Chapter 1: Building a New Life

Welcome to the First Chapter of the side stories! I don't own anything. Resident Evil belongs to Capcom and Tomb Raider belongs to Core Design, Crystal Dynamics, and I think Square Enix. The only thing I own is the changes made to the stories of the Tomb Raider games/comics and Resident Evil games/comics/CG movies, the Government branch S.P.E.L.L., the person that has taken over Kathrine Warren's life, and Rose Warren. This story also will be bloody, violent, and have cursing. It's rated T for Teen.

Country: America, State: Washington, D.C, City: Crystal City, Place: Crowne Plaza Crystal City, Area: Room 03, Month: October, Day: Friday 2nd, Year: 1998, Time: 6:43 AM…

It was not a long flight in, but they were all still trying to catch up on sleep. They were given a stipend to get some clothes and suitcases, a few personal needs like toothbrushes and shampoo. They had nothing but the clothes on their back when they got out of Raccoon. The stipend also was enough for them to get hotel rooms until they could get set up with homes. After shopping, packing, and then the short flight and more processing once they got to D.C. they were all ready to drop.

Kat yawned as the card reader beeped for the hotel room. She pushed the door open, letting Sherry and Rose stumble into the room pulling their little travel cases. She looked to Leon who was opening his door across the hall in room 8. He looked at her with a nod.

"Get some sleep." He told her. "If you guys need anything…anything, my door's open." He gave a little finger wave to Rose and Sherry that had turned and peeked back at him around Kat.

"Night Uncle Leon!" They both said at once. Then there was a loud fart sound and a Lion roar followed by some giggles.

Kat smiled. "Same to you, Leon. On both counts." She turned, walked into the room, and softly closed the door.

Country: America, State: Washington, D.C, City: Crystal City, Place: Lawson Investigations, Area: Beth Hammer's office, Month: October, Day: Saturday 3rd, Year: 1998, Time: 9:13 AM…

"This could take time, Miss Warren." Beth said as she looked over the file on Kat's father. Slowly turning the papers as she looked up just a bit.

"I know. But I want him in court." Kat said.

"Oh, I'll find him." Beth nodded looking up fully to her as she closed the file. "Finding fathers who abandoned their children is one of my specialties. Usually, it's the dead beats trying to hide from child support. This one is different."

"How long do you think?" Kat asked.

"He's had almost two weeks to get away." Beth informed. "But he might not be hiding. It could take anywhere from a few days to a few months."

"Okay, about you're fee. I don't have much money at the moment." Kat said nervously.

"You're Government liaison has already covered it. They really wanted you working with them. So, they are doing all they can to make sure your demands are met." Beth smiled. "And seeing those bandages makes me want to find the asshole that made you get them all the more." She tipped her head a bit and sighed. "I know you can't tell me exactly how you got them, secrets and all. But I have heard the rumors so I can only guess." She stood up and held out a hand to shake Kat's hand. "I'll do all I can. I swear."

Kat smiled. "Thank you then." She took Beth's hand and gave it a firm shake. Her mind at ease knowing that soon her father will be in court.

Country: America, State: Washington, D.C, City: Crystal City, Place: Bishop and Law Attorneys, Area: Hal Grey's office, Month: October, Day: Saturday 3rd, Year: 1998, Time: 10:13 AM…

Hal nodded. "This is a lot of evidence against him for taking bribes, the pay offs, allowing the secret research on children, he is going down." He said as he closed the file and looked over his desk to Kat. "But us winning is a possibility. Really, it is a about a 70 30 shot. He could claim that he did it all because they threatened you and Rose" He leaned on the desk cupping his hands together. "You sure you want to add in your portion?"

"Yes I am. He needs to understand how he betrayed the city and hurt his family." Kat stated.

"Okay. Let's work a schedule for building the case." Hel told her. "The PI will locate him and that should come with a number to try and contact him. Don't call him. With the extortion and other criminal charges added to yours of neglect and abandonment, he has a lot to answer for. No need to give him a heads up."

"Okay. I honestly didn't even think of that. I really don't want to talk to him at all. So it never crossed my mind." Kat responded.

"Most wouldn't after what you went through. I sure don't blame you." He then handed her his card. "Here's my number and email. My team and I will get started on this."

