25th Of July, 2014

2130hrs

United Kingdom.

The night to fix what Carlos, Chris, Sheva and Jill have lost had arrived, and the clock over the renowned Big Ben tower read thirty minutes before the ten.

A honk of the horn is how the night starts off, followed by Sheva stepping out of her temporary home in London when on-duty for the BSAA, and whence turning to the driveway, there is the sight that brought her heart to glow in the same way her bronzed cheeks shined to a deep blush, spotting Carlos standing by his green sedan in a black tux and tie. The sight struck a gentle chord within her to see Carlos in a way she's never seen him, charming, much more so than Chris. Then expectedly, he would chime in with a joke.

"Leon borrowed me this suit. It was either this or digging through cobwebs in my closet. Trust me, the eighties weren't pretty."

Sheva had a small, cheerful laugh as she soon approached Carlos with words offered to him in her soft voice. "You look handsome, Carlos."

"And you're the most beautiful thing in this world. You can believe that."

Attempting to hide her blush was a battle she lost from the start, those cheeks of bronze flaring red in the moonlight, but soon enough, Carlos walks over to the passenger side of his car to open the door for the beautiful figure that was Sheva, "Well? Shall we get going?"

No more was she in her blushing state, but rather booming a strong smile to Carlos being the gentleman she always thought he could be underneath that brash side of his, and she was living it firsthand and doesn't keep him waiting, saying a soft, "Thank you," just before slipping into the passenger seat.

Exactly thirty minutes later, Carlos and Sheva would arrive in time for tonight's fateful event, both being escorted to their table walking hand-in-hand through the restaurant that was everything like Claire said, and it was no wonder why its reputation was that of four stars. Its elegance of the candles on each table. Its lavishing red velvet carpet. And the gentle and soothing classical music playing throughout, and Carlos would be the first one to admit he was intimidated by an atmosphere he never experienced. He had even swallowed a nervous lump in his throat that had gone dry with the sight of the other customers he was sure to be of elite status, causing him feel out of place and insignificant. His nervousness did not go unnoticed by the woman at his side. The hand Sheva held of his grew hot within her grasp, and that brought her to become worried as they continued to follow the young waitress, stealing a concerned glance at Carlos and seeing just for herself the anxiousness all over his face.

Sheva needn't no explanation as to why he was uneasy since she too found it uncomfortable before becoming the heroine she was, hence, the smiles and greetings she received from the other people wining and dining while Carlos is not so lucky, only receiving stares and glares from both women and men whom seemed to find him unfit, underserving for someone such as Sheva. She, herself, wanted to defend him, to stand up for him. That was the vocal and fiery woman she was, but Sheva took the calmer approach of letting her actions do the talking, no longer walking hand-in-hand, but now arm-in-arm. When this occurs, Carlos is quick to glance down to Sheva, watching her show another strong smile and reaching up to whisper ever so warmly in his ear, and what she whispered is delicate, "It's okay," to Carlos.

Just that whisper alone did its job to wipe away the unsettling feeling surrounding Carlos, who whispered back in his brash ways, "You sure it's okay? Everyone looks like they want to eat me alive and spit me out. We should've just went to a burger joint. At least the music won't put us to sleep."

Sheva let out a laugh she buried against his shoulder to not disturb the quiet atmosphere and continued to keep her eyes up towards him as they walked. "We are not here for them, Carlos. We are here to enjoy our time off. So let us make the best of it."

Carlos' lips stretches out in a confident smile. "Yeah. You're right."

After this brief exchange of whispers, they arrived at their destination with the waitress notifying them. "Here is your table, Mr. Oliveira and Ms. Alomar. I'll be back in a few moments to take your orders."

Once they saw their table, Carlos and Sheva found out Claire wasn't lying or exaggerating. Not that they ever thought she was, just the fact that they were both shocked at how their TerraSave friend was on the dot, the table was one of the best in the restaurant with a romantic setting. Theirs was one of the several out on the balcony that held a vista of the London Bridge when at its more magnificence, beautifully lit up and glowing under the starry night. The setting was one like no other to them, and Carlos was ever-still the gentleman by pulling Sheva's chair out for her. She would take her seat, but not without pinching Carlos' cheek and shaking it while grinning impishly. The response was now Carlos blushing, his own pair of bronze cheeks lighting up in which no other woman he had met throughout his life were ever able to accomplish, only Sheva who was unmatched and unparalleled in his eyes. Nevertheless, he shook the daze off and slid in Sheva's seat closer to the table, and he walked around to sit in his.

