Disclaimer: I do not own any of the settings/characters in the below peice of fiction- they all belong to Capcom.

Warning: None

Authors Note: Sorry about the major delay on this chapter, you guys! I've just been really busy with everything, and truth be told I hadn't exactly finished chapter 44 or chapter 45. It's convention season, so I've been busy with panels and cosplay and other nerdy things. But here it is, the second last chapter!

Chapter 44- Planning

A common mistake people make when trying to design something foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. ~Douglas Adams~

Chris would be lying if he said he didn't feel just a little bit like a secret agent at the moment.

Standing in his small, messy room, Chris shoved a flashlight down the pocket of his baggy cargo pants before pulling at the tight collar of his black shirt for the third time that minute. Looking over himself in front of the mirror, he shifted around a little, taking a look at his pockets and his sides to make sure he wasn't showing off too much. If you looked hard—really hard—you could see the outline of something bulky against his right thigh, and a few pockets looked a little more stuffed than usual, but for the most part his gear was hidden.

Feeling the Taser in his pocket once more, Chris made sure it was secure in its pouch as it rested against his thigh, a little fearful of carrying a Taser around with him, even though he knew how to safely use one. He was going on a little covert operation around the city tonight, and although he wasn't expecting any trouble, he didn't know what he might accidentally walk into.

After resigning a few days ago, Chris has set his plants into motion quickly, not even taking the time to clear out his desk or hang up his STARS vest for good. He was eager to just leave all of that behind him and begin working on something new—something productive and rewarding that would take him away from all the bullshit from before. Because now he could actually do what he needed to do; now he didn't have Umbrella or the RPD breathing down his neck anytime he so much as sneezed.

And with this newfound freedom came Chris' plan to try and find something—anything that would incriminate Umbrella. He figured that, seeing as how he lived in the city that was founded and run by it, he'd be able to possibly scrounge up some information by patrolling the streets and specific, important, Umbrella buildings. Places like the main headquarters, the pharmacies around the city, and buildings like waterworks and electricity that were run by the city. He didn't know exactly what he was looking for, but if there was anything of use he was sure he'd find it.

This also gave Chris an excuse to dress in comfortable spy-like clothing and patrol around the city. While it was all business, he couldn't guarantee himself that he wouldn't start thinking he was James Bond while searching for clues.

Satisfied that he had everything, he looked over himself once more in the mirror while avoiding looking into his own eyes, before heading out in the living room, snatching his keys from the bedside table as he walked by. Entering the kitchen, he grabbed a half empty water bottle and took a swig of it before placing it back into the fridge. He was just about to go to the door when he heard a ring from his phone. Sighing, he debated whether or not he was going to answer it, before going to pick up the white receiver while contemplating the pros of getting that new caller ID system he heard was available for phones now.

"Hello?"

"Chris, thank God I got hold of you!" Claire's voice rang out clear as rain on the other end, and Chris held the phone back from his ear for a second, her voice shrill and panicked.

"H-Hey, Claire," he mumbled, trying to hide his disappointment. He had avoided talking to her after the incident, not wanting her to know about what was going on. It was better that she didn't know the situation right now—she should stay safe in her ignorance about Umbrella and what Raccoon was really like. In fact, he had been so secretive about everything he hadn't even called her to tell her what befell Bravo team, going on the assumption that she wouldn't find out through any other sources, and it would be safe to keep it a secret as well.

Ignorance is bliss, as they say.

"What the fuck is going on? You haven't called me in over a month! You've also seemingly missed every single message I've left on your answering machine, too."

He hadn't been very subtle about the 'ignoring' part of his plan, he guessed. "I'm sorry, I've just been really caught up with work and stuff—I haven't had a moment's time alone, really."

"You couldn't have even called to check in?"

"I've been staying at another person's place," he lied, before realizing that response was going to cause even more of a situation.

"Whose place have you been staying at?" she asked, her tone lower and voice slowing down so she didn't sound quite as panicked.

"Mindy," he lied, again. "We got back together."

"O-Oh… Well, I still don't see how that has anything to do with not calling me…"

"I've just been busy, all right?" he snapped, before immediately regretting it. But he didn't want her to pressure him for answers of any sort—she'd realize this was all for her benefit later on. He needed to protect her, and this was the best way. He could hear her start to sound like she was going to blow up again, and he cut her off quickly. "Listen, I have to go. Don't worry about me; I'm just busy."