Country: America, State: Washington, D.C, City: Crystal City, Place: Crowne Plaza Crystal City, Area: Room 03, Month: October, Day: Saturday 3rd, Year: 1998, Time: 10:27 AM…

Leon shook his head as he listened to what Kat told him and the girls of the meetings. "At least the balls rolling." He told her before taking a bite of his pizza. Even a few days later, he would close his eyes for a bit on the first bite and just enjoy the hot melted cheese and the spice of the sauce. He will never take pizza for granted again.

"Yeah." Kat nodded as she looked down at her slice as she started to cut off a bite with a knife and fork.

"So they are going to find him and arrest him?" Sherry asked around a mouthful of pepperoni. She knew it was rude to talk with food in your mouth, so she was polite enough to sort of cover her mouth with her hand as she was holding the pizza, so everyone didn't see the food she was chewing.

"Hal said that they have enough from the evidence that I collected." Kat nodded. She did give Sherry "The Look" about the food in mouth talking, before looking to Leon. "Got any word on when we'll start with training?"

Leon shook his head. "Not yet. I think they are giving us some rest before putting us through training."

"That's nice of them." Rose smiled nervously.

Kat smiled nodding. "It is." She then sighed. "And at four I'll be meeting up with some other lawyers. Put Sherry's adoption papers through." She smiled at Sherry and reached out to stroke a hand down the side of her cheek. Sherry smiled back and reached up to hold Kat's hand for just a moment.

Just then, the satellite phone rang. Kat stood and whipped her mouth before walking to her bed and grabbing it. She put it to her ear with a smile at seeing Lara's name in the readout.

"Hey, Lara, what's up?" Kat asked her.

"We have to go back to Yamatai." Lara said making Kat's body stiffen up and not hear what Lara said after.

Kat swallowed as she closed her eyes. "Wh-why?" She asked quietly making Leon look up with concern at Kat's stiff body and voice.

"The Salorii. They're back and they took Sam." Lara told her making Kat's eyes widen. "They took her back. I don't know what they plan to do, but whatever it is, it can't be good."

Kat sat back on her bed staring into the wall. She could feel the chill of the ice, her hair rising from the electricity. She could see the magic from Himiko and the protection around Sam, the blue and red. She could smell the rot from the Stormguard, the sweat from the Salorii. She could hear the wind, Mathias's words. Leon stood as Sherry and Rose stared at Kat's stiff pale form.

"Kat?" Leon asked as he walked over.

"Kat? Can you hear me?" Lara asked over the phone.

Just as the room started to spin, Leon's hand on Kat's shoulder pulled her back. She jolted and looked at him with lost eyes for a moment before she closed them and shook her head. He kept his hand on her shoulder and sat next to her on the bed.

"How long…how long ago did this happen?" Kat asked.

"Yesterday. In the morning." Lara told her but could hear the tone in Kat's voice. "I didn't call because we were trying to find them."

Kat closed her eyes and Leon saw it. The shift in her seat, the roll of her shoulders. His grip on her shoulder tightened. She looked at him with that cold expression that had scared him before.

"You can't go." He told her.

"Leon…They must pay." She stated. He could hear that accent in her voice again.

"No." He looked to Sherry and Rose who both looked scared. "Look at your kids and tell me if you can go." He said softly.

Kat looked and her expression softened. Sherry looked fearful of being alone again. Rose looked terrified of being abandoned. Kat swallowed thickly. She had left Rose alone before. Twice. She couldn't do it. Not again. He could feel her body relax and it was like he could feel something around here that made his hand tingle like when put your hand on one of those static balls and the little bolts follow the movements of your hand.

"Kat…" Lara's voice cut in, she had heard what Leon said and felt horrible for making the call in the first place. "I don't mean for you to come. Jonah and Reyes are coming with me. We'll be okay." She told her again as that was what she'd said before when Kat zoned. "Stay there. Be with your girls. They need you after Raccoon. I'll just keep you updated. I just wanted you to know in case you tried to reach me and couldn't. I didn't want you to worry."

Kat nodded stiffly and shakily. "Right…Yeah." She looked down at her shoes. "Th-thank you for calling." Her voice was back to her normal sounding voice.

