Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil. Haven't we made this clear already? x3

Other stuffs: Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing! I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it. You guys are wonderful. Also, I'm gonna go ahead and apologize for changing the rating of this fic from M to T to M again. I thought I could scrape by with a T rating, but this chapter proved me wrong. Dun dun dun. (: Also, for you Valenfield lovers...the next chapter will probably be focused primarily around them. Might take me a little longer to update though - classes starting soon! Anyhow, enjoy, and do let me know if you guys would like to see any particular characters make cameo appearances ;3

Chapter Three

Heaps of clothing were strewn about messily on the floor as Sheva Alomar rummaged through her closet for a proper outfit to wear to the party of Captain Derek Pierce. Everything she had tried on so far had either seemed too modest or too ordinary, and tonight was one night she wanted to appear fairly jawdropping. She had always enjoyed fashion, especially after her time in the United States, but had never found a need to buy too many miniskirts or fancy dresses with plunging necklines, and for this reason she was rather lacking in plausible outfit options.

But….there was one possibility left, and this one she did not particularly like because it was a little bit too much for her. Though black and fairly simple in design, it was obviously a dress designed to accentuate the body instead of being a particularly impressive piece of clothing. It was a short, tiny, thing that showed off an awful lot of thigh, and the neckline was fairly nonexistent, providing a considerable glimpse breast. Sheva had bought this dress but figured she would never have an opportunity to wear it, and now that she had one she was no longer sure whether she wanted to.

She had waited a bit too long to prepare for the party though, and there was little time to find another, more suitable piece of clothing. The fact that the strippers there would probably be wearing at least slightly less than she was planning to assuaged her feeling of apprehension slightly, and with a determined set of her jaw she slipped on the scant garment and viewed herself in the mirror.

"I look like a whore," said Sheva aloud, frowning. However, she thought suddenly of how she had failed to seduce both Josh and catch the eye of Chris, and this thought gave her the audacity to wear the dress finally. Sighing, she decided to at least complete the ensemble artfully. She chose delicate diamond earrings that would glitter in dim light every time she tossed her head, and silver bangles that matched the earrings perfectly. A simple silver necklace and sleek, strappy 4-inch high heels completed the outfit, and dark mascara, smoky eye shadow and liner, and some slightly color-tinted lipgloss finished her look. As she scrutinized herself in the mirror, even she had to admit that she looked pretty damn good.

She did a twirl in front of the mirror, and then laughed at her own frivolity before grabbing her purse and heading out the door into the night.

The extravagant party of Captain Derek Pierce was held at one of the several mansions that Lyon Pierce, Derek's father and President of Pierce Telecommunications, owned but rarely resided in. It was an arabesque, beautiful residence. The ceilings were high and gilded, and from them hung glittering, diamond and crystal chandeliers. The floors were made of shining marble, and the stair banisters were carved intricately. The entire manor was furnished tastefully and expensively, and was well guarded by armed men dressed in black who seemed to blend in with the surroundings as easily as panthers in the night.

The sheer opulence of the fete stunned even Sheva. She had been to bars and house parties and even frat parties while in college, but a millionaire's party was much different. Inside, the lights were dim, the music blaring, and attractive servers bearing shots of Grey Goose and fancy Long Island Iced Teas milled about, offering the drinks to handsome men in Versace suits and women decked out in flashy jewels and skimpy blouses. Mixed into the more fanciful crowd were the faces of BSAA agents and workers, their expressions incredulous and awed. There was little class distinction however, for, as Josh had said, Derek was a good party-thrower, and everyone felt quite welcome regardless of wealth or occupation.

Sheva navigated around the hall cautiously, weaving through young women already drunk and giggling furiously, and couples grinding on each other so closely they might as well be fucking. She spotted her friend David, who was being entertaining by a long-legged, topless stripper, but even he managed to tear his eyes away upon seeing Sheva.

"Fuck, Sheva. I said classy, remember?" he jested as his eyes washed over her, his words a little slurred but good-natured all the same.