And with that he hung up. The sound of the receiver being placed back onto its cradle against the wall made his stomach drop, and he felt like such an asshole. But he had to be tough in order to make any of this work—emotions and personal connections had to be severed, even if it was with his only family; even if it was with his baby sister.

Rubbing a hand over his face, Chris tried to quell the regret and unease he was feeling, and shut it off in order to get back into the positive frame of mind. Everything he was doing was for the best.

**XX**

Sauntering down a busy downtown street, Chris kept it casual, fitting in with the crowds as people walked around and looked at the shops before they closed, the muggy air clinging to everything and everyone, making the city seem slower paced than usual. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Chris watched everyone around him, trying to act casual while carefully inspecting everything. While there wasn't a lot in this area, he had to walk through it in order to get to the main downtown buildings. He had parked his Jeep a few blocks away in a free parking area, and would suffer the drudgery of walking to his destination for it.

Weaving through the foot traffic, Chris kept a brisk pace in order to get out of the over-populated area into the now quiet and half shut down office section, hoping he'd be able to explore a little more. He hadn't expected everyone to still be out and about, but realized people were probably already starting their 'back to school' hours, meaning they would be open longer; a minor inconvenience. Staring straight ahead, Chris paid attention to what was going on in front of him, not really taking in any of what was happening around him until he saw something that caught his eye.

Catching his breath, Chris slowed down a fraction as he spotted a tall, lean man walking through the crowed a few steps ahead—his slicked back blonde hair catching the street lights as he held his head high and proud. Feeling someone walk into him, Chris lurched forward and continued to walk, but this time his gaze was following the man as he weaved through the crowd with graceful ease. His face was hidden to Chris, but he didn't care about that—that eerie sensation was creeping up his spine and into the back of his eyes, making his vision swim and his breathing become laboured.

It looked so much like him—the gait, the hair, the purpose behind every movement. It was like looking at a mirror from the back. Forgetting what he was doing, Chris found himself gravitating towards him, not knowing what he was looking for but needing to get close. Wesker was dead—he had seen his body and watched as the Tyrant murdered him—there was no way this was him.

Then why was Chris clinging onto the notion that it might be him?

Not fighting with his own fucked up logic, Chris just continued to chase the phantom through the crowd, increasing his pace as he shoved people aside, trying to get closer as the man moved further and further away from him through the sea of people. He couldn't see or hear anything save for the ghost and his own heartbeat as he got lost in his head.

Nearing him, he watched as the man headed towards a store, pausing just outside of it to hold open the door for someone. Jogging a few steps forward, Chris was about to call out—try and get the man's attention as the adrenaline shot through him, only to stop when he turned a fraction to kiss the cheek of his wife?

Seeing him place his lips against the cheek of the woman who had come out of the store, Chris got to see the man's profile, and suddenly everything that had kept him going left him, making him feel weak, sheepish, and foolish. He looked nothing like Wesker. In fact, he was rather unattractive. He was older, with a large, hook-like nose and green eyes with small crow's feet present at the corners. His lips were fuller and his face held warmth and lightheartedness as he gazed at his wife.

He looked nothing like Wesker.

Unable to decide if he was relieved or disappointed, Chris turned away, running a hand through his hair just as the couple turned to watch him leave, possibly wondering why such a young man had been chasing them down in eagerness.

He was just chasing after ghosts.

Heading off in the opposite direction from where he meant to be going, Chris got lost in his own thoughts, hung up on what he had seen and how he had felt when there was that small notion of Wesker still being alive. He had been… eager. Far too eager, in fact. Wesker had destroyed his life and everyone's around him, and yet he desperately wished that he was still alive—but why? So he could yell at him? Make him pay for his crimes and make him hurt? That's what Chris was going to let himself believe, because although he may be a monster, he wasn't a fool—not anymore. Wesker was dead, and if he was alive Chris would personally rectify that.

Wesker deserved the dark and cold world death brought.

Shrugging off the emotions that clung to him like the muggy air, Chris continued to head off in the opposite direction for some time before realizing he had turned himself around. Pausing in the middle of the stream of people once more, he turned around just at the exact moment someone slammed into him, knocking him back a few feet. He didn't even have time to look to see who it was before he felt a hard punch against his arm.

