Fine, I'll admit now that this chapter is more dialogue-oriented than the others. Maybe too much so, but meh. This chapter is a look at what happens to Robin when Chris leaves and her relationship with her family. Mostly fluff, but some pain.


Removing a modest scarlet book with intricate black lettering from the back of the black pillowcase, Moira handed Polly the sought-after book. She snatched it from her hands, upset that Moira had most likely known where it was the entire time. Flicking it open carelessly, they confirmed that it was my scrawling handwriting on every page. Skimming the first few pages for a codex to use, the darling duo didn't find any clues as to the code I was using, but sooner rather than later, Polly pointed to a short snippet that looked like what was needed. The area was the one stupidly surrounded by doodles of hearts, so that was a help to them and anyone else trying to read my diary. They read the entire page, trying to figure out the code I was using in the diary, and it must have taken no less than an hour to figure out the first half of the sentence, which was still riddled in translation error... At least that's what I placed together when I saw my sister's in my room, heads together on my bed. While they studied like monks, I watched them from the doorway, sluggishly creeping up behind them.

"Mo, any luck figuring out what this part says?" Polly pointed to something in the book, to which Moira only shook her head.

I stopped just behind them, mimicking our father on the rare occasion that he actually scolded us, "Maybe it says something about harming noisy little girls?"

They jumped out of their skins by good two feet, proving that my unhurried stealth was well worth it, and when they looked at me with the deer-in-the-headlights look, this triumphant moment was forever immortalized in my memory, "What were you two looking for? I'm guessing that you didn't find it?"

"Don't be angry," Moira ran to my side and hugged me, like a child who had unintentionally hurt their parents' feelings, "We just needed to know-"

"Have you been crying?" Polly was about to confess everything, still crouched over exhibit A, but when she looked into my eyes, she noticed that they were red and puffy and swollen.

I closed my eyes for a moment, stumbling over to my bed so I could lie on my stomach with my face turned to them, "Tell me your story, then I'll tell you mine."

They sat next to me, Moira curling up in my arms and Polly lazing by my head, playing with my hair, "Robin, we're sorry we went snooping around your room while you weren't home."

"You twerps should know that you can just come to me," I kicked my brown flip flops off onto the floor with the rest of my discarded heap of footwear, "But I guess it's better than going to mom and dad."

They nodded shamefully, deciding to ask me whatever it was that they wanted to know, Polly doing most of the talking, "No one ever talks about it, but isn't it odd that you don't have a boyfriend? You're almost an adult, but you've never once brought a guy home, and no one sees you with boys at school... But Mo and I have been watching you. We've been taking notes and analyzing every little thing that you do. Even though it's never spoken of, we think we've discovered why you've been so alone."

I cringed, ready to hear them say that I liked Chris, but even through the shock and fear of my little sisters being the ones to figure it out, I was proud of them for their investigative prowess, "And?"

Moira, who I thought might have fallen asleep before she propped herself up on one elbow, took over for her sister, but she didn't look back at me, which I thought was weird for her, "Are you...? Robin, are you a lesbian?"

I couldn't help it when I burst out laughing, "You guys thought that I was a lesbian! I'm sorry, that's just the funniest thing I've ever heard!"

They looked at each other, a mixture of confusion, relief, and disappointment on their faces, "But everything pointed to your liking girls."

"What made you think that?" I was still laughing so hard; I could feel tears running down my cheeks.

"You don't hang out with guys-"

"You drive that hideous monster-"

"You wear really nice underwear-"

I looked at Polly in alarm, "What? Did you go through my dresser?"

She looked away guiltily, "I might have been looking..."

I rolled my eyes, choosing to just let that one slide, "Well, was that all?"

They nodded in unison, "Basically."

"Po, Mo, I'm not into girls..." I trailed off, wondering just how much to tell them, "I like a guy... But it's one that I could never be with."

It was Moira's turn to say something off-putting this time, "Dad?"

I almost threw up in my mouth, "No. It doesn't matter who, alright?"

Polly guessed again, "Oh, I know! It's Auntie Claire's friend, Leon!"

Ok, I had to give her that one. Leon wasn't too bad, but the way he traded Sherry Birkin for his cushy job in the secret service never sat right with me. I mean, she was only a little girl! But I guess that that's the only way a rookie cop can make it to the top. I remembered telling him that too, in a more polite way of course, when he and Claire had stopped by for a surprise visit last summer. And what did he do? He actually liked that I called him out! So weird. But I guess one could say that we became a little better than acquaintances but not quite friends from the incident.

Moira disagreed with her sister almost instantly, "No, Ro's already given us a clue...Remember when she said that she likes 'manly-men that live life'? Leon's cute, super cute, but he's too much of a pretty boy."

"You think Leon's cute?" I diverted the attention from me for a minute, a tad curious that my sweet little Moira would like someone like him, "Really?"

Cleverly covering her tacks, she cleared her throat to begin again, "I mean from a certain perspective... I don't think that personally."

Moira might have said that, but I knew that she faking it, "And what about Polly?"

