Chapter 19: Welcome Home

Author's note: I had another 'oopsie' concerning my first 'oopsie' in Chapter 17. The time is set like I had planned out in the beginning, but for some reason, I read stuff wrong and assumed the events in RE6 happened in January. Well, no surprise, I was wrong and it's set in June. So, the date in this chapter is around June 27th, 2013. Just wanted to clear that up. Silly, silly Sarai. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

To Justsomegirl17: I think it's about time Claire and Chris were reunited! I'm glad we settled that we like the same things! I shall wait to read your review and I will talk to you very soon! Arrivederci, my dearest!
To Sivan IXXX: Haha, he wants her body :P! The relationship would have to be fragile, right? I don't see how it wouldn't… The symptoms are coming!
To Sheva Redfield: Danke! I does sort of seem as if it's starting to begin, doesn't it? Haha, no worries about the short reviews. I appreciate and love the tiniest of comments :) Hope you have a wonderful day, talk to you soon, bye!
ShevaGiulia: Chris and Sheva just had to have a moment at some point. I mean, they kept staring at each in RE5! I wish Capcom would read my story and realize people want Creva :D. But Capcom is snooty. Hope you like the chapter!

Hope you all enjoy the chapter! Much love and thanks to you guys, Sarai.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the RE characters in this story. Capcom does.

The intercom came to life when a woman's voice came talking out of the small speaker. "We will be meeting our destination in one hour. Please feel free to walk about the cabin."

Chris looked out the small window of the plane, staring at the thick, heavy clouds below him. He watched as the endless grey passed him quickly. He sighed, knowing what was coming. He felt Sheva's small hand on his own, giving it a squeeze. He looked at her, sitting next to him and she had a gentle smile on her lips. He intertwined his finger with hers and looked back out the window.

Sheva knew that he was nervous about going back to New York and she couldn't blame him. She was nervous herself but she forced herself to stay strong for Chris. She studied his expression as he gazed out the plane's window. She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. She thought how Sophie must hate being stuck in a cat carrier and being left in the baggage area of the plane. She wished she could have brought her as carryon but the airline wouldn't allow it.

Altogether, she was in Edonia for a little over a week. She and Chris stayed there as long as was allowed until the BSAA would send reinforcements. They cherished the small time they would have together without anything or anyone to bother them. But now they were headed back to America and going to go face things neither of them were looking forward to.

It was settled that Chris was going to stay with Sheva. He had told her he didn't mind staying in a hotel room but she fought him until he surrendered and agreed to stay with her at her place. Really, he was looking forward to being with her. He was also looking forward to seeing his sister, he missed her so much.

The woman on the intercom came back on and asked for everyone to buckle their seatbelts and said that they were ready to land. She thanked everyone for flying the airline and welcomed them to New York City.

As the airplane came to a stop on the runway, everyone was getting ready to unbuckle and grab their things. Sheva leaned over to Chris and kissed his cheek. He leaned into her kiss and sighed.

She looked at him and combed her hand through his hair affectionately. "Everything's going to be alright. I'll be with you the whole time."

They had gotten off the plane and were now heading for the exit into the main part of the airport. Claire had told Sheva she would be waiting for them and that she made sure no one else came, not wanting to overwhelm Chris.

Chris held onto Sheva's hand tightly as they made their way through the crowd, looking for Claire. They spotted her auburn hair easily. She noticed them and smiled widely.

Claire shoved people out of the way, trying to get to them faster. When she had a clear path she nearly ran at them. She jumped at Chris and immediately wrapped her arms around him, giving him the tightest hug she had given anyone. She hid her face in his shoulder and started crying. He wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back lovingly and comforted her.

"Claire, calm down. I missed you, too, don't cry," he softly whispered to her.

She loosened her arms around him and looked up at him. She sniffled and let out a quiet chuckle. "Sorry…it's just I missed you so much!" She tightened her arms around him again, laughing. He laughed with her and hugged her firmly.

Sheva smiled and watched the two siblings reunite with each other after being apart for a long time. Claire let go of Chris and quickly snatched Sheva in a hug. Sheva made a 'humph' noise and gladly hugged her back.

Claire pulled back and looked to her, "I've missed you, too!"

Sheva giggled, "I missed you too, Claire!"

The three of them went to the baggage claim area to retrieve their luggage and Sophie. Claire couldn't help but smile at noticing that Chris held onto Sheva's hand tightly. She remembered talking to Sheva about her feelings towards Chris and she always tried to get Sheva to act on them, but alas, she never did.

