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.

9. Another Problem

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Resident Evil. They solely belong to Capcom. Any new characters or monsters in this story, and the story itself, belong solely to me. With that said, on with the show!

Resident Evil: Armageddon

Part II- Hands of Fate

Chapter 9- Another Problem

Written by: Striker

Barry sat at the table, staring out the window. He had a great sense of relief about him. After Chris had returned, he had forgotten all about Umbrella. Hopefully, this was a sign that things were going to get better.

"Hey Barry, when do you think they'll be back?" Rebecca asked.

"Soon I hope. Unless those two decide to fool around, I'd give them another ten minutes." Barry had sent Carlos and Ark to investigate. All they were to do was see if there was a tree down, and if so, how large it was. So far, they had been gone for over ten minutes.

"Do you really think that tree is as big as Chris says it is?"

No Becky, I don't. I just think that Chris made that up. It probably was a small tree that he could have easily climbed over. I think he just used that as an excuse to stop and think."

"But what did he mean about being stopped by fate? I've never heard him say anything like that before. Even with all the stuff I've been through, that was weird."

"Sometimes the guy surprises me. I never knew he had a sister. I guess there's a lot of thing about Chris we don't know."

"Well, maybe now we'll find out." Rebecca said. "By the way, where's everyone else?"

"Jill went after Chris. I think they're in the den. Claire went out back and Leon followed her. I have a feeling that they want to alone. The kids are…" Before he could finish, the three children came bounding down the stairs.

Sherry looked around the room. "Where's Claire?"

"She's out back." Barry said.

"Thanks." Sherry took off towards the back door before Barry could stop her. She reached the door and quickly opened it. She closed the door and turned, surprised by what she saw. "Whoa, maybe I should come back later."

Claire and Leon turned to see Sherry staring at them, her mouth hung open. They both broke the hug and stood side by side. Leon kept his left arm around Claire's waist. He finally broke the silence. "Hey Sherry. We didn't hear you come out here." He was very nervous about being caught holding Claire. 'Well, at least it wasn't Chris.'

"So, what do you want?" Claire asked. She was nervous too, but relieved that it was Sherry who had caught them.

"I came looking for you. I heard you shouting Chris' name. Is he back?"

"Yes he is." Claire responded. "He came back a few minutes ago. The last I saw him, he a Jill were in the den."

"What were they doing?" Sherry asked, a little smile creeping onto her face.

"Probably playing tonsil hockey. I bet you Chris is winning." Leon said jokingly. Claire elbowed him in the stomach, which only caused him to chuckle. "What was that for?"

"For being you. Besides, it was a nice kiss. They'll probably leave the rough stuff for tonight." Leon squeezed her side, causing her to yelp. "Hey, that wasn't nice."

"Then maybe you shouldn't contradict yourself." Leon gave her wink.

"You two are funny." Sherry said. "You sound like you're married."

"Married! What makes you think I would marry him?" Claire asked.

"Because you loooove each other." Sherry replied mockingly.

"Boy, I guess there's no fooling you, is there." Leon said. He was a little impressed that Sherry would have said something like that. It seemed like she was growing up so fast. "Do you think you can keep this our little secrete. I don't think everyone needs

to know, especially Chris. He might hurt me."

"He'll have to go through me first." Claire injected. "If anyone's going to hurt my boyfriend, it'll be me."

Leon looked at Claire with a nervous glance. "Thanks, I think."

"Don't worry, I will." Sherry said. "Does this mean you two are together?"

"Yes it does Sherry." Claire said. She knew why Sherry was so interested in her and Leon being together. It made Sherry feel like they were a family. In a way, Claire felt the same way. "Let's go inside. Ark and Carlos should be back soon. From what Chris said, they may need our help." Together, the trio when back inside.

