RE Armageddon: Part II- Hands of Fate

by striker

Finally united, the survivors must now battle their own inner demons while Chris must make a choice that will determine the fate of all. Please read and review.

8. Resolution

Disclaimer: Capcom owns Resident Evil. I just decided to play god with the characters for my amusement and yours. Enjoy.

Resident Evil: Armageddon

Part II- Hands of Fate

Chapter 8- Resolution

Written by: Striker

Chris hastily stuffed his clothes into the bags he had set on the bed. The sooner he left this place, the better. They didn't need him. He would just get in the way, slow them down. They had wanted him to stay, to lead them. How? How could he be the leader? He was in no condition to even be fighting in this war. "I have enough problems without having to worry about their safety." He zipped the last bag closed and shouldered it. He looked around the room before his eyes rested on the bag then contained the necklace he had bought for Jill. He set down what he was carrying and zipped open the side pouch on the smaller bag. He took out the long case and opened it. He looked at the necklace, studded with rubies and diamonds, for a few seconds before snapping the case shut. He placed it on his pillow, knowing that Jill would later find it. He knew she would never wear it, and it would break her heart whenever she looked at it. "Someday you'll fine someone else and forget about me." He walked over to the dresser and picked up his wallet, putting it into his left-hand pocket. He then noticed a small pin, his wings. It was proof that he could fly. He hesitated for a moment before grabbing the pin and shoving it into his right-hand pocket. Chris picked up the three bags he had packed, and walked out of the room.

The others had changed and were waiting for Chris at the bottom of the stairs. Their plan was simple. Each of them would talk to him and try to convince him not to leave. That would be the easy part, getting him to listen would be much harder. Ark heard the door shut and decided to try his luck first. He sprinted up the stairs and met Chris as he was turning away from the room.

"Chris, you're making a big mistake. I've seen this happen to other people. Walking away won't fix your problem; it'll just make it worse. I should know, this happened to one of my best friends."

"Who?" Chris asked.

"Carl. It was just after Raccoon City was destroyed. He was given the task of finding out why the government had to blow up the city. He tried, but he couldn't get a straight answer from Umbrella. After a while he just gave up. He wanted to know why so many people had to die. The fact that he didn't know finally got to him. He just gave up. According to him, what was the point of continuing with the case if he couldn't do anything? The next day he left. It was a week later that he called me. He asked for help, and we talked it out. If he hadn't of come back, we may never have known about the survivors, we may never had talked to Leon, and we may never had found out the truth."

"Get to the point Ark. What are you trying to say?" Chris asked.

"What I'm saying is that maybe you should think about the consequences of what your about to do. Walking away won't fix your problem; it'll just make it worse. You say this is for the good of the team, but in reality you're ruining everything. Now I don't know exactly what will happen, but I do know this. If you leave, you will be hurting a lot of people who care very much about you. Think about that."

"Nice try, but it didn't work. Now get out of my way." Chris stepped around Ark and continued to the stairs. Carlos, who had just heard the end of Ark's speech, stopped him.

"He's right Chris." Carlos said. "You will be hurting a lot of people. And you know who you will be hurting the most? Jill. Ever since we escaped from Raccoon she has been looking over half of Europe for you. How do you repay her, you walk out on her. Now tell me why you're going to do that to her."

"Because she deserves someone better than me. She doesn't need to be with a jerk like me. Besides, it's been to long. I'm sure you two have feelings for each other by now."

"There's one little problem with you assumption, Chris. She doesn't want me she wants you. Jill and I are just friends. I figured that out a long time ago. Yeah, I care about her, but I know her heart already belonged to you. I know this because in her room is a picture of you two. It's probably sitting on her dresser right now. She found it when we searched the last place she knew you were at. Almost every day since then, she's stared at that picture. You're the one she loves, and right now she needs you to be here for her."

"How can I be here for her when I can't even deal with my own problems?" Chris asked.

