A/N: I am very grateful to all the readers for giving their valuable time to this story. I would also like to thank the anonymous reviewer, Adela and another guest reviewer for reviewing the last chapter; it's great to know that you all like this story. Just a four more chapters to go.

Disclaimer: I don't Resident Evil or any of its characters they all belong to Capcom.

Chapter 39

(Kate's POV)

I cleared off my cluttered desk as I talked on the phone, passing down some instructions to an assistant doctor, before I got on the leave for my wedding. I threw old memos and reports into the bin, sorted the completed and pending files, old case reports, medical charts and all; telling my assistant doctor where to find them, since I won't be available to even take the call now that it was just about a week left for my wedding.

"You can find the current case files on my desk and I have already submitted today's reports to Dean, so you don't have to worry about anything in particular", I spoke on the phone lifting a file when I noticed a box wrapped in white gift paper with a pink ribbon on it.
"Okay ma'am I got it", my junior doctor said in response.
"So that's all then", I said and disconnected the call, not taking my eyes off the box.

I set my phone aside and wondered if the box was for me. I tried to look for a card but there wasn't any so I lifted up the box cover and there was a white card inside. I unfolded it and read: 'To Kate, our very good friend and the bride-to-be', my lips stretched into a smile as I read the names, Sophie, Linda and Josie. I looked inside the box and within the packaging there was a beautiful tiara, just looking at it made me feel like a princess.

"Aww… thank you guys", I couldn't help but say as tears of joy and gratitude welled in my eyes.
"We knew you'd like it", Sophie said coming out from her hiding place, Linda and Josie were with her too.
"We didn't know what to get you, so we thought of this. You'll remember us whenever you'd see this in your wedding pictures", Josie said and broke out crying.
"Quiet down! She's not going anywhere, she and her to-be-hubby both work here", Linda said to her, "Congratulations again!", she added to me.

"Thanks but I cannot take this", I said keeping the tiara in the box smiling; their act of friendship was really touching.
"Why? Is it not pretty?", Josie asked me wiping her tears.
"Oh it's not that", I assured her, "It's really pretty but Claire's already got one I suppose so…"
"Oh we talked to your sister about it and told her to leave it to us", Sophie said with a wide smile, "We are the bridesmaids but we couldn't really help you with anything so it's the least we could do."
"Really?!", I asked them and they all nodded.
"Thank you guys!", I said taking the beautiful tiara in my hand.
"Hey put it on and show us how you look", Linda said taking it trying to put it on my head.
"Hey, no… it's embarrassing", I said feeling all flustered and embarrassed about them trying to make me try it on.

"Am I disturbing?", we all looked in the direction of sound and saw Mike smiling at us from the door way.
"No, not at all", I said smiling, relieved to see him for once.
"Ready to go?", he asked me with a smile.
"Yeah", I nodded and grabbed my bag and the present.

"I can't believe it that you two are really getting married!", Linda said as I grabbed my coat.
"Yeah it all happened so fast!", Josie agreed with her.
"Not really, I know Mike from before so not that fast", I told them walking to Mike, who nodded in agreement, "We've dated before."
"And it didn't took much time for the flames to reignite again", Mike said throwing an arm around my shoulder.
"What a couple", Linda said in awe.

"Now ladies we'd take your leave", Mike said in a gentlemanly way.
I couldn't help but laugh, it always made me laugh for some reason, "See you guys at the Christmas party!", I said turning to walk away.
"It's unfair!", Linda said crying again, "I already feel she's going away."
"Calm down, she'd be back first thing after honey moon", Sophie said consoling her as we walked away.

Mike looked back at them, "You didn't tell them?", he asked me in surprise.
"Your mom forgave me yet?", I asked him back.
"Well she's still furious at you for yelling at me", Mike told me in a matter-of-fact tone, "But I already told her that it was my fault in the first place for not giving you enough time and so starting today, I'd help you with all the wedding things."
"About time, I am not the only one getting married you know", I said to him with a smile.
"Yeah and for starters, mom called me and asked me to bring you over to this 5-star restaurant that will be catering the food at the wedding reception", he told me with a smile.
"Oh really?!", I asked him, since I was sure she wouldn't say something like that because she said she'd take care of it.