"Kat…We'll get her back. Don't worry about it. I know you will but have faith." Lara assured. "Just focus on your kids, their health, and yours."

Kat nodded much quicker this time. "Yeah. Thanks." She forced a smile. "Don't forget a rocket launcher."

"God, I hate you." Lara snorted which made Kat's smile turn to a real one. "I'll call again later to let you know. Oh," Lara stopped. "You didn't find an artifact from Yamatai did you?"

Kat frowned. "Artifacts? No. But if I had one, it's long gone now. Along with Raccoon."

Lara started to laugh. "That's great."

Kat frowned as Leon and the girls looked just as confused. "Why?"

"Reyes, Jonah, Sam, and I all had artifacts from Yamatai. We didn't remember grabbing them." Lara explained. "They are part of a ritual that would bring Himiko and Mathias back to life. But if one of the artifacts is gone and destroyed…" Lara dragged out.

Kat smiled brightly. "Then they can't do the ritual. They are screwed!"

"Exactly!" Lara called. "I've got to go."

"Oh Lara! Take some Herbs this time! Bye." Kat said and hung up.

"You did the right thing." Leon assured as he sat next to her. "You've got too much responsibility here."

Kat nodded. "I know."

"What were the artifacts about?" Sherry asked as they could sort of hear Lara as the phone was loud and Kat's question.

"Apparently we all brought an artifact back from Yamatai without knowing it." Kat explained. "I vaguely remember something like that. They are part of a ritual that would bring Himiko and Mathias back from the dead." She smiled. "But if I did have an artifact…"

Leon smirked. "It blew up with Raccoon. They have just a bunch of useless knickknacks."

Rose beamed. "So, Sam will be okay?" She never met Sam but the way her mom described her, she sounded really nice.

"Yep!" Kat smiled as she and Leon joined the two back at the table. "All will be well." She smiled as she hoped the words would be a good luck omen.

Leon looked over and silently made a promise to talk to her about these shifts he is seeing in her, but now was not the time.

Country: America, State: Washington, D.C, City: Crystal City, Place: Bishop and Law Attorneys, Area: Nicole Archer's Office, Month: October, Day: Saturday 3rd, Year: 1998, Time: 11:15 AM…

"Sign here, and here." Nicole said as she pointed to the paper.

Kat had already read the papers and was ready to do this. "It can't be this easy." She said as she signed her name.

"It's not. This goes to the judge. That judge approves it after reading through a few other files on you. Namely, you're living situation, your job, proof of being able to care for her. He also has to go through other adoption applications." She explained as Kat signed the next line. "It could take anywhere from two weeks to two months." She smiled as she turned to the next part of the document. "But I think you'll get Sherry. You seem like a good mother, despite the circumstances." She smiled. "I mean you brought her out of Raccoon before the horrible accident. That will go a long way with the court that you went out of your way to protect her."

"Thank you. I appreciate it." Kat smiled kindly as she knew the woman didn't really know what happened there. The world just thinks that there was some kind of disaster at the Umbrella plant and only a hand full of people had enough time to make it out before the place exploded and took the city with it.

Country: America, State: Washington, D.C, City: Crystal City, Place: Crowne Plaza Crystal City, Area: Room 03, Month: October, Day: Saturday 3rd, Year: 1998, Time: 12:04 PM…

Kat stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. She had been trying to remember something from her first life all day. But with so much to do, she has been around people all day, she needed some quiet. She stood in front of the mirror and closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths and then opened her eyes but let them go unfocussed, just trying to picture herself before she was Kat Warren.

What color was her hair? She tested black, brown, red, then she saw long blond locks. What color were her eyes? She tried a few colors then she saw pale ice blue eyes. She nodded, alright blond, blue eyes. Where did I live?

The mirror seemed to vanish, and she was on a field, no, she was above it, just a bit looking down. Men were fighting with swords. She would hear the bellows from the men, the clash of metal and the long low tones from a horn of some kind. She looked around and felt a sense of someone that she needed to find, to take him some place?

Her eyes were burning because she had been holding them open so long, they were drying out and stinging. She wobbled a bit on her feet, and she leaned on the counter. 'What the hell was that?' She thought. 'Was I remembering the last movie I saw in my first life?' She leaned over and splashed some water on her face, dried off and stepped out to see what the girls wanted for dinner tonight. She really wanted grilled fish and some rustic whole grain bread. She hoped she could talk the girls into something other than pizza and hamburgers.