"Simple, you let her help you. Maybe by working this out together, you can help each other. She's been through the same hell as you. I think she's even had the same doubts you're having now. Believe me, I've seen other soldiers go through the same thing that's happening to you. Most of the time, they didn't have a chance. You do. All you have to do is stay here and let Jill help you face your problem. You leave you'll devastate her. Stay, for her sake."

"You don't understand. I'm leaving for her sake. Don't worry; she's strong. She'll get over me and find someone else." Chris put his hand on Carlos' left shoulder. "Just take care of her for me." Chris began to descend the stairs.

"You know Chris, after all the things she's told me about you, I never thought you would be the one to loose it."

Chris looked back at Carlos. "Don't believe what you here, sometimes people are wrong." He continued down the stairs, leaving Carlos defeated. Carlos turned to Ark, who had the same depressed look.

"From the way things are going, it may take an act of God to stop him." Ark said.

Chris got to the bottom of the stairs. He was about to head for the front door when Rebecca came running from the living room.

"Wait Chris, you can't leave." She grabbed onto his arm and looked at him pleadingly. "I know. I did the same thing your going to do. I left my friends, and it felt bad. Every day I felt so guilty that I couldn't take it anymore. I missed you guys so much. I know what I did was wrong and now I just want to make up for it. Don't leave, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"Rebecca, you left because you were scared. You didn't want to face Umbrella anymore. I understand what you were going through. I don't blame you at all. You were trained to be a medic and a biochemist. You shouldn't have had to go through that experience. I'm leaving because you don't need me around. I'll just cause trouble for all of you. I've done enough damage already. I'm sorry, but I can't stay."

"Maybe you're scared."

Chris turned around to see Leon staring him in the face. "What did you say?"

"You heard me." Leon replied. "Maybe you're scared of facing your problems. Maybe you don't what to. You said it yourself; you've gone on for so long hiding from your emotions that you don't know how to deal with them. Or maybe you're hiding from your past. You know that if you face this thing you'll have to relive all the bad shit that's happened to you. You're not running from your feelings, you're running from the past. The only thing is that facing those bad memories is the only way you'll beat this. You're not the only one to have bad things happen to them, we all have. The only difference is that most of us have gotten over what happened. Now you have to, but running isn't going to do anything."

"Of all the people here I thought that you would be the only one happy to see me go."

"Why should I?" Leon asked puzzled at what Chris just said.

"When I'm gone, there's no one to get between you and my sister. Don't try to fool me. I've seen the way you look at her. I've seen how close your getting. You should be telling me to get out so you can move right in on her."

Leon was outraged by Chris' accusation. "I can't believe you just said that. If you think I'm trying to take advantage of Claire because of what happened to her, you're wrong. I'm helping her deal with her lose, just like you should be."

Chris cocked his head. "And what makes you think you can help her?"

"Because I lost someone too. I'm going through the same thing she is. I know what it's like to have someone you care about die right in your arms. Hell, I'm still trying to get over that too. And since we're talking about Claire, the last thing she needs now is her brother walking out on her. She lost Steve; she doesn't need to loose you. She needs you right now."

No she doesn't. Seems like you've done a good job of taking my place. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get going." Chris was starting to get frustrated. Everyone was making this more difficult than it had to be. His mood didn't change when he got to the porch to see Barry waiting for him. "Make this quick. My patience is running thin."

Barry was leaning against one of the post with his arms crossed. He didn't look too pleased. "Mine is too. Have you listened to anything anybody has said to you? Do you even care? I never thought I would ever say this to you, but your acting like an idiot."

"I should kick your ass right now for saying that."

"What will that accomplish, nothing." Barry said. "It'll just be another thing you will regret. And just like the shot you gave me last night, you won't be able to take it back. Like I told the others last night, you can't change the past. No one can, no matter how hard they try. If all of this is because you feel bad for leaving for Europe without us, get over it. We're all made mistakes. We all feel guilty about what we've done. I feel horrible about having to betray you, Jill, and Becky at that damn mansion. Do you see me moping around about it? No, because I know that's in the past. The only thing I can do is to try to make up for what I've done. The past is just that, the past. The only thing you can do is learn from it, and then go on. The sooner you stop looking back at what has already happened, and start looking to the future, the easier it will be to get on with your life."

