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.

Carlos cleared his throat in a way that meant he was denying her words. "No one ever said that." He said firmly. "Besides that I told you over and over, I loved you. I didn't care what became of Chris and Sherry. I never even looked back when the car exploded." For a long moment he was silent. "I was calling to give you a heads up BECAUSE I still love you, though I'm not sure how or why." The bitterness in his tone was tangible. "Umbrella found Sherry. They've been watching her for the last month. They even put a plant on the football team. He was her first kiss." Jill's former lover cursed, oddly enough feeling sorry for the little blonde. "Now, here's the last bit. There is a plan to infect the student body until she is isolated. Whoever is with you is just...in the way."

Molly pretended to ignore Wesker's tantrum. "He took me out dancing yesterday. Did your men tell you?" She asked, reaching over and taking the box from Wesker's desk. "He asked me to marry him." She finished, opening it.

Jill dropped down into one of the chairs out there in the balcony, not sure which piece of information cut the deepest. “How do I trust you ever loved me, after what you did? It doesn’t matter who Chris and Sherry are, you don’t just leave people to die, Carlos!” She was about to finish with a ‘we’re supposed to be the goods guys’, but stopped herself. She didn’t to ask what he meant by ‘whoever is with you’. That bit was pretty clear. “When?” She asked, her voice a soft whisper. “How long do I have?” Even as she asked it, she was peeking back through the door, wishing she could keep Sherry from yet more horror. Despite his betrayal, Jill still felt the heavy guilt of the way things had ended with Carlos. She felt like the worlds biggest asshole for doing what she always did; dropping everything and everyone wherever Chris Redfield was concerned. 

Wesker slammed a hand down on top of the box, prevent Molly from pulling it back any further. “You can’t marry him, despite the joy you got from your own apparent death… we are still married!” He was like a rabid dog, his yellow eyes almost seeming to glow. “You don’t need to tell me who he is. I WILL find him, and I will end him.”

"Tomorrow evening. You know how they like to do things. In a crowd." Carlos said. "Last I heard it will be during half time." The silence after that was deafening. Though it was only on his end. Chris was in the center of the giggling girls as the practiced their dance for the half time show. He had a set of pom poms and he was giving it his all. None of the girls could dance. Sherry's face was a lovely shade of beet. "Good luck, Super Cop." Carlos whispered. "You know I love you. But I can't stand...him." 

The redwood box had all but shattered. Molly frowned at this but simply shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Spencer himself annulled the marriage. And happily. He forced me to sign it in blood. The papers are in the box." Her chin was held high, her jaw clenched. Every word was painful but true. "Even if he hadn't you said yourself my husband died three years ago. Inside the box is your death certificate. I have been busy in the last few months." Without looking away from him she took several steps back toward the door. "I asked for help finding my son and you have told me nothing. You have ignored me and treated me like I was unworthy of your time."

Jill had to turn away from the scene in the living room. She didn’t even want to tell Chris any of what Carlos had just divulged to her. Ever the martyr, she thought this was a burden she needed to carry alone. He was happy, Sherry was happy. She couldn’t snatch that away from them unless there was. No other choice. “Carlos… please don’t say that.” She finally whispered, now slumped on the very chair she and Chris had sat and watched the sunrise only a few days previous. “It doesn’t have to be this way… whatever Nikolai has on you, I can help. Just walk away.” 

In a terrifying mood shift, Wesker’s anger simply disappeared. He was again cool and collected. “I see. So you have all the answers, what else is there for me to say?” He asked, again simply seated at his desk. “Go. Be a good little Spencer chew toy.” He added with a snort, turning his back on Molly as his swivelled in his seat to attend to the computer on the wall behind him.

"Maybe before he knew how I felt about you." Carlos whispered. "But now...If I want to make sure you stay safe for as long as possible...I will stay put and in his service. Now goodbye, Jill." Carlos hung up, leaving Jill alone to do with what she would with the information he'd given her. All of it. 

Molly sighed and dropped down into the chair she'd started out in. "Seriously? That's all you've got? You're not even going to fight for me?" She'd been hoping he'd grab her and apologize for ignoring her and beg her not to leave him. But all he did was turn his back on her as he'd done that night at the bridal shop. Alex had been right. Her poison was more than working.

Jill stayed where she sat, angrily wiping at her eyes. No matter what she did, somebody was the loser in this scenario. Unless she simply cut the snakes head off herself. Chris had had his mission against Wesker… Nikolai was hers. If she disposed of him, she freed Carlos. However, that wasn’t something she could do in less than twenty four hours. For now Sherry was her concern, but again, she wasn’t going to ruin her life by telling her all of this. Jill let out a long sigh and reached under the chair for the cigarettes and lighter Chris thought she didn’t know he kept hidden there, then stared up at the stars and took a long drag. It was her last moment of tranquility. 

