5. Truce

Why couldn't they have gotten a dog or cat? Or even a gerbil? The silence in the condo was driving Chris mental. The TV became repetitive and dull, not to mention the people inside the box couldn't reply when he'd yell at the screen. Music just made everything seem glummer and his hands subconsciously grabbed or clicked Sheva's favorite songs instead of his own. It'd been nearly three days now and it was just a downward spiral, sinking deeper and faster into the abyss of loneliness and depression.

Moving from his stationary position on the living room floor, Chris sat straight up when he heard the lock to the front door turning. He could see over the lip of the couch the knob to the front entrance turning, turning more left as his heart thumped in his chest harder and harder. Was Sheva home? Was that her unlocking the door to come inside and call out to him that she was back? Should he go welcome her and help her if she had brought home groceries or work from the office? He was a flash close to standing when the door opened and stood in the doorway not his Sheva, but his old pal, Jill Valentine.

A groan and scoff escaped him with a force, falling back to the floor in a heap. His body laid spread eagle on the red rug in the middle of lounging furniture. In this spot, it blocked the sun's shining rays coming from the large windows and burning his pupils. He flung an arm over his eyes when Jill stood over him, bending while she huffed. She placed a hand over her very pregnant belly to look at him, having to peer over her stomach. Her brown hair fell around her face as her blue eyes scanned his lazy figure. She stood straight, sighing, and kicked him in the side. She did so again when he swatted her legs away.

"Go away," he mumbled, turning over to lie on his stomach.

"Oh, jeez," he heard Jill wheeze. "Get up you big lug. Just lying around and moping isn't going to help you or Sheva. C'mon, don't make me make you stand up."

"You don't understand, Jill," he whined. "And you couldn't make me move if you tried. You'd go into premature labor."

"You're probably right, I'd likely give birth right here on this floor," she sarcastically agreed. "But the good thing? I'm not the one who's going to make you get up."

"I'll break Carlos's arm if he tries, too," he claimed defensively.

Carlos Oliveira, Jill's husband and baby daddy of the fetus growing inside of the woman looming over Chris right now, was a pretty strong guy. But Chris could take him even if he was three sheets to the wind with so much liquor in his system. And now that Chris no longer drank, a fight with Carlos was just a humorous threat.

"If you broke Mr. Oliveira's arm, Captain Redfield, I'd have to report you for assault," a voice stated.

Chris didn't even have to look up to see who that it was speaking, that snooty voice was identifiable even through a static-y radio. In all honesty, he'd probably have an easier time hiding his irritation more for Ada Wong than Alyssa Ashcroft. Ashcroft was a snoot that always got her way. Her way or the highway, he would tell Sheva when he'd come home complaining about her.

"And plus," Alyssa added, "Mrs. Oliveira would be very upset with you if you did that."

Neither woman saw as Chris mouthed her words with a snotty look on his face, sticking his tongue out in mockery.

"You can call me Jill," the brunette said to Alyssa. Jill looked around for a moment, scanning the areas she could see and frowning. "Sheva would be very angry if she saw what you've done with the place."

"Yeah, well you're not Sheva, are you?" he snapped.

All was quiet save for the sound of Jill's shoes clicking on the hardwood floors. Soon heard was the refrigerator door in the kitchen open, then clicking shoes, and the sound of a cap twisting. Chris bellowed in surprise when cold water hit his neck and head, the water continuously pouring on him until he shot up and moved out of the way. Jill tipped the water bottle upright again and smiled at Chris, cocking a hip out and placing a hand on her belly.

"You act like a brat one more time," she warned, "I'm pouring the rest of this bottle on you with no hesitation."

Grabbing the blanket that hung over the couch, Chris dried himself off. He plopped on the faux leather couch—Sheva didn't like the idea of having real leather furniture, so they agreed on the no animal cruelty look alike—with the blanket draped around his neck.

"Damn, pregnant life changed you," Chris told Jill, watching her as she waved at him and went back to the kitchen in the next room.

He watched with a sneer as Alyssa took a seat on the neighboring couch, holding her briefcase in her lap and looking at him with just as much annoyance. Neither made the attempt to speak first, they just studied each other with hostile eyes, like Rikki-Tikki-Tavi* staring down the cobra. Chris liked to think he was the mongoose. Alyssa was definitely the snake.

"Are you going to let me talk without acting like a jackass?" she inquired with a perfectly plucked brow raised.

"Are you going to control the bitchiness?" When she scoffed, he smirked. "Good, it's an agreement. Go ahead; talk."

"Well, I've done some thinking—"

"That's never good," Chris proudly said.

