Perfume and Petroleum

"Were did you say we were going for dinner?" Rebecca called from the bathroom.

"Place called "Clean Cuts" supposed to be pretty good and REALLY expensive." Jeremy called back laying on the bed watching a news report about a shoot out in West Virgina between the FBI and some of the remnants of Umbrellas private military, the U.B.C.S.

"So how can you afford it?" Rebecca teased.

"C.I.A.'s paying" Jeremy retorted cackling.

"You know as much money as you spend I'm surprised they still let you comp expenses." Rebecca said now emerging from the bathroom ready to leave. Jeremy was still laying on the bed. It suddenly struck her how different he looked these days. His hair which had been jet black when they had met was now it's natural color of dishwater blond. Although it was now prematurely streaked with grey because of the strain the umbrella operations put him under. His face was prematurely lined as well and bore the scars of a distinctly difficult life. He had lost a significant amount of weight as well, this she put down to the fact that he had been in that base in Russia for nearly two months. But for all of this he was still a site for sore eyes for Rebecca, it had been almost 8 months since she had seen him.

It had been a week since the bases destruction, immediately after the mission they had returned to a temporary command post in Moscow. After being debriefed and ascertaining that the base had been umbrellas last strong hold they had been granted leave to return to the states for a much over due vacation. They had landed in New York city that morning and were now staying in a very high caliber hotel.

"When your a key aspect of taking down one of the biggest threats to global security you get to go a little crazy" Jeremy laughed smiling ear to ear.

"Will you just tell me what you want to tell me?!" Rebecca said laughing. He had teased her all day that he had something big to tell her but he wanted to tell her it over dinner.

Jeremy laughed "No no that would ruin the suprise.... besides part of its a statement and the other part is kinda a question..... but before any of that I have a little surprise for you" he added still smiling "come on lets go." She proceeded to the door as Jeremy pulled on a hooded sweat shirt. He also slipped his Desert Eagle into the back of his blue jeans. He had carried it so long he felt very vulnerable without it. He also retrieved from a pocket in his overcoat a small black velvet box, he pocketed it and caught up with Rebecca half way to the elevator. "Say how come you never wear heals?" he asked simply wanting to make conversation.

Rebecca laughed "develop a foot fetish in that cracker box of a holding cell?"

"You've been around Michael and Sam way to much!" Jeremy said laughing. It was remarkable how much Rebecca had changed since he had known her. She wasn't the scared rookie anymore. Now she was collected calculating and callused. "I just think a pair of heals would have looked nice with that outfit."

"Well" Rebecca began rolling her eyes as they stepped onto the deserted elevator "heals kinda get in the way of running on a mission and the whole 3 or 4 days leave we get every 6 months or so.... well we don't usually get very far outside of the hotel room do we.?" she added smiling sneakily.

"Not unless they have incredibly bad room service..... by the way were going out with a couple of friends of mine." he added seeing the exact reaction he had expected appear on Rebecca's face.

"I thought this was supposed to be just the two of us." she said sounding disappointed.

"You'll be glad I invited them once you see who they are." Jeremy said as they stepped out into the crowded lobby. He began scanning the crowd looking for any sign of them.

"If it's Michael and Lisa again.... OOOOOH I swear to god what does he see in that women?" Rebecca cringed at the thought of her.

"Quit wining and look by the front door!" Jeremy said pointing towards the revolving doors. Rebecca turned in the direction he was pointing and had to fight the urge to yell.

"Jill and Chris?!?!?! how did you?" Rebecca spluttered.

"Long story and one that we can tell in full detail.... over dinner" Jeremy added rubbing his stomach. "Besides I'm gonna need there help to explain everything."

Rebecca threw her arms around his neck and kissed him "Your amazing" she then took off running towards were Jill and Chris were standing. "Chris! Jill!" She called running towards them.

"UH?? Rebecca?" They stammered as a look of pure shock and confusion came over their faces. "We thought you were dead!" Jill cried stepping forward and pulling Rebecca into a tight hug. "What are you doing here?"

Jeremy gave a loud cough having just arrived at the spot and heard the final question. Chris's eyes darted from Jeremy to Rebecca then back to Jeremy. "Rebecca's your wife?" Chris asked courteously.

"Girlfriend" Jeremy corrected him "i invited you to dinner with me and my girlfriend."

Chris laughed "well you were right this was a surprise" Chris said smiling and drawing Rebecca into a one armed hug "good to see you Becca."

"What are you two doing here?" Rebecca asked examining the change in her two former teammates. They looked considerably older then they had the last time she had seen them. There faces much like Jeremy's were prematurely lined and showed signs of strain, if not quite to the extent of his. Jill's hair was slightly longer as well.

"Well Jeremy invited us to dinner and since Umbrella looks to finally be out of commission we couldn't think of any good excuses" Chris said grinning.

"Fine pay for your own dinner see if I care" Jeremy said laughing "and you still owe me for that antique mirror you shot to pieces in Paris last year"

"HA well some of us actually have limited resources" Chris retorted.