"I remember it differently," bantered Sheva, grinning at him.

"Well, gotta say, I don't mind. Keep dressing like that, and you'll have Captain Stone on one knee in no time!"

"Captain Stone isn't even coming tonight," replied Sheva, her cheerful tone belying her disappointment.

"Well, Captain Pierce then!" said David, winking. "He's a helluva better catch than Stone anyway. Go snag a millionaire, sweetheart!"

"Did I hear someone mention my name?"

Derek walked up to the pair, one hand clutching a glass of whiskey, and his other arm around a slim, red-haired beauty wearing a short ruffled skirt and nothing much else. "Enjoying the party?" he asked David, and he grinned as the BSAA private nodded eagerly. "I'm glad."

The muscular, yet rather suave-looking man focused his attention on Sheva then, and his eyes swept over her body approvingly before he spoke. "You wear that dress well, Miss Alomar. " He pawned his red haired companion over to one of his friends deftly before moving closer to Sheva, his grin apologetic.

"I've got so many ladies chasing after me that I don't even know what to do with them half the time," he said innocently.

Sheva laughed shortly. "Is that right, Captain Pierce? Somehow, I doubt that…"

Derek shrugged carelessly. "Well, I can't help what they do, right? I see you're not drinking something right now. Let me fix that for you."

Sheva opened her mouth to protest, but he grabbed her hand and led her to the bar, where he motioned the bartender over.

"Something sexy and strong for this beautiful thing," Derek demanded. "This one is BSAA – I'm sure she can hold her alcohol."

"Sexy and strong, for the pretty girl," repeated the bartender, sliding a rose-colored drink to Sheva.

Sheva took a sip and slid the drink back. "Not strong enough," she said sweetly, and the bartender grinned at Derek.

"I like this one, Pierce."

"I like her too, "drawled Derek, his eyes sweeping over Sheva again.

"Don't flatter me," said Sheva, rolling her eyes. "You say that to all the girls, of course."

"Maybe," said Derek, laughing. "So, is Captain Stone making an appearance tonight?"

Sheva shook her head. "Josh is busy tonight…" After a few seconds, she added, "He said it's too bad he had to miss your party."

This time, it was Derek who laughed. "You don't have to lie for him, Sheva. I thought maybe he might show up, but if he's not coming, then I know he still hates me. It's too bad, too…" He shrugged. "I'm sorry for the things I did to him. We were pretty much just kids then, you know."

"What happened between you two?" asked Sheva, hoping to get an answer finally, but Derek smiled and shook his head.

"If Josh didn't tell you, then I sure as hell won't. I don't need you to dislike me any more than you already do. I can tell I rubbed you the wrong way earlier, though I'm not quite sure what I did wrong. I will, however, be the most charming man here tonight and make it up to you. Maybe I'm a bit spoiled, but I can be a gentleman."

"You can try," said Sheva, tossing her head flirtatiously. Derek was certainly pretentious and arrogant, but he wasn't so awful. Perhaps she'd give him a chance….

Derek motioned to the bartender for two double-shots of vodka and slid one of them to Sheva before offering his drink in the air to his companion. "Cheers. You have to come and dance with me after this one. I bet you're a good dancer."

Sheva clinked glasses with him and swallowed the drink quickly. The liquid burned down her throat, and she stifled a cough as she rose to her feet. "Oh, I am," she assured him.

As it turned out, Derek was not only a good dancer, but a charismatic one. He complimented her often and told her amusing things, and she had so little time in between the drinks he offered her that her head was swirling within a couple of hours. She noticed vaguely that his physical advances increased heavily as the night wore on, but either because of the alcohol or the constant stream of sweet words he whispered to her, she did not seem to mind too much. It felt a little bit nice to be admired so greatly by a powerful man, and the poisonous, jealous stares of the on-looking females, some incredibly beautiful, were oddly satisfying.