"Chris, watch where you're going!" Jill's voice rang out loud and clear amidst the hustle and bustle around them.

Immediately going to rub his arm, Chris scowled at Jill, who was standing in front of him now, her hip cocked to the side as she stared him down, an eyebrow raised as she obviously waited for an apology. "I'm sorry," he said, making her immediately relax while he still rubbed his arm—damn, she was strong.

"What's going on?" she asked, giving him a once over, obviously wondering what was with his outfit. Not waiting for a reply, though, she grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the way of traffic until they were up against an old building that housed a fishing store.

"I'm just going shopping," he lied, and it obviously was not convincing given the look she was giving him. Sighing, Chris pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, not wanting to tell her what was going on—this was his road to redemption and he didn't need her getting stuck in his mess. He knew that if he told her about what he was doing she'd want to help him out, which would be bad. She was still a member of STARS, and had an obligation not to go around spying on people and breaking and entering.

"You're a terrible liar, Chris. I can tell when you lie because you fidget and the tips of your ears go pink—just like when you're embarrassed," she said, giving him a cheeky smile.

Sighing again, Chris went to touch his ear before dropping his hand hesitantly, not wanting to admit she was right, like she always was. "I was just going to go… investigate… some things."

Again, Jill cocked her hip to the side and gave him a patient, but slightly annoyed expression. She didn't say anything, and Chris began to get nervous under her expectant gaze. Looking around at the street and the people walking by, he tried to ignore her as he thought up a good explanation that would get her off of his back, but only came up with a mumbled 'um' followed by a few more ear touches. Usually he wasn't this bad about taking control of a situation, but Jill had a knack for getting him to act like a six year old who just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. She was intimidating…

"You're trying to find evidence of Umbrella's treachery, aren't you?"

"Maybe…"

"And you decided to go and investigate the downtown area near their offices with your flashlight, lock pick system—which, by the way, you have no idea how to use—and some bulky thing strapped to your thigh?"

Jesus Christ, how did she know? Staring at her with wide eyes, Chris just listened to her list off everything he was carrying and detail his entire plan, all while he stood there wondering if Jill was psychic or something. If she was, Wesker must have had a mind made of steel.

"Yeah, pretty much," he admitted, deciding to just come out with it; she clearly knew, anyways.

"Can I come?"

"No," he said, frowning. He knew she was going to ask him that. "You're still a cop, Jill, and this will complicate things further if you get caught. Besides, you're not dressed properly."

"What, I'm not in black commando clothes which make me stick out like a sore thumb?"

Glaring, Chris looked himself over again, thinking he'd stick out a lot less when he actually got to the shadowed area of town. "At least I'm not wearing a bright blue tub top and jeans."

"Just let me come—you know you need me," she said before looking down the street. "You're heading this way, right?" She didn't even wait for him to reply before she took his arm and held it close as they walked down the street.

"I didn't say you could come," he said, a scowl on his face. Why were women so difficult?

"Put a smile on and look like a couple—at least this way you won't look like a lost James Bond wannabe."

Sighing again, Chris tried to look happy but probably looked more murderous as they weaved through the crowd together, Jill seemingly relaxed beside him as they got further and further away from the busy shopping district and more into the business area of the city. Soon they were the only ones walking through the narrow streets, and they separated from each other, no longer having to walk under the guise of a relationship.

"So what are we looking for?" she asked, kicking a small rock off of the curb and onto the street in front of a closed sushi shop that was only open for lunch.

"I don't know…" he admitted, having not thought that far ahead. He figured it would be one of those things where he knew what he was looking for when he found it.

Sighing, Jill nodded and continued to wander with him until they reached Umbrella's head office. He hadn't planned on trying to break into the building, but maybe walking around the perimeter and its courtyard would give him some basic ideas on where to look or what to look for. Jill seemed pleased with the idea even though he hadn't voiced it, and began to walk around the building at a slow pace, her eyes narrowed as she looked over the doors and the obvious security cameras carefully.

"Don't worry about that—there are homeless guys sleeping around in the courtyard so I don't think they care about people wandering," he said, seeing her hesitation.

