trailing down her arms and resting themselves on her hips while he pulled her closer against him. His eyes closed while he pressed against her, keeping their kiss until the very last minute when they both needed air to fill their lungs once more. When they finally parted, their foreheads pressed together. There was no sound other than the rustling of the forest’s leaves and their own breathing.
“So.. it’s official now, Dr. Wesker? Are we a couple?” Sarah asked… and was about to ask another before abruptly correcting her.
“Dear, when we’re alone.. it’s Albert. Understood?” He asked her, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“Albert… right.” Sarah breathed out, reaching to place her hand on top of his. “I assume we’ve got to keep this on the low from our coworkers? Considering.. people may become unnerved by the.. power imbalance.”
“Right you are, my dear.” Albert rested his palm against her cheek, letting his thumb rub against the soft flesh of her face. Her skin was still pale, yet tinted with a light red color as his hand held her face. “We’ll keep our affections out of the public eye for now. Trust very few. If there is anyone that should know or is to find out… you let me know. Right away. You do not act without telling me. Understood? Even if we are partners, I am still your superior.” His grip became slightly tighter on her face.
Yet, just like last time, she didn’t pull away from him. She just gazed up at him with nothing but growing affection for the man in front of her. She bit her bottom lip for a moment, ripping a small bit of flesh from it as her lip began to bleed. She hardly realized she did it. Though, Albert recognized it as a subconscious self harm infliction. He smiled down at her, recognizing she may have been nervous, excited, or even both. It almost seemed as though she enjoyed the thought of someone having power over her… and in this case, that was perfect for him. Because all he wanted from her was power: power over her.
“Yes, Albert… You can count on me.” Sarah said, tucking her lip in as if to take away the blood before too much of it pooled in the cut on her lip. Her lips returned to normal positioning when she did that as well. It all seemed.. calculated.
“Good girl. Now, we’ve got work to do… Come along then, Sarah. We have work to do.”
“Yes, sir!”
Then, just like that… They headed into the research facility as though there was nothing between them. They went into their work as if Wesker hadn’t just confessed to her that he had murdered her abusive ex boyfriend in an attempt to win over her devotion. As if the kiss never happened, they just kept quiet. Now, the two were a dangerous pair and no one seemed to know that. No one in that building would know… not now. They were undercover, but something was growing. Something dangerous.
…
As months and even years had passed, the year being 1984, the relationship between Sarah and Albert was only getting stronger. Every time Albert had done something to help her, show her affection, or even just give her a genuine compliment.. She seemed to fall harder. Every waking moment they had alone in the facility, they would spend it together. After these months, Sarah was completely entrapped within Wesker’s web. She had no idea that she had been nothing but prey in the beginning. In the beginning, Albert had no intention of returning a true feeling of love for her.
Although things were changing.
The more time he seemed to spend with her, the more he seemed to grow fond of the woman. The woman adored him… and he was growing to adore her too, in a way. Now, Sarah was getting through college and rising in position. She was no longer just a mere understudy anymore. She was now a full fledged researcher, expanding her knowledge through classes. She only had a few years left to go before her graduation. It only took longer because she was working and doing school at the same time.
Sarah was in the labs when Albert took notice of her form. Per usual, she was wearing her turtleneck, jeans, and combat boots. She had her lab coat unbuttoned while she worked. At the moment, she had been preparing pre-samples of the virus strain they were researching. She put them in their cartridges and injected them into the subject, ready to see how the virus intermingled with a small rodent that was locked in a cage that no one else would have access to. She placed it into the cage and locked it after injecting the subject.
Albert merely watched her from the doorway… watching and taking note of every little thing about her. The way her hair flowed and bounced behind her whenever she turned or moved from within the lab. Her hair was wavy and thick, a dark brown color. The darkness of her hair meshed perfectly with how pale she had grown to be. With how preoccupied she was with the lab work, she barely seemed to see the sun. Her lab coat flowed behind her as well and swished with every hurried step she took. Every step was calculated and she moved with a grace that was even surprising to Wesker.
That was when he realized what he was doing. He was admiring her. Not because he knew he had power over her, but because he saw her as something truly beautiful. Albert had not intended for himself to grow fond of her… but he had. This could have serious effects on his plans. Although, he pushed away any thoughts of getting rid of her. She was still devoted to him. She would do anything to help him with his plans and he knew that well… she was still a good asset to him. Although, the attachment he was feeling could be dangerous in dire situations. He did his best to brush it off, but it would come back to haunt him from time to time.