"You wouldn't know it the way she shops" Jeremy replied pointing at Jill. They stepped outside into the hotel parking lot. It was January and a thick layer of snow covered the ground. "Let me get the car" Jeremy added quickly before Jill had a chance to repay him for his most recent snipe.

"So Rebecca your working for the C.I.A now?" Chris asked.

"Yeah.... just until were sure the last of the UBCS have been taken care of." Rebecca replied.

"You don't like it there?" Jill asked.

"It has it's pros and cons..... there are just many more cons than pros." Rebecca replied. "But enough about me what have you two been up to."

"Were working for the BSAA" Chris said with a tone of great importance. "We just took down umbrellas last strong hold in Siberia."

Rebecca giggled "that was you? Well thanks for the distraction anyway, made sneaking in and out much easier" she added as Jeremy returned driving there rented Trailblazer. She skirted the nose of the car and climbed in the passenger seat.

"A SUV? Wow Jeremy I always took you for the fast sports car kinda guy" Jill said sitting down in the back seat next to Chris.

"Well if I had known style meant more then comfort I would've gotten the 1998 Pontiac Trans Am that I wanted" Jeremy said laughing as he pulled out onto the busy street "But I thought Chris might not enjoy having his head pressed against the sealing the whole way there and back" he added.

Chris laughed "well if you had gotten that car I don't think we all would have been able to fit in it after dinner"

"are you calling me fat?" Jill asked outraged.

"Uh no honey I uh" Chris stammered as Jeremy and Rebecca roared with laughter.

It took them nearly 45 minutes to make it to the restaurant. Partly do to Jeremy getting them lost twice without realizing it. However it seemed like no time at all as Rebecca Chris and Jill recounted some of there more memorable escapades over the past few years. Jeremy was glad he had decided to invite Jill and Chris, he had met them nearly two years earlier on a mission in a rural area of China. It seemed to ease Rebecca's tension having them there. It had been a long time since he had seen here and genuinely believed she was having a good time. Ever since Rebecca had began training she had not fit in well with the rest of the agents. The way that she had been brought to them coupled with the reasons for her being allowed to stay and be given security clearance alone made sure that she endured a high level of abuse from many of the agents who considered her "incompetent". But all of that was almost over. In a few weeks she would never have to see them again, and neither would he. "Just hold out a little longer Becca and I promise I'll make this all up to you" Jeremy thought silently as he pulled the car into a empty parking space in the parking lot of "Clean Cuts".

"Does anyone else feel..... a little..... under dressed?" Rebecca asked looking around as they entered the restaurant. Most of the men wore suits and ties, the women a variety of slinky dresses. Rebecca looked down at the V neck sweater and black skirt she was wearing. "Why didn't you tell me this place was upscale" she whispered to Jeremy.

"Would it have really mattered? Last time I checked you don't even own a pair of heels much less a dress like that" he whispered back "besides" he added returning his voice to normal volume "were here to eat not impress anyone."

"Sir theres a 3 hour wait if you don't have a reservation." said a voice from behind the nearby podium.

"Reservation is under the name Holloway" Jeremy replied turning to her. She ran her finger down the ledger until she found the name

"Can I see some I.D. Please sir." she asked, not disguising her suspicion that he was not who he said he was.

"Certainly" Jeremy said sounding slightly annoyed. He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and unfolded it to reveal a New York State drivers license bearing the name "Jeremy Holloway".

The waitress blinked rapidly before snapping "Can I see a second form of I.D."

"Show us to either a table or the managers office..... your choice" Jeremy growled sounding aggravated. The waitress bit her lower lip before retrieving four menus and showing them to a round table at the opposite end of the small room.

Rebecca stared around the room. Three of the four walls were lined with shelves that seemed to contain vintage wines. In front of these shelves were counters with bar tenders standing behind them. The room was small with fewer than two dozen tables. There table was at the opposite corner of the room from the entrance to the kitchen.

They placed there orders and went on discussing there adventures since they had last seen one another until Jeremy said he had something to ask Rebecca. "Does this mean your finally gonna let me in on whatever this secret is you've been teasing me with all day?" Rebecca asked laughing.

"Yes" Jeremy said laughing. "But first I have something to tell you that you will be glad to hear."

"So go on" Rebecca urged as Chris and Jill looked puzzled.

"Well just before we left to return to the states Director Al offer-" he broke off as a loud BANG issued from the kitchen. A few seconds passed before there was a great deal of yelling. The servers were trying to keep everyone calm as yells and bangs echoed around the room. Jeremy's hand flew from his left pocket containing the black box to the gun in his jeans. "What the hell?" he said aloud.

"I don't like this.... maybe we should-" Jill began but at that moment the door to the kitchen burst open as a hail of gun fire scattered across the room. Jeremy and Chris reacted instinctively turning the table over as a shield. People began running in all directions screaming like crazy. Jeremy peaked over the top of the table.

