Resident Evil 1. An Arrival, A Departure

Chapter 1

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will be landing in New York shortly. Please turn off any electronic devices you may have on at this time." A woman's voice boomed throughout the airplane.

Seated near the back, a man awoke from his slumber, groaning as he rubbed his eyes of any sleep that remained. Jake Muller yawned loudly, stretching his sore muscles from the uncomfortable sleeping position he had previously been in. The flight he was currently on had lasted for the past eight and a half hours; picking him up from somewhere in the middle of Africa.

Normally, a person, who was not allowed in the USA, would have to pull a lot of strings to even find a way in, but all it took for Jake was one phone call and a favor from an agent. That one favor got him a ticket on a first class government plane, its destination: New York. The memory of calling Leon Kennedy brought a smile to his face. He could still hear the angry voice of the agent for waking him up early in the morning on his first day off in a long time apparently.

Jake cracked his knuckles as he looked out the window, the structured buildings of New York covering the ground. They were so close to the airplane he thought for a moment he could reach out and touch them. But all his hand touched was the glass of the window he was looking out of.

Jake looked around the plane, taking in everything around him. The interior of the plane felt the like inside to a large apartment. Despite its large size, only a few seats were scattered around the entire plane. The floor was a light beige color, random tiny rugs spread out all over. The seats themselves were a light cream color, leathery but comfortable enough for him to fall asleep in. The table which his water bottle was resting upon was a type of dark wood, smooth and shiny with the presidential seal painted onto the smooth surface. The wallpaper was a medium dark brown with a smooth feeling to it. At the other end of the plane, Jake could see a bar area with a few politicians enjoying drinks with a pretty blonde woman serving them.

'Funny how the rich people get the best of everything,' Jake thought to himself, a small smirk coming to his lips. He moved his gaze back to everything outside the small sized window. For a moment, Jake was grateful he didn't live in New York. He knew he wouldn't be able to handle the closed in area of buildings that could tower over him seven fold; he couldn't even handle the sound of a village that was too large.

Even though he wouldn't admit it out loud, he knew why he wouldn't be able to handle living in places like this. He just felt too out of place. Growing up in a poor village with his sick mother, it was hard making it through one day, but these people made it through every day with out breaking a sweat. He felt too out of place just being in the plane, that it self was too fancy for his taste.

The only place he knew he wouldn't mind being at the time was standing next to a small blonde woman. The same one who met him in Edonia, escaped with him from the Chinese facility, and saved him in the underwater facility from Ustanak. He owed her more than she knew and he was going to make it up to her in different ways.

The first way he made it up to her was lowering his fifty million dollar price for his blood to fifty dollars and now he was going to surprise her and stay in the USA for a little bit before returning to his mercenary life style. He saved some money away a long time ago, knowing in the future he was going to make a big trip, and now that he had that money he was grateful for the decision he made.

The plane landed and the seat belt sign above his head went off, signaling that he was able to move around. He removed his seat belt, standing up and heading for the exit, his backpack slung onto his shoulder. He didn't really have a lot to bring with him since he didn't really have a permanent place he was planning on staying at. He figured it was better for him to keep moving around from place to place, no reason for him to become emotionally attached to something that could easily be destroyed, or at least that's what he thought.

The flight attendants' and the pilot thanked him for choosing the airline and said their goodbyes', but Jake honestly couldn't care less; he wasn't here for them, he was here for Sherry. Her name sent a tingly sensation throughout his being, his whole body seemed to warm up at the thought of actually getting to see her after so long.

Jake stepped out of the plane and onto the walkway, heading for the inside of the airport. On the way, he turned on his PDA, checking for any messages or missed calls. He usually didn't have any so it surprised him when he found he had missed two calls from Leon. Before he had a chance to call, his PDA screen light up, showing Leon's caller ID. Jake answered and was instantly face to face with Leon himself. "So excited you couldn't wait to see me huh?" said Jake, a small smirk on his lips. Leon scoffed, "In your dreams Muller. I'm actually calling you to let you know I'm not the one picking you up today."

Jake stopped as he stepped out of the walkway, leaning against the wall, "You didn't tell Sherry did you?" he questioned. Leon simply shook his head, "And ruin all your hard work for the surprise? Hardly, but I will admit the thought crossed my mind." Jake cleared his throat and shifted from the foot he was leaning on to the other, "Oh really," Jake questioned, "Then who, exactly, is picking me up today pretty boy?" Leon shook his head at the comment before replying, "Redfield's younger sister, Claire." The hand Jake was using to hold his backpack gripped the strap tightly, his insides boiling slightly to the mention of Chris's name.

Even though Jake knew his father was crazy and ruined Jake's life as a child, he kept battling himself constantly about how he felt towards Chris. He didn't hate the man; he just couldn't forgive him for killing his father. Jake would have rather killed the crazy son of a bitch himself.

It took a moment for Jake to remember that Leon was still connected to his PDA. He sighed and asked, "So what's the little lady look like anyway? I've never met her before and I'd hate to walk up to a drag queen by mistake." Leon laughed lightly before replying, "She's obviously a girl, about 5'6, Dark red head, oh and she will probably be wearing something red if I'm not mistaken…" Leon paused, the expression of 'deep thought' written all over his face. Jake laughed at him, "Sounds like you know this girl on a personal level, pretty boy."

Leon nodded before replying, "Well she's been my partner many times before so yeah you could say that." Partners, Jake thought, Sherry's face passing through his mind. She was his partner, his first and last. He didn't know if their partnership could be on a personal level but Jake liked to think it was more than just 'partners'.

Jake was about to ask another question when Leon looked away from Jake, his attention taken by another person talking with him. "Yes ma'am, it's him. Okay ma'am, I understand. I will notify him right away." Leon looked back to Jake who wore a bored expression on his face. "That was Director Hunnigan," Leon explained, "She asked me to inform you that we couldn't get permission to keep you in a hotel funded by the DSO." Jake looked at him hard, and eyebrow raised. "So that means what exactly?" Jake questioned.

"It means as of now, you have no place to stay while you are here; unless you actually have a friend here in New York you can stay with?" Leon sighed. Jake made a sound of annoyance before replying, "I'll figure something out." Leon nodded, "Claire should be there by now, so I will let you go so you can go find her." Jake nodded and replied, "Stay gorgeous Leon." He hung up before another word escaped Leon's lips.

Jake cursed slightly to himself. He didn't plan on this; not having a place to stay. That was part of the favor Jake had asked Leon for. Even though Jake had the money to afford a motel, he only planned on using his money for emergencies. Besides, from what Sherry would tell him, motels down here were either disgusting or expensive. He couldn't ask to crash at Leon's place, he had already done enough by getting him into the U.S., and he couldn't even stand the thought of asking Redfield; that would just be too tense for him.

Jake trudged through the airport, making his way to the entrance where multiple people stood, most of them holding signs. He scanned the never ending line of signs before his eyes fell upon a certain one. All it had written upon it was 'Jake'. Not 'Jake Muller' or 'Jake M.', just 'Jake'. He was about to keep looking when he looked at the owner of the sign. It was a red headed woman about 5'6 with her hair pulled back into a high ponytail, wearing a dark red shirt with a vest and black jeans. When he made eye contact with her, he saw she had deep brown eyes that reminded him of chocolate.

Jake smirked, giving Leon credit for having such an accurate description. Although he had a feeling that even if he didn't know what she looked like, he would have been able to tell from her structured stance and hard gaze that was amazingly similar to Chris. He made his way over to her, "Hey, are you Claire Redfield?" She nodded and asked, "And you're Jake Muller I presume?" He nodded stiffly. The way she said his name, it made it sound like she knew something bad about him. Claire tore the sign and gestured for Jake to follow as she went to a trash bin, throwing away the pieces and walking out the sliding doors.

Jake sighed, shaking his head before jogging to catch up with her. "I have a feeling this ride is going to be a long one." He mumbled to himself.

Sherry waited as she was pushed down the hallway, her eyes straining to see through the bag over her face. Her hands were bound in front of her and her feet were bare, sore from walking for what felt like forever. Wherever this place was, they were making sure it would never be found.

Suddenly, the hard concrete she was walking on changed to cold hard metal, the touch instantly sending a shiver down her spine. She could feel the men that were escorting herself and the other girls filing into what she concluded was an elevator. Moments later, she heard a small sound and the doors closed, the elevator began its decent into the earth. 'And I thought we couldn't go any deeper,' Sherry thought to herself.

There were five other girls, including herself, that were taken off the street a few hours ago. The other girls didn't know they were going to be taken, but Sherry did. She had read her mission file and it had reports of girls being taken right off the street and never being heard from for about a week. She had been informed by Hunnigan that her only way in safely was to arrive at the given location and be picked up.

_Flashback; A few days earlier…_

_ "Sherry, thank you for coming; please have a seat." Hunnigan gestured towards the chair placed in front of her desk. Sherry smiled and took the seat gratefully, moving slightly to get comfortable. Hunnigan pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose and folded her hands on her desk. "We just need to wait a moment longer." said Hunnigan. Sherry nodded and fiddled with the edge of her skirt, the soft material running between her fingers. For some odd reason, it made her think of Jake. She let herself drown in her memories of when they were together in Edonia; specifically when she and Jake had parachuted out of the plane and she had to hold onto him tightly to keep herself from free falling. The material of his shirt felt soothingly similar to the skirt she wore at the moment._

_Jake…_

_Sherry was brought out of her memories when Claire and Jill stepped into the room, closing the door silently behind them. Claire wore a white dress shirt, the ends tucked neatly into the waistline of her dark brown skirt that was slightly above her knees, and a pair of simple black ankle boots. Her hair was in its usual ponytail; neatly pulled back, showing her face. _

_Jill on the other hand, wore a black women's suit with a light blue dress shirt, her hair braided to the side and coming down in front of her right shoulder. Her shoes were simple black flats, but it showed off her true height and the length of her legs._

'_I wish I were as gorgeous as them,' Sherry thought, feeling self-conscious suddenly. She stood and walked over to Claire, giving her a big hug. "Claire, it's so good to see you!" exclaimed Sherry, feeling like a little girl on Christmas morning. She hadn't seen Claire in the longest time. Claire returned the hug, squeezing Sherry lightly. "Yes, it's been awhile hasn't it?" Claire replied. When they released, Sherry turned to Jill who simply held out her hand, a smile on her face. _

"_My partner Chris has told me a lot about and I just want to say it's an honor to finally meet the one who found the cure for the C-Virus." said Jill. Sherry blushed, taking Jill's hand and lightly shaking it. "Thank you Ms. Valentine, but I'm afr-" "Please call me Jill." Sherry nodded and continued, "Jill, thank you for the compliments, but I'm afraid I'm not the one with the rare blood for the C-Virus." _

_Jill nodded, understanding what Sherry meant. Nobody was really allowed to talk about Jake out in the open; even though his blood was being used for the vaccine, some people were still after Jake. Some people saw him as a new test subject for future research. _

