VII. Distance Makes the Heart Grow Wistful


'The first time ever I saw your face, I thought the sun rose in your eyes.
And the moon and stars were the gifts you gave to the dark and empty skies.'

—'The First Time Ever I Saw Face' by Roberta Flack


Outside of Kijuju, Africa
March, 2009

Of all the places he could go on a mission, why did this one have to be such a hot location? The African sun scorched into his khaki colored short sleeved shirt as he rummaged through supplies in the BSAA issued duffle bag, looking for the piece of paper that said where to meet his partner for the mission he was about to begin.

It was in there somewhere, Chris told himself. Finding the bottom of the bag, he growled under his breath and started at the top again. His entire being froze when something washed over him. It wasn't a bucket of water or anything like that, but rather an uneasy electricity that shook every nerve in his body, making his fingertips sensitive to the touch.

This feeling troubled him. It wasn't familiar at all, but it was so potent in his body that he had no idea what to do besides stand as still as possible. He heard the 'clack' sound of boots walking on dirt approaching behind him. As the steps came closer, his nerves vibrated violently.

"Welcome to Africa," an accented voice called out.

The accent heard wasn't one someone adopted locally on their own. Guessing that this voice was taught English by someone with a British accent, his nerves began to calm. Deciding now was a good time to turn around, he braced himself for the reveal of the presence that caused such an action on his body.

"My name is Sheva Alomar."

Not missing a beat, he responded quickly before her appearance could distract him. "Chris Redfield."

Being the master of discreet, he quickly and subtly looked her up and down. Was this his new partner? Well, it had to be considering the only type of greeting he had received from the people were nasty glares, foreign insults and scoffs. So a woman offering him a friendly smile had to be his partner.

She was small to start. Maybe not as noticeably compared to the thin women around here, but compared to his tall and broad frame, she was tiny. Her legs were long and toned he could see, even through the thick fabric of her tight cargo pants. Her hips flared out and led to a small waist accentuating her bosom, which was nothing short of diverting. Her arms were slim and lean, accenting her slender shoulders and neck. Finally, his eyes made it to her heart-shaped face. The first part of her facial features he noticed was her eyes. They were bright hazel and when she smiled at him, they'd squint and a glint of light sparked through the orbs. Her lips were full and pouty with pearly white teeth hiding behind the surface.

Well, she was attractive. Any guy could tell you that. Even the ladies would have to drop the resentment and admit it. But whether or not this was an attraction he felt towards the pretty woman, he was still wary of the effect her presence had on him. Fortunately, his nerves were calming as she spoke again.

"Your reputation precedes you, Mr. Redfield," she stated with a kind smile. "It's an honor."

"Just Chris, thanks." If there was one thing he hated, it was to be called 'Mr. Redfield'. That name belonged to his deceased father, not him. Plus, it made him feel old and standing in front of a pretty and most obliviously, young woman made him feel old as it is. So being addressed by his surname was not something he wanted added onto the pile.

A few more words were spoken between the two about the mission and where they needed to go. As she started walking off, he caught a glimpse of her curvy backside. Yep, it was an attraction he felt. But still, the electricity he felt left him apprehensive and cautious of this woman.

Little did Chris know that this woman was indeed going to break down the walls he had built all his life, but it was up to him if he would also let her be his saving grace.


Los Angeles, USA
November, 2011

Since that day over two years ago, she hadn't changed much. Her hair was maybe slightly longer, but her body and face still spoke of beauty and sensual appeal. Chris held back the need to sigh as he studied her from across Claire's living room, searching for any exterior flaw. But he found none. She was still the youthful, beautiful, and contagiously serene woman she had been when he first met her.

Sheva watched him curiously as his eyes went up and down her figure. She felt naked under his scrutiny, but also modest. Fat Marvin rolled around, gaining momentum and finally he got on his feet. He began to rub up against Chris's leg again, trying to get his attention.

"It's good to see you, too," he finally said after a moment of silence and gazing. He was disappointed when the response came out more of a shaky whisper than his usual solid voice.

"He likes you," she declared for Marvin as she took tentative steps to him, making sure not to burst any personal space bubble.

Chris broke his staring from her to look at the feline at his feet. The cat went between his legs, purring loudly for him to hear.

"His names Marvin."

He looked up when he heard how close her voice had gotten. She was a few steps away from; close enough to have a one-on-one conversation, but far enough to avoid intimacy or intrusion. He quirked an eyebrow at the mention of the cats name. "Why Marvin?"

