Summary: Rebecca's out of place, Barry remembers why he's where he is now
Rating: T
Regret
Chapter Two: Without Them
By: Mazzie May
Barry Burton sat on the edge of his bed, his wife Kathy fast asleep on the other side. He's up late. He'd heard Rebecca crying again and decided to stay up until she stopped, just to be sure she didn't make herself sick. He glanced at the radio alarm clock and found it nearly three in the morning. Sighing, he stood and left the bedroom. He made his way past her girls' room and down the stairs into the basement. It's where he kept all of it.
Unlike Rebecca, Barry did what he could with what he had; he bought a ranch in Canada and raised horses. The girls loved it. He joined the police there, and in the last six years had made Police Chief. He walked past the gun safe. So, why did he feel so empty? He stopped in front of the mantle.
It should've been you, 'Rico.
Enrico Marini just smiled at him from the photograph, taken about seven years before on a finishing trip with himself and Robert Kendo. Barry winced thinking about Robby. After Raccoon was nuked off the face of the earth, and he'd seen everyone again, Jill pulled him aside. He thought she was going to say some mean things; she never forgave him for what happened in the mansion. But, instead, she handed him a folded crinkled, yellowing piece of paper and said "this was meant for you." And then just walked away, back to where Leon and Carlos were speaking. The letter had been written by Robby, telling Barry that he was going to leave Raccoon and be waiting for him up at their fishing cabin, because he liked it up there with all their good memories and that Barry needed to go up there, too, so they could go fishing together.
Robby never made it out of Raccoon.
Barry had wept like a fool the night Jill gave him the letter. Now, though, the letter was laminated and framed. Every picture of Robby, Enrico, the other Bravo members and his lost friends were framed and covered the walls. It was his way of keeping them around. Every picture of Enrico was a reminder of his treason.
It didn't matter if it was forced or not, he'd turned on his team and gotten Enrico killed all on the possibility that Wesker may or may not have a death squad waiting to take out his family. It was so obviously a lie when he looks back now; if Wesker had had a change of plans, then there'd be no way to call in the killing group. Barry was just easily manipulated. It would stay with him forever. 'Rico had been well on his way to becoming Police Chief, despite what Iron's said. And it'd been Robby's idea for him and 'Rico and Barry to move their families up north and get a ranch. Barry was living out their dreams without them. He was horrible.
And if he ever thought that maybe 'Rico would want him to be happy, all he'd have to do is give Jill Valentine a call to remind himself he wasn't forgiven. That was most the reason he took Rebecca in; sure he didn't want her to die, but she was a constant reminder of the dead Bravos.
Barry failed his teammates, their families and himself.
Author's Note: And we're off! There's about... six chapters, I think.
R&R Please