It might have been two minutes or two hours later when Derek leaned in close to her and purred softly, "Why don' t we find somewhere more private? There are so many people here that I can hardly focus my attention on the most important person…."

Sheva was terribly drunk, but even in her state she was not completely off her guard. She knew what such an invitation insinuated, and she thought carefully about what her next move would be. Trained BSAA agent though she was, she was also still so young and, at times, a bit naïve. She had grown up poor and, after her parents' death, rather without much love in her life. She had known the pain of hunger and loneliness, and, even when she studied in America, she had never really had the time to play and be stupid and foolish and careless without consequence. She knew retreating to a "more private" place was not the action a clever, modest young woman would make, but for once she wanted to be reckless and spontaneous. Besides, weren't the insides of Pierces' sheets exactly what half the women at the party were dying to see?

"You lead the way," said Sheva, her tone sultry, and with a grin, Derek grabbed her hand and led her up the winding, marble staircase. Though many female eyes noticed this small departure jealously, only one pair of male eyes noticed at all. The owner of such eyes gave a small, intrigued snort before reaching for his cell phone to text the number of one Captain Josh Stone.

It was a little past midnight when Josh's phone vibrated loudly. The Captain looked up from the television, slightly annoyed. As he reached for his phone, he wondered what the message could possibly entail this time.

He had already been flooded with texts from fellow ranking BSAA officers who were at the party of Derek Pierce. Some lauded the opulence of the party, while others encouraged him to come for the sake of the free booze and numerous strippers. Finally, he had received at least a handful of texts detailing the scandalous wear of Sheva Alomar, whom they knew he was very close to. He had rebuked them all, saying he was tired, and that Sheva could wear whatever she liked. In truth, he wondered exactly how scandalous this dress of Sheva's was, and hoped that it was not enough to catch the eye of Derek. However, Sheva was a grown woman and free to make her own decisions, and both this thought and a fierce hatred of Derek kept Josh from rising out of his comfortable, leather sofa.

The newest message however, disconcerted him slightly. His eyes stared at the words, and he began to grow angry:

[Josh u shoulda come tonite! Pierce is about to score with ur little Sheva. Man she is so fucking smashed…]

Josh had no desire to text back and patiently wait for a slow response. Instead, he dialed his friend and fellow Captain's number, pressing the tiny buttons a little more angrily than usual. Captain Ahmed picked up after three rings, and his voice was slurred when he spoke.

"Josh! Fuck man, why aren't you here yet? The bitches here are fucking sexy…"

Josh ignored this. "Ahmed, where's Sheva? Find her – don't let that piece of shit Pierce get his hands on her!"

"I can't do that…I barely know the girl, Josh. It'd be too weird! And besides, I dunno where they are anymore. I think they're upstairs…" he trailed off.

"Upstairs?" snarled Josh. Ahmed began regaling to him about the strippers once more in a drunken tangent, and Josh closed his phone with a snap, irritated.

He tossed his phone onto the sofa and sat down again, and willed himself to continue watching television. Sheva could take care of herself, he told himself, but a nagging feeling kept the man from being able to focus on the screen. After a couple of minutes of this internal struggle, Josh rose to his feet with a sigh, and went to find his suit.

As an afterthought, he took his Beretta too.

"Shit!" exclaimed Sheva, a little loudly. Derek had led her up two flights of stairs and down two long hallways and had just unlocked the door to one particularly stunning bedroom. The room itself was larger than Sheva's entire apartment, and ornately furnished, from the lush rugs on the floor to the handsomely carved canopy bed, complete with Italian silk hangings and sheets.

"Shit," repeated Sheva, stumbling slightly as she reached forward to touch the sheets. "How rich are you!"

Her drunken exclamations made Derek grin slightly as he leaned forward to catch the young BSAA agent before she tripped again. "Very rich," he assured her.

Sitting her on the bed, he crossed the room to the mini-bar and uncorked a bottle of champagne. He poured a glass for Sheva and came over to sit next to her. "Here," he said, handing her the glass. "One more drink, sweetheart?"