Crap, she thought she was doing well at coming up with something to say until now. Why had she given Marvin that name? She felt silly for saying it, but she spoke the cat's true name origins. "When he was a kitten, he sounded like he had a bubble in his throat whenever he meowed and it reminded me of how Marvin the Martian would talk."

Just stamp 'NERD' on my forehead now, Sheva thought to herself. But when a small smirk curved at the corner of his lips, she felt a little better. Watching Marvin whore himself to Chris, she remembered what it really was that made her come downstairs to catch him before he left.

"I was the one who told Jill she could be independent," she murmured, bowing her head to look at her feet.

Chris wasn't sure if he was surprised to find Sheva as the culprit. He also wasn't sure why his heart sped up for a moment. Giving her the signal to explain, he crossed his arms over his chest, ready to hear her explanation.

"We were just talking and she opened up to me. She was just talking about some of the personal struggles she was going through and I was just trying to make her feel better and more confident in herself. I didn't know that it would cause trouble between you two, I'm sorry."

He was quiet. His eyes were in her direction, but he wasn't looking at her. He looked to be considering something and Sheva grew nervous. Was he angry with her? Did he disagree with her form of comfort? She was about to speak her apologies again when he spoke right before her.

"What did she tell you?" The idea that Jill had opened up to someone seemed impossible. She refused to talk to Claire, Rebecca, or even to him. She had tried talking to therapists but they couldn't do much for her. She'd eventually stop attending the appointments unless Lewis King, the head of the Los Angeles branch of the BSAA, forced her to. But somehow, Sheva was able to make her open up and talk about what was going on.

Stalling as much as she could, Sheva tucked damp hair behind her ear and thought of her reply. Jill had told her things that weren't supposed to be spoken to anyone else. She promised Jill that she'd keep quiet about her secrets and woes, so Sheva had to stick to the promise she gave Jill.

"Not much really. Just things about her worries and what she's feeling. Probably nothing you don't know," she shamefully lied, staring at Marvin in hope he'd save the day, but he was just a cat at the end of the day.

Right off the bat, he knew she wasn't telling him the truth. Or at least she was underplaying it all. He probably did know what was bothering Jill, just Sheva was keeping tight lipped out it. He could see the way she knotted her fingers together that she was guilty, but he couldn't force himself to be angry with her.

"I'm really sorry that I got between you two," she added, her voice slightly wavering. "It won't happen again, I promise."

Taking a chance, he broke the distance between them and gently grasped her shoulder. "It's fine, Sheva. Thank you for telling me."

Even though she felt better that he wasn't angry with her, she felt another weight and that was of his hand on her shoulder. She did her best to ignore the electricity going through her bones, it all coming from his touch.

"Thanks for not being angry," she said meekly.

He nodded, pulling his hand away. Before he could respond to her, Claire came in, her eyes on her hands which were digging into her purse.

"Shev, you ready to go look at that house?" Claire inquired, oblivious of what was happening in front of her. She finally looked up and silently gasped to see her brother and best friend next to each other. Her surprised expression quickly changed to a happy one, laced with her usual troublemaker attitude showing through.

Chris knew the gears were working in his sisters head; he knew how much of a menace she could be. Slowly taking steps to the door, he kept his eye on Claire. "I'll be going now."

"Wait!" Claire called out. "Why don't you come with Sheva and me to look at this place she might be purchasing?"

"Uh, I'd rather not impose. It's a girl thing just for you two."

"I don't mind if you come with us," Sheva chimed in.

"Yeah, she doesn't mind," Claire commented. "C'mon, come with us."

Claire started to stride towards him when he was nearly at the door. His hand was almost on the knob when she grabbed his wrist.

"We could use a male's input, what do you say brother?"

The way she looked at him looked like she was going to throw him a punch if he refused. Needing to get away from his sister's glare, he moved his gaze to the other woman in the room. Sheva was petting Marvin while looking up at him. He knew he shouldn't go with the two, being in the same room with her was already making his head light and heart ache. Spending more time with her would just make him more confused and distressed. But the look in Sheva's eyes was one of hope. Does she really want me to go with her? he mentally asked no one.

When her eyes moved down to the feline, something inside of him wanted her to look at him again. The words slipped out of his mouth slowly and showed uncertainty, "I guess so…"

"Great!" Claire exclaimed. She reached around and grabbed the doorknob, leading Sheva and Chris out onto the patio and ready to go house hunting.

They just walked to the place because how close it was. Sheva walked in front of the two, leading the way, and the entire time she kept hearing grunts and whispers going on behind her between the siblings. Once in a while she'd hear a slap or punch of some sort. She looked back a few times and Claire would give her a big smile while Chris just looked off in the distance.