"You think you know everything, huh? You think it will be as simple as that?"

"I never said it would be easy. I just said it would help. Now the way I see it, you've got two things you can do. You can stay here and work out your problems. Or, you can leave and wonder about what would have happened if you had stayed. Which one will it be? Just remember this, whatever you do will affect not only you, but everyone else as well."

"I've already made up my mind. Nothing you say can change it. So long Barry." Chris walked past his old friend and headed for the dirt road that lead to the highway.

Barry looked towards the door as Jill and Claire came running out. He watched as they ran after Chris. "If you two can't talk some sense into him, no one can."

Claire stopped short and let Jill run by. It was decided that if Chris would listen to anyone, it would be these two. Claire had let Jill try first. If Jill failed, then she would try to convince her brother not to go. "Good luck Jill. You'll need it." She said as Jill approached Chris.

"Wait!" Jill grabbed Chris' shoulder. "I have to talk to you."

Chris spun around, set down his bags, and looked at Jill. "What do you have to say?"

Jill looked him dead in the eye. "Do you know how long I spent looking for you? Three and a half months. Now that I finally found you, I'm not going to loose you again. You know, there have been nights when I wished that I didn't let you leave Raccoon. There were times that I wished that I had told you how I felt. After I got out of Raccoon, the only thing I could think about was finding you. I'm not letting you go without a fight."

"I'm sorry Jill, but this is one fight you can't win. I'm leaving no matter what you say. It's just something I have to do."

"Dammit Chris. Why are you being so stubborn? Why won't you listen to me? I love you so much. That's why I came looking for you. If you love me, then you won't go."

"That's why I am leaving." Chris said, holding Jill's shoulders. "Sometimes the best way to show someone that you love them is to let them go. You deserve someone better than me. Maybe if things were different, we could have been together. Now, it's too late. You've changed, but I'm still who I was when I first joined the S.T.A.R.S. You're better off without me." Chris let go of Jill and looked down.

"You're wrong Chris. You're the only one I want. I don't know what I'd do without you. You have to stay, for me. Don't go and throw our relationship away. We can handle this together, like we did in the past."

Chris looked back up at Jill. "I have to do this by myself. I made this mess, now I have to fix it. Goodbye Jill. Just do one thing for me. Tell Barry to take care of my sister."

"Then remember this. No one will ever take your place in my heart. And if you ever decide to come back, I'll be waiting." Jill gently kissed Chris on the check. She then turned and headed back for the house. She had tears in her eyes as she passed Claire.

Claire watched Jill as she ran into the house. Her head snapped back towards her brother, an angry look on her face. She stormed up to Chris and slapped him on the side of his head.

"What do you do that for?" Chris asked, looking at his sister's scornful face.

"That's for being an idiot. Everyone here is worried about you and you're acting like you just don't care. Jill just ran crying into the house because of you. Rebecca's upset. Barry's mad as hell. Everyone else who thought you were such a great guy are now disappointed. Do you give a shit? Obviously you don't."

"I do Claire."

"That's bullshit. If you really cared you would have listened to what they said to you. You would be thinking about what they said right now. Instead you didn't listen to one word. You know what you're doing? You're rationalizing everything. You're trying to make this sound acceptable not only to us, but yourself as well."

"No I'm not." Chris could feeling his anger rising. "I'm not making excuses. This is what I have to do. I have to handle this by myself. I have to leave."

