The interior of the truck was filled with hideous snarls as the screen in Sherry's hand illuminated her face with a pale glow. Her hand reached out to rest on Jake's knee as his own pressed tightly over her fingers. They watched in silence as the table they had been sat at only hours before was thrown across the room, shattering into pieces. The screen flickered before showing the slick-skinned creature rise up to its full height, dragging claws along the walls that left deep gouges right down to the brick.

"There's no denying this creature is one of the newer breeds." The image switched to that of a drawn, tired looking Claire Redfield. "As you can see, it demonstrates a tremendous amount of stealth as it searches the house. It only goes into a frenzy when it realises you're gone..."

Sherry wanted to look away as the footage began to replay but found herself transfixed by the creature, the way it prowled almost cat-like through the rooms before rising up to its full height to sniff the air. Muscles tense and writhing as it realised the house was empty.

"And you think it's Sherry it was after?" Jake asked, the memory of Sherry looking at him

Claire lifted her shoulders in a half-shrug as she tiredly rubbed at her eyes. "We can't know for sure, it might be after both of you. But from what you described when coming into contact with these particular BOWs... the way it responds to Sherry's scent..."

Jake glanced at the woman beside him who avoided his gaze. He didn't remember telling Claire anything like that... but Sherry had spoken with Claire just the night before. Which meant she had shared these thoughts with her old friend... but not him. Annoyance stabbed at his gut while concern and even a little insecurity settled in his chest. Jake was far from stupid. He'd already noted the unusual behaviours of the BOWs they were crossing paths with. He couldn't help but wonder why Sherry hadn't brought it up to him too...

Sherry was oblivious to Jake's thoughts as her blue eyes slid shut. All she could see behind her eyelids was the monster's dripping teeth. Its jaw and nose stretched out like some kind of beastly hound, ears pressed back against its skull, fused to its greyish skin. The hunched figure reaching up, stretching out razor sharp claws as its flesh seemed to stretch and break over its shoulders. It had turned on the accompanying BOWs once it realised its prey had disappeared, smothering the room in blood and torn limbs as it screamed.

"It's a good thing I thought to set up the cameras before we left," she heard Jake say, his voice echoing toward her as if from the depths of a long tunnel, "any chance of more intel now you've got a good look at it? I'm pretty sure it was the same creature that attacked us when went after the microchip."

"I can try. Chris insisted he killed that particular BOW himself-"

"Yeah, clearly he's full of shit."

Sherry's eyes snapped open and she pulled her hand from Jake's grasp with an annoyed grunt. He glanced over at her, his face half-hidden in shadow as she frowned at him. Naively she had thought they'd worked through whatever problem Jake had with the older Redfield sibling. Sherry should have known things were rarely so simple as Jake's upper lip curled and her shook his head sharply, turning to glare out the window.

Claire cleared her throat loudly, "I'm unable to make contact with Chris at the moment," she said curtly, choosing to overlook the attack on her brother's character, "but he would never knowingly give you bad intel. It's possible there was more than one creature in the town..."

Jake's expression was a carefully controlled blank canvas as he ran a hand over his head, flexing his neck and shoulders in a way Sherry knew well. He was trying to reign in his irritation. "Sure, whatever. Look whatever that thing is... the way it behaved... I've never seen anything like that."

The tension from Jake's outburst was pushed aside as Sherry nodded her head in agreement, "I know the signal was cut off before we could see for certain but it looked like it was mutating again. The way its muscles were shifting and bulging on its back..."

"A common feature in today's BOW since the development of the C-Virus," Claire agreed, "It's like instant evolution. They grow faster, stronger and smarter with certain stimuli. Although it's usually when they're injured or near death... this seemed to be triggered by something else."