He couldn't believe his sister. She kept whispering to him, commenting on how nice Sheva looked or how well they got along after having no contact for some time. Replying with just a shrug, she'd punch his arm and when he scolded her, she would slap him. She would only get physical with him when she felt he wasn't listening, which was most of the time.

"This is it," Sheva announced, walking up a pathway to a one-story home that was advertising an open house.

"It's lovely," Claire said, dragging Chris along.

As Sheva was walking up to the front door, Cassandra the real-estate agent opened the door and smiled widely at the trio.

"I'm so happy you decided to come look at this home," she talked with a chipper voice. "And you brought an entourage!"

Looking back at the awkward brother and sister, Sheva nodded and turned back to Cassandra. "Yeah, I guess I needed help deciding."

"Oh, well, you'll all love it." Noticing Claire, Cassandra made a squeal sound. "Why Ms. Redfield, I'll be! So good to see you."

Sheva couldn't tell if Claire was as pleased to see the woman as she was to see Claire. Cassandra hugged her tightly as Claire gave Sheva a funny look. Holding back the need to cough from the overpowering waves of the real-estate agent's perfume, she pulled away and smiled at her, "Hi Cassandra, it's good to see you again."

When she and Leon were considering moving into together, Cassandra showed them around until they found a lovely two-story home only two miles from where they stood now. Cassandra showed the trio in, smiling from ear to ear and jabbering on about the home.

The home had three bedrooms, two and half bathrooms, dining area, living room and kitchen, and a spacious backyard. There looked to be an area just for gardening, but it being late Fall, everything was dead.

"This place is so big just for me," Sheva said aloud, looking into the backyard from the large windows in the kitchen.

Cassandra frowned, but quickly came up with a response. "Well, you and your husband can start making the family and the place will fill up very soon," she grinned, looking back between Sheva and Chris.

They both started stuttering at the same time. "What? Uh, no! We're not—"

"Oh! Just boyfriend and girlfriend?" she continued to push.

Chris was at a loss for words, Sheva was mumbling over herself, and Claire was smirking while observing the scene.

"We're not together," Sheva finally muttered out.

A surprised expression appeared on Cassandra's face as she inspected Sheva. "Oh, I just assumed… Well, you and Claire will enjoy it?"

"What?!" Claire exclaimed.

Cassandra's face was downtrodden as she got another assumption wrong, Claire's mouth couldn't open any wider, Sheva was blushing, and Chris was stifling a laugh.

"We're just friends, Cassandra!" Claire pointed out with a slight raised voice. "I'm still with Leon."

"Oh my. I'm so sorry. I'll just let you all look at the home on your own."

"Wait," Sheva called out. "Why is the asking price so low?" She had noticed on the flyer Cassandra handed to them that the price for the home was rather low for such a rich neighborhood and nice house.

"Oh, well, it's just been on the market for some time, that's all," the real-estate agent murmured quickly.

"Why has it been on the market so long?" Chris chimed in, curious why a nice home like this was at such a low price and still on the market.

Cassandra fumbled with her clipboard, looking at the three pairs of eyes that were staring at her intently. "Uh, well… It's really silly, actually."

"What's silly?" Claire inquired, looking her up and down.

"It's just, uh, the woman that owned this place last, kind of…died here."

"How did she die?" Claire asked.

Cassandra sighed and just told them. "She chocked on the pineapple in her Piña Colada."

Sheva turned around suddenly, facing Chris with her back to Cassandra and Claire. Chris eyed her curiously, trying to understand her expression. Her bottom lip was trapped between her teeth and her eyes were squinting. He knew that she was trying not to laugh.

Claire noticed the opportunity that her brother and Sheva were paying attention to each other, so she took Cassandra's arm and ask quietly if she could show her the laundry room, really just wanting to give Sheva and Chris some alone time.

"Don't laugh," Chris insisted, smiling lightly at her expression. "It's rude to laugh about the dead."

"But she choked…on a pineapple!" she defended herself through squeaks of giggles escaping her.

Chuckling slightly, he replied, "At least it wasn't something cliché like an olive in a martini."

Sheva finally let out that laugh, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh, God, forgive me," she requested between giggles and moved her eyes up quickly as if looking up at the God in the sky. She shut up suddenly with an idea. "What if she haunts this home?"

Looking around the place, Chris thought for a moment. "Well, I'd imagine she wouldn't be that bad. She'd be a drunken ghost and smell like a tropical drink."

She laughed again and punched him in the arm. Turning around, she realized she was alone with him. Stopping her laughter, she slipped past him and walked down the hall to look at the rooms.

