Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the below piece of fiction, Capcom does.

Warning: Little bit of violence

Authors Note: Chapter 17! Isn't this exciting you guys, we're already at chapter 17 and yet things are still just as fucked up! *laugh* But it'll get better soon... maybe. Anyways, I gotta admit this is one of my favorite chapters, mostly because we get some more STARS action. So I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it! And once again, huge thanks to all of you who read and review/favorite- you're SO amazing and wonderful. Your reviews and favorites brighten my day, they really do. And I hope my review replies aren't too weird! Also, I've got a questio for all of you at the end of the chapter, so if you could read it, I'd appreciate it!

Chapter 17- Danger

"Anger is only one letter short of danger"~ Anonymous~

"You're so tense, Wesker…"

Calloused hands glided across strong back muscles, pale skin contrasting with honey bronze.

"You shouldn't worry about such matters, Christopher…"

Hot breath danced across his cheek, the slight press of lips signalling the faintest kiss across his jaw-line.

"What if I want to worry?"

A gentle press between his legs made him open, heart skipping a beat as a familiar weight pressed him apart.

"You'll continue to worry, Christopher… worry until there is nothing left of you. Stop and breathe for once. Concern yourself with things that matter."

It didn't hurt… not like the first time. It felt reassuring and right… but there was something else, an ache behind it all- a longing for… something.

"What if I want to concern myself with you?"

A chuckle, carrying over to him through the thick, heavy air, wrapped around his conscious and lapped over his skin, goose bumps rising while his arms wrapped lazily around the man's neck.

"Soon enough your concern will be only of me. Cherish the moments when I don't haunt you."

A loud beep blasted through the room, breaking into Chris' consciousness. Eyes fluttering open, he awoke to his room being washed in the morning light with his alarm clock screaming beside his head.

Slamming his hand down on the off button, Chris sent the inanimate object a death glare before rolling onto his back to stare at his ceiling.

Another dream he didn't remember. He had been waking up for the past month with no recollection of his dreams from the night before, only a vague feeling of… unease.

He knew Wesker was always involved, though.

How could he not be? Chris constantly thought about his Captain now, even more than when he was simply longing after the man. Now that he had tasted him, he wanted more… so much more.

But he couldn't. Not when Wesker had shot down any ideas he had been having about them starting something back in October. He just wished his mind would get the message and stop wandering over to thoughts of the aristocratic male every chance it had- it was the end of November now and he thought that he would be over it.

Clearly he wasn't.

Getting out of bed, Chris shuffled to the bathroom to get ready for the day. No use dwelling on the fact that he was an obsessed man, even when this obsession threatened to get the better of him.

**XX**

"You ready for today, Christopheeer?"

Looking up from his computer, Chris glared at Forest and snatched a sticky-note off a pad and scribbled something quickly down before pushing it on Forest's forehead.

"Ready for what- and don't call me Christopher."

"Ready for our competition today! You didn't forget about it, did you?" Forest reached up and took the note off of his head before reading what was written across it in Chris' horrible chicken scratch printing.

'Idiot' was all it said.

"Our… competition?" Chris asked, a confused smile spreading across his face as he desperately tried to remember what Forest was talking about it.

He had been so wrapped up in everything that was happening exclusively in his little bubble that he seemed to go through most of his day in a slight daze, mind wandering all over the place until it either stopped on thoughts of Wesker or thoughts of food.

Sometimes the two mingled well together.

Occasionally though, when he wasn't thinking about how love-sick he was, he began thinking about work and everything it entailed. Missions, paperwork, late-night coffee breaks with Jill…

"Your shooting range competition," Jill interjected from behind Chris, her form huddled over sheets of paper- attention seemingly wrapped up in her work except for the fact that she had clearly been listening into the conversation.

"Yeah, remember a week ago we agreed to finally settle the score on who was the better marksman? We set the date for today and we're even going to have Enrico help judge. Damn, you sure are wrapped up in your own little world as of late." Forest patted Chris on the back and stuck the 'idiot' note right in the middle, an innocent smile accompanying the action.

"Damn, that was today? Shit, when?"

"Right after our shifts are over… so that's about… two hours from now. Man, with you so out of it this is going to be a piece of cake to win!" Sticking his tongue out, Forest waved goodbye before sauntering back to his own office.

"He wishes…" Chris mumbled, shaking his head as he went back to his work.

