(Disclaimer: I here by state any characters or ideas written about in this story are not owned by myself and are indeed the property of Capcom. This is a non profit piece, please do not sue)
A/N: I have no real reason why I wrote this. I guess I just like the idea of how Sherry would react to the news of what happened in the end of Resi/Biohazard 5. Plus I just wanted to write a story about my home town of Cambridge I guess, a bit cheesy, but there we are. Everyone likes a bit of cheese now and again... with added angst and death thrown in for good measure. Any hoo enjoy.
Confirmation.
Sherry sat outside the small café and waited, she considered her surroundings.
Since their escape two years ago from her 'Uncle', they had moved from place to place country to country. Recently they had found themselves in England, specifically Cambridge. It had become her favourite hiding place to date. Steve just thought she was crazy. 'A place to hide was a place to hide', he had said. Maybe he was right. But to her it just seemed so solid, so steady, so peaceful.
Her stomach churned uneasily and she fidgeted in her seat. Her fingers started to tap on the table in a quick and unsteady rhythm. A wave of nerves followed by nausea swept over her. She almost gagged. She briefly considered the latte she had been sipping on for the past fifteen minutes being the cause of her discomfort.
Sadly the blonde knew it wasn't.
The dream.
It had come to her a couple of nights ago, out of the blue and totally uncalled for. She hadn't heard from him in over a year and hadn't kept track of him since then. Sherry had figured the less she knew about his whereabouts the better. Plus it kept Steve happy.
She had often dreamed about him, in between the nightmares of Racoon City and those damn tests. It was hard not too, the man had such a profound effect on both of their lives, Sherry just figured it was her minds way of working things through.
In recent months she had dreamt of him in a far away place, where the sun never seemed to fade and where the constant sound of people crying out in pain was never far away. She had dreamt of his satisfaction, of his disappointment and of his constant scheming, nothing out of the ordinary in reality.
But they were just dreams.
And yet this dream had felt so real, so alive. It was if she had been in his body, looking through those damn eyes of his. She had felt the sweat, the pain and… the end. Sherry had woken up screaming and in floods of tears, although she wasn't sure why. It just didn't seem possible. Could he really be…? Could it even happen? The man seemed so indestructible. No, it couldn't be! But the young Birkin just couldn't forget that dream…
Fire, ash, black inky bonds of metal and hatred
Cries of anger so much hate so much blood.
Guns, shouting, lava…
Burn, burning, burning me…
GASP!
No, no don't! Stop fighting it.
I can see, I can see two things coming for me…
No, stop! Run!
Why aren't you running?
They're com-
"Sorry to keep you waiting." A smooth voice interrupted.
The blonde jumped in her seat, Sherry hadn't realised she had zoned out. She stared up at her long awaited guest dazedly. There in front of her stood Ada Wong.
The woman was dressed in a beautiful scarlet suit with matching pencil skirt, matching shades and matching brief case. No doubt every item she wore, even her hair, was designer. It made the younger woman feel incredibly under dressed. Sherry had just thrown on some old jeans and one of Steve's cleaner hoodie's.
"I'm glad you could make it." The blonde smiled as sweetly as she could as she moved up to hug and kiss the other woman on the cheek.
"Actually I was on business, but I think it can wait just a little longer. " The dark haired woman winked and returned the quick embrace before taking her seat opposite the younger blonde. "Although I'm a little surprised you wanted to meet in the open like this."
Sherry gave a nervous laugh and took another sip of her latte. Damn, she thought, she should've got a chilled one, hers had gone cold. Sherry had emailed the spy as soon as she had calmed down about that damn dream. It had left a deeply disturbing nagging feeling that simply refused to budge. Who better to put her mind at rest?
The spy smirked and called a near by waiter over and ordered a drink.
"Where's the incredible sulk?"
The blonde shifted nervously and chuckled again.
"Probably asleep. He does that a lot lately, either that or playing that new game of his." The blonde coughed. "He doesn't know I'm here."
Ada clucked her tongue and took off her glasses. As always the woman had gone out of her way to look as glamorous as humanly possible. Sherry felt slightly jealous; she never felt she could be that beautiful.
"Ah! So it is business after all? I'm almost hurt!"
Sherry moved in closer to the older woman, but stopped half way as she saw the Waiter return to their table with the spy's order. A vodka tonic, with a twist of lemon, it was one of her favourites too.
Once the waiter had gone the younger woman leant towards Ada again, her elbows resting awkwardly on the table.
"I need to know something." She uttered as quietly and as quickly as she could. Not because she cared if anyone heard her, but simply because it was the only way she get herself to say it. Because despite everything she still couldn't believe what she was about to ask.
"I see." Ada sipped her drink wistfully. Amused at the younger woman's behaviour. "What is it that you need to know?"
Sherry licked her lips nervously and took a deep breath. Her stomach was doing back flips and she felt the intense sense of dread weigh down more heavily than before.
"He's dead isn't he?"