Chris was torn between following her and going to go find his sister. He didn't want to make Sheva feel bad and knowing that Claire probably left them alone on purpose, so he followed Sheva down the hall. As she entered one of the rooms, he leaned on the entrance's doorjamb and watched her walk around the room.

"I don't know what I'd do with all this space," she admitted, standing in the center of the empty room.

"Sure you do," he tried to make her decision easier. "You can do a lot with these rooms."

"Like what?" she queried, taking a step to him with skepticism on her pretty face.

"Well, you can make one of these an office or something. Maybe you could get a roommate."

Scrunching her nose, she shook her head softly. "I went through that in college and I always got stuck with the worst ones."

"But you get to choose this time. You could pick from a lot of people to live with. Just make sure they don't like Piña Colada's; we don't want that to happen again."

Giggling lightly, she leaned against the other side of the doorjamb and looked up at him. "Being in such a big home all alone just seems depressing."

They were only two feet away from each other and Chris could smell the lavender scented lotion she used. He stopped focusing on that when he could detect the scent of jasmine and breathed deeply. "You can have parties or friends over all the time. I don't think Claire will let you get any other place. She has her heart set on you moving here. And plus, your fat cat will like it."

She gasped. "He's not fat, he's fluffy."

"Fluffy, my ass," he chortled. "He's one of the fattest cats I've ever seen and maybe running around this place would help his weight."

Pouting, she crossed her arms over her chest. "He just feels obligated to eat because I feed him a lot."

"Yeah, and a drunk drinks because he bought too much alcohol. Put the fur ball on a diet."

"You go on a diet," she mumbled under breath.

"Ouch, that really hurt, Sheva," he sarcastically said with a smirk.

She passed by him and started walking back down the hall, but as she was half way down, she turned around quickly and stuck her tongue at him. He caught up with her and chuckled.

"You keep going on like that you're going to make run home crying."

"That's my goal, Redfield," she retorted with a smirk.

As they walked back in the living room, Claire and Cassandra were waiting for them. Claire looked tired, no doubt from the talkative Cassandra. Her expression lit up when she saw Sheva and Chris talking to each other. Yes, her plan was working! They were talking and they looked to be joking around—just what she was wanting.

"So, Sheva, what do you think of the place?" Claire asked when she stood in front of her.

"I like it. It's just really big for one person."

"But it's close to me," the redhead spoke with a tight voice and gazed at Sheva like she was trying to send her a message telepathically.

"I'd be over at your place a lot anyways, Claire."

"But I like it here, and so do you. Don't you?"

"Yes, Claire, I like it. Calm down." Sheva could see that her best friend really wanted her to live close. She wanted to as well, but the idea of just purchasing a home still scared her. Looking to Claire, she arched a brow when she met her narrowed, expectant eyes. She looked to the real-estate agent and smiled as the woman returned the gesture. Finally, she looked to Chris who was gazing down at her as he awaited her answer.

"Go with your gut," he told her, noticing the torn look in her eyes as she tried to decide on the place.

Nodding slightly, she offered him a small smile. "I like it. I think I'll take it."

Claire immediately started clapping with a wide smile. Chris stuck his hands in his pockets and watched his sister bounce slightly.

Cassandra gasped. "Really? It's so rare when a buyer says yes on the first house."

"Is that a bad thing?" Sheva asked, obviously worried.

"Of course not! Those rare customers love their places. You'll love it here, I guarantee it!"

Setting an appointment for tomorrow, Cassandra told Sheva that she could sign the papers then and once everything was approved, she'd have the keys to her new home. While Cassandra ended the open house, Chris, Sheva and Claire walked back to Claire's home and as she was opening the front door, Chris stopped by his black Jeep Wrangler.

"You're leaving?" his sister asked with a frown. He nodded while opening the driver's side door. "But why? You can stay here and hang out with your poor little sister."

"'Poor'? Are you sick?" She shook her head in response. "Then you're fine, Claire."

She rolled her eyes and went into the house, waving lazily at her brother as a goodbye. He was about to step into the vehicle when Sheva called out to him and walked around until she was close enough to talk to him.

"Thank you for going with us. And for helping me decide."

"You don't need to thank me. I hope you like the place."

"I do. And I mean it, thank you."

Not knowing what to say, he just simply nodded to her. He watched as she knotted her fingers together just like she had earlier before they left to go look at her new home. Her brows were furrowed when she looked up at him.

"I'm still sorry about the whole getting between you and Jill."

Sighing, he patted her arm. "Stop apologizing. I know you were just trying to help her. I'm not angry with you, Sheva."

Her body let out the breath she had been holding for the past minute and she smiled weakly. "Thank you."

