A/N- I highly apologize for the delay in this chapter. I caught a pretty nasty cold and was knocked out for quite some time. Thankfully I'm over it now!

This is super short, and again, I apologize, but I figured that it was more than time to get Julianna near Wesker without fighting or being all passive aggressive. Hopefully it all worked out. ^-^;

7/27/16- Added a little tidbit with Jenna and some others to progress the story some more. Chapter 11 will be up soon!

Julianna sighed as she leaned against the hard stone railing on the terrace, looking out at the garden, melancholy heavy upon her. Night had just fallen over the mansion, but it was pleasantly warm outside so much so that Julianna had for-went wearing any jackets or long sleeve shirts. Instead, she'd donned a bright blue blouse which hung off her shoulders and black jeans as well as a comfortable pair of what Jenna called tennis shoes. All of her articles were part of a massive amount of clothes that Jenna had bought for her when it was decided that the clothes in the armoire were just unsuited for her. Julianna had insisted that she didn't need to buy her anything, but Jenna had insisted even more so, claiming that it wasn't her money she was spending. Julianna guessed that Oswell had a hand in the matter.

Speaking of the old man, anytime she had seen him over the past month that had passed, he tried to engage her in conversation; a conversation that she neither wanted nor had any desire to take part in. Julianna would give short answers, hoping to discourage anymore talking. But he was persistent in his attempts to do so, sometimes catching her when she least expected it. Julianna wasn't sure how much longer she could keep up the cool civility around him.

While she and Oswell remained at odds, Julianna and Jenna grew closer. Despite her original suspicions as to where Jenna stood on either side of the board, now Julianna realized that she was wrong the entire time. Jenna was exactly as she appeared to be; a sweet girl that was almost reminiscent of a sister, mostly because of how she would listen to Jenna rant when she was frustrated or to listen to stories she told of her time in college. But their activities weren't just limited to those.

Once she was well enough to get out of bed, albeit still feeling the effects of having lost nearly all of her blood, Julianna and Jenna had fallen into a mind-numbing routine; at eight o'clock sharp, the two women would have breakfast, then would be in Jenna's office doing anything from research to memory tests until twelve to pause for lunch, then back to the lab until six when they'd have dinner and then retire to their own activities. Thanks to Julianna giving Jenna a hand in her office, the young girl suddenly had a lot of time on her hands which she would spend with other researchers when they weren't around one another.

She'd tried to get Julianna to come with her and socialize, but the hybrid was just not up for it. It wasn't that she didn't think that it was a good idea to talk to others and learn more about the unfamiliar world that lay just outside these walls. Rather, Julianna just didn't like the idea of being around humans. In fact, she didn't like it so much that every night before bed, she'd scrub the ever living hell out of herself in the shower just to remove that decaying scent that she hated so much. I don't like their kind, Julianna had decided one night when she'd finished torturing herself in the bath. I'll never be able to get this smell off of me if I don't get away from them soon.

Julianna sighed again at this; getting away was becoming more and more difficult the longer she looked for ways to escape. After Wesker had told her about the cameras all over the mansion, she'd become more aware of where they were and what she was doing in front of them. She didn't know where all of them were, or even if there were cameras in her own room, but Julianna had been able to find at least fifteen on the way down to the lab: three in the elevator leading down; two outside it; and ten in the long hall that led to Jenna's office. Why do they need so many, I wonder? They were obviously worried about security that much was for certain. She still wasn't fully aware of what it was they were doing down there anyways, but Julianna had a sneaky suspicion that it wasn't making medicine.

What kind of pharmaceutical company kept creatures like the Hunter and zombies in cages?

A breeze blew gently as Julianna continued her watch over the garden. She'd come out here for an escape, just a moment of peace, to get away from the humans for as long as she could. But all she'd managed to do so far was think about said humans who were inside socializing no doubt. A pang of pain to her heart came at the thought of that. Julianna had watched the humans before, watched as they walked together talking, laughing, being free to enjoy one another's company despite their stressful work environment. Hell, one day she'd seen a male and female outside in the garden, laughing and talking. Those two actions stopped when they shared an intimate embrace, then a kiss that seemed to last for an eternity. Julianna knew it was wrong to spy, but deep inside herself though she'd never outright admit it, she felt… lonely, seeing them enjoy that which had been denied to her.