She went and knocked on Leon's door but there was no answer. She went back, got some paper, and slipped a note under his door letting him know where they were going in case he came by, and they were not there.

Country: America, State: Washington, D.C, City: Crystal City, Place: Crowne Plaza Crystal City, Area: Room 03, Month: October, Day: Saturday 3rd, Year: 1998, Time: 12:04 PM…

"I like that one. The bricks are really pretty!" Rose smiled pointing at a house they were looking at, in the color brochure she picked up from a realtor office.

It was built in 1987, so it was still fairly new. It was a townhouse, so it connected to the house next door, but had no interior doors that connected other homes. It had three bedrooms, so Sherry and Rose could have their own rooms. It had four bathrooms. But there were two downsides. It was in an HOA and the walls touching another house made her uncomfortable. In addition, the price was way out of her affordability even with the Government giving her a stipend to get a good home.

"I like the look two, but I can't afford it." She said rubbing Rose's shoulder in a side hug.

"How about this one. It's cheaper I think and it…well if we fix it, it can be really pretty." Sherry offered pointing to another one on the opposite page to Kat.

Kat looked and loved the shape of this one. It looked like an old-fashioned house, like from a western mixed with Victorian. It was built in 1989. It was a three bedroom, so again, Rose and Sherry could have their own rooms. There was a loft where she could have an archaeology room or even a hideout for Rose and Sherry. It had a basement she could turn into a training and work out room. It was a long building and had a nice big driveway. The down sides were fixable. Ugly green carpet and wall papered walls in the living room, sickening orange walls and carpet in the bedrooms, an unneeded wall in the lovely kitchen. There were no pictures of the bathrooms or the basement. The fact that it was a fixer upper made Kat love it even more. Bonus, this one had no HOA and was close to the schools Sherry and Rose would be going to. Even better, it was in her price range.

"What do you think you two? Imagine fixing a few things, new carpet and paint the walls." Kat said holding it out for Rose and Sherry to get a better look.

Rose looked it over and looked to Sherry. Sherry nodded.

"I like it." Sherry smiled. "Can my room be blue?"

"Can mine be green?" Rose asked.

Kat smiled. "Absolutely. Let me give the relater a call so we can get a house tour and then put in a bid to the owners. Hopefully they will accept it."

Country: America, State: Virginia, City: Arlington, Place: Oak Haven Apartments, Area: Apartment 09, Month: October, Day: Saturday 3rd, Year: 1998, Time: 1:09 PM…

Leon stepped into the small studio apartment. The brochure advertised it as a one bedroom and one bath, with the kitchen, living room, and dining room as the same area. The floor was a multicolored brown carpet so it would hide dirt easily for a while. The walls were plain cream white. There wasn't any furniture, but there were appliances. With the landlord watching him he looked over the other two rooms. The bathroom looked descent. Small but doable. The bedroom was the same. Small, but he could move around in there. He had a small closet with a sliding door.

The place really wasn't too bad. It was very clean. The price was right. Most importantly it was only 20 minutes from his new job in DC. He'd lived in smaller at the academy. He nodded with a smile. He just needed to get furniture, groceries, and a bed. He turned to the Landlord.

"Is anyone else looking at this one?" He asked.

"Yes, but if I get your deposit first then it's yours." The landlord told him. "Are you interested?"

"Yeah. I am." He said nodding and reaching for his wallet.

Country: America, State: Washington, D.C, City: Crystal City, Place: Crowne Plaza Crystal City, Area: Room 03, Month: October, Day: Saturday 3rd, Year: 1998, Time: 4:15 PM…

"Nice." Kat smiled after swallowing her egg roll bite. "So, you'll be moving in?"

"Yep. Well, as much as I can with as little as I've got." Leon cringed as he struggled with the chopsticks. "How the heck do you do this?"

Rose smiled and giggled with Sherry as they were eating just fine with the chopsticks. Kat smiled as she pulled a hair tie from her wrist.

"Give them here, I have a trick." She said holding out a hand.