“Albert? Are you alright? You’ve been standing there for a while.” Sarah commented, now resting on the counter while she looked at him.
“Hm? Oh. My apologies. I just enjoy watching you work. What are you doing now?” He asked, moving forward and heading towards her. He stood beside her while she leaned on the counter. Taking a quick glance around, he realized they were alone in this section of the lab. Meaning, they didn’t have to hide anything in this setting.
“I’ve injected a shrew with that virus strain. The one that originated in Africa.” She commented. “Now I’m watching to see how it’s affected by it… especially since I’ve been trying to see if the virus would be willing to mutate. I put it under different conditions…” Sarah explained, looking at the shrew in the cage.
The shrew was clearly shaking as if it was having a reaction to the virus. Its small bliss had taken in a pretty big dose for its size. Although, it seemed as though the shrew’s body deteriorated as time went on. Holes would appear in its body and reddish orange pus would come out. Clearly, it was killing it rather than mutating it. Sarah hummed and scratched her chin, watching as the shrew slowly deteriorated into its demise.
“Seems this change I’ve made turned out to be more acidic than I thought it was going to be.” She laughed and looked towards Albert. “I’ll mark it in my logs momentarily.” There was a pause. “Are you sure you’re okay? You seem out of it.” She commented, raising an eyebrow at him in confusion.
“No, I’m quite alright, Sarah.” Albert reached out and pulled her closer towards him once again, his arms wrapping around her waist while his fingers interlocked behind her as though he was trying to trap her right in front of him. Sarah wouldn’t have even noticed how tight of a grip he had, considering she didn’t move away at all. If anything, she moved closer. “I was just admiring you and the way you work.”
“I have been doing this for two years now, I’d hope I would be at least some good at it by now.” She retorted, wrapping her arms around his neck, subtly tilting her head while she looked up at him with those adoring eyes of hers. Oh, those eyes.
“You’re far more than just good, my dear. You’re something quite exotic if I do say so myself. Each move, you move with grace. You’re nothing short of professional.” Albert told her, swaying slightly with his assistant in his arms.
“Exotic? My, you do have an interesting choice in words, my beloved…” Sarah whispered to him, fingers messing with the little strands of hair on the back of his neck. “You’re always welcome to come and visit me, y'know. You don’t have to stand in the doorway and stalk me like some sort of predator.” She chuckled.
“Oh, I know, but what’s wrong with a little bit of admiration from afar? I get to see you in your natural form that way.” Albert told her, hand reaching up now to hold her face, a common motion from the man. “You’re much more beautiful when there’s nothing for you to hide… No fear, no worry… just pure love for your work. Grace and beauty alike.”
Sarah’s cheeks reddened slightly as she rolled her eyes with a smile. “Goodness, you think so highly of me… I’ll never understand why-.”
Suddenly, a silence fell upon them as she looked over Wesker’s shoulder. She saw someone in the doorway. Someone they knew. It was none other than their coworker and half decent friend, William Birkin. The man cleared his throat, causing both Sarah and Wesker to finally let go of one another. Both of the scientists turn to look William in the eye. Though, Sarah was quick to aim her gaze to the side instead. She didn’t want to feel his judgmental gaze, if it were to be judgmental.
“Am I interrupting something?” William asked, fingers tapping against his clipboard while he watched the both of them. “You really should close the door if you’re going to have such private moments with one another.” William then stepped inside, closing the door behind him. “Like so.”
Albert sighed and stepped forward. “Hello, Birkin. How long have you been eavesdropping?” He asked.
“Not long. I was coming in to discuss research with Ms. Lovalz, but I suppose this works as well.” William said, setting his clipboard down and looking at the both of them. “How long has this been going on?”
“About two years. We’ve kept it on the down low because we didn’t need corporate trying to dictate how we treated our relationship with our status in the company.” Wesker was completely honest with the man in front of him.
Though, that honesty tended to shock Sarah when she glanced back toward him. “Yes, that’s true. I was worried they were going to force me to shadow another scientist and I wouldn’t prefer that in the slightest. I’m happy where I am right now..” Sarah said. “So, we would appreciate it if you kept this on the down low as well.”
“It really is none of my business. As you know, I prefer to stay far away from other people’s business. Unless, it’s work related.” William stated. “It’s nothing to worry about. It’s nothing worth spreading.” He put his hand up as if to make a promise to the both of them.