And here they were: linked together and had no intention of letting the other go. She was so happy for the both of them.

Claire was asking Chris questions a mile a minute and he did his best to keep up with them. He was happy to see his sister, but now he was just looking forward to a soft bed and falling asleep with Sheva in his arms. They got all of their baggage and left JFK airport with Sophie.

They arrived to Sheva's modest two bedroom apartment and immediately Sheva let Sophie out to explore her new home. Claire welcomed herself to the kitchen and got bottled water from the fridge. She continued to interrogate Chris whilst she nursed the bottle of water.

Claire hadn't changed one bit; still a confident and lovable girl. She talked easily and honestly, all the while with a smile on her face. She told Chris how she and Leon were doing great and that she swore he was going to propose soon. Chris scrunched his nose at the idea of having Leon as a brother-in-law, but nonetheless was happy to see his sister so happy. He would look over to see Sheva sitting on the counter listening to them talk. Once in a while they would ask her a question but she insisted that they catch up.

After about an hour or two, Claire decided it was time to leave and give the two some time together. She hugged her brother firmly and kissed his cheek, "I'll see you soon. Don't run off or anything. I love you."

Chris chuckled at her demand and hugged her back, "I love you too, Claire."

Claire bear hugged Sheva and told her to take care of her brother until she came back and joked that she would take the next shift of babysitting him. Sheva giggled and told her she'd do her best to get him to bed at a good time and wouldn't let her down. They laughed together and soon said goodbye to each other.

Sheva watched as Claire left and closed the front door, bolting the iron locks that nearly every door in NYC had. She looked back to the living area but didn't see Chris in there. She went to the kitchen and still he wasn't there. She walked to the bedroom and found him passed out on the bed. She laughed quietly, no wanting to wake him. She knew that he was tired after the long flight back to America and was happy that he to see he was comfortable enough to fall asleep so quickly.

She grabbed the blanket that was folded on a lounge chair that was only a few feet from the bed and placed the quilt blanket on him. She brushed hair off his forehead and placed a soft kiss on his temple. He sighed in his sleep and pulled the blanket tighter around him. She watched him for a small moment, pondering what the future had in store for them both.

She quietly walked out of the bedroom and closed the door. She went to the living room and grabbed her cell phone. She needed to call Piers and let him know that they had landed and were now home. She saw Sophie rolling around on the floor in the sunshine playing with Sheva's shoe. The shoe dwarfed Sophie but the kitten was definitely putting up a fight. Sheva laughed at the small kitten and was so glad that Chris found her.

She sat on the deep maroon couch and dialed Piers' number. He answered after the third ring and asked her how she was doing.

"I'm very well, Piers, thanks. How about you?"

"I'm better now that HQ is off my back. I owe you a lot Sheva."

Sheva chuckled, "You don't owe me anything. Really, Piers. Everyone's safe and things are going back to normal. That's all I wanted out of this."

"I'm glad." She heard Piers sigh. "But Sheva, HQ still wants to talk to Captain Redfield. Things are really starting to happen in Lanshiang, China. I can't talk about it over the phone but it's serious and well, official. We'll have to talk in person."

Sheva didn't like the sound of that. "Why do they want to talk to him so badly?"

"Again, I can't talk over the phone about it. I'm sorry."

Sheva was irritated but made sure not to show it, "It's alright. I'll see you soon."

The two said goodbye and she hung up the call. She didn't even want to think what was going on in Lanshiang let alone what Chris had to do with it. She pushed the thought out of her mind and started to dial Jill's number into her phone. She picked up right away.

"Hey, Sheva, how's it going?"

"Hi. I'm good, thanks. How are you doing?" Sheva asked.

"I'm doing alright. I just finished a day training young female recruits. Sometimes I swear I'm getting too old for this," Jill said in a humorous tone.

Sheva laughed, "Old? Yeah, right!"

Jill giggled on the other line. "So, what are you up to?"

"I just got back to New York about three hours ago. I'm just hanging around, trying to relax."

"Oh, well, welcome home," she said friendly. "How was the flight?"

Sheva giggled at Jill's attempt to make small talk. "It was good, Jill. Are you still at work? Did you want to go get drinks or something?"

Jill was pleasantly surprised by the invitation. "Sure, that's sounds great. How about 7 at O'Keefe's?"