_Sherry didn't want Jake to go through what she went through as a child; it was too horrible back then and she didn't even want to imagine what it would be like now. _

_Jill moved to stand next to Hunnigan's desk, her hands clasped behind her, and her expression turning serious. 'Looks like play time is over,' Sherry thought to herself as she took her seat. Claire moved and sat next to Sherry, her whole frame tensed. Confused, Sherry looked back and forth between Claire and Jill before looking at Hunnigan who wore a grave expression._

_Hunnigan scooted her chair back and stood, walking over to a small file cabinet that looked extremely brand new. 'That wasn't there before,' Sherry thought as she crossed her legs. Hunnigan opened the top drawer and pulled out a single file; the size of it almost made Sherry's jaw drop. The file itself was covered in tape, the words 'Confidential' and 'Top Secret' stamped all over. Hunnigan closed the drawer and walked back over to her desk, sitting down with the file in her hands._

_She set the file on her desk and pushed it in Sherry's direction. Sherry scooted forward in her chair, inspecting the file at close range. Even though it was extremely full, she could tell that the file itself was new and fresh. "Hunnigan what is this?" Sherry questioned eyeing the folder uncomfortably. _

"_This," Hunnigan gestured to the folder, "Is what's left on anything involving the C-Virus, including information about Jake Muller." Sherry froze, mentally telling herself to remain calm and keep her jaw shut tight. Jill stepped forward, a small knife in one of her hands, and in one quick stroke cut open the taped file. Its contents spilling onto Hunnigan's desk; data graphs, journal entries, plastic bags filled with what looked like skin tissue, and pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. There were pictures of people in lab coats, some holding clipboards others holding test tubes. One picture showed many J'avo standing in a line while a man in front of them was socializing with another in a lab coat. Another showed a picture of a giant BOW; one she had never seen before._

_Sherry's eyes scanned the pile until her eyes rested upon a photo that stopped her heart. It was a picture of Jake, wearing the white pants from the facility in China. He was strapped to a table a few syringes in multiple places on his body. He was clearly asleep, sedated no doubt, but Sherry couldn't help but feel a pain in her chest._

_The next photo she saw was another one of Jake, except this time she was in the photo as well. It showed both of them on lab tables side by side; Jake was awake and sitting up, his eyes locked on Sherry who was sedated. She didn't remember most of the tests, but if Jake was there with her for even a couple of them, why hadn't he told her?_

"_This file was found in a brief case that belonged to a man by the name of Gregory Simmons; the younger sibling of Derek Simmons, your previous advisor and guardian." Sherry didn't know if she could breathe. Simmons had a younger brother, a brother who knew about the C-Virus. _

"_Sherry," Hunnigan's voice grew thick with seriousness, "This is an emergency. Gregory Simmons was to be arrested and brought to DSO for questioning a few days ago but when our men moved in, they couldn't locate him anywhere." Hunnigan took a deep breath, "Luckily, our connections managed to catch surveillance photos of Gregory moving in and out of an underground club repeatedly for the past two weeks." Hunnigan paused, her expression worsening._

"_Why hasn't anyone moved in on him yet?" Sherry asked franticly, her thoughts about Jake's safety running wild. This man was after Jake, he needed to be dealt with; so why was he not behind bars yet? Hunnigan sighed, removing her glasses and placing them on the desk, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Jill turned to Sherry, continuing where Hunnigan left off. "Sherry, before we tell you anymore information, we have a request." Jill pulled an envelope from her inner jacket pocket and held it out to her._

_Sherry took the envelope, turning it over to examine it. "What's this?" she asked, looking towards Jill. The envelope felt light in her hands; the touch of the paper smooth against her skin. "We have a mission Sherry, this mission, and we need an agent from the DSO to complete it. All of us in this room believe you have what it takes to do it; however you don't have to accept it if you don't wish to."_

_Sherry sat there, her thoughts taking over every inch of her brain. She would be chasing after Gregory Simmons; a man who was after Jake, someone who she vowed to protect. Usually, a mission from BSAA wouldn't come to the DSO, but if one did, that meant they had already tried but failed. Now they were asking DSO, no they were asking Sherry personally for her help._

_She straightened up in her chair her chin raised as she spoke, "What do you need me to do?"_

_Hunnigan let out a sigh of relief, Jill smiled lightly, but Claire remained tense; her eyes on the envelope. Jill gestured to the envelope for Sherry to open it; which she did, finding a plane ticket with her name on it. She looked at it closely before returning her gaze to Jill. "China?" she questioned. She saw Claire take a sharp breath as Jill continued, "Yes Sherry, China; that's where Gregory Simmons is hiding… You're not going to change your mind are you? Knowing your past experience with the place, no one would blame you if you did."_

_Sherry hesitated, then shook her head, "No ma'am, my mind remains unchanged; I will take the mission."_

Sherry felt herself being shoved forward, the heels of her feet scrapping roughly against the ground. 'If I didn't have my head covered this would have been easier,' she thought. She couldn't see a damn thing through the thick material except for the shadowy outlines of the other people around her.

A few minutes of walking later, the whole group stopped and Sherry was barely able to make out the form of a man walking over to the wall in front of her. She heard the sound of a door opening and she was shoved forward. Sherry was instantly hit with a wall of warmth and the scent of burning incense. Her feet touched soft, plush carpet that instantly soothed her aching feet.

Sherry and the other girls were arranged in a horizontal line, facing something she thought was a couch. A few whimpers escaped from the other girls' lips when the bag was yanked off her head; the sudden light blinding her momentarily as her eyes adjusted.

In front of Sherry sat a man on a maroon colored couch dressed in a white suit with black sunglasses. His black hair was slicked back, showing off an exact facial structure as Derek Simmons, just minus the facial hair. A girl sat on either side of him; both dressed in what Sherry would hardly describe as 'clothing'. They wore underwear with thigh high white stockings that were torn in multiple places and white masks that only covered their eyes. That was it; the only thing that covered their chest was their long, thick hair. Sherry unconsciously gulped.

"So this is the new merchandise you picked up this week?" Gregory questioned, eyeing each of the girls, including Sherry. She looked down at her feet avoiding his intense gaze till she felt it move on. She couldn't believe she was really going to do this; even though she told Hunnigan she would. However she didn't think taking this mission would involve her becoming what they called a 'hostess' for a gentlemen's club. The thought of a man she didn't know putting his hands on her made her stomach churn in multiple directions.

Gregory stood, moving to the girl furthest from Sherry, all the way to the right, and stood in front of her. He moved his hand under her chin, lifting her face to look at him. Sherry could see the fear swirling in her eyes like a dark cloud. She was shaking so bad Sherry thought she was going to collapse. Gregory looked her up and down, a small smile on his face. He took a step back and nodded, "She will do." He moved down the line to the next girl. The girl at the very end began to sob uncontrollably and fell to her knees, tears overflowing into her palms.

The next girl in line standing before Gregory held a hint of pride in her presence, her eyes burning with courage. Her whole stance screamed 'Unbreakable'. However, Gregory saw her courage, and decided she would just be trouble. Gregory snapped his fingers and walked away; in return two men appeared behind the girl, both of them wearing Halloween masks. Before the girl could turn to face them, one man pulled a gun from the waistband of his pants and squeezed the trigger. A gunshot rang loudly, followed the girl's lifeless body collapsing to the ground.

Sherry froze in her place while the other girls screamed and scurried away. The girls' lifeless form was still on the carpet, a dark circle of dark liquid forming around her head. Sherry heard the cork pop and looked over to see Gregory with a bottle of champagne in one hand and a glass in the other. For a moment she let herself imagine the bottle being smashed into his skull, the impact knocking him dead.

"Let me reassure you ladies," Gregory spoke as he poured himself a glass, "You will be treated well as long as you follow the rules given to you." He placed the bottle back on the table and walked over to the dead body on the floor. "Do not defy your superiors in any way and be sure to be as submissive as your client wants you to be. Show any defiance to me or anyone above you," he kicked the dead woman's head, "And you will be ended the same way she was in a heartbeat."

Sherry watched as Gregory walked out of the room through a door on the left side of the room, a few armed men on his tail. When one of them turned and looked right at Sherry, that's when she realized who Gregory was using as guards; it was J'avo. She looked around the room and realized they were all over the room; if there were more in this horrid place, then the J'avo outbreaks were still happening in China. It made more sense to Sherry why the BSAA had requested DSO's assistance; despite the fact that they were trying to exterminate the J'avo they knew about, there were more than they knew.

The door closed and the two women sitting on the couch stood, moving a few steps forward. One of the women said something in Chinese to one of the guards; in response, two J'avo came forward and moved the dead body. They walked off behind Sherry; out the door she came in.

Sherry could feel herself shaking terribly, despite her best efforts to stop; tears threatening to break from their prison. She was frightened and she had no one to help her. When it came to fighting BOW's, she had a handgun and her stun rod; however, giving men quality time, and forcing herself to be defenseless was another thing entirely. But she knew there was no turning back now, no matter how scared she was.

"Welcome to your new home." One of the women spoke. Sherry looked over at the two women, wondering how they could stand to live here. One of the women was fairly tall, despite the fact she was wearing heels. Her skin was light brown, the color of caramel; flawless and clear. Her brunette hair was pulled back into a tight bun; sparkly pins almost completely covered the top of her head. The woman next to her was slightly shorter, her stiletto heels giving off the illusion she was taller than she really was. Her hair was raven colored, shining slightly blue under the dim light. Her skin was pale white with kiss marks scattered all over, making it seem as if she were bruised.

The brunette snapped her fingers, orderly at the remaining girls, "Line up, I must examine you." The girls hesitated before slowly lining up again, avoiding the dark red spot in the carpet. The woman walked back and forth, taking a few moments to examine each girl. When her eyes fell on Sherry, they lingered a moment longer before moving back down the line. Sherry released a breath she didn't realize she was holding. It seemed like forever before she was able to stop herself from trembling.

The underworld of China was far worse than what she imagined. She knew that drugs and prostitutes were a problem here, but this wasn't that kind of business; it was even worse. The world was lucky since most of it didn't know what this cruel reality was like.

The woman stopped and clapped her hands together, a weak smile on her face. "Just so we are clear, "she began, "This is not a strip club and you are not prostitutes. We like to think of this business in a more…professional manner. Think of it as an auction; you are the merchandise and the clients are the buyers. You will dance and based on your performance, people will try and buy you for your time. They will not be buying you for a night, unless their price is high enough; otherwise it will be somewhere from an hour to three hours of your time. What you chose to do in that time is their decision, not yours." She paused, a soft expression on her face, "This may not be what you had in your plans for the future, but it's all you have left now. Just do what you're told and you won't get hurt." She turned to walk away when she stopped, her voice coming from over her shoulder, "This is all you have left now, make the most of it." She continued walking until she came upon a door behind the couch. She typed in a passcode that Sherry could not see before she left, disappearing behind the door.

