Blue on Black

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Leon Kennedy starred at his gun as he heard the truck shudder into the drop zone. It was never going to get any easier. It didn't matter how many times he came into these towns and cleaned them out. 
It had nothing to do with the people. It was Claire Redfield. He saw her everywhere. The same scenario played out in his mind. In the end he was in her arms. Except...he wasn't. For the most part, he was alone. Until he was calling a phone number that made his chest hurt just to make the chill inside him go away. 
"Claire..." He breathed as he stepped off the truck and looked around. "Will you ever forgive me?" 

Rebecca Chambers didn't share Leon's sense of loneliness. The mousy haired woman was rather happy living alone. She'd seen far too many of her friends and loved ones die to believe in anything but science. 
At the moment she was seated on the floor of her office chewing on her pen, watching a video about the bio-experiments that had been newly discovered from Raccoon city. She didn't seem to be buying a word of it.

Chris' scream was extremely high pitched for a man of his size. The sound startled Sherry enough that she jabbed him hard on the side with her fist. When he moaned loudly in pain she she shoved herself backwards, glaring at the tarp covered form.
"Jill...I think I think I need an ice wrap..." Chris groaned.

Molly shook her head, a single tear sliding off her nose and dripping onto her jeans. "I understand wanting to hurt those that hurt him but..." She sighed softly. Maybe she had never really known Albert Wesker at all. The things she had seen over the course of a month made her wonder.

Jill was smirking again, glad she had at least taught Sherry how to punch well. “What’s up, Red? I thought fighting like a girl was a bad thing in your world?” She teased. 

Claire didn’t understand this woman. She didn’t know who she was, or how she fit into Albert Wesker’s world, but knowing him was enough to make her untrustworthy. Despite this, she slowly reaches into the rations and picked a few pieces of Mac and cheese up with dirty fingers that shook as she lifted them to her mouth. This could be it. This could be the kindness laced with poison that finally killed her. Did she even care at this point?

"Come on." Chris grunted, rolling over and tossing the tarp aside. "You two are still girls. It would take a man on...drugs and a Trex to take me down." He bragged. "You're just jealous. Now go to bed. You have school."
Sherry's mouth dropped open. "But it's three pm on Saturday afternoon!"

Molly grabbed her hand and pushed a rag into it. " Wash your hand or you'll reinfect yourself." She warned. "I have better food but we have to be careful."

“Aww, is somebody sulking because he got beat up by a little girl?” Jill asked, reaching out and messing up his hair as she grinned at Sherry. “Maybe he’s just cranky and needs a nap? Need me to go get me bear?”

Malnutrition had left Claire barely able to focus and dehydration had often lead to her hallucinating. Sometimes she saw Leon… so clean and perfect. But he didn’t come to Rockford island, why would he come now? “Maybe I was infection? I’m tired…” She breathed. Claire had been fighting for so long she didn’t even care if death came any more.

In the middle of the following week Chris received a call that had him standing outside on the balcony and closing the door behind him. It was a long while before he came back inside to his lover and the young woman that was now in their care. He looked rather grim as he sat back at the table and picked up the paper he'd been writing down math equations on. "I don't see how you can have so many of these problems, kid." He grumbled. "Even Claire didn't...Jill...what the hell does x and z have to do with each other? This is insane! Why not give them both a gun and then nobody has anything!"

It was raining the morning that Wesker returned home from Alaska. Molly was out running. Much to the chagrin of the staff she was once again trying to out run her handlers and for the moment she was succeeding. 
Proud of herself and out of breath, the slender woman found a shop to get in out of the rain. She smiled when she saw the long row of dresses and lace. She couldn't help herself. She'd never gotten a chance to wear a wedding dress of her own. What was the harm in simply trying one on? 
Several dresses later she came out of the room to show the shop owner, feeling rather silly for having wasted the woman's time. She paused smoothing flowing skirts down in front of her. The woman gestured to her to turn around as she smiled. 
Molly looked at herself in the mirror one more time before she obeyed. Was she seeing things or were her scars heavily faded and her skin and eyes all but glowing? "I feel like a queen." She said as she turned around, the material swishing regally.

“Oh no, you wanted to take Math, you made me do the science problems. No swapsies!” Jill declared from where she was sat on the floor flicking through a biology textbook.

The elderly woman was grinning, even discreetly trying to wipe a tear from her eye. “Oh honey, you almost look like one too! All that’s missing…” She scurried off, and returned with a crystal tiara. “There… perfect…” She gushed, placing it on the top of Molly’s head.