He handed his sticks to her, and she started twisting the tie around the top of the sticks. She handed them back with a smile.

"Should be a little easier now." She told him as he took the sticks back.

"Thanks. So did you guys find a place?" He asked. He dug into the General Tao Chicken carton and finally got a piece. The spice level was high, but he liked spicy food, so this was perfect.

"Yeah. We have a house tour tomorrow." Kat smiled. She used her chopsticks to point at Rose when she started a mini sword fight Sherry with one of her chopsticks. "Yo. Food first. Play later."

"Whoa, you guys found a house?" Leon asked as he stopped the next bite from entering his mouth for a moment.

"Yeah. Needs a new look, but it's pretty." Sherry smiled after swallowing the Honey Sesame Chicken.

"And we get our own rooms!" Rose smiled and went back to eating with a smile.

"That's cool." Leon smiled and looked to Kat. "Can you afford it though?"

"It's a fixer upper. So it's cheaper then it'd normally be." Kat smiled. "Just means I'll have something to outside of missions, training, adventures, and caring for the girls."

"Ah, you're gonna become a handy woman?" He teased.

"Just a little." She smiled and winked. "I'm really good with an Axe and knocking things down. I think I can build it back up."

Country: America, State: Virginia, City: Arlington, Place: Meadow Brook, Area: Front Doors, Month: October, Day: Sunday 4th, Year: 1998, Time: 11:15 AM…

"So, are you still interested?" The Estate agent asked smiling a hopeful smile.

"Oh, we are. I would like to put in a bid of seventy-five thousand. I know that is about five thousand under the asking price, but the place does need work and I'm willing to put in the time. But I will need to buy materials." Kat asked as Sherry and Rose sat on the porch, both pretty bord. They wouldn't be in school for another two days.

"At the moment yours would be the best one they have gotten." The agent said smiling. "I'll start the paperwork as soon as I get back to the office. If no one out bids you by the end of the week, I'll give you a call and you can come and do the paperwork and get the keys."

Country: America, State: Virginia, City: Arlington, Place: Sam's Used Cars, Area: Office, Month: October, Day: Sunday 4th, Year: 1998, Time: 11:36 AM…

Kat hadn't at all been shocked that the owner was a woman in her thirties, unlike the customer that was getting his pants in a bunch. The man had been confused, shocked, and then angry that the owner of the car lot was a woman named "Sam" and not a man name "Sam". He started to splutter that we wanted to speak with a man, as women don't know the first thing about cars. But Sam shut him down before sending him on his way. Kat walked along slowly down the row of cars while the girls went to each one and cupped their hands on the window to peek at the inside.

Sam watched the man huff off then looked to the woman with the two little girls looking down one of the rows. By this time, the minor injuries had healed, but Kat still sported clean bandages visible and many visible bruises. Despite that, the young woman was very beautiful and the way she carried herself and smiled at the girls but always kept them in sight, told her she had some grit to her, as her grandmother would say.

Sam huffed through her teeth, her face making a wince as she walked up. "Oh, Honey…I hope you gave as good as you got." She said with a very light southern drawl.

Kat smiled a bit. "Oh ya, I decimated 'em." She stated.

"Well good. So, what are ya'll looking for?" Sam asked.

"Something dependable. Durable, maybe a bit versatile." Kat said. "And something big, but not too big. I have my daughters that'll have to take to school. So needs a back seat.

Sam nodded. "Do you want a minivan at all?"

"Oh, no. Sorry if this sounds insulting, but a minivan makes me think of the not fun soccer mom." Kat cringed a little.

Sam laughed. "Oh, it's fine. Would you Like an SUV?"

"Maybe not that big?" Kat said. "I'm not looking for a Suburban. More like a Jeep Cherokee?"

"Well, you know your cars. Let's go take a look around. I don't have a Cherokee in the lot, but if your heart is set, I can ask around." Sam said and led her down a row of sport cars to where the trucks and larger sedans were parked.

Sam showed them some SUVs, they were big, boxy but good cars. But then as they neared the Jeeps, Rose pointed at a car that wasn't a Jeep.

"That one!" Rose called out as Sherry looked over and nodded smiling.

"It's your favorite color too!" Sherry agreed looking to Kat.