The raven haired women stepped forward, her hands behind her back, "Follow me, I will show you to your rooms. Dinner will be brought to you in an hour. Whether you want to eat it or not is your choice." The woman turned and walked away, the girls following her. Sherry stood there, wishing for a brief moment Jake was there to help her out of this, but he wasn't coming. She hadn't heard from Jake in almost a year and something told her he was beyond her reach now. She held her head up and followed after the group of girls, ignoring the curious stares of the remaining J'avo in the room.

**Well there's the first chapter of more to come**** I just wanted to thank Shakko for helping me edit this and I am looking forward to working together in the future! Thank you to everyone who is reading this FanFiction, I hope you enjoy it. Please R&R!**


	2. Familiar Face

Jake sat in the passenger seat of Claire's car, looking out the window at all the buildings surrounding them. Technically, he was in Chris's car, but he couldn't stand the thought of being in a vehicle that belonged to him, so Jake kept lying to himself and pretended the car was really Claire's. The vehicle itself was a massive truck, the black paint was shining in the lights of the city, and a set of head lights on the roof. The interior of the truck was grey, the seats made of a soft leather that reminded Jake of the seats on the plane.

The warm air blasted through the vents, tempting him to remove his thick mercenary jacket. Not to cause any panic, Jake had moved his new mercenary patch to the inside of his jacket instead of being on his sleeve. He hadn't told Sherry he had gone back to being a mercenary, but at the same time nothing paid as good out there so to him it was the only option.

Claire stopped at a red light just as her phone went off. Jake watched her as she answered with a small hello, listening to the other person at the end of the line. When the conversation seemed to be boring, Jake turned his head and looked out the window once again. The buildings weren't as high as they had been five minutes ago, so he guessed they were in the lower section of New York. Jake could feel himself slowly drifting off to sleep when Claire yelled, "No, absolutely not! He can't stay there!"

Jake straightened in his seat, listening to the new conversation Claire was having. After a few seconds, Claire replied in a cold tone, "Are you certain he can't stay anywhere else?" She paused for a moment before replying, "Very well, I can lend him my spare." Claire hung up and thrusted her phone into the middle seat between Jake and herself. Jake continued to stare at her, waiting for her to say something, but Claire kept her eyes on the road and remained silent.

The light ahead of Claire turned green and Claire stepped on the gas, making a left U-turn, and heading back up the street they just came down. If Jake hadn't been holding onto the handle of his door, he would have been thrown around the car. Once she straightened the truck, she continued to race down the street, ignoring the horns of all the angry drivers she would cut off. 'She's definitely related to Redfield,' he thought.

He had driven with Chris once, and that was when he offered to drive Sherry to the airport. Jake had to come along since the bike he requested was waiting for him at the same airport; courtesy of the DSO. But riding in the passenger seat of a rented car with Chris behind the wheel; Jake shook his head slightly at the thought. Jake had never been on an amusement ride, but he figured that might have been similar to one.

After a few minutes, Claire stomped on the brakes, the truck coming to a screeching halt. Before Jake had a chance to yell at her, Claire opened her door and hopped out, slamming the door behind her. Jake threw a hand up in frustration, running it once over his cropped red hair. 'Unbelievable,' Jake thought to himself. 'I want to know how Leon can stand her because I certainly can't.' Jake huffed in frustration. Following in pursuit, Jake open his door, backpack in hand, and hopped out of the truck. He closed his door behind him and stared at the sight in front of him.

Jake had seen one of the many monstrous buildings from above in the plane and thought them to be not as bad as he would have guessed, but standing at the foot of one now made him feel intimidated. The building truly was leagues higher than him; it was so high he couldn't see the top. The shape of the building seemed almost rectangular, but nearing the top Jake could scarcely see that one side of the building curved instead of being completely squared. Almost the entire outside of the building was covered in windows. Jake did his best to keep his jaw locked tight instead of letting it drop, but his mind ran wild with questions that he had no answer to.

Jake had never seen anything like it; he was in such awe that he didn't see Claire come up to face him before she yelled, "If you're done daydreaming, I would like to go inside." Jake turned his attention to Claire who had already turned her back to him and walked towards the double doors at the front of the building. Jake sighed; annoyed out of his mind by her sour attitude. Clearly, she was in a bad mood, but she had no right to take it out on him. He thought it unnecessary and uncalled for, especially when she was taking it out in him. He didn't piss her off to begin with; he might be a part of the reason but he wasn't the direct issue as far as he could tell. Nope, this was something else.

Jake followed after Claire, his mood growing worse by the second. Two men opened the doors from the inside, blank expressions on their faces. Jake took a moment to take in his surrounding before continuing after Claire. Despite the black stone color of the outside of the building. The inside was adorned with pale shades of brown and cream colored white. It reminded him of the plane, just more spacious. Claire and Jake made their way over to the elevators; Claire pushed a button a few times before ceasing the action her whole frame screamed awkward. Jake stood there, leaning against the wall. From the corner of his eye, Jake could see her stealing glances at him every couple of seconds.

It was a good ten seconds before he snapped. Jake moved towards Claire, grabbing her upper arm, and forcing her to look at him. "Care to explain the bad attitude of yours and why we are here?" he questioned, his blue eyes piercing her brown ones.

She yanked her arm out of his grasp and replied, "Ever heard of patience Mr. Muller? Because it seems to me that you have none."

"Damn right I don't." He mumbled loud enough for her to hear, earning a chuckle from her. A ding sounded and the doors to the elevator in front of them slid open. Claire stepped inside, holding it open for Jake who hesitated before entering. He stepped inside the elevator, reminding himself of the reason he was here.

Sherry….

He only had to wait for a little while longer and then he could see her again. He would see her when he got this whole thing of finding a place to stay over with. Jake could see the whole scene play out in his head; he would go to her place and surprise her, letting things go from there. He didn't really have any idea what he would do while he was here with her, but he figured it would work out by itself. He honestly didn't care what he did while he was here, as long as he wasn't by himself.

The elevator stopped; a ding sounded and the doors slid open. Claire stepped into the hallway and Jake followed after her, letting his thoughts wander back and forth between Sherry and money; the two most important things in his life at the moment. He knew making money, one of his top priorities, the way he did was not a choice a lot of people would make, but if he planned on making trips like this often, and he did, money was going to be necessary for him obtain.

Claire stopped in front of a door, number 304, and pulled out a key; unlocking the door she stepped inside, moving for Jake to follow before closing the door. Jake looked around and almost forgot to keep a grip on his bag.

The space in front of him suggested that he was looking at the living room, but the size made his jaw drop. The furniture was very modern but looked very soft and comfortable to the touch. The wall that faced out to the city was made completely of glass, showing a view that no one could describe. The carpet, of course, was white, but covered by rugs in shades of blues. The furniture was in a shade of dark brown. The couch was a large piece made up of smaller pieces; similar to a puzzle. It seemed large enough to have seven people sit on it comfortably and four to stretch out and sleep on. On both sides were two wooden coffee tables; one with a lamp and the other adorned with framed photos. A couple of reclining seats were placed around the room; one for a single person and the other large enough to fit Jake himself and another. And to top it off, there was a large wide-screen TV hanging on the wall with shelves on both sides, overflowing with movies.

"Wow." said Jake aloud. He heard Claire chuckle and add, "You haven't even seen the kitchen yet. Jake turned in time to see Claire walk down a hallway to his right, gesturing for him to follow. As he walked down the hall, he walked past the kitchen which was tucked away in the corner and hidden behind a wall which blocked the view of the kitchen from the doorway. The kitchen, to his surprise, wasn't as large as he thought it was, but was still a good size. It matched the dark yet roomy hues of the living room. The counters and cabinets were all made of dark colored wood with blue paint. A counter with the sink sat in the middle of the kitchen like an island separated from the main land. Surprisingly, everything made him think of Sherry.

As he continued down the hall, he noticed a door to his left was open. He stopped at the door and found it empty, but Claire came out of a bathroom with two black towels, holding them out to him. "These are for you," she said, "And the bathroom back over there is for you to use as well." She pointed to the room she just came out of which was in the back left corner of the room from where Jake was standing. He looked around and found the room to be quite simple; the head of a full sized bed sat against the wall next to the bathroom, the colors of the bed were simply black and white with a small blue blanket located at the foot. The walls were painted a baby blue, two small framed paintings were on each wall. Right across form the bed was a simple black dresser with a small wide screen TV on top. There was a desk against the wall next to him with a small stack of paper and a pen, one piece already written on.

Jake set the towels on the bed and walked over to the desk, picking up the piece of paper. "That's the address to the DSO Headquarters; in case you need to get a hold of one of us." Claire explained, heading into the hall. Jake turned and yelled after her, "Is this the guest bedroom?" Seconds later, Claire's head popped in the doorway, "Trust me, our rooms are much nicer than yours." He listened to her footsteps as she walked down the hall. "Our?" questioned Jake, following after her into the kitchen. She nodded and replied, "Sherry lives here too. Didn't you know that?"

Jake simply shook his head. Claire walked over to the fridge, pulling out a beer and throwing it to Jake. Even though she didn't say anything, he still caught it; though he caught it when it was less than an inch away from his face. "Damn reflexes." Muttered Claire as she pulled out various ingredients. Jake smirked and sat on a stool near the island counter, ripping the cap of the bottle and taking a gulp of its contents.

"Where is she by the way?" Jake asked, watching Claire as she began to make something. "Who, Sherry?" Jake nodded. Claire sighed, "In all honesty, she's not here; and she won't be here for a few days." Jake gripped his bottle a little tighter than necessary and asked, "Well then where the hell is she?" Claire remained silent, avoiding his gaze and his question, but when he stood up and leaned against the counter towards her, she knew better than to avoid it any longer. "She's on a mission right now Jake." She answered bluntly. Jake was silent for a few moments and Claire realized she was supposed to keep talking. "Well?" Jake questioned. Claire looked down at the vegetable she held and began to chop it into small pieces, "Well what?"

Jake sighed in annoyance, "You know what. Are you gonna fill me in on what kind of mission she is on?" Claire simply shook her head, "Jake you know as an agent of DSO, it is not my place to disclose any details about a mission no matter who takes it." He made a sound of annoyance and sat back down on the stool, leaning his elbow against the counter. He looked like a child pouting for not getting what they want. Claire bit her lip to keep from laughing and went back to making dinner.

Jake stood in the shower, the hot water running down his bare body, heating his insides. It had been a long time since Jake had a shower and it had been even longer since he'd had a hot one. It felt good just standing there, letting the water cleanse his body. Sometimes Jake would think about the times he had to wash blood off his hands after killing something that used to be human. His job required a lot of clean up from the Biohazard incident in China and Edonia; his home land. From some strange reason, things like what happened in China were happening in multiple places all over the world. They weren't as horrible, but they were still pretty bad. The only thing that kept Jake in the game was the long line of jobs he had planned.

