Thicker than Water

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Alex Chambers stood on the helicopter landing pad his fingers pressed to his forehead to block out the morning sun. He was dancing from one foot to the other, unable to hide his excitement.
"I see them!" He shouted back to his mother, who was standing near the entrance with a medical team. None of them knew what kind of shape their heroes would return to them in but Alex didn't seem to care. Already he was hopping up and down waving at the chopper as it drew closer. He cheered when Chris Redfield waved to him and repeated the action when Jill Valentine did the same. But as the helicopter touched down his smile began to fade. Not everyone he'd hoped to see was stepping out.
"What happened?" Rebecca Chambers soon came to stand beside her son, her lips set in a thin line as she looked from Chris to Jill. "Where is Parker?" She'd done her best to keep herself from saying this man's name first but she couldn't seem to help herself. "Where's Jessica?" She added, hoping this would make for a decent cover up.

"Like you didn't know." Chris chuckled. "I was a jock, of course, and a big jerk." He teased. "Actually, I dropped out in tenth grade and got a job doing construction. I had to pay the bills or they were going to take Claire away. So I got a GED and that was the end of it."

Rebecca ran at him and leaped on his back, digging her knees into his sides as she grabbed a handful of his hair. "Don't you ever say that again!" She shouted. "Do you hear me?!" Even Albert Wesker had never gotten this much of a rise from the tiny woman.

"Shame... Would have been kind of hot for a big guy like you to have been in the chess club." Jill teased. "Yure a good guy though, Chris. Not many would have raised their baby sister alone like you did. More than that though... You got her into college too!"

"Get off of me, crazy bitch!" Parker would later hate himself for saying that, but right then he was filled with a mixture of anger... And panic at the thought of something happening to Alex.

"She's so smart. She deserved to go to college. She'll make a hell of whatever she finally decides to do." Chris said, reaching for his phone as it began to ring.
The moment he looked up from the call, Jill would be able to tell he was reaching a panic stage. "Alex has run off and Rebecca's gone off her rocker." He told her. "She's physically fighting with Parker in the medical ward hallway."

"Fuck you!" Rebecca all but screamed, no longer seeing Parker. "I will not let you hurt us again! Do you hear me?!" She had a handful of his hair, yanking until he could barely blink his eyes.

Jill was already in search and rescue mode. "You go to the hospital, try and calm Rebecca and Parker, I'll drive around, see if I can find Alex."

"When did I hurt you?! Either of you?!" Parker howled, even in pain he wouldn't do anything to hurt Rebecca in order to get her away from him.

Chris nodded, pulling his shirt over her head and then over his. He'd opened the front door when a soft chuckle escaped him. "Hey, babe...you won't have to go far." He told her, moving aside to show her the little boy who was asleep on her doorstep.

"Don't you touch me!" Rebecca shouted, now letting go of his hair to dig her nails into his shoulders. "I'll kill you. You hear me?! This time I'll kill you!"

Jill was hiding behind the kitchen counter as Chris opened the front door, given that he had left her rather exposed when he took his shirt back. "Bring him in, but... Try not to wake him?" She replied softly as she ran to her bedroom to grab some clothes.

"Rebecca! I don't know what you're talking about!" Parker howled. "What do you mean this time? When did you try to kill me?!"

Chris sighed and picked the boy up, carrying him to the couch. "I'll call Parker." He whispered towards the hallway, fishing for his phone and calling the other man's number.

Rebecca broke, her death grip on him suddenly loosening. She sobbed into his neck, her tiny body shaking.

Jill had quickly jacked some jeans and a t shirt on before creeping back into the living room. She crouched next to the couch, gently running her fingers over Alex's hair. She sighed quietly, realising she longed for a child of her own, she had just never realised it.

Now that she was no longer fighting, Parker was able to gently peel Rebecca away from him, and turn around to embrace her. He still held her even when his phone rang.

"He's not answering. We'd better take Alex back up there." Chris sighed, snapping his phone closed.

Rebecca clung to Parker as if she were afraid of falling, burying her face in his chest. "I'm so sorry." She breathed. "I lost it. That's never happened...I'm so sorry..."

Jill nodded in agreement. "I wonder what made him do this? Surely it can't just be because Parker and Rebecca are fighting?"

"Hey, I'm a big guy, I can take it." Parker replied as he gently tipped Rebecca's chin up. "Although... I would like to know what happened."

"Should we wake him up and ask him?" Chris asked, frowning as he noticed a thin line of blood on Alex's bottom lip. He pointed this out to Jill. "You think someone hurt him?"

Rebecca wasn't sure when or how but her answer was drowned in the taste of Parker's lips. Her fingers were gentle this time as they slid through his hair and she deepened the kiss. All at once she could think of nothing else.

"What if... It was Parker or Rebecca?" Jill asked, concerned that she could even suggest that.

Parker's arms were loose as they circled around Rebecca, afraid that she may think he was restraining her in some way. He loved her, but was utterly confused by her frequent shifts in behaviour.

"Neither of them would hurt him." Chris said, shaking his head. "We're going to have to wake him up anyway to make sure he's all right. You might as well ask him."

"Parker, I'm sorry." Rebecca said after a long moment, leaning her head back to look up at him. "Right before you and Jill came back I was given some intel that...it really put me in a bad state of mind. I took it out on you and I'm sorry. I just...there's no where for me to vent. I can't even tell Chris and Jill." For a long moment she was silent. Raising a shaking hand she wiped at her eyes. "Alex is okay. I promise. I'll bet you anything that he went straight to Jill. This isn't the first time he's told me how he feels." Again she rested her head on his chest. "The marriage offer is still open. Even if you think I'm crazy. I feel safer with you around. I guess...I just wanted to find a reason to keep you. And then I screwed it up. Just like I do everything else. Including my son."

