The days had felt endless as Sherry waited for the verdict on her suspected involvement with Simmons betrayal, yet her relief was short-lived as a hollow kind of numbness had slowly begun to fester within her. Sherry found herself functioning without thought as she was informed that she would still be suspended from active duty pending further investigation into the incidents in China, Edonia and Tall Oaks. She was expected to submit a full written report of the last six months before facing further questioning about her time in captivity, and also while under Simmons guardianship.

The bubble of resentment that had begun to surface as she forced a complacent smile on her face and nodded along to every word spoken to her like a disobedient child had been quickly quashed, hiding her anger as she wanted to scream that it had not been her choice to be tied to Simmons. He had fooled everyone, but only she had been manipulated by the superficial charm and half-empty promises he'd dangled in front of her. Pretending she could be free one day if she proved herself worthy.

It had been something of a blur when they'd been moved from base camp to an evacuated hotel. It was overrun by official stern-faced men and women in military uniform but Sherry had at least been given the freedom to roam from her room without eyes watching her every move. The laptop she'd acquired shortly after being shown to her room illuminated her features with its glowing screen as she watched the sunset in a reddening sky. The smell of smoke and blood had finally faded from her memory, but if she stared long enough she could swear the clouds would blacken and the last fragments of copper sunlight turned to fire raging in the distance.

Sherry rubbed at her tired eyes. She'd been unable to sleep for more than a few hours at a time and the medical team who had checked on her almost daily since she'd been rescued had commented on the weight she was still loosing. She hated their probing questions. Sherry hadn't lied when she'd told them she was eating three meals a day, she just forgot to add that keeping the food in her stomach was proving something of a challenge for her unsettled stomach.

Slipping the laptop back into her bag Sherry contemplated going for a walk to clear her mind. Her restlessness was less to do with her inability to work and more concern that she had yet to set eyes upon the likes of Leon, Chris or Jake since their last rushed interaction under suspicious eyes.

She'd been correct when assuming her conversation with Jake would be taken back to the woman Sherry was now expected to report to. She'd sat in a daze during her second round of questioning as her relationship with Jake had been examined relentlessly. She wanted to keep those particular thoughts and feelings to herself for as long as she could, at least until she could figure out what they meant. Sherry could only hope that Jake would be smart enough to do the same, although she didn't expect he would tell them anything more than the necessary details. In fact she could imagine the sort of response he would give and it made her smile as she pictured the scowl on his face as he stared at his surroundings in boredom. One leg stretched out in front of him as his arms remained tightly folded over his chest whilst he stared down whoever had the guts to think they could intimidate Jake Muller.

With an uncomfortable but not totally unpleasant squirm low in her stomach Sherry wondered what he was doing now. It had been difficult to enquire about him without arousing suspicion, especially now that her duty to protect him was over. Leon had already left China, or so she'd been told. Sherry had fought to hide the pain that stole her breath at his sudden disappearance from her life once again. She hoped she could seek him out again and they could have a proper conversation, one without danger lurking just behind them or ears listening in doorways.

Sherry abandoned her seat on the balcony of her room and went to her bed where she pulled on the jacket that was thrown over the covers. She thought of Chris.

He was still in the hospital, although he was fine physically there were concerns for his mental state following his partner's death. She'd fought for the chance to speak to him for just five minutes. She'd been desperate to tell him how sorry she was, how grateful and that Piers Nivans was a hero she'd never forget.

A crashing sound made her jump and Sherry realised she'd stumbled, throwing her hands clumsily across the bedside table and sending the half-empty glass of water left from the night before to shatter upon the wooden floor.

It was a stupid thing to make her cry but Sherry wept as she mopped up the mess quickly, pulled on her boots and fled from her room.

The walk did little to calm her jittering nerves but at least the hotel was quieter at night. Sherry breathed in deeply as she stepped outside. The moon hung high and the red of the sky was turning purple. If she closed her eyes and tried hard she could almost pretend she was sat in the garden of one of the nearby parks of her home. Her fingers buried themselves in the pockets of her jacket as she let her head fall back to stare at the stars which had begun to appear across the wine-coloured sky.