"Quit being so fucking selfish." Claire blurted out, startling Chris. "Whatever anyone says, it always ends up going back to you. I this, I that, I, I, I. You're not thinking about us, you're thinking about yourself. Poor little Chris, he's going through a huge crisis. Wake up. You're not the only one who's messed up. I rarely get any sleep at night because I constantly have dreams about Steve. Leon's going through the same damn thing because he lost someone too. Jill's a mess because she finally found you after God knows how long, only to have you brush her off after she told you how she feels for you. Barry is trying to keep peace is this place, Rebecca is trying to make up for her mistakes, Carlos and Ark feel like they don't belong here, and there are three children who lost their parents to Umbrella's monsters. But do you even consider that? No, cause you only care about yourself. Hell, compared to our problems, yours is nothing. It's just too bad that your wallowing in self-pity is making you blind to all this. And all that crap about this being your fault. Let me tell you this, shit happens. You once told me something a long time ago. It was when mom and dad died. I asked you why our parents had to die, and how it was so unfair. You told me that there must have been some reason why it happened. You also told me that life's not fair. Well now I'm telling you that. Life's not fair at all. Everyone here has gone through the same thing you have. We've lost friends, family, homes, and our lives. You're not the only one who's suffered. Oh, and one more thing, what about your promise."

"What promise?" Chris asked.

"The promise you made to our parents. I remember at the funeral how you promised them that you would take care of me as long as you lived. You promised that you would be there when I needed you. Well I need you now. You walk out and you'll break that promise. What was it that you always say? Oh yeah, you never break a promise."

Chris closed his eyes. He had forgotten about the promise he had made to his parents and himself. He had gone up to the caskets and had looked inside. Silently he had made a vow to both of them. He had vowed to always protect Claire, and be there for her. He, however, had completely forgotten his pledge. Now he had to face that fact. "Claire, you're wrong. You don't need me anymore. You don't need me to protect you. You can take care of yourself, and you have Leon now. It would be better for you if I just left. I already had Jill in danger at that damn factory. I don't want to put you in that position either. Goodbye Claire, I'll miss you." With that, Chris picked up his bags and began down the driveway.

Claire was shocked by what her brother had done. "FINE," she yelled after Chris, "JUST WALK AWAY. WALK OUT ON ME. FORGET THAT STUPID PROMISE AND ME. JUST RUN OFF LIKE YOU AWAYS DO. YOU'RE A COWARD CHRIS. I HOPE I NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN, YOU ASSHOLE!" Claire couldn't keep from breaking down. She ran back towards the house where the others had come out to watch. Barry stepped off the porch to meet Claire. She crashed into his arms, crying uncontrollably. "I can't believe he left me. Why didn't he listen?"

"I don't know." Barry said. "We just have to hope that he comes to his senses. We have to believe that he will return. He just needs time."

"This may sound cold," Leon said as he put in hand on Claire's shoulder, "But we have more important things to worry about."

"Like Umbrella." Claire said, drying her eyes. "You're right. We have to take down Umbrella. I just hope that my brother doesn't try to fight Umbrella by himself. I don't think I could forgive myself for not stopping him if he did."

Ark spoke up, getting everyone's attention. "We shouldn't beat ourselves up over this. We did what we could. It's up to him now. But like I said to Carlos, it may take an act of God to stop him now."

Chris quickly walked down the dirt road. Claire's last words stabbed at his heart like knives. 'Maybe she's right. Maybe they're all right. Maybe I am just running away.' The words that his now former teammates had said still bounced around in his head. He shook the thoughts out as he planned his next move. He decided to get to the highway. He would then hitch a ride into Atlanta and take a bus to the next city. He knew that Umbrella would be watching the airport, so a bus was his best bet. He would figure out what to do next on the bus.

He had been walking for what he guessed was ten minutes. He had no idea what time it was. It was probably after ten. The sun was just rising over the trees so it may have been later. Chris came to a small rise that curved to the right. As he rounded the bend, he froze. "Holy shit." He murmured. Lying across the road was a massive tree. Chris dropped his bags and walked up to it. It was the biggest tree he had ever seen. It appeared to be over six feet in diameter. Chris was 5'10" and could barely see over it. The tree appeared to go off to the left into heavy brush for about twenty feet. It shot off into the heavy brush to the right for about fifteen feet. "This must have come down last night. We would have heard it fall if it came down this morning." Chris struggled to look through the hole the tree had punched in the brush. "Damn." He saw the stump, or what was left of it. It looked like it had been blown apart, charred pieces of wood scattered around it. This is what the lightning bolt had hit last night. The thunder had covered up the sound of the tree crashing down, and the impact was what caused everything to shake. "This is just great. Now what am I going to do?" Chris stepped back. He couldn't go around it, and he sure as hell couldn't climb over it. He was stuck.

