February eventually gave way to March.
Now, they were somewhere in Croatia, an improvement from Slovakia and its wintry palace. Still, the bitter icy tendrils that raced on the wind reminded the pair they weren't entirely free of Nature's frozen grip.
Alex quietly drank her coffee, checking emails from everyone. Jill had been deployed to address a potential outbreak in Canada while Claire was with TerraSave, helping in recovery from an attack in Brazil. All she could do was hope. Prayers never worked and she had long stopped believing in God. God, she snorted, what a joke. Crispin and Alpha team were looking into an attack in France as Josh and Sheva had been ass deep in B.O.W.s in Sierra Leone. Another crest had been uncovered in the ruins of Paris. Crispin had been hesitant to let Alex know but, he sent the photo which only made her blood turn cold like the River Drava. Staring back at her, was the Sun. It wasn't hard to forget regardless of her attempts: Six points of gold with a simple yet ornate etching of the celestial symbol.
"I know, it brings back bad memories but, I didn't want to hide this from you."
Alex had dismissed his concern, appreciating his honesty. She recalled his words about her resiliency, finding strength in his faith in her capacity.
Oh Dear Heart...
Not this shit again!
So perfect...You, Alexandra are what I've worked so hard to achieve...You were perfect by my side.
Jerking her eyes from the screen and slamming the laptop shut, Alex decided she needed more coffee. Even dead, that bastard continued to haunt her. The shrink at the BSAA explained it was part of the trauma she experienced, the manifestations she would endure were a part of her subconscious that was trapped in the same horror movie loop. Sadly, no drug in the pharmaceutical arsenal could silence him or mute it for any duration. Her body would simply burn through it in a matter of moments. So, Alex instead tried to focus on hers and Piers' mission.
Who was behind the crests? What was their endgame? More questions than answers but then again, that was always the case. With a heavy sigh, she resolved to refreshing her cup and laying out their next move. Alex looked up over to see Piers still sleeping soundly in the bed. This had become their routine for the last three months: search, chase ghosts and regroup. Alex did have to admit, Piers didn't kick or snore but neither did Chris. Usually when she woke up, it would be her flung across his body or one of his strong arms curled around her waist. But, that wasn't the case these last few months. Alex would awaken, her mind back home, expecting to have Chris alongside her, perhaps stirring at the same time or already up and getting ready. However, it would be a cruel mirage as she found the lean form of the marksman in his place. Her heart would sink as reality reminded her that her Captain was in the wind.
"Chris, where the fuck are you," she muttered. "I just want you home. Fuck, I miss you so goddamn much. I hope you're alright."
Alex felt herself drifting back to the past, a time where Umbrella or Albert Wesker had not fucked with their lives.
"So..." Chris looked anywhere but at her. His foot sweeping in an arc across the pavement. "I was wondering if you were...I don't know...Fuck, I'm bad at these things..."
Alex fought to suppress a smirk, watching him squirm in his uncertainty and failure to compose one coherent sentence. She could let him continue like this but, being the person she was.
"Yes, Chris," his head snapped up, almond rings growing wide.
"Y-you want to? I mean, I can't do anything great given my pay but - " she shot up a hand effectively killing his attempt.
"I don't care about that," Alex waved a hand, "We could do pizza and a movie and that would be fine by me. I hate that high end fancy shit anyways. I'm not some high maintenance gal who looks down on anyone not pulling six figures. I don't need shiny trinkets or pretty things to make me happy."
Chris felt his face turn flush, unsure of how to respond. He was so glad he got the nerve to talk to her. It had been a few months ago when he first laid eyes on her. Alex had been holding her own in a drinking contest with Barry; shots was the game. Jill and Claire were of course, pulling for Alex, whom they had met just that night. Barry had been bragging about his ability to hold his liquor which the brunette sitting in the corner had challenged him to some friendly competition. The former STARRS point man could only watch with awe as this mystery woman met his old friend shot for shot.
Jill and Claire cheered her on, taking count of the rounds. Both were starting to slow though, pausing between shots to breathe. Barry stopped mid shot, feeling his insides begin to revolt. Still, he downed the shot and turned the glass upside down. Now, it was her turn. This was the last round. One more, and she would win. The whiskey was burning in her belly as she lifted the shot glass to her lips. Chris watched with bated breath as she down the final bit. But wait, she was swaying, eyes closing as the back of her hand rested against her forehead. Barry watched with a glazed over expression, hoping she would fold.
