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.

Alex all but shoved Parker away. The larger man hit the carpeted floor as if he'd struck a wall. The door to Alex's room slammed that much harder, sending pictures in the kitchen shattering to the floor.
Chris only shook his head. He knew Alex wasn't normal. And now that Jill wasn't around he didn't have to hide his hatred any more. "It's probably for the best anyway. He needs someone to straighten him out." He muttered.

"You're leaving for Africa in the morning, right?" Parker asked, already reaching for the phone. "The least you owe me is transport over there to look for my wife. I can have Alex enrolled by tonight." His mind was only focused on finding Rebecca. Alex could hate him, but all Parker wanted to do was give the boy his other back.

"Do you really love her?" Chris asked the other man. "or are yu just doing what you thinkis right for Alex?

"If you have to ask me that, it's proof you're even more self involved than I thought." Parker replied. He was searching through a drawer now, looking for a number he had written down some months ago.

"It's proof that all I can do is miss Jill." Chris whispered, more than a little bit ashamed about the way he'd been acting. Jill would have put him through hell for it and he knew it.
He watched Parker as he found the number he was looking for and sat down on the couch as he tapped the buttons. He hoped the other man was making the right choice.

Parker's voice was heavy as he spoke. He knew Alex was going to hate him for a very long time for sending him away to a new school while Parker himself disappeared to Africa. Once he hung up he simply stared at Alex's door for a very long time. "They want him there by dinner." He breathed at last. "It took a sizeable 'donation' for them to accept him in the middle of the semester at all."

"I'll take care of it." Chris said, fishing out his wallet and check book. "You go get him ready to go and we'll all go together. All right? It's the least I can do."

Parker wanted to tell Chris he could stick his money, but he knew they didn't have time for that.
"Hey... Alex?" He gently pushed open the young boy's door and poked his head around. "I know this isn't ideal... But it won't be forever. It could just be a week or two."

Alex lifted his head. In the darkness of the room his eyes glowed red. It lasted for no more than a split second but it was long enough. "You wonder why I left with Spencer." He hissed, his tone barely above a whisper. "He had faith in me. The same cannot be said for you." He got to his feet and shoved a suitcase at Parker's chest. "I heard everything. No need to waste your Euro trash breath on me."

Alex's words cut Parker deep, but he knew he deserved them. Silently he carried the suitcase out into the hall, his nod at Chris the only indication that they were ready to leave.

Chris could feel the animosity dripping off Alex as if it were a physical force.
Soon enough they were walking with the boy into the school. Alarm bells were ringing in Chris' head but they were overshadowed by his desire to find Jill.
"This place looks like Grandpa Spencer's house." Alex whispered. This alone should have had Chris turning around and guiding them out. But instead he simply pushed the boy forward.

"Don't call him that." Parker muttered, though was also pressing forward with his son. "Alex, I know you don't want to be here, but please... Try to fit in. I'll come back for you as soon as I find your mom, okay?" He asked as they entered the building.
A set of sparkling sapphire eyes had watched all three men approach the building, listening to every word they said. Wesker couldn't have possibly known Alex would be attending here, could he? Six months ago he had enrolled his stolen daughter here.

Alex didn't so much as acknowledge Parker as a stern looking woman dressed in gray stepped forward. She looked over the tallest of them in disgust and held out her hand. "The payment." She said simply. "Your wife's son will be better off here. He will get the education he truly needs. Nothing like those underprivileged monsters get down there in the valley."

Parker was fighting to keep his temper. He knew one wrong word, and Alex would not be allowed in. "Yes... This will do until we take him back to Italy for his real education." He told her with a sarcastic smile.

"What a horrible choice that would be." The woman scoffed as if Parker had just volunteered to take his clothes off. "You would do the boy a great disservice. He will remain here and finish out his schooling. We are the best, sir. Only a true fool would not be able to see it." She took the check that Chris offered her and held out her free for Alex. The young man took it without another word.

"Alex... Remember that I WILL bring your mom home!" Parker called after the little boy. As he disappeared around the corner the Italian man's shoulder slumped and he buried his face in his hands for a lingering moment. "I did the right thing... Didn't I?"

"I don't know." Chris breathed, not sure how to feel about the way the woman's hand had tightened on Alex's shoulder. "Parker, you had no other choice. You won't be able to concentrate on Rebecca if Alex is with you."

The woman was already fishing out her phone and dialing a number as she led Alex up a tall flight of steps. "We have the boy." She said to the person on the other end. "Everything went exactly as you said it would."

"Yeah, this way... All he has to worry about is other kids, not monsters, right?" Parker breathed. "I don't know how you did it, Chris... Letting the woman you loved stride head first into danger every day..."

"Good. It will be a few days before I can extract him. Your highest priority is to keep him there, and don't let him suspect anything." The voice on the other end replied, the owners lips curling into a smile. It was almost too easy.