Next, the two each grab the elegant, leather-bound menu, and upon opening them, Carlos is the first to remark on the various drinks and dishes before letting out a quiet whistle at the prices, "Man, everything is fifty a pop or over. Steak Milanese, sounds all right. Cassoulet de Toulouse, now that just tested my French. Mushroom Risotto, love Italian but not mushrooms. Pad Thai Noodles, love Asian too but not sure about this one. I think I'll have just the safe choice of a burger with chips on the side."

That earned a kick from Sheva underneath the table, causing Carlos to yelp a soft, "Ow."

Sheva grins in his direction before adding her two cents on the menu. "We did not come here to be safe. We came here to live a little, so try something different. Take me for instance. I find the Quinoa Salad to be quite appealing and quite delicious."

Carlos gave a glum look and sighed. "It's a salad, Sheva. That's not called living a little. That's called dying a little."

Again, he earned kick to his knee under the table, resulting in another, "Ow."

Still smiling, Sheva did not bother to dispute her decision as she now turned to the page listing the drinks. "Strawberry Margarita sounds nice. Hmm, so does Kiwi Smoothie. Ooh, a chocolate, banana smoothie sounds even better. Or how about this one, a Japanese Jasmine Tea? All these choices sound great, do you not think so, Carlos?"

"No thanks. I'll stick to a club soda."

There was no kick to his knee this time around, just Sheva sighing wearily, yet, that smile of hers remained intact as she closed shut the menu and set its down. "Carlos, you should try different things. You never know, you may end up enjoying it."

Carlos had no leverage with to argue his case, and even if he had one, Carlos would never had the chance to speak up once their waitress arrived back on the scene with the most expensive and enchanting bottle of red wine, as said to them by the waitress herself. "This is one of our finest bottle we have to offer."

Sheva remained speechless as she gawked over to Carlos, who was just as baffled. Still, he let out a short chuckle while declining the offer as kindly as he could. "Thanks, but we are fine. We're already tight on the budget here."

"Oh, no, Mr. Oliveira. I apologize for not making myself clearer, but this bottle are from two special people sitting over there."

It was as if the planet stopped rotating when Carlos and Sheva turned to where the waitress pointed, and though they were shocked, it was why they were here, to repair what was broken. Sure enough, at a table not too far from them is the beautiful Jill Valentine beyond joy, shining a smile in a light blue dress with a high-split on the left side and one that exposed the scar on her chest left behind by Albert Wesker's brainwashing device, but she could care less of the scar as long as she had the one sitting across from her, the man who has been her partner since the beginning of Umbrella. That man, of course, is Chris Redfield, dressed in a black suit himself but keeping the collar and his white shirt loose at the top, and there they were, Jill waving happily over to their friends while Chris made a toast gesture towards them by holding his glass of wine in their direction. Sheva's reaction was no surprise, giggling joyfully as she waved back happily in a way that one would think their friendship was never ruptured, and so would Carlos, returning Chris' gesture with one of his own by raising his empty glass.

This was the first step in recovering what was lost, and the second step is taken by Carlos, who relays a message to the waitress's ear. Sheva watched the waitress walk away giggling, bringing her to ask the grinning Carlos, "What did you tell her?"

Carlos winked. "Just returning the favor. Check it out."

Blinking, Sheva certainly turned again to Chris and Jill's table and saw a sight that brought them to laugh altogether, which was the waitress bestowing Carlos' gift upon their table, and no, it wasn't a bottle of rich red wine or a heart-shaped box full of chocolate, but rather, two bottles of mineral water that brought laughter out of Jill and a shake of the head from Chris, who just couldn't help but chuckle at Carlos' joking attitude that he and Jill missed. The repair continued after Carlos laid the first block, and the next one is laid by Chris and Jill the moment he stands up and extends his hand for Jill to take. She accepts his hand, and the two begin their small trek to their friends. When arriving, Jill doesn't waste time to lean down and embrace Sheva in what seemed like ages to both women, both happy, both content as they giggled together from the deepest depths of their souls. While they did so, the men just eyed the other with strong and cheeky smiles over their faces, and it was Chris who spoke the first word.

"Gotta say, Carlos, you look good in a suit."

"Same goes for you. Got the whole clean shaved look going on, I see."

Chris rubbed his own bare chin with a chuckle. "Yeah. Still getting used to it though."

"Stay with it. The look fits you, Chris. Heck, why not go back to the spiky hairstyle? Or am I going too far?"