Meanwhile, Rott and Lily had gone into the living room to watch TV. As Lily sat down, Rott decided to welcome Chris back He walked into the den to see Chris and Jill still on the couch. Now they were sitting next to each other. Chris had his arms around Jill in a protective manner, and she had her head on his shoulder.

"Hi Chris. I'm glad your back." Rott said.

Chris looked up at him. "Thanks."

"What are you doing?"

"Thinking about what just happened." Jill answered. "And thinking about where we go from here."

"Claire sounded happy to see you." Rott said. "We heard her all the way upstairs. That's how we knew you came back."

"I'm the only family she has left." Chris said. "She was one of the reasons I had to come back. I promised myself I would always be there for her."

"I know what you mean." Rott motioned towards the living room. "On Sheena Island I had to take care of my sister after those horrible monsters killed my parents. The last thing I remember them saying to me was to take care of Lily."

"The last thing my parents said to me was that they would be back." Chris said. "Claire and I waited for them to get return, only they didn't. Finally the cops came and told us what happened. Our parents had lost control of the car. It was raining hard that night. Mom and dad hit a puddle, started to hydroplane, and rolled down a hill. The police said that they died instantly." Chris closed his eyes as he recalled the painful memories. "The funeral was one of the hardest days of my life. I was only fifteen and Claire was only eight. The whole morning I cried. I didn't even want to see my parents' bodies, but I did for Claire's sake. That was when I made my promise to my parents that I would take care of Claire. I never cried after that day. No matter what happened, I never let Claire see me sad." Chris looked back up at Rott, a tear beginning to form in his eyes. "I figured that I

had to be strong, to never let Claire see me upset, to keep all my feelings to myself. I guess I ended up hurting myself. After awhile, I stopped feeling altogether. In a way, I never got over my parents' deaths cause it was to painful to remember."

"I guess I'm in the same boat too." Jill said. "My mother died when I was twelve. I forget what she died from, but all I remember was going to the hospital to see her for the last time. She looked so terrible when I saw her. The last thing she told me was to be a strong woman and to always follow my heart. I cried that whole night. After that, all I had was my father."

"Where is your father now?" Rott asked.

Jill lowered her head. "He got caught breaking into a house. He was a very famous cat burglar. He taught me everything he knew. He got sent to prison while I was in Delta. That's when I found out about what he did. I started being a cat burglar, but

he convinced me to join the S.T.A.R.S. team instead. It was two months later that I received a call from the prison. My dad had died from lung cancer. He had developed it from years of smoking. Since I was an only child I had no other family."

"That's why you raised hell every time I lit a cigarette." Chris gave Jill a gentle squeeze. "I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"At least I'm doing something my parents would be proud of." Jill said.

"We all are." Chris looked up at Rott. "I'm sure our parents are proud of what we are doing. We just have to believe that."

"Thanks Chris." Rott said. "I guess everyone's right, you are a great guy."

"Thanks for the compliment." Chris watched Rott walk over to his sister and sit down next to her. He turned to Jill. "You OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. You know, you're the first person I ever told about my family."

"Same for me. Guess that's the first step to dealing with their death."

"Do you miss them?"

Chris wiped his eyes. "Every day of my life."

They both sat in silence until they heard the door open. Sherry came in followed by Leon and Claire. Chris noticed that those two were walking close together. He chose to ignore it. Jill looked at Chris. "So, when are you going to do something?"

"I'll wait until they start making out. It wouldn't be fun if I didn't embarrass them." Chris gave her an impish smirk.

"You know Redfield, you can be so cruel sometimes."

"Hey, I'm her big brother. I'm supposed to make her life hell." He learned in for a kiss when Rebecca's voice boomed throughout the house.

"THEY'RE COMING BACK!"

Everyone gathered in the front hall to hear the report. Carlos and Ark came sprinting across the slightly muddy lot towards the porch. They entered the house, panting hard. Barry gave them a few minutes to catch their breath. "Well, what did you find?"

Carlos spoke, still a little out of breath. "Big fucking tree."

