The characters from the game belong to Capcom.
A/N:I'm not english native speaker, so you might find some typos or grammar mistakes, I do apologize for that.
Chris's POV
The spring arrived and with that, the beauty of the flowers and trees. It was Evana's favorite season and it became my favorite season too.
Evana's hand healing was successful and she could go back to work. She asked to bartend and they allowed it, but sometimes she does pole performances, which gets me a little jealous for knowing people get watching her with dirty eyes, but I understand she has to make her living and she was doing it way before I got into her life.
I hope to one day help her leave this routine, I know she's not really happy doing that even though she just works 4 nights a week and on holidays.
Today I woke up a little stressed and came to the lake to vent my mind. After a month and a half without memories' leaks or nightmares and living a happy and simple life with Evana, the ghosts started haunting me again, which caused me often, sad feelings for the last week.
I remembered bad stuff, very bad stuff. I don't know if those images were real or my brain playing the fool of me by showing me dead people coming back to life or even weird creatures chasing me and so many people dying. I didn't like seeing that and I didn't even tell that to Evana, I didn't want to corrupt her beautiful and sensitive mind. I hope those images just stopped and I could get my happy self back, but it's being hard. I'm trying to stick to my promise to Evana and not waste myself in drinking again. I hope to be strong enough for that… April haven't started that good to me…
TPOV
Chris continued looking at the lake, admiring its beauty, which proved Evana's words to be true about the beauty of the small town on springs. The color of the trees contrasting and even being enhanced by the shining lake just turned it into a spectacular landscape alongside the life revived by the birds chirping and flying around.
Chris' attention was caught when a man who was jogging sat on the bench.
"Hey, good morning man!" the man greeted
Chris looked to the side recognizing the man's voice, "Good morning, Nico."
"How are you?" the man asked catching a breath from his workout
"I'm good, you?"
"I'm tired. I need a vacation ASAP!"
"Yeah? What do you work exactly?"
"I'm a bodyguard at Burlesque, the nightclub Eva and Yana work."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, didn't Eva tell you that?"
"Yeah, she mentioned you several times, but I never asked details. I just knew you as Yana's boyfriend."
"Oh yeah…"
"It's good to know they have you around. They trust you a lot."
"Yeah, they are like a family for me. I'd give my life for them if necessary."
"I can relate. I feel like that too and be capable to do sacrifices for a greater good."
"Yeah and you do scare people with your size, you could work as a bodyguard. You have some of the qualities."
"Yeah, but the agencies requires things I don't really have and I'm avoiding to use my fake documents because of Evana. She still nags me about that."
"The documents is not really the issue Chris."
"What do you mean?"
"Eva is afraid to lose you and not being capable to help you if you go to jail… and maybe do things 'other' things to free you."
"Oh no! I'd never let her do that! My mistakes, my sentence!"
"Yeah, but in town some dirty favors really do 'help' people."
"I'd never let my wife make such 'favors' for me! I'm not her pimp!"
Nico shrugged nodding in agreement with Chris, but Nico knew about Evana's past and pimp was a word that could describe Stan who fortunately had vanished from town.
"Well, I don't just work for the nightclub, I do private security to some business men and some of them tend to be less demanding about such requirements. I'm really thinking of taking some time for myself and maybe I could suggest you to some of them. I work for them for several years and they trust me, so maybe you could give it a chance."
"Really?"
"Yeah, and the good thing is that it's not a daily job and usually they just require jobs on trips or holidays. They don't travel so often and they pay per day of shift."
"Really? That's great."
"Yeah. I just work at the nightclub because of the girls and to provide them a good and trusty security, but for me I'd work just for those business men. I'd have more time and wouldn't be so tired."
"Yeah."
"Plus, the compensation is really good. They pay in cash."
"Wow, if you can put me in that, just let me know. I'd be very thankful."
"Yeah. I'll see what I can do and if I don't meet you, I'll tell the message to Eva."
