I woke, softly, in a rack that slowly rocked. I recognized steel bulkheads and the smell of saltwater.

A ship then.

I rolled to my feet; the pain was gone, but I was still a little fuzzy from falling down the K-hole. The rocking didn't help. I managed to find the door, gently stepping into the passageway. A couple of sailors were at the end, talking about something or another when I approached. They both snapped to attention and saluted.

"Sir!"

Military didn't salute non-mil, that threw me off.

I returned the salute shakily, and they lowered their hands; the shorter of the two, baby-faced with kind brown eyes, held his hand out to me.

"It's an honor, sir. They told us what you guys did out there, how you saved all of us. Thank you, sir."

I shook his hand, but I had no idea how to answer this young kid, so I smiled. Shaking his buddy's outstretched hand, the right words finally coming to me.

"Thanks for coming to get us."

They both beamed.

"Where's the rest of my team?"

The shorter sailor pointed down the passage, "They're in sickbay, sir. Straight that way, bang a right, then a quick left."

I nodded, giving them a crooked smile, "Thanks, gents. Don't work too hard."

Their laughter followed me down the corridor.

I followed their directions and walked into the med bay; Chris sat next to Sheva's bed at the far end of the room. The only other occupant caught my eye; the Marine with the broken arm sat up in his bed, trying to rise when he spotted me.

I held up a hand, "Relax, Marine. How's the arm?"

"Sore, sir, but they've got me pretty doped up."

"Glad to hear it, like I told the squids, thanks for coming to get us. I'm buying when we get outta here."

He grinned through his pain, "That's a deal, OGA."

"Mike!"

Sheva must've heard my voice; she was beaming at me; Chris got up and sped over, wrapping me in a bear hug, laughing the whole way.

"It's over Mike, it's fucking over. The Air Force dropped a FAE on the volcano; Ouroboros is gone."

I nodded into his shoulder, "Jesus, I can barely believe it. What do we do now?"

"I don't know, brother, but I need a drink."

He backed up, and everything came rushing back; I couldn't believe that it had ever slipped my mind.

"How long was I out? Where's Jill? Becca? Do they know we're alive?"

His eyes changed a little, the joy was still there, but it was tempered.

" Frank, let everyone know we made it. Delta flew Jill out an hour after they picked her up, she landed in London at BSAA HQ; they want to get her looked over; Becca is there with her now." He sighed, "You were asleep for about three days… they weren't sure if you were going to make it."

I winced as we walked over to Sheva's bedside. "That bad, huh?"

"Scared the shit out of me, man." He muttered.

Sheva reached out, and I took a knee, hugging her tight.

"Glad you were along for the ride, Sheva."

She gave me a squeeze, "Wouldn't have missed it."

We sat and talked well into the night, just decompressing; we'd been trucking to get close to the coast of England since I'd been out; by tomorrow morning, we'd be in range, and a helo would get us to Lakenheath. I couldn't sleep long after Chris had gone to bed; Sheva was resting, her injuries weren't severe, and she'd be up and moving around again before too long.

So I sat under the fantail, staring at the moonlit Atlantic. I wasn't alone for long.

"Evening, sir."

I turned to see a sailor having a smoke; he held the pack out to me. I took one with a grateful smile. A snap of his lighter later, and I took a long drag.

"Thank you,"

"Nah, thank you, sir. You guys saved a lot of lives."

"Had to get it done, no way around it, and if we're honest? I can't wait to sleep in my own fucking bed again."

"Hooyah, sir."

I smiled around the cigarette, "Say, could you get me a sat phone? I could do with making a call or two."

"I can, sir," He went to stub out his smoke.

I stopped him, "Wasn't an order, man; finish your smoke first."

He chuckled, "Thank you, sir."

We smoked in silence, admiring the ocean. It started to hit me that it was really over, and the world stretched out before me, alive and full of promise.

I just had to sort my feelings out first.

Jill was alive and safe; the love we shared had changed my life. She was my soulmate; there was no question in my mind. We were kindred spirits. Fighters who had lost and found reasons to go to war time and again. I loved her more than anything, and that was never going to change.

