Chapter 26: To The End
Author's note: As I write this note, I'm getting oil paints all over my keyboard and I know I'm going to hate myself later for making a mess. Oh well! Onward with the story!
Thank you lightsoldier297 for favoriting and following this story!
To Sivan IXXX: Haha, that's a sweet little mental image :). I feel that their baby would be really heavy if Chris was the dad… Fall in love; check. Get pregnant; check. Get married; in progress. Haha.
To Justsomegirl17: Dads and nerf guns are a funny sight! A baby at 75? Hmmm, sounds like it'd be a challenge! Haha, it seems like we do reference a song in reply's, not even realizing :P. I'm just as excited as Claire for Sheva's pregnancy, haha. I agree, everyone needs a 'Claire' in their lives :D! We need a bounty hunter for Jill… Arrivederci, sweet cheeks! Haha, sweet cheeks XP!
To Sheva Redfield: Haha, if Chris knew you were coming after him, I'm sure he'd force himself to be happy! (Even though I think he will be.) Sheva and Claire are so cute together! I feel that they'd be the best of friends in the game too :D.
To Fujisawa Loser: Haha, you really like that name! I'd like to see Piers again too. Maybe someone can clone him =/. 15 years is a long time and it seems that Jake and Sherry are going to go through the same. Thanks :)
To Mss. KB: I bet Sheva did have to grow up quickly and Chris, too. But they've both grown into great people :). The pregnancy has come quick, yeah, but at least they've known each other for a long time! Hope you like the chapter :).
Much thanks and love, Sarai.
Disclaimer: I do not anyone of the RE characters mentioned in this story. Capcom does.
Chris was once again on a plane, heading for America. The BSAA must have felt bad for him or something, because they gave him a first class ticket. He sat in his soft leather seat growing impatient. He had been on this flight for nearly 16 hours and he wanted off.
After his call with Sheva, he had immediately requested flight times for Hong Kong to New York City. China's BSAA headquarters—which were in Hong Kong—had gotten back to him instantly and booked a flight for him. He had always heard that China's HQ was the fastest to get things done when it came to tasks and requests from their soldiers. And within two hours, he was on the plane.
So here he was, impatiently waiting to land. Ever since his call with Sheva he couldn't get what it was she wanted to talk to him about out of his head. And being on this plane wasn't making anything easier. It was so quiet in first class that it only amplified his thoughts. He worried something was the matter. She was sick when he had left for China in the first place, so maybe she was just feeling bad. But she got so upset with him and moody. He knew he deserved her anger, though. He had treated her badly the night before the last call and he was aware he hurt her. He wanted to take it back, but he really didn't want to talk to anyone at that point. He had just lost his team because of his doings and Piers had sacrificed himself for him.
Chris punched the arm rest and cursed at himself. Why couldn't Piers just stay where he was and let the massive BOW, Haos, hit him? Why couldn't he just listen to Piers and not go after Ada Wong? Why did he have to lose his team in Edonia and China?
A small Chinese flight attendant walked to his seat and politely asked, "Can I get you anything sir?"
Chris shook his head, "No, thank you. But can you tell me when we'll be landing?"
"We should be landing in about 30 minutes or so, sir."
Chris nodded and said thank you and watch as the small woman walked off. He hated it when people called him sir. He was used to being addressed by either Chris or Captain. Sir just made him feel old.
His mind went back to Sheva and he hoped that she wasn't still angry with him. He would apologize for his attitude towards her and hoped she'd accept his pleas. He was nervous that maybe the reason she wanted to talk to him was the fact that she wanted to break up or something. The idea made him fear for the future like it never had before. But she had told him she loved him. But then again, maybe she was trying to soften the blow and pitied him. He prayed to whoever was listening that she wasn't going to break up with him. He couldn't handle that right now—he could never handle that.
Chris had called Sheva just before he stepped aboard the plane to tell her he'd be landing NYC at around eight in the morning. He told her he'd just get a cab to drive him home. She nearly yelled at him and told him she'd be at the airport waiting for him. Usually he'd be more than happy to hear she'd be waiting for him, except her tone slightly scared him. He didn't know where this anger was coming from, but he guessed it was because she was still angry with him. He again prayed she wasn't going to break up with him.
After a while of thinking and praying going on in Chris's area of first class, the intercom came to life and the pilot asked for everyone to buckle their seatbelts and announced they were ready to land. Ten minutes after the pilot had spoken, the plane was now landed and still on the runway. After another ten minutes, Chris was off the plane with his carryon duffle bag crossed over his chest. He went through the exit doors and started walking towards the terminal that had huge crowd waving for other passengers to notice them.