"Alright. Deal!"
"Oh, and another thing."
"What?"
"You need to learn how to carry and use a gun, know how to drive and learn our language."
"Your language I'm pretty much fluent, Eva taught me that. Weapons and driving are not a mystery for me."
"Oh, that's great then! I'm sure you'll get the job. They might call you for interviews and then you'll be hired."
"They will call someone that doesn't have a phone?"
"They will provide you a personal cellphone just for work, but for the first contact…hummm, I have a spare cellphone at home, I can borrow you."
"Sure! That will be awesome. I'll take good care of it."
"Alright. Now I'm going to continue my jogging routine and go home, will you stay longer?"
"No, actually I'm heading back home. This news just made my day better." Chris said standing up
"Yeah, Eva will be happy too."
"Absolutely."
"Well man, it was great seeing you and we'll keep the contact."
"Sure!"
The men shook hands in goodbye and parted their ways.
United States BSAA HQ
Jill was watching the new recruits training from the window of her cabin when her desk telephone rang.
"Miss Valentine, Nicholas Kennedy is here at the reception. May I give him permission to see you?" the female secretary asked politely
"Yes, sure."
Jill opened her purse to get a small mirror to check her visual and renew the lipstick before the man arrived.
Not long after, Jill heard knocks on the door, "Come in." she yelled and watched the tall, black haired, green-eyed and muscular man entering in the room, wearing a white shirt, a black jacket and jeans.
"Excuse me." the man said politely as he entered, "Door open or closed?"
"Closed. Please." She replied standing up
Jill waiting the man step closer and then greeted him with a friendly smile and hug, "Hey Nick. It's been a while huh!" she said releasing from him and it was inevitable for her to smell his masculine fragrance in the room
"My beautiful sis-in-law! Tell me about it!" the man replied with a large smile after releasing her waist
"Sis-in-law…" she repeated laughing in distress, "Take your seat." She said gesturing as she sat back on her chair
"Aren't you?" the man said taking a comfortable position
"I don't know…"
"You guys still on the split?" he asked
Jill sighed, "Yeah…" she shrugged
"Wow, this is a long split then."
"Yeah, Leon and I just talk the necessary, mostly about work or about our goddaughter."
"Weird…" Nicholas said making a face
"I guess it's really over this time."
"Which is even weirder!"
"Why?"
"I'm sorry sis-in-law, but I'm not going to spread my big brother's little secrets!" the man said with a teasing tone
"You started it, you conclude it!"
"Honestly?"
Jill nodded
"I think you guys should cut the pride away and have a real talk! You two are acting like two teenagers."
"I'm not acting like a teenager, Leon acts like a teenager!"
"Why don't you call him?"
"I do call him! He rarely calls me back! It's different! I'm not going to beg for him, if he's expecting that, I'm very sorry to disappoint him and you!"
"Things are tense at his work. Leon didn't give me details, but he told me the Adam is planning to do a very special seminar and things are kind of shaken."
"Yeah, he told me that too, but he didn't give me details either."
"Yeah, I just hope everything goes well."
"Yeah, but let's forget Leon, you didn't really come here to try to conceal us, did you?"
"Not really."
"So? You came to see me because you missed me!" she joked
Nicholas laughed, "Yeah I did miss you! You owe me a lunch, remember?"
"I didn't forget it, but you disappeared."
"I didn't disappear; I was out because I was following Leon's orders."
"Humm…" Jill said lifting her eyebrow
"I'm here to talk about Chris."
"So are you the one who Leon said he had sent to investigate the case?"
"Yeah."
"I hope he gives you a good compensation for that!"
"My compensation will be seeing everybody happy and together!" the man joked
Jill couldn't help her laugh. The sense of humor was a trait of the Kennedy's, but in Nicholas' case, he was more of a joker than Leon and his sarcastic comments.
"So, did the BSAA get some clue?"
"Not much. It's been 4 months and all we got was that Chris was seen entering a truck full of refugees from the war and nobody really knows where the truck was going."