"I don't know- he does have a point. You've been so out of it the last couple of weeks," Jill said while turning around in her chair to see the 'idiot' note stuck to Chris' back. Ripping the sheet off of his shirt, she crumpled it into a ball and tossed it in the waste basket beside her desk.

"He gets like this every so often- he's still going through puberty," Barry said from his desk across from Chris', tone completely serious as he skimmed through a gun magazine.

"What the hell, Barry! I am not going through puberty… I just have some things on my mind," Chris mumbled, throwing a paperclip across his desk at Barry.

"And I have to get through this paperwork, so will you all just shut up?" Brad declared loudly, looking up from what was clearly a self-help book and not paperwork.

"Is everyone in a bad mood today?" Jill asked, rolling her eyes and she turned back around in her chair while Chris slowly moved his back, gently knocking his against hers.

"Hey, don't be like that… you gonna root for me today?" he whispered, tilting his head back so Jill could hear him.

"Mm, maybe. I only root for someone I know will win."

Her tone was playful and Chris scoffed before moving back to his desk. Well now he was determined to win this damn marksman competition, seeing as how everyone thought he would lose.

He was so determined, in fact, that he didn't even stare when Wesker walked into the office, the top few buttons of his shirt open, exposing just a small amount of his collarbone to Chris.

No, he didn't stare… too much.

**XX**

"So it's just a matter of who gets more points on two different targets?" Chris asked as he peered down the shooting range hallway, eyes scanning over the human-shaped targets.

"Yup, pretty much." Forest smiled and leaned against the wall, his eyes scanning the targets in the back too.

"Sounds simple enough- I thought you would add something in, like have random explosions in the background or something to throw me off."

"Oh come on, fair's fair. Besides, I could kick your ass without needing to distract you," Forest said, a casual air surrounding him despite the excitement that was felt in the room. All of the STARS team had shown up (minus Wesker) to view the spectacle that was sure to be the final confrontation between the two men.

Chris shrugged and walked over to the table where the guns were laying- new STARS issue guns that Barry had managed to have specially made for the group. Chris' custom one fit comfortably in his hand, and he couldn't help but feel a little more powerful with the item in his hand- it was his, after all.

"You go first," Forest instructed, motioning for Chris to take the first go at the targets up ahead.

Placing his glasses over his eyes and his headphones over his ears, Chris loaded his gun and stepped before the target. As soon as he gazed down the white washed isle to stare at the black figure before him, his mind went blank.

Everything he had been holding in himself, all of his thoughts and fantasies, frustrations and anxieties, lifted as soon as he lifted his gun.

And he did what he did best.

Moments later and Chris had finished his two targets, center and nine-point hits riddling the targets. Shucking his glasses and headphones off, Chris turned around and winked at Forest, daring him to do better.

And he didn't- surprisingly.

It was a close call between the two, but after they grabbed the targets and Enrico counted up the points, Chris had won by a marginal difference.

"What- are you serious? Man, I thought I was going to win… well, at least I lost to the best." Forest patted Chris on the back before shoving him playfully, almost knocking him into Joseph.

"I'm proud of you, Chris. I honestly didn't think you would win… but I'm glad you did because I had ten dollars sitting on you," Barry said, nudging Kenneth while holding his hand out, indicating the man should pay up.

Rolling his eyes, Kenneth handed the money over and sighed.

"You guys had bets on the two of us?" Chris asked, a grin seemingly permanently plastered on his face. He had actually won the competition- even with his rather distracted behaviour.

"Of course we did, why wouldn't we? Come on, this was the competition between the two teams- Bravo vs. Alpha. Of course Alpha team would win, though." Edward began cheerful, but when he finished the entire atmosphere in the room changed.

"Uh… hey, I think it's time you all went home," Enrico said, breaking the tense atmosphere between the two teams. Nodding in agreement, Chris hurried out of the room first with everyone trailing behind, as if leaving the room would get rid of the tension that had been taking a toll on all of them for the past few months.

"So… do I get anything as a reward? Like a trophy or something?" Chris asked Jill as they went to their lockers on the first floor of the RPD.

"I don't know, do you think Wesker will pay to have your name engraved on a little trophy for the office?" Jill smiled and patted Chris on the shoulder. "So eager for shiny rewards…"

"Hey now, are you insulting my intelligence?"

"No, I don't believe she was, Christopher." Wesker's cool drawl caught all of the STARS members' attention as they walked down the hallway, making them stop to see the Alpha team Captain stepping out of a briefing room. "But what I do know is that all of you are needed in this briefing room immediately- we have a very serious case on our hands."