He easily spotted her. She was in front of the crowd, looking right at him. She had a look on her face that he couldn't decipher. He gulped and took a deep breath and walked to her. When he was close enough, Sheva stepped towards him and wrapped her arms around his broad chest. Surprised at first, Chris sighed and wrapped his arms around her, resting his cheek on the top of her head.
She looked up at him and smiled, "Hello handsome, welcome home."
The fear of her breaking up with him was quickly fading. He hadn't realized how much he missed her and he lowered himself and kissed her lips tenderly. She responded quickly and kissed him back, her arms still wrapped around him.
"I missed you so much," she said against his lips.
Chris pulled away and looked down at her. "I missed you, too; more than you know."
"Oh really?" she asked smirking up at him.
He chuckled as he hugged her to him and started walking towards the baggage claim. "So what is it you want to talk to me about?"
"I'll tell you when we get home, let's just get your luggage and we'll head home."
'Tell me?' Chris questioned in his mind. So it wasn't really a talk, more that she wanted to tell him something? What did she want to tell him? And why was it so necessary to tell him in person and not over the phone?
Chris shook the thoughts from his mind and focused on the now. They collected his one bag and soon were off to find a cab. Once they were in and the cab started to move, Sheva leaned over to him and ran her fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes and leaned into her hand and sighed. He loved when she did that and he never wanted her to stop. He wanted to rub her thigh, but he knew if he did, he wouldn't stop there. He'd get higher and higher until his hand was in her pants.
He could feel his jeans getting tighter around him and before he knew it, the taxi had come to a stop and Sheva handed the driver his money. They both got out and Chris collected his bag from the trunk. He patted on the now closed hood to signal for the cab driver he could go. The driver waved to him and drove off, looking for another customer. He felt Sheva's arm wrap around his and she tugged him along to their apartment. Once they were inside, Chris put his stuff in the bedroom and fell onto the bed. He was exhausted from the flight and what had happened in the last two days was finally catching up to him. He was quickly falling asleep when he felt a small hand on his back and then he huffed when Sheva jumped onto him. She hugged him from behind and rested her cheek on his shoulder blade.
Chris was trapped between Sheva and the mattress and had no desire to complain. Granted, he'd rather be lying on his back and be looking up at her, but he was so tired that he was content with this. He could feel her chest pressing into his back and again, his jeans were becoming tight. He pushed off the bed and Sheva crawled off him. She stood watching him as he ran a hand through his hair, sitting at the edge of the bed. He grabbed her hand in his and studied her tiny fingers. She giggled and bent down to kiss his forehead. When he looked up at her, he was slightly surprised to find her expression serious.
"What is it, Shev?"
"You don't have to if you don't want to but…do you want to talk about it?" she asked while she intertwined her fingers with his.
He knew exactly what she was talking about and he really wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about it. "I don't know where to start…"
She sat down on the bed next to him and rested her head on his shoulder, "Start from the beginning."
Chris sighed heavily and rested his head on top of hers. "Well, after we landed in Lanshiang, we started clearing out a building in the Waiyip district and we found out that it was in amidst of an attack by Neo-Umbrella. We rescued the U.N. workers and made it out. Then I saw the cocoons. Just like the ones in Edonia. It all hit me then; all the memories came flooding back and all I could think about was my plan to get revenge on Ada Wong."
Chris realized he said all that in one breath and recovered his empty lungs with a deep breath. He felt Sheva rubbing his shoulders and back and he felt safe. He continued on with the story telling.
"We encountered Sherry Birkin and Jake Muller and covered them as they were getting attacked by swarms of J'avo—and get this—Jake Muller is Wesker's son."
Sheva gasped and looked at him, "Wesker had a son?"
"Apparently… Anyways, Piers wanted to escort the two, but I refused and told him we were going to continue on with the mission to kill Ada. So, we went on and after leaving Jake and Sherry, we were attacked by Iluzja; a giant fucking snake that could camouflage itself. It killed most of my men and all that was left was Marco, Piers and I. But Ada sneaked up on us and injected Marco with the C-Virus and he mutated. We had to kill him before he killed us."
Chris was now staring at the floor. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go on with the story. Sheva kneeled down in front of him caressed his check, doing her best to comfort him. He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to gain the courage to tell her more.
"Piers said that we could have avoided some of their deaths if we just stuck to the mission. He said that he was glad Finn wasn't there to see me this way."
Chris continued on and told Sheva the whole story, but when he came to the part when Piers got hurt, he couldn't speak anymore. His throat closed up and his eyes watered. Sheva got closer to him and cradled his hands in hers. She raised her hand and combed his hair again. She knew he liked that and she wanted to make him feel better.
"It's my fault he died, Shev," he managed to mutter out.