By the time she dragged herself back inside after somehow losing track of time staring at the endless black sky Sherry couldn't stop the shivering that numbed her fingertips and left her fumbling for her room key. As she exited the stairwell, having avoided the elevator for reasons she tried not to think about, she'd just managed to pull it free from her pocket when the sight of a figure sitting against her door made her drop them after all.

Jake was startled awake from where he'd been sat with one arm resting over a bent knee and the other stretched out in front of him, his booted foot leaving a mark against the opposite wall. Sherry snatched up her key before finding herself frozen in place.

Had it been days or weeks since they'd seen each other? Sherry couldn't pick apart the days that had bled into sleepless nights as Jake locked his eyes on hers and casually pulled himself to his feet. He was dressed in dark jeans and a V-neck black shirt that exposed bruises along his collarbone beneath a worn leather jacket. It was strange to see him dressed so casually, without any weapons strapped to his sides, and Sherry wondered if she looked just as odd considering the way his brow creased as he looked her up and down.

"You been out partying or something super girl? It's almost midnight."

Sherry's reply was breathy as the keys jangled in her hands.

"I just went for a walk."

Something was wrong, Sherry thought, as silence stretched out between them. She found herself looking at the threadbare carpet to avoid the clouded look in Jake's eyes. Did he feel it to? The gulf that had opened up between them.

"Have you been here long?" she asked to end the silence. "I didn't even know you were at this hotel."

Jake raised a hand and ran his fingers over his hair, tugging slightly at the strands that had begun to grow out.

"Just got here. Someone told me this was your room so I figured I'd wait. Have to admit I was getting a little worried..."

Sherry tried not to fidget awkwardly as she wondered who he'd questioned for her whereabouts. She felt a little guilty that Jake had been left waiting at her door but it wasn't as if she could have known he'd suddenly appear. Her enquiries about his wellbeing had been met with vague answers and she didn't dare arouse any further suspicion by insisting on his location. She'd almost expected him to be whisked away, perhaps even given a new identity for protection. Sherry had spent many long nights wondering if something even worse had happened. As the only biological descendent of Albert Wesker Jake's DNA was a goldmine for those who would abuse it, and Sherry knew that better than anyone.

"I was worried too," Sherry told him with a voice that croaked uncomfortably. Between the chill of the night air and the fact that she'd barely spoken a word to anyone for the last few days her throat felt dry and sore. Jake cocked his head to one side and looked at her questioningly before Sherry clarified.

"They wouldn't tell me where you were or if you were okay..."

Jake understood.

"Worried they'd shoved me in some lab somewhere?"

Sherry nodded as her throat began to burn and she refused to meet his eyes. Shame began to burn within her. Shame that she could work for the type of people who'd do such a thing. Shame that she had such little power to change it.

Jake stepped forward and lifted a hand toward her. He wanted to offer some comfort, just a little reassurance that things were okay. He froze when he saw her flinch at the sight of his open palm before dropping his hand back to his side. His expression smoothed out quickly and he regarded her with a blankness that made her stomach drop.

"Maybe I should go."

Sherry looked alarmed. She hadn't meant to jump when he'd moved toward her but she'd been on edge ever since getting to the hotel. The days were still busy and filled with people going about their work but the sense of urgency and threat that had plagued her for months was gone and Sherry had been unable to adjust to the notion that she just might be safe again. She'd spent her days scanning every room and listening for sounds of screams or gunfire whilst trying to settle back into some type of normality. The only people who'd been near her since being separated from Jake had been soldiers or doctors, the latter of which usually left her heart racing and her skin sticky with cold sweat.

"Don't," she said, desperation making her voice slightly shriller than usual. She blushed as Jake watched her, unmoving. "Don't go. Not yet. I'm sorry, I'm just...tired."

Jake scratched at his chin. "Then I should let you get some sleep."