"Not today," she declared and slammed the glass upside down on the table, greeted with an eruption of celebration. Chris had to get to know her. Her deep chocolate locks flew backward as she rose on shaky feet, fists pumping up in victory.
"You win," Barry conceded, amazed despite his loss, "what is your name again?" His voice started to slur.
"Alex," her hand shot out which Barry accepted and shook.
Alex. That was her name. Claire caught sight of her brother, his attention focused on their new friend. He wasn't into relationships and had casually dated of course, saying no one had really caught his attention. A few fell in love with the uniform but once the novelty wore off, it was onto the next round of solitude, cigarettes and work.
"I think I'm gonna puke," Alex stumbled, attempting to reach the bathroom. Nausea was washing over like violent waves pounding the shore. She felt bile mixing with whiskey breaching the back of her throat. Chris bolted towards her, catching her before she collapsed. "Yep, definitely gonna puke." The dry heaves were increasing as Chris sprinted for the door, barely making it in time.
Jill nudged Claire as they watched Chris help Alex to the bathroom. Chris held her hair back and soothingly rubbed her back as everything she ate and drank was messily hurled into the bowl.
"Thank you, random stranger," she groaned before the next round. Her forehead rested on the rim, cool and comforting. She swore no more drinking challenges. Damn, the next morning was going to hurt.
"The name's Chris, Chris Redfield."
"Thanks Chris, Chris Redfield," Alex breathed out then proceeded to throw up the last bit. Oh yeah, the next morning was going to be a bitch. "Got any Ibuprofen or Tums?"
Alex hung her head, trying to fight back tears. She just wanted Chris back. The diamond nestled in the band shot a bright stab in her eyes. They hadn't set any date, not really. Her abduction and infection had wrecked any inkling of such, Chris focused on getting Alex back and on the mend.
"Alex?" Hastily wiping her eyes, Alex shot her head up, seeing Piers sitting up. His hair was disheveled, not the usual stiff spikes that dominated the crown of his head. The sleepy expression still etched his face as he rose to get out of bed. "What time is it?"
"About 6," she took another sip of coffee. "You can go back to sleep. There's no news about Chris." Alex omitted the part about the crest.
"No, I'm awake," he yawned and stretched, the smell of coffee seeping into his nose. "I'm used to the strange hours, remember?"
"Right," she nodded.
"How long have you been awake?" He sat beside her, seeing the open screen.
"Dunno," Alex shrugged, "Maybe since 4. I didn't want to wake you so I got up."
"Anything about Chris?"
"A lead, if you want to call it that. I mean, nothing about his confirmed whereabouts but, it's better than nothing I guess. Crispin got some kind of intel about a man who looked him being in the area. He wasn't sure how reliable it was."
"He can only run so far. BSAA has eyes and ears to the ground. They're not going to let one of their best men slip through."
"Maybe I'll call Quint, see if he and Keith have heard anything." Alex hadn't heard from the Dynamic Duo since the Ja'vo attack, though they kept in contact with emails and texts.
Carla, watched the footage for the third time.
The Ja'vo experiment succeeded, showing Alexandra Koch's abilities were beyond her wildest dreams. Her antibodies kept any C-virus infection, any infection really, at bay. She could sense the presence of other B.O.W.s., her strength would put any bodybuilder to shame, and speed...only one other could match her and that colossal imbecile was dead. Any research Albert Wesker had conducted on her had been destroyed or seized by the BSAA when she was rescued. While it was a setback, it could be overcome. Just as they had located and captured his bastard son, Jake Mueller and that obnoxious agent, Sherry Birkin. She should thank the naive girl for her blood. They wouldn't have the C-virus without it. They needed the other's blood now. The final part of the plan.
"Any word on the whereabouts of Agent Redfield?"
"No, sir. We've tapped the BSAA intel and nothing. We'll keep monitoring their channels. Our informants did relay some information to a Captain Jettingham who did relay to Alexandra and Agent Nivans. They're in Koprivnica, Croatia following up. No signs of Radames or Simmons."
"When Agent Redfield is located, inform me at once. If you see either him or her in the area, alert me immediately."