Jake turned the knob in the shower to off, the feeling of running water instantly stopping. He pulled back the shower curtain and reached for one of the hanging towels, drying himself off lightly. Then he wrapped the towel around his waist and trekked into his room, walking over to his bag. He pulled out a pair of black sweats and a grey tank top, laying them on his bed. He reached for his jacket and searched its pockets until he found his PDA, checking if he had any messages. He had sent a message to Sherry and still hadn't gotten a reply from her which concerned him. Even though she was on a job, she should still have her phone with her. Instead of a message from Sherry, he had received one from Leon. He opened the message and read:

"_I will be picking you up tomorrow to give you a small tour of New York if you are interested."_

Even though Jake knew Leon was just trying to make a friendly gesture, Jake didn't feel like going anywhere until Sherry got back. He tapped his screen, writing a reply in seconds:

"_Let me sleep on it and we will see in the morning."_

He didn't get a reply from Leon, but he figured he wouldn't. Leon was probably hoping Jake would say no and Jake had every intention to say no, but his curiosity would sometimes get the best of him. However he wasn't as bad a Sherry; her curiosity was like a cat drawn to catnip. He was her only restraint while he was with her for a short time, otherwise they would have been in much worse situations in China. He smiled at the thought briefly before dressing.

He was drying off his head when he heard the front door open. Letting the towel rest on his shoulders, he walked out of his room and down the hallway. When he came into the living room he found no one there, but when he turned around to look in the kitchen, he saw the outline of a familiar shape that turned his insides cold. Chris Redfield stood in the kitchen in front of the fridge, a beer in his hand. Chris locked eyes with Jake, freezing in mid motion. They stayed like that for what seemed like hours before Chris smirked, "Hello Jake, it's been awhile." Jake scoffed and leaned on one foot, "Not long enough if you ask me." Chris breathed a laugh and pulled out another beer, throwing it to Jake. Of course, he caught it, but he sighed and asked, "What is with you and your sister with throwing things at people. What if I didn't catch it?"

Chris closed the fridge and walked into the living room past Jake replying, "Then that would have been your fault for not up holding your reputation." Jake just smirked as he listened to Chris's footsteps into the living room. Jake stood there, holding the bottle in his hand. There were multiple ways this night could go, and two of those options had a painful ending. I would rather sleep tonight and not feel sore in the morning, he finally decided while heading towards the living room. He popped the cap off with his bare hands, throwing it behind him. The cap soared through the air and landed directly in the trash bin.

Chris saw as Jake approached and nodded in approval, "Nice throw." Jake sat in one of the reclining chairs and replied, "Thanks." Chris turned on the TV on to a random movie and watched, taking a swig of his bottle. Jake did the same and watched the movie in silence. Many thoughts overtook his mind as he watched the film. Where was Sherry right now? Was she okay? Was she hurt at all? Could she already be on her way back?

Was she thinking about him?

Jake ignored that last thought when he asked himself a new question. Did Chris know about the mission she was on? Jake looked at Chris from the corner of his eye, taking in most of his details. Despite his age, Chris looked rather young, it surprised Jake when he found out how old he really was. At his age, Jake figured Chris would have been retired by now, but he was still doing the same thing when Jake last saw him. Why hadn't he retired yet? Jake figured that one man that was with him in China would have taken his place. "Hey Redfield, I have a question." Chris nodded, not taking his eyes off the screen. "Why haven't you retired? Was jar-head junior not up for the job?"

Jake noticed Chris go tense, his empty hand balling into a fist. Jake froze as he watched Chris turn the TV off, staring at the blank screen. "He was unable to take my place after the incident in China." Chris simply said. Even though Jake knew it wasn't a good idea, he asked, "What happened to him?" He watched Chris take a shaky breath before replying, "He sacrificed himself so I could survive."

Jake sat there in silence; he was at loss for words. If he would have known it was that bad he wouldn't have asked in the first place. Now there was an awkwardness in the air, pressing down on him. He looked down at his bottle, barely able to make out the amount of liquid he had inside. He didn't know what to say to Chris, he felt bad enough for the man already but this was a whole new level. Without thinking, Jake stood up and walked over to Chris, standing a couple of feet away from him. Chris looked up at him confused and Jake bowed his head, "I'm sorry."

Chris looked at him surprised; those were the last words he expected to hear from Wesker's son. Wesker never felt bad and never showed any emotions besides hatred and anger. But he's not Wesker, he told himself, nodding towards Jake, "Thank you."

Jake held his beer out towards Chris and said aloud, "To the jar-head." Chris smirked and replied, "To Piers." He lightly hit his bottle against Jake's and tipped it towards his face, taking a sip. He heard Jake laugh and reply, "So the jar-head had a name; who knew." Chris nodded; a smile on his face. Jake smiled back and sat back down in the reclining chair he had previously been occupying, finishing off the rest of his beer. He sat in the chair for a few moments before Chris stood up and walked towards the kitchen. Chris was a few feet from the trash bin when Jake shouted, "Redfield catch!" Chris turned just in time to catch the empty bottle rocketing at his face.

Chris held the bottle away from his face, examining it, and looked back at Jake who had a smirk on his face; his limbs sprawled out in random directions on the reclining chair. Chris just shook his head and threw the bottle away and walked down the hall. "Where you going?" Jake asked, getting out of his chair and following after him. He watched Chris go all the way to the end of the hall and take a right, disappearing around a corner. He was going to follow after him when he stopped. He felt something strange; like a magnetic pull on his body. He looked next to him and there was a door he hadn't noticed before. The door was a light beige; the door handle made of a dark colored metal. Small flowers had been painted unto the door, in different shades of green and brown. The flower was very familiar to him; he knew what it was. It was the Peony flower.

"_Mama, what's that?" A boy asked his mother. She hadn't been feeling well but the boy insisted that she needed some warm air outside. She pulled her shawl more around her shoulders and kneeled down next to her son, looking at the object of his attention. "That's a Peony flower; they are rarely seen now-a-days. Consider yourself lucky Jake." His mother said with a smile. Jake looked at his mother and smiled back, leaning into her. He felt her arms wrap around him and squeeze him lightly. His mother brought her hand up and stroked his cheek. _

"_Can I take it home Mama?" Jake asked, looking up at his mother. She shook her head lightly, "No Jake, you can't; Peony's don't live very long once they have been plucked." Jake made a noise of disappointment. His mother smiled and said, "Don't worry Jake, you can come say hello to the flower tomorrow." His mother stood up and walked back towards the house. Jake went to follow after his mother when he stopped and looked down at large puddle. He saw his reflection and stared down at it in curiosity. His mother told him he looked like his father, at the same time she told him he didn't. He had a look in his eyes she told him his father never had, it made him different. It made him special. _

"_Don't ever lose that look in your eyes." She had told him. "What look Mama?" Jake asked, cocking his head to the side. His mother smiled weakly and replied, "That look of a true man."_

"Jake I'm going to bed, you should do the same." Chris's voice brought Jake out of his memory and stole his attention. Jake looked up and saw Chris staring at him with curious eyes. "You okay?" he asked, walking over to Jake.

Jake shook his head and replied, "I'm fine, the jetlag is working me right now." Chris simply nodded. Jake looked back at the door; he could still feel the magnetic pull drawing him to it. Chris leaned against the wall, crossing his arms, "It's the Peony flower; most people believe when you give a person a Peony, it heals them and makes them well again." Jake looked at him curiously, "So you know a flowers meaning? I never knew you were the flower boy type Redfield." Chris scoffed and pushed off the wall, walking down the hall to his room.

Jake smirked and walked into his room, ignoring the pull as best as he could. He closed his door and collapsed onto the bed. He didn't bother with the blankets; he just buried his face in a pillow and closed his eyes, letting sleep take him. For the first time in a while, he dreamed of his mother.

"Alright, everyone hit the showers!" A woman yelled across the room to the girls. Every girl was exhausted and pushed past their limit but Sherry felt fine. She wasn't trying to brag but she felt like she could go for hours more. The blisters she had on her feet healed after she had lunch so it didn't hurt to dance and the makeup she was wearing early was scrubbed off completely after having a shower; a cold shower. She had been here for four days and she had made no progress in her mission. She wouldn't be able to for another three days. None of the new recruits were allowed to dance until everyone had made their own routine.

Sherry had already created hers out of pure haste; when she watched herself in the mirror she wasn't impressed with herself but it wasn't too bad. All she had to do was keep at this until she made Simmons her customer and took him in for questioning. She froze in mid thought. How would she reach her superiors? Simmons probably knew who her superiors were so if they made a move he would see it coming. She sat down and leaned against the mirror wall, putting her head in her hands. It was already beginning to fall apart and it hadn't even started.

Sherry took a shaky breath, trying to clear her head. It would work out somehow; it had to. She stood up and went to follow after the other girls when she heard someone clear their throat. She turned and saw Gregory Simmons himself, leaning against the door frame. His sun glasses were in his pocket, his eyes looking over Sherry's body. She shivered uncomfortably, looking away. She wasn't prepared for this; she wasn't ready to face this man yet. If he was anything like Simmons, he would have problems with how he treated women.

"I watched you dance earlier, it was very nice." He said; his voice thick with something Sherry couldn't determine. She simply nodded and replied, "Thank you sir." She felt as he walked closer and stood next to her his hand on her lower back. She fought the urge to twist his hand behind him and dislocate his shoulder. "It will bring in a lot of customers once it is perfected. Make sure to get it right the first time." Sherry nodded hesitantly. She felt him move closer and whisper in her ear, "I look forward to your future performances." His hand painfully dug into her back and he forced her to look at him. His face inches from hers, his breath smelled strongly of alcohol.

He was going to lean forward when his phone went off in his pocket, causing him to back away. He answered his phone and listened to what the person on the other end of the line say. Sherry couldn't make out what the person was saying, but she could tell it wasn't English. Gregory looked at Sherry one more time before walking away, his tone giving away that he was clearly frustrated. Sherry stood there, her legs shaking uncontrollably. This mission was causing her much more emotional strength than she hoped. It was almost too much for her to take.

She didn't know when she made it back to her room, but she pulled the blanket over herself she couldn't stop the silent tears as they escaped their prison. She just couldn't take this. Shooting something and running for her life was so much more different from this. She wasn't used to the touch of a lustful man; there was only one man could touch her and not make her feel sick. The thought of Jake sent an unusual throb in her chest, making her cry more. She wished Jake were here, she wished he could help her. But not everyone can get what they want. This was something Sherry had to do by herself, no matter how bad she didn't want to.

I'm doing this to protect Jake, she told herself. The new motivational thought gave her the little courage she needed to keep herself from running out the door. Her last conscious thought was about Jake and wondering what he was doing right at the moment.