"CARLOS!" Claire yelled. "There are children here."

"Sorry, I forgot." He replied.

"He's not kidding," Ark said, hunched over with his hands on his knees, "And neither is Chris. There's a massive tree across the driveway. No one can get in, and no one sure as hell can get out. Chris had no choice but to come back here."

"How big could it be?" Barry asked. "There's only a few large trees around here, and there's no way they would come."

Ark looked at Barry. "Let me put it this way, unless you have some C4 around here, you're not getting rid of it."

"Forget the C4," Carlos added, "You need a rocket launcher for that beast. It must have been at least six feet in diameter."

"Listen, I've hunted here for years and I've never seen a tree the size you say it is come down unless a hurricane was blowing through." Barry was starting to get impatient. "Besides, we would have heard and felt it come down."

Ark threw his hands in the air. "Fine. Don't believe us. Go see for yourself. What do we know, we're the new guys."

"Hey, don't take it so personally." Chris said. "He won't even believe me, and I'm his best friend."

Barry shook his head and went outside. "Come on. As long as you guys are staying here you might as well make yourselves useful." Everyone followed Barry to a medium sized tool shed that was set off to the right of the parking lot. He quickly started to hand out several chainsaws, pairs of gloves, and other equipment, despite protests from Ark and Carlos. Barry grabbed a chainsaw for himself and began to lead the others down the driveway.

"I'm telling you man, pardon the pun, but that chainsaw won't cut it." Ark said, lugging a chainsaw of his own.

"I've had to remove many trees from this road, and none of them have given me any problems." Barry said.

"Well you haven't seen a tree like this amigo. It'll take us all week to get rid of it." Carlos complained.

"Don't try to get out of this." Barry snapped back. "This will be a piece of cake."

Chris had said nothing; instead he wore a silly grin. He was at the rear of the group, toting another one of Barry's chainsaws. Jill slowed her pace until Chris caught up to her. "Why aren't you saying anything? I thought you would be trying to convince Barry about the tree."

"Obviously, you don't know Barry like I do. Once he makes up his mind, no one can change it. You have to prove him wrong. Besides, I want to see the look on his face when he sees it."

"Aren't you gonna ask me if I believe you?"

"Why should I Jill? You'll see for yourself soon." Chris looked ahead and saw the bend coming up. He quickened his pace to catch up to Barry. He caught the end of Barry's conversation with Ark.

"I'm telling you for the last time, you're exaggerating." Barry said.

"Why would I? I'm telling you the truth. You need high explosives for this thing. Either that, or call some construction company to take this thing away." Ark said.

"We can handle this ourselves." Barry just rounded the bend before looking forward. He was stopped dead in his tracks almost dropping his chainsaw. "Jesus Christ." He muttered.

Chris came up behind Barry. "Told ya."

The others had caught up and were dumbstruck by what they saw.

"Hey Barry." Claire called. "How are we going to get rid of this thing again?"

"That's a big tree." Rott said.

"You're not kidding." Lily replied. "I've never seen a tree that big in my life."

"How did this thing come down?" Barry was shocked. "This tree was here when my friends and I bought this place. We swore this would never fall."

"Never say never." Leon walked up to it. He tried to figure out which way it had fallen. "Barry, which ends up?"

"The stump should be to your right." Barry replied.

Leon looked through the gap in the brush. ""Damn. Looks like someone tied dynamite to the base and lit it. The stump's been blown to kingdom come."

"Well," Carlos asked, "What do we do now senior?"

Barry eyed the situation. "OK, first thing to do is get two people on the other side. This will go faster if we work on this tree from both sides. We'll cut wedges out of the tree. We'll start from the center and work towards the end. We'll sent Ark and Carlos over so I won't have to put up with any comments they may have."