Perhaps that was the real reason she avoided the humans; not dislike, but jealousy of what they had. They could spend time together with a significant other of the same species as they, enjoying each other's warmth and experiencing that which she didn't- happiness. It hurt her, despite herself, to see such things. She wanted that same connection, that warmth, that happiness. But it was impossible; Julianna was the last of her kind, the last of the Advent Sang hybrids. Not a single being who shared her blood that she could connect with, be warm and happy with still lived.

Time is infinitely cruel, Julianna realized, looking up at the full moon that was above her. The lunar light cast itself over the entire garden, giving everything a glow. So engrossed in observing everything, she never realized that she was no longer alone until a familiar voice called out to her.

'I'd have expected you to be with Miss Kelly than to be outside all on your own," Wesker said, causing Julianna to look at him over her shoulder. 'You're practically inseparable nowadays."

'Not truly," Julianna replied, looking back out to the garden. 'She has better things to do than stay near me for hours on end." She glanced back him briefly. 'And what of yourself? I thought you would be lingering around Oswell. You two are almost inseparable as well."

'I don't need to be attached to anyone," Wesker said, coming up to stand beside Julianna. 'I only associate with someone when it suits my needs." Julianna's red eyes looked over to him at this.

'I see," she said. 'So you value both independence and solitude." His red eyes looked at her from the corner of his sunglasses.

'Observant, as always," he muttered, more to himself than Julianna as he looked away. Julianna, in turn, averted her eyes as well. 'I'd expect nothing less from you."

'That's new. I was beginning to think that the only thing that you expected from me was obedience and civility," Julianna retorted, turning her head to the left to avoid meeting his eyes again.

'I still do," Wesker answered. 'Though my list of expectations are ever expanding with each passing day."

'Indeed," Julianna said, not really knowing what he meant by that. A tense silence befell them.

'What are you doing outside?" Wesker finally said, giving Julianna a look which she returned.

'A moment of silence, if you will," Julianna spoke truthfully. 'I don't get much of that anymore, not with humans walking around."

'And yet you don't seem to mind being in the company of Jenna who is, as we both know, a human." Wesker noted.

'She's not like the others," Julianna admitted. 'The others have that decaying scent around them, but she does not. I'm still trying to understand the reason why."

'I still find myself interested in how you know someone isn't human just by smell alone."

'I don't know any more than you do, Wesker. It all comes with the territory of being a hybrid, I suppose." Julianna stated. 'Were it not that I was immortal, I would probably have the same scent as they. Though I doubt we'd be talking if I were human."

'And why would you think that?" Wesker voiced. Julianna didn't answer for a moment.

'Because to not be an everlasting creature would make one a mortal, doomed at the very beginning to return to death sooner or later. Therefore, if I wasn't a hybrid, I would have long since been dead and buried two hundred years ago." She paused. 'Perhaps it's for the best."

'Best? For what?" Wesker asked.

'To live and die, to be free to choose to embrace that today cannot be taken back and tomorrow is never promised. Living with everything exceeded to the absolute fullest and never leave this world feeling like you've missed out… whereas someone like me must remain constant in the world, watching it bloom, die, and bloom again. Those are the ones doomed to live a repetitive life to the point they no longer want to live and wish to die."

'On the contrary, immortality is a gift," Wesker argued. 'Death and time become meaningless and the world becomes reborn in your eyes as you realize there is nothing holding you back for something greater than what you once were."

'It's not much of a gift if you didn't ask for it to begin with," Julianna said simply. 'That's why I don't understand why anyone would want Eclipse if the mortality rate is so high. Why give up the chance to live as you please all for a living death that I and those who came before me embody?"

'Perhaps it's all just a matter of perspective," Wesker began. 'You see it as a curse whereas others would see it as a blessing."

'Perhaps," Julianna agreed. 'But if the Advents and Sangs were immortal, they would still be here instead of dying out for whatever reason they did. Maybe they finally tired of hiding, or maybe they took their own lives. Whatever the case, their death could be seen as evidence that there is no such thing as an immortal."

'You make a valid point." Wesker admitted after a moment. A solemn silence befell them both, each contemplating what had just been said before Julianna broke the silence once more.

'Does he know what he's getting himself into, I wonder?" When Wesker looked in her direction with what she perceived to be confusion, she clarified, 'Oswell. Does he know that there is a chance that no one will ever truly understand Eclipse and what it can do to a person?"

'Are you saying that it is impossible to study?"