**XX**

Chris had pretty much worked out that if you lived in Raccoon City for too long, you would go crazy. Or at least become less than stable.

The serious case Wesker had been speaking about was not only serious, but dealt with yet another insane individual whose life was somehow affected by Umbrella in a negative manner. Chris didn't know why people here went crazy or why they decided to attack Umbrella, but it happened on such a regular basis that he was beginning to think that there was something in the water.

The case that they had to deal with involved a young man who used to work for Umbrella- an ex-secretary for one of the many separate firms involved in running the business aspect of the company. Due to a slight dip in sales during the last quarter, Umbrella had to make a few job cuts and, unfortunately for Mr. Gladstone, he was one of the few who had to be let go.

He didn't take it well, according to the file. He was unable to find a job after that, lost his apartment, his girlfriend, and was now living back with his parents. Chris almost felt sorry for the guy… almost. Any real sympathy he would have had for the guy disappeared when he heard why they were going after him.

He was currently on the 17th floor of the main Umbrella Headquarters in downtown Raccoon City, a semi-automatic rifle strapped to his back with two Beretta handguns- fully loaded and with the finger of a desperate man at the trigger.

He was holding everyone on the 17th floor up, and many suspected that his old boss was on that floor and would most likely be on the receiving end of any violence.

Of course the RPD had specially trained men and women who worked on hostage situations, and they were, of course, already present on the scene at the moment. But because the case had something to do with Umbrella, STARS also had to make an appearance, even though they would not be dealing with Mr. Gladstone himself.

Or so they thought.

Cop cars and police officers had surrounded the building, many of them looking upwards at the 17th floor, faces tight with tension. Off to the side stood a man with a cell phone pressed against his ear, his voice calm and collected as he presumably spoke to the agitated and very dangerous man.

"Good, you guys are finally here." Sauntering up to the STARS team, Chief Irons sent Wesker a slight glare while wrapping his jacket further around his bulging stomach. Without waiting for the team to even say hello, he began to explain what they were supposed to do. "Alpha team goes in and searches all of the floors up to the 17th floor, looking for anyone else who is stuck in the place. If you find someone, get 'em out and keep them calm- we don't need any frantic people coming out for the news crews to see; it'll give them too much ammo on us."

"What about Bravo team?" Wesker asked, looking around at their surroundings, gauging the situation based upon the looks of those police officers.

"Bravo team is to go all the way to the top and work their way down. Marini, I don't want your team going onto the 17th floor- same goes for your team, Wesker. The jerk that's causing all of this commotion is staying on the 17th floor and we've got him on the line, trying to talk him out of anything he might do. He'll probably stay on that floor but if he moved, we want everyone out of the building and it's up to you guys to do it… god help us all."

Wesker narrowed his eyes from behind his sunglasses but nodded nonetheless. Turning on their radios, the two separate teams locked onto the main radio signal in order to receive vital information from those situated outside as to what was happening on the 17th floor before venturing towards the building.

Chris' stance was tight and ready for action, even though he knew that they weren't going to run into anything dangerous. But despite knowing the danger was secluded to one floor, he couldn't get rid of the slight unease he was feeling as soon as they stepped through the door of the building.

"See you guys at the bottom," Marini said before leading his team to one set of stairs situated behind the head secretary's desk. Alpha team watched them go, nods and words of encouragement passed softly between them all before they too began up a different set of stairs not far off. The less people they had crashing through a staircase the better.

"We all need to stay calm and orderly for the people we may find- they're probably high strung and frantic, especially considering they've been given little information on what is going on," Wesker explained, although Chris suspected he was just trying to break the uneasy silence that accompanied them through the first floor of the building.

"Here I thought we were going to scare them by flailing our guns around and screaming," Chris mumbled as he opened one of the doors to an office, glancing around the room before moving on to the next alongside his team.

"Now is not the time for such smarmy tones, Chris," Wesker said, looking over his shoulder to send Chris a glare, which he could not see due to his Captain's insistence on wearing sunglasses.

They continued through the floors with little incident, finding a few stragglers on the 5th floor in one of the board rooms, eyes wide as they flung themselves down below the tables. Jill managed to coax the employees out before they all found enough courage to hurry down to the main floor and outside.