Chris didn't chuckle, better yet, he laughed jointly with Carlos, and as the South American rose to a stand to shake his hand, the North American embraced him firmly in a hug that even had Carlos taken back, but he settled into it, also embracing the heroic figure while unaware that Jill and Sheva were just as happy to see the men come together like brothers themselves. As they did, Jill is quick to poke fun at the sight. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Sheva, but this has to be the first time these two are hugging. Am I right or wrong?"

Chris and Carlos pull away with the same baffled look they gave to the women, and the giggling Sheva answered back. "Right you are, Jill. And might I add that they look cute?"

"No argument here. They do look cute."

Chris snorted under his breath and left it to Carlos to return fire. "Watching men hug may be cute to you two, but it ain't a free show. Cough up some cash."

It had been a long time since it happened, so Chris and Sheva would laugh together when Jill presents Carlos with a playful punch to his gut. As Carlos winced afterwards, Chris greets his partner next, the one who helped him defeat the infamous Albert Wesker, humbly smiling to Sheva. "Hey there, partner. I take it you finally gave in to Carlos' advances."

Carlos' laughter is one of pure sarcasm, but never in a million years did he expect for Sheva to respond, albeit seriously and smiling. "I did not give in, Chris. I am here on my own accord, on a date with Carlos."

If he were drinking, Carlos would coughed up every single drop, but the surprised look he gave to the still-smiling Sheva sufficed enough to express the level of his shock, causing Chris and Jill to exchange small grins to one another, and Jill herself would add more spice to the flavor. "How about that? We're on a date as well. Should we make it a double?"

No one would think it possible that Carlos could become more shocked than he was, but he was now flatly speechless as Sheva again, spoke for the both of them. "I do not mind, but I do not think the restaurant will grant us a bigger table."

"Just leave that to me." Chris confidently said, and before Carlos and Sheva knew it, they would witness just how strong Chris and Jill's reputation exceeded those of even the most famous once Chris signaled to the maître d from afar, leading to several waiters and waitresses arriving hastily on the scene where they setup a large table, four chairs, silverware, and wine glasses in just a matter of seconds.

Once it was done, the stunned looks on Carlos and Sheva's faces required no explanation.

"Well?" began Jill, "Take a seat, you two. Let's enjoy."

They took their seats, both Carlos and Sheva sitting on end with Chris and Jill on the other, and that is how the dinner got underway, one that had many more smiles and laughs than either thought they would, but neither one was complaining. They spoke of life. They spoke of old BSAA stories. They spoke of Clive and the many other dear friends in their circle. They even cracked jokes at the other with Carlos and Jill doing the most of it, and as the time gradually passed, their plates would be empty with only bits and pieces of what remained from their food. Same was said for the bottle of wine that was nearly empty. Nonetheless, all four continued to chat away and enjoy each other's company that they sorely missed, thus, the constant happiness inscribed across the four faces that is Chris, Carlos, Jill and Sheva. It was a bond that had suffered cracks, but through each smile that was given, through each laugh, through each word, and through each passing second, that bond was back and stronger than ever.

Yet, one fracture remained, which was the wedding that neither mentioned, but that would soon change.

"Clive is right, Carlos." Said Chris through his fit of chuckles. "I gotta hand it to you for being dedicated to the whole unisex proposal."

"Dedicated and committed." Carlos replied through his own chuckling, but would immediately hiss in agony once his earlobe is yet again pinched and twisted by Sheva for the second time today. "Alright, alright, Sheva! I was just joking with the man! Let go!"

Sheva released him, which resulted in the same outcome as before of Carlos rubbing his ear. Meanwhile Jill doesn't shy back from doing a little bit of teasing, "I can definitely see the leash already."

Laughter erupted from the mouths of Chris and Sheva's, all the while, there is Carlos squinting his eyes fiercely at Jill, but she just merely avoided his gaze with a grin and takes a sip of her wine. "Ha-ha. Very funny, chica. I see what you did there just now. Very funny. You gotta forgive for forgetting to laugh. Ha-ha."

She looked directly at Carlos with that grin still present across her decorated red lips. "Did you? Because after all, I did learn from the best jokester in all the BSAA: you."

Carlos slumps back into his chair and sighed miserably. "I don't know if I should be honored or worried about that."

"How about both?" Sheva kept up the teasing, followed by Chris. "Yeah, Carlos. Nothing wrong with feeling both honored and worried. Look at it this way. You're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't."

