Author's Note: Annnnd, scene.

Summary: Jill remembers how, Chris remembers why.

Rating: T

Regret

Chapter Six: A Step Too Far

By: Mazzie May

Chris stared down at the empty toothpaste tube. It was empty. And for the life of him Chris couldn't remember if it was empty before they left for the store. It wasn't on the shopping list, so it must not of been empty. Or was it, and he just missed it?

Claire popped up next to him, and joined his staring. "Wesker did it."

Chris blinked and looked over at her. What? She looked at him with the mirror, a serious expression on her face. "The logical explanation is that I finished the tube before we left because I was in here last. But, you, Big Brother-" she poked his arm. "-would assume that Wesker came into our house, used up our toothpaste and didn't even role up the tube." She turned and grinned at him. "That's just diabolical."

Chris sighed and turned out of the bathroom, going to his computer. Claire's teasing followed him down the hall. "Oh, oh! Do you think he used your toothbrush? Or mine? Oooh, or both! What about both?" He cut off her giggles by closing his door.

He shrugged off his jean jacket only after a thorough check of his room. Nothing was out of place, no sign of intrusion. He draped it over the back of his chair before sitting it, and awaking his computer from sleep mode. He waited patiently for the screen to fade back in reclined in the chair a bit.

He reached up and opened a small cupboard, reaching in for his highlighters when he saw it. He'd forgotten all about it, it'd been a long time since opened this cupboard. Forrest Spyer was smiling at him. So was everyone else. It was the summer before the Spencer Estate; Wesker had set up a paint balling training exercise at a survival camp.

Survival… None of them did that. Chris saw the after math of near everyone; Kevin in the helicopter, Ken in the junction hall outside the dinning room, Richard slumped against a wall in the attic, Forrest on the balcony…

Chris closed the cupboard, the tanned, smiling youth making his heart hurt. He never saw Joseph die, didn't see his body afterwards, but he knew how. He could hear him die. Chris had been so angry in the mansion, not just because he was finding corpses of his friends, but also because, for all he knew, they'd died alone and scared. He wasn't able to comfort any of them in their final moments.

How long had it been since he visited their graves? Was he was so determined to stop Umbrella and Wesker that he forgot the reason he was fighting? He swore to them he'd stop this sinister company and all involved. He'd make any journey across the world to avenge them, but couldn't even take a couple of hours to fly up to Illinois' STARS Memorial where they were buried? What kind of avenger was he?

The tower was humming. And how long had it been since he got in contact with the others? He knew Barry was doing all right, but he'd heard that from Claire. And Jill was in… DC, hadn't Claire said? She'd spoken to Sherry months ago, and she's told Claire that her and that Leon guy had a "thing" now. He thought that's what Claire told him. He'd have to ask her later.

Why not ask them yourself?

He placed his elbows on the desk, pressed his palms to his forehead and sighed. It'd been too long; he couldn't talk to them. They probably didn't want to hear from him, either. He sighed again. He isolated himself to the best of his abilities, hoping to keep him and Claire safe. It's not like they needed him. Barry had his family, Jill had Carlos and now, apparently, Leon. He didn't have to stay. What was he doing? He's fighting Umbrella and avenging the dead. What did he do to get this far?

He abandoned the living.

Author's Note: Alright! All done! All of that written in two days. I'm so cool. Oh, and, uhm, I'll get back to Paranoia. Gotta finish that… Hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I did writting it. And I know that first bit of humor in this chapter is random and inappropriate, but I'm a humor person. I couldn't do a whole sad fic. And I hope all the characters turned out to be Regretable. Kinda the whole point, you know?

R&R Please