Occasionally a quick update would transfer through the radio from one of the police officers outside, explaining the situation as it came to them. Mr. Gladstone was still frantic and panicked up on the 17th floor, and didn't seem like he would calm down anytime soon.

"Does anyone else feel… unsettled?" Jill asked as they reached the 16th floor, silence carpeting the long, sterile hallway.

Chris was about to reply when suddenly all of the lights in the building went off, cloaking them in darkness. All four of them stilled, breathing momentarily stopping before the emergency lights came on, little blue lights in the corners of the hallways.

They did little to light the hallways, and Chris found himself squinting to make anything at a great distance from him out. If he hadn't been feeling unsettled before, he certainly did now.

"Blast! What the bloody hell is going on?" Wesker hissed out. Snatching the glasses off of his face, he pocketed them quickly while fiddling with his radio, shoulder pressed close against Chris as the four of them stayed on high alert. Barry fumbled around in his pocket for his flashlight while Jill continued to scan the hallways, alert and ready for anything.

"This is Captain Wesker from Alpha team, demanding an update. All of the power in the building was just cut and the emergency lights are doing little to light the 16th floor," Wesker said, his voice calm and demanding despite the desperate situation.

The crackling of the radio was all that could be heard before a frantic voice appeared on the other end. "The suspect has moved from the 17th floor; we repeat, the suspect has moved from the 17th floor. We have lost communication with the man, and are unable to regain it. Pull yourselves out of there now and make your way to the main floor. We repeat, get out now."

Swearing softly, Wesker hooked his radio piece back on his shirt and was about to move his team out when a soft gasp was heard, before the cocking of a gun thundered in everyone's ears.

Raising his gun in the direction of the sound, he found himself facing Jill- her face pale and skin stretched as a young man stood behind her, arm wrapped around her neck with a gun pressed to her temple.

"Drop your weapons," Mr. Gladstone hissed out, eyes narrow and full of insanity. His dark hair clung to his forehead, beads of sweat sliding down and over his deathly pale skin. Lips drawn back in a snarl, he pressed the gun closer against Jill's head.

All three of them bent over slowly, placing their guns on the ground carefully before standing back up to see Jill squeeze her eyes shut before opening them to lock eyes with Chris- fear mixed with determination in her gaze.

God, she was brave.

"Good… now turn off your radios."

They did as they were told, movements slow so as to not frighten the already jumpy individual. Silence passed before them all until he spoke again, demanding they leave right now.

"You know we can't do that… you've got a member of our team in your hands right now and we can't leave without her," Barry said, trying to keep his cool as the man backed further into the shadows, Jill stumbling as he dragged her along.

"And you know I can't just let you guys go without a bargaining chip. Besides, this is my fight- my problem. I don't need STARS coming in and fucking things up even more. You're all just pieces of shit, you know that?" he said, voice sick with desperation and pure anger. The venom behind his words stung all of them as they stood helplessly while he pressed closer into the darkness of the hallway.

"I know a lot about all of you- about where you've come from… what you've done. I worked for someone who knows all about STARS and numerous other little… little trivial things Umbrella supports without thinking about the costs- about how it'll affect those who have given their entire lives to this damn company."

Chris listened to the man continue to rant, but tried not to let what he was saying get to him. Instead he continued to give Jill encouraging looks between searching for an opening that would help them stop this guy. Wesker seemed unusually more tense after the man's little speech about knowing about them, but Chris let it slide past- there were more pressing matters at hand.

"I know it's unfortunate that you had your job taken away- I can see why you're hurt… but do you really want to hurt anyone? You know how it feels… so why do you want to make others go through that?" Barry asked, although the man didn't seem to listen to what he was saying.

"I know this one… you—" Tilting his jaw at Chris, he successfully drew his attention from Jill to his maddened face. "You got kicked out of the Air Force… pretty fucking useless, right? And t-then you were forced to move to this shit in the ground city to work for a fucking soul-sucking company, whether you like to think you work for Umbrella or not."

"That's true, all of it. But that doesn't mean I want to do something like this, though," Chris replied evenly, knowing the guy was trying to break them apart. It would take a lot more than a little blackmail to get under the skin of a police officer, especially one who made it into STARS.

The man grunted, the air from his lips brushing against the side of Jill's face, making her cringe while gasping softly. Everyone could tell Jill wasn't going to last much longer in this situation.