The spy leant back in the comfortable wicker chair and sighed deeply. This wasn't what she was expecting, although at the same time she was hardly surprised. A sad smile tugged on her lips as she ran her well-manicured fingers through her dark hair.
"Sherry…"
"Well? Is he?" The young Birkin pressed. She had to know she just had to.
The spy sat still for a while and considered her options. She had been in many tight spots before and had been asked many a dangerous question, however this one felt so much worse. She had known Sherry for a time long, she had seen her grow from a skinny, scared little twelve year old to the capable, smart and all too decent person that sat facing her now. Sherry was no Leon; the spy had too much respect for the girl to tag her along with half-truths like she did with the CIA agent.
So she didn't. Ada simply finished her drink and ordered another two before letting the words tumble out of her mouth.
"Yes. He's dead."
Ada studied the girl's reaction intently.
Sherry's blue eyes had fallen to the table and she had gone very still. As far the older woman could see, there were no tears forming in her eyes, no shaking or any other sign of her breaking down. The girl didn't even look shocked. This confused Ada somewhat; this was not how she would've guessed Sherry reacting to the news of her 'Uncles' demise.
It was somewhat off putting.
Sherry sighed, shook her head and looked back into the spy's heavily made eyes.
"Let me guess, the BSAA?"
Ada raised an eyebrow. It didn't shock her that the younger Birkin would know about such an organisation. It came with the world they lived in. But it was somewhat startling to see the girl fitting the pieces together so quickly and so calmly. Not even she had known how close the BSAA had been to tracking Wesker and his associates down until she had done a little digging and discovered the Kijuju report.
"You always were a smart girl." She smirked and lifted her drink to her lips. "I was quite surprised when I read the report. But yes, Albert Wesker is no more. Cheers."
Sherry sighed again and watched Ada down her second drink and sank back into her chair. Her intuition had been right. He was gone, but still, she couldn't quite believe it.
"I have it all here." The spy commented dryly and produced a large manila envelope; the kind Sherry had seen the older woman hand to her 'uncle' all too often in the past. It felt weird being the one to receive one now. "All the information you'd ever need on the man. Would you like me to skip to the best part and tell you how he died?"
The blonde shook her head and pushed the package away. There was no need. She had a pretty good idea, even if she wasn't quite sure if it had actually happened.
"Uroboros, Lava and two well aimed rockets to the chest." She stated as calmly as if it were nothing at all, Just a lucky guess on her part.
Sherry wanted to laugh at the shocked look that had leapt onto the Spy' face, it was rare to catch the infamous Ada Wong out, however the older woman recovered quickly. She looked perplexed.
"Then why did you contact me?"
"Just had to be sure." She replied and shrugged as she poked her stone cold Latte; she didn't feel like telling Ada about the dream. As understanding as the woman had been about her and Steve, Sherry doubted she would've understood that.
" I see…"
They sat in silence for a while, neither sure what to say or do next. Not that it was at all unusual, but this time there wasn't a convenient biohazard, batch of extremely painful tests or even Wesker to distract them. So in the lack of a zombie outbreak, Sherry decided it would be best to adjourn the meeting there and stood up.
"I guess I better shoot before Kermit wonders where I am or tries to throw the Xbox out of the window again. You know how he gets..." She gave the spy a small smile as she placed a crisp five pound note on the table. "Thank you Ada."
However as she turned to leave the older woman caught her arm.
"Wait."
The spy produced a smaller package from her brief case and handed it to the girl. Sherry smirked as she fingered the package in her hands. So it wasn't just luck Ada was in the area after all.
"I was ordered to give this to you, should anything happen."
"By who?" Ada gave her 'the Look' and took a closer look at the package. There it was as clear as day. Her name, written very neatly at the top. Sherry would've recognised that hand writing anywhere. "…Oh."
"And with that my business is concluded." The spy said as she stood up.
They hugged once more, this time with a bit more feeling on Ada's.
"I'm sorry." She had whispered to Sherry before breaking her hold and walking away into the bustle of afternoon shoppers.
On the walk back to the small flat she and Steve shared on the outskirts of the city she felt numb and slightly vacant, as if she was running on autopilot. There where too many conflicting thoughts and questions running through her mind to allow her any chance to step back and simply feel. However one sentence was a constant. He was dead.
He.
Was.
Dead.
None of it seemed to make sense.
So her dreams had been right on the money and Ada had the evidence to support the fact he was gone. And yet, somehow, even with all that knowledge, the idea of Albert Wesker not existing anymore just refused to sink in. It was like there was something missing. And why was Ada sorry?
He was dead.
She didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. At least she wasn't crying…
When she turned the key and entered her humble abode she was met with the sound of loud explosions and swearing.
"GOD FUCKING DAMNIT!"
Followed by the sound of yet another controller being crushed.
"Shit!"
As she entered the small living room, the blonde smiled to herself. There was something utterly endearing about catching a highly dangerous B.O.W. skulk in front of the TV like a ten-year-old who had just been denied sweets before dinner. As she watched, a thought occurred to her. Sherry felt her smile grow and a wonderfully warm feeling begin to bubble up inside of her.