"We'll need some way to transport the wood." Chris added. "I think we could load the wood in the Blazer and Explorer. We could then find some place to dump it. We should alternate, first one truck, then the other. While one truck is getting loaded, the other will be getting unloaded. Jill and I will drive the trucks. Since we were both in the military, we should know how to drive in reverse down this road. I'll take Becky and Jill can have Claire."

"One problem." Ark said. "What about our side? You want us to lob our pieces over to you?"

"No." Barry said. "We cut out the middle, then we deal with the wood on your side. Chris, you can dump the wood behind the house. We can find some use for it later. If everyone agrees, then lets get to work." Barry and Leon helped Ark and Carlos, who had taken Chris' chainsaw, over the tree. Chris and his crew began down the road as the others donned their protective glasses and gloves. Barry told the children to move back and started his chainsaw. The other men followed suite and began to cut into the tree.

Jill tapped Chris on the arm as they headed back down the road. "How come I have to work with Claire? I want to work with you. And why'd you pick Becky?"

"One, I think my sister may have the same feeling about you that I have for Leon. I think this would be a good time for you two to have a little talk. And second, I need to talk to Becky. I think she may be trying to hard to impress us. After what happened at that factory, I need to straighten that out now."

"Fine." Jill said, a hint of irritation in her voice.

"Boy, you must be in love with me."

"Why?"

"Because you're jealous."

Jill smacked him on his arm, hard. He just laughed as he continued on. They soon got to the house. Chris, Jill, Rebecca, and Claire paired off. Chris got the Blazer and Jill had the Explorer. It was decided that Chris would go first. He popped the Blazer in reverse and took off down the driveway while Jill started up the Explorer. By the time Chris arrived, Barry and Leon had a big stack waiting. They stopped their chainsaws while Ark and Carlos kept going on their side. With the children's help, the Blazer was quickly loaded. Barry and Leon went back to work as Chris pulled out. As soon as Chris passed Jill, she started down the road. Chris found a nice spot, and with Becky's help, dropped of the wood. This went on for a while. Soon, a hole had been cut through the middle of the tree. By three, there was a large gap in the tree. Everyone quickened the pace, chopping up the trunk at a faster rate. Chris and Jill could do all they could to keep up. Jill was in the middle of moving what seemed like the twentieth load when Claire asked her a question.

"Are you and Chris officially a couple?"

"Yes, why?"

"I was just wondering. I thought you two might have had something. The way he used to talk about you and how you two reacted when you saw each other just said it all."

"Maybe you should just say what's on your mind and get it over with."

"I worry about him, that's all. I just want to know if this is the real deal, and not some temporary thing. I know what it's like to be someone's fling. I found that out in collage. I don't want the same thing to happen to him."

"Don't worry, it won't. If this were just a fling, I wouldn't have stood by him like I did. I love your brother very much, and I'll always be there for him, no matter what."

"Then do me one favor, make sure he knows it. Tell him every day, cause you never know when either one of you may die."

The rest of the trip went on in silence. Slowly, the two started to take. Before long, they were talking like they were sisters. On the other hand, Rebecca had been talking up a storm with Chris. They had talked about what each had done after the mansion. Soon during what Chris assumed was trip number twenty-eight, he finally decided to get serious.

"Hey Becky, about what happened the other day, at the factory. Why did you rush out into the hall like that? You could have gotten hurt, or worse."

"I just wanted to show you that I could be useful."

"You are useful. I know you feel bad about leaving, but that doesn't mean you have to put yourself in danger to make up for it. You're a great medic and I have no doubts that you are an incredible biochemist. Those are two things only you are good at, just like me being an excellent pilot, Jill being good at picking locks, and Barry being a weapons expert. What I'm saying is that you should stick with what you're good at."

"But I want to be a good fighter. I want to prove that I can hold my own in a fight. I want to be able to take the bad guys out, just like you."

"Look Becky. I may sound cruel, but you're not cut out to be a soldier. I don't dismiss your ability to defend yourself, but combat isn't for you. You belong in the rear, taking care of the wounded. You also belong in a lab."