Nodding, Jill gave them one last look before venturing further, Chris following behind at a slower pace. Nothing was said for some time as they walked around the office tower, the two of them looking for something, anything that would be a possible clue. Chris thought it impossible that Umbrella didn't have more experiments going on in the city. After all, they controlled every part of Raccoon, so why not utilize every square inch of it to their advantage?

"Do you really think they'd just have a huge laboratory in their head office or have any important information here? Seems kind of obvious for them, especially given the fact that they went through so much trouble before to hide their experiments," Jill thought aloud after they scanned the entire perimeter and saw nothing.

Sighing, Chris shrugged, not wanting to admit she was right and his plans were kind of… lame. "I guess… they would probably want to keep everything underground and under wraps," he said, fiddling with the flashlight in his hand. He was just about to turn around and head off to go and mope before he heard Jill snap her fingers, making him turn around quickly.

"Why are you so happy?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as she grinned.

"You said they would want to keep things underground and under wraps," she said, hands on her hips as she winked. Waiting for her to continue, Chris just stood in front of her, hands dangling at his sides. When she didn't say anything he gave her a look.

"What about it?"

"Underground, Chris! The sewer systems underneath the city! Umbrella controls the water works station and all of the underground passages, right?"

"Y-Yeah… Yeah, you're right," he mumbled, suddenly realizing what she was getting at. There must be something hidden underground—Raccoon was known for having a maze-like sewer system but no one really knew why. Some suspected that the sewers had been built a certain way when they city was founded, but when expansion of the city began so did the sewers, causing them to go all over the place due to a lack of careful planning. But perhaps they went all over the place on purpose. "We need to get down there."

"Wait, we can't just go jumping down the first manhole we see," she said, moving forward to speak with him a little closer. "I think I can get access to some city plans of the sewer system if I tread carefully at the RPD. If I can get access to them we can go over them some night and plot out parts that may be the most fruitful for us to investigate. That way we don't have to wander around dangerous sewer systems for hours hoping to come across something."

"Sounds like a good idea except for one thing," he said, stuffing the flashlight back in his pocket.

"What's wrong with it?" she asked, standing back a little, an eyebrow raised.

"You keep saying 'we' and 'us'. There is no 'us', Jill—I'm doing this on my own."

Rolling her eyes, Jill crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "We've been over this, Chris—we need to work together. And I don't care if I still work for the RPD or any of that shit. It's reckless to do this alone and you need backup."

"No, I don't," he shot back, glaring back at her. He didn't need anyone else's help with this—this was his road to redemption. He was the one that fucked up and he was the one that had to make it better; it wasn't Jill's nor anyone else's responsibility to fix the mess that he had helped to create. It was his problem and he should be the one to repair the damages he caused—without the help of those close to him.

"Oh, stop with this self-pity party, Chris!" Jill snapped out, throwing her hands in the air before shaking her head. "You act like you were the only one affected by the mansion incident, but you weren't, okay? We all lost someone that night—we all lost friends and companions—and yet you're acting like you're the only one who experienced anything that night!"

Clenching his jaw, Chris tried to hold back the anger he was feeling. She didn't know the full story so her words were out of an ignorance that he had placed upon her—it wasn't her fault. "Jill, you don't know the full story, all right?"

"So tell me!" she yelled, obviously not caring about the homeless man who was looking incredibly pissed off that she had interrupted his nap on one of the benches close by.

"I can't, all right? You don't know what it was like in that house, Jill! You were locked away for hours, and although you can experience the feeling of grief for the loss of our friends, you can't imagine what it was like to find them dead in front of you, all right?" he yelled, although it wasn't an angry yell, more of a desperate plea for her to understand that this was tough and she should understand that.

Shaking her head, Jill clenched her jaw and looked away, her arms once again crossing over her chest as she stared at a fountain nearby. Standing stiff as a board in front of her, Chris waited for her to say something before she sighed heavily once again. "There is something more going on," she said, still not looking at him.

Not replying, Chris just continued to watch her, not knowing what to say or do as they stood in silence under the looming building that housed all of their troubles. "There is nothing more going on," he finally mumbled, bringing her attention back to him. A moment passed in which she simply studied his face, her eyebrows furrowing and lips turning down in a small frown for a brief moment before she shoved past him, shaking her head.