Kat and Sam looked over to see a dark forest green Range Rover. It had a mounted rack on the top, push bar on the front with extra lights that had the brush cover over them to protect them from branches. There was even a winch on the front, and she could see a towing hookup on the back. As they got closer Kat asked, "What is the year and the mileage on this one."

Sam lifted a hand to her head for a moment, then recited, "1995 Range Rover, top rack, front push bar, winch capable of a GVW of five thousand, 53,476 on the mileage. Previous owner was outdoors men and would go off roading in the mountains."

Kat smiled as the woman really reminded her of Lara rattling off facts about an artifact. She walked over, took out a little flashlight from her purse, and got on her knees to look at the breaks, the coil springs, rolled to her side, to look under at the oil pan and drive train. "What are you asking for it?" She called out.

Sam gave a little smile at seeing the woman look under the car and not just kick at a tire. She knew what she was doing a little and that meant she was smart. Without her asking, she opened the driver's door and popped the hood as she answered. "It is listed at $25,000. I will have to check if I can give you a discount if you want to Finance through us."

Kat got up and didn't even fuss with the dirt on her as she climbed up on the push bar to look at the engine and the belts. She knew enough being around boat engines and Lara to look for leaking oil or other fluids or fraying belts. That was about it for her surface knowledge of engines. She also knew if she looked like she knew what she was doing, the salespeople would not try to hustle her too much. That and if she found something she could talk down the price a little.

Kat peeked up to see the girls looking in side and she gave them a little nod that it was ok to get in. They knew not to fiddle with things they didn't own. "The engine looks clean." She looked over her shoulder at Sam. "A bit too clean? Can we take it for a test drive?" She would look at the engine again to see if anything leaked during the drive.

Two hours later and they were seated in the office signing the paperwork. Sam had learned about Kat being an Archeologist, That Sherry was not hers by blood but by love and she adopted her after her parent's premature deaths. She knew they had been through something that they were not ready to talk about as some questions like where was her family from, they would all go a bit silent and there was a haunted look in their eyes. So, she didn't push. But she was sure they were all running from something, and she was going to sell them the car at cost. Even after all of the other little incidentals costs. She was sure she would hear it from her father later, but she was not going to make this struggling mother struggle more than she had to.

"So, the bottom line will be $22,400." She pretended to let Kat talk her down about the transmission feeling a little sluggish and the breaking a little soft. She didn't want to outright look like she was giving her charity.

Kat nodded and smiled. "That is in my budget. Where do I sign?"

Rose bounced in her seat and clapped. "We love the car! Oh, I saw a car out there that I think Uncle Leon would love!" She looked over at Sam and blurted out, "He got us out of the city. Well Ruby helped too; I think she and Leon are going to hook up. Better than Red Viper, but I was hoping for Jade Bolt." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

Sherry elbowed Rose to get her to be quiet.

Sam smiled and asked, "Red Viper, Jade Bolt?"

Rose shrugged, not getting the hint. "I gave everyone code name so I wouldn't be so scared. It was Leon's idea."

Kat reached over and pulled Rose into a one-arm hug. "You were very brave. Sherry too. But now is not the time, ok? I'm almost done and then we can go through the McDonalds drive through and get…?"

"Ice Cream!" Both girls cheered. Not noticing the look that Sam gave them.

Sam looked down to blink quickly as she fussed with the papers, holding back the tears that she knew would fall if she looked at the family again. Clearly, Kat and the girls had run from something really bad, and they had help so they were not alone. That was good that they had support. She cleared her throat and put on her sales mask smile. "Just sign right here and the keys are yours." She winked at Rose, "You send your uncle this way and I will find him a great car."

Rose smiled back, "Do you sell Motorcycles too? Ruby had to leave hers behind like Uncle Leon."

Sam blinked quickly again. "Well, not at the moment but I know just the person she can talk to if you point her here too. I'll see what I can do."

Kat smiled and reached across the table to shake Sam's hand as they both stood up. "Thank you. If you ever need anything in Spanish, Latin, French, Greek, or Japanese translated, just give me a call." She picked up the keys, tossed them up a little and caught them again. "Right! Captain Jack Harkness would be impressed." She told the girls in British accent that made them giggle.

Sam smiled and walked them to the door. "Drive safe ya'll!"