"Oh, Chris, it's not your fault…please don't blame yourself," she begged him.
Chris took a deep breath and shut his eyes. "The Haos was about to hit me when Piers pushed me aside and took the blow. A piece of metal hit his right arm and crippled it. Haos grabbed onto me and I don't know…I think Piers was trying to save me or something, but he deliberately injected himself with the C-Virus and his arm…oh God, his arm…"
Chris brought his hands to his face and hid behind them. He forced the tears back. He didn't want to cry in front of Sheva, it would show how truly weak he was. He rubbed his eyes and looked at her.
"We thought we killed the monster. I told Piers he'd be okay and told him we'd make it out of there, but really he already made up his mind. When we got to the escape pods, I was ready for us both to leave but he pushed me inside of one and locked me in. The look on his face… The escape pod launched and he was gone. I left him there…it's all my fault, Shev…"
Sheva acted quickly and wrapped her arms around Chris's neck and held onto him tightly. She whispered into his ear that it wasn't his fault and that Piers already had his mind set. He hid his face in the nook of her neck and breathed carefully and deliberately.
"If only I could have been the one to have gotten hurt and take his place, he'd still be here..."
She loosened her grip around his neck and looked into his eyes. "I don't ever want to hear you say that. Do you hear me? I don't know what I'd do if you weren't with me anymore, Chris. I don't think I could live all on my own without you."
Chris couldn't look her in the eyes. He was far too guilty and he just wanted to be relieved of it. Sheva cupped his face and forced him to look at her.
"Piers was a good man and friend, but an even better soldier. He died an honorable death and he will be remembered with the highest respect. Really, I have to thank him. He kept you safe and made sure you came back home to me; safe and sound. So please, don't ever say you wish you could take his place. That was his fate and not yours. I'm not going to let anyone take you away from me."
She hugged onto him so tight, she was positive she was strangling him. But he made no move to push her away. He hugged her just as tightly. She leaned back a little and kissed his temple gently.
"I love you so much, Christopher."
Chris sighed as she spoke loving words to him. "I love you more, Sheva."
She gently messaged his temples with her fingers and kissed kiss forehead. They stayed like this for a long time. Chris could feel himself growing tired again and yawned. She rubbed his arms and bent down to remove his shoes, then his shirt and his jeans.
"Now get some rest," she said as she ruffled his hair with her hand.
"Sheva?" he called for her in a sleepy voice.
"Yeah?"
He moved higher up on the bed and plopped down in the center. "What is it you needed to tell me?"
Sheva completely forgot she needed to tell him the big surprise. "Oh, well, it's more of a question."
"Ask away," he said as he pulled the blankets over himself.
"Can you take me to my doctor's appointment?"
He looked at her standing at the foot of the bed. "Of course. Are you still feeling sick?"
Sheva walked around the bed and sat down on the edge, looking at him. "I feel better than I did. But it's more of a checkup and I need to get a test done."
Chris sat up and stared at her. "A test? What kind of test do you need?"
She smiled so brightly it lit up the whole room. "A pregnancy test."
The wind was knocked out of Chris as his jaw fell open. "A preg—Sheva, are you pregnant?"
She only smiled wider. "I am!"
This time the wind was knocked out of Sheva when Chris tackled her onto the floor into a bear hug. He held her tightly and rocked her in his arms.
"Sheva, this is wonderful! I'm so happy! Wait, we only had sex a few weeks ago. How can you be showing signs already?"
Sheva shrugged and sat up, "Claire says that some woman just start showing signs quickly and I took one of those at home tests and it came out positive. I'm going to the doctor in two weeks to get an official test done."
Chris pulled her to him and she sat in his lap. He rubbed her still flat belly and grinned from ear to ear.
"I'm going to be a father," he said softly.
Sheva held his hand and kissed his palm, "Yes you will, and I'm going to be a mom."
Chris rested his forehead against hers and sighed happily. "To my kids, too. I'm so lucky, Shev. Thank you."
She giggled, "You don't need to thank me, Chris. We both had a part in this."
"I mean thank you for everything, Shev. Thank you for finding me in Edonia, for helping me to remember my past. For loving me when I was a complete mess. For sticking by me when I needed you. Just…thank you."
She kissed him passionately and wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close. "What can I say? We're partners. To the end."
Author's note: Sweet, no? It seemed everyone was anticipating when Sheva was going to tell Chris about her pregnancy, so I hope I did it well for you all! I'm sad to say the next update will be the last for 'Refusing To Remember', but I'm beyond happy with how it came out and I think you all will be happy with it as well.
I won't say what happens in the next chapter, because it's the finale and I want it to be completely fresh and a surprise. I'll see you on Saturday for the last chapter, Sarai.