**Well here is the second chapter! I hope everyone enjoyed it. I tried to bring out the nicer side in Jake towards Chris, but I just wanted to let you know that there will be some heat between them in one of the upcoming chapters. I also have always been curious about Jake's past as a child before he became a Soldier of Fortune so I let my imagination take over and this is what I came up with. For those of you who are curious, during Jake's flashback, he is still in Edonia, it's just a little more peaceful time before it became full of war. And just for future warning some of these chapters might be rated M, but I promise I will warn you at the beginning of the chapter. Thank you again for reading my story! Thank you for the reviews, the follows, and making it one of your favorites! It means a lot to me! Thank you Shakko for all the help! Please R&R!**


	3. New York

_"Jake, where are you?!" Someone screamed. The voice was so familiar to him; who was it? "Jake, help!" The voice screamed again. This time he recognized it._

_ It was Sherry._

_ Jake looked around but all he was staring was darkness, a small circle of light surrounding him. Where am I, he thought. He couldn't see more than five feet in front of him, blackness pressing down on his shoulders, but he ignored it. Sherry was here somewhere. "Sherry?" he said hesitantly. When he didn't get an immediate response, a chill ran up his spine, worry began to overtake his mind. Where was she?_

_ A scream rang out in the silence. "Jake!" Sherry screeched at the top of her lungs. Before Jake knew it, he burst into a run, following the direction her scream came from. Her cries for help tore at him, his self-control beginning to slip away. "Sherry!" He called out, listening for a response that came seconds later directly to his left. He skidded to a stop and reared left, his feet carrying him towards her. Even though he couldn't see anything, he had a strange feeling that she was closer than he thought. Be alright Sherry, he thought to himself. _

_ It grew eerily quiet and Jake slowed his pace, looking around in all directions for any sign of another human being. When the silence became unbearable, he came to a complete stop and turned in a full circle, seeing nothing but darkness. He clenched his fists at his sides, feeling more pathetic and helpless than he ever remembered. Where was she? _

_ "Jake." Someone whispered behind him; it wasn't Sherry. A shiver crept up his spine. He clenched his fists at his sides and forced himself to turn around slowly. If it was a threat, it was better to take them out immediately. If they are armed then aim for the lower body, but if they aren't then go for the face, he told himself. But the person who stood before him was no enemy; it was his mother._

_ "No, this isn't right," He said aloud, "Your dead, I saw you die." His mother simply shook her head. Jake felt himself take a step back. "Who are you?" demanded Jake. His mother looked at him and replied, "Protect what you hold precious in your heart," she began to walk away, "before it is gone forever." As his mother began to walk into the darkness, Jake found himself chasing after her. "Wait, stop!" he yelled, continuing to follow after her, but his efforts were futile. His mother soon was out of sight._

_ A light suddenly came on to Jake's left some ways away from where he was, causing him to come to a stop. He looked over at the light and saw something on the ground. It was moving. Even though every instinct in his body told him to walk away, he slowly made his way over to the light. The closer he got, the more detailed the object became. It was a person, a woman lying on the ground. "Hey," Jake called out, "Who's there?" The woman groaned, moving slightly. Jake froze where he was, watching quietly. He slightly crouched low to the ground in a defensive position, watching the person for any signs of attack._

_ Jake slowly crawled forward when he heard his name again. "Jake…" The woman in front of him groaned. Every muscle in Jake's body went rigid as he called out, his voice shaking, "Sherry?" The woman groaned in response and sat up, looking in his direction. _

_It was Sherry. _

_A wave of relief washed over him as he went to run to her but he stopped himself. Something was very wrong; looking at her now, the way she was sitting, something was off. He inched forward and examined her more fully. She was clad in what was a simple black mini dress with spaghetti straps and thigh high stockings that were see through. When he looked even closer, his insides went cold. She was bruised horribly in multiple places on her body; her face even seemed slightly swollen in a few spots. _

"_Sherry?" he called out again, hesitantly. She was still for a moment before looking up at him. At first her eyes seemed hazy, like she couldn't tell it was him, but before long her eyes lit up and she recognized him. "Jake…" her voice croaked, "Help me."_

_Hands came out of the shadows into the small circle of light, reaching hungrily for Sherry. No you don't, Jake thought fiercely to himself as he ran to her. Right as he was inches from the circle of light, something wrapped around his ankle and yanked harshly, taking his feet out from underneath him. He collided with the grounded painfully and cursed out loud, looking up at Sherry. He could see the outline of men surrounding her, but he couldn't see their faces._

_Their hands freely roamed her body and began to tear at her clothing. Pieces of fabric flew every, their hands leaving not a spot of skin untouched. Greedy bastards, he thought angrily as he tried to kick off whatever had wrapped around his leg. He looked down and saw what look like a slimy tentacle attached to him, slowly pulling him further away from the group. No dammit, he thought fiercely as he dug his nails into the floorboards, trying to pull himself forward. He knew it should have hurt, but he couldn't feel it; all he could feel was the anger burning deep inside of him. None of these men were going to leave alive after he was through with them._

"_Jake." Sherry cried weakly, her eyes watering heavily. Her plea tore at his insides, feeding him strength to pull forward. "Sherry, hold on!" Jake yelled harshly, trying to get closer, but before he could make any real progress, another tentacle grabbed his torso, pulling him back more. "Dammit no!" He yelled aloud. He looked back up at Sherry and felt like screaming for her. She was completely bare to the men and even more hands appeared out of nowhere and began to grab at her. Sherry reached for Jake, her eyes spilling with tears, "Help me…" she cried. _

_Jake roared and swung his feet with so much force the tentacle on his ankle released him and he lurched forward, bearing crawling as well as he could, but the tentacle around his torso didn't make it any easier. "Sherry, I'm coming!" Jake yelled aloud. He lunged for her and right as he was to grab her ankle a tentacle lashed out and grabbed his outstretched hand. It pulled back roughly, dragging him with it. "No." he breathed franticly, looking at his imprisoned hand. He looked at Sherry and saw her being dragged away by the men, her head going slack. No, not again, he thought desperately, thinking of when she was being taken away in China. He reached his free hand out towards her and screamed, "Sherry!"_

Jake lurched up in his bed with a start, his head pounding. He threw the comforter off him and looked down to see he was sweating buckets. He looked around and saw he was still on the guest room of Claire's apartment, the blinds closed to block out the morning light. It was just a dream, he thought to himself, taking a deep breath. His chest hurt oddly and he placed a hand over his heart. It was beating rapidly. It was just a dream he repeated, taking more deep breaths.

After a few moments his heart was calm and his head was clear.

That was one hell of a dream, he thought to himself, remembering how real and vivid it was. Jake closed his eyes and lowered his head, the images of Sherry flashing through his mind. It was the first time he had dreamed about Sherry and he was very disturbed that the dream was like the way it was. The thought of the dream made his chest hurt strangely again.

I just need to get up, he thought. Even though his body resisted, Jake slid off the bed and felt the rough carpet beneath his feet. It was strangely comforting to him. He walked over to the door and quietly opened it, heading towards the kitchen. He didn't know if anyone was home or not but if someone was he didn't want to have to deal with the morning attitude of just waking up. He went into the kitchen and realized someone had woken up before him. Plates were in the sink and a frying pan had been left of the stove; remains of food lying inside. A note was left on the fridge as Jake walked over to the counter and searched for a bowl in the cabinets. He read:

_Left for work earlier this morning with Chris, be back later this evening. Help yourself to anything but don't drink all of the beer._

_Claire_

Jake smirked to himself crumpled the note, throwing it into the trash can before continuing his search for food. He turned to his left and went to open the cabinet closest when he noticed a label at the bottom.

_CHRIS _it read.

Jake looked at the rest of the cabinet's and noticed all of them were labelled with a name. He slowly removed his fingers from the cabinet with Chris's name and shook his hand slightly, as if he were shaking his hands of something that disgusted him. He moved to the other end of the kitchen and debated whether or not to open one of Claire's cabinets. He stood for a moment in thought. "Well, she did say to help myself." He said aloud, reaching for the handle. He opened it and scanned its contents while he reached in his pocket for his PDA that began to ring.

Answering, he was greeted by Leon. "Morning," He greeted Jake, "How was your sleep?" Jake shrugged his shoulders, "Kinda rough but otherwise comfortable; not that I'm complaining." He continued to move the things around in the cabinet while searching for the unknown target. Leon leaned in closer, looking at Jake, "Am I right to assume that your searching for breakfast?" Jake frowned down at the screen replying, "Why do you do that?" Leon tilted his head, "Do what?" Jake moved and leaned back against the counter, crossing one arm across his chest as he held his PDA in the other, "Make so many assumptions?"

Leon laughed and answered, "I will be there in ten minutes; if your not downstairs I won't buy you breakfast." Jake scoffed, "What makes you think I'm hungry?" Suddenly a low grumbled sounded in his stomach so deep it almost vibrated his whole body. Jake cursed at his own body for going against him, it made him looked absolutely ridiculous. He didn't feel that hungry, but apparently his body had other ideas. "I heard that fom this end," Leon stated with a small grin, "Be there in ten." Jake hung up and tossed his PDA on the counter, his irritation he just felt pathetic; a man buying him breakfast seemed out of the question. He was taught to fend for himself, finding whatever scraps he could when he could. He never thought he would find himself like this, but he was there. And he was there for a woman.

...

"Care to tell me where we are going?" Jake questioned as he walked with Leon through the infamous New York park. It was large than he realized; he felt like a speck in the middle of an extra larger protrait. Leon sighed, "Claire wasn't kidding when she said you have no patience." Jake raised an eyebrow, "I'm already the talk of the group? Well flattering but I'm not into socializing." Leon smirked, "Don't flatter yourself too much Muller, your not the main topic in everyone's eyes." Jake didn't answer, instead he looked around more at his current surroundings.

Tree's were growing practically everywhere, giving the place an earthy vibe. Each tree was about the same, a dark wood with a murky green leaves that were constantly falling like newly made snow. Black small fences outlined the main pathways and the small paths that broke off in multiple directions. When he looked up he could see the patches of blue sky beyond the tree canopy. Some people were jogging past, others were walking leisurely with a friend, loved one, or even a dog. "These people have no idea what its like, do they? With the incidents like in Edonia and China?" He asked Leon, who shook his head sadly. "It's just a sad gossip story to them; an incident like that will the talk of the city for a few days before it dies out." Jake looked away in disgus;, these people were unbelievable. They had no idea of any of the horrors of the world; they were like children refusing to see reality.

Suddenly, Leon stopped, holding his arm out to stop Jake. At first Jake was going to yell at him for the unwarned halt but stopped himself when a new smell overtook his senses. He inhaled through his nose and smelled something new, something delicious. If his mouth hadn't been closed, drool would have been pouring from it. Leon smirked at Jake's expression, "Go ahead and sit at the bench over there, I will be right back." Jake did as instructed and sat at a nearby bench, leaning his back against it and bringing up a foot to rest on his knee.

Jake leaned his head back and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Its gorgeous Tom! I don't know what to say!" A voice suddenly shouted, causing Jake to open his eyes. To his left a little ways in front of him were two people, a couple to be exact. The man was holding open a small bag and the woman was holding a necklace, her expression one of a child. Jake continued to watch the scene with little interest, thinking that the man was just buying the girls affection. Even if he were right, the girl probably wouldn't realize it until it was too late. She threw her arms around the man's neck and kissed him deeply. The man responded by wrapping his arms around the girl, holding her tightly as they kissed. Jake groaned in annoyance and threw his hand up over his eyes. He couldn't stand lovey dovey stuff like that, it made him sick thinking about it. Sherry would probably like that stuff though, he thought randomly.