Sherry couldn't put into words the sudden need for Jake to not leave. But she refused to let him see this side of her. The side that had tossed and turned at night waiting for daylight before being able to close her eyes and catch a few hours of rest. The side that wanted nothing more than to call Claire and tell her every terrible thing that had happened and be hugged and cradled like a little girl again through her nightmares. Because she wasn't a child anymore. She was an Agent, a survivor of Racoon City and now of the Lanshiang outbreak too.

"Actually," she told him with a smile she hoped hid the embarrassing longing for his company, "I was thinking of raiding the minibar if you'd like to join me?"

Jake paused before taking a small step back and Sherry almost panicked that he would turn and leave her standing there, watching him walk away.

Jake's lip curled into the smirk she'd grown fond of.

"Tiny bottles of overpriced booze and sugary junk food?" He said thoughtfully as if weighing up the offer. He gestured for her to open the door. "I'm in."

Sherry tried to act normal as she brushed by him to open the door. She hoped he wouldn't notice how her breath caught when he simply shifted slightly to one side, moving close enough that she could smell the fresh soap on his skin.

Sherry flicked on the light and cast a glance around the room as she suddenly felt self-conscious about inviting him inside. Considering she'd barely left it for the last few days it was neat enough, only the bed was left unmade and the bin filled with broken shards of glass.

Jake made a whistling sound from behind her as he slid off his jacket. Sherry followed suit before throwing hers over a nearby chair.

"Perks of working legit eh?" Jake said with a pointed look around the room. Sherry paused as she took it in properly for the first time. She supposed it was more than comfortable, in fact she realised it was probably bigger than her apartment with its built-in kitchen and open living area. The bathroom came with a soaker tub as well, which she'd spent hours in scrubbing at herself during her first night of freedom as if she could still feel the blood and grime that coated her skin.

Sherry almost asked about the places Jake was used to staying in considering his file had told her he hadn't had a fixed address since his mother's passing, but she quickly thought better of it. She knew he'd grown up in a poverty-stricken part of the city and from their time together in Edonia she'd learned that hers had not been the only difficult childhood. Sherry didn't want to spoil the mood now that Jake was grinning as he opened the door to the mini-fridge and cackled happily.

"They bill all this back to your boss, right?"

Sherry confirmed that, yes, her expenses were covered. It seemed odd to think this hotel would have been filled with tourists recently, so of course the mini-bar was stocked with enough that Jake managed to fill both his hands with as many of the tiny bottles as he could carry after pulling open a chocolate bar and shoving it in his mouth. Sherry couldn't help but laugh at the sight of him as he offered up the selection of alcohol. She lightly picking out her choice from his palm and snapped open the lid. Jake dumped what was left on the coffee table, grabbed two for himself as he swallowed the rest of his chocolate and offered them up to Sherry in a cheers motion.

Sherry winced as she gulped the burning liquid. It felt good. She could feel the drink settle in her stomach and a warm feeling spread through her limbs as she watched Jake chase the first bottle with the second with a satisfied groan that left Sherry's hands shaking.

Suddenly unsure with what to do next, Sherry opted for taking a seat on the couch before kicking off her boots and tucking her legs beneath her. Jake had no qualms about making himself comfortable as he dropped down at the opposite end and stretched himself out. His eyes slid shut for just a second as he sunk into the cushions.

Sherry watched him intently now that his attention wasn't on her. His face relaxed in a way she hadn't seen before and all the hardness slipped from his features. It made her realise how young he really was. Reaching forward with fingers that trembled slightly Sherry snatched up another bottle before tossing Jake's chosen favourite into his lap.

"Super girl, are you trying to get me drunk?" Jake asked with a dramatic hand pressed to his chest.

"Super metabolism over here," Sherry replied with a gleam in her eye as she shook her bottle at him, "so try and keep up."

If there was one weakness Jake would admit to, it was being unable to turn down a challenge.

"You're on," he grinned lopsidedly. "But first, more snacks."