Steve was safe.
He was never going to be used by Wesker again.
No more excruciating tests.
He was free from all of it.
The smile had turned into a dopey grin by the time Steve had noticed she was even there and as he groaned at having been caught, all Sherry could feel was utter relief for her incredibly childish partner in crime.
It was all over.
She felt like she could do anything at that moment.
"Sorry," The man sighed as he got up off the floor to meet her. "I know it's like the third controller this month, but that fucking partner character is totally bugged up the ass! I swear, I was this close to…"
Steve's rant was interrupted abruptly by Sherry as she flung her self at him with incredible speed and proceeded to kiss him breathless. After a minute or so Sherry allowed the Tyrant to pull away. The look on Steve's face was priceless, she had a very hard time trying to stop herself from laughing or just pushing him to the floor and fucking him senseless then and there.
Steve on the other hand just looked very winded and puzzled. His cheeks were almost the same colour as his hair.
"Er… okay, what was that for?"
From his previous experiences of breaking incredibly expensive Xbox 360 controllers, being almost kissed to death was not how it usually went. Nope, usually there was sighing and frowns, not one hundred watt smiles and hot, needy kisses. Not that he was complaining of course…
Sherry just beamed up at him, nothing short of utter love shone in her blue eyes.
"It's over." She murmured.
Before the older B.O.W. could even think about what the hell that meant, the blonde had already captured his lips again for another scorching kiss. As her hands trailed down his oh so sensitive body and touched him in all those places that made it impossible for him to resist her, Steve decided the best course action would be to just roll with it. He'd find out what 'this' was all about later, much later if she kept teasing him like that…stupid Tyrant libido.
With that decided he picked the blonde up and carried her to their bedroom.
Later that evening as they lay in bed together sated and warm, Sherry had told Steve all that had happened. About the dreams, about Ada and about what she had told her. To say the young man had been gob smacked would've been an understatement. He had also been a little hurt and annoyed that Sherry hadn't told him what she was up to.
But it was soon forgotten due to that fact that Albert 'Mother fucking' Wesker was dead and gone.
"So… he's really gone huh?"
He chuckled as he played with the long golden strands of Sherry's hair. The blonde just sighed, the warm afterglow of sex having faded a while ago and had been replaced with that uncertain, numb feeling she had felt just after her meeting with Ada. The relief she had felt had been short lived indeed. It still didn't seem real. She had thought telling Steve would've done something, but it hadn't. Other than the urge to celebrate Steve's newfound safety from the hands of her 'uncle', She still felt neither here nor there about the whole thing.
Only now she was sure that it wasn't a good thing.
Sherry frowned at herself. What was wrong with her? She had been so happy only a few hours ago and now…She buried her head into Steve's bare, tattered chest and breathed him in. Why did it bother her so much when she had all of this? It was over now, the never had to worry about Wesker ever again!
But still…
Steve shifted suddenly, lifting the blonde out of her funk for a moment. A pale and scarred arm reached over her to the bedside table. He grabbed at something and soon a small weight had plopped onto her head.
"Ow!" She whined.
"Sorry." He mouthed to her and picked the item up and twisted it round in his hands. "Just wondered what this was."
Sherry turned onto her back and crawled up a bit so that she could see what Steve was so concerned with all of a sudden.
Above her head was the small brown package Ada had given her. She had forgotten about that.
"Open it." She said.
Steve muttered something about 'not taking orders', but did as he was told.
Claw like fingers tore at the top of the packet, shredding it within seconds, leaving a small black mass in his hands.
Sherry cocked an eyebrow and grabbed it from her lover's hands.
Her eyes widened suddenly as she realised what she held.
It was a pair of black sunglasses.
Memories from her long forgotten childhood overwhelmed her. Images of brief conversations away from her arguing parents, little words of kindness in dark and lonely rooms and a stupid stuffed bear with sunglasses, all things her uncle, Wesker had given her at some point. Things that up until the time he had found her after Racoon City, no one else had given her. Small stupid things that had probably meant nothing to him. It didn't matter to Sherry, because they had meant a lot to her.
Even if he had been a murdering, lying manipulative bastard, those small things were what she had hung onto. To live with him, to trust him and to believe that he wouldn't just abandon her like her parents, Leon and Claire had done.
Because she had never truly hated him.
Never.
She had loved him. For all his faults she had loved him.
And now he was gone. He was really gone and all that was left were some crappy old sunglasses.
"Sherry?"
Her body trembled and the tears had already started to fall without her noticing.
He was really, really gone.
Steve watched his lover let her begin to sob and all he could do was hold her close. He didn't truly want to understand why she was crying, but he did. He knew it. It was the way he had felt when he had found his father in that godforsaken facility all those years ago.
That night, Sherry shed endless tears over a man that no one else would morn. She grieved a heartless, souless creature who tried to play god.
In the end she cried herself to sleep clutching those stupid sunglasses.
It was all the confirmation she needed that Albert Wesker was dead.