"Why don't we tell them the truth? Sherry is a genius like her parents? And I mean us. Then she'll get a free ride to college and we're done with this shit." He tossed his pencil at Jill, laughing when it bounced off her head. 
He noted that Sherry wasn't even bothering with the homework. She had the outline of a gun under the paper she was supposed to be working on. She wasn't paying any attention to them.

Molly pushed back her wild curls as she always did and stared at herself for a long while. She looked like someone else. Someone beautiful and sure of herself. It was too bad Wesker would never see this side of her. At least not like this.
"I'm sorry." She said after a moment, taking off the tiara and handing it to the woman. She did it reluctantly. "I've wanted so much of your time. I'll pay you for it." She added softly,  gathering the skirts up and running for the dressing room.

Jill scowled and tossed the pencil back. “Oh sure, let’s draw more attention to our situation.” She snorted. “We need her to fit in. Becky was hardly a social butterfly after being the youngest one in her class the whole time she was there. I don’t want that for Sherry. I wasn’t as much normal as possible.”

“Who is he?” The woman was stood just outside the dressing room. “Either you’re worried about the cost… or how he will react, so which is it?”

"I tried out for cheer squad today." Sherry said absently. She was still staring hard at the gun schematics as Chris prepare to throw the pencil back at Jill.
 He made a face. "Oh god. She going to turn out like those girls from the Heathers."

Molly took off the dress and simply sat on the floor, pulling her knees to her chest. "I'm so stupid." She breathed. "All this time. Saving myself.. dreaming of my life with him. He...he didn't even wait." She was so used to burying everything, she didn't know why this was bothering her. "He never even says I love you." She sniffed. "Something so simple and all he can say is I adore you." Molly horrified herself with fresh sobs. " We're not even married anymore but he says we are. How can we be when he has women all over the world?" She added softly. "I can't compete with that."

“No, you mean she’s going to turn out like all your high school conquests.” Jill snorted, though was already scrambling over to Sherry and embracing her tightly. “I’m sure you were perfect!”

“Oh honey… if he’s that awful, why do you care?” The elderly woman asked, unaware that the man she was damning was powerful enough to have her suddenly ‘retire’.

Sherry blushed deeply. "They gave me a spot." She confessed. "I couldn't help but think my dad would have been ashamed. He hated sports. He was always complaining about how fit Wesker was."
" Too bad he never met me." Chris snorted, standing up to show off his biceps. " He'd really have been jealous then. "Babes this way, beach that." He grunted, flexing more.
Sherry groaned and laughed, "How do you put up with this? He's worse than a jock!"

"Because I love him. Nothing has changed. Not even his cruel nature." Molly whispered. "I feel so lost and helpless. I hate this feeling. He has no idea and... I don't think he cares." Again she ssniffed. "I've been so alone for so long."

Jill rolled her eyes and pretended to gag. “I needed someone to unscrew pickle jars.” She remarked, glancing to Chris and poking her tongue out as she wrinkled her nose. “Don’t you worry about what anyone but you thinks, Sherry. If doing this makes you happy, then I will be right there on the side lines watching you every game.” She assured the young woman. 

An arm reaches through the curtain, holding out a box of tissues. “Are you so certain it is live then? Is it not perhaps just an aversion to being alone again?” The elderly woman asked gently.

"Really?" Sherry looked at Jill as if she'd offered her a million dollars. She hugged her hard. "I'll make you proud. She promised.
" You always make us proud, kid." Chris said softly. He remembered when Claire had said the same thing. His heart felt like it was breaking all over again. Silently he left the apartment, deciding it was time to deal with the news he'd gotten. Anything was better than being reminded he was probably going to let yet another person down.

"On his part no." Molly breathed, taking the box and holding it tightly. "I'm so sorry I wasted your time. Please don't let me keep you from others." After a long moment she got to her feet and pushed open the door, wondering why the bright shop had gone so dark. 
This was not a good thing. When she saw the elderly woman covered in blood on the floor she knew. 
"Where are you going, dear? Did you not think we would find you?" Alex Wesker was on the far end of the store, her white suit mixing with the bridal dresses. "You don't belong here. You never will." The cruel woman hissed.

Jill hugged Sherry a little tighter when Chris left without saying where. Every time that happened, Jill worried it was because their little slice of heaven hadn’t been as solidly reclaimed as she had thought. Did he know? The truth she had asked Leon to keep hidden?

