CHAPTER 4

A Promise Fulfilled

The morning couldn't have started out earlier for Claire. She laid awake for most of that night worried about the hundred things that could go wrong.

It was awful only worrying about the negative things, and completely neglecting the positive. This was, however, just another hurtle that Claire had to jump in their battle against Umbrella. In the grand scheme of things Claire was willing to make the sacrifice.

Later that night Claire discovered she wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep. As she sat up on her bed staring intently on nothing there was a soft knock on her hotel room door.

Thinking that it be Leon Claire ran hastily to the door. It came as a surprise when she opened the door and Leon wasn't there, but instead Jill.

"Jill, what are you doing here?" Claire asked startled.

Jill's expression remained dry as she answered. "I couldn't sleep."

Jill followed Claire into her room, and the two of them collapsed onto Claire's bed. The two women didn't say anything for a long time.

It was odd, Claire had know Jill for a few months now, they had been through a lot together, but she still felt like she barely knew Jill at all. They never talked just the two of them, Jill usual just kept to herself. Whenever they were alone in the same room it was always terribly awkward, right now being another perfect example.

"Shit night isn't it?" Claire asked Jill trying to break the tension that had built up between them.

Before she knew what happened Jill had broken down. Gentle tears were rolling down her cheeks, and quiet sniffles had absorbed her body. Claire instinctively wrapped her arms around the older woman.

"It's alright Jill we'll find him, I know we will."

"Cl.Claire I.I miss him so much." Jill said through sniffles.

"I know you do, I do too."

"I.I love him Claire." Jill told her as she wiped away the tears from her face.

It was weird hearing Jill say those three precious words. Claire always thought that Jill maybe felt them, but to hear her actually say it.it made Claire feel wonderful knowing that somewhere out there was someone who loved her brother as much as she did.

"We'll find him Jill." Was all that Claire said. She felt as if that's all she needed to say. They WERE going to find him. There was nothing else to it.

The next day finally came, and everyone was more then ready, 9mm where in hoisters, combat knives were all strapped to thighs, all was planned and set. Everyone was ready to rescue Chris.

As they were loading into their van Jill came up to Claire, and gave her hand an affectionate squeeze.

"Let's go get him." She said to her. The words coming from Jill was everything Claire needed. They smiled at each other then climbed into the van. They were going to rescue a man that they both loved.

* * *

"Chris, remind me when we get out of this hell whole to kill you!"
Threatened Derek, as he got up from the floor.

Chris had snuck a dead rat into Derek's bed, and needless to say Derek
wasn't pleased. The rest of the groups, however, were on their knees
rolling in laughter.

Life wasn't easy in this god forsaken room, but it defiantly had its
lighter moments.

Once everyone was settled and Derek's temper had calmed down, the
group formed a circle in the middle of the room.

For awhile now they had made it a daily ritual to sit in a circle once
a day, and hold hands. From there everyone would think about their
happiest thought that they could conjecture in their mind. Chris didn't
know why, but whenever they finished their little meditation session he
always felt so much better. It cleansed the pessimism from his soul. It
all might have sounded like a bunch of crap, but everyone in that room
would swear to god that it worked.

They were in one if their mediation sessions. Chris was thinking about
the times when he and Claire would play Frisbee in the park when Derek,
who was sitting next to Chris, from out of the dead silence, asked.

"Is anyone else thinking about deep dish pizza right now?"

"Yeah, with naked woman on top of it," Luke added.

Chris opened his eyes to see Mick chuckling, Jamie and Cindy rolling
their eyes, and Derek just rolling in laughter.

Chris joined in the laugh then got up from the floor. It seemed
mediation time was over. He stepped over the still laughing Derek, and
moved to the farthest bed.

He had only been laying there for a few moments when Jamie had come
over and joined him.

"You think that's funny too?" She teased.

"Well you got to give the guy a break. It's probably been a couple of
years since he's seen one."

Jamie gives Chris a look before collapsing next to him on the bed.
They laid there for awhile not saying anything. After awhile Jamie turned
around so she was facing him and asked.

"What do you think about when we meditate like that?"

"I think about my past, you know before Umbrella came into it." He
said wishfully. "I think about me and my sister, and all my friends from
the air force, and S.T.A.R.S." After a deep sigh Chris asked her. "How
about you Jamie? What do you think about?"

To his surprise Jamie starts to blush. Her cheeks had turned a light
shade of pink.

"Come on," Chris persisted. "It can't be bad if it makes you happy."

"How about if it's something embarrassing?"

Chris smiles at her. "It's just you and me, what can be so
embarrassing when it's just us?"

Jamie takes a deep breathe her whole body appearing nervous. "Well
that's kind of it Chris, it's about us."

Not taking his eyes off from her Chris listens intently.
"This place was truly miserable, you couldn't find one thing that you
could actually consider living for. Then one unexpected day Chris you
came into our lives. Suddenly everything is different, everyone here
seemed to have a different out look and me.well I.I couldn't imagine my
life without you Chris. You're what makes me happy."