"Why?" Rebecca felt both puzzled and upset at what Chris said.

"Because in the future, you will be the most important member of this team."

Rebecca seemed to brighten up. "How come?"

"Well, as soon as we get the right information, it'll be your job to find a cure for Umbrella's viruses. We'll need a vaccine, and you're the only one who would have any idea how to make one. This war won't be decided by bullets alone, we have to take out whatever viruses Umbrella creates. You are important, but just not in the way you think you are. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I do." The rest of the trips went without either Chris or Rebecca saying a word. Rebecca understood what Chris had meant. She only hoped he was right.

By seven, the team had cleared a space large enough for a vehicle to get through. With the wood carted off and the equipment stored back in the tool shed, the group retired to the house. Chris was pleased to find that everyone was getting closer. 'Nothing like hard labor to bring people together.' He thought. He was at the back door, looking at the pile of wood lying on the ground. It had taken hours to do, but the tree had been cleared.

"Hey Chris, could you come here for a minute?" Barry stood in the doorway between the kitchen and dinning room. "I need you to do something for me."

"What is it, and why can't someone else do it?" Chris asked in a cocky manner.

"Simple Einstein, cause you didn't have to carve up a big piece of lumber. I'm tired, as well as Ark, Carlos, and Leon. Besides, from what Claire told me, you're great at grocery shopping."

"Grocery shopping? You want me to go to the supermarket? What happened to your stockpile of food? You said you had enough to last a month."

"I thought I did until I found out how much I actually had. I was planning on going to the store before you all got here, but I forgot." Barry said. He walked over to Chris and handed him a piece of paper. "These are instructions on how to get to a Price Chopper in the city. I've been to it before. If Umbrella is still looking for us, they probably have all the major entrances into the city covered. This route should get you around Umbrella. Just in case you do get followed, try to loose them. On the back are the things I need you to get." Barry then pulled a wad of bills from his pocket. "Don't spend all of it, got it."

Chris grabbed the list. "Don't worry, I'll put it on my credit card. You can pay me back." He smiled at Barry and headed for the front door. He stopped in the hall. "HEY JILL, CAN YOU COME HERE FOR A MINUTE?" He yelled up the stairs.

"HOLD ON." She replied. A few seconds later she appeared at the top of the steps wearing a light green dress shirt and jeans. "What's the problem?"

"Barry wants me to go to the store. I figured that I might need some help. Want to come?"

"Sure." Jill walked down the stairs and wrapped her arm around Chris' arm. "Let's go."

"Wait, we'll go too." Claire had overheard what Chris had said. She bounded off the living room couch and grabbed Leon's arm. "Come on."

"But Claire, I'm too tired." Leon protested.

"Tough." Leon hung his head in defeat as Claire pulled him out the door after Chris and Jill.

Chris had decided to take the Outback. He figured that a lot of people in the city had the same type of car. The ride to the city was pleasant, despite Leon's constant inquiry as to why he had to come along. Each time Claire had given him a different answer. Chris followed Barry's directions and entered the city limits. The lights took them all in, so much that they missed the black van hidden in the trees.

The two men in the front watched the Outback drive by. The one in the passenger seat got a look at the license plate, and then nodded to his partner. The driver started the van and began to pursue. He then picked up a radio and switched it on. "Sir, we have identified one of the target vehicles. A black Subaru Outback registered to Jill Valentine. We are now in pursuit. Over."

A voice with a heavy Russian accent answered. "Stay with them and don't let that car out of your sight Davidson. I want a positive ID on the occupants. Over."

"Yes sir. Over and out." The van stayed on Chris' tail all the way to the store.

Chris' group entered the massive supermarket. He and Leon each got a cart. "OK, hopefully Barry organized this list by department. We'll start at the top and work our way down, got it."