It didn't take long for a line of tiny glass bottles to appear on the edge of the coffee table. Jake tossed an empty wrapper toward them and watched as it fell to the rug beneath their feet.

Sherry sat with her her knees pulled up in front of her, both hands holding them gently as she placed a cheek on top. She felt... good. There certainly wasn't enough alcohol to induce any real inebriation but she suspected it had more to do with the man sitting opposite her cartoonishly trying to shake the final drop from the last bottle onto his outstretched tongue.

"God damn it," he cursed. "We're never gonna get wasted at this rate."

"There's a bar downstairs." Sherry commented before frowning. "Pretty sure it's closed though."

"There's this handy little trick I learned once," Jake told her with a conspiratorial wiggle of his brows, "called 'Breaking and Entering'." He made exaggerated quotation signs in the air with his fingers as Sherry snorted.

"I'm already on thin ice. I don't think committing a crime to get drunk will endear me to my new boss."

Jake made a disappointed sound and shrugged. "It's not like its a felony," he reasoned. "What's the point in saving the world if you don't get to enjoy it?"

"You make a good point. Perhaps that'll stop them from almost firing me... again." Sherry tried not to yawn as she stretched across the couch. Now that she was relaxing for the first time in weeks she was beginning to feel the ache of her muscles. Her socked feet settled beside Jake's thigh as she noticed him watching her closely. She almost pulled them away but she didn't want Jake to get the wrong idea again and make an excuse to leave.

"You want to talk about it? he asked.

Sherry felt herself stiffen again as she shook her head and fixed her eyes on her knees. No. She didn't want to talk or think about anything other than the totally bizarre situation of having Jake tapping his fingers against the back of the couch while they ate their way through the remaining chocolate piled between them.

Jake didn't say anything and the next few minutes passed in silence that neither found particularly uncomfortable. Sherry let her head rest against one of the cushions and resisted the urge to let her eyes close.

As she let herself enjoy the sense of calm and safety she'd been missing Sherry was unaware of the gaze that watched her. Jake had noted immediately that she looked different when she'd appeared in the hallway. She appeared pale and gaunt and the rings under her eyes stood out starkly against her fair skin. His eagerness to see her again was quickly overtaken with concern.

He'd mistaken her flinching away from him as a rejection at first. It wasn't as if either of them had had a chance to talk about everything that had happened. There were a few things in particular that Jake had thought about a lot. An almost embarrassing amount in fact that a familiar voice had begun to mock him. Telling him to man-up. That women were nothing but trouble and a distraction from the job.

That particular voice had belonged to the first person he'd truly trusted in his life. He was also the last after the son of a bitch had betrayed his entire team and watched as they'd been slaughtered.

Until Sherry.

Sherry, who had somehow managed to drag him from the self-pitying pool of destruction that he'd been drowning in for so long that he hadn't even realised he was barely treading water anymore until she'd pulled him up for that first, desperate gulp of air.

Sherry... who was also sleeping with her head resting against the cushion of the couch, her hair falling forward slightly as her chin dipped toward her chest.

Unfortunately that left Jake in something of a predicament. Upon his release he had immediately made his way to the hotel without waiting for his own accommodations to assigned before searching for Sherry, which meant he currently had no room of his own. It hadn't occurred to him that it would be a problem until he wondered if it would be considered creepy for him to spend the night on the sofa without an invitation. But he also found himself reluctant to wake Sherry, she looked like she needed the sleep.

Instead Jake carefully rose from the couch so as not to disturb her before finding the bathroom. He closed the door with a soft click before flicking on the light. He let out a disgusted sound at the oversized tub as he remembered washing in bowls of tepid water as a child. Even now he still washed sparingly when on a job after a tip from a fellow merc; the fresher you were the easier it was for BOWs to sniff you out.