"Shut it and listen," she hissed.

Yes, she was definitely the snake, Chris thought. He settled in the couch and watched as Jill came back in as she ate black olives from a bowl, stabbing a little oval vegetable with a fork and popped it into her mouth. She took a seat next to him, stealing the remote and scanning channels on the television while happily eating her snack. There was a moment when Chris wanted to rip the food away from Jill, claiming Sheva was going to use that for a dish she was going to be making when she got home. But he controlled himself and focused on the cobra Alyssa.

"I've been thinking," she repeated, holding her hand up in case he might have the urge to insult her again. "If Wesker has broken out, he must have had some sort of help. He's been sleeping for four years, the man cannot just walk out of the containment tube he was kept in and just walk away unnoticed by security."

"Wesker isn't exactly a man, though," Chris noted.

"You can say that again," Jill agreed with a mouthful of olives.

Alyssa rolled her eyes at them. "While Wesker was in cryostasis, the Prototype virus in his system diminished. Almost like detox, while sleeping, his body learned how to live without the virus or serum he used to depend on. Granted, there is still a fraction in his system so he still has more strength than the average man. He's just much easier to contain now. At least that's what the scientists that looked over him have been saying for some time now," she tapped her finger to her chin, thinking to herself.

Chris leaned forward, suddenly interested. Jill on his side was listening, but she had already been told all about this before she and Alyssa arrived at Chris's condo.

"Go on," Chris told Alyssa.

"Wesker is not the man you used to know. He probably has the same personality, but strength wise, he's changed. And most likely, he's suffering from amnesia after sleeping so long. It's like a coma, almost. When you wake from a coma, you are exhausted, tiresome, weak, et cetera. This leads me to believe that he had help getting out of that tube. Someone smart enough to know all the cameras around that could be watching him so he pulled all the wires and turned them around in case there was an emergency battery inside, which there are supposed to be."

"Why are you saying 'he'? Do you know who it was that broke him out?" Chris questioned, needing to know who it was so he could wring their neck.

"Eh, no, not yet. It's not official, but it's pretty obvious in my opinion," she admitted. Chris gestured for her to go on with an impatient wave of his hand. "I'm surprised you don't know who I'm thinking of. I think it was Jake Muller that broke him out."

"His brain gets a little muddled for the first few days or weeks after something traumatic happens," Jill told the other woman on Chris's behalf. "Give him some time and then he'll be telling you all the facts."

Chris said nothing to Jill's words; he was too infatuated with the thought that Jake took Wesker. Why hadn't he guessed that? It was so obvious. After China, Jake went missing, everyone assuming he went on vacation from all the ordeals he had just gone through, including Sherry Birkin. But Wesker going missing after Jake disappeared... Duh, you idiot, it's obvious, Chris thought to himself.

"What about Sheva? Do you have any ideas where she might be?"

Alyssa blew air out of her lungs as she looked into her briefcase, looking over files of past reports. "Well, my guess is that she stumbled in on Jake waking Wesker up and he either threatened her or she willingly went along with him and helped Wesker escape."

Alyssa raised both her hands when Chris shot up with a pissed off look. She already knew he wouldn't like the idea that Sheva had gone willingly. She told him to wait, telling him to sit back down to let her finish. Surprising both women, he did.

"The last we know of Agent Alomar's whereabouts are when she talked to you over the phone in her office right before you went to the airport in Hong Kong. That's when we lose her. She must have left her office, locked everything of hers up, and went to go home," Alyssa reenacted locking a door with her hands as she spoke, intensifying the storytelling. "But some time as she was leaving, she must have noticed the labs below were unlocked. So she went to investigate, walked in on Jake and his father, and then they all three left. And I meet the dead end."

"Sheva couldn't have gone willingly," Chris stated firmly. "She hates Wesker as much as I do. I know she does."

"I believe you," she responded, letting that sink in as he accepted it. "That's why I'm willing to help you look for her. And before you can refuse my assistance, I'm really the only person you have for help. Your sister can't work this case because she's with Terra Save and it's exclusively with the BSAA; Piers Nivans is not with us anymore, may he rest in peace; Jill is seven months pregnant, she's not up for such a mission or investigation; Mr. Oliveira wouldn't be much help because he'd be too focused on Jill and their baby, and he talks too much," Alyssa listed off. "Sorry Jill."

"It's okay," Jill smiled. "He does talk a lot."

"I'm the only person able to help as much as you need it," Alyssa reaffirmed.