"There definitely wearing UBCS uniforms..... what the hell is going on?" He said pulling the gun from his back pocket. Just then a UBCS soldier spotted him, pointed towards them and yelled something in what sounded like Russian.

"I think he's saying there they are get them!" Rebecca said quickly "there here for us?!?!"

"I'll cover you three from here stay low to the floor keep behind tables when you can and don't stop!" Jeremy said quickly tossing the car keys from his pocket.

Chris retrieved them and said "were not just leave-" but Jeremy cut him off.

"Officer Redfield this is not a debate! I'm the only one with a gun and I'm a lot faster then you now go that is an order!!!" his voice echoed on the last word."NOW!" he said rising over the table and firing at the soldiers. They did as instructed, they made there way across the room taking cover behind tables as Jeremy tried to make his single clip of ammunition last.

They emerged into the parking lot unhurt. It was nearly deserted now. Everyone else seemed to have high tailed it out of there as soon as the shooting started. They ran for the black trailblazer parked near the edge of the parking lot. When they were about 10 feet from the SUV Rebecca tripped and landed face down on the concrete. "CHRIS DON'T!!!" she screamed in horror as she raised her head up and looked at the underside of the SUV "IT'S WIRED TO EXPLODE!!!"

Chris who had inserted the key into the lock on the driver's side let go and sprinted in the direction they had come from Jill at his heels. Rebecca rolled onto her back stood up and ran for it. The car exploded in a fire ball knocking them all face forward. They stood back up and stared into the front door of the restaurant. The entire restaurant was engulfed in flames. They could see at least one dead body inside. Rebecca's eyes widened. "come on Becca!" Jill said seizing her arm and dragging her towards the alley to the right of the restaurant.

"Let me go!" she yelled trying to get away from Jill still trying to get back to the front of the building.

"Look Becca" Chris said out of breathe as there was a loud BANG! Several feet away. She turned to see a UBCS agent fall backwards out of the side door. Jeremy stepped out next holding a gun pointed at the agents chest.

He held up a hand and began yelling something they couldn't understand. Jeremy simply squeezed the trigger three times and delivered three rounds right around his heart area. He kicked the door shut behind him as he stepped out and slumped backwards holding his right arm with his left. Rebecca looked at him relief melting to shock. She had never seen him kill someone who begged for mercy, he had always been the one who would only kill when necessary. The shock of this display of brutality was broken by the sound of sirens in the distance. "If anyone has a plan I'd sure love to hear it." Rebecca said keeping her voice calm and even. .

Jeremy shook his head, this was his trade mark for announcing he had some sort of plan. "Did any of you make it out with cell phones?"

"No I left mine at the hotel since you had yours." Rebecca said.

"I lost my purse when you two flipped the table." Jill added.

"And I don't even have one." finished Chris.

"God dammit OK look heres what were gonna do Becca" he approached Becca and handed her his cell phone "I'll call you..... I have an idea but it's a long shot.... but it's the best plan we have the cops will be here soon Chris" he turned to Chris and extended a hand holding a 32 caliber snub nose revolver "protect the two of them will you? I'll draw the UBCS and the cops away from here as best I can.... and finally" he removed his wallet from his back pocket and began looking through it "here" he handed Rebecca a fresh drivers license credit card and a wad of cash. "get at least two blocks from here then buy some new clothes..... don't go back to the hotel.... they knew we were here so we have to assume they know were we we're staying..... I'll contact you as soon as I can.

"How are you gonna contact us with no phone and don't you need a gun?" Jill questioned.

"i took a box of ammo for my Eagle of one of the soldiers.... and you let me worry about the phone..... now we don't have a lot of time here so when I say go run like hell alright.... theres more soldiers here" he peaked around the corner watching two large men leaning against a SUV. They were tall with large over coats, and they could see the barrels of assault riffles near there feet. "ready" Jeremy said quietly "GO" he yelled opening fire at the two soldiers who dived for cover as the other three darted across the street and all hell broke loose. People ran in all directions screaming as a fire fight broke about between the soldiers and the police who had just arrived to see them blasting apart a wall with a pair of assault riffles

"I hope he's OK." Rebecca said worriedly look back as they ran with the crowd. She could no longer see were he had been crouching.

"I'm sure he will Becca.... we've seen him in a lot tougher spots.... and god only knows what you've seen him do." Jill said as they rounded a corner and returned to normal speed.

"That's true I supposed..... and right now I guess I need to worry about us" Rebecca replied thinking silently "isn't umbrella supposed to be dead.... and those weren't normal UBCS soldiers.... what the hell is going on?"

Alright let me explain something about the tittle. This chapter was originally made to be MUCH longer and encumbus there entire escape. However since i am waging a war against writers block at the moment and i share my readers hatred of people that take months to update i decided to throw this chapter up. I'll try to finish the escape in the next chapter and i will try to get that up as soon as i can as always read review enjoy and i don't own resident evil.