"You're going to kill yourself if you keep bottling it all up," she mumbled as she passed by, leaving him alone with Umbrella hovering over his shoulder.

**XX**

"Sorry this is such a horrible birthday."

Looking over at Jill from his seat on the steps of his apartment, Chris shrugged and popped another grape in his mouth. "'S not your fault," he said, stuffing the grape in the corner of his cheek before chewing it.

"I know, but still…" she said, taking another grape from the bag sitting between the two of them on the steps. Playing with the peel for a second, she plucked a bit of skin off before eating it.

Gazing out at the apartments in front of him, Chris shrugged once more and rested his arms on his knees. "It's not your fault Barry left today."

"I know, but I still feel like we should have done something more. Maybe we could have gone out for dinner or something."

"We both didn't feel like eating a meal after having to see Barry off at the airport, so don't worry about it." Taking another grape from the bag, Chris twirled it around with his fingers, watching the light from the sunset reflect off of the bright green surface. "Besides, these suit me just fine," he said before popping it in his mouth.

It was August 25th, Chris' birthday and also the day that Barry left Raccoon with his family. Everyone had come to the airport to see him and his family off, which was a tough process for everyone involved. Not only was a member of STARS leaving them, but a good friend and a support system was leaving as well. Barry was like a member of their family, a family that was getting smaller and smaller every day. They needed him…

But his family needed him more. So they let him go without any tears or requests that he stay behind while his family moved up north. All they did was hug him, pat him on the back, wish him well, and request that he bring back some maple syrup if they ever saw him again. He had promised that they would see him again and goodbyes weren't forever, but it was hard to believe that after all that had already happened.

When they had departed, Jill dragged Chris away and asked what he wanted to do for his birthday. She was the only one who knew when his birthday actually was, and he preferred to keep it that way. He didn't want anyone to try and make a big deal out of it, especially given the circumstances. So all he wanted was a bag of grapes and a beer, a request Jill was more than ready to oblige.

"These are pretty good grapes," Jill agreed, picking off a few and cradling them in her hand as she ate them one by one. The two continued to watch the sun set off to the left down the street, enjoying the warmth the already low sun brought them. Since the incident a week ago at the Umbrella headquarters, the two hadn't talked about what was said, preferring to forget about it. It probably wasn't the healthiest thing for either of them, but Chris was beginning to get used to not talking about his feelings.

"So I got you a gift," she said after a few cars had driven by and a couple more grapes were eaten by both.

Raising an eyebrow, Chris turned a little to watch Jill rummage through her bag to pull out a stack of folded up papers. Passing them to him, she watched as he took them and opened the first one carefully, wondering what was written on the papers. Upon seeing a grid map system, he knew exactly what it was. "Are these maps for the sewers?"

"Those are, but some of the other maps are blueprints for the RPD, Umbrella's smaller office building, water works building, electricity, and a map of the greater Raccoon area, showing road systems that are off the beaten path," she explained, picking one up and unfolding it to reveal the blueprints for the first floor of the RPD. "You can see the layout of the building and even discover rooms we didn't know about. For instance, it looks like Irons has a secret room off to the side connecting to the jails in the basement."

Raising a brow, Chris shuffled through the blueprints until he had come to the second floor, and located the head office where there appeared to be a door he had never seen before. "Weird…" he mumbled, completely forgetting that these were invaluable gifts from Jill.

"I know, and I'm sure that's just the tip of the iceberg. I only got to look through a few for a brief moment, but hopefully you'll have time to look through it more carefully and find something."

"Thanks, Jill… I mean, this is really, really good," he said, tearing his gaze away from the treasures in front of him to smile at her. This was exactly what he needed. "I guess you'll be wanting to look them over with me."

"I'll look them over, but you can investigate by yourself," she said, not looking too happy about it, even though she was saying it.

"Really?" he asked, afraid for a moment there was going to be another argument between the two of them. She usually wasn't willing to roll over to the will of another person. She was strong and stubborn; an aggravating combination at times.

"Yes, really… I'm not happy about it, but for some reason I'm willing to let you do what you need to do. Just keep me updated and don't get yourself killed," she grumbled out while tossing a broken grape onto the sidewalk in front of them.

Chris just smiled and moved to kiss her on the cheek. "Thanks."