"Emotion." Sherry murmured, the realisation becoming clear to her as she once again watched the BOW approach the house. It crept forward hesitantly, the cameras picking up its movement as it slid from tree to tree. At first it had seemed to be scouting the area, which was incredibly unusual behaviour for most BOWs who had long lost the ability to behave with such purposefulness. But as Sherry studied it, the way its clawed hands wrapped themselves around a large tree as it peered out toward the camera, she began to think it looked almost... nervous. Until one of the group of half-human mutations that strongly resembled J'avo prodded it with a rod, shooting a bolt of white-blue electricity up its spine. Then the creature merely hunched over on all fours and began running toward the empty residence. It was in that brief moment of hesitation that she sure she saw a flicker of something almost human... the creature wasn't displaying the typical urge to mindlessly hunt, maim and kill. It wasn't just thinking either. It was feeling.

"BOWs don't feel," Jake said dismissively, " especially not when they're that far gone. They're basically wild animals. Wild, rabid animals."

But Sherry knew differently. She had been face to face with a beast twisted almost beyond recognition once before, and yet she'd been able to see through the horrifying mutation to something still lurking beneath the surface. Remnants of humanity still lingering...

"It's not impossible..." Claire said slowly, suddenly deep in thought herself. Sherry wondered if she too had seen it. Seen the last vestiges of William Birkin before he fully succumbed to the G-Virus he'd devoted his life to.

That which had eventually been his undoing.

"So what you're saying is we just witnessed a BOW throwing a hissy fit 'cause it didn't get what it came for?"

The frustration in Jake's voice was clear and for once Sherry found herself unwilling to let his attitude go unchecked. Her response was sharp and icy, reminding Jake of a time that felt so long ago, standing beneath fluorescent lights buzzing in a changing room as she fixed him with a steely glare, calmly scolding him for blaming his father for all that had gone wrong in his life. "Do you have another explanation for it tearing through its own kind like that? Usually they don't turn on each other like that."

Jake shrugged and fidgeted in his seat. He hated when Sherry looked at him like that, as if he were a petulant child. Usually the age difference between them was something neither really thought about, considering Sherry's teenage years and early adulthood had been so sheltered in a lot of ways meant Jake had far more life experience. Yet he had also never had the chance to mature quite like she had. Where Sherry had developed an ability to look at the big picture, to remain calm and think things through with logic, Jake had never really shook off his childish need to lash out at anything that posed the slightest hint of a threat. He hated not having all the answers and found himself getting aggravated as they speculated on things they could only guess at.

Beside him Sherry wound her hands in her lap as Jake remained staring out the window at the looming darkness, "Do we at least know where these things are coming from? Or exactly what type of virus is being used to create them?" he said slowly, the heavy tension between the pair was either unnoticed by Claire or simply ignored.

"That's still a no. Without a body to test we can't get a sample of its DNA. We've never even retrieved a blood sample. Every part of these things instantly begins to decay once separated from its host."

"Is there anything we do know?" Jake sighed as he pressed his fingers into eyes that were beginning to burn with exhaustion.

"Just that you two clearly need to get some sleep..." Claire, who was obviously feeling a little disgruntled herself, mumbled just loud enough for them to hear. Jake clenched his jaw as he bit back a retort. Sherry briefly wondered if Jake just had a tendency to show more control around women, or if he held back because he genuinely liked Claire. It wasn't like him to not speak his mind or give a damn about what anyone else thought.

"You're right," Sherry agreed before anyone said something they'd regret, "We're not far from the location of the new safe house. We'll get a good night's rest and check in tomorrow."

As the women exchanged a short goodbye Jake started up the engine. They drove without a word, staring at the unlit road ahead as the minutes ticked by. Something was bubbling beneath Sherry's calm exterior. Something unfamiliar when it came to Jake. When they first met she'd found his reckless nature frustrating beyond measure until she'd seen the bravery and determination beneath his cocky exterior. He was complex, a whirlwind of conflicting emotions and impulses. Sherry had to admit it was also what she'd begun to find herself attracted to... which was probably the result of a such a strict, boring childhood which only grew worse as she grew up. But tonight she couldn't bring herself to have patience with his short-temper. Instead she folded one arm beneath her head and rested it against the cool glass.

"I'm going to try and sleep." she told him. Jake responded with a small nod and a slight grunt.