_"Awe Jake you shouldn't have." Sherry suddenly yelled. Jake's eyes flew open and there she was, standing before him_.

_She was wearing a light blue dress with a cardigan, black flats, and a small handbag strapped to her wrist. She was smiling wide, holding a small present from him. "Jake I love it! Thank you so much!" She wrapped her arms around his neck, laughing full heartedly. What the hell, he thought confused. Where did she come from? What was she talking about. Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist. It took him a moment to realize they were his. What am I doing, he thought as his body moved on it's own. He squeezed her tightly and felt himself smile. "Anything for you Supergirl." He leaned down towards her and she closed her eyes..._

"Jake, wake up." Leon yelled, kicking him in the leg lightly. Jake jumped suddenly, looking around franticly. What was that, a dream? Had he fallen asleep? Jake looked up at Leon, trying to calm his breathing, "What happened?" Leon arched an eyebrow, "I went to get you food and five minutes later I come back to find you asleep. Did I miss anything?" Jake looked around and found the same couple he was looking at minutes before and saw them sitting on a bench not too far away, chatting happily. He looked back to Leon and said, "Do people here openly express their feelings for each other all the time?"

Leon looked in the direction of the couple before looking back to Jake, smiling weakly, "You're not used to it, are you?" Instead of answering, Jake looked away. Leon sat next to Jake, handing him something wrapped him foil. Jake took it questioningly and unwrapped it. A foot long hot dog in an extra long bun was covered in multiple toppings, making it look like a spice rainbow. Jake stared at it in amazement, feeling the drool well up in his mouth. Leon laughed and said, "You act like you have never had a hot dog." Jake glared at Leon, replying, "I have, they just never look this good."

Leon nodded and took a big bite of his hot dog, making a noise of satisfaction. Jake stared at Leon for a moment, slightly disgusted by the sight of a grown man eating, but quickly directed his attention to his own meal and followed in pursuit, indulging himself in his meal. After his first bite, Jake lost all train of thought.

...

"What is that thing?" Jake asked, glaring at the small creature who glared right back. Claire walked over and picked up the small creature, cradling it in her arms. "This dangerous creature," Claire exaggerated, "Is Sherry's cat. Its been at the vet and I picked it up today. Jake glared, "If I find a hairball in any of my stuff, would won't have a head for very long." Claire rolled her eye's, "Lighten up; besides, it usually leaves hairballs in Chris' stuff."

"I heard that!" Yelled Chris from the kitchen. Claire flinched slightly before tensely walking back to the kitchen. Jake found himself smiling as he walked into the living room. As he went, he passed by the kitchen and found Chris in front of the stove, food flying skillfully in the frying pan. Jake stared in bewilderment before quickly walking to his room, shaking his head of the scene. There are just something's I would rather not know about some people, he thought to himself, throwing his jacket onto his bed. He made his way to the bathroom, turning the shower on full blast. Steam was already forming when he went back into his room to retrieve his clothes. But on his bed was the orange cat with the glaring blue eyes, laying right on top of his bag.

He stood there momentarily, glaring with the cat before it yawned and moved off of his bag, moving onto his pillow. It stretched before curling up into a ball and falling quickly asleep. "Lazy bastard." Jake said under his breath before reaching for his clothes and retreating into the bathroom.

When Jake had come out from the shower, he had dressed in a pair of black sweats and was going to put on a shirt when he heard Claire scream, "Damnit!" Instinctively, Jake threw open his door and ran into the living room before coming to a complete halt. He instantly looked for any sign of danger but quickly looked at the sight before him. Most of the furniture had been pushed back, Claire and Chris stood a few feet from the TV, small rectangular objects in their hands. Chris was laughing and Claire was punching him in the arm in frustration. "Again!" She shouted, pointing at the screen.

Jake groaned in annoyance. Damn Redfields, he thought and went to walk back to his room when he heard Claire yell, "And where do you think you're going?" Jake flinched as he heard Claire's manner of tone, she sounded very angry and very, very competitive. He turned to face her and replied, "I was going to set my room on fire from how terrible the color coordinating is." Claire glared at Jake as Chris laughed. "Jake, how about you and I go a round?" Chris offered. Before he could even reply, Claire smacked him on the back of the head and stated, "Not till I get you back!" Claire pointed at Jake, "You," then pointed to the couch set behind them, "Sit." She ordered. Jake went to protest when Chris quickly shook his head.

Jake sighed and sat in a chair instead. "Mind telling me what your playing anyway?" No one answered, but Chris grabbed a game case and tossed it lightly to Jake. He caught it and examined it, rasing an eyebrow, "Wii?" Claire nodded, "We just bought it today, thought it would be a good idea to surprise Sherry when she gets back." Jake's chest uncomfortably throbbed and he did his best to ignore it, "I guess I'll play winner then."

Chris smirked, "I better win then if I'm facing you; we have a score to settle."

...

Sherry stood out of breath before the small group of men, her body warm from the sweat. The skanky outift they had forced her into didn't make it any better. She had preformed her routine to the best of her ability, remembering all the important things her instructor had told her to do when making a first impression.

Gregory was the first to stand and clap, his face lit with excitement. "What did I tell you boys, a true natural." All the rest of the men nodded in approval and stood as well, clapping with Gregory. Finally, Sherry thought from relief. She was exhausted and wanted to go to bed. Sherry bowed her head slightly and went to leave when Gregory called, "Hold on, come here for a moment!" Sherry tensed as she fought back the urge to keep walking and pretend not to hear him, but she forced herself to turn around and walked back over to the small group. As she walked, she scanned the small group of men, seeing if she recognized any of them from her file. Might as well try to make some progress in this, she thought seriously.

To her disappointment, none of the faces clicked in her memory. When she reached them, she was instantly handed a glass of wine. "Thank you for your lovely preformance; I think I speak for everyone when we say you are preforming again when our new clients come in." The men nodded and Gregory threw and arm around her shoulder, "I am so looking forward to your next preformance."Gregory whispered into her ear while the rest of the men chatted away happily. A dreadful shiver went down her spine when his hand went from her shoulders to below her waist.

I can't take this, she thought, reaching her self restaint limit. She looked away and set her glass down on the table, smiling briefly to the other men, "Thank you all for watching my preformance, but I'm afraid I must leave for the night." She turned and went to walk away when someone gripped her arm painfully tight, forcing her back. Gregory's expression was calm and collected but his eyes were lit with anger that wasn't there moments ago. "Who said you have to leave? You have no where to be." A fear gripped Sherry as she suddenly faced the small group of men. The were all tough, drunk, and worst of all, lust was in their eyes.

"Please let me go." Sherry said franticly, pulling her wrist away as best she could. Gregory scoffed and asked, "Why should I?" He went to reach for her hand when another hand snatched out and grabbed his wrist, stopping his advance, "Because you know not to touch the merchandise before it is ready." A female voice spoke. Sherry turned and looked at the woman next to her and recognized her from the first day she came here. It was the lady in charge of the other girls. She wore a black dress with a slit down the front that went past her belly button and exposed her back. Her hair was up in a long ponytail and her face had light make up, showing her cheek bones and full lips. Her eyes were a fiery brown that made Sherry shiver slightly. She turned to Sherry with a small smile, "You may go, I will have a talk with you later." Sherry nodded quickly and wasted no time leaving the room. When she looked back, Gregory had burried his face in the woman's neck and the rest of the men watched in lustful hunger.

Sherry fought back the urge to cry as she went to her room. What has she gotten herself into?

**Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter, I was having serious computer problems. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter; if the last part seemed written badly, it was because I was in a rush to finish. I'm also sorry if it seemed smaller than the rest. I would really love to hear your thoughts on what you think so far of this story. PLEASE REVIEW! **


	4. It's Complicated

Chapter 4: Its Complicated

Chris checked his tie for the third time in the rearview mirror, feeling anxious and paranoid. "I knew I should have just come casually." He muttered to himself. The suit he was wearing was little and restricting, but the shop he went to only had suits for men a size smaller than him. He looked out the window of his truck across the street to the house with the address he was looking for. The house was a peachy-tan color that gave the house a warm feeling. Flowers went up along the side of the pathway and along the foot of the house, giving it more color. Steps lead up to a white porch with a swinging chair at one end and a table with two small chairs at the other. The driveway was occupied by a Harley motorcycle and a jeep that looked recently cleaned.

It was Piers' house.

Ever since his death, Chris was suppose to honor him by paying respects to his family, and give them a speech of Piers' good deeds. However Chris couldn't bring himself to do it, he just felt that the only way to honor him was unloading bullets into the creature that killed him. Researchers at BSAA had discovered a few files from China incident, the creature Piers and himself had fought was identified as Haos.

But it had been nearly a year since Piers' death, so he knew the family would be offended by the amount of time it took for someone to represent Piers to come and pay their respects.

Groaning in frustration, Chris yanked off the tie and took off his jacket, deciding to go only with the shirt and pants; they were restricting enough. He threw the tie and the jacket in the passenger seat, throwing his door open and jumping out. When he shut the door, he turned in the direction of the house, took a deep breath, and began to walk across the street. This is something I have to do, he told himself over and over. He owed it to Piers, he owed this much to the man who saved his life.

Chris stepped onto the sidewalk and slowed his pace when he came to the same pathway leading up to the house. The flowers were a variety of colors, all in different sizes, hues, and kinds. Nailed to the beam on the porch was the American flag. Chris unconsciously gulped and walked up the steps to the porch, where he was a few steps away from the front door. He took measured steps and wrapped his fingers around the brass knocker, hitting it a few times. He took a step back and waited for the door to open.

After a few moments, the knob on the door turned. Chris braced himself for what he figured was Piers parents, but instead it was something he did not expect. A very young looking woman appeared. She had light brown hair that was held back in a high ponytail, her bangs slightly covering one of her hazel eyes. Her skin was tan but light, giving off that she probably went to the beach a lot before. She looked to be in her teens but based on the dog tags around her neck she was nothing of the sort.

This was Piers younger sister. The only family he had left.

Things just got harder.

The girl looked Chris up and down momentarily before actually making eye contact. "Can I help you?" She asked, her voice light and soft. For a moment, Chris forgot what he was going to say. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath, "This is the house of Piers Nivans, correct?"

The girls face instantly fell and she replied, "It was...May I ask why you want to know?" Chris instantly regretted coming here. He knew, based on the girls reaction, that this was going to be hard on her. Piers had mentioned to him before that his sister was closer to him than anyone, and that the only way he knew he could keep an eye on her was if she had some kind of training. So he sent her to the Marine Core to get some experience before he left her home alone all the time. The girl looked small, but Chris could ever so slightly see the muscle in her shoulders and arms.

"Ma'am," Chris began, "My name is Chris Redfield, I was your brothers squad leader and partner in the BSAA before he passed." The girls eyes widened, her breath caught in her throat. Chris waited for the door to be slammed in his face, for her to break down in tears, anything that would make him regret the decision to come here, but instead the girl opened the door wider. "Come in, come in." She ushered, moving to the side for Chris to enter.