Touching her cheek gently when he pulled away, Jill smiled softly and rolled her eyes. "You're welcome."

Sighing happily, Chris collected all of the sheets back up and folded them neatly before placing them behind him on the steps, his birthday looking up already. That was until Rebecca showed up with a bouquet of tulips.

"Hey," she said, smiling as she walked up the steps and passed the flowers to Chris. "Happy birthday."

"H-Hey, thanks," he said, taking the beautiful arrangement carefully and placing them with the sheets after he had inspected them. "How did you know it was my birthday?"

"Jill told me," she said, taking a grape and eating it before sitting down on the step below them. Smiling brightly, Jill nodded and patted his arm.

"I know you said you wanted this to be small, but I figured telling Rebecca couldn't hurt," she said, stretching her arms above her head. Of course it couldn't hurt—she didn't know about the awkwardness between the two of them since Rebecca found out he'd been fucking their traitorous captain for almost a year.

And if to add insult to injury, Jill stood up and cracked her back, making move like she was going to leave them alone. "I'm going to go to the washroom and grab something to drink—anyone want anything?"

"I only have water and orange juice, just so you know," Chris said, squinting up at Jill.

"I'm fine, thanks," Rebecca said, and Chris agreed before she left them to sit in awkward silence.

Sighing, Chris ate a few more grapes as the sun grew lower in the sky, casting everything in a dark orange glow—dusk was fast approaching. Rebecca too was sitting in silence, occasionally grabbing a grape to chew on slowly, almost thoughtfully.

"You don't like celebrating your birthday?" she asked after a time, not looking at Chris but still attentive to his every movement, her back ridged and head cocked to the side slightly.

"Not really… Ever since my parents died I kind of stopped—no one to celebrate it with, you know?" Fiddling with a large round grape, Chris didn't eat it just yet, and let the cool fruit sit against the palm of his hand.

"Do you celebrate other people's birthdays?"

"Yeah, Jill and I went dancing back in… May, I think it was, for her birthday. Well, everyone went dancing but she and I danced most of the night," he said, remembering that time fondly. All of the younger members of STARS and a few friends outside work got together to take Jill to a brand new nightclub that had opened up a few weeks prior. The music was good, the dancing was good, and they all let themselves indulge in a little too much alcohol. In the end, Chris ended up passed out at Forest's place with a bra stuck in his back pocket. He was later told it wasn't from anyone he knew, and no, he hadn't slept with some random girl. It was never explained where the bra came from, though…

Nodding, Rebecca once again went silent, and Chris sat with the grape still in his hand, wondering what was taking Jill so long. Sighing, he tugged at his ear before speaking again, not knowing why he was saying this but finding a certain amount of relief to talk about him with someone who knew it all.

"I celebrated Wesker's birthday with him when he had it," Chris mumbled, not looking at Rebecca as she turned ever so slightly to look at him. Continuing, Chris rolled the grape around. "He didn't like celebrating his birthday, same with me, but I pressured him into it just because... well, I thought he could use a break, you know? So I rented a nice hotel room and… well, we spent the night and day together. It was good… Now if only he waited a week after my birthday to go through with his plans, he could have returned the favour."

Both of them laughed softly, but there was no real amusement behind their voices. Clearly it was too early to joke about that stuff—it was worth a try, though.

"You know… I knew about you two before I found the photo," she said, pulling her arms close as she curled in a little, elbows resting on her knees. Chris was surprised to hear this, and felt his cheeks go flush—if she knew then did everyone else? "Don't worry, I don't think anyone else suspected… I mean, it wasn't that obvious. I think I only noticed because I didn't know you two very well."

"H-How do you mean?" he asked, now peeling the skin off of the grape, anxious to know how she knew.

"I just… paid attention, I guess. When people don't give you a lot of notice that leaves room for you to notice them more. I just watched the two of you and I could see something there, you know? When you looked at him you looked… different. Happy, I guess." She said all of this while still looking at the sunset, the sky getting darker. Chris was thankful she wasn't looking at him, and he went to stare at the steps of his apartment. "I also heard you say that you loved him… the day of the mission. You whispered it but I heard it loud and clear."

Oh shit… he had said that, too. He knew that she suspected something at that moment—he knew it! "I'm sorry that you had to find out through the photo," he said after a time, the grape completely bare.

