Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The heavy noise of the helicopter blades roared in her ears. Her team was on the way to Dulvey, Louisiana to assist in apprehending the Bio-terrorist, Lucas Baker.

They had already sent in some Blue Umbrella & BSAA agents to unsuccessfully subdue Baker. Her team was sent in to find the missing soldiers and to rescue Ethan Winters.

The aircraft was completely silent on the ride over. She took the time to say a quiet prayer, not just for herself, but the others too.

She would be lying if she didn’t admit to being terrified, this was her first big mission as a major player. Usually, she would be on the sidelines waiting to collect the data from the neutralized sites or taking care of the wounded.

This would be the first time she would be in the action as it was happening. She wondered how desperate they would be to send someone like her to the forefront.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Captain Redfield yelled for everyone’s attention.

“We’re encountering a serious bio-terrorist here, our main goal is to neutralize Lucas Baker, but we’ve lost comms with some of our best down there. If you see anybody down there, try to get them to safety.”

She gulped. The best had been lost down there. What was she considered?

She was preparing to mentally distance herself from the whole situation when Captain Redfield sat down next to her.

“You good, Connolly?” he said sensing her insecurity.

“Damn him,” she thought. Of course, he knew how to spot hesitation, that's how people get killed.

“I’m just mentally preparing is all.” She was honest.

This job wasn’t easy or for the faint of heart.

She was self-admittedly sensitive, but she did have balls of steel. The only way she knew how to survive was to separate herself mentally and convince herself it wasn’t real.

Sure, it wasn’t a great way to get along, but it kept her alive.

“What are you holding?” he asked curiously.

This was her first time working with Captain Redfield. She assumed he was trying to get to know her, so he could at least tell her family something at her funeral.

Don’t think like that Anna.

“It’s my pendant of St. Barbara,” she told him, holding up the pendant so he could see the details.

“St. Barbara?” he asked, semi-confused.

“I’m guessing you didn’t grow up Catholic, Captain.” She laughed light-heartedly.

He returned her smile.

“You got me, I don’t put much worth into religion these days,” Chris said readjusting himself in his seat.

“I can’t blame you, it’s hard to have faith some days.”

Chris let out a sarcastic laugh.

“She’s the Patron Saint of those who work with explosives or those who face sudden and violent deaths on the job. Pretty fitting for our line of duty, huh?”

Chris was silent.

“My sister gave me this pendant after finishing basic training for the BSAA; even though my family begged me not to join but I felt called to.” She said.

“I understand what that’s like.” He said.

Anna thought for a minute and placed the pendant in Redfield’s gloved hand.

“You should take it, I think it’ll do you some good to have it on you,” she said with a smile. “We are hunting for this sicko in an abandoned salt mine.”

“Are you sure? Your sister gave this to you, Connolly.” He said through a furrowed brow.

“She’ll have plenty of time to give me another one. She’ll be thankful I gave it to you.” She said assuringly.

She was thankful Captain Redfield decided to speak with her, She felt more confident now than she did before.

Chris nodded and placed the pendant into one of his tactical pockets. The gesture filled him with a warmth he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Damn, she was kind.

“Thanks, Connolly.” he managed out.

Before she could respond, the speaker of the aircraft crackled to life.

“We’re about to land, get ready to deploy troops.”

Chris sat up quickly, “All right you heard him.”

Anna inhaled deeply when the aircraft carrier doors opened and the other troops slid down without hesitation.

“Ladies first,” Captain Redfield said to her. She must have been hesitating more than she thought.

Anna slid down and was relieved when she quickly felt the ground under her heavy boots.

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They had been in the mine for not even 15 minutes when the horrors began.

She and Captain Redfield had encountered the first missing soldier together. He tried to warn them, to let him die; but that's when the supposedly “deceased” soldier sprung up from the floor.

“Gotcha!”

It was Lucas Fucking Baker. He had strapped a bomb to your Captain’s wrist and Chris pushed you back to try to get you away.

You unconsciously let out a yelp as your back collided with the ground.

You tried to get back to your feet and shoot Lucas, but you didn’t have a clear enough shot.

It wouldn’t have mattered anyway.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, sweetie,” he said with a disgusting emphasis on the last part.

The way he addressed her made her feel sick; like she wanted to set her clothes on fire.

“My hand might just Slip!” and with that, the soldier’s head exploded.

She was so detached from the situation, she thought it was someone else who screamed “NO!”

She felt her legs start to buckle, but she knew this was only the beginning, and that she had to nut up if she had any chance of surviving the mine.

“You better go get that bomb off your wrist Redfield, wouldn’t want to leave your lady friend down here alone with me.” Lucas sneered “Actually, maybe you should. I bet y’all keep her in great shape, she could take a couple of rounds before I kill her.”

She wanted to vomit.

“Shut the fuck up, Lucas!” Redfield roared.

“I’d love to stay and make you watch Christopher, but I have some business to deal with. Y’all better head back up if you know what’s good for