Wesker kept his back to Molly, keeping her from seeing what he saw in the monitor in front of him. “Why? You have someone else. You judged me before considering all the evidence. You think you deserve any more from me?” He asked icily, watching a surveillance video mo more than a few days old of Jake. He wasn’t in the. Haines of hopes and dreams. He collected hard evidence and followed it through, something he had been doing before allowing Molly to get her own hopes up.

"Are you okay?" Sherry managed to pull herself away from her friends. She'd noticed that Jill was outside alone and smoking. It wasn't something the elder woman did unless something was wrong. "Did that butt head say something again? Want me to go stomp on his toes again?" She sat down in that opposite chair, folding her legs under her. "Hey, did I tell you thank you for everything? I love you guys so much for everything. I'm really loving my life here. I couldn't imagine where I'd be without you." 

Molly shoved to her feet, her heart dropping into her stomach. "Up until this point I've been telling him no. But today I've changed my mind. Goodbye, Mr. Wesker. I'm sure the next time we'll meet will be in hell." She snapped, throwing the door open hard enough for it to create a hole in the wall.

Those words tore Jill up inside. It was all she wanted for Sherry; to be happy and have a normal life. But to hear that exactly what she had on the eve it could all be snatched away was like a knife to the gut. “You know I love you, and would do absolutely anything for you, right?” She asked, turning her face slightly so she didn’t blow smoke directly at Sherry. “If you tell me you’re happy, I would go to the ends fo the earth to keep you that way.” She was purposefully leaving Chris out of the conversation, still not sure how much she was going to involve him. After all, he deserved happy too, after what had happened to Claire. 

“You assume hell would take me… my love.” He breathed once Molly had stormed off. Everything he did, was to give her what she wanted, which right then was their son. He had been tracking Jake all this time, but knew Molly would go running off without reliable intel if she got even a hint of where their son was.

Sherry nodded. "After what's happened the last few times I have no doubt." She said solemly. "Oh did I show you my report card?" She asked. "Let me guess...I don't have to...You know how smart I am." She laughed. "Does this mean I can go to homecoming?" She added hopefully. "Allen Wesker asked me." She was grinning, the name meaning nothing to her. "I want you guys to meet him tomorrow before the game. Please?" Sherry was leaning forward in her seat, looking more like a regular girl than she ever had. "He's sooo hot. I mean...He's nice." She laughed sheepishly.

Molly had no man in the wing and really had no plans. But that didn't stop her from grabbing a bag and stuffing clothes inside. It didn't matter that she had no way to get anywhere and she really had no idea where she was. She was angry and slighted and once again she felt destroyed. 
She'd worked her way up from being shattered before. She'd do it again.

Jill stared back at Sherry with a horrified expression, though it only lasted the several seconds it took for the cigarette she dropped into her lap the start to burn through her jeans. “Shit…” She was quickly on her feet and patting at the smouldering embers. “Sherry, don’t give me a heart attack like that!” She exclaimed. “I swore you said Wesker for a moment then!” She laughed sheepishly and say back down without further explanation. “How about we don’t tell Chris you’re taking us to meet a hot guy, okay? You know how he is…”

Wesker no longer even looked at the photos and files he had found on Jake. He truly believed that Molly had found someone else. She was a. Rush to ful woman, and even if you ignored physical appearance, she was strong and fierce. She reminded him of someone else… perhaps that was why he had taken an interest in her training… no… Molly was so much more than that inferior copy had been.

Sherry laughed again. "Oh alright." She handed Jill her drink and got up. "Tomorrow is going to be so much fun! Be careful next time. Ok?" She added, running back inside. 
The next afternoon Sherry met the two of them on the football field, her hair covered in red and black glitter. It matched the schools colors and it was clear the girls had gone overboard with it. "You guys ready?" She asked, clearly nervous. She hadn't missed the fact that Jill had been standoffish since she'd gotten her phone call. She also knew better than to bring it up. 

It had taken Molly a great deal of effort to get Claire out of the combat rooms. She'd stolen weapons and had fought monsters she'd never even seen before. She had no idea her former lover would be able to view the footage of it later that day. 
She'd finally managed to drag the younger woman out, both of them covered in blood of all types. Even their own. She'd left Wesker a single word scrawled on the wall with her combat knife. UNDERESTIMATION. She was sure he'd know what it meant.