"It's all right—it wasn't my place to know, anyways. I mean, you don't have to explain or justify yourself to me… I know how it is," she said, finally turning to look at him. "We all have our secrets."

Nodding, Chris looked at her, but could only keep her gaze for a second before he turned his attention to the grape, still finding it hard to look her in the eyes given what she knew. "You won't tell anyone, right?"

"No."

Nodding, Chris tossed the grape into the bushes and brushed his hands off on his pants, fingers sticky. At least she wasn't going to talk about it…

"I wasn't alone when I survived the first night at the mansion," Rebecca said after a time, her big blue eyes catching Chris' attention once more.

"Weren't alone? Were you with another Bravo team member or—"

"No, it wasn't another Bravo team member," she said, shaking her head. "There was a guy, on the Ecliptic Express… He was… He was a fugitive who had been locked on the train. I—we helped each other survive and in return I let him go free."

"You mean you let a wanted man go free?" he whispered, eyes wide. He didn't think she would do something like that.

Nodding, Rebecca didn't seem fazed by Chris' reaction, but he could see her hands ball up into small fists. "Yes, I did—but without him I'd be dead, and without me he'd be a goner, too. He deserved that freedom because I believe he didn't do what he was charged with. He's a good man, Chris."

"Who was it?" he asked, eying her suspiciously.

"A dead man. I filed a report with the police and he's officially dead—so don't say anything," she stated, and this was the first time Chris had heard her sound… scary. She meant business, and Chris did not want to anger her further. "Besides, if you want me to continue respecting your past relationship with the man who destroyed our lives, then I think you can continue to respect the fact that I saved the life of a man who saved mine."

"Fine… all right." Nodding, Chris backed off and went to eat another grape just as Jill came down to break the tension between the two.

"Where were you?" Rebecca asked, standing up while dusting off the back of her pants.

"Sorry, I got distracted," she said as Chris slowly stood as well and began collecting his presents. The sun was almost down and it would start to grow cold outside.

"Distracted doing what?" Rebecca asked while Chris could care less with what she did in his apartment. He had hidden the incriminating things.

"Cleaning his bathroom—it was a mess."

"You're a freak," Chris said as they walked back up to his apartment. He received a hard shove for that one.

**XX**

Sitting on the edge of his bed, Chris fiddled with the photograph of him and Wesker, the light from the moon outside the only source of illumination. Playing with the corners, he brought one hand around and slid his fingertips over Wesker's hair and shoulder, eyes following the short trail his fingers were making. Sighing, he scratched his bare chest and drew his legs up so he was sitting cross legged on the bed. Going to stare at the alarm clock, he found it was five minutes until midnight—his birthday was almost officially over.

Sighing again, he returned his attention to the picture and studied Wesker's features once more, wishing he could talk to Wesker one last time to get answers for all of the questions he was left with. Yes, Wesker had 'answered' him back in the lab, but there was still so much he wanted to know and would now never get the chance to ask. Wesker had had bigger plans than he had let on down in the labs, Chris knew it. It was never that simple with Wesker. He craved power, but he would never be happy with just controlling a few bioweapons… he wanted more than that. But unfortunately all of his answers went with him to the grave, and all Chris was left with was a photograph of a devil and his newest victim.

But he wasn't a victim. It would be easy to say he was—that he was just as much a victim of Wesker's manipulation as everyone else… but he wasn't. He was just a blind fool. Tossing the photo back on the bedside table, he rubbed his face with the palm of his hand before rolling over onto the bed, the blankets kicked off at the bottom of the mattress. Scratching the skin under the band of his boxers, Chris stared at the ceiling before going to look at the alarm clock to see it was now midnight.

Rolling over, he stuffed his face in the pillows and prepared himself for another night of deathly cold hands and vicious truths whispered in his ear.

What would Chris do without Jill and Rebecca? Seriously, this boy is just so scatter brained right now, it's almost hilarious. Anyways, Chris is starting his plans on making Umbrella pay for what they did, and he soon may discover something mighty interesting about a certain police chief and a new virus... *cough* G-virus*cough* In any case, thanks so much for the patience you guys have given me, and thank you for the support as always! You're all ridiculously amazing people- truly. Thank you for the read/review/favourite/support/etc.