Jake placed his hands on the cool edge of the sink and dragged his eyes to the mirror. His cuts were healing and the bruises blossoming with varying shades of blue and yellow. He looked a mess and completely out of place under the glow of the fluorescent lights shining off the polished white surfaces of the bathroom. Jake found himself wondering just what it was he was doing there. When he'd first rapped his knuckles against the door he'd wondered if his sudden appearance would be a welcome sight, or if he was clinging onto something that didn't exist outside of their reliance on each other for survival.

He had knocked again after a few silent moments as he wondered if she was sleeping. After a third and final attempt which left the door rattling on its hinges Jake thought about searching the hotel before deciding to just wait for her return. Before he'd let his eyes close and began to fall into an uncomfortable sleep propped up against the wall Jake thought back to the last time he'd seen her, how she'd stumbled into the room and Jake, upon recognising her, had resisted the urge to punch out the guard who'd shoved her forward.

She'd looked at him wide-eyed and startled as he pressed his hands to her shoulders, squeezing just enough to make sure she was really there. His time so far had been spent making the lives of everyone who had to deal with him miserable, but what did they expect after cuffing him and shoving him in a chopper without explanation whilst expecting Jake to let them poke and prod at him. He'd sat through the tests and allowed them to take blood and samples with gritted teeth while assuming he'd be given answers once the urgency of their situation had calmed a little. But that hadn't been the case at all. He knew demanding to be let go was a waste of time, instead he relentlessly hounded them for Sherry's whereabouts, for proof that she was okay and not being tortured for their sick experiments again.

Jake was taken by surprise to notice he was scowling at himself in the mirror. He'd spent so much time in fear for Sherry's safety, wondering if he'd even see her again, that he hadn't really considered if Sherry had felt the same way. Or if she did... would it even matter now her mission was over.

Dropping his eyes down to his white-knuckled fists he remembered his only other visit to his room. Kennedy had said Sherry 'liked' him as if they were kids in a playground. Jake wondered if the older man had been mocking him. The visit had been short and confusing as Leon seemed to have been dancing around what he really wanted to say. Jake hated when people wouldn't just say what was on their mind leaving him trying to read between the lines and figure out peoples intentions.

Which begged the question; why didn't he just ask Sherry...

Did you think about me, like I thought about you?

Do you still?

Jake knew these sorts of feelings could get messy when on the job. The adrenaline, the sense of impending death and danger, it heightened everything and could lead to some impulsive decisions. But Jake hadn't been impulsive when he'd kissed her.

Well, perhaps a little considering all the J'avo that had begun to surround them.

But it wasn't something that came out of nowhere... not for him. Kissing Sherry, no matter how fleetingly, had felt like the only thing that mattered if they'd finally run out of luck.

Jake pressed his fingers to his temples. To say there'd been some mixed signals was an understatement. He thought perhaps his feelings toward her were reciprocated when she'd thrown herself into his arms after sending the BOW he now knew had been dubbed Ustanek into a flaming pool of lava.

But now she seemed distant. Wary of his presence.

Perhaps he'd made the wrong choice, just showing up the way he had.

A knock at the door caught his attention.

"Jake, are you in there?"

She must have woken only moments ago if the sleepy croak on her voice was anything to go by. There was also a slight edge to her voice, as if she were worried to wake and find herself alone.

Jake took a slow breath before he turned and opened the door.

Sherry blinked up at him as her arms gripped each other loosely across her chest.

Neither of them spoke for a long moment.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep." Sherry told him, looking sheepish.

Jake shook his head, "Don't be. Why don't you get some rest and we can... we can meet up tomorrow? Unless you have to work, or something."

It was Sherry's turn to shake her head. Sure she felt like she was drowning in paperwork and deadlines but for the first time since being given the distraction of an actual job, a purpose in her life, she didn't care.

What she did care about was Jake glancing behind her toward the door to leave, and it made her heart drop.

"Stay," Sherry said so quietly Jake took a beat to realise what she'd said.

He froze in the doorway as Sherry didn't elaborate any further as she waited for Jake's response, who noted the way her fingers suddenly gripped tighter around her arms.