Jill offered Sherry a strained smile, though her hand was grilling tightly to Chris’. She had been a bundle of nerves all day, jumping at every sound, looking over her shoulder constantly. She would get Chris and Sherry out of there if it happened, and never look back. 

Claire cowered slightly when they stepped outside, the sunlight burning harshly at her now sensitive eyes. She audit seen daylight in a long time, nor had she had the chance to breathe in clean air. She simply stood there for a long moment, savouring it as though she thought this were her last moment of joy before her execution.

Behind Sherry was a slim young man with frost blonde hair. He held hands with her in an easy manner, nothing that Chris would find too overbearing. When they were close enough he stepped beside Sherry and was quick to say hello, his smile pure. "Hi." His voice was soft and deep and almost familiar. "I've been told so much about you two I feel as if I know you." He laughed in a way that had Chris giving Jill a sharp look. "My name is Allen Wesker." He finished, holding out his hand.

Molly found them a place to stay a few miles away. She was glad she'd made friends in the village where she jogged every day. She was sure these people would hide them away until she could locate people Claire knew to come and take her somewhere better. 
The next afternoon she sat on the computer of a woman who insisted she call her Ommi. The old woman told her that in German it meant grandmother. It truly felt as if the woman was just that. She was feeding them, helping to tend their wounds, and even teaching her a few things about her people in the middle of it all. 
It was all very lucky that they'd found Ommi but she was having no luck finding anyone else.

Jill felt Chris tense up and slid her arms around him, effectively acting as a barrier to keep him from lashing out. “I’d like to say Sherry has told us all about you, but she’s been unusually tight lipped.” She commented, and though she shook the hand offered, her smile wasn’t exactly warm. 

Claire had said little since getting there. She sat on the guest bed, knees hugged to her chest as she stared out the window. It was almost as though she was looking for someone who had no idea where she was. Every now and then a fat tear rolled down her cheeks as she focused on her reflection rather then the world outside; would he even recognise her any more?

Allen's fingers were like ice. He took his hand back rather slowly, almost as if he were offended. "It was a joke." He said softly. "She hasn't said anything about you either. Except the usual things about adoptive parents. It's how we met. An after school support group." He smiled down at her. His tall lanky form towering over her. 
Sherry blushed. "Yeah, I was going to tell you guys I was going but I've been so busy with everything else and it's only the one day a week. I thought you would be okay with it..." 
Chris was breathing heavily at this point, his chest rising and falling wildly. He was almost sure he was about to explode. 

"Do you know a guy named Leon?" Molly asked from where she sat at the desk. She was leaning back so far she had nearly fallen back several times. She had no idea that Wesker himself was feeding her this information, even though she'd stolen his toy right out from under his nose.

Jill could feel it, and gently laid her hand against his chest, silently willing him to keep calm. “A support group? You needed… support?” She asked, a sad gaze resting on Sherry. 

“Leon?” For the first time Claire’s raspy voice seemed to sound a little lighter at the mere mention of that name. She turned from the window, bruised eyes fixed on Molly. “Oh… but it’s probably not him…” she breathed no more than a split second later. Hope snatched away as quickly as it had seeded. Wesker had indeed been thorough in his abuse of his toy.

"Actually..." Allen was quick to step in between them. "She started it. She saw that there was a need at our school. There's a dozen kids that have been adopted. We are...all trying to understand why our parents no longer care for us. Or something of the sort." He put an arm around her shoulders, taking a careful glance at Chris. The well built man was clenching his fists but he had yet to speak. 
Sherry gave a hopeful glance toward Jill. "Can he sit with you guys during the game?" 
Chris grunted and looked at Jill, a clear sign that he disagreed with this. He poked her hard, but continued his stony silence. 

"So not this guy?" She turned to the side so that Claire could see the man on the camera. 
It was Leon. There was no doubt. He was a little bruised and dirty, his hair muddy and all but hanging in his eyes. He basically looked as he had the last time she'd seen him in Raccoon City. Though his eyes were darker. "Claire?" His voice cracked. "Baby? Is that you? Oh god. I'm dreaming again..."

Jill felt she had failed Sherry. It was heartwarming that the young girl had wanted to help others, but this drew unwanted attention to their situation, after all… she and Chris hadn’t exactly been legal in their ‘adoption’ of the blonde orphan. She felt the finger in her ribs and shot Chris a warning glare he only ever got when she was seriously mad. “Surely someone like him should be sitting with the other boyfriends of cheerleaders?” She asked, a thinly veiled revelation that she didn’t like this kid. 