'Not at all; everything is indeed possible. But Eclipse isn't a normal virus by any means." Julianna turned in his direction. 'Even if Eclipse is fully understood and methods to control it are created, the end result will always be the same; those infected will either live, die, or become a monster." She looked out to the garden again. 'I don't understand why anyone would want such a vicious cycle to continue on at the expense of the extinction of the human race." Wesker turned to face her, resting one hand on the railing in front of them.

'Would that not be for the best?" Wesker questioned. 'If they all died, those who survived would be able to create a new world in their image. They would abandon their humanity for power that would make them supreme beings, ultimate lifeforms."

'Suppose that were to happen," Julianna mentioned. 'Suppose everyone became as my mother was; an Advent. Since they gave up their humanity for power, all would be good and well for a while, yes. But when everyone is powerful, some will choose to be humbled by their gifts while others would become hungry for more power thus becoming corrupt. Chaos would erupt among the two, ruining the order effectively."

'And in the midst of chaos, those who are truly able to rule the new world will rise to end it."

'True, but chaos cannot create order. It will still, in the end, be a cycle which will continue on- there will be peace, then war, then peace again, and on and on it will continue until they consume one another. Then all the work to create the new world, all the sacrifices that were made to ensure the survival of the fittest will all have been for nothing." They locked eyes with one another after this, neither really knowing what else to say but both silently agreeing that each had brought up valid points even if their pride would not allow them to admit it.

'You're quite a philosophical one, Miss Dashara," Wesker finally said.

'Should I take that as a compliment or as another thing to improve upon?" Julianna asked.

'I'm simply stating the obvious," he added. 'It's a change from the usual that I hear from others." Julianna's curiosity was piqued.

'There are no others who have such conversations here?" She asked. 'I would think that there would be at least a few as most appear to have been well educated."

'There are," Wesker confirmed. 'But they are too interested in achieving a higher position or sucking up to the right people to get ahead in their short lives." He started to say something else but was cut off by the beeping of his phone. Julianna inwardly groaned; just what was the allure humans had to those little things? She just couldn't understand why they seemed to have an umbilical cord attached to them and their cell phones.

'What is it?" he began. Whoever it was, it sounded like another female on the other line. Going against her initial thought of listening in, Julianna turned back towards the garden surveying it once again for the millionth time and leaving Wesker to his conversation. He carried on for a good five minutes, speaking as though Julianna was not there. She wondered if it was because it wasn't a confidential call or if he just didn't care if she heard everything. The idea that he could possibly trust her never surfaced in her mind.

Only when Wesker ended the call did she look back at him, seeing the way he pinched the bridge of his nose, mumbling something to himself about how unreliable humans were. Isn't that the truth, her mind concurred.

'I have something to attend to," he said, replacing the phone from whence it came.

'Of course," Julianna replied, looking away. 'Your work is never done, it seems."

'Indeed," Wesker replied. Juliana was taken aback, having not expected him to actually agree with her. But that was nothing compared to his next actions; for reasons she'll never be able to guess, he walked towards her rather than towards the door, coming so close that Julianna could do little more than freeze in anticipation for an act of violence against her. To her surprise, no such thing happened. Instead, Wesker stopped just inches away from her, bending his head down to speak in her ear.

'I'd like to continue this conversation at a later time," he said, his breath wafting over her ear and causing her skin to break out in goosebumps, her own breath caught in her throat by his close proximity. 'Preferably indoors at a time where there are no interruptions." With that, he moved away, his hand brushing against hers as he went. Jolts of electricity went through her at the contact, intensifying the cold chills she was receiving. Only when Wesker was gone from the terrace did she move to lean against the railing, releasing the breath she didn't remember holding.

'Holy shit," Julianna whispered, running a hand through her hair. Now that was certainly different. She had expected him to walk off as he usually did, but not to get that close for no apparent reason. He could have told me that from where he was standing originally, Julianna thought. The fact that he'd come within inches of her was a shock in and of itself. 'What was that all about?" she asked herself, trying to make her body stop quivering. I don't like this... he's not trustworthy in the very slightest. So don't even think about it- She stopped. Think about what? Julianna's cheeks flushed all the sudden when she realized what it really was.

'Oh hell no," She quickly said. 'Not even if he was the last man on Earth. Not like I'd have a chance in hell, at that." A guy like him probably has girls fighting just to even have such an opportunity…

'Shut up," Julianna muttered, her blush intensifying. 'I don't want those images in my head." Realizing that it was only going to get worse, Julianna resolved to leave the outdoors and go back to her room for the night. A shower was most certainly in order. And maybe some writing and reading, just to make sure that said images never manifested again.