"Jill wouldn't have had it any other way." Chris whispered. "But usually...I was there with her. I see now that was the biggest mistake. I should have let her be. She did better without me."

Alex found himself lonely and depressed by the time the creepy woman had him situated in a room. He did nothing more than sit on his bed, refusing to even unpack. He missed his mother. He hadn't even spoken to her in months. He longed to hear her voice, to know that she still loved him. It was obvious Parker no longer did.

Parker was shaking his head even before Chris had finished speaking. "Jill was an amazing partner... But even when I was with her, I knew she was thinking about you. Worrying that Jessica wasn't keeping you safe, that she couldn't keep you in check when you wanted to rush in feet first." He smiled sadly. "Guess she was right, huh?"

"You know... She's gonna get mad at you if you don't unpack." the blue eyed girl in the doorway remarked as she watched Alex.

"She was the one who rushed." Chris whispered. Desperate to change the subject, Chris threw his keys to Parker. "We need to head back to headquarters first. You need to speak to Jessica before we leave. I think she can tell you a thing or two about where to start looking for Rebecca."

"I'm not staying." Alex told the girl without looking up at her. "As soon as the lights go out I'm leaving. If you tell I'll make you sorry."

"You want me to speak to that whore?!" Parker hissed incredulously. "Why exactly have you been listening to her?" He asked with narrowed eyes.

The little girl laughed at this, tapping her nails against the doorframe in a manner more fitting someone much older. "I dare you to try." She replied, black flecks appearing in the sapphire of her eyes before it suddenly disappeared.

"She knows things that she shouldn't." Chris explained, surprised by Parker's inability to keep his temper lately. "She says she knows what happened to the Tricell team...even though we've had her in lockdown for six months. It seems pretty consistent with the reports we were getting."

Alex lifted his head to the girl, offering her a rather nasty sneer of his own. "You don't know me." He snarled. "You don't know what I can or can't do."

"How is that even possible?" Parker asked. "You think you have another mole? Someone with access to her, who is also feeding outside information?"

"I know you're the new kid, and in a place like this... That's bad enough." The little girl replied darkly. "Don't threaten me, Alex Luciani." She added, proving to have a knack for finding information.

Chris shook his head. "I have a bad feeling that this is all part of a very nasty...very elaborate plan." He admitted. "We sent Rebecca there undercover but...I think someone knew she would come. I don't know how or why but...it's all connected somehow and Jessica has a clawed hand in the middle of it."

Alex cocked his head, again narrowing his eyes at her. "Since you seem to know me...perhaps I should know who you are too."

Parker snorted, nodding his head in agreement. "Anywhere that bitch is involved... There is trouble." He commented. "I would bet that she allowed herself to be captured, just to implement all of this. But having said that... She's not smart enough to have come up with this all on her own."

"Perhaps." The dark haired little girl replied, then turned around, her long hair spinning out behind her. She didn't say any more, leaving Alex alone in his room once more.

Chris nodded at this. "I hear she's good at one...Parker...Before we go anywhere...I want to tell you I'm sorry. I had no right to help ruin your marriage. I hated you for having everything I can't...It wasn't fair. And I don't blame you for not forgiving me but...just so you know...I am sorry."

Alex didn't sleep. He stayed awake all that night, listening to the rain. His thoughts drifted from one thing to another but always came back to the dark haired girl. He hoped it was a sign that he could keep himself busy for a while. If nothing else, he could find out her name.

Parker smiled at Chris slightly, patting him on the shoulder. "For what it's worth... I'm sorry too. I was so obsessed with finding Alex... I didn't stop to see the signs. I should have found out Jill was pregnant... Had I known that..." He paused and ran his fingers through his hair. "I do blame myself for what happened to her."

It was lunch the next day and the girl who had visited Alex was sat in the shade of a tree, a book in her lap.
"Well well, what a surprise, the bookworm is all alone again.". A blonde girl and three of her friends were stood glaring down at the girl, clearly this happened on a regular basis.
The dark haired girl sighed, as though it were simply an inconvenience as she shut her book and got to her feet. "Must we go through hits every day, Nicole?" She asked, glaring up at the other girl who was a good head taller than she was.
Nicole clearly didn't like the fact this girl didn't fear her as the others did. "We told you we wanted you out of our school!" Nicole spat.
"And I told you I am more than willing to fight for my right to remain here." The younger girl replied, making it quite clear she would do just that. She didn't act like the other girls, they all cowered before the headmaster's daughter.

"That sounds like fun." Alex purred from above the growing group of girls. He'd been perched in the tree for the better part of the morning, anything to avoid going to the rigorous classes he'd been assigned. "Mind if I watch?"

All the girls glanced up into the tree, though Nicole smiled brightly. "You're the new boy, aren't you?" She asked, curling strands of her hair around her finger as she spoke. "My, how the school has been just buzzing with talk of you."
The smaller girl Nicole had been harassing rolled her eyes, already trying to slip away.