After a minute of inquisitive stare Mike gave up and said, "Fine, she called me over to check out if I want to add or take out something off the menu", and then after a minute pause commented, "Gosh, you know my mother better than I thought."
"She's a lot like…", I stopped abruptly realizing what was I about to say.
"Like?", he asked me curious.
"Like someone I know", I told him with a smile as we reached the parking area.
"Oh okay I'll get my car, you wait here", he said and I nodded.

I watched Mike hurry to find his car. I laughed at my carelessness for almost letting it slip that his mother is lot like my step mother, even though they weren't that much alike except the fact that they both hated me to the core and I knew from experience that my presence was very much intolerable to both of them. She was very the same to me as Chris was to Mike, so it's something we'd be facing in our relationship and I was never expecting them to approve of this marriage fully but it was going better than what I had expected, at least both of them were acting responsible about it. I snapped out of my thought process when Mike called out to me and I almost ran to get in his car, and we headed to meet his mother.

(Leon's POV)

I stood in the corner as I watched Ashley shop for a dress that she wanted to buy for a friend's birthday party. The store's owner was too much pleased to attend to the first daughter and was doing everything with a smile. I yawned looking at my watch, feeling bored, it was way past noon and hours since we've been out shopping. The thing that I couldn't wrap my mind around was exactly how many dresses Ashley's going to wear to a single party because it definitely seemed more than a dozen that she had bought so far. I shook my head as she pulled a long thoughtful expression as she tried to make a choice between the two dresses.

"Leon!", Ashley called out to me in her high pitched voice, "Does this look good on me", I just shrugged in response; I had no sense of women fashion, "Well I'll take both then", Ashley told the shopkeeper, who was more than delighted to sell her clothes. I waited on the sidelines till she paid the bills.
"So where to next?", I asked her as we stepped out of the shop.
"I have to buy shoes!", she told me excitedly and then her stomach growled.
"How about we have lunch first?", I suggested shaking my head in disbelief about the obsession women had with shopping.
"Yeah you're right and I know a good restaurant", she said as we reached the car.

We both got in the car and I drove Ashley to her preferred restaurant, where she decided to keep a low profile, with some fashionable disguise. We got ourselves a table and ordered lunch for ourselves, even though my stomach wasn't grumbling like Ashley's but I was really hungry, because I had to skip breakfast today. We whiled away our time, talking on the trivial matters, until Ashley got on the topic about her friend's party; after which she excitedly started telling me about her expectations for it, based on the last party that her friend threw. It was only when Hunnigan called me that Ashley pulled a break on her ramblings.

I answered the call and Hunnigan started to give me some instructions, but I couldn't hear it because of the weak signal, so I asked Ashley to stay put so I could move out for a bit for a better reception. I moved to the restaurant's lobby and listened to what Hunnigan had to say, it was nothing too much important, just that I had to bring Ashley back by 5:00PM, otherwise she might end up using all of her father's money.

"Alright will do!", I said disconnecting the call.

"Leon!", I heard my name and very well recognized the voice to be Kate's.
"Kate", I turned to address her with a smile.
"What a coincidence?!", she said with a smile, "what are you doing here?"
"It's a restaurant, I am having a meal, what else", I said to her in an obvious tone.
"Yeah how silly of me to ask", Kate said with a smile.
"You taking a break from shopping to have lunch", I asked her casually.
"Ah no, actually I am here to meet with Mike's mom", she told me and a line of worry ran across her face.
"All alone?", I asked her a little concerned, Mike was really good to Kate but his mom was a different case.
"No, Mike's with me. I wouldn't dare to meet her alone", Kate said letting out her a nervous-awkward laugh, "he told me to go ahead while he parks the car."
"Oh I see", I said in response.