She made faces like she was having a seizure, "I'll pass on Mr. Girl. No, I think that Jill's friend from Raccoon City was hot..."

"Carlos?" I was slightly surprised to hear Polly say that, but at least that meant that Chris was fair game.

Polly suddenly remembered our agreement, "So, what's your story? Why were you crying?"

Earlier that day...

I drove directly from the airport back to the house in my cute little jeep, complete with paint-covering mud splats and tattered black leather interior, thrumming my fingers anxiously against the steering wheel. Chris and I had parted on good terms, thankfully, but now that he was gone...I missed him so much. I could actually feel my chest being torn open, the space seeming to get bigger the further away we were from each other. Trying to outrun the pain, I drove recklessly fast with the radio blaring out angry music, but I couldn't get away from it, so I turned off the jeep before I got home. I pulled the green monster off the road, parking in an empty clearing of dead nature and a few far off buildings. And then I fell forward against the wheel, crying my heart out. My shoulders were trembling worse than an addict during withdraw, and my eyes were quickly too full of tears to see anything at all. And I must have stayed like that for at least an hour...

Back in the room...

I looked at my sisters' expectant faces, so I buckled and told them truthfully, "I was coming back from the airport-"

"Did Chris make you cry? So help him if I found out that he did!" Polly rushed to my defense, but Moira smacked the back of her head for interrupting.

Frowning deeply, Moira smacked her sister, "Let her tell the story!"

Polly nodded apologetically, "Sorry, Robin."

I shook my head, "No, that's alright... Anyway, I was coming back from the airport, and I saw the saddest thing; A baby deer that had been run over. I stopped my jeep and got out to bury it, but I saw that it was still alive! Moving it off the road, I did my best to treat it... But it died in my arms, and it was so sad, so I ended up crying for a while."

I didn't want to lie to my sisters, but I wanted to tell them the real reason even less. They accepted my story, but I think that they knew I was lying. They were good kids...

Kathy's POV:

Laundry, laundry, laundry! I was swimming up to my ears in laundry between the towels, the bedding, Barry's clothes, my clothes, and the girls' clothes. Taking a break between cycles, I was watching the weather channel so I could plan when to spend a day with the family, hopefully outside for a picnic. As I watched with growing disinterest, I suddenly remembered that today was the day that Barry and Robin would be seeing Chris off to the airport. But Barry was too busy working to go, so that left Robin to do it by herself... I looked down at my watch, seeing that three hours had passed since she had left the house. Worried, I checked on the girls before slipping out to go find Robin. The girls were old enough to be alone for a while, and besides, they were well behaved. Getting into the mini-van, I drove slowly, eyeballing every single thing in my way, hoping to see Robin on her way home. Thank the Lord; she was parked a few miles from the house, curled up in the front seat, bawling her eyes out.

"Honey!" I parked next to her and got into the passenger seat of her jeep, "What happened?"

She looked at me, falling against my shoulder without really seeing who I was, "He's gone...He's going so far away from me...Who knows if he ever comes back alive?"

I took a deep breath, patting her shoulder even though I wanted to cry, knowing what this meant, "I know, Sweetie... It's such a hard thing; loving a man of action who lives such a dangerous life... Gallivanting around the globe for days on end to face all kinds of unnatural threats...Leaving us behind to worry every minute of every day, wondering if you'll ever see him again, thinking of all the lost things that you never got to say. It's hell, thinking about how they might never come back home to us."

Robin gradually looked up at me as my words sank in, as if she was afraid to see me, "What are you saying...?"

Ever since she first saw Chris Redfield four years ago, I knew that Robin had had a small crush on him. Any good mother could tell that sort of thing about her daughter, and I knew it even before we were properly introduced. We all knew that she did, but it was cute, so no one really took it seriously even though she was twelve at the time, least of all Chris. In fact, he seemed to think that she had outgrown it rather quick, everyone did, but she had only gotten better at hiding how she felt. It was only until recently that I myself was thinking that it was just a fleeting feeling, but there have been several indicators over the years to force me to accept the truth: Robin really did love Chris. She had suffered in silence for such a long time, but the feelings inside her have only grown by leaps and bounds... And now that she was a woman, it must have been hell, knowing just how close it was to being real. But knowing her, she won't see that until something happens...

"Who do you think I am? Robin, you know you can tell me anything," I patted her knee due to the awkward position we were in, "Honey-baby, I'm here for you."

She wiped her eyes, shaking her head at the same time, "Oh, mom! It just hurts so much... This feeling inside is ripping me apart!"

"There, there, mommy's here," I leaned across the seat, holding her as close to me as I could, "Shush, baby. We can talk about it when you're ready."

She nodded against my chest when the tears finally stopped, "Can you take me home?"

I kissed her head, "Of course I can! I'll take you back in the jeep so you can go lie down in bed, and then I'll walk back here for the van."

I could tell that she wanted to object, but we both knew that was going to be of no use behind the wheel, so she just switched places with me, "Thank you for coming...I love you, mom."