“Leon…” Claire scrambled from the bed she had been sat on, her legs basically giving way beneath her as she made it to the computer. “Oh god… I…” She couldn’t even speak as sobs began to shake her painfully thin frame.

"Actually, Sherry. I'm playing the Mascott tonight." Allen seemed to relish in this announcement. He had no idea the horror it was about to cause. "I get to be the Nemesis." He said proudly. "The suit and everything." 
Sherry's mouth dropped open and she glanced over at Chris and then Jill. She was no longer smiling. "Uhm...Uh...What happened to Angel?" She asked quietly. "And I thought it was called something else?" 
"Angel had an accident." The young man said, shaking his head though it was clear he was in no way sorry. "No, it was always Nemesis. You were in the meeting at the beginning." He added cheerfully. "Okay, it was nice to meet you guys. I guess. I'll see you out there, Sherry." He said, turning to leave. He had no idea how close he came to being punched by Chris.

"I'm on the way." Leon was already speaking, his voice wavering. "I'm so sorry." His nose was running. "Claire..." He said her name more than a dozen times before he was blubbering. "I don't blame you if you don't forgive me but...please...let me get you home?" 

Molly had lifted her tiny frame up and placed her in the chair and wrapped a blanket around her before she went outside. She lit up a cigarette but didn't smoke it. It simply felt like something Albert would hate and in that small way it made her feel better.

Chris would be the one having to hold Jill back now. Terror had gripped her and she wanted. I thing more than to rip Allen’s head off. Everything was imploding around her, and she no longer knew where to turn. Trying to protect everyone she cared for was turning out to be the very worst path she could have chosen. 

Claire’s fingers were stroking Leon’s face on the screen as he sobbed her name. To look at him almost seemed like no time had passed. They had gotten no more than one night together after escaping the city, but somehow that had been enough for him to utterly steal her heart. Enough that even when she had lost all hope… she still had his face in her dreams. “Leon… what would Ibhave to blame you for?” She finally asked softly.

Chris had his arms around Jill the moment Allen was out of sight. Sherry had left sensing that she was the source of the problem. "Breathe, Valentine." He whispered in her ear. "It's just a mascot. We're safe here, babe." He turned her to face him, kissing her forehead. "It's just coincidence. Stupid cocky kid..." 

"I should have come when you called me." He choked on this sentence trying not to sob. "I'm so stupid. I thought you would be okay. Then Chris said...I should have come...We're a team. Right? Bad shit always happens when we're apart..." It took him awhile to be able to speak again. "The woman who called...do I want to know? What do I tell Chris?"

Jill had her eyes screwed shut as she tried to calm herself. Chris’ voice rumbling her name had certainly helped, but she was still on the edge of terror. After a moment of simply doing as he said, and inhaling through her nose, out through her mouth, Jill finally leaned forward. She embraced Chris and buried her face into his chest. She had to tell him. But for this brief moment, she was simply breathing him in.  

Claire shook her head, pressing her cracked lips firmly together. She glanced to the window, able to see just a glimpse of Molly’s red hair. “Please… don’t tell him anything, not yet. I… don’t want him to see me,  not like this.” She whispered, gesturing to just the bruises Leon would be able to see on her face.

Chris held her like this as long as she needed. He knew something wasn't right but he wasn't about to ask. He'd learned from the endless nights of nightmares that they'd been through that when she was ready she would tell him. 

"All right. I'll be there in a few hours. You rest until then and we'll figure it all out then. But...do I need to bring anything more? You know...guns? Do I need to be ready to kill that woman? I know she called but we can't trust anyone." Leon said softly, looking rather sheepish.

To anyone who knew they were Sherry’s guardians, it simply looked like a touching moment, not one of them having a meltdown. “Chris… we need to talk. There’s… something I need to tell you.” She finally whispered, though still had her face close to his chest. He was warm, and she felt indestructible so long as those arms were around her. But it couldn’t last. It never did. 

Claire glanced to the window again, then back to Leon with only the slightest of nods. though Molly had been kind to her, Claire had lost her ability to trust. It was the one thing she had always been good with, and Wesker had stripes that from her. “Get here soon, please… I need you.” She breathed.

Chris had that strange flutter in his stomach. He couldn't help but hug Jill hard. "You're...You're pregnant!" He swept her up in his arms and danced around the parking lot with her. "See! I told you! Everything is working out! With the proposal tonight and a baby and the BSAA! God Jill! We're going to be okay!" When he set her down he kissed her deeply, joy dancing in his bright green eyes. 