“Now, how did your experiment go, Ms. Lovalz?”
…
From that day forward, the three had all worked together. Even their trio would add in another person when William finally found someone of his own. Her name was Annette and from could be told about them… they were similar in a way. William was the type to always be submerged in his work and so was Annette. Perhaps that was why they got along so well when it came to the environment they were in. They were always working, almost always talking about work, and then they even decided to get married at one point.
Albert and Sarah never considered marriage to be an option, at least not yet. The marriage of Annette and William didn’t really change much of anything within their little group. Although, as the years went on, Sarah finally graduated college and became a scientist of her own. Then, she had earned the title Dr. Lovalz rather than just Ms. Lovalz. The only thing that really changed their dynamic was the events of 1986, when Annette gave birth to her and William’s daughter, Sherry Birkin.
During that time, The Birkin Family’s work had only slowed a little bit. Even then, it seemed as though the two scientists got right back to work once Sherry was old enough to be left with a caretaker or on her own. Work was everything to that pair. They were workers first, then they were parents, and then they were married. Sarah was the one who found this the most absurd out of the group.
Albert and Sarah were in the lab together, standing side by side while they spoke. “I just can’t believe they would bring a child into the world if they weren’t going to be there for her..” Sarah commented, looking into a microscope as she inspected bacteria samples.
“I couldn’t agree more. The child will end up abandoned and resent them in the end for it.” Albert said, writing down their findings in a notepad while they inspected the samples. “It was strange enough for them to get married during their work. The only difference their marriage made was that they’re wearing rings now. Was there really any point in it at all? All they seem to do is work. That’s all anyone does here.”
“I don’t see anything bad about marriage in this case.” Sarah said, shutting her eyes for a moment. “It’s a declaration of love. A symbol to show you would never leave a person.” She opened her eyes again, looking back into the eyeglass. “It may only be a piece of paper, but it means a lot to some people. In all honesty, the only thing that irks me is how they brought a child into it. I get that they love their daughter, but the way they put work above her is unspeakable.”
Albert hardly made a comment about marriage when she spoke about it. It was clear that he didn’t quite agree with her statements, but he said nothing on the matter. The silence was deafening however, considering Sarah stopped in the middle of the study and lifted her head. She turned to look at Albert, who was still writing notes down on the pad. Though, when he wasn’t redieveing anymore intel, he looked up to meet her gaze. Her head was tilted while she looked at him, almost as if she was upset by what she heard.
“Haven’t you ever thought of marrying me?” Sarah asked, looking at him.
“Our relationship isn’t public. Why put it on display? You and I know we love each other. Shouldn’t that be what matters?”
“It’s not that it doesn’t matter.” Sarah looked back down towards the lab counter. “It’s just the fact that it's a big milestone in relationships. I mean, we’ve been together since 82. I’d like to think we would get married someday.” Her shoulders raised as she shrugged. “Besides… I’m not working beneath you anymore. I’ve graduated and become an actual scientist. What harm would it be if we made it public?”
There was a hint of hesitation before Albert spoke again.
“You are not the one who calls the shots here, Sarah. I will decide if and when we make our affairs public.” With that, he picked up his notepad and left the lab room.
Needless to say, Sarah was shocked… for the first time in four years, she felt empty when he left. He referred to their relationship as an affair… and that was a first. This interaction made her incredibly anxious… she couldn’t bear the thought of losing the only person she had loved so strongly. She couldn’t stand to lose the person who had been with her that long. She couldn’t stand the thought of losing the one person who promised her everything in the world. So, she stepped up her game.
She stopped speaking about what she wanted. She stopped speaking about her desire to be married. She stopped speaking of her desire to make their relationship public. Although the other scientists were picking up on what was going on, the more they saw the two interacting together. Sarah started going out of her way to spend more time with Albert. She followed every single order and request he gave her. Even if she was her own scientist, she still acted as though she were his assistant. Rumor would spread quickly about their relationship.
Though, nothing came of it until the fateful year of 1992.
…
Albert was thirty two now. Meanwhile, Sarah was twenty eight. During this time period, Albert had gotten Sarah pregnant. Sarah found out relatively early when she didn’t get her period. She ended up taking a few pregnancy tests… low and behold, she was with child. She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to tell Albert… she wasn’t even sure about how to feel when she was having a child. What about what she said about William and Annette when they had Sherry? In reality, Sarah was scared of what was to come.