"Sure thing Chris." Jill said. The group moved down the list, each getting sent to find one or two items. They moved at a good rate, spending a little over half and hour gathering the food. They had to wait fifteen minutes in line before they could check out. Chris cringed when he saw how much the food cost. He pulled out his credit card and ran it through the card-swipe machine.

"Barry better pay me back." He muttered. They took the groceries out to the car. Jill noticed that Chris kept looked at the far end of the parking lot.

"Chris, what's wrong? What do you see?"

Chris looked at Jill. "Look at the end of the parking lot. Tell me what you see."

Jill looked over to where Chris had been looking. "Just a van."

"Right. That van has been following us for a while."

"What!" Claire said. "Why didn't you say something sooner."

"Because I don't want whoever is following us to know we're on to them. Let's go, we'll find a place to loose them in the city." The group climbed into the car and pulled out of the Price Chopper lot. The van began to follow. Chris looked for a place to loose his pursers when he spotted a public park. He smiled as he looked into the rearview mirror. "Why don't we take a little walk in the park." He pulled into a parking space and ordered his friends to get out.

"And what are we going to do here?" Leon asked.

"Go to the bathroom." Chris replied. In return, he got some pretty funny looks. "I'll explain on the way."

Just as Chris assumed, the van pulled up in the adjacent space. Four men got out and began to follow. "Remember," Davidson said, "Don't loose them. Nicholai wants us to follow them to their hideout. He'll have our asses if we fuck up." The four men followed their targets through the park. Suddenly, Chris and his friends broke into a dash for the public restroom. "Shit, they're on to us. Merring, Bills, get them!" The two men entered the restroom, scanning it.

"Check the stalls, Rob." Merring said to Bills. Bills dropped to the floor, checking under the stall doors.

"I don't see them."

Merring looked at Bills with disgust. "You idiot. When people hide in a stall, they stand on the toilet." Merring pushed on one of the stall doors. Finding it lock, he kicked it open, finding Jill crouched on top of the commode.

"Oh yeah." Bills said. He kicked open the next door to the right to find Claire in the same position. "Hello ladies. Where are your boyfriends hiding?"

Jill and Claire stood up and looked at the ceiling, smiling. Confused, Merring and Bills turned around and looked up in time to see Chris and Leon swing down from one of the ceiling beam. Chris and Leon plowed feet first into Merring and Bills, sending them staggering backwards into the stalls. Jill gave Merring a kick to the back of the head while Claire spun Bills around and decked him in the face. Chris and Leon both dropped from the beam and continued the attack. Leon caught Bills with a knee to the gut before slamming his face into one of the sink mirrors. Chris threw Merring into the wall, and then delivered a sidekick to the face. "Lights out asshole." Chris said as Merring slid down the wall.

"Shit." Davidson said, hearing the commotion inside. "Come on Smith, let's go." He and Smith cautiously entered the restroom. They were greeted by Merring and Bills, who where propped up on the toilets moaning. "What the hell?" Davidson growled. He suddenly heard a banging noise to his left. He and Smith followed the noise. Jill and Claire erupted from the stalls and jumped the men. Claire dropped Smith with a left hook to the jaw. Jill kicked Davidson in the gut and followed with an elbow to the bridge of the nose.

"Not bad girls. I hope I never piss you two off." The women turned to see Leon smiling at them.

Chris was standing next to him, looking at the Umbrella agents. "Let's get out of here. The sooner we go, the better." Together, the four left the restroom and headed for the car.

Davidson heard Chris' group leave. He cursed at himself for letting a woman beat him. "GET UP NOW!" He yelled, holding his nose. "If I see that bitch again, I'll kill her." He rounded up the other injured men and started for the parking lot. He got there just in time to see the Outback drive down the street and make a left-hand turn. "Damn." Davidson grabbed his radio from his belt and spoke into it. "Nicholai, this is Davidson. We lost our targets, but have conformation on four of the survivors."

"Who?" Nicholai's irritated voice asked.