Her eyes were glowing with radiance, and something else, something
that Chris couldn't exactly pinpoint, but whatever it was Chris couldn't
take his eyes off of her.

Things from there started happening so fast. Jamie started to lean to
towards him Chris didn't know what to do. He just laid there as Jamie's
lips connected with his own. She was kissing him, and even more
surprising was Chris was kissing her back. Their kisses started to become
more passionate. Chris had rolled over so he was leaning into her. There
was so much heat between them, so much raw passion. Chris couldn't
imagine a better feeling, but then it suddenly hit him. It was like he
had been punched in the face as that one solitary thought had come to
him.Jill.

Chris suddenly pulled away from Jamie; she looked startled by his
sudden movement.

"What.what is it?" She asked.

"I'm so sorry Jamie I just.I just can't."

"What's wrong?"

"It wouldn't be fair, not to you.not to Jill?"

"Oh, Jill." Jamie sounded like she had been hit by a truck as she said
those two words.

"Jamie, it's so not you." Chris said taking her hand. "God, it's not
you, you're amazing. It's just.just"-

"You love her don't you?" Jamie said finishing his sentence.

"I do. After all our time apart, and all the obstacles that are
standing in our way I can't stop feeling what I feel for her."

Jamie nods understandingly; she starts to get up when Chris grabs her
arm.

"Jamie, please I didn't"-

"Chris," she said before he got any further. "You feel what you feel
there's nothing more to it. All I can say is that this Jill is one
unbelievably lucky girl."

They continue to look at each other intensely when the gate to their
room started to raise open. The six of the them gave each other
apprehensive looks. The gate only opened twice a day to give them their
food and water, and a bucket to go to the bathroom in. The gate shouldn't
have been opening for another few hours, something was defiantly up.

When the gate was all the way open people in black started to swarm
into their room like a bandit out of hell. Within the dozen people in
black there was one who stood out. It was a man still in black, but
something about him made him stand out from the rest. A kind of authority
or command seemed to glow from him.

His authority immediately began to show as he barked out orders at the
rest.

"Take the two young males, and leave the rest."

Chris could feel Jamie's body immediately tense beside him. "They
can't take you." She whispered desperately to him.

"They won't." Chris whispered back as he stood up from the bed.

The people in black broke out into two groups' one setting out for
Luke, the other for himself. Chris stood there ready as they came towards
him.

The first two Chris immediately brought down to the floor, but the
next caught on that Chris could defend himself and took out their assault
rifles.

Chris raised his hands in defeat. Jamie, however, wouldn't have any of
that. She ran to him wrapping her arms around him protectively.

"You're not leaving!" She cried.

"It will be alright." He told her trying to sound convincing, but it
was hard when he wasn't even convinced himself.

"No, no you're staying here."

Chris grabs Jamie by the shoulders, and says to her. "You're going to
get out of here. I'm going to come back to keep my promise."

Jamie nodded, although not entirely convinced. Chris kissed her on the
forehead then looked at the others. Luke was already in custody, Cindy
had tears rolling down her eyes, Mick stood there straight as he possible
could almost as it he was saluting them, and Derek was being held back by
the others in black.

Chris gave an encouraging nod to all of them before letting the men
hand cuff him. As he was being taken away he threw one last look at
Jamie. It was hard as hell seeing her glowing emerald eyes so dim and
hopeless. All he could do was promise himself that this wasn't the end.

With that Chris followed Luke out of the damp, poorly lit, large room
that had been home, and out to the once again unknown.

* * *

It was such a dumpy, poorly built building that Jill had to wonder how
it was actually holding together.

Slowly the five of them crawled towards the building making sure they
stayed as low as possible. As they became closer and closer to the
building Jill couldn't stop the insane beating that her heart was doing
inside her chest. Chris could be only a few yards away; the thought was
very powerful, it defiantly made Jill crawl faster.

When they approached the building they took extreme care to stay away
from the windows. When they had all corners surrounded Leon was the one
to look carefully into the building.

"Two with assault rifles," Leon whispered to her.

Jill nodded they could handle that, especially with the element of
surprise on their side.

Leon and Claire snuck over to the door while rest of them covered the
windows. As they had planned back at the hotel everyone waited until the
count of three, and then all at once stormed into the little rundown
building.

The guards were completely taken off guard; Leon and Claire were able
to take their weapons easily. Carlos and Barry tied the guards up while
Jill ran past the first room and into the second.

What Jill ended up finding past those doors wasn't quite what she was
looking for, but it was defiantly something.

Four solemn faced people sat on one bed. There were three middle age
people, two male and one female. The last person was a young woman, her
eyes were red and tears covered her cheeks.

Jill walked over to the four and gentle asked.

"What happened here?"
The young woman sobbed out an answer. "They.they took him."

"Took who?" Jill asked, afraid of the answer that in her heart she
already knew.

"They took Chris!" She wailed once again convulsing in a fit of tears.

Everyone else had now joined Jill in standing around these four
strangers. They all listened intently as the four relayed their story.
Jill wasn't able to keep her attention on them until Chris' name came up.