Carlos sighed again, this time hopelessly. "Thanks, Chris and Sheva. That means a lot. It really does. With Jill doing all the jokes, she'll start calling me chica for all we know."

The trio that was present at the end of Wesker's tyranny laughed altogether at their South American partner with Sheva clinging to his side, wrapping both arms around his left as she continued her laughter against his shoulder such as earlier before. Carlos, too, couldn't hold back any longer and laughed along with them, but in this moment, Chris and Jill saw just how close their two dearest friends had become close themselves, and they were happy for them, they were happy to see Sheva embracing Carlos as they muttered things between them only to laugh away in bliss. There was even a point where Sheva reached up with a napkin in hand to do away with a tiny stain on the right edge of Carlos' lips, but not without him rolling his eyes childishly and sheepishly as a result. From what they were witnessing, Chris and Jill could see it, they could see that the seed of love had already been planted amongst their friends and was blossoming into what would one day be a strong flower.

But was there truly love? Chris and Jill were left to only speculate until, that is, Jill takes matters into her own hands, and Chris read his wife like a book as he whispered, "Don't even try it."

After a smirk to her husband, Jill accidently toppled her glass on its side, spilling the bit of wine that leaked onto the white tablecloth and parts of her dress. The laughter from Carlos and Sheva was swiftly brought to a stop as they all erupted from their chairs with every pair of eyes observing Jill attempting to wipe away the stains. "A-Are you okay, Jill?" Sheva asked first, unaware or not realizing that this was all part of Jill's plan.

"Yes, I'm fine. Clumsy me. The stain's not coming out. I'm going to head to the girls room. Care to join me, Sheva?"

"Certainly, just let me—

"Let's go." Jill grabbed Sheva by the arm and pulled her along without giving her a chance to finish.

And the women departed, Carlos just scratched the top of his head. "Huh. What was all that about?"

Chris, of course, knew what Jill was up to, and he would do the same after sitting back down. "Have a seat, Carlos."

Carlos turned back to Chris, and hearing him sound serious just confused him even more. Anyhow, Carlos does return to his seat, and what he hears next is something that doesn't shock him, because he knew this day and moment would come, the moment in which he is asked about the wedding. "So, why weren't you there, Carlos?"

That was it. That is how Chris broke the question, no emotion whatsoever, just flatly bringing it out for Carlos to slowly digest, but to his credit, Carlos doesn't look away from the firm gaze Chris had and answers him, "I just wasn't ready, Chris."

"Ready?"

"You don't need me to spell it out, Chris. You know why."

As rare as it was, there was a glimpse of sorrow combined with guilt in Chris' eyes. Carlos is indeed shocked, but that was only on the inside. On the outside, he stays calm and collected as Chris presses forward. "You didn't attend the wedding because of Jill. I know that. But, Carlos, there was no intent on causing more harm than good. I didn't want the wedding to affect you like it did."

"It didn't do a thing to me, Chris."

"Don't lie to me, Carlos. I can see it. I can see it even now that you're pissed. Why now? Why did it take this long for us to talk? A damn week."

Carlos looked away, only for Chris to call out, "Don't look away. Look at me, damn it."

Carlos did indeed return his gaze back to Chris, only angry this time around while keeping his voice low in the bustling restaurant. "What do you want from me, Chris? Huh? What do you want me to say? The obvious? All right, then. The reason why it took this long is because we both know how I felt towards Jill. You knew because you were the first person I told this to. I told you that I loved her, and the next thing I know, the two of you are off on some honeymoon. I mean, how do you want me to feel, huh, Chris? Any man would've reacted the same in my position. It was a blow. It hurt me. I didn't want to go around headquarters and see Jill kissing and holding hands with some other guy. There. That's it. That's all that there is to it. You won. Happy now? Are you happy to hear I admit defeat? That you beat me to Jill?"

That hurt in Chris' eyes remained as his voice dimmed to a guilt-ridden tone. "So you think I went behind your back and took Jill from you? You think I 'beat' you, huh? Is that it?"

"…" Carlos doesn't say a word as his eyes soften, then again, he never had to say a thing since Chris took the silence for what it was, that he was right, but he would go on to convince Carlos otherwise. "Carlos… it's like I said, it wasn't intentional. I would never do anything to mess up the friendship we have. Everyone I've worked with from my STARS days to now have just been partners, people I worked with. Yeah, there's many I considered friends like Jill, Barry, Sheva, Rebecca, Clive, and Josh. The list goes on and on, but when it came to you, Carlos, it was different. Whenever I would fail a mission, the people who admired me like a hero started to doubt me. Whenever I was successful, I was their hero again. The BSAA too. There were times that they doubted me because of my track record, but you never doubted me, Carlos, 'cause you knew I was just a human being like anyone else.