"Chris and Claire Redfield, Jill Valentine, and Leon Kennedy."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes I am. They just kick our ass. They escaped before we could follow them, but we know their base is somewhere north of the city."

"Good. At least we know they are here. Return to base and prepare to be debriefed. You did your job."

"Yes sir." Davidson switched off the radio. "Come on guys, we're heading back to base." The four men clambered into the van and took off. They had failed to see Chris, who was hiding in the bushes.

"Nicholai. This is going to be a problem now." He quickly got up and headed for the rendezvous point.

Nicholai sat in his car, a smug smile on his face. "I guess Spencer was right. Finally things are going our way. I was hoping this little hunt wasn't a waste of time." Nicholai's smile only got wider as he examined the situation. "If Valentine is here, then so will that traitor Oliveira. If Redfield and his sister are here, then that must mean that Chambers and Birkin will be here as well. Kennedy's presence must mean that Thompson and those damn Clein children must also be present. Burton has to be here as well, since they are staying at his safe house. Now all it'll take is one swift strike and those meddling fools will be eliminated." Delighted, he reached for his cell phone. He punched in the number for one of the two agents he had been ordered to contact. He checked his watch, nine. He knew the man was currently in Rome and would be asleep, but this was more important. He waited as the phone rang, the smile still on his face.

The phone beeped several times before a man's hand took it. The man switched on the lamp on the nightstand and looked at the clock. 'Three. God, this better be fucking important.' He thought. He put the phone up to his head and spoke. "Hunk here."

"Good-night Hunk, or should I say good-morning."

Hunk recognized the voice. "Sir." Hunk pulled off the covers and sat at the edge of the bed, clad only in a pair of white boxers. He had three parallel scars running across his chest. "What orders do you have for me?"

"I'm calling to tell you that the people who have been giving us such a hard time have been located. I have been ordered to tell you to get your squad together. I want you in Atlanta within two days. I'm sure you will call your troops."

"Of coarse I will. They will be ready to go ASAP. Do you want me to call anyone else?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. Call Agent #407, you will need her help. She's also been assigned to this mission. I believe you know how to contact her."

"I do sir."

"Very well. I'll let you get back to sleep now. I'll see you in Atlanta."

Hunk heard Nicholai hang up. He had heard about the survivors and the damage they had caused. He knew he would be called to face them. He felt his bed move.

"Who was that?" A woman in a pink nightshirt sat up behind him and threw her arms around his neck. "Something important?"

"Yes Ada. It was Nicholai. He wants us to go after the survivors that have been causing trouble. I am to assemble my team and have you assist me."

"Do you think we can do it?"

"It doesn't matter. We have no choice. I'll call the others, go back to sleep." Ada laid back down as Hunk called his teammates. She closed her eyes, dreading about who she would have to face.

Nicholai tossed the phone onto the passenger seat. He figured that Hunk wouldn't have to call Ada. No doubt she was in his bed. Ever since they had escaped from Raccoon, they had been close. He had heard that they were great friends, probably a couple, before Raccoon. Now he had heard rumors that they were secretly seeing each other. He, however, had a theory of his own. He had begun to notice how they started to question the incidents at Raccoon. Somehow he felt that their loyalty was beginning to crumble, as was Hunk's team. "Soon we shall see just where your feelings lay. It would be so tragic if Umbrella's best agents betrayed their company."

Barry was waiting on the porch when he saw the car pull in. "You took your sweet ass time, didn't you."

Chris got out of the car and walked up to his friend. "I have some bad news to tell you. Your little path took us right past an Umbrella search party. They know we're here."

"This is just what we need. How are we going to break this to the others."

"We don't." Jill said, joining the conversation. "We lost them in one of the parks. They know we're here, but they don't know where. We shouldn't scare everyone, so let's keep this to ourselves."