"Here?" Jake asked, cringing at the uncertainty in his voice. If anytime was the right moment to play it cool, it would have been now. The Old Jake wouldn't have thought twice about the invitation, but the Old Jake would never have found someone like Sherry asking him to spend the night in the first place.

Sherry began to feel a little hot as she realised how her proposition sounded. It wasn't as if Jake didn't elicit certain types of feelings within her, but Sherry was worried about what those feelings meant.

"Just to sleep," she clarified and Jake was careful to keep his expression neutral.

He nodded once and Sherry took a step back before turning to look at her unmade bed. She hadn't thought where she was asking Jake to sleep, all she knew was when she'd jerked awake as her head fell forward toward her knees she'd felt her heart stop to see his end of the couch empty. The light from beneath the bathroom door had calmed her just enough for her to pull herself together and cross the room on unsteady feet.

Sherry didn't want him to disappear again. She needed him to stay. She needed... him.

Jake took her by surprise when he made his way back to the couch and tossed a few of the loose cushions to one end.

"I've slept in worse places," he commented with a dry smile that made Sherry's stomach flip.

He was going to spend the night on the couch while she slept only a few steps away in a perfectly good double bed.

"You don't have to," she told him, glad her voice wasn't shaking nearly as much as the rest of her.

Jake glanced over his shoulder, his smile dropping into confusion.

Sherry took a steadying breathe before her eyes danced between him and the bed.

"Stay with me... there."

Sherry waited, unable to breath as Jake straightened up and fixed her with a gaze that had her trembling. She wasn't offering anything other than sleep and Jake could see that in the way her shoulders hunched and her slight frame shivered. Yes, for the briefest of moments he'd felt his blood come aflame as she'd invited him into her bed, but that heat dwindled into something that still flooded him with warmth as he realised what she was asking from him.

"I can do that." He told her frankly as if he were agreeing to give her a lift to the airport, not spend the night beside her.

Without another word Sherry moved to flick on a small lamp beside the bed, switching off the main lights before she returned to the bed and straightened out the sheets. Changing her clothes was not an option and it wasn't as if Jake had come packing any nightwear. Without even glancing in his direction as Jake moved to the opposite side of the bed Sherry sat and slipped her legs beneath the covers.

Jake seemed to hesitate for just a moment before he pulled the blankets tighter around her and laid himself on top of them at her side. He didn't want to be presumptuous and slide right in next to her. He felt Sherry relax as he plumped a pillow beneath his head and slid his hand beneath it as the other rested against his stomach. Sherry lay on her back with her eyes fixed to the ceiling.

"You don't mind if I keep the light on, do you?" she asked.

Jake's smile was thin and empty. "I don't think I've slept in the dark since... well, before I can remember. Not if I can help it."

Sherry felt the tightness in her gut and chest loosen. She'd been worried to say it in case Jake laughed at her, but Sherry had woken one too many times in her life screaming when she was sure she could see monsters lurking in the shadows. Although Jake's words had come with some relief she also felt sadness. How simple a thing it was to sleep in the dark for most. How terrifying it was to people like them.

The feeing of another body in the bed was strange at first but Sherry soon grew used to the sound of Jake's breathing. She focused in on it, trying to time her own breaths to his as her heart beat in a steady thud.

"Jake..." she eventually said in a half-whisper.

Jake let out a sleepy hum.

"Thank you."

A quick look from beneath her lashes saw the quirk of his mouth as his lips twitched in a smile.

"Don't go telling everyone. People will question my virtue." he quipped.

"Don't worry, I promise to be a perfect gentleman," Sherry fired back, earning a snort.

"Good night, super girl."

Sherry let her eyes close as a contented smile of her own tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"Good night Jake."

To Be Continued in the Final Chapter! Can an Epilogue come in three pieces? Well, this one does. I blame the delay on many things but mainly becoming fixated on the Stranger Things series which has left me completely stuck figuring out how to finish this story after all these years...

Happy? Bittersweet? Leaving it open to a sequel...

The next 5000 words have already been written and are soon to be completed. Thank you for sticking this out with me.