Chris stuck his hands in his pockets, trying to figure out what to do. He felt his Air Force pin and took it out. He stared at it, remembering how he had busted his ass to get it. It was a set of silver wings with a banner reading USAF underneath. He felt proud when he received it. All his training and practice had paid off. However, all that was erased in one moment when he saved his friend Stan. It had been during a ground mission. Chris and Stan were assigned to the unit because they were both excellent shots. Something had gone wrong and they were forced to retreat. Stan caught a bullet in his leg. Against orders, Chris had gone back for him, dragging him to the helicopter. Chris was rewarded for his action by being charged with insubordination. That, coupled with complaints about his attitude and temper, was fixing to get him a dishonorable discharge. Fortunately, his superiors didn't want people thinking that they were punishing him for a heroic act. It was decided that he was to get an honorable discharge and he was allowed to keep his pilots license. He was leaving the base when Stan came up to him. He was on crutches and wasn't very pleased with the thought of being on the shelf for a couple of weeks. Chris never forgot his friend's final words.

"This is bullshit man. They should be giving you a medal instead of kicking you out. If it weren't for you, I'd be toast. Not a lot of guys would risk their ass to save mine. There are not a lot of people like you. I just hope you stay that way. Goodbye buddy. Maybe we'll see each other some day."

Stan was right. Chris thought back to all the times he had backed his teammates up. He had made it a personal rule never to leave a team member behind. He enforced that rule at the Spencer Mansion, where he rescued Jill twice. The first time was when she was locked up. He had gone after Wesker to get the key to her cell. He managed to get it only after a short brawl with Wesker and a short fight with the Tyrant. The second time was on the helipad. He had seen the Tyrant heading straight for Jill, getting ready to run her through with its clawed, left hand. She was frozen with fear and couldn't move. Without even thinking, he had rushed the monster, firing at its head. It had responded by back fisting him in the right side of his rib cage. Lucky for him, Jill and Rebecca got its attention. It gave him the time he needed to get up the rocket launcher Brad had dropped from the copter. He managed to shoot the beast and escape. However, he had paid the price for his bravery with a few busted ribs. The team didn't speak much on the trip back to the station. It was the next day that Jill had thanked him. They were at their desks, preparing the report for the mansion. Their desks were set up so they sat back to back. He could still remember her words when she turned around to speak to him.

"I didn't get a chance to thank you last night. You saved my life at that hellhole. I thought I was a goner when Wesker locked me up. I can't tell you how happy I was when you got me out of there. I also thought I was dead when that monster tried to kill me. I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you. Thanks."

"Hey, We're partners. Besides, you would have done the same for me." He had replied. He knew Jill would have saved him had the rolls have been reversed. He had also promised Jill that he would get her out of that cell. He still remembered her smile as they looked into each other's eyes. He swore if Barry hadn't of interrupted them, they would have kissed right there. Claire had the same smile as Jill when he found her in Antarctica. That smile had disappeared after the following battle with Wesker and Alexia Ashford. His sister had thanked him on the plane.

"Thanks for saving me Chris. I knew you would come for me. I never gave up hope. Steve said I was wrong, but I knew you would never turn your back on me. I just wish we could have saved him."

Claire had drifted off to sleep shortly after, exhausted by the hard battle. Chris could only think about his friends and how they were doing. It was after Antarctica that he had started to break down. It seemed to him that every time he saved someone, it cost him something. Now his mind was going back to one phrase. "I knew you would never turn your back on me."

Now it seemed he was doing the opposite. He was turning his back on his sister. In fact, he was turning his back on everyone. Jill, Barry, Rebecca, even the other people who were trying to help. It seemed that he would always help others. But when they wanted to help him, he wouldn't let them. The more he thought about it, the more his friends' words keep resounding inside his brain.