"You guys are slow huh!" Nick joked
Jill laughed a bit, "Yeah, I guess we are. All we know is that Chris took a truck and nobody really knew anyone named Chris Redfield and if they saw him, they couldn't really communicate. Chris didn't know his name, he didn't know the local language and most probably he's using fake documents to make his living."
"If he's not really hiding on purpose…"
"Chris wouldn't be so irresponsible."
"Who knows… he got deeply affected this time. Maybe the beat on his head let some fuses loose."
Jill couldn't help her laugh again, Nick's sense of humor always bad things turn into funny things, "If that is the option… I don't know Chris anymore and cannot do much on the search for him."
"You haven't heard me yet."
"So what do you know?"
"The truck was going to the West of Edonia. Some old small towns are located at the boundaries of Edonia's frontiers that are divided by a big river. I visited some of the towns with a printed picture of Chris and in one of them; they really saw Chris a couple of months ago. He stayed for a few days in one tourist town that is situated nearby two other old small villages that belong to Bohma's territory."
"You really did a very good dig!"
"Yeah, it took me a while. The villages have their own local dialects that mix with the local language. It was kind of hard to communicate with them and get better results."
"I suppose."
"Yeah, but there's more."
"Just fill me in."
"One of the employees of a hotel recognized and remembered Chris's feature very well. He said, the man in question, was accompanied by a beautiful woman and there was a fight between Chris and another guy nearby the entrance of the hotel. The woman did yell for Chris's first name, but they generally talked in the local language."
"Oh my god…a woman…" Jill couldn't disguise her concerned face as she passed her hand on her hair,
"Yeah, your friend doesn't stay single for long..."
"I wonder if he'll stay alive for long!" Jill joked, "Any chances he forgot English?" she added
"I can't tell that."
"Anything else? The woman's name?"
"I asked for that info as well and I'm waiting for their response. They would check the guest's list and compare with the day of the fight since it was the day of their check out. It was going to take longer than I could wait there, so I guess you guys could give some extra push to accelerate their searching."
"Thanks a bunch Nick! Surely now it will get easier for the BSAA to track him down. Getting his fake name and even the woman that was with him will do all the difference. Plus, we have been very busy with local infections around the globe."
"Yeah, you don't have to thank me. We are all missing Chris and I'm sure soon he will be back."
"Yeah and I noticed that Chris's temperament haven't changed!"
"True. If they reply to me first I'll let you know."
"Sure, you do that." Jill said and looked at the clock on the computer screen, "You know, how about we go out for lunch now? It's almost time."
"Sure!"
"And there you tell me about your brother's little secret! If it has to do with me, I shall know that!"
Nicholas and Jill laughed of her playful tone and then they pair left the cabin.
Thank you Xaori for the review and thank you very much for the words. You know I can't help the drama, but stay strong! All for the best haha
Well, according to my counts, we have really reached the half of the story and the start of the final moments before the transition. I'm already suffering from antecipation. I hope you guys receive well the second half like you are doing with the first. I don't know how many chapters the story will have until the end, since chapters are born naturally during my editions haha
I'd like to make a note that I didn't have any intention to take the BSAA credibility in searching for Chris, not at all! You can tell that to Capcom that gave a 6 month hiatus until the BSAA could find him xD I'm following the canon timeline of the game and this part of the story takes place during that hiatus. Somehow that was a good thing, we can play with that a lot and in several ways for stories to fill that Capcom's gaps, maybe too long gaps if you ask me if we take in account the games long timelines between one game and another.
We still have some big moments before the real storm comes and I don't know if the story will be up until Vendetta's release, which could alter my planned ending haha
Anyways, thank you for the follows, for reading, for favoriting, for reviewing and most importantly for all the support and patience all this long!
I won't have time this weekend to update or edit stories, so, why not update sooner again?
Have a great weekend and until next update! Stay tuned :D