The remainder of the journey was spent in silence. Sherry tried to fall asleep but had to keep shifting position as her arm fell asleep and the rumble of the engine began to make her head ache. Beside her Jake struggled to keep focused on the road. He was glad they were in what he'd call the 'ass end of nowhere' so he had no other traffic to disturb his thoughts.

Their conversation with Claire kept repeating in his mind. The fact that Sherry had confided her worries in someone else did not sit well with Jake. Over time they had shared their worse memories, their darkest fears...

It suddenly occurred to Jake that perhaps Claire wasn't the only Redfield she'd confided in. Why else would Christ risk going off-mission to hunt down a BOW he hadn't been assigned to terminate.

His hands gripped the wheel tightly as he caught sight of their destination in the distance. Sherry was still stubbornly feigning unconsciousness to avoid talking to him. Was she really that mad at him? Chris was the one who had, in Jake's 'unbiased' opinion, royally fucked up. He'd told them the very not-dead BOW had been taken care of. Which put them at risk. Which put Sherry at risk. Of course Jake was pissed. But once again Sherry would blame Jake's supposed jealously on his outburst and continue fawning over the insufferable douchebag-

Sherry's voice broke through Jake's ranting inner monologue, "Are we here?"

"Looks like." Jake responded flatly as they pulled off the main road and followed a worn wooden sign that pointed east. Painted on the top corner was an almost childlike drawing of the planet encircled in a lop-sided heart. They recognised it as one of the many signals used among certain TerraSave members to guide each other to safety. It looked innocent enough not to draw attention among a canvas of peeling graffiti.

It didn't take long to reach the gravel driveway that circled around a modest sized cabin. The place looked like a disused holiday home, Jake thought. A old rope swing hung from a nearby tree as he switched off the engine and stepped from the vehicle. His stomach growled angrily as he realised he hadn't eaten since that morning. They'd driven for at least twelve hours straight, only stopping to watch the horror movie that was the footage Claire had sent them. Sherry began pulling bags from the truck and Jake wondered if her refusal to even look in his direction was as deliberate as it seemed. When she turned on her heel and noisily struggled up the small set of wooden steps to the porch he didn't have to guess any more. It was obvious she intended to keep the cold-shoulder going.

Jake stretched his shoulders, feeling the bones pop and creak. He was sore, tired and hungry. Yet the thought of following Sherry into that cabin filled him with dread. For the first time since they'd met he felt... unsure. Unsure of himself... of what to do or to say to the woman who was peering cautiously through the windows.

"If someone was here they'd be firing at us by now," Jake told her, deciding to make an attempt at normality. Perhaps it would diffuse the increasing tension. Sherry made a vague sound of agreement before kneeling down in front of the door and feeling for the loose board Claire had said the key would be under.

"So much for that..." Jake thought bitterly to himself, his sense of uncertainty being eroded by frustration. Was she really going to ignore him all night? Jake had a fair amount of experience with women, enough that he knew right now was probably a good time to just shut up and wait for things to settle between them. They could talk in the morning, get it all out in the air in a healthy, mature way like couple's were supposed to do...

"You gonna tell me what your freakin' problem is?"

Unfortunately Jake only listened to his instincts when it came to the battlefield.

Sherry pushed herself to her feet, the key dangling between her fingers as she finally looked at Jake glaring up at her in the darkness. He was still stood beside the truck, arms now folded over his chest as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Sherry's brow creased as she surveyed him. What right did he have to be so snappy with her?

"My problem?" she repeated, letting the bag that had been slung over her shoulder fall to her feet as she placed one hand on her hip. "What's your problem Jake? I thought you said you'd be nice to Chris-"

Jake threw his arms in the air, "He isn't even here!" he snapped incredulously.