Sheva accepted the champagne but pulled a face. "Fuck, Derek, I'm already going to be shit-faced tomorrow morning," she said, giggling. She was feeling a little sick from all the alcohol, but the spinning room and the lack of inhibitions made her feel careless and free. It was altogether a rather good feeling.

Derek eyed her thoughtfully before speaking again. "What about some E? You could use some calming down…"

"E?" asked Sheva, confused.

"Ecstasy, you silly thing," said Derek, laughing. "My god, you're a really good girl, aren't you? Why hasn't Josh snagged you up is what I'd like to know…"

"Ecstasy?" exclaimed Sheva. "That stuff isn't legal! I can't do that…I'd get kicked out of the BSAA…Are you crazy?" she practically babbled.

"Crazy for you," replied Derek, a little lamely. He pushed Sheva onto the bed and began kissing her, cutting off the rest of her drunken tirade against drugs and other illicit activities prematurely.

Derek was a rough lover, and an impatient one. One hand had already hiked up her dress and was grabbing her ass, while his other was at her throat, holding her down while his lips bruised her neck. If Sheva had not been so intoxicated, she may have found him to be a bit insulting, but as it is she did not protest much. It was only at Derek's next words that she began to feel suddenly much more aware.

"Josh is really going to be jealous, isn't he?"

Sheva's heart sank, and suddenly she felt more ill than ever. So that was it! He didn't like her…he just wanted to make Josh Stone jealous and angry. She was just a tool to him. Somehow, getting used to make someone else jealous was even worse than getting used for sex. Her face flushed and she pulled away from Derek suddenly, pushing his groping hands away from her.

"I don't want to do this anymore!" The room spun around her dizzily as Sheva stood up, and she stumbled and only just caught herself on the bedpost. "I can't. You're…you're a jackass! You're using me!" she said thickly.

Derek stood up too, and his narrowed eyes had a vindictive glint as he advanced towards her. "I am, and you'll like it too," he said, grabbing for her arm.

Sheva dodged Derek's lunge and stumbled toward the door, but to her dismay, Derek had locked it. She heard him utter a derisive laugh as she rattled the elegant, curved doorknob, and this filled her with rage. How could she have been so foolish? And she was so drunk…

Sheva's eyes scanned the room for her purse, and she ran for it and had taken out her cell phone before Derek tore it from her hands. She parried the punch that he aimed at her face, but the twist kick she attempted to deliver was sloppy and easily evaded by Derek, who smiled rather amusedly at her.

"I love girls like you. Military girls. You think you're real tough, don't you? What you lot tend to forget is that I'm BSAA too, and I'm a lot bigger than you, aren't I? Do you think you're gonna win this? I love that you're trying, though!" he sneered.

After her Kijuju experience, Sheva could hardly feel fear from this situation, and her BSAA training began to kick in as she tried to remain calm. The alcohol certainly was not helping, and now it became very clear to her why Derek had been plying her with so many drinks. She wished suddenly that she had her pistol on her, or even a knife, but weapons were not common party accessories, and she had left hers at her apartment. Perhaps Derek was thinking the same thing, for he pulled out his own pistol that had been concealed in his jacket, and smiled nastily at her.

"Get back on that bed. Or on the floor. I don't mind either way."

"You're not going to shoot me!" said Sheva incredulously. "Even you're not that stupid." However, she eyed the weapon as warily as she could, moving as far away from the Captain as possible without backing herself into a wall.

"Sweetheart, if I shoot you, then I'll just get my father to bribe the officials with his millions, and I'll just get a slap on the wrist. 'A terrible misunderstanding', the headlines will say. 'Two foolish military agents messing with their firearms while horribly intoxicated…the poor woman tragically dead at only 23.'" Derek's voice was soft and poisonous. He cocked his pistol and aimed it at her callously. "I'm giving you ten seconds to get on that bed and take off your dress. Ten seconds."

