Chapter 14.

Sherry sleeps next to me, and I watch her sleep. No, I'm not a creep; it's just this is the first time that I've woken up next to someone on Valentine's Day...

–xiv–

Valentine's Day is coming around, and it is definitely the most commercialized holiday in this entire country.

Couldn't have said it better myself, crazy man.

I do not have plans nor do I want them. Madeline is not expecting anything of me, and I suppose she is assuming correctly. Burton plans on a nice dinner out with his wife. He invited me, but I kindly declined. I pull out my wallet and pull out her picture, Anita. She went back to Edonia; that much was unfairly evident. I do not know how to explain why losing her left me so empty, but I know that is not how it should be. I should be able to move on and get back on my feet. That is what everyone else does, so why is it that I am inadequate to do so? I have grown so accustomed to hiding my composure with sunglasses; it keeps me from having to hold face. The door to my office opens, causing me to jump a bit, and Redfield's face materializes in the door's absence. 'Captain!' "Redfield, the last time I checked, no one was on fire, so there is absolutely no reason that you need to be yelling." I pinch the bridge of my nose in irritation. 'I just thought that I needed to capture your attention!' He never learns.

Who would have thought that Redfield would be the needy type? I'll have to bitch him about it later.

"And why would you need my attention?" He strides over the desk with confidence and opens his mouth to talk, but something catches his eye. He closes his mouth; his eyes stare at the picture on my desk. 'That's not your wife?' "No, it is not." I guess that my distaste for my 'wife' has gotten around in the past couple of years. 'So who's she?' I pick up the picture to put it back into its respective place, close to me. "Her name is Anita, and she is very important to me, but I – well, I – no, she left me." What am I saying? 'Oh, was she your girlfriend?' "Fiancee." 'I'm sorry; I –' He panics a bit after being put on the spot. "Anyhow, why are you here?" He tries to read through my shields, both mental and physical. 'I was wondering if both Jill and I can take the night off tomorrow?' I laugh carelessly. "So she finally said yes? Or was it you finally grew the balls to ask her?" Redfield fidgets uncomfortably. 'Can we or not?' He persists. "Sure, but when Raccoon City needs a rescue team; we are all fucked." It is his turn to laugh. 'When some old woman gets her cat stuck in a tree, you know how to call the fire department, right?' "Sure, I still will blame you." 'Whatever, ass.' "Although you consider us friends, you should be wise and watch your words, Chris." He stares at me in disbelief which does not amount to much. 'You called me by my first name for the first time!' "Did I?" I tilt my head in question. 'You did!' "Oh, well, it must have been a mistake on my part. Please disregard that impolite assumption." He scratches the back of his head in wonder. 'Why don't you call us by our names?' I sigh. "I believe that people with achievements like yours deserve the utmost respect, and ergo, I call you by your surname to show that you are indeed qualified for my respects."

Who knew that Redfield and Wesker were close enough that statements weren't taken literally?

–xiv–

Sherry continues to sleep, and I am wide awake. I slip on a pair of pants and a pair of shoes and make my way towards the door; grabbing my coat, I walk out of the door and lock the door. The crisp February air is bitter and uninviting; I inhale, make my way down the steps of the stairwell, and break into a sprint. It doesn't take long to make it downtown into the sad excuse for a town square. My eyes dart from facade to facade until I find the store I'm looking for. Ah, there it is, the small flower shop. It's already crowded, but that is to be expected on Valentine's Day. I shoulder my way through the store towards the check out. Most of the generic flowers are gone, and I am left with a short and restricted selection. I pick up a bouquet of gladiolas. I pay for the flowers and make my way towards the entrance, trying to preserve the flowers as best as possible.

I knock on the door of my apartment to check if Sherry is awake or not. The door opens, and her face peeks out from around the door. Her hair is defined with the craze of bedhead. I pull the bouquet out from behind my back, and the flowers are already beginning to wilt due to the lack of water. She gasps.

"Flowers, so cliché, oh no!" I laugh jokingly.

"Wow, Jake are these for me?!" She blushes a bit.

"Course, who else would they be for?" A frown pulls at my lips a bit. "Sorry, is there someone else in my apartment that I don't know about yet?" I arch an eyebrow to further my sarcasm.

"No, but these flowers are beautiful."

"Nah, they're kind of dead..." I scratch the back of my head quizzically.

"It's the thought that counts, Jake."

"Right, happy Valentine's Day, super girl."

–xiv–

I open the door to the townhouse, and today is no different from any other day. But I am proven incorrect by Madeline; she runs up to me and hugs me tightly, regardless of my personal space preference. 'I can't believe you! This is more than I could have ever asked for on Valentine's Day!' "What exactly are you talking about?" She pulls away and reveals her hand, and I swear I could have strangled a baby to death.

I gotta say, crazy man; you and I could have ruled the world of sarcasm.