"You're right Jill. It's better if they don't know." Barry turned towards the front door. "HEY, CHRIS IS BACK! GET YOUR LAZY BUTTS OUT HERE AND HELP BRING IN THE GROCERIES!"

Everyone filed outside and began to lug in the numerous bags of food. During dinner, nothing was said of what had happened in the city. After some TV watching and card playing, everyone got ready for bed. Just about everyone had gone into his or her room, except Chris. He was standing on the porch, looking at the night sky. It had been awhile since he had done it. Jill came up behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Hey Jill." He turned to her and saw the picture frame in her hand. "What's that?"

"Something I picked up in Europe." She turned the frame around, revealing the picture.

"I wondered what happened to that. You had it all this time?"

"Yes. I can't begin to tell you how many days I stared at it. This was the one thing that kept me going. After I saw the state your apartment was in, especially with all that blood on the floor, I needed something to keep my hopes up that you were still alive."

Chris smiled. "If it makes you feel any better, that wasn't my blood. Someone tried to take me out. He got taken out instead. I had to get out of there so fast, I forgot to grab the picture."

"Well, now that we're together, I think I should give it back to you." She handed him the picture. "Besides, I have another one."

"Thanks. I have something for you too." He took Jill by the hand and led her into the living room. "Wait here." He ran up the stairs with his picture. She heard him open his door, then a few seconds later, the door close. He came into the living room with his right hand behind his back.

"What do you have?"

"Something I picked up in Europe." He brought his hand out from behind his back and handed Jill the necklace box. "Something I know you'll love."

Jill opened the box. Her eyes lit up as she saw the diamond and ruby necklace. "It's beautiful. Where did you find this?"

"At the airport. I picked it up before I left London. Let's see how it looks on you." Jill turned around as Chris slipped the necklace around her neck. She turned to look at him. He could only say one word. "Damn."

"I think I should thank you for this." Jill said. She gave Chris a loving kiss and then grabbed his arm. She looked upstairs and gave Chris a playful smile. Chris read her mind and nodded. Together they sneaked up the stairs like they were two teenagers.

They got to Chris' room, kissing as Chris fumbled for the doorknob. Jill stepped inside. Chris looked around to see if anyone was around before stepping inside and closing the door.

Early the next morning, Jill emerged from Chris' room. She still had the necklace on and her clothes were a mess. She looked down the hall and was surprised to see Claire coming out of Leon's room. Both women froze as their eyes locked. Claire gave Jill a coy smile, as if she was saying 'you tell on me and I'll tell on you'. Jill watched Claire enter her room before going into her own.

Author's Comments: Looks like SOMEONE had a "good night". How'd you like that? Come on, you knew it was coming. Well, Jill got her necklace, Chris got his picture back, and Barry got a big pile of wood to get rid of. Also, talk about a monster of a chapter. It had everything, humor, action, drama, romance, suspense. The only thing missing were zombies. But don't worry; the undead will be in this story. Well, part two is coming to a close. We find that slowly the characters are getting closer together. Problems are being solved, yet new ones keep popping up. With Hunk and Ada being called in by Nicholai, sparks will fly. One chapter is all that is left. Then the fun will begin. By the way, I just know I'm going to get some heat for putting Ada and Hunk together. Hey, I've seen wilder matches in other fanfics. This is my way of being new and original, if not daring and controversial. Also, I guessed about Jill's mom. Since there has only been info on Jill's father, I'm not sure if Jill's mother is alive or dead. If she is among the living, I'm sorry for killing her off. It just worked with the story. By the way, how about the bathroom scene? I don't know about you, but I don't what's more embarrassing that getting your ass kicked in a public restroom. You can also put this as a symbolic way of saying that Umbrella's goons are pieces of shit.

In the final chapter of part II, everyone prepares for the battles that lay ahead. Plenty will happen, and friendships will be strengthened. Plus, a new romance will begin to emerge. Find out whom in RE: Armageddon- Part II, Chapter 10- New Start.