You were there to take the brunt of the questions the media fed me. You defended me. For Christ's sake, Carlos, you even threatened to resign when the BSAA wanted to appoint another agent as Captain after the whole C-Virus crisis, and everyone stood behind you for me. It didn't matter whether I was a hero or what the world made me out to be, the only person that saw me for the man I am today is you, Carlos. We smiled back then and laughed it up. We trained together. We went out drinking together. We went to sporting events together, and it wasn't just us. It was with Jill and Sheva. We were all happy. I miss those times. I miss it all. So believe me, please believe me when I say that I never intended to damage what we have. Nobody knows that you are the closest thing I have to being a brother, and that's the truth. Nothing, not even Jill, can come between that, but if you can't be happy for me, then please… just be happy for her… for Jill."

When it was over, when Chris ended that long stretch of words never uttered till now, there was only silence between the two men while around them is the restaurant going about its busy pace, but it was there in Carlos' eyes for Chris to see. What he saw was Carlos beginning to choke up with his lips quivering uncontrollably and tears starting to swell, but being the prideful man he is, Carlos does not shed a tear and tries his best to play it off by turning away from Chris, staring at nothing of importance, all just to avoid Chris' gaze. Chris would leave it all there, satisfied in knowing he was able to reach Carlos, but he decided right then and there to turn the tables on his friend, who was the one usually doing the uplifting by cracking jokes or by other means, and Chris exactly does just that. He tries his best to bring back the joking atmosphere he experienced only with his South American counterpart, smiling as he does.

"Were those tears I just saw from the man whose accent gets all the foxy ladies?"

"What?" Carlos turned back to Chris and stammers on while trying to rid himself of flowing emotions. "No—umm. No tears. Ahem. Just, uh—caught something in my eye."

Chris had a little chuckle to himself, a warm one at that. "It's all right to let it go, Carlos. Hell, with everything that's been thrown my way, I did my share of crying behind closed doors, believe me."

With eyes still red, and with his throat still parched, Carlos still downplayed his emotions. "I was not gonna cry, Chris."

"That's a shame."

"And why is that?"

"Cause I think you could've won a drama award."

A wholehearted laugh bursts out of Carlos, and Chris was right there with him as he sees Carlos crumple up a piece of napkin into a ball and throw it at his face, to which Chris easily smacked down before it could make impact. Regardless, Carlos' eyes were no more surrounded by redness, nor was his throat dry. Carlos was back to normal, and to thank was Chris, and that is what Carlos did after his laughter subsided, apologizing in a sheepish manner with a flushed face and all. "Look, uh, Chris, I just wanted to say that I am happy not just for Jill, but for you too. I wish you guys nothing but the best. Still, it doesn't make what I did any better. I was wrong doing what I did. I'm sorry that it took a week for me to realize this. I was acting like some selfish kid and things just went on from there, and—

"Hey. No one needs to apologize to anyone for anything. I just want to ask one thing."

"Ask away."

The grin on Chris' face is all Carlos needed to know what he was going to ask, and he was right the moment Chris said it, "So… what's the deal between you and my partner?"

Without warning, Carlos slumped forward with his forehead hitting the tabletop. "I knew it."

As Carlos would go on to explain reluctantly, unbeknownst to the men are the women having had the same chat as them, hence, the same silence hanging over their heads as the two were not in the restroom as Jill said they would be, but were standing in the different section of the balcony where they could not be seen by Chris or either Carlos. However, if they could see them, they would see Jill and Sheva standing together by the railing, eyes of blue and brown looking out to the London Bridge, but soon, those eyes of blue that belonged to Jill shifted to their peripherals, stealing a glimpse of her friend still observing the beautiful scenery, but she had yet to say a word after their discussion regarding Sheva's absence from the wedding, and like Carlos before her, Sheva, too, had apologized, and all seemed to be going well. That was, until, Jill asked of what lied between Sheva and Carlos, and since then, not a word or a sound has come out of Sheva's mouth, nor did she budge the slightest from the railing. She had already gone through this with Clive, then Claire, and then Rebecca, yet, Sheva still bore no answer to how she truly felt.

With no response is sight, Jill was on the brink of apologizing, but the moment her lips parted, Sheva spoke, "Do you think Carlos feels the same?"