The security who had been keeping tabs on Molly were in a panic outside when the store went dark. They were already on the radio to their employer, knowing he would have their heads regardless.

Chris stopped at the convenience store for his usual pack of cigarettes and beer. His dark mood had him buying as extra pack of both. It was looking to be a long night. 
He waved to the woman behind the counter and tossed the items in his truck. Maybe it was best if he just had his pity party on the balcony. Then Jill could pick up the pieces. This thought brought a smile to his lips. He liked that. What would he do without her?

Molly gritted her teeth as the other woman slammed her hard against the back wall. The heavy row of dresses came talking down on her. "Aww. What's wrong? Isn't he teaching you how to play with the monsters?" Alex laughed. 
While she mocked her Molly crouched on the floor, stripping a hanger to use as a weapon. 
"That's right, he's probably keeping you in a gilded cage." The blonde woman purred. "He never did that with me. I was never so fragile." She laughed. 
Molly launched at her from a row of light pink gowns, lltrying to kick her off her feet. She was using the now sharp hanger as a distraction. She didn't expect Alex to be so fast. 
In no more than a moment the broken hanger was taken from her and shoved in her midsection. Then she was thrown to the floor, sliding through the woman's blood. "He doesn't want something like you." Alex hissed in her face. "You are broken. Why don't you die?"

The woman was smiling dreaming as she leaned on the counter with her chime in her hand, watching Chris through the window. He always came here alone, she had no reason to assume he was taken. She happened to glance down and saw he had left one of the packs of cigarettes behind. Steeling her chance she ran out to his truck. “Hey, big guy, you forgot these.” The small redhead held the cigarettes out with what she thought was a seductive smile. 

“Funny, I often wondered the same about you.” Wesker sneered in his crazy sister’s hear as he slowly pushed his fingers through her lower back, curling around her spine. “One little tug is all it would take.” He purred as he blood dripped down his arm.

"Thanks, kiddo." The woman reminded him of Claire. It was the only reason he came to this place so much. He took the pack and ruffled her hair, thinking nothing of it. "You be careful. Okay?" He added, giving her his usual brotherly grin.

Alex cut her eyes at her brother, angry that she'd lost the ability to continue stepping on the other woman's injuries. "She will never be one of us." She ground out. "You're kidding yourself to think it. Take out the trash and come home. Father needs you."

The young woman’s shoulders slumped and she muttered something that sounded like ‘those things will kill you’ as she retreated back to her post. 
Chris wouldn’t get to escape to the balcony when he did return to the apartment. Jill was already out there, a blanket around her shoulders as she looked out across the city. She had given Sherry money to go hang out with some of the girls from school. Jill still worried that she was going to mess this second chance up. 

Wesker have a short snort of laughter. “You think I want her to be like us? We are monsters, Alex. We are not a family, and there is no father.” He pulled his hand back and kicked her to the ground beside where Molly lay. “But feel free to tell him I am coming, and that I know he has something that belongs to me.”

"Are you going to teach her the STARS cheer?" Chris asked as he sat down and opened a beer for her. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her temple and then one on her lips. "Remember the night you and Claire came up with that?"

"He...is ashamed of you." Alex gasped out. "You are fooling... yourself...you can't have anything lovely...you will...break it...again..." 
Molly pushed to her feet, not seeming to realize just how much blood she was losing and stumbled to Wesker's side. Oddly she could see the dress she'd tried on still hanging on the door. "It was so pretty..." She coughed, blood gushing past her lips.
Alex laughed. "Uh-oh. Albie. I broke your toy."

Jill rolled her eyes at the memory. “Oh please, you know damn well neither of us had ever held cheering aspirations in our lives.” She remarked, grinning at him before taking a drink from her beer. “You, however, did look cute in the little uniform.” She teased. 

Wesker scooped Molly up into his arms before she could say any more. “You sound jealous that I have toys to break.” He sneered. “Dear Alex… you always were alone, even the creatures could never stand to be around you. But seeing as you have an obsession with broken toys… I have a gift I may consider sending you… one day.” He remarked, though was already leaving.

Chris laughed. "You were just jealous." He said, pretending to be offended. "Leon called...said Wesker stomped the shit out of him in Alaska. He said he was looking for someone called Ozwel Spencer. "

Molly's head rested against against Wesker's shoulder and she sighed. "Are we home yet, Mr Wesker?"' she breathed.

Jill returned to staring out at the city lights, taking another swig of her beer. “Why did he call you?” She finally asked without looking at Chris. “Did something go wrong? Other than the boyscout getting his pretty face stomped?”