At first he hesitated. He didn't think he was ready for this, but he couldn't turn back now. Swallowing his doubt and mustering his courage, Chris stepped inside.

...

"So this is what you do on a daily basis? I gotta say Kennedy, I like your style for a change."

Leon breathed a laugh and reloaded the gun in his hand, aiming carefully, then firing at the target a couple yards away from him. After a few moments it became silent once again. Jake squinted his eyes to see the target and smiled. In the chest of the target was a perfect spiral of bullets holes. "Nice craftsmanship." Jake complimented quietly. Leon nodded and set the gun down, reaching for the bottle of water on the table next to him.

Jake had been at the Redfield's apartment for the past three days now, nothing to do but play with the cat and watch TV; not the mention to occasional Wii matches between him and Claire, but he tried his best to avoid those. She beat him, every single time. When Chris realized Jake was close to destroying the screen with his bare hands, Chris told him to take a break. So Leon came by and offered to take Jake for a little trip outside New York, along the border of the city; the DSO Headquarters. At first Jake had refused, but when Leon told him it was the only escape he would receive for the next few days, Jake had never gotten into a vehicle so fast in his life.

It was only by a stroke of luck that the DSO had a firing range in their backyard.

Jake aimed carefully, closing one eye as he focused. Even though the target was close enough for him to shoot in his sleep, Jake found himself concentrating. Whenever Jake concentrated though, he began to feel things he normally wouldn't. He felt the hot air around him, soaking into his skin and making him uncomfortably warm. He measured each and every breath he took, tasting the dirt that was blowing around with the wind. He felt the small layer of sweat building on the back of his neck, giving him some relief from the dying heat. Now, his instincts screamed. He pulled the trigger and shots rang out in a succession. When he emptied his rounds, he set his gun down on the table and crossed his arms at his chest, a smirk on his face.

On the target a few yards away was a smiley face on the head. Leon chuckled, "Real mature Muller."

Jake didn't know why, but he had been getting along with Leon while he was here. It confused him greatly; the only person he really considered worth getting along with was Sherry. As a mercenary, you mostly worked alone, but other times you had partners; even though most of them died anyway. Jake never cared though, he only thought at the time the less that survived meant more reward for him. But he was changing, he was changing really fast, and he knew it wasn't good if he himself noticed.

But at the same time he had a choice, he could either be in a foul mood until Sherry came back, or he could suck up to the New York natives and try to enjoy himself.

He preferred the latter.

"So tell me something Kennedy," Jake started, leaning back against the table, "What kind of mission is Sherry on?" Leon looked at Jake with a quizzical expression. "What mission?" He asked. "The mission Sherry is on; you know the reason she is not here?" Before Leon had a chance to answer, another man dressed in a suit walked up to them, stopping when he was but a few feet from the two men. "Agent Kennedy," the man addressed, "Director Hunnigan has something she wishes to discuss with you." Leon nodded, setting his gun on the table and grabbing his ID tag and clipping it onto his shirt pocket. "Understood." He replied.

Jake grabbed his jacket and followed Kennedy out of the firing range back into the large building of DSO.

As they walked down the hall, people stared at the two men when they passed. Some of the male employees just snorted, ignoring the competitive tension in the room. However the females gawked and giggled, thinking how dreamy both were. Put both of them in the same room and you couldn't take your eyes off of them. They both gave off the 'Bad Boy' feeling and a bit of the 'Boy Wonder' image, but neither one noticed. They were too busy with their own thoughts. Leon couldn't stop thinking about Jake had asked him.

_"What kind of mission is Sherry on?" Jake asked._

'Sherry is on a mission?' Leon thought puzzled. The last time he had heard about anything on Sherry was that she was in another state dealing with BSAA business with Jill Valentine, an associate of Chris Redfield, at the request of Hunnigan. 'I will ask Hunnigan when she finishes,' he confirmed to himself.

Jake however, couldn't stop thinking about Sherry. What was she doing? Where was she? Questions kept flying through his head, questions he wanted answers to. When he had asked Leon, the man acted as if he had no idea what he was talking about. So either he was pretending to make sure Jake never found out, or he really had no idea what Jake was talking about. But he works with her for Christ sake he should know, he argued with himself.

"Jake." Leon said, staring at Jake. Jake stopped and looked at Leon, blinking a couple of times. It took him a moment to realize that Leon had been calling his name for a little bit now, and that was slightly embarrassing. "What?" Jake snapped, acting annoyed. Leon sighed, "I said you can head back to the car if you want; I plan to leave once I'm done talking to my director." Jake simply nodded, looking anywhere but in Leon's direction. Figuring Jake knew the way back, Leon turned and walked away, leaving the mercenary in the middle of DSO Headquarters. He just prayed that he didn't start anything while he was away.

...

Jake wandered through the first floor of the building, no real destination in mind. He looked around at all the people working. Some in see through offices, others in cubicles. Everything looked so plain, so boring. How can Sherry stand working here, he suddenly thought. The Sherry he met was deadly yet girlish, courageous yet sometimes afraid, though she did her best to hide it. He couldn't imagine her working in here, locked up in a cage of some kind. From what she had told him before, she had been a pet of the government for years on end; how could she stand working in a place like this?

Suddenly, he had this overwhelming curiosity to see where exactly she worked; did she have a cubical like the rest of these pathetic people or did she have her own office? Jake wanted to find out for himself, but he knew he wasn't going to be able to find it on his own; after all it was his first time in the building.

'Well I'm not going to make any progress just standing here,' he thought to himself, and began working around on the floor he was currently on. As he walked, he glanced at the cubicles around him, checking if any were occupied or empty. He ran into three that were empty, but based on the small search he did through each one, it didn't belong to Sherry. He moved to the outside of the maze and checked all the offices with see through walls. They were occupied. After about twenty minutes of searching, Jake came to the conclusion she was not on this floor. Time for plan B, he thought. He moved back into the maze of cubicles and stood still, scanning the small amount of people moving.

But he stopped when he finally locked eyes with someone, a female employee. She had chestnut hair in a low ponytail, her outfit was a simple navy colored button up with tan colored pants. Her face was shaped like an oval and simple sculpted to show she wasn't extravagant. The most noticeable feature was her green eyes that were focused completely on Jake, a light blush spreading on her cheeks. Bingo, Jake thought, a small smirk coming onto his lips. When she held his gaze for more than three seconds, he knew he had found his new helper. Holding her gaze, Jake slowly walked over to her. The woman's blush deepened and her friends all whispered to her before walking away. She was alone.

"Hi," Jake greeted, a smile on his face, "I'm Jake." He held his hand out in her direction. Jake's forced smile must have worked because the look in her eyes said he had melted her on the inside. "Hi," she replied, taking his hand, "I'm Sarah." Jake nodded in acknowledgement, softly squeezing her hand before releasing it. Almost there, he thought, trying to think of ways to keep the conversation going. That was until she began to ask the questions first.

"You work here?" She asked, fiddling with the file in her hands. Crap think, he screamed at himself mentally. "I work at another agency; with the BSAA." He said smoothly, trying not to give anything away in his voice. Her eyes widened in surprise, "Really? That's impressive! Who's your squad leader; I might know him."

Jake unconsciously gulped and replied, "Redfield is my leader; I was just assigned to his squad not too long ago."

Sarah's smile widened and replied, "Captain Redfield huh? Even more impressive if I might say so."

Jake smiled and nodded, "It's an honor to work under such a man as Captain Redfield." Every time Jake said something about Chris, he felt like he should be punching himself in the face. This was definitely not something he enjoyed doing; the part about lying was easy, but the part of lying about working with Chris made him feel absolutely pathetic. It's for the cause, he told himself, boosting his determination.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Jake switched feet to lean on and tilited his head slightly. "So Sarah," He began, "This is my first time at DSO Headquarters, and I was wondering if you could help me find my way around?"

Sarah seemed hesitant, but when Jake leaned slightly closer, his eyes gazing into her's, she caved in instantly. "Uh okay." She replied as if she were in a daze.

He smiled and leaned back, holding his arm out to her, "Shall we then? Sarah smiled brightly, and linked her arm through his, and began to walk with him throughout DSO Headquarters.

...

"Dammit." Jake cursed quietly to himself, closing the drawer.

After a good amount of flirting, Jake managed to get Sarah to take him to Sherry's office. He lied and said Sherry called him and needed him to get something from her office before leaving with Leon. After he arrived at his destination with Sarah, she received a call that an issue with her co-worker required her attention. Something about not being able to leave the airport without a passport. People can be so ridiculous at times, he thought as he checked the next drawer in her desk. He had no idea what he was doing. Looking through her desk and files, searching for something. He didn't know what he was looking for in the first place. All he knew is that something wasn't right.

Leon was Sherry's close friend, practically her father figure, and yet the news of her being assigned to a new mission was baffling to him. His reaction spoke for him before his words could exit his lips. Leon had no idea about it in the first place; he probably didn't even know where she was right now.

After her searching through her drawers, which revealed nothing to him, he searched through the papers that were scattered all over her desk, a small speck of hope still lit within his heart. "There has to be something." He mumbled to himself, his fingers brushing across the tops of each and every sheet of paper.

Nothing.

He made a noise of frustration and banged his fist of her desk, causing it to shake slightly. "Where are you Sherry?"

"Do I want to know how you got up three floors from where I left you?"

Jake whirled around in the chair and saw Leon standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed at his chest, an irritated flame in his eyes. Jake unconsciously gulped, the back of his neck suddenly feeling sweaty. "Its called an elevator Kennedy, or did you not know the term until recently?" Jake replied, trying to hide his surprise.

Leon snorted, "This floor specifically requires a passcode upon entering. I just want to know how you managed that Muller." Jake leaned back in the chair, hands behind his head, "I had a little fairy help me out. Blinded her with my amazing charm."

Leon replied, "Well I feel sorry for the little fairy that had to give you assistance."

Jake placed his hand on his chest as if the comment had hurt, "Ouch Kennedy, and here I thought you and I had something." Leon sighed and stood straight, "Well unfortunately your charm doesn't work on me," Leon turned and walked away, muttering, "And hopefully the rest of the male population.

Jake grit his teeth and ran after Leon, "I heard that fucker!"

...

Sherry screamed as she jerked herself upright, trying to escape from the clutches of the nightmare.

No more...no more, she chanted in her mind, trying to keep herself from hyperventilating. The same nightmare kept coming back to haunt over and over every single night. It just wouldn't go away; she had no idea how to make it go away. Usually she only had a nightmare once and then she would never have it again, however this was different.

In the midst of her thoughts, Sherry felt something soft and plush hit the side of her face. A pillow fell on the floor after its attack on Sherry, lying still and showing no signs of life; for some odd reason Sherry expected it to stand up and start dancing.

"Seriously Sherry, another nightmare?" A girl groaned, rolling over so her back was to Sherry.