Becca had pulled me from a hole so dark and deep that it threatened to swallow me whole. She'd dragged me back into the light and made me feel human again. I owed my life to her genius and the boundless love she'd shown me.

I stared out at the Atlantic, not noticing that my buddy had slipped away. I was no closer to figuring things out, and it wasn't going to happen in a vacuum.

Soft footsteps on the metal alerted me to the sailor's return, "Here you go, sir, turn it in to the duty officer when you're finished."

I glanced over and took the phone, "Thanks, man, I'll square it away."

He held out his hand, "My pleasure, sir."

We shook hands, and he left with a nod.

I punched in the number without looking; I knew it by heart after all. I lit another smoke and waited. The odd chirping ring was my only companion for a long moment.

"Mm, hello?" She sounded so tired, I hadn't even thought about the time difference

"Hey, Mama."

"Mike? It's so late, is everything okay?"

I paused, trying to think of what to say; in the end, I just went for it.

"Mike?"

"Mom…Jill's alive."

Now she was awake.

"What?! How?" I could hear the tears starting, and my dad in the background asking what was wrong.

Her tears were infectious; I sniffed and tried to blink them away. "I don't know how she survived it; Wesker had her all this time, but she's alive mama, we got her out, and she's in the hospital."

"Oh my god…Mikey, Oh my god, I can't…Rob, Jill's alive!"

"Holy fuck," Came Dad's voice from the background.

"Can we come to see her?" Mom asked, "Where are you?"

I wiped my eyes; it did nothing to stem the tide.

"Classified. But as soon as I can, I'll let you know, and we'll make the arrangements."

"Wait, you said Wesker had her? Is he-"

"He's fucking dead. I don't know what he did to her yet; it's why they have her under observation."

"Are you with her now?"

"No, I should be, but there was a hitch; I'm headed her way now."

Mom broke down, soft sobs reached my ears, and I joined right in, leaning on the railing and trying to get it together.

"I can't believe she's alive…"

And for a while, we didn't say any more, simply shared the relief and joy.

"Sir?"

The sailor from earlier had snuck up on me; I jumped a little at his voice, covering the receiver, "What can I do for you?"

"Sorry for interrupting, sir, but we've received word that your transport to England will be arriving soon."

I glanced at my watch. Had I really been out here all night?

"Sounds good; thanks for the heads up. Has the rest of my team been alerted?"

"Yes, sir, you're the last piece of the puzzle."

"Got it, let me finish up here; how long do I have?"

"Twenty mikes, they'll be waiting topside on the helipad."

"Right on, thank you, man."

"My pleasure, sir."

I returned my attention to the call, "Ma, I've gotta go. I'll let you guys know when I know something."

"Okay, kiddo, Jesus…keep us posted."

"I will; I love you guys so much, you know that, right?"

"And we love you, honey. Bye."

"Bye, Ma"

I killed the call, flicking my smoke into the ocean and handing the sat phone over to the sailor, who had stood off to the side and let me finish up.

"Take care, bud."

"You too, sir."

I gave him a smile and jogged inside, running into Chris halfway to the med bay.

"Hey brother, guess they found you?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I scared up a sat phone and called home. Barely slept. I don't know what to do here, Chris. I care about Becca.

"But?"

"But Jill and I…I think about her and things like "Once in a lifetime" and "Soulmates" keep popping into my head."

He was quiet for a moment as we walked when he spoke, his tone was solid; I could tell he was speaking from his heart.

"I'll say this, there's no right way out of it, but the wrong way is to keep two women who love you guessing for any longer than absolutely necessary. You're a good man Mike, one of the best I've ever known, embrace that, and you'll figure this out."

I nodded, "I'm gonna try Chris. Thanks, man."

"C'mon Kelly, it's my job."

We gathered Sheva up, her crutches and all, making our way topside where the HH-60 from Lakenheath waited. A few waves to the assembled deck crew, and we roared into the sky, headed for England.

Fucking fuck.