"Alex? Sweetie?" Jill shook the little boy gently. "It's Jill, I need to talk to you."

Parker wrapped his arms a little tighter around Rebecca, resting his chin lightly on top of her head. "You didn't screw anything up." He breathed. "I told you I would keep you and Alex safe, and I meant it, we don't have to be married for me to keep that promise." He added softly. "But... This intel you said you had, why can't you tell Chris and Jill?"

Alex sat up and rubbed at his eyes with his fists. For a long moment he sat there trying to wake himself. Yawning, he finally opened his eyes and looked at Jill. "I didn't wake you did I?" He asked softly, his eyes moving from her to Chris. "I just...I didn't want to be home right now." He whispered, as if telling her a secret.

"I don't want to talk about that." Rebecca breathed, her hands flat on his chest now as if she meant to push away. "Look...there's another reason I was going for the marriage..." She admitted. "I want you to give Alex your name. It's not possible for you to do it without that certificate." She lifted her head, looking him in the eye. "I want Alex to have a father and I want to make sure there's no chance his real one will ever find him."

"Why not?" Jill asked gently, casting a worried glance to Chris. "Honey, did someone hurt you?" Jill breathed, wishing she didn't have to ask that question.

Parker didn't quite know what to say. "Give him... My name?" He breathed. "Rebecca..." He cleared his throat, aware he was starting to get quite emotion. "Nothing would make me prouder!"

Alex's lower lip trembled and he shook his head. From behind Jill, Chris breathed a heavy sigh of relief. The little boy didn't lie. It was almost as if he didn't know how. "I bit Mommy." He whispered, obviously ashamed of himself.

Rebecca nodded as if she'd suspected this all along. She could never admit to him that it would make her proud too. "It's only possible with the marriage certificate." She said again. "Even if it is in name only. That's the part you'll have to deal with..."

"And what did mommy do to deserve it?" Jill asked, sitting down next to Alex and pulling him gently into her lap.

"Is that you telling me there is no chance in hell it could ever be in more than name?" Parker asked, trying not to seem too upset by this.

"She hit Parker and then yelled at him and told him never to see me again." Alex's bottom lip was shaking violently, fat tears were already plopping onto his skinny legs. "I said I hated her and I loved Parker...but...I lied!" That was it, the dam broke and he began to wail. "I'm sorry, I promised I wouldn't but I did! I hate myself!"

"No." Rebecca whispered, afraid to say it too loudly. "I don't know. But Parker...giving Alex your name is important to me. I need to make sure that he is safe and happy. The other stuff will come or it won't."

"Alex, please don't hate yourself." Jill breathed. "Your mom loves you very much, just like I do." She added, hugging the little boy tightly. "She knows you didn't mean what you said, and is probably very worried about you."

Parker nodded, his shoulders seeming quite stiff now. "Then we should have someone come by, make this'd sines arrangement official." He replied, his voice strained somewhat with the emotion he was holding back.

"You promise?" Alex asked through his tears, clinging to Jill as if he thought she might suddenly disappear. "Do you pink swear and all that stuff?"

"The BSAA chaplain would do it." Rebecca said softly. "But Parker, you don't have to do this. Don't do something that will make you miserable."

"Not even death could keep me from you, kiddo." Jill breathed, resting her forehead against Alex's. If only she knew that statement would actually be out to the test.

"Let's get this over with." Parker replied stiffly, already walking on ahead of Rebecca.

"I know." Alex laughed softly, jumping when Jill's phone began to ring. Chris held it out for her and then held his hand out for Alex. "Let's go get some breakfast and bring it back. How does that sound?" The blonde haired boy agreed whole heartedly and was on his feet in an instant. Kissing Jill on the cheek, one on each side, the two of them left her alone with her phone call.

Rebecca fished out her phone and sat down in a chair in the hallway, not exactly following Parker. She'd told him Alex had gone to Jill and she was almost certain he had. But there was always that chance that something had gone wrong.

"Hello?" Jill was still smiling even after Chris and Alex had left. Once again she felt in top of the world, and she had both Chris and Alex to thank for that. She hadn't even checked to see who was calling before she had answered.

"Jill?" Rebecca's voice was soft, almost impossble to hear. "Tell me Alex is okay." The tiny woman was watching Parker's back as she spoke. He'd stopped but he hadn't turned around.

"Oh, hi Rebecca! Yeah, Chris found him asleep on my doorstep when he was l..." She had about to say when he was leaving, but somehow that made it all sound a little seedy, like Chris was sneaking out of her apartment. "He was collecting my mail for me, and there Alex was, all curled up like someone had just left him there. They've gone out to get some breakfast now."

Rebecca couldn't help the grin no more than she could help the snicker. "So...you guys finally admitted everything to each other and got the whole just friends thing out of the way?" She laughed again. "Getting the mail my ass."

Jill groaned, realising they were going to be getting a lot of talk like this from all their friends at the BSAA. "It's not as sordid as you're making it sound!" She wailed.

Rebecca couldn't help but continue to laugh. It was a long moment before she was able to get herself under control. "Parker and I are on the way." She said once she'd caught her breath. "We have something to tell Alex and you and Chris..." She glanced at him, worried he was gone.

"Uh huh... Does it have something to do with you sticking your tongue in his mouth?" Jill replied with a snicker of her own.