Josh stalked into the party, his sharp eyes taking in his surroundings keenly. Though the lights were dim and the distractions many, he was able to find Ahmed within minutes. The drunk Captain offered Josh a high five which he did not accept.

"Where did they go?" he asked, trying to hide the urgency in his voice.

Ahmed looked at Josh, confused. "Where did who go?" he asked blankly, taking a gulp of foaming beer.

"Sheva, you idiot!" snapped Josh uncharacteristically. He was usually a very mild-mannered sort of man, but tonight was different.

Ahmed smiled apologetically. "Sorry, man. I'm pretty drunk. There," he motioned toward the stairs. "I dunno where they went. I don't even think there are guests past the second floor, but this house is fucking huge so they could be anywhere…" He trailed off, but added reassuringly, "Don't worry so much, Josh. If Alomar can kill Albert Wesker, than I'm sure she can handle Pierce. She seemed pretty taken by him, anyway."

"Thanks for the help," said Josh roughly. He left Ahmed to his beer and headed up the staircase. At the flight of the second floor, however, two armed guards who seemed to materialize out of thin air barred his way.

"Sorry, Captain. The rest of the manor is off-limits to guests. Please do enjoy the alcohol and entertainment downstairs though," said one politely, but rather frostily.

Josh started to argue but quickly realized it was useless. "Shit!" he swore angrily, and headed back downstairs, his fists balled tightly at his sides.

Sheva's mind was racing. She was not a in a favorable position – weaponless, intoxicated, and facing a trained BSAA Captain with a loaded pistol. However, she did not need ten seconds to think up a plan. She offered Derek a rather defeated, meek look. "Alright, alright. Fine. Just don't shoot me!"

Derek eyed her suspiciously as she walked slowly towards the bed in the center of the room. Sheva's eyes were downcast as she neared the small, round table next to the bed, and with surprisingly alacrity she seized the porcelain vase sitting on and threw it at the Captain's face. Derek gave a snarl of rage and shot the fragile projectile out of the air with a carefully aimed bullet, but this small lapse in attention allowed Sheva to cross the room agilely and deliver a powerful somersault kick that knocked the sinewy man to the floor.

Derek's hand was still clutching the pistol, however, and though Sheva dove for it, he moved it out of her reach and used his other arm to punch her hard in the ribs. She uttered a small gasp of pain as she fell backwards, and he used the opportunity to strike her hard in the face with the flat of his pistol before tossing the weapon across the room to free the use of both of his hands. He pinioned her to the floor with his powerful grip, his muscular hands encircling her wrists like shackles, and though she tried to struggle out of his grasp, he was too strong. He laughed now, his breath hot on her face as he taunted her. "What's your next move, agent?"

Sheva lunged her head forward in an attempt to headbutt her captor, but he moved his head backward quickly and twisted one of her arms viciously until she cried out in pain. "Behave," he whispered cruelly. "Chris Redfield and Josh Stone aren't here to save you this time."

Indeed, Sheva Alomar had no savior that night. Captain Derek Pierce raped her then, raped her merciless and fiercely, ignoring pointedly her occasional cries of pain although she tried to keep her face as impassive as possible. Every attempt at resistance was met with an even more powerful rebuke. Each thrust cut Sheva like a knife – not only with physical pain but a psychological one as well. The feeling of abject helplessness led her thoughts to Kijuju and Wesker once more, and, coupled with the humiliation of rape on top of it all, she just wanted to die.

After Derek had climaxed, he did not immediately get off of his victim. Instead, he eyed her thoughtfully and then smiled, running a careless finger over her cheekbone. "Well, now, that wasn't so bad, was it, sweetheart? A pity I wasn't your Captain for basic training. We could have had eight months of fun, don't you think?"

Sheva spat in his face, a little juvenilely, and he laughed before rolling off of her. The young woman sprang to her feel and retreated like a wounded animal, but Derek made no attempt at following her. Instead, he began dressing, smoothing his rumpled jacket as he viewed himself in the mirror contently. He was watching her out of the corner of his eyes, however, and was satisfied to see that Sheva looked incredibly shaken.