We'd landed at Lakenheath; I'd taken some time to shower and change out of the navy issue gear they'd given me. Now, in a pair of jeans, a heavy turtleneck, and a peacoat against the winter cold, I sat in the back of an MOD Land Rover with Chris and Sheva, heading for BSAA HQ. I was all the way up in my head, damn near sick with worry about what was about to happen. Figures, I'd helped fight against some of the scariest shit humanity had ever seen, and I'd be terrified of two women.

The closer we got to downtown London the worse it got; my stomach was in knots.

"Hey."

I glanced over at Sheva; her kind eyes smiled back at me, "It's going to be okay."

Chris must have filled her in; I wasn't even mad, just thankful to have another vote of confidence.

"I hope so, Sheva, thanks."

She settled against Chris and smiled; the two of them looked good together; it looked like it was getting serious too. Things tended to happen fast in our world; there wasn't time to fuck around; you might not be around tomorrow to regret not taking the leap.

We rode at convoy speed, cutting through London traffic like a hot knife through butter, something of note in the early morning traffic. The BSAA building loomed out of the cold fog rolling off the Thames, just down from River House; I'd spent some time in the MI6 HQ, fond memories.

We pulled up to the curb, and our security detail, CTSFO's from the Met Police, fanned out, keeping an eye on the rooftops. I stepped onto the curb, helping Sheva out of the vehicle, handing her off to Chris, and making sure my Hi-Power was tucked securely; the heavy handgun was a loaner from our welcoming committee. My breath misted in the air as we walked across the sidewalk; the doors slid open as we got close.

A loud sound sent me stepping in front of the wounded Sheva and reaching for my gun before I was able to make it out…

Applause.

The lobby was packed with agents and support staff, from management all the way down to the fucking janitor; there were clapping and cheering for us. I let my hand drop, smiling at the crowd; Chris and Sheva were beaming.

We made our way across the lobby, back-slapping, hugs, and handshakes abounded. It hit me then that we'd actually saved the world. They were so grateful because we'd literally saved the lives of everyone, everywhere.

I gave as good as I got, returning hugs, fielding handshakes. Behind me, Chris and Sheva were doing the same.

An important-looking dude in a suit stepped forward, extending his hand, "Max Williams, ASAC for the London Branch."

I shook his hand, "Kelly, this is Redfield and Alomar. I imagine you know why we're here."

He smiled, "Follow me."

We left the crowd of admirers in the rearview with promises of beers and dinners and every other kind of gratitude imaginable. Max escorted us past a few security checkpoints to a waiting elevator.

The ride down was subdued; Max filled us in.

"Agent Valentine is resting comfortably; Ms. Chambers has been with her around the clock, along with our own medical staff; last I heard, they hadn't detected any real abnormalities. The compound that left her under Wesker's control doesn't seem to have done any permanent damage."

I heard and felt Chris match my own heavy sigh, the tension fleeing in an instant.

"When will she be back on her feet?" My voice was thick, I tried to keep it professional, but the worry leaked out around the edges.

"Soon, I should think."

"Thank God," I whispered, relief temporarily overriding the trepidation.

The elevator doors slid open, leading to sterilized white corridors just past a reception desk.

I fought back the chills.

Max flashed his credentials at the guards, and they waved us through. A hundred feet down the hall on the right lay the only patient in the facility.

Her chest rose and fell softly as she slept, blonde hair fanning out on the pillow under her head; the stitches in her eyebrow and the faint bruise on her cheek made me feel a little guilty, knowing I'd put them there.

Becca was asleep in the chair next to her, holding her hand tightly. Connor turned and smiled as we entered.

"Hey, Kelly." He crossed the room and hugged me.

"Big fucking heroes, huh?"

I chuckled, stepping back, "Had a job to do Con', you know how it goes. What are you doing here?"

"Well, you told me not to leave her," he gestured at the sleeping Becca, "And I didn't."

"Thanks, brother."

"No worries, man. Redfield, How's business?"

Chris smiled, "Pretty good, Morgan, just glad to be on safe ground again."

"I heard that shit; who's your friend?"

Sheva shifted her crutches and offered her hand, "Sheva Alomar, African Branch."

He accepted it with a grin, "Connor Morgan, all over."

I rolled my eyes, goofy bastard.