She loved her job and she loved her work as a scientist. She worked so hard to get to where she was that day. Though, she would have to start taking time out of her work to put into this child. Slowly, she knelt down on the floor, staring down at the pregnancy tests she had taken. All of them read positively. It was undeniable. She was pregnant. Though, with her morality… She wanted to be better than her parents. She wanted to be there for her child. She prayed to whatever god may have existed that Albert would react fondly…
Slowly, she got up and walked out of the bathroom. She stuck the tests into her lab coat’s pockets and headed into one of the labs. She looked around for a moment before spotting her partner. Taking a deep breath, she went up to Albert.
“Dr. Wesker. Could you come with me for a moment?” She asked. “I need to show you something.” She did her best to draw his attention without making the other scientists think anything strange.
“Alright, but let’s make it quick. I’ve got some important work to do, Dr. Lovalz.” He responded, following her out the door.
Sarah quickly descended down the seemingly endless hallways until she found an empty break room. Taking a deep breath, she moved to the other side of the room. She stood in front of a wall, leaning against it while she tried to calm herself. Her hands were shaking and her face was hot. She almost felt dizzy with how anxious she was to tell Albert about her pregnancy. Almost immediately, Wesker noticed the change in her behavior. He reached his hand out towards her.
“My dear, Sarah. What’s going on? Is something the matter?” He asked her, reaching and touching her cheek. For once, it was cold and clammy despite how warm she herself felt. “You seem.. more anxious than normal.”
“I’m pregnant.” Sarah spat out the words as if they were made of poison. She closed her eyes, as if she didn’t want to see the reaction he gave her right away. Then… there was silence, causing her heart to grow heavier by the moment.
“Sarah.” Suddenly he spoke her name and she immediately looked up. “You do realize we can’t keep this child, right?”
Just like that, Sarah’s heart had sunk.
“What do you mean we can’t keep it?” She asked, her voice cracking as her hands came up to clutch her heart… then another hand reached to clutch her stomach. As if she were trying to protect the unborn child that was growing from within her. “All I would have to do is devote more time to the child… and put work on the back burner for a while, right?”
“The work we’re doing is far too important, Sarah. We cannot mess this up by bringing a child into the world. Besides, neither of us have time to take care of this baby.” He told her, stepping forward and setting his hand on her shoulder. “We will have to give it up if you don’t terminate it.”
As though it were an instinct, Sarah raised her hand and smacked his arm away from her. She didn’t want him to touch her with what she was hearing. For o:de in her life, she was angry, her eyes burning with a passion that he had never seen before. Her eyes were a gateway into her soul.. or rather, a book that Albert was able to read easily. He could tell that this made her angry. She was pushing back against him. He just couldn’t allow that.
“I will not get rid of my baby! You can’t force me to!”
SMACK.
Suddenly, Albert had raised the back of his hand and swung it right at Sarah. She gasped as she heard the slapping sound, followed by the burning pain that came with the slap of his back hand. Sarah’s hand immediately came up and cradled her cheek which was quickly growing red. Slowly, she lifted her head, looking at Albert with a new look. Betrayal. Agony. Tears immediately filled her eyes as she took a few steps away from him. She kept backing away till she was up against the wall. Only then, did her knees wobble and give out from beneath her. She fell to the ground, sliding against the wall.
“You… hit me.” She stuttered out.
That was the first time he had ever hit her. Albert hesitated a moment, looking down at the shaking girl beneath him. She was frightened, it seemed. Frightened of him. For a moment, and even just a moment, his heart twinged and began to ache. Albert took a deep breath and knelt down in front of her. As much as he loved the woman in front of him. He found that she was losing her grip on the reality he had built for her. He wasn’t willing to lose his power over her. If she was to pull away, he would have to pull her back. This was the only way to do that.
He reached and placed his hand under her chin, directing her face so that he could analyze the red mark on her cheek. A frown formed on his lips while his fingers gently ran over the mark. Sarah’s eyes were still wide with fear as he did this. When suddenly, Albert leaned his head against her shoulder. His arms wrapped around her and he pulled her close to him. Sarah, for the first time in years, stiffened at his touch. She was tense and shaking profusely, but she couldn’t fight against his grasp. She didn’t move. She didn’t do a thing. Instead, she waited for him to make his next move, watching with growing anxiety.