Leon hated to kill people he didn't really know and pulling up information on a woman who had simply called herself Molly didn't help. By the time he'd arrived in the German town she'd called Olaf, he was as confused as he'd been before she'd called him. 
But when he stepped off the plane he had his gun in his pocket. He knew where Claire was. They no longer needed the woman called Molly. He had no idea what a mistake he was about to make. 
She had no more than shaken his hand and he had placed his gun to her heart and fired. 
Molly fell to the ground as Leon simply walked by her, blood spilling from her lips. She'd tried to be kind. Maybe Albert was right. What good was being kind? What had it ever gotten her? What did it matter now? She was about to die alone...again.

Jill wanted to throw her head back and scream. She wanted the ground to swallow her up, hell, even for a truck to hit her. He looked so fucking happy. How was she supposed to crush that out of him? “A baby would make you this happy?” She finally asked, taking his face gently between her hands as she simply drank in the pure joy radiating off him right then. Jill needed a taste of it. 

Claire had been sleeping when Molly left to go pick Leon up. Her body has been pushed beyond the normal human breaking point, but somehow… she had kept going. However, it was catching up with her. Though she had told Leon she didn’t trust Molly, she would never have wished harm on the elder woman. It wasn’t trust, but Claire did know she owed her a great deal.

"A little..." Chris said again feeling sheepish. "Can you imagine a beautiful mini Jill running around?" He laughed, trying his best to kiss her while she held his face. "I'd name her Cassandra and call her Cassi. Oh I can see it all now. She'd have your eyes and Claire's hair..." The name stopped him for a moment, reminding him that he would probably break her too. "Oh god. You're...I'm an idiot." He wailed, pulling his head away from her. "Wait. Don't tell me. Wait till half time. Okay?" He was still smiling as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the stands of the football field. 

Leon dragged the slender woman's body into the wooded area, thinking about the stories his mother had told him of the evils that nestled there. He wasn't going to stick around long enough to find out if they were true. He thought he heard her moan but he convinced himself it was only the wind. 
By the time he reached the town he found that there was no one there, not even the old woman Molly had said who was supposed to be watching over the home where Claire was staying.

Jill thought she was going to be sick, which almost had her laughing hysterically, as it would have supported the pregnancy lie. The second they were surrounded by people however, her anxiety returned. Jill cling tightly to Chris’ arm, though she was scanning the area below for Sherry. They had to get out of there. She never should have let them come in the first place. 

Claire was thankful for the nights she didn’t dream. The deep nothingness was far more preferable to those snake eyes. Every stream, they were there. Watching. Sometimes he spoke to her, taunted her that he would take away every one and every thing she loved, simply because she was a Redfield.

Sherry, however, was down on the field. At the moment she was cheering on the football players as they came spilling onto the field. They were followed closely by a rather large green monster who was roaring and swiping at all the girls. "Look out, Raiders, the Nemesis is back!" The man on the over com shouted. With that the crowd roared. 
Seeing that neither Chris nor Jill were cheering a young man leaned over, "Over the summer the Raiders stole our Mascot suit!" He explained. "They're our enemies! Been that way since my dad was coming here! You get the idea!" He looked excited. "Our guy turns cheerleaders into zombies. They do this dance at half time. But this time some guy is..." 
Chris leaned forward and clamped a hand over the kid's mouth. "Can't hear you!" He shouted. "Not a word!" But to his chagrin the music had stopped and people were laughing. 

Leon sat besid Claire, barely daring to touch her face. It had been so long and he was so sure she was gone. He had mourned her. She had no idea how much. Finally he managed to touch her skin, his heart breaking when he saw how bruised and skinny she was. "Who did this?" He whispered. "Why wasn't I there?" 

Molly was sure she was dead. She could taste dirt. Her fingers barely moved and she certainly couldn't get out more than a breath. "Al..bert..." Had he thought about her with his last moments? Or had he been concerned with revenge? 
She closed her eyes remembering the first day they'd met. They were just two ordinary people with no where to be until they'd decided to challenge each other to a knife throwing competition. They had always been that way. Always trying to one up the other in fun. Laughter. She remembered that they would laugh until they cried. "Where..."

Jill was shaking her head and pulling on Chris’ arm again. “We have to go! We can’t be here!” She insisted, wide blue eyes pleading with him. 

The second she felt the hand touch her, Claire pulled the knife from under her pillow and Leon would quickly find it pressed to his throat. Her once bright eyes were dull and filled with a terror even Jill hadn’t yet known. She was breathing heavily, though the quick breaths soon turned to sobs when she saw Leon’s face. 

Molly hadn’t been as neglected by her husband as she assumed. At some joint during their weeks together, he had injected her with an improved version of the very virus that had saved him from death. She needed to die, to be reborn. Only… she had left him.