Something inside him told him not to leave, but he knew he should. But before he knew it, the words were spilling out of his mouth. "If you need any help with the new home, let me know and I'll be there."

"Thanks, Chris. I appreciate it."

He knew that she wasn't the one to ask for help easily, so who knew if she would call him up to accept his help with the new place. Deciding he better say no more, he got into his Jeep, turning on the engine and pulling out of the driveway.

Sheva watched as his car left down the street, her shoulders feeling heavy again. That went better than expected, she thought to herself. She thought that when she would see Chris again, he'd hate her and refuse to simply talk to her. But he had talked to her. They actually joked around and got along. Knowing, of course, that Claire was up to something, she told herself that a friendship was blooming and that this is all she ever wanted since the day she met him.

But even though they were able to get along and no negative tension was between them, she still felt that pulling to be near him. The entire time she fought the urge to touch him, to fall to her knees and beg for forgiveness and then kiss him. He still looked like the man she had met in Africa two and a half years ago. Built like someone you could only dream about; seriously, she wondered if he had the goal to look like Zeus when he worked out. His face was still handsome and masculine, his slight stubble made him look rough and ruggedly attractive, and his eyes were still dark and brooding, pulling her in and dying to know what was going on inside his head. But her favorite part about him was his personality, and it was still there. Still doing his best to lighten moods, cracking jokes to make her feel better, and the ability to listen and forgive someone easily. Maybe the forgiving trait was a flaw, because Sheva still felt guilty about the independence and Jill situation. She was honest when she told Jill she should be more independent, she just didn't realize it would cause a strain between her and Chris.

Walking back inside Claire's home, she could feel the jetlag catching up on her. Aware she needed rest, she went to her room upstairs and plopped down on the bed in exhaustion. Tomorrow she was going to sign the papers for her lease to her new home and then she was going to start her first day working at the North American branch of the BSAA. She had a lot on her plate from a new home, work, needing to call Josh to tell him to ship her stuff over, shopping for new furniture, putting Marvin on a diet…

Sighing heavily from the idea of so much to do, she hid from the world under a soft and fluffy pillow. "Sweet Jesus, help me."


Author's note: Great balls of fire that was a long chapter. This one took me a good five days to write, because I kept leaving it and coming back in intervals. I must admit, I think this chapter lacked a bit. But I hope the reunion between Chris and Sheva wasn't too underwhelming.

JustSomeGirl17: (: Haha, if you ask, I must comply and if it means purposefully sucking at this writing thing, then so be it! I'd cry, too. I wanna cry half the time when stories I like and anticipating for stop updating.. D: Hahaha, I like Brit-ta-knee. :D People say my name like 'sorry'… =/ I did understand you and I realized that Capcom really likes names that start with C's. RE soap opera writing team = dream job! Arrivederci, my darling butter cup!
Mss. KB: I do believe you're comments are sincere and they truly do touch my heart. I think the last chapter did belong to Chris, he was the leading man in that one. Indeed, Sheva is the most influential woman in my life at this moment! Or at least inspiring. Oooh, good word: conscious. That's pretty much exactly what Claire is for Chris. She's the reality that Chris needs to realize and she's only here to help him. I'm glad you liked that part about Sheva having the same effect on Chris that Claire did. The two most important women in his life! I hope you liked the update. Hugs from America. ^.^
HolleringHawk65: Excitement! :D
borismortys: Haha, I'm still trying to think what Carlos has been up to because he hasn't even been mentioned since the occurrence of Raccoon City. D: Poor Carlos.
Sheva Redfield: Fat Marvin is awesome! Haha, Jill should consider your idea. Run before the protection is too much! Are your parents not together anymore? Driving is always fun. :) Sometimes I just liked to jump into my car and go for a drive to clear my mind. I'm in New Mexico, The Land of Enchantment. :P XOXO
wolfspiritqueen: Haha, the agony to know what will happen! I'm excited for you to read more. :D
toby7400: Awkward situation? Claire Redfield to the rescue! I'd imagine somewhere in the mix of brainwashing, Wesker abused her some form or another. She said that she could see everything she was doing so that's just more guilt and anxiety added to her pile. :O Carlos to the rescue, please. Branch out in what way? Like different couples or different categories?

Quickly, I just want to dedicate this chapter to a pen pal of mine on here, Mss. KB. She's a sweetie pie and she was anticipating this chapter for the flashbacks to start. And I updated early because she asked. :D

In the next chapter, we get another flashback of Sheva's perspective on her first meeting with Mr. Redfield and what her first impression of him was. Also, in the present, a certain someone is introduced.

-Sarai