“I am so sorry, Sarah.” His hands clutched her tight, holding her close against his body. His body began to shake on command and he forced his voice to sound softer, weaker. Although he was putting on a show, Sarah seemed to be convinced. Slowly, her arms wrapped around him as well. “I never wanted to hurt you, my love. I would never want to hurt you.” He shakily spoke to her. “I’m only doing this because I don’t want you to ruin your future..” His arms tightened around her, causing her to let out a grunt from the force he held her with. “We aren’t even married yet, Sarah. How could we possibly care for a child? We’ve got so much work to do. We must get rid of it. Send it with a different family.”
Sarah believed every word he uttered to her… she looked down slightly, rubbing gentle circles on his back while he clung to her as if she were his life source. “No… you’re right.” She spoke in a breaking voice. “We’ll… have to give the baby up…” she then pulled back and looked Albert in the eye. “Though we can’t hide my pregnancy with this work… What are we going to do..?” She asked gently.
After a moment of pondering… Wesker finally spoke again.
“It seems we’ll have to let our relationship be public.”
That would be enough to console Sarah in her time of grieving over her unborn child. He could tell from the way her eyes lit up… he smiled, looking down at her with such fondness. He seemed completely fine now. She tilted her head to the side as tears began to stream down her cheeks once more. She swallowed, throwing her arms around his neck this time. Clearly… he had made the right decision in his mind. Sarah was still on his side. Sarah was still under his control. His plans would not be swayed and he still had her. Everything was going according to plan.
…
As the months passed, Sarah carried more and more weight with her as the pregnancy progressed. Just as promised, her and Albert made their relationship public to the rest of their coworkers. Especially now that she was pregnant, although she was honest when she said she was going to be giving up the baby for adoption. Except, she didn’t mention the fact that she truly didn’t want to give up her baby. When she was asked, she only mentioned how she didn’t want to pull back from her work. She mentioned how she didn’t want to be a bad parent because she wasn’t equipped to become one. As much as she believed she could have been a good mother if she took the right course of action.
Everything had gone smoothly. Albert and Sarah hadn’t fought since their first physical outburst. However, things changed once more when their child was born. Sarah awoke in the hospital bed, holding the baby in her arms as she looked down at him. Seeing the little boy in her arms warmed her heart… she couldn’t help but love him right at first sight. She blinked away her blurred vision and hugged the baby close, tears rolling down her cheeks while she pressed her forehead against the baby she had just given birth to…
It wasn’t long until Albert moved forward and took the baby from her arms however. He barely gave her a moment to react while he took their son into his arms. He didn’t even look down at the child, he merely carried him to a woman that stood besides the door. The woman that was there to adopt their son. Sarah seemed immediately distraught when the baby was taken from her. She whimpered and reached out for her son as he was taken from her, mumbling incoherently until she was finally able to speak.
“Wait! My baby. Let me see my baby. I’m not ready yet! Give him back..!” She desperately reached out for him, trying to get him back. But it was too late. The woman had disappeared with her son.
Sarah pushed herself out of bed and tried her best to walk. Though, she didn’t get far. She immediately fell down to the floor, crying out as she hit the ground. She yelled and begged for the woman to come back. She begged for someone to give her baby back to her. Though, it was too late. She reached out desperately, only for Albert to appear in front of her.
“Sarah, calm yourself. You’re acting a fool.” He snapped at her suddenly.
The woman went quiet and slowly looked up. The moment she saw the man who gave her son away as if he was nothing… she was filled with the most intense rage she had ever felt in her life. She clenched her fists as though she was ready to scream at him. For the first time, Albert saw something new in her eyes… Hatred. Hatred that was directed towards him. This was something he never expected to see from her. To see the woman he loved looking at him in such a way was devastating. Suddenly, everything went red for Albert.
If she was going to look at him that way, maybe he should take away her right to look at him at all.
“You gave away my child! You did this! You’re the reason I don’t see my baby!” Sarah screamed at him in a state of hysteria.
“I did this for you, Sarah! I did this for you! I did this to protect you! To protect our jobs! To protect what we’ve come too far to back out of. How dare you disrespect that?” Albert suddenly snapped back at her, his hand shifting to take a serrated blade he had on him. “I’ve told you time and time again. You do not call the shots in this relationship. You listen to me. You don’t act without me. I saved you. You will not disobey me.”
“Fuck you!”