Chris had stayed with them in the very room Jill was standing in now
for seven months, but less then twenty-four hours ago Chris along with
another man named Luke were taken by men in black. Jill had missed him by
one bloody day; the irony of it really kicked her in the ass.

The four hostages besides looking stunned and lost also looked pale
and malnutrition. As Leon was making a call for a helicopter to come pick
them up Jill walked over to an empty bed in the corner of the room.

She was lost in her own thoughts when she felt a body sit down next to
her on the bed. It was the younger woman, her tears had dried, but the
lost look in her eyes remained.

With a dry expression the woman said to her. "You're Jill aren't you?"

Jill gave the woman and odd look, the woman in returned explained.

"Chris.he.that's all he thought about, you that is. He would go quiet
for long periods of time, and when you looked at him you just knew that
something or someone important was on his mind. It didn't take me long to
realize that someone was you."

Jill sat there her own tears now coming down her face. The woman
looked at her sympathetically. Jill would have been jealous knowing that
Chris had spent so much time alone with this woman, she was utterly
beautiful, but something retrained her from that feeling. It was the
sincerity in her voice.

"He loves you.truly and deeply. You're one incredibly lucky woman."

He.he loved her? Jill could have choked on the happiness and desire
that had suddenly filled her heart.

The two women grew quiet each devolving into their own thoughts. It
wasn't until they were getting ready to leave for the helicopter that the
woman said anything again.

"Will you promise me something?"

Jill nodded hoping that she could.

"Will you promise me you'll find him?"

Jill gave the woman's hand a squeeze, and then added another nod
before telling her. "I'll spend my remaining breathe doing so."

With that said the two left the old dingy building and boarded the
helicopter.

* * *

Once Chris and Luke were taken away they were roughly shoved into a
large jet black van. Luke was practically on top of Chris as they huddled
in the corner of the van, along with about a dozen strangers all dressed
in black.

Chris could feel Luke's body tense harder and harder the further they
drove. He was scared, and Chris didn't blame him, because he was scared
out of his freaking wits.

The ride was long and extremely unnerving. Chris hated how he no
longer had any control over his life; he swore for the thousandth time
that Umbrella would pay.

After hours of driving Luke finally came out of his silence that had
engulfed him the moment that those damn people in black invaded their
room.

In a voice that was barely a whisper Luke asked him.

"Where do you think there taking us?"

Chris wanted to lie. He wanted to tell Luke that they were probably
just being taken to a place like they were in before, but he couldn't.
Despite how easy it would have been just to say something comforting
Chris wasn't going to do that to Luke. The best weapon he could give him
at the moment was preparing him for the worst. So after a deep breathe
Chris answered.

"No where good."

For the rest of the ride they were silent.

Somewhere along the line they had fallen asleep. His dreams were
filled with haunted images of Umbrella's creatures. Thousands upon
thousands were chasing him down Raccoon's streets. Chris just kept on
running and running his step never lessoning. As he was running figures
from out of no where started to join him. The first was Rick, his closest
friend from the S.T.A.R.S Bravo team; his face was dark and gloomy. In a
voice that sounded like an echo Rick says to him.

"Keep running Chris, keep running."

Then as fast as lightning Rick was gone, but Chris wasn't alone for
long. All his friends that he had lost to Umbrella all started to appear
one by one. Enrique, Forest, Brad, Joseph all suddenly joined him in his
race to get away from the creatures, and they all were saying the same
thing.

"Keep running Chris."

Out way in the distance was a figure. Chris thought he recognized the
figure, but he wasn't sure. With all the energy he had left he sprinted
towards the figure. It looked like it was Jill, but he couldn't figure
out why the hell she would be here?

Chris was only a few yards away from her, and was shouting out Jill's
name when something started to happen. Her body started to go in a
convulsion and dark wholes started to appear in it. Chris stopped dead in
his tracks and watched in horror as her body started to contort into a
monster. He watched as Jill transformed in a tyrant.

Chris awoke with a start from his hellish nightmare, only to realize
that the nightmare hadn't gone away. The van was now stopped, and there
were voices that could be heard from the outside of the van.

Suddenly the doors were open and great burst of white light burst into
the van. Blinded by the light Chris squinted his eyes to see what the
hell was going on.

He felt hands grab for him and in the midst of the struggle Chris felt
a sharp prick in his upper right arm, and then darkness.

Lights flickering, bright, bright lights. Chris tried desperately to
close his eyes, and block them out with darkness, but the effort was
futile.

Out of the corner of his eyes Chris spotted something that made him
hurl all over himself. On the bed beside his own laid Luke, but he wasn't
really Luke anymore. Just parts of Luke laid on that bed as if he had
exploded or something.

"What the hell did you bastards do to him!?" He yelled to the group of
people in lab coats just a few feet away.

"The patient's up, Krochy please insert another shot."

Hardly a second had gone by before Chris felt another shot go into his
arm.

Lights started flickering again, but this time instead of going bright
things just got dark.

AUTHORS NOTE:
This is one of my favorite chapters. I think a lot happens, and I
really enjoyed writing it. I just thought I mention that. Thanks to all
those who are reading.

Always,
Leah