Chris eyed her, looking her from her expensive maroon leather boots—boots that would make Sheva upset that they were real leather—her red suit, to her blonde hair and blue eyes. He entertained the idea how many men cowered to a woman like her, intimated by her appearance and the browbeating air about her. He wasn't a coward though. He could stand up to her anytime, any day. He'd just have to make sure not to make her too angry to avoid getting scratched by those perfectly painted pink nails of hers.

"Fine. I'll accept your help," he crossed his arms over his chest. "But my main priority is finding Sheva and when we catch Wesker, I plan on killing him."

"Fair enough. So I'll help you find her, I'll take care of the media and sister companies asking about both of our missing peoples whereabouts. You do as much as you can to find both of these two. I'm tired of the big heads breathing down my neck. And it's barely only been three days!" She scoffed, straightening out her appearance once her little outburst was done. She made sure her hair was in place before holding her hand out in front of him. "And we have to get along during this. If we keep fighting then we won't make any progress. Truce?"

Chris stared at her hand. He could see how her veins showed below the surface of her skin a little more than the average woman that she must have been someone who worked out daily. It didn't surprise him. She was a snake that cared a little too much about her appearance. After deciding she'd have red scales if she were a reptile, he took her hand and shook it firmly.

"Truce."

Sheva had a stomp in her step as she walked off the jet with Jake right behind her. No one, including HUNK, bothered to help Wesker as he slowly followed with a sick look to his face and his hands clutched to his stomach. Jake chuckled at the sight, knowing Wesker deserved it because he didn't help when Sheva was exhausted before when they boarded the jet. As soon as everyone's feet were on the stone roof of Wesker's Ireland mansion and off HUNK's aircraft, the hatch began to close and all the ex-Umbrella agent waited for was them to get far enough before he took off to God knows where.

"This place is huge," Jake noted in astonishment.

Sheva nodded, continuing to walk until she met the door that led to interior. "Wait till you see the inside," she said with no enthusiasm.

She was hoping Isaac was going to be right there when she got to the bottom floor in the entry hall. The time on the jet after she talked to Jake for a lengthy period, she had prepared what she was going to say to her half-brother. She was going to do her best to use the least amount of curse words, but if they slipped she wouldn't apologize.

Her step was fast as she walked down the staircase, seeing the door that led to the main entry way of the mansion. She could hear Wesker going much slower and Jake wasn't as fast as her, though she guessed she was practically running down the stairs. When she made it to the first floor, she could hear talking in some room far off. She could hear a male and female.

"Isaac!" she shouted at the tops of her lungs.

The talking cut off and she could hear shuffling. Then from a room that she assumed was the den, a familiar face peeked into the hallways, staring at her. Her eyes narrowed, details of Isaac's frightened expression becoming clear in her vision. He nearly fell over as he gaped, but caught himself and straightened out the button up shirt he wore.

"Sheva?" he called dumbfounded. "Perfect timing," she could hear him mumble.

He stepped forward, walking straight for her when she heard Jake stand beside her. Isaac approached them both, standing in front of them with a nervous smile. He shook Jake's hand, telling him it was nice to meet him to which Jake said the same. He thanked Isaac, expressing his appreciation for the help in breaking Wesker out.

"It was the least I could do," Isaac told him. "The surprise I had to discover Wesker has a son. Where is he, by the way?"

On cue, Wesker emerged from the corridor and stood in front of the three, his hair messy and eyes in slivers. He took steps into the mansion, relieved to recognize the large estate, and held back the need to pass out right there on the stone floor. He looked to Isaac when he heard his name being called, surprised how much older he looked since the last time Wesker saw him.

"Sir Wesker," Isaac greeted.

Jake looked to Sheva with an arched brow, interested as to why Isaac would call his father something so formal. Sheva only shook her head, not completely agreeing with the respect Isaac always showed Wesker.

"Sir, you don't look well," Isaac noted, showing hesitancy towards Wesker's appearance. "Is there something I can do?"

"Is the code to the lab below still the same?" the eldest grunted his question.

"Uh, yes. They haven't been used for quite some time, though," Isaac told him.

He said no more as Wesker took off down the hallway, turning a corner towards the staircase to the dormant lab and research area below. Isaac turned back to his two guests slowly, slightly frightened by Wesker's foreign behavior. After telling himself to worry about that later and focus on the major situation at hand, Isaac told Jake where he would be staying, telling him he was welcome for as long as he chose to stay. Then time to really get down to business, after Jake left to find his room, Isaac grasped Sheva's shoulders and looked at her apologetically.

"Before you say a word, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Jake waking up Wesker and that I was helping him. Jake has a right to know his father so I felt it right that I could help as much to my capabilities. I was going to tell you some time, but I didn't want to get you in any trouble nor did I want to worry you," he explained with a soft voice. "Can you forgive me?"

