Daddy I'm not gonna tell you that I'm sorry
But there ain't nothin' you can do to change my mind
I'm not here to know the things I cannot do
We've seen the outcome of the boys who didn't fly—Brandon Flowers, "Playing with Fire"
Leon gave Jake directions to Claire's house once they merged off Route 6. Her house was in a neighborhood with lots of holiday decorations; hers was no exception. Even in the bright morning sun, Jake could make out lights in every window and baubles hanging from the bushes and tree in the front yard.
The trio unloaded from the car and shuffled towards the Redfield home, the cold making their joints stiff.
"Ten to one, Chris had already used up the hot water," Leon bet, pulling open the wrought iron gate.
"I'll kill him," Jill threatened, climbing the stairs to the front porch. Jake hung behind them, taking note of his surroundings. The cars that lined the street were mid-range, no luxury models. There were a lot of SUVs and minivans; perhaps being in a neighborhood with a lot of kids made it less of a target for the evils of the world.
Before he had even reached the porch, the front door swung open and a heavenly aroma wafted out.
"Welcome back," Claire Redfield greeted, hugging Jill first, then Leon. She lingered in his arms, nestling her face in the crook of his neck for just a moment before moving on. "And you must be the infamous Jake Muller."
Jake reached out to shake her hand, freezing when she wrapped her arms around his torso and gave him a squeeze. He awkwardly pat her back, looking at Leon for assistance. The older man lifted a shoulder and headed inside, not put off by the display of affection in the slightest.
"It's great to finally meet you," Claire said, finally releasing him. She was conventionally pretty, with auburn hair and bright blue eyes. Jake could see the resemblance between her and Chris, though she got the better end of the deal. The frilly apron she wore was in direct contrast to her athletic figure, and Jake had no doubt that she would be an asset in a fight.
"Likewise," he replied, following her inside the warm house.
"Chris and Sherry got here a little while ago. They're upstairs now with Rebecca, she's a doctor and survivor of Raccoon City. And apparently Leon thinks he can poke around in my kitchen without asking," she clicked her tongue at Leon, who was hovering near the oven. She handed him a banana and shooed him off to take a shower. Jill was nursing a cup of coffee, standing by the oven to warm up.
"I'll go see how things are going upstairs," she said after a moment, washing her cup at the sink before disappearing.
"Anything I can help you with?" Jake offered, looking at the various vegetables covering the kitchen table.
"Yes, if you wouldn't mind, can you please scrub these potatoes?" Claire replied before she set to basting the turkey.
Jake rolled up his sleeves and stood at the sink, dutifully scrubbing the spuds under warm water. He wanted nothing more than to be by Sherry's side, but once again, Chris was in his way.
"Chris told me that Sherry's been unconscious since they found her," Claire said, taking the clean potatoes over to a cutting board. "I'm sure that's been hard."
She was fishing and Jake decided on playing dumb. He had no idea what Sherry had said about him or their time together. The last thing Jake wanted was more ammunition for the Redfield clan to use against him.
"Aren't you worried?" he answered her with a question, not the smoothest deflection tactic, but it worked.
"Of course, but Sherry is strong. You don't go through the things she has only to come out a weakling on the other side."
Claire diced the potatoes and slid them into a pot of water before rinsing the starch from her cutting board.
"Want me to cut these?" Jake asked as Claire washed a bag of string beans in a colander.
"Sure. Trim the ends and cut them to an inch and half long."
Chris appeared a few minutes after the beans were finished, a smirk forming on his lips at the sight of Jake being domestic.
"Shower's free," he announced, swiping a green bean, and crunching it between his teeth.
"Would you mind?" Jake asked Claire.
"Of course not, have at it," she replied. "Food will be ready in about an hour. Can you let Jill and Rebecca know?"
"Sure."
Jake grabbed his duffel bag and trudged up the stairs, taking in the picture frames on the wall. There were a few pictures of Chris and Claire together, but the majority of them were nature photos: sunsets, fluffy clouds, flowers, and the like.
There were voices coming from a room at the top of the stairs, so Jake poked his head in and found Jill, and a woman he assumed to be Rebecca.
"Claire said to tell you it'll be another hour on lunch," he announced, trying not to look at Sherry, who was still unconscious on the bed.