“And where is home?” Wesker breathed, more for his own feelings than anything else. Albert Wesker had never had a home, not really. He had been gone for a week… and this was what he came back to. He was silent as he drove Molly home, not saying another word until he had her sterilised and reader for him to heal her wounds. “You are better than this.” He told her gently. “Alex is just another monster… she should not have gotten the better of you.”

Chris never answered Jill. As the winter months went by he devoted his time to the newly formed BSAa company and helping with Sherry's cheer squad. It truly seemed he'd forgotten about whatever it was Leon had told him.
On that night, with their apartment filled with giggling and swooning teenage girls, it was the furthest thing from his mind. Sherry's first slumber party was going off with out a hitch...so far.

Molly was sure she'd made her former husband hate her. Since returning from the bridal shop  she'd seen even less of him than before. That didn't mean her security detail was any less. 
That afternoon she was giving her new guard a reason to panic as she once again slipped back into town. This time she had a special purpose. 
The shop she'd seen a few months ago carried the very items she was looking for. She was so excited to finally go inside. She only wished Jake could join her.

Jill was flipping through a file stamped with the BSAA logo, her brown reader slightly she mulled over whatever was inside. That was until she heard the shrill shriek of a teenage girl, and she smirked slightly; no doubt they were gushing over how much they loved Sherry’s adoptive father. Though they were young themselves to be taking on a fifteen year old girl, Jill wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Wesker had come back with several samples from Alaska, and had been feverishly working at creating something new to torture Claire with. He noted  that she had somehow pushed through an infection she had had before he left, and it filled him with suspicion.

Chris had gone to bed early and missed the pillow fight and the horror movie argument between the girls that followed. He also missed the phone call from Carlos to Jill. It was probably for the best. The slumber party would have been the least of their problems.

Molly returned to the labs, a box in her hands. She passed the room where Wesker was, laughing at the man who was supposed to be her guard. "You mean you've never had Potstickers, Shane? We'll totally change that! There's this Chinese place in town I'll take you to. They have the most amazing pork fried rice."

Jill’s smile faded when she answered her phone, and she glanced around before slipping out onto the balcony. “NOW you ducking call?” She hissed. 

“Pork?” Shane asked, wrinkling his nose. “Sorry Miss Molly, but that’s not for me.” Apparently Shane had seen one too many experiments. He had discovered the hard way that a burning human body smelled just like roast pork.

"It's good to hear your voice The last time we spoke.. I was so sure it was the last." Carlos said, making it clear he was keeping his voice low. "How's the meathead?" He snorted. He was tapping his fingers on the receiver, knowing she hated the sound. 

"Okay...how about butter chicken?" Molly asked. "There's this Indian food place beside the shop we went to yesterday. I've been dying to try it." She patted his arm and stopped at the door to Wesker's office. 
Quietly she went inside and closed the door. She sat down a small wooden box in front of her former husband, her eyes red rimmed. She wiped the corners with her ring finger. "Happy anniversary. Since you no longer belong to me, I thought we could celebrate your death day. It seems that the latter is more to your liking."
Inside the box was carefully folded paper work. It was more of promissory notes than anything else. He would swear to find their son and she would not reveal his location to anyone. And finally he would agree to let her go right then and there.

Jill moved the phone away from her ear slightly and scowled, well aware of what he was doing. “Last time we spoke you betrayed every modicum of trust I had ever placed in you!” She hissed, running her fingers through her hair as she paced along the balcony. 

Wesker had been hand writing several notes at his desk when Molly entered, observations on an experiment he was running. It was something personal, but every now and then he enjoyed the tactile feel of worsting, rather than typing. He slowly lifted his gaze, though it was the. Ox she had brought, rather than Molly herself. “Why such an sudden obsession with ownership?” He asked, though had yet to open the box.

"And you don't think you dumping me for meat head before I've even had a chance understand what's going on is a bit of a head scratcher?" Carlos hissed,

Molly stared at the box, chewing on her thumbnail. "Since you no longer seem to have any interest in me..." Molly's tone was soft. "Ive met someone."

Jill pursed her lips together; she had to give him that one. “You dragged me out of there and tried to leave chris and Sherry to die!” She hissed. “Then I find out you’re working for fucking Nicholai!”

The desk suddenly groaned with the force Wesker gripped the edge of it. “Who. You will tell me who, right fucking now!” He growled, losing the control he was so famous for. Whoever it was; he was going to die a slow and painful death.