Sherry jabbed an accusing finger at him, "You were rude to Claire. He's her brother-"

"Her brother who could have gotten us killed!" Jake pointed out as he moved closer, bridging the gap between them, "You'd think he'd make sure he killed the right BOW before telling us we were safe-"

Sherry scoffed, glaring as Jake halted midway up the cabin's steps so they were eye to eye. Her annoyed frown became an angry scowl that matched his own, "Oh don't pretend that's why you're angry Jake! You'll take any excuse to paint Chris out to be the bad guy-"

"Well forgive me for not kissing the ass of the guy who murdered my father-" Jake clenched his fists at his side, resisting the urge to throw one of the cracked ceramic plant pots dotted around the cabin's exterior. He didn't think such a display of infantile behaviour would help his argument, but it sure would make him feel better to break something right about now.

Sherry's scowl shifted to one of frustrated confusion, "We talked about this! I thought you were okay-"

"Yeah, well... I'm not! All right! I'm not okay!" The words spilled from Jake's lips before he really knew what he was saying. Sherry froze as his breaths came in shallow, uneven pants as he screwed his eyes shut to block out the expression on her face. He didn't mean he had a problem with what happened to his father, he didn't care about Albert Wesker in the slightest. He just wished he'd had the opportunity to kick his father's ass for himself before he'd been slung into a volcano or whatever the hell it was Chris had done. Opening his eyes he saw Sherry no longer looked so angry. She was... worried.

"I'm not okay with the fact that we could have died if Claire hadn't given us that tip off in time." he began, slowly, every word said carefully as he tried to put into words the thing that had caused him so many restless nights...

"I'm not okay with the fact that you could have been hurt, or taken. I'm not okay that you didn't tell me you knew you were being tracked. I don't give a fuck about Redfield or my father, I care that we can't spend more than twenty-four hours somewhere where you're safe. Where we can just be..." His words faltered as he tried to find a way to say it. To say the thing that he both longed for and feared at the same time. "Normal."

Sherry remained frozen, running over his confession in her mind as his body seemed to deflate before her. Any and all rage they'd been feeling had disappeared at the utterance of that word. Hadn't they just discussed that very notion whilst laying in bed together just a day ago? The fact that normal would never mean to them what it meant to others...

"Jake... what we have, it's messy and... yeah, sometimes painful... and downright terrifying. But it's our normal. It's what we chose, right?"

Running a hand over his head before pressing his fingers to his eyes hard enough to see stars behind his eyelids, Jake sighed. "Yeah... I'm just tired, I don't know what I'm saying..."

Sherry hesitated before reaching out and pulling Jake's hand away, "Look, I'm not going to pretend that I'm not upset. Clearly we have a few things we need to talk about-"

Her finger came up to press against Jake's lips as he began to insist there was nothing more to say. "We will talk about it. But not tonight. We need to get some rest and get our heads straight."

"Crap," Jake thought. Why did he get the feeling he was in trouble. Deciding it wasn't worth trying to argue, and not wanting to risk making things worse, Jake unloaded the rest of their supplies as Sherry unlocked the door. It swung open silently to reveal a simple square room with dust sheets strewn over a small couch and two single armchairs. A worn coffee table covered in a thick layer of dust sat in the centre of the room. There was what just about passed as a kitchen to their left; a sink and small worktop area with a single cupboard. Jake assumed their cooking facilities were outside... as was the bathroom.

Sherry pulled a lamp from inside one of the bags and set it down on the coffee table. "No bedroom," she sighed, pulling back the dust sheet and grimacing at the lumpy looking couch before her, "Looks like a pullout."

Jake bolted the door shut behind him. "I can take the floor." he shrugged, earning an alarmed look from Sherry.

"Why?"

"Well, I didn't think you'd want to..." Jake began to mumble. Wasn't that what happened when couples had a fight? The guy ends up getting kicked out of the shared bed.

Sherry almost chuckled out loud as she realised what Jake was implying. Perhaps if it hadn't been for his minor outburst at the end of their argument she'd be telling him to spend the night in the truck. But for the first time since they'd reunited he had actually opened up to her, just a little, and in his own way. But still... all it took was their first fight to get him-

"Hey!" she said suddenly. "That was our first fight!"

Jake shrugged, "Was it? I'm pretty sure I've pissed you off plenty since we met..."

Sherry felt a tickle of amusement. They were like any other couple after all, just with added death and mayhem. "If you want normal Jake, what's more normal than me kicking you out of bed after our first fight."