"Thanks," Jill replied, turning. "Rebecca, this is Jake Muller."
The two shook hands and exchanged pleasantries before Rebecca gestured at Sherry.
"Her vitals are all good, so I don't think we have anything to worry about. Her body has obviously been through a lot of trauma, so it's anybody's guess as to when she'll finally come to. You're familiar with her abilities, correct?" Rebecca queried.
Jake nodded and answered, "Yeah, I've seen it in action."
"As have I, though never with injuries this substantial, so I can't give a timeframe. Just be patient."
He didn't think he was giving off any vibes that expressed his concern, so Jill or Chris must have said something to her. Or maybe Sherry herself had confessed to their adulterous evening together, gossiping behind his back about how she could bring herself to sleep with the spawn of Albert Wesker.
"Right," he said finally, turning to head to the shower. He was at a severe disadvantage, surrounded by the superheroes of Raccoon City, a town his father wiped off the map. He hadn't allowed himself to think that Sherry would be anything but happy to see him, and she was the only thing he could think about when he had boarded that plane hours before.
He took a hot shower, washing the sweat and grime from his body and forcing himself to relax. If he chalked up his unease to paranoia, then he might be able to get through the next few days without losing it. Claire was the closest link he had to Sherry; if he could ingratiate himself with her, the rest of them would surely follow—he hoped.
As he was tying a towel around his waist, there was a knock on the bathroom door. He unlocked it and pulled it open. Claire was waiting on the other side and her eyes dipped down before meeting his.
"You can put your dirty clothes in the hamper and I'll run a load of laundry later," she said, letting her eyes drift south again.
"Thanks, but you really don't have to do that," Jake replied, feeling his cheeks heat. Claire smirked and gave him a wink before heading back towards the kitchen.
"It's my pleasure."
Jake shut the door and toweled himself dry, changing into a pair of jeans and a black long-sleeved t-shirt. Not wanting to disobey orders, he deposited his dirty clothes into the hamper before brushing his teeth. He gathered up his toiletries and shoved them back into his duffel bag before heading back to the first floor.
Everyone but Sherry had gathered in the living room in front of the fire place where Leon was setting the kindling ablaze. A timer went off in the kitchen and Claire abandoned her egg nog to tend to the cooking. Jake followed her, eager to be of some help to earn his keep.
She was sticking oven mitts on her hands to remove the turkey from the oven. Jake plucked the mitts and gently bumped her out of the way.
"Allow me," he insisted, pulling the oven open and getting a face full of oppressive heat.
"A girl could get used to this," Claire sighed, setting trivets down on the counter. Jake hefted the turkey and placed the roasting pan on the trivets, practically salivating at the aroma.
"It's the least I can do to repay you for your hospitality."
"Jake, you don't need to worry about that. You took care of Sherry back in China, and you helped Chris and Leon, too. I am indebted to you." She handed him a pot of potatoes along with a masher. "I'm sure you've got some guilt about what your father did, and I'm willing to bet you think we all harbor some animosity towards you about it, too."
Laughing without humor, Jake poured some cream into the potatoes and continued to mash them. "The first time we met, your brother nearly put a bullet in my head. Had we not been in the predicament we were, he may well have killed me. I don't think there's animosity, I know it."
"Fair point, but he's come around since then. I'm not saying you're his favorite person in the world, but he at least tolerates you. And I know Sherry cares about you. A lot."
"Of course, we were partners. We went through a lot together," Jake agreed, trying to deflect the discussion elsewhere. It dawned on him that she might not know about his one-night stand with Sherry, meaning Chris kept it under wraps. He had been eager to keep word from getting out to protect Sherry; she had a career to worry about, after all.
"Play coy, Muller," Claire teased, removing the green bean casserole from the oven.
"Claire," Chris said sharply, appearing from nowhere. He gave a subtle shake of his head, and Claire dropped the discussion and instead focused on sprinkling French Fried onions on the casserole. "Jake, give me a hand?"
Not waiting for an answer, Chris headed towards the front door with Jake following behind him. They descended the stairs and walked to the sidewalk, the biting cold wind sluicing through their clothing.
"Sorry about Claire. She can be persistent," he apologized. "She doesn't know, in case you were wondering…unless Sherry confided in her, but I think I would have gotten grief from Claire if that was the case."