"You won't get away with this!" hissed Sheva finally, putting her dress back on quickly. She felt terrible. She just wanted to get away from Derek…to retreat to her own apartment and run away from the shame that was building up inside of her. She felt cowardly, and she hated herself for it, but she realized that this was not a fight she could win. Not now.

"I will, actually," said Derek, fixing his tie. He focused his full attention on her now, and his expression was victorious. "Do you think anyone will believe that I raped you, when you pranced up here like a horny bitch so willingly? And besides, it's not the first time I've been accused of rape by some whore. The judges know I'm rich, and that women are filthy golddiggers. They'll never believe you, and even if they did, a few million dollars on the sly would be enough to acquit me. You, on the other hand…your reputation would be in shreds. The BSAA wouldn't even think that you're worth the trouble. You won't report me. You're too proud, and you have too much to lose."

Sheva did not respond to this, and Derek smirked before crossing the room to unlock the door. He held it open for Sheva and bowed mockingly. "Ladies first."

"Fuck you, you bastard!" snarled Sheva. She swept past him acidly, the sound of Derek's cold, humorless laughter still ringing in her ears as she stumbled down the staircase back to the party.

Sheva walked down the stairs as surreptitiously as she could, hoping to leave the party unnoticed. Back downstairs, people were still having a good time, and if it weren't for the bruises on her body and the soreness between her legs, then she might have thought she had dreamed the whole situation up in some sort of a drunken haze. The bruise on her cheek was especially bad, she was sure of it, for even though she had not looked at it yet, it hurt like hell. She put one hand over her cheek to hide it from view and flitted through the crowd, shying away when she saw someone who might recognize her. However, she could not escape one pair of watchful eyes, and, halfway to the door, she heard a familiar voice that was filled with relief.

"Sheva!"

She turned around and, to both her relief and dismay, saw Josh. She ran toward him and grabbed his arm, her heels clacking loudly on the marble floor. "Josh! Let's get out of here!" she said. "I'm so…exhausted."

Josh seemed a little surprised, but nodded all the same. "Of course. That's fine with me."

He allowed himself to be led outdoors, and from there he took the lead to his red convertible. He kept stealing glances at Sheva, trying to decipher the young woman's mood, but it was difficult. She did not, however, seem very happy, and the way she kept avoiding his eyes was not at all her usual behavior.

"What is wrong?" he asked pointedly, and Sheva shrugged.

"Tired," she repeated, as Josh opened the side door of the car for her. "Just…tired." Sheva had no intention of telling Josh about what Pierce had done to her. She was ashamed, and she didn't feel that she could handle the disappointment and fury of Josh at the moment. It was a complicated feeling, because she really wanted to tell someone, to sob in someone's arms and be petted and comforted, but at the same time she was not about to give Pierce the satisfaction. He had raped her to send a message to Josh, and she was not going to be the messenger.

Josh looked at her suspiciously as he started the car, but Sheva had already fallen silent and he did not press the topic.

"I don't like that dress…it is much too short," said Josh offhandedly instead, and Sheva merely shrugged, looking out the passenger-seat window.

"I didn't think you would, but then again, I also didn't think you'd see it."

They drove in silence for several minutes, until Sheva's cell phone went off loudly; in her haste to silence it, she withdrew the hand that covered her face, and the ugly bruise became quite evident, even in the near-darkness.

"What the hell happened to you!" seethed Josh furiously, but Sheva, not wanting to explain right away, chose to answer her cell phone instead.

Josh's fierce expression faded as he saw Sheva's face drain of color; the hand that held the phone to her ear trembled as she spoke finally, her voice surprisingly strong for someone so pale.

"Alright, I'll be there in a bit. Thanks."

She closed her phone and looked at Josh, and for the first time ever, Josh thought that she might cry.

"Someone broke into my apartment, and then they set it on fire. Half the apartment complex was burned down before anyone could stop it. Josh…I've lost everything."