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.

Rebecca's stomach churned when she turned her vision to Parker. He was looking around with a strange look in his eyes. "Something's wrong." She whispered, grabbing for Jill's hand under the table. "It's Alex..." She was on her feet in an instant and heading for the door. She knew her son. She knew he'd sneak out to by baseball cards.

Alex tried to peak through the envelope, only after the Boogeyman had gone. He was still sitting on the curb, the cards forgotten as he tried to figure out what was inside.

Jill was running after her, knowing the little boys fondness for wandering off.

When he couldn't see his son in the restaurant, Parker had already darted outdoors. It was dark in the parking lot of the restaurant, so he simply started shouting the boys name.

Alex did what every child would do in his situation. He dropped the card on the ground, grabbed his baseball cards, and ran to hide. He knew full well that his mother and probably Parker too would spank him. He hated those, not to mention being grounded. That one was even worse.

Rebecca was right behind him, nearly crashing into him in the darkness. "The gas station..." She wheezed. "He'd have gone there first...ask if they've seen him..."
Chris nearly ran over Jill as he joined them in the parking lot. "Haven't we been through this before...say...a year ago?" He groaned.

"A small blond boy! Have you seen him?!" Parker demanded as he burst through the gas station doors.

"Yeah, well... Kids stick to what they know." Jill breathed. she had a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach that just wouldn't go away.

Rebeca was clinging to Parker's arm, terror gripping her. The clerk nodded firmly, looking almost afraid of the well built Parker. "he bought baseball cards and gum, then he went to sit on the curb and this man came who looked like him. I thought it was his father.... I haven't seen them since..."

Chris was the one who saw the card. He read it several times before holding it out to Jill. "looks like we're in for a long night." he sighed. "what a fucking party pooper."

"I am his father." Parker growled. "How long ago was he in here?"

Jill read the card several times also. "We can't show this to Rebecca." She breathed. "Or Parker. Let them both go to Italy. We can sort this out while they're gone."

"Ten minutes or so. I don't really know...I nodded off." the clerk confessed. Rebecca's tiny fingers dug into Parker's arm. "I can't tell you anything else. I'm sorry."

"what about Alex? We're supposed to keeP him while they're gone." Chris said, shoving his fingers through his hair. "what if Wesker has him? We'll have to tell them."

Parker pulled Rebecca's fingers from his arm, and squeezed her hand tightly. "He's okay, probably just sat somewhere looking at his cards." He assured his wife.

"We don't have to tell them anything right now." Jill insisted. "Alex could be sat right around the corner for all we know." She looked down at the photo of their old team mates again. "Sometimes... I wonder if we made it out of that mansion at all..."

Rebecca nodded. Parker had no idea just how much effort it was taking her not to have another freak out as she'd had earlier that day. "What if...What if Wesker got him?" She breathed, the name all but tearing her throat raw.

"Like some mass death dream." Chris agreed, nodding slowly. "Sometimes I feel the same way but...I haven't felt that since you and I got together." He admitted. He was fishing his phone out of his pocket and dialing Barry's number. "We're being messed with. Barry is fine. I talked to him a few hours ago."

"From what you've told me about this guy... He loves to gloat. I doubt he would take Alex, and not leave some sort of clue behind." Parked replied, for his own benefit as much as Rebecca's.

"Chris... I'm pregnant." Jill breathed the words as Chris lifted his phone to his ear. She needed to hea the words out loud right then, as that old feeling of a heavy darkness pressed down on her. She had wanted to tell Chris in a far better way than this.

"Then..." Rebecca pulled her hands away, her attempt to keep from shutting down failing her. "Then...I need to look for something else...you keep looking for Alex...he'll come to you." She muttered, turning away from him and walking woodenly toward the door.

Chris barely heard the phone ringing in his ear as he turned back to Jill. His grin was so wide he was certain his face was going to crack open. "Are you...serious?" He breathed.

Parker closed his eyes and counted to five. His mother had told him to do that as a boy when he was afraid of something. Close your eyes, count to five, and you'll see there is nothing to be afraid of. "Alex?" Parker stepped back outside, much less pain in his voice now as he called his son's name.

Jill nodded her head. "I'm sorry... I know this isn't the time or the place to tell you..." She breathed. "I just... Needed you to know. Things haven't seemed as dark since we've been together, and I seeing that picture of our old team... It scared me."

Alex peered around the corner of the building, hidden behind a row of trash cans. "Superman does not want to talk to you right now." He said softly. He always called himself Superman when he didn't want to be himself. He didn't know when that started but it certainly made him feel better about things.

"Yeah." Chris admitted, frowning when no one picked up the phone. "We'll talk about this at a better time but...you have to know that I'm very happy. I'm just...I'm really worried about stuff right now..." He slid the phone in his pocket and wrapped his arms around Jill. "We're having a baby. Wow. Is that awesome or what?"

Parker heard Alex's voice and sat down a foot or two away from the trash cans. "That's too bad... I could really use Superman's help right about now." He told the little voice. "See... I'm really scared. My son is missing, and I'm worried a bad man took him."

Jill smiled and slipped her arms around Chris in return. "You know... When people find out I told you I was pregnant the same day you asked me to marry you... They're going to assume the pregnancy talk came before the marriage one." She mused.