By that question alone, Jill becomes the first person officially to hear that indeed, Sheva loved the flamboyant agent hailing from South America. Though Jill could not conjure a reasonable answer despite how much she wished she could, but she would try her very best, throwing in a joke at the end, "Knowing Carlos as I do and for as long as I have, I'm sure he feels the same way. He once told me he considers you to be one of a kind, and it's no secret he's smitten by you. The writing has always been on the wall since the day Chris and I introduced you both. Plus, I don't think I ever saw a woman fight back as you do when it comes to handling his flirting, but he never stopped, and I think he enjoys the challenge. I'm sure of it because he hasn't flirted with no other woman except you, and I really do think he's waiting for you to make a decision. Whether it's a yes or a no, that decision is up to you, but I will make this clear. It's fun for me and the other ladies to watch you have him by the leash and teach him a thing or two about manners."

Words that should've brought out a laugh or even a smile failed to do a thing.

Jill now grew more concerned as any friend would be, and then it happened again. Jill was about to break the silence, but Sheva beats her to it, her voice still soft and low. "Awakening this morning, Jill, I never thought it possible that today would turn out like this. It was just to be the usual gathering Carlos and I make every monthly at Clive's home, but then things went on from there. When Clive, too, questioned if I loved Carlos."

"And what did you tell him, Sheva?" Jill asked, her voice just as soft as Sheva's.

Sheva moves her eyes off the bridge and up towards the stars. "I told him that I was not sure, but now I am. I am positive that what I feel in my heart is love. Nothing else, but only love."

"Then I don't get it. Why not tell Carlos now? What is keeping you, Sheva?"

"Because it is like I told them… like I told Clive, Claire and Rebecca, that I have pledged my love to the BSAA and Africa. I've decided that I will devote my time, my life, and my love to only those things and nothing more. I've made my decision."

"But, Sheva, you—

"I said I've made my decision!" Sheva shouted as she glared at Jill with eyes brimming from the tears that caught Jill by surprise, and it didn't matter that the other customers were now staring, Sheva let the floodgates of her heart open up, her voice aching more and more through each word that Jill took in with her own sadness showing. "I've made my decision. I thank Claire for teaching me to follow your heart. I thank Rebecca for making me realize that regrets in life can never go away. And I thank you above all else, Jill, for not hating me for my selfish antics of being absent on your wedding day. I thank you all for bringing me to confront the truth; that I do love Carlos, but I just cannot do this. For as much as I love him, for as much as I want to give us a chance, I cannot while I remain an agent of the BSAA. Perhaps in the near future when we both retire, but not now. My heart is settled, and that is all, Jill. I must go."

After the flood of teardrops began to trickle down, she brushed past Jill, "Sheva, wait, please!"

Sheva did not stop to Jill's worried cry, walking hastily through the rows of tables and bumping past other people, even causing a waiter to drop his serving tray over the floor, but it did not prevent her from continuing. It was a scene that had everyone observing Jill follow Sheva through the crowd of tables. Suddenly, Jill would stop when Sheva went past their table, and what she sees is Carlos chasing right after the broken Sheva. Chris, for his part, stayed in his seat and only looked Jill's way, both reflecting the same disappointed expression as she joined him at the table, plopping down onto her chair with a defeated sigh. To think that moments ago they were all in bliss now seemed like ages apart, but now, it took a different turn that came so sudden, a turn that Jill felt herself to blame just by the sight of her head and shoulders hanging low, and though he could not see her eyes, Chris could feel the guilt resonating from his longtime partner and would go on to rid her of any fault.

He started off by reaching out across the table to place his hand over hers, leading to Jill blinking straight ahead and discovers that strong smile over Chris' lips that always comforted her. "It'll be all right, Jill. Everything is all patched up between us. Everything is back to how it's supposed to be, but this is a fight that we can't help them in. It's only up to Carlos and Sheva to decide on what to do. Don't blame yourself for something you can't control, just like you once told me."

Jill mustered a small, shaky smile, her lips twitching as they stretched out, but it did not last for even three seconds after shooting her gaze down to their connected hands. "Whether it's my fault or not, Chris… I'm afraid Sheva has already made her decision. She will commit herself entirely to the BSAA and Africa. I can't help but feel for Carlos when he finds out."

"Carlos already knows cause he told me the same thing."

It was a shock, no doubt, for Jill to hear that Carlos, too, knew of Sheva's decision, and there were no words. It was as Chris said, this was not their fight, and so they were left to hope that the night will end well for their partners…