It couldn't be that hard anyways.

Jenna pressed herself against the wall by the window as hard as she could when she saw Wesker walking away, clutching her phone to her chest in an absolute death grip. She didn't know why, but judging by the way Wesker had ended the call, Jenna had a deep gut feeling that he knew that she'd been watching him with Julianna. In all honesty, she really didn't know what else to do. She may have jumped the gun, but…

'It was a necessary risk," she told herself, moving further away from her window until she was standing right by her bed. 'The farther he is from Julianna, the better."

'You know we're playing a dangerous game, don't you?" came a female voice from her bathroom. Brown eyes slid to its direction, spying two figures hiding within.

'I know," Jenna affirmed. 'You both can come out now. It's safe."

'Good," said a male, practically pushing past the other female to get out. His tall frame entered the light which shined off his piercing green eyes and darkened his already dark brown hair even more so. Trent, Jenna recognized. The other female was shorter with spiky blonde hair and hazel eyes. Reagan. 'I presume it's done?"

'Yes," Jenna said. 'He's gone now."

'I'm sensing a but," Reagan piped up, sitting down beside her. Jenna turned her head in her direction before dropping her gaze to the floor.

'How much longer can we do this?" she asked. 'How much longer can we avoid the inevitable?"

'If you mean the inevitability that we're all going to be six feet under if the wrong person finds out about us, then I hope no time soon." Trent admitted, pushing his wire framed glasses farther up his nose. 'And we all know what's going to happen when that day comes, should it ever."

'I meant lying to Julianna about all of us." Jenna snapped. 'She's lost in a world that's no longer her own with no one to relate to. We can't keep her in the dark forever, you know!"

'If we reveal the truth now, it'll just make her even more confused and blow our cover. I don't know about all of you, but I'd rather stay breathing as long as I can," Reagan mediated, putting her hand on Jenna's shoulder. 'Besides, we need to buy your friend enough time to get in position. We can't afford another failure like last time."

'And we can't afford Wesker or Oswell getting into Julianna's head and turning her over to their cause," Jenna argued. 'The longer she's here, the more of a chance they have to turn her against all that she is for good."

'Yes, but it also allows for us to gather the rest together should the worst come to pass." Reagan pointed out. A silence befell the trio. 'Look, there were eight of us. The first five did what they could to turn Julianna over to those who would protect her and were killed because of it. Now there's just us. If someone found out about this, we wouldn't stand a chance against a group of USS soldiers."

'Even if we did hold out, there's no way the others would get here in time to back us up. Our numbers are getting smaller and smaller every day." Trent spoke.

'…Then there's only one option left," Jenna realized aloud. 'We need to find the BSAA." Both Reagan and Trent gasped collectively.

'Are you insane?" Trent cried. 'Do you have any idea what would happen if you did that?"

'Jenna, it's too dangerous! Umbrella has our phones tapped!" Reagan agreed.

'Would you rather sit here and do nothing?" Jenna said stubbornly. 'If we continue with the inaction, we'll all be dead and they will win. They'll use Julianna until there's nothing left of her and then everyone will be dead. They already have the T-Virus and the G-Virus. Imagine what will happen once they have Eclipse." Both Trent and Reagan could deny that Jenna had a point. The black haired girl sighed and ran a hand through her hair. 'I've seen what all of those viruses can do to a person. I don't want to think what would happen if all three were to leak out or worse, be combined. Besides, I have more than a few friends in the BSAA."

'How did you manage that?" Trent asked, genuinely curious.

'Let's just say that most are old family friends," Jenna continued. 'But if I give them the word, they'll come running. I know they will. But we need to decide right now if we're all willing to go through with this. There's no more room for error; we all can agree on that." Trent and Reagan shared a look, then returned their gazes to Jenna.

'I hope you're right about this friend of yours." Reagan murmured. Jenna smiled reassuringly.

'Don't worry, I am."

A/N- I put in that last part because I couldn't shake the feeling that it was meant to be in there. This story isn't going to be as long as I thought it would, so I needed to get something in there to show some progression. Hopefully that update will be enough to hold you over till the next chapter. Life's been super crazy on my end with planning a wedding and getting started in a new job. I promise I haven't forgotten this story and will be adding the next chapter very soon. =)

Thank you all for the reviews! I can't say that enough. Seeing your kind encouraging words mean very much to me and make me smile when I see them. I can't possibly name you all, but just know that you've made this lowly writer very happy. Thanks again! You're awesome!