Becca stirred, blinking away her nap, her green eyes finding us and widening, her mouth forming a little "o" of surprise. She didn't speak, just gently set Jill's hand down and jumped up, hugging Chris tightly.

"I'm so glad you made it."

He chuckled, "Yeah, me too, Becca, this is Sheva Alomar."

Becca hugged her too, and I smiled, still such a kid, even after all these years.

Finally, our eyes met, and she approached, all of that anxiety came rushing back, and I felt rooted to the spot as she softly wrapped her arms around me, laying her head on my chest.

"Hi," she whispered.

I gently hugged her back, "Hi, Bec's."

"I missed you."

I felt my eyes start to burn, "I missed you too." Everyone filed back into the hallway, leaving us alone for the moment.

Her grip on me tightened, "Mike, we have to talk."

"I know," I whispered.

She gently unwrapped herself from me and stepped away, staring at her feet for a long moment.

"I'm going to walk away, Mike. I won't be the reason you two don't pick right back up where you left off. I love you, but I love Jill too. You saved me, kept me alive, kept me sane; I owe the two of you so much…So I'm going to step aside and let you be."

My breath was coming ragged now, my head spun, "Becca, I…" Jill softly tossed in her sleep, a whimper slipped out of her throat, and I was already moving before I stopped myself.

When I looked, Becca was smiling at me.

"See? Even now, it's like she never left, soulmates, you're hers, and she's yours. What kind of friend would I be if I tried to stand in the way of that?"

It all clicked, right there; I loved Becca, but not like I loved Jill; I could never love anything the way I loved Jill. To try would be to hurt not only myself but Becca too, a woman who had walked through hell at my back.

The tears stinging my eyes made it a hard sell.

Becca just kept on smiling, "The time we spent together was the first real bright spot in a very long time. And I'll treasure it forever, you'll never know what you gave me, those few nights we had, they'll always be right here." She tapped her chest, right over her heart, and closed the gap between us, stretching up on her toes and pressing her lips to my cheek.

"I'm going to go grab some lunch, starving. Can I get you something?"

I just stared at her, the strength she had; I doubted I'd be that strong if I lived a thousand years.

But I guess that's what you do when you love someone, you sacrifice everything.

She let her hands linger on my chest for a moment longer before nodding, "I'll bring you a bagel," and heading for the door.

"Becca?"

She stopped with her hand on the knob, small tremors running through her.

I paused for a second, there was so much I wanted to say, but I knew all of it would only hurt her. So I settled.

"Thank you…You're too good for me; you know that, right?."

She glanced back at me, tears glistening in her eyes, but she smiled, "Damn right, I am."

I laughed out loud, wiping the unshed years, and just like that, we were Mike and Becca again, friends till the end.

Without another word, she slipped out the door.

Not a moment too soon, "Mmm…Mike?"

The husky voice that had haunted my dreams for years, so close now, with an edge of sleepiness to it. I looked away from the door; Jill was sitting up, blinking away her nap. Her blue eyes locked on mine, and my mouth was suddenly way too dry.

"H-hi, Jill." I kept my distance.

She patted the bed next to her, "C'mon." She tried to keep it light, but I could hear the anxiety in her voice.

My feet felt like they weighed a ton as I approached her bedside, settling in the chair, resting my elbows on my knees, leaning forward until I was as close as I dared to get; she reached for my hand, but I didn't take it, I couldn't.

She needed to know first, and whatever happened after that…

"Jill, when I said we needed to talk back in Kijuju, I…" How did I do this? Tell her that while she was trapped with Wesker, I'd tried my damnedest to move on, while she held out hope that I'd come for her, I'd been with someone else.

She was studying my face, and I knew that she knew already; she knew what I was trying to say and how hard it was; she'd always been able to tell.

"I…A few weeks before Chris came to me about the op, Rebecca and I met at the Embassy in Nairobi…" I sucked in a breath, steeling myself, "I was so broken after you…disappeared, Becca and I… We…."

I couldn't say it.

Fucking coward, she deserves to hear you say it.