"A-and you… Mr. Albert fucking Wesker… leader of the STARS division. I always wondered why you became the leader of STARS, seeing as how you never trained as a police officer before—"

"That is quite enough," Wesker cut in before the man could say anything, only to have Mr. Gladstone press the gun hard against Jill's temple, a snarl accompanying the action.

"I figured it out, though… why you got the job. I found out from a reliable source that you're a fucking queer- a god damn faggot. And I bet you sucked cock to get to the top, just like some worthless slut."

Chris noticed that Wesker actually relaxed a fraction, and the sneer sitting at the corner of his mouth had been replaced with a cool disdain. Chris found it odd, but didn't dwell on the matter when the target began to talk to Barry.

As the man spoke, his stance changed a little, his side opening slightly for the option of a tackle. Chris knew it was dangerous and that if he wasn't fast enough the man would pull the trigger- but he had to do something. The suspect was getting increasingly more unstable and reasoning wasn't working with him- it was never going to work with him. He was far too gone…

And Chris was not about to see Jill die- they had become partners.

Barry seemed to distract the man for a good amount of time and Chris looked at Wesker for a moment, eyes going from Mr. Gladstone's open side to Wesker's grey eyes. Wesker was looking at him hard, piercing gaze locking with his, making it very clear that whatever Chris was thinking, he should not do it.

But Chris was never one to listen to orders. Taking a deep breath, Chris shifted a fraction and lunged at the man while Barry let out a loud yell, distracting the man for that much needed second.

Slamming his body forcefully against the insane individual, Chris managed to knock the arm holding the gun to Jill's head away- a loud bang accompanying the action as Mr. Gladstone fired a desperate shot, the bullet straying upwards and through the ceiling. Jill stumbled forward and Wesker caught her as she collapsed, adrenalin rushing through her system before leaving just as quickly as it had come.

Chris wrestled the gun out of the man's hand and threw it across the floor before slamming his knee into the male's side, winding him and giving him that much needed break in the struggle to get the suspect's arms behind his back. Lying half on top of the spitting and struggling man, Chris watched out of the corner of his eye as Barry picked his gun up and pointed it at the suspect's head.

"I suggest you stop struggling- you're finished now," Barry said, taking the safety off of his gun to drive home the point that he was dead serious.

Mr. Gladstone immediately stopped struggling, his body stilling except for his heavy, laboured breathing. Taking a moment, Chris better positioned himself before slipping his handcuffs off of their resting place in the back of his belt and slapped them around the suspect's wrists. Standing up, Chris dragged the man upwards with him before shoving him against the wall.

Turning his radio back on, Chris ran a hand through his hair before speaking to the men below. "We found the suspect and have apprehended him on the 16th floor. I repeat, the suspect has been apprehended."

Grinning, Chris sent the man a triumphant smirk before turning around to see Wesker and Jill standing under one of the emergency lights. Jill was resting against Wesker, eyes wide and stance unusually weak.

But that wasn't what caught Chris off guard. Instead, the look he received from Wesker made his body go cold.

His jaw was clenched while his usually pale pallor had a hint of pink- anger literally showing on his features. But what really scared Chris was the look in Wesker's eyes- a deadly, silent fury resided behind stormy grey, and he couldn't look away.

"We need to talk," Wesker said, his voice wavering with pure, deep seeded anger.

Woah guys, woah. Wesker is angry... how will this play out, you wonder. You'll have to wait and see! But I hope you enjoy it when you do see it 'play out'. Anyways, a question for you all!: I was thinking of hosting/starting a WeskerxChris fanfiction contest! Yeah, that's right, a contest! Basically I want to see this fandom more active, and all of you guys have a hidden talent out there that's just waiting to take bloom! So I was thinking of hosting a fanfiction contest in which I set a theme, and those who want to enter write a oneshot that deals with the theme (and of course, WeskerxChris). I would be the judge, and the winners (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place) would receive a prize! You don't need to be the best writer in the world, have English as your second language, etc. you just need to bring forth all of your creativity, because I know you all have so much! But the question from me to you is a) would you be at all interested and join? and b) what do you think a good prize would be? I was figuring 1st place would get a specially written oneshot from me, with me including ANYTHING you wanted in it! Always wanted Wesker to do Chris on top of Jill's desk? If you asked and got first place, I would certainly write it! But I don't know if me writing a story is really a great prize- I don't wanna make myself seem mightier then thou. So if you could answer those questions quickly via a PM or even at the end of your review, I would really appreciate it! I won't go through with it unless I get a relatively large amount of interest and willing participants!