"Walking away won't fix your problem; it'll just make it worse."

"What I'm saying is that maybe you should think about the consequences of what your about to do. Walking away won't fix your problem; it'll just make it worse."

"You're the one she loves, and right now she needs you to be here for her."

"Simple, you let her help you. Maybe by working this out together, you can help each other."

"You know Chris, after all the things she's told me about you, I never thought you would be the one to loose it."

"Don't leave, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"Maybe you're scared of facing your problems."

"You're not running from your feelings, you're running from the past."

"And since we're talking about Claire, the last thing she needs now is her brother walking out on her. She lost Steve; she doesn't need to loose you."

"I never thought I would ever say this to you, but your acting like an idiot."

"You can't change the past. No one can, no matter how hard they try."

"The past is just that, the past. The only thing you can do is learn from it, and then go on. The sooner you stop looking back at what has already happened, and start looking to the future, the easier it will be to get on with your life."

"You're the only one I want. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You're rationalizing everything. You're trying to make this sound acceptable not only to us, but yourself as well."

"Quit being so fucking selfish."

"You're not the only one who's messed up."

"I remember at the funeral how you promised them that you would take care of me as long as you lived. You promised that you would be there when I needed you. Well I need you now."

The thoughts kept hitting him like tidal waves, crashing over his brain. Now, for the first time, he began to think they were right. Other thoughts had now forced their way into his mind. He remembered something that Barry had said the first day he was here.

"That's the past Chris. You can't keep looking back to it. You have to think about the future."

"Maybe he's right." Chris said. "Maybe I should try to move on. Maybe they're all right."

Claire's stinging words came back to him. "FINE, JUST WALK AWAY. WALK OUT ON ME. FORGET THAT STUPID PROMISE AND ME. JUST RUN OFF LIKE YOU AWAYS DO. YOU'RE A COWARD CHRIS. I HOPE I NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN, YOU ASSHOLE!"

"DAMMIT!" He slammed the tree with his left palm. He was a coward. All his life he had faced every challenge head on. The only exception was his own feelings. Now that he had to, he had chickened out. His friends had wanted to help, but he pushed them away, even his sister. Maybe he should turn back. "Do they want me back? They probably hate me now." He moaned.

As if to answer, another memory hit him. "Then remember this. No one will ever take your place in my heart. And if you ever decide to come back, I'll be waiting."

"Jill." Chris' hand dropped of the tree. Jill wanted him back. Even though he had hurt her, she still loved him. He still loved her too. "I shouldn't have left her. I shouldn't have left any of them. Why didn't I see this sooner? Why now?"

Then he remembered what Claire had said, about his answer to why their parents had died. "There must be a reason why it happened." He said to himself. He suddenly realized whom he had learned that from. He was nine years old and his father had walked into his room and asked him a strange question.

"Do you believe in fate?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm asking you because my father, your grandfather, asked me that when I was your age. I reacted just like you, so I'll explain. Most people think that fate is some force that determines what we do or how we act. But my father thought it was more than that. According to him, fate has a certain destiny planned for each of us, like a path. It therefore acts as a guide, occasionally nudging us back on that path if we stray to far off it. Fate also presents us with challenges to see if we deserve the destiny planned for us. It's kind of like a test. If we pass a certain test, we continue on the path. If we fail, our destiny changes. Usually we only get on shot, but sometimes we get a second chance."

"How do you know you have another shot?"

"Simple, fate gives you a sign. It may be something someone says, something that happens to you, or even feelings you get. Fate has its ways of reminding us what destiny it has planned for us all. We just have to notice those signs. Remember, there is not such thing as coincidence. Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes we don't find out why till much later in life. And all the tests fate puts us through prepares us for the trials ahead. So, do you believe in fate?"

"Yeah, I think so. Why are you asking me now?"

"Because, I think that fate has big plans for you. You're a strong boy, and I know you will do big things in the future. Besides, I thought you might find this interesting. Now get ready, we're going out to eat tonight."