"I slept with Becca, more than once, and it was more than just sex; there were feelings there, I could feel it, I was falling in love with her. And then Chris calls, things went sideways after that. We headed for Kijuju and found out that you…" My voice shook along with the rest of me, "We found out that you were alive. I've been in agony these last few days, fighting the bad guys and myself. I betrayed you, Jill, I gave up hope, and I-"

"Stop."

Somewhere along the way, I'd started staring at my shoes; I couldn't look her in the eye, now I raised my gaze to meet hers. Her eyes were shimmering with tears.

"Just stop Mike, I can't imagine how horrible it must have been for you. You lost me, right before your eyes, boom, I was gone. How could you have known?"

She sniffed back tears, "I survived that hell because of you; I never let myself give up, I knew you would come for me, and you did. No matter what, he made me do, no matter how badly he hurt me. I knew I'd see you again."

She reached for my hand again, and I let her take it this time.

"That's why I need to know, right now, just rip it off like a fucking band-aid. Is there anything left between us?"

She looked away, her voice cracking on the last word; I felt her hand shake in mine.

So I reached for her, grabbing her chin and pulling her gaze to mine. Slowly I slid off the chair and onto her bed, pressing my forehead to hers, staring into her wide blue eyes.

"I've loved you from the first moment I laid eyes on you…If you can forgive me, I want you back, Jill. I want to marry you and have kids with you. I want to spend the rest of our lives seeing the world, living on a farm, or something in between."

Her eyes slid closed, tears leaking down her face, "There's nothing to forgive, you tried to have a life, I wanted you to have a life… Are you sure you still want me?"

I pressed forward, kissing her softly, and oh God, it was so sweet, the taste of her after everything, feeling her lips on mine, the scent of her skin, it all robbed me of my senses. She kissed me back, whimpering, tears running down our faces like a waterfall.

When we finally came up for air, I looked into those shimmering blue orbs, seeing the pieces of her soul there, and when I spoke, it came likewise, from a place inside me so profound that it was beyond question.

"Always, Valentine."

Eight Months Later.

I leaned against the fence, pushing my Stetson back a little to wipe the sweat from my face; the north side had been damaged in the storm a week past; I'd picked up replacement rails and set about fixing it. I took a moment to stare out across the plains, digging a smoke from my jacket.

After Jill and I had gotten it all out, Rebecca had come back with lunch.

A serious conversation had followed, and when it ended, the two had embraced, no love lost between them. Once again, I was amazed at the strength of the bond we shared as they laughed and talked like nothing had happened.

I was even more surprised when Becca had shown up at the wedding with Connor on her arm a few months later, they were still together, and she seemed happy; I could tell that she'd moved on, and it filled me with joy.

Chris and Sheva were the same story, they'd made it official, and the fiery agent had transferred to the North American branch to be closer to him; his smile when he talked about her told me all I needed to know.

My boy had fallen hard.

I'd quit the Agency. Jill had been offered her old slot back but declined.

We were both overdue for a break.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

I smiled; even six months pregnant, she was still stealthy. I turned, and there she was, in all her glory. The blonde hair had been dyed back to brown; she said that it reminded her too much of Wesker; a dye job would be necessary for the rest of her life after all the virus she'd been exposed to. Her blue eyes sparkled at me as her hand supported her belly, a boy, we'd only found out a few days ago, and we'd both cried like fools; Jill had a name picked out already; I hadn't even thought about it before I agreed.

Joseph Forrest Kelly, it was.

She stepped up and kissed me sweetly, "Everyone just showed up for the shower, figured I'd come get you."

"I just finished the last rail; we're good. C'mon beautiful, let's go."

A clap of thunder made me grab Jill, placing myself between her and the threat.

"Still got it, huh babe?" She chided jokingly.

"Fuck I guess." I almost growled, feeling a little foolish at the exaggerated reaction to fucking weather.

She grabbed for my hand, interlacing her fingers with mine, "My hero," she whispered.

We walked back towards the house, smiling and holding hands like a couple of teenagers in love.

Off to the East, storm clouds were starting to form.

I could hear voices from the house now, all laughter and good times.

Let the storm come; we'd weather it.

As we always had.

Together.

A/N: And there it is guys and gals. The ride has ended, I really enjoyed writing this story and I hope that you enjoyed reading.