"Okay, first off, why do you keep saying it like that? And also, I rescind my offer. You can take the floor." Jake rolled his eyes as Sherry gave an exaggerated gasp of despair before muttering what sounded like 'I don't think so' under her breath. He couldn't help the slight tug in the corners of his mouth. He hoped the easing of tension between them meant things could go back to the way they were before. Before the say had been flung into chaos and he had let slip his little admission. He found himself squirming at the thought. Not that he would have to admit just how much the thought of losing Sherry terrified him and filled him with incandescent rage at the very suggestion of her being hurt. That much was obvious. He didn't want to tell her that he'd spent more than a few sleepless nights wondering what kind of life they'd have if they met under normal circumstances. Wondering how long they could keep living like they did... if it would only end when one of them...

He shook the thoughts from his mind. Besides, the point was that under normal circumstances they wouldn't have met at all. So what did any of that other stuff matter.

"I need to get changed and freshen up a bit," Sherry told him as she slid off her jacket and placed it over one of the chairs. Jake nodded silently as she began to undress and tried to discreetly turn his back. He wouldn't usually miss out on a chance to see Sherry without her clothes on, but he still wasn't sure just where he stood at that precise moment and didn't want to risk antagonising her further by acting like a lecherous jerk. Instead he began to pull out the couch, waving away the plume of dust that filled the air and made his eyes water. This was a real downgrade, if Claire was still talking to him tomorrow he'd have to let her know he only gave the place a one star rating.

The dull buzzing of a phone vibrating caught his attention. Sherry gestured for him to answer the call as she pulled on an oversized sweater and began searching her bag for some fresh socks, "It's probably Claire making sure we made it." she told him. Jake begrudgingly felt inside the pocket and prayed it was the more attractive of the Redfields calling. He'd still rather deal with an angry Claire than Chris right now...

He answered the unknown number, breathing a sigh of relief when a surprised feminine voice said his name, "Jake?"

"Claire, hey we just got here-"

"Is Sherry with you?"

"Damn," Jake sighed, so she was pissed at him too. He was beginning to wonder if his lone wolf lifestyle had its merits after all. It meant no female drama at least. Well, now was as good a time as any to throw himself at her mercy. It might help remove the last of the chill between him and Sherry at least.

"She's here. Look, about before-"

"What? No Jake... forget about that. I need... I need to tell Sherry something and... oh god, I can't even say it..."

Sherry couldn't hear what was being said but she clearly saw the way Jake stood up straight, his entire body tensing as the woman on the phone spoke. At first she assumed Claire was giving Jake a much deserved piece of her mind, but even in the shadows of the cabin she could see the look on Jake's face harden before blanking out completely. Were they still in danger?

They couldn't be, because if they were than Jake wouldn't slowly lower the phone and place it in his pocket. He wouldn't just stand there, still and silent as the seconds ticked by. Sherry felt a coldness wash over her. Dread settled within her bones as her hands began to tremble. Suddenly she didn't want to know whatever Claire had told Jake. She placed both hands in front of her, palms out as if to ward him off as Jake took a step closer. The rushing in her ears was suddenly so loud, but not loud enough to drown out the words that she didn't want to hear.

Arms encircled her as she fought to take a breath. Her legs buckled and she slumped against Jake's chest as her eyes began to burn.

Jake held on as Sherry collapsed against him even as her fingers dug painfully into his arms. Her pain was crushing, overwhelming. And Jake knew there were no words to be said, no gesture he could make to help her. Because Claire Redfield had finally discovered what had happened to the only other person Sherry Birkin had loved as a child...

"He can't be... he can't be..." Sherry sobbed. If she said it enough it had to be true, right? She could undo it, she could make the words and the knowledge disappear and Leon would be okay. Leon would be safe and well and-

"...not dead... please, no..."

Note: I hit a bit of a block a few months ago, which is why none of my stories have been updated. This chapter was written ages ago but I've had to keep editing it as it was never quite right. I hope my creative juices are back in full flow soon!