"Yes, Sir."
The man leaned back in his seat, finding this update disappointing to say the least. Agent Chris Redfield was proving to be very difficult in tracking indeed. No matter, as he would be found. He had his best men on the case. The man sighed, returning his attention to the files laid out before him. Albert had conducted extensive and deeply invasive experiments on Alex after he infected her with the Tyrant Virus. With each word, his rage for the deceased amplified. Oh how he wished he could've been the one to launch that rocket in his arrogant face.
The BSAA thought they had acquired all of the data and files after the man's death. Too bad for them, they didn't possess the entire picture.
"Damn it," Piers shook his head disgustedly. All day they went from bar to bar then any hotel, hostel or no-tell motel along the way. One patron thought they had recognized Chris, but couldn't be sure.
"Look again," Alex thrust the photo within inches of the woman's face. "Look long and hard."
Piers grew tense as his companion's agitation began to increase. He worried she would snap, take her frustrations out on this poor woman. Her fingertips clenched tighter around the edge of the photo, the very edges turning white. The muscles in her jaw clenched as the woman stared absently at the image.
"HAVE. YOU. SEEN. HIM. GODDAMNIT!"
"Alex," Piers gently pulled her back, preventing Alex from tearing her apart. His peripheral vision caught movement from the right. The bouncer, who had been watching the pair since they set foot inside, started to make his way towards them. "We should go."
He tugged on her arm, insisting she go with him. Her mind attention focused on the woman, yet, her sharp hearing picked up the footsteps of the approaching behemoth.
"DO. YOU. KNOW. WHERE..." Alex didn't get to finish her final words as Sasquatch's hand shot out, reaching for her neck. Dark rings narrowed on the prize, missing the slender hand that caught the wrist mid-strike. Alex spun around, her other hand snatching his balls in an iron grip. The agonizing howl reverberated through the tavern as he fell to his knees, scratching furiously at the source of his suffering. Piers watched in horror as her eyes devolved into hellish orbs; blood and gold swirling in anger, relishing in the torment of the one before them. He was at Alex's mercy, and mercy was not what she would be giving.
"Alex!" The marksman tightened his hold on her bicep, jerking her backwards. She shook her head, blinking, confusion written on her face. The whimpering of the bouncer caused her to snap her head down, seeing the pathetic state her unintended victim was in.
"Oh my god," she released her hold, watching as he curled into the fetal position, still whimpering and shaking. "I-I didn't mean to..." Breaking from Piers' hold, Alex sprinted for the door, hoping to vanish before anyone called the local police. Piers raced after her, a small crowd gathering around the down man. A light snow was falling as he caught sight of her heading down a side alley. He hurried after her before anything else happened.
Alex leaned against the wall, hands on thighs as she battled the surging bile in her throat. What the fuck happened back there!? She lost it. The ineptness of that woman ignited her rage; a deadly silent rage.
"Alex," Piers hurried to where she was, her eyes still awash in molten lava. "What happened?"
"Don't come near me!" Her hands shot out, putting distance between them. "Please, Piers, I don't want to hurt you."
"You won't," he refused to stop, instead closing the space between them.
"I hurt someone. I let my anger get the better of me."
"You didn't intend to hurt anyone. That's not you." His expression softened and eyes swelled with sympathy. "Please, Alex, let me take you back to the room. The snow's picking up and it's getting colder."
He couldn't bear to see her like that: defeated and despondent in a narrow alley in the middle of a foreign land. Piers tossed caution aside, gently collecting the now weeping woman in his arms, a minute attempt to shield her from the growing waves of white.
"I'm so sorry," she sniffled. His hold grew tighter, his way of saying it wasn't her fault.
"I hope he's okay. My strength, sometimes, I forget even after all these years..."
Alex was shaking when they returned. The bouncer was only doing what he was hired to do, but it didn't expunge the guilt. She could've handled the situation differently. Piers sent a message to Jettingham but omitted the incident at the bar. While he waited to hear back, Piers glanced to Alex, who was on the bed, hands cradling her face, hiding the shame.
"Alex," he eased down beside her, slowly prying her hands from her face. The fire fading to ice.