Sheva was supposed to give him a stern lecture, to be angry with him. She meant to lay down the rules and tell him what he did was wrong. But in that moment, as she stood in front of the brother she hadn't seen in four years, all her anger vanished. Gone without a trace. She fell into his arms, hugging him tightly and crying into his shoulder. When she spoke, it came in a flurry of words.

"It's okay, I forgive you. I missed you so much. I was scared when I found Jake breaking Wesker out. I followed because...oh because I don't know. I thought I knew but I don't. Isaac, Albert's not acting like himself. He's forgotten me and he hates me and everything is terrible. And I left Chris at home and he's probably freaking out."

As she cried harder, Isaac smoothed her hair and rubbed circles on her back. He hushed her, telling her to take deep breathes and to calm down. In time, she did. She wiped her eyes and nose, apologizing for being so weak. He chuckled.

"There's nothing weak about you, Sheva," he told her truthfully.

Hearing shuffling coming from the room he was in before Sheva made her presence known, Isaac was reminded of the serious predicament he had to tell Sheva about. He started leading her down the hall, holding her to his side as he spoke quietly to her.

"Sheva, there's someone who wants to meet you. You can't freak out, okay? She's only been here a few days but she's been asking a lot about you. I'd wait till you slept some but I know you'd want me to introduce you two now. Just stay calm. It was a shock for me," he sighed.

"Isaac, what's going on? Who am I going to meet? Who is she?" Sheva probed as they came into the brightly lighted den.

"She is me," a scratchy yet attractive voice called out.

As Sheva looked to this person talking, she could hear the thick Australian accent this voice had. She was surprised by this woman's appearance. She was beautiful, gorgeous really. Older than herself, Sheva guessed she was about 28 or 29. The woman was of pale but golden skin, wild sandy blonde curls that surrounded her head like a lion's mane, and bright blue eyes that sparkled as she grinned at Sheva. It was silly, she thought, but this woman shared similarities to Isaac in appearance. Sheva let the woman take her hand in an excited handshake.

"You must be Sheva Alomar," the woman guessed with a grand smile and pearly teeth. "Oh my, this is such a pleasure."

Upon closer inspection, Sheva saw the piercing on her nose and real amethyst stud earrings she wore. And the hand that clutched onto her own had a tattoo on the inside of her wrist. But the woman wore a long sleeve shirt, hiding most of that tattoo. Sheva gave Isaac an inquisitive crooked smile as the woman continued to shake her hand eagerly.

"Um, yeah. I'm Sheva," she looked to the other female. "And you are?"

"Oh, stupid me," the woman let go of Sheva and slapped a hand to her forehead. "You must think I'm some crazy stalker! I'm Piper. Piper Mulligan. I'm, uh... I'm your sister."

Author's note: And Sheva faints again after Piper's confession… No, I'm kidding. My fingers are crossed that Alyssa has come across semi likable in this chapter. She's a tough gal with a perfect appearance, so says her REWiki page.

littlevamp: I feel sorry for Sheva, too. But Wesker is naturally a butthead, so… Haha, the lovey dovey moments will come in time, hopefully! Maybe tossing all his cookies up will make Wesker nicer? Eh, maybe not. But anyways, thank you. :)
Ultimolu: Chris might punch another boulder he'll be so angry with Wesker… Ha, I will pat the man on the back that pokes Wesker out of his grumpiness! Maybe Jake can do it. :D
TealBug: Jake "Asskicker" Muller. Totally accurate, haha. Poor Isaac, he probably would be scared of Sheva.
Auktober: Haha, well thank you for noticing the title of the last chapter. And thank you for saying so about Wesker being written well. I don't want to write him OOC, but he scares me so it's hard at times that it just kinda happens. Jake does seem pretty laid back in the games. And I imagine him fighting with words and fists, not one or the other. Ha, maybe Wesker will rip his throat out later for talking back to Daddy, haha. Totally. Wesker is loopy, but there are dormant feelings for Sheva in that old body of his! Thank you. :)

I just wanted to thank you all for being so nice and supportive with this story and how it's coming along. These Sheva/Wesker stories are so intimidating, let me tell you! I think it's just because I'm scared of Wesker 99.9% of the time when I'm not drooling over him. I mean… If you have any comments, questions, suggestions, or concerns, feel free to contact me via review, PM, or whatever else is out there. Thank you again for the encouragement! :)

-Sarai

*"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" is a short story from "The Jungle Book" (1894) by Rudyard Kipling.