Her hand adorns a ring encrusted with sapphires. I could have sworn that I hid that away, but alas, I have been proven so irritatingly wrong. She kisses my cheek and pulls me in for a hug again. I cannot simply just tell her to put it back, but it irks me that she wears it like it was for her. 'However, it's a bit tight, so refitting it may be necessary.' Refitting it means further erasing Anita, but it is time to move on, right? Why should I have to move on? "I am glad you like it." Clearly, someone else did not enjoy the gesture as much. She kisses me, something I believe that she has been waiting to do for a long time. I take pity on her and kiss her back. Her hand laces with mine. 'And here I thought that you didn't like me at all.' Her hand rests against my stomach.

At least he's not continuing on and on about how much he loves so and so.

–xiv–

My phone is ringing, and the caller id reads 'Axel.' Sherry is sitting on a stool at the breakfast bar shaped area, so I put the phone back down on the counter. She watches me as I grab a cup from the cabinet and fill it with water.

"I like the flowers, Jake." She remarks.

"I used to buy flowers for my mom every Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, and her birthday; she would always get so pissed because we didn't have the money to waste." I place the cup of water in front of her. "Here."

"Thanks." She peels off the cellophane that is wrapped around the flowers. As she places the flowers into the makeshift vase, she looks at me. "How did you get the scar on your face? I know you told me before, but you just said generalizations. If you don't want to –"

"He was a politician; Bauer was his name. He was a corrupt man, easily swayed by a bribe so when he was voted into office, it didn't take long for someone to pay him to vote to pass an unbelievably high tax. As you can tell, Edonia is still a dump and cannot economically handle high taxes, so when the tax was passed, the poor got poorer. The rich partied, and the difference in classes grew. Someone paid off one of the ELA members to murder him, but that member was unsuccessful and ended up with his throat slashed open. Bauer was good with knives, and I needed a chance to prove that I was capable of the ELA. Axel sent me out against Bauer with a dinky pistol." I laugh a bit. "I was scared shitless, so fucking scared. Bauer knew that the ELA wanted his head and was ready when I showed up. Basically, he tackled me to the ground and tried to slit my throat, but I managed to moved his knife from my neck to my face. I guess you can figure out the rest."

"You were really telling the truth."

"What? Of course I was!"

"You really are going to open up to me." She runs her finger over my scar. "You also really don't like politicians."

"No, they're dirty, fucking pigs." I look at her. "You really like my story-time, don't you?"

"Of course, but it's only because you have so many interesting stories to tell." She kisses my cheek.

"They're pretty dumb." I rebut.

"I think they make you the prince charming, riding in to save the day on your noble – bike." She laughs.

"Is my sword of strength my elephant killer?" I pander on.

"Of course, and your shield? Wesker genes." We laugh a bit.

"And you –"

–xiv–

I do not know what it was that made me rush out of the townhouse. It could have been because Madeline was getting too close and asking for too much or because she suggested erasing Anita. The ring is in my hand because Madeline expects it to be re-sized. I stand in the street and watch a collection of clouds veil the moon. 'Do my eyes deceive me?! Or is that the Captain without his sunglasses?!' I turn towards the voice to find Redfield in formal attire, and Valentine is walking next to him in an attractive get up. But she is not my type. 'Chris, don't be so brash.' Valentine reminds him as she places her hand on his forearm. "Yes, Redfield, grow up." He smirks casually. 'Well, you can't blame me for being surprised; I was beginning to think the man had no eyes 'cause he wears those damn glasses all the time. You know, Wesker, you should really let more people see those baby blues, and maybe, you'd have an easier time.' My eyebrows furrow in response to his naivete and stupidity. "I am married." I hiss. 'Yes, but there once was another wo–' Valentine cuts him off. 'Sorry, Captain, he's just a little tipsy.' She begins to pull Redfield away. 'Her name was Anita, wasn't it?' Redfield calls as Valentine pulls him away. "Wait." I call out, but they do not stop. "That is an order, Valentine." I walk up to the two and grab Redfield by the shoulders."Where did you hear that name?!" A drunken smile pulls at his lips. 'When I was in your office, you had her picture out and told me yourself who she was.' Right.

Way to go Wesker, covering those tracks like a pro.

I close the door to the townhouse behind me, and Madeline asks where the ring is. I lie about some jewelers fixing the size, and she smiles. The ring is in my pocket, and I plan to put it in a letter to its original owner. I make sure that Madeline is out of the room for good before I pull out a sheet of paper, an envelope, and a pen.
'Anita,
I believe that you left something in America that is rightfully yours.
Best of luck,
Wesker.
Happy Valentine's Day.'
I drop the ring into the envelope and quickly read it, and eventually, I decide against the final line. Not only for personal reasons, but also because logically, it would get to Edonia after Valentine's Day, so why try?

He never tried enough, but then, he tried to hard and died. Wesker's life sucked.

–xiv–

"Me?" Sherry flirts.

"You are the princess who knows how to shoot a gun and kick a guy's head off, just what I'm looking for."

"Oh really?"

"Of course, you even have a fetish for all my scars." I tease, and for a second, I could have sworn that she would throw the flowers and cup at me.

A/N: Happy Valentine's Day! Hope everyone has a great day!

~FromPrussiaWithLove.