"I'll be there."

They talked lightly for a small time and then said goodbye, promising to see each other later. Sheva had an hour and a half till it was 7, enough time to take a shower and make dinner for Chris. She got into the shower and stood under the hot stream of water, feeling it cascade down her body.

She was feeling slightly guilty after her call with Jill. Sheva wasn't sure if Jill and Chris were still together or if Jill wanted to get back together with him. Sheva had become intimate with Chris and she knew that that's what she'd been wanting for a long time, but never actually initiated anything because Jill was always with Chris since Sheva met him.

The water was running down Sheva's body, trailing down her curves onto the tiled floor. She thought about whether or not she wanted to talk to Jill about it, whether she should be the one to ask if she and Chris were still together. She was so unsure of it all at this point. She washed her hair and body, and shaved her under arms and legs. Once she was done, she turned off the water and dried herself with a fluffy towel. She wrapped the towel around her body and went to the closet to find something to wear. She decided upon wearing something simple. She slipped on light colored jeans and a deep blue t-shirt.

She dried her hair and let the loose brown curls fall to her shoulders. She went to the kitchen and started making a simple dinner of noodles and chicken. She put a lid on the hot ready food to keep it fresh.

She quietly walked into the bedroom to the bed where Chris was still happily asleep. She sat on the edge and leaned over him and kissed the tip of his nose. She kissed his cheeks then his eyelids and his temples.

Chris could feel the light kisses right away, but pretended to stay asleep, just so he could feel her full lips on him. She kissed his forehead and then trailed pecks down the bridge of his nose and then placed a gentle kiss on his lips. She squealed when she felt his arms wrap around her and he pulled her on top of him. He kissed her back sweetly and held her there.

She put a hand on his chest and pushed herself up. He slowly opened his eyes and admired her youthful beauty. Neither said a word, treasuring this dream-like moment.

Finally Sheva spoke softly, "Sorry to wake you up."

Chris knew she wasn't sorry at all, and neither was he. "I forgive you," he said with a grin.

She leaned down and kissed his cheek and then his jaw and then his neck. She couldn't resist her desire for him. She trailed soft kisses along his jaw feeling short stubble on her lips. She had to admit she liked the sensation.

He stroked her back, provoking her on. She sat up reluctantly and looked down at him, smiling beautifully. He pouted at her, trying to pull her back down on top of him. She laughed a melodious laugh.

"You're cute, you know that?" she playfully asked him.

Chris shrugged innocently and sat up to kiss her. He pecked her lips and smiled at her, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Mhm, sure you don't." She looked into his brown eyes, "I'm going out for a small while, but I'll be back later."

He pouted again. "My, you're a busy lady."

Sheva giggled, "Time is money, you know!" She kissed his nose, "I made you dinner. It's on the stove."

Chris wasn't exactly the kind to like being pampered, but he couldn't help but love the fact she was pampering him. "Thank you," he said as he held her hand.

"You're welcome and sorry I woke you up," she apologized the second time.

He laughed and lay back down on the bed, still tired. "Now I'm going to be so excited to wake up every morning waiting for you to do something."

She laughed at him and stood. She leaned over him one more time and kissed his forehead. "I love you," she said with her lips still on his skin.

"I love you, too." He closed his eyes and savored the feeling of her lips.

She pulled away and starting walking towards the door, "I'll see you soon."

He listened as she said goodbye to Sophie and heard as she slammed the front door shut. Chris stared up at the ceiling, thinking about his future—their future. He had heard her talking on the phone earlier. She was saying something and asked the person on the phone why they wanted to talk to him. Chris knew that he was the man that they wanted to talk to.

He rolled over on the bed onto his stomach and closed his eyes again. He knew that he was going to have to talk to whoever it was on the phone with Sheva earlier. He wasn't looking forward to it but he wanted to get it over with.

He felt something light and warm on his back, and then a second later heard a light purring sound in his ear. "Hey cat. You wanna talk to the BSAA for me?"

Sophie meowed at him and cuddled between his shoulder blades.

Chris sighed and forced the thoughts away. "Me neither."

Author's note: Sophie, the therapist. Such a considerate kitty! I hope you liked the chapter and uh, yeah!

In the next chapter, we meet up with Jill. She tells us what happened between her and Chris and how she feels about his and Sheva's new found love for each other. What do you think Jill's going to say?

See you guys on Saturday! Sarai.