"You two seem to be always together", we both turned to the sly voice addressing us and it turned out to be Kate's to-be-mother-in-law. We both looked at her a little surprised because she was totally unexpected, even though we both knew she would be here but still it surprised us a little and she saw it as an opening to make another snide remark at Kate, "I haven't seen such a friendship, it's very odd to me that he takes you everywhere."

"I came with Mike", Kate said to her being very polite.
"And you called your friend?", Mike's mom looked from her to me.
"No, we just ran into each other", Kate tried to explain.
"Ran into each or did he follow you?", she said looking inquisitively and accusingly at me.
"Mrs. Vaughn, please", Kate said with a sigh of distress and disbelief, "Leon, came before me, you're misunderstanding."

"Leon!", Ashley said joining us swinging her arm around mine, "Let's go have our lunch", and then she took notice of Kate and her to-be-mother-in-law, "You know these people?"
"Hey, you're still here", Mike said to Kate entering the restaurant, "Oh you're here too!", he added surprised noticing me as well.
"Don't mind us, we're just leaving", I said to them, "C'mon Ashley, let's have our lunch before it gets cold."
"Yeah!", Ashley said with a smile.
"Have a good day", I said formally to the three of them.
"You too", Kate was the only one to reply; Mike just jerked his head slightly while his mother just kept a close eye on me.

Ashley and I walked back to our table and I sat with my back towards the lobby, and the waiter got us our lunch in few. I wanted to look back, to make sure Kate was fine but I kept myself assured that she can handle it; after all once she gets married she has to do it by herself anyways. And if I kept indulging myself with her like she wants or like she wanted to initially, it would just bring her trouble. I let out all my concerns with a sigh and started with my lunch. A little while into it I noticed Ashley was not eating but she was looking at me.

"What happened?", I asked her wondering the reason for her odd behavior.
"Was she your girlfriend?", she asked me.
"No, just my friend", I told her the truth.
"A friend?!", she said a little surprised, "Do you like her?", she asked curiously, "And is it something like her brother and mom is against your love, like it happens in daily soaps and as such?"
"No, it's nothing like that", I said letting out a laugh at her imagination, "Kate is a good friend of mine and the older woman was her to be mother-in-law and the guy was her fiancé."
"Oh", she said in response taking in the new information and then started eating her lunch and I continued with mine, "Can I ask you something?", she said after a while and the pitch of her voice startled me bit.
"Yeah go ahead", I said with a nod.
"Do you like that woman?", she asked me straightly.
Her question made me freeze for a moment, "No", I answered not looking at her, "What makes you think that?"

"Well…", Ashley began maybe wondering how should she put it, "I was just observing people when you weren't around and then I noticed you talking to her. You were a lot different when talking to her, I mean I've never seen you smile the way you were smiling when you were talking to her. And then you two got kind of tensed up when that old lady showed up. I could make it from that lady's and your friend's expression, of course yours are unreadable, that they were sort of having an argument and I just thought the old lady was insulting you so I thought I should rescue you."
I smiled at her consideration, sometimes she was good at reading the situations, like the time we were on island with Ada, "Thanks! You really saved my friend back there", I thanked her.
"Well I'd like to tell you, since you had your back towards them, that the old lady said something to your friend but I guess her fiancé seemed to have defended her", Ashley told me, took a pause and then added thoughtfully, "But you know if she got together with you, you two would have made a cute couple."

After that Ashley babbled on about what makes a cute couple but it didn't take her much time to jump from one topic to another. It took us more time to have our lunch than usual, since she kept talking and didn't concentrate on eating. And even though her talks were headache inducing, but for once it served as a good distraction. After lunch, she went for another round of shopping and I didn't realize how the time slipped by as I accompanied her from one store to another, while she shopped more than necessary.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I apologize for any grammatical mistakes and typos that might have caused an inconvenience. See you all next week, hope you have good time!