"Sorry." She murmured, feeling a bit embarrassed. Even though the place was huge, Simmons requested that all the girls be kept in one place. So he put them all in one big room. Its size reminded Sherry of the inside of a warehouse. The only downside was no privacy. Built on one of the high walls looking down at all the girls was a tinted window. Someone was watching them constantly; when they changed, when they slept, and when they ate. Sherry constantly got shivers from the uncomfortable feeling of being stared at.

Sighing, Sherry picked up the fallen pillow off the floor and laid back down on her bed, pulling the covers over her ears. She rolled over on her side and clutched the pillow to her chest, trying to offer herself some comfort. She didn't know what it was, but she just had this uneasy feeling being here. She was an agent, not a stripper. This wasn't anything like what she was doing before. Sherry was actually wishing she were behind her desk instead of being here.

This is for Jake's sake, she thought to herself, bringing some ease to her nerves. She was here for a reason, she was protecting someone from the same suffering she went through for more than half of her life. Sherry wished she had never gone through it and she didn't want anyone else going through the same thing, no matter the cost.

Sherry allowed herself to think about Jake a little longer. What was he doing right now? Was he still a mercenary? Did he go back to Edonia or did he stay in China? After the mission, she decided she would go find him. It had been a year since China and for some reason she found herself missing him.

"I miss you Jake." She whispered softly, clutching the pillow softly, wishing that she were hugging Jake. She normally wouldn't think about Jake like this, but it brought her some comfort so she allowed herself to give in to her selfish thoughts.

One day, Sherry would see Jake again.

But she had to put Gregory Simmons behind bars first.

...

Jake stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel loosely around his waist. His mood was ruined.

He had come back from DSO Headquarters empty-handed on where Sherry might be. He had tried asking Claire again, but that ended up in an argument and a knife thrown at him for a rude comment. He caught it of course, but it still pissed him off.

Walking into his room, he found the cat on his bed, curled up by his pillow...again. For the past couple of nights the cat had taken a liking to him and would sit itself on his bed every night. Even when he hushed it out of his room, he would wake up in the morning and find it at the foot of his bed. This cat was probably the most stubborn creature on the planet.

Jake dried himself off and dressed himself in his pyjamas; a pair of drawstring sweats. Walking out of the room with the towel on his shoulders, Jake made his way to the kitchen. To his surprise there was a large paper bag sitting on the island with his name written on it. Slowly, he opened the bag and peaked inside. Greeting him were three medium sized to-go boxes, the overwhelming scent of Chinese cuisine filled his nostrils. Hungrily, Jake ripped the side of the bag and took out the boxes, setting them side by side on the counter. Throwing the bag in the trash, Jake searched the drawers until he found the silverware, pulling out a fork, and slammed it shut. He pulled a stool up to the island counter and sat down. He opened each box and allowed his eyes to feast upon the heavenly sight before him.

The first box was full of beef slices and small broccoli pieces, drowned in a steamy sauce. He picked up the box and saw written on the side what he assumed what the name of the food. 'Beef Broccoli' it read. The aroma was unbelievable. The next box had pieces of bread chicken with orange sauce. This one was labelled 'Orange Chicken'. He didn't bother opening the last box; written on the flap was 'White Rice'.

"Where have you been all my life?" He asked aloud, digging in.

After finishing off the rest of the food, he threw away the boxes and cleaned up after himself, grabbing a beer from the fridge on his way out of the kitchen. While walking down the hall, he glanced at the clock to check the time. It was 11 o'clock on the dot. "Well, I guess there's nothing wrong with turning in early," He mused aloud, continuing down the to his room. As he turned to enter his own room, he noticed the cat was nowhere in sight. Though it made him happy, he began to become paranoid instantly.

Where did the cat go?

Just to be safe, Jake went over to his duffel bag and pulled out his handgun, making sure it was armed and loaded. He stuffed the gun in the backside of his waistband and threw the towel in the bathroom.

A few seconds later, he heard the cat meow in the hallway.

He released a breath he didn't realize he was holding and turned around. The cat sat outside of Sherry's door across the hall from Jake's room, scratching the carpet at the base of the door. Jake stood in the doorway of his room and crouched down, using his knees to keep him balanced. "Hey you," He greeted the cat in a whispery tone, "What are you doing? You wanna get in there?" The cat turned its head in Jake's direction and made eye contact before nodding once.

Jake nodded, "Alright then." He could understand the feeling of missing something, of someone; he did everyday because of his mother. He even missed Sherry from time to time was he wasn't forcing himself not to think about her well being. Jake often wondered why he found himself thinking of her so much; they hadn't known each other for that long. Maybe it was just the fact that she was willing to go such lengths to protect him. He didn't know and at the same time he didn't care. All he knew was that he owed her the world and he intended to pay her back one step at a time.

Jake pushed off of his knees to a standing position and took two steps so he stood before the door. His fingers enclosed around the knob and he went to turn but he stopped himself. He was about to enter Sherry's room and for some odd reason he was nervous, really nervous. It's not like I'm going to see a dead body, he told himself. He was just going to open her door so the cat could get inside, besides he didn't see the harm in just taking a peek inside of Sherry's life. He came here to see her, so since she wasn't here to stop him he was just going to see what her life was like when she wasn't an agent.

Slowly, he turned the knob and pushed against the door with his shoulder, listening to the sound of the creaking door as he entered. When it became large enough, the cat slid inside and entered the room before him. As the door opened even more, Jake found himself doubting his decision to see her room. He had no idea why he was feeling this doubtful and nervous, it was so unlike the mercenary Jake who was never worried no matter how bad the situation was.

"Dammit just open the door." He said aloud and pushed the door all the way open. His eyes scanned the room instantly, taking in the sight before him.

On the left wall was large, circular day bed adorned with a beige colored comforter and black throw pillows. Hanging above it was a fishnet canopy that covered more than half the bed. The strings were white with tiny fabric flowers sewn into the material. There was a bedside table on either side of the bed, but only one had an alarm clock with one photo frame. The walls were a murky light green with peony's painted around the edges, all painted in colors that were the same shade as the walls but not the same color. In the corner to the right farthest from him was a large sized chair that gave the impression it was very soft and plush. On the wall to the right across from the bed was a dark colored wooden desk with an open file atop it.

Intrigued, Jake stepped closer to the desk with his head tilted to the side. The cat had nestled itself in the nest of throw pillows on Sherry's bed, watching Jake with half closed eyes.

Jake pulled the chair out and seated himself, scooting closer once he got comfortable. Jake lazily moved the papers around, scanning for anything of interest. All he saw were scientific reports of lab reports or plastic bags of skin samples that looked recent. His hands continued to push the papers around when he felt a small lump in the pile. He moved the papers that were in the way to the side and picked up a large envelope with the word 'PHOTOS' stamped on the side with black ink. Finally, we're getting somewhere, he thought. He noticed a pen from the corner of his eye sitting at the edge of the desk. Picking it up with two fingers, he used the tip of the pen to cut open the envelope, and tipped it upside down letting the contents spill over the papers.

Jake felt his insides grow cold.

Every photo he saw was of him. And he was only looking at the ones on top; he was instantly afraid to look at the ones that lay beneath. One photo was of him walking down a street in Edonia, another was one of him attacking a J'avo in China during the Biohazard Incident. Others were of him in a room with no windows; one that he instantly recognized as the testing room in China when he had been captured.

"Someone's been watching me." He thought out loud.

Of course someone was always watching him, he knew that much, but this seemed more serious than any of the others he had found out about. Pushing the photos on top to the side, Jake scanned the next layer of photos. The first picture he set his eyes on was one of Sherry and Jake together; they were back at the facility in China, she was asleep and Jake was wide awake, sitting on the table next to hers. As he stared at the photo, his nostrils flared and he clenched the pen tightly, the plastic cracking.

Jake scanned each photo carefully now, memorizing every detail he was able. After he finished the photos, he began scanning every piece of paper. After about an hour of non-stop reading, Jake was on the last two papers when a familiar name caught his eyes.

_Following the death of Derek C. Simmons, it became known that his younger brother, Gregory Simmons, succeeded Derek C. Simmons as the head of the Family. For the past year since his succession, Gregory Simmons has been continuing the production of the C-Virus and selling them secretly across the globe. He carries out these deals in many of his 'under the radar' clubs that Gregory uses to make an increased amount of money by selling women to government officials. Photos found in the recovered briefcase reveal Gregory Simmons has begun new testing experiments with his test subjects being women he has kidnapped across the globe. It had come to a conclusion that this sale of the C-Virus has been the reason that the after affects of Biohazard Incident in China haven't reduced. Therefore, Gregory Simmons is now the U.S.A's most dangerous criminal that threatens our Global Security._

"So the bastard had a brother." Jake frowned at the information before him and began reading the last piece of paper in the file.

_Agent Sherry Birkin, you have been requested personally by the BSAA through the DSO to assist the BSAA in the quest to take down Gregory Simmons and end the threat of Bio-terrorism that he holds. Your mission is to infiltrate one of the clubs run G__r__egory Simmons as an employee and find a way to bring him out of hiding. You must bring him alive for questioning but you have been given permission to use any means __necessary__ to achieve your goal._

Jake froze with horror. Infiltrating a club run by Gregory Simmons? From what he had gathered from previous information, Gregory Simmons had a hobby of stealing women to work in his whorehouses. And from what was written here, he owned a lot. In order for Sherry to infiltrate any of his workhouses, she was going to pretend to be a female hostess. One that didn't work in a restaurant.

Jake let the paper fall from his fingers. It was just too much to absorb, it was just too much. He couldn't stand it, while he wasting his time exploring New York, Sherry was in a government labelled whore house.

In a flash of movement Jake rose from his seat, knocking the chair over. He brought his fist down in her desk, sweeping the whole file onto the floor, papers and photos flying everywhere. "Dammit!" He yelled out loud, anger building up inside of him. Someone was going to pay for this, they were going to pay dearly. 'They're gonna wish they had never been born,' he thought angrily.

Suddenly Jake remembered that this mission was originally from BSAA, and they had specifically requested for Sherry Birkin. That means the person who requested for her already knew her outside of work and Jake only knew one person who was with the BSAA and knew Sherry outside of work.

Jake felt his throat growl in anger as he spoke the name out loud as if it were venom.

"Redfield."

**I'm really really sorry this update took so long! I was studying for my finals and I have a two year old nephew I babysit a lot, so I didn't get much free time to write this. But now Summer vacation is here, I will have much more time to write! YAY:)**

**If you hadn't noticed, I also started writing two other stories at the same time, so my brain is all over the place LOL**

**Thank you so very much for waiting and thanks even more for taking the time to read my stories! If its not too much trouble, I would like it if even one person would read some of my other stories and tell me what you think of them. I value the opinions of others very much when it comes to my writing. **

**I want to give lots of thanks to ****Shakko **** taking the time to edit my story when I know she has her own to write! I seriously recommend her Resident Evil 6 story to anyone who likes JAke and Sherry as a couple!**

**Thanks again for reading! Please Review!**


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