"It's not a big deal. I know you have Sherry's best interests in mind."
"The night before she got abducted, I told Sherry that I knew about your, uh, little excursion. For what it's worth, I think she genuinely cares about you." Jake looked away, wishing he could believe it. "It's never been easy for her…relationships, I mean. Her father did a real number on her, uh…reproductively, and it's had a devastating effect on her."
Jake stared down at the glistening snow until the reflecting sunlight started to hurt his eyes. He had never gotten the full story about what happened back in Raccoon City, only bits and pieces from the different parties involved. Sherry used vague language to explain her past, never delving deeper than calling herself an 'experiment'.
"Sherry's father was just as culpable for Raccoon City as Albert Wesker was," Chris was saying, crossing his arms against the chill. "No one has ever even considered blaming her for what Birkin did…yet I was first on the band wagon to despise you. You served as a surrogate for my anger towards your old man, and that was wrong. I'm sorry, Jake."
He was holding his hand out like a peace offering, so Jake gave him what he wanted. Harboring a beef with Chris wasn't going to do him any good, and he knew Sherry would be happy to hear that he had been welcomed into the fold.
"Meeting new people in the midst of a zombie outbreak can lead to tense relationships," Jake commented, earning a chuckle from Chris. "Let's keep the past behind us, huh?"
Chris grinned and slapped Jake on the back before heading back inside and into the dining room, where Leon was setting the turkey down. Jake felt like he might go weak in the knees, not realizing just how hungry he was. Claire gestured to the open seat beside her with a wink, so he sat to keep her happy. The food was passed around and Jake loaded up his plate, reminding himself that he was among civilized people and should act accordingly.
He started with the turkey and cycled around his plate, trying not to inhale the crescent rolls. Chris and Leon were matching his pace, going for seconds right as Jake was trying to determine how to do so using proper etiquette. Claire topped off his glass of wine and retrieved a fresh batch of rolls from the kitchen.
"Everything is amazing," Jake commented when she returned. "Thank you."
"I'm glad. You all had a hard night, so it was my pleasure."
Jake noticed Rebecca staring at him, though she had the grace to blush and look away in embarrassment. He was starting to feel like a bit of a freak show; everyone wanted to get a look at him, but no one was willing to just treat him like everybody else.
"Let me guess," he said to her. "I look just like my old man."
Rebecca blushed even more. "Yes, I can definitely see the resemblance," she admitted. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare."
Jake downed some wine so that he didn't say anything stupid.
"Don't be ashamed for looking," Claire added. "We could use some more eye candy around here."
It was Jake's turn to feel uncomfortable. He glanced towards Leon, finding the man scowling behind his beer. Chris merely gave his sister the middle finger and rose to bring his empty plate to the kitchen.
"Uh, thanks, I guess," Jake said finally. He followed Chris into the kitchen and rolled up his sleeves to work on the dishes.
"Claire's mouth has always gotten her into trouble."
"I don't know, I like a girl who's brave enough to say what's on her mind."
"There's a difference between being brave and being hurtful," Chris reminded him.
"Leon can take it."
Jake worked at the sink, filling up the dish rack as more and more empty dishes were brought in from the dining room. By the time dessert was being served, the front of his shirt had gotten wet from the edge of the sink. Using a dry towel, he rolled the bottom half of his shirt up and worked on getting it a bit drier.
Rebecca hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen, taking one look at Jake's toned abs before turning pink.
"Sherry's awake," she announced, averting her gaze. "She's in the shower, but is eager to see everyone."
"Fantastic," Jake replied. He felt nervous excitement in his stomach at the thought of finally reuniting with Sherry, and the three glasses of wine he had downed with lunch weren't helping either. Part of him wanted to dart upstairs and into the shower to show Sherry just how much he had missed her. Part of him wanted to walk out the door and disappear before he saw her.
"Come on, Jake!" Claire called from the dining room. "It's time for dessert."
Not wanting to insult his host, he dutifully returned to the table and ate some pie and drank some more wine, even though it already felt like his head was spinning. He tried to think of what he wanted to express to Sherry, but he never got more than a few thoughts together before someone at the table roped him into the conversation.