"Superman says your son is safe." Alex said softly, moving closer to Parker, though not close enough to be grabbed. "He says the bad man came but Superman chased him away when he told him that Alex's dad would kick his ass. Superman has a potty mouth, you see."

"And we would care because why?" Chris asked, pressing a kiss to her neck. "It's not like everyone doesn't know we've been together for a year. Fuck them if they don't get it, babe."

Parker couldn't helper chuckle at that last comment. "Well, so long as Superman doesn't teach my son to say those things, we don't have a problem. Although... I do have this baseball card, and I happen to know my an has been looking for it for a long time..." He clucked his tongue and started to get to his feet. "It's a shame I can't give it to him..."

Jill laughed softly and peeled herself from Chris' embrace. "How much you wanna bet that Claire finds out about all this before we get around to calling her?"

The tow headed hair appeared and then the thin boy. "Really?" He asked. It seemed that Parker possessed the same magick touch that Jill did. "That Travis Martin one? Can I see it?"

"The BSAA rumor mill is terrible." Chris snorted. "They act like a bunch of women..." He turned Jill to see where Parker had finally coaxed Alex out from behind the trash bins.

"I don't know, you may have to come a little closer." Parker replied, taking a step away from the smelly bins. "I wouldn't want it to accidentally fall into the trash..."

Jill was filled with a little relief when she saw Parker and Alex, but then the alarm bells sounded. "Where's Rebecca?"

"Daddy!" The little boy wailed, stepping closer to his father with his hand out. "That's not even funny!"

Chris too felt his stomach lurch. Something was very wrong with this. Rebecca had been there less than a moment ago. It made no sense that she would be out of sight already.

Parker grinned and grabbed Alex's hand before hoisting the little boy up into his arms. "You never run off like that again, you got me? You had me really scared, kiddo!"

"Chris... Call Rebecca. I don't have my phone with me, it's in the restaurant." Jill breathed, though was already running ahead to check the surrounding area.

"Are you going to spank me?" Alex asked, clearly worried about this. He clung to Parker, afraid of letting him go.

Chris made the call, hearing the jingling almost instantly. Parker would have been able to hear it louder. The pink phone was lying on top of a pile of garbage in the trash bin.

Parker would be saved from answering by the sound of Rebecca's phone. He was still holding onto Alex as he picked it up, instantly recognising it as Rebecca's.

Jill heard the sond too, and went sprinting after it, which wasn't easy barefoot in a gas station.

Alex frowned at the phone in Parker's hand for a long moment before he lifted his head and narrowed his eyes. "Mom would never leave her phone. It's got all her notes on it." He told his father.
Chris followed Jill, not for the first time wishing there was an end to this night.

"I know." Parker murmured. "She said she was looking for you..." He was frowning at the phone, worried to check any of the waiting messages on it.

"Jill, take Alex back to the party and tell them Parker and Becky went out for fresh air. I'll call your phone when we know anything." Chris directed, already fishing his gun from the back of his pants.
"No." Alex argued. "I'm staying with you guys. You'll need me. Mom only listens to me." He said, unknowingly all but repeating what Rebecca had said to Parker less than an hour ago.

Rebecca woke with a soft groan, thinking the nightmare of losing Alex had been nothing more than a dream. For a long moment she lay back on the sheets and closed her eyes. Maybe...her anniversary day hadn't even happened yet.

Jill gently pried Alex from Parker's arms and help him in her own. "I need you to keep me safe on my way back to the restaurant." She told the little boy gently. "If Chris is staying ith your dad... I'll be all alone."

Rebecca would have no hints to her locations, once she realised that her anniversary day had indeed started, and this was more likely just the beginning of her hell.

"You should be protecting Chris." Alex hissed at her, clearly panicked. "You know he's not good at watching his back and Dad will be too busy trying to find Mom. We can't leave them alone."

Rebecca's head felt heavy, as if she'd been sedated. She rubbed her forehead and tried to at least clear her vision. But it was so dark it was rather pointless.
She felt like she was home. She was certain this was the bed she shared with Parker. At least...until she realized the pillows that she kept piled between them were gone.
"Parker?" She called, pausing to listen for any sound. "Alex? Where are you guys?"

Jill knew the clever little boy was right, but she couldn't admit to it. If someone truly had taken Rebecca... It was possible Alex would be next. "Chris was looking after himself long before he met me." Jill replied.

"Parker? What happened to shouting for billy?" Wesker's cool voice remarked from the corner of the room where no light fell.

"Not very well and you know it." Alex said firmly, sure he was winning Jill over. "He needs you and I'm worried about my dad. He loves mom so much and he'll let that get the better of him."

Rebecca turned her head to the sound of Wesker's voice, her fingers digging into the sheets. This was no longer a comfort to her.
"Captain." She breathed. "What the hell are you trying to pull?"

"And I love Chris. He will worry about me more than usual if I join them tonight, it would be dangerous for all of us." Jill breathed. "Alex... I'm swatting to think you have some reason for wanting all of us far from you. Did you... See who took your mother?"

"Ah yes, captain..." Wesker chuckled. "That always did sound so delicious rolling past those innocent lips of yours." He added. "So... I understand you are still spouting the lie that I raped you in that mansion. Tell me... What would your pathetic little friends think if they knew that was far from true?"