That was the final straw, he raised the blade and it came crashing down. It sliced her left eye, the blade cutting her flesh in a jagged line and right through her eye. Immediately, she screamed out in pain, only for the knife to clang to the floor. Blood spilled out from the cut and gouge, her hands immediately finding her eye and covering it in an attempt to stop the bleeding. She could hardly say a word, just gasping and crying out as she desperately tried to make sense of what was happening. She simply couldn’t. Everything was nothing but a blur to her. She was horrified. Horrified of him and the things he could do to her.
“I have done everything for you, Sarah! I’ve given my everything to you and you can’t do this for me? I have done nothing but protect and love you since day one. How dare you not see that? You may not think of it now, but this was the best decision. Just look at how William and Annette treated their daughter, is that what you want to become, Sarah?” Albert shouted at her, looking down at the crying, bleeding woman on the floor.
“No!” Sarah shouted in a shrill, panicked tone.
“Then you must understand that I am protecting you from that! I love you with all of my heart. Do you really think I would hurt you because I wanted to? I would never! I am doing what’s best for you. I do this because I love you! You know that!” He continued to yell at her until she bent forward on the floor.
The moment he saw her crying becoming helpless and in pain… she was vulnerable again. Her crying became weak as she sobbed against the floor, the blood pooling out from her eye as she grew weaker. One hand clutched her stomach while the other clutched her eye. She couldn’t manage a single word. Albert moved forward and knelt beside her, taking her into his arms and pulling her close while her blood and tears soaked him.
“Sarah, darling, I am so sorry…” He whispered to her. “I know this must be painful for you, but you agreed to let him go. You’re just in a state of hysteria right now with your hormones from pregnancy. We can both calm down and get through this together, my dear. Is that clear?” He asked her, cradling the side of her face that was still bleeding profusely. With nothing more than a whimper, Sarah only nodded.
“Now.. Come, Sarah. Let’s get you cleaned up before that gets infected.” He told her, gently stroking her face and pushed her blood stained hair away from her face while discreetly putting the knife back in its original hiding place.
“Y-Yes, dear…” Sarah managed to choke out, still seeming absolutely terrified.
Albert frowned down at her while he held her closer, gazing at her wounded face that now only had one remaining eye to adore. “You remember why I have to do these things, right?” He asked her.
“Y-You’re simply protecting me from my own mistakes. My own failures…” she stuttered, voice still lower than ever.
Albert sighed, shaking his head.. “I do this because I love you. It’s all out of love, my dear. You can trust me.” He told her. “I know this will leave a nasty scar… but we can keep it as a reminder. A reminder of how hysteria can cause more damage than good. You will be kept safe if you listen to me, my love..” he whispered to her.
“I-I trust and love you too… P-Please… I just want to get this bleeding to stop…” She whispered.
“I’ll get you a doctor, love. Don’t worry.” Albert said, standing up and heading out of the room. He called for a doctor that immediately came into the room with a gasp as he saw the crying woman on the floor.
“Holy- What happened here?” The doctor quickly ran in and helped Sarah get back up onto the hospital bed. Once she was settled on the bed, he quickly ran to get his supplies to start patching her up. There was no way she would be able to keep the slashed eye.
“She was stressed when she and I had agreed to give our baby up for adoption. She tried to get out of bed before I could catch her. She fell and hit her head on the corner of that table there.” He pointed to the table beside her bed. “I assume the force of the fall is what allowed her to take out her eye in such a way… Will she be alright?” Albert asked, placing his hand over his heart.
“We’ll sanitize the wound… there doesn’t seem to be any sort of fatal damage… Although, she won’t have her left eye anymore. There’s no way that it'll ever function the same. She’ll be left with a scar.” The doctor said as he cleaned the wound on Sarah… and she didn’t say a word about it, only whimpering and crying softly as the pain wracked her body.
“Perfect… as long as she’s okay.”
Though, this was the start of a horrible trend of behavior. Sarah was becoming used to receiving punishment for every wrongdoing she had committed according to Wesker. So, believing that he was only hurting her out of love, she strives to be the perfect girl for him. She strives to do no more wrong. She obeyed his every order. She did everything he asked of her. She held her tongue and soon enough, his motivations became hers. She did everything in her power to please him. She did everything in her power to keep his love for her strong… that’s all she could ever ask for. She loved him more than anything. She would do anything to be the perfect person to remain by his side. Even if it meant giving her life someday.