His father had left the room after that. Chris had thought about that talk for a long time. He had stopped thinking about it some time ago. Now, he began to understand what his father had meant. "Everything happens for a reason. There is no such thing as coincidence. That means that this is…" A test. It suddenly hit him, all the things he had to go through, his parents' deaths, getting kicked out of the USAF, the mansion, Antarctica, being separated from his friends. They had all been tests. And now he realized why they had all happened, to prove he was strong enough to take on Umbrella. Only now he was about to fail the last test. Now fate had stepped in and given him a big sign. Chris now looked at his wings. He closed his fist around the pin and made a new promise to himself.

"I've acted like a jerk. I gave up on everyone, and myself. I vow that I will never do that again. I will never let my friends down. And I will never abandon Claire again. This I swear." Chris thrust the pin back into his pocket and turned towards his bags. He scoped them up and began back towards the cabin. He paused and looked back at the tree. He then looked up at the sky. "You were right dad, and I'm going to prove it." With that, he began to trudge back to his friends.

Everyone was assembled in the kitchen. Barry stood behind Chris' laptop, reading the names of the Umbrella facilities in the surrounding states. It was decided that the team should move on, using the information Chris had left. Right now they were arguing over what place to attack next.

"I say we follow the plan Chris had." Barry said. "We should hit one of the plants in Kentucky. We have to make it look like we're moving."

"OK, so why don't we go for one in South Carolina?" Ark asked. "One of those places has to be closer to us."

"We can't. If we do, Umbrella will figure out that we're still here." Leon said.

"He's right." Jill added. "We have to move in a straight line. Which facility is closest to the boarder?"

Barry looked at the list, then at a map next to the computer. "It looks like one outside of Gabesville. It's a chemical plant, no B.O.W.s at all. It shouldn't take us long to get there. I guess about five hours to and back."

"We'll go there then." Jill said.

"Then you'll need some help." The group turned to see Chris standing at the door. "I thought you could use mine."

"CHRIS!" Claire ran towards her brother. Chris dropped his bags as the two siblings hugged each other. "I knew you wouldn't leave."

"I made a promise, and I always keep my promises." Claire let go and stepped back. Chris looked at everyone else. "I'm sorry for the way I've been behaving. I've been an idiot and I shouldn't have left."

"What happened?" Leon asked.

"I sort of got stopped. I couldn't go on, so I started thinking about what you said. I finally realized that you were all right. Everything you said was true. I've been looking back so much that I couldn't see where my life was heading, but at the same time I didn't want to face the past either. After a while I got so messed up I didn't know what to do. So instead of sorting it all out, I tried to avoid it. Claire was right. I said that I was doing this for the good of the team, but I was really doing this for myself. That's why I made all those excuses, to convince myself this wasn't a mistake." Chris closed his eyes, fighting back tears. "I know I hurt all of you, but I swear, this will never happen again." He slowly opened his eyes. "I just hope you can forgive me."

Jill spoke up. "Of coarse we can. We were hoping that you would come back. And I just want you to know that if you need someone to talk to, I'll be here for you."

"Me too." Rebecca said cheerfully. "After all, we're in this together."

"We are, and I think it's time we kill our demons and show Umbrella we will not give up." Chris turned to head for the living room.

"Hey Chris," Barry said, "What did stop you?"

Chris looked at his friend and smiled. "Fate, and a big tree."

"A big what?" Barry stood there confused as Chris walked into the living room.

Jill walked into the dimly lit den to find Chris sitting on the couch. He had his chin resting on his closed fists. His arms, in turn, were resting on his legs, propped up by his elbows. He appeared to be thinking. He looked up at her as she came over to the couch. "What are you doing?"

"Thinking about stuff." He sighed as he leaded back into the couch. Jill sat down next to him on his left side. She rested her head on his left shoulder and put her right hand on his left leg. He responded by placing his hand on top of hers. "Just like on the helicopter. The only difference is that you almost lost me."

"And I never want that to happen again." Jill took her right arm and wrapped it around Chris' waist. She rubbed his right side, remembering how he had gotten injured at the mansion. "How are your ribs?"