"I hated you had to witness that, Piers. I am so sorry," she leaned against him, head resting on his shoulder. "Chris saw it happen too. He had to take me out of the situation and talk me down like you did. He refused to leave me, worried something was going to happen to me. Kept me anchored in reality. I swear this fucking virus put my emotions on steroids. I never had this problem until I was infected. Just another damn symptom I suppose."
Alex felt the sensation of his fingers carding through her hair was soothing, calming her frayed emotions. The tension in her body subsided, lulled into a state of ease. Her pulse shifted from erratic to rhythmic. Neither ready to separate yet, taking in the comfortable silence.
The cheap bedside clock blared 1935.
it was best to stay in the room as the police may be looking for them on account of the incident earlier in the day. The clicking of the bathroom door announced Alex's reappearance. Piers looked up, seeing color back in her face and neck; more than likely from the scalding water she was steeped in for the last 20 minutes. Her hair was damp, creating random droplets on the nightshirt. She had borrowed one of his shirts on account of her shirts needing cleaned. It was one of his old Army shirts from basic.
"How are you feeling?" She offered a tiny smile.
"Exhausted," Alex dropped down, towel still in her hands. "Like my soul is drained exhausted. How are you holding up?"
"Tired," he scrubbed a hand across his face.
"A shower may help. I swear I didn't use all the hot water."
"How considerate," Piers teased. Alex felt the smile break. After the rather shitty day they had, it was moments like these which mitigated the uncertainty and unknown.
Alex found some tea and used the tiny coffee pot to brew up some hot water. Chamomile was her favorite and even after infection, it maintained the ability to relax her. And as her body came down, her mind decided to take a journey down a dark path. She and Piers had not spoken about the incident in Slovakia. It had been stepped around, neither one daring to bring up the subject. With the priority being find Chris and bring him home, it was hard to deny the growing bond between them. The first day Chris had introduced the young sniper, Alex thought he was good looking, but what hot blooded female wouldn't have thought that? Claire thought he was cute and Jill instantly liked him.
"Alex," Piers called out. She turned, to see him in boxer shorts and shirt.
"Want some tea?" She offered a shaky smile. Her eyes trailed as he eased his frame alongside her. The heat radiated from his skin, searing into hers where their bodies touched.
"There's something on your mind," he noted the distance look in her eyes.
"There is," she finally relented. This was it. Time to air this out. "We haven't talked about what happened. We've been kind of avoiding the subject."
"I know. And I need to get something off my chest."
His pulse was sprinting and Piers knew she could hear it.
"Damn it," he huffed, "I do feel something for you; something that I shouldn't. But, these last few months, traveling and being together, fighting those Ja'vo, you having that episode in London, seeing the real you..."
Piers struggled with his words.
"It's hard," Alex nodded. "I'm struggling with being in love with one man but finding myself falling for another...Fuck...Jesus I'm messed up."
There it was. Alex, the woman who fiercely loved his Captain, determined to bring him home, putting her life on the line to do it, was falling for his partner and Lieutenant.
"No, you're not messed up. I'm struggling with the realization I'm in love with my Captain's girl," Piers heard his voice. He dared to close what little space there was between them. "Watching her hurt, watching her tirelessly search for the one she loves. Seeing her give everything she has, not caring about herself. The way she smiles and laughs...Selfless, fearless..."
Piers felt his emotions taking over, guiding his movements. His heart hammering, pulse roaring in his ears. His hands collecting her face, pulling her lips to his waiting ones. She didn't resist, instead melting into his embrace. A quiet groan rumbled in his throat, hands slipping up then down her sides, pulling the edges of the shit up. She shuddered at the brief connection: fingers brushing across her sides, hungering for more. He gently pushed, letting the tip of his tongue dart in hers, pulling her closer into his hungry embrace.
"Wait," he panted. She pulled back, confused lacing her eyes. He reached for her, cupping the side of her face. Her hand covered his before she turned to place a kiss in his palm.
"We have to stop, before we do something we both regret."
Alex blinked, her senses returning. The realization of what just happened and what damn near happened washed over her. Her heart pounded, thundering in her ears as she slid back to the other side.
Oh fuck...
"I'm gonna take a walk," she rose and grabbed her coat, determined to get the Hell out of there. "I have my Beretta and my phone."
Alex was thankful he didn't see the tears streaming down her face as she made a hasty retreat.