"They're fine. Sometimes if I bang them, they hurt. I try not to think about them." He turned towards Jill, putting his right hand up to her face and stroking her cheek. "I don't think anyone here tries to think about their injuries. Besides, I have more important things to think about than my ribs."

"Like what?"

"You. You're the first girl I ever cared about other than my sister. The whole time I was in school, every girl would be checking me out. All my friends said that I could have any girl I wanted. Even in Raccoon, all the female officers would constantly be looking me over like I was a piece of meat. I never was really interested in women until I saw you. I don't know what happened, but something just clicked. I thought about asking you out, but I had never been in love before, so I didn't know what to do. I always wanted to tell you, but I could never say it."

"I know what you mean." Jill said. "I wanted to tell you too. I never felt the way I felt about you either. I guess we were both scared that one of us would say no."

"Now that we do know that we love each other, there's only one thing left to do."

"What?"

"Something I've wanted to do for a long time." Chris learned towards Jill and closed his eyes. She knew what was coming and closed her eyes too. Their lips met in a long sought after kiss. Slowly, they wrapped their arms around each other. After what seemed like an eternity, they broke the kiss. They looked into each other's eyes, their faces centimeters apart. Tears formed in his eyes as Chris managed a weak smile. "We're together now."

"And nothing can take us apart." Jill finished. She too had tears in her eyes. They stayed like that, staring at each other, knowing that they were finally together.

Claire stood in the doorway by the back door. She had been watching Chris and Jill for a while. She was so occupied that she failed to notice Leon come up to her.

"Claire, we need to talk." He said in a low tone. "I think we should go outside so we don't disturb them."

"I think you're right." Claire quickly walked to the back door and stepped outside. Leon followed and shut the door behind him. "What do you want to talk about?"

"It was about what Chris said. He's right; we do have to face our demons. In fact, I have two I need to get rid of right now. The only way I see it is that I have to kill both at the same time."

"What are they? How are you going to beat them?"

"One is Ada, or more accurately, her memory. The other is my feelings for you." Before she could answer, he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. He pulled back and brought his right hand up to her head. He began to stroke her hair.

She didn't know how to react. If he was any other guy, he would have been on the ground holding his groin. But this was Leon, and for some reason, she liked that kiss. "I don't know what to say. I have feelings for you too, but I still think about Steve."

"I know you miss him. I miss Ada too, but their dead. I'm sure Steve would want you to move on. I know I'll never be able to take his place, but I'll do my best."

"Then I guess there's one thing left to do."

"To shay." Leon said. They both embraced in a long kiss that lasted for a while. When they were finally done, Claire rested her head on Leon's shoulder. "I guess now we start over again." He said.

"I love you Leon."

"I love you too Claire."

Author's Comments: Boy that was heavy. Talk about a lot of philosophical bullshit. What did you think about my version of fate? Kind of nice to know that the characters have some choice in where their lives are going. Also, how about the happy ending? I tell you, this chapter could be its own story. At least Chris has started to face his inner demons. Kind of nice how he choose to start will his relationship with Jill. At least he choose the most important thing first, huh? And just think; it all happened because of a big ass tree. Also, others are getting the same idea, namely Claire and Leon. Who else will solve their problems? You'll just have to wait and see. Oh, and what about that tree? On a side note, I basically had half of this chapter written when my computer, or should I say my old writing program, decided to fuck up on me. It would have been bad except I didn't save the stuff I wrote. It all got erased, and I got pissed. Well, I got a new writing program and wrote this chapter over again. On a happier note, I conceder this version better than the original. Hopefully, it won't happen again.

In the next chapter the love fest continues, not. The team may be together again, but an old threat rears its ugly head. A trip to the store presents the team with a new problem, much worse than Chris' breakdown. Also, two new threats are revealed as we find out whom Nicholai has been ordered to contact. You won't believe whom in the next chapter. But first, the team has to get rid of that damn tree. See IF they can do it in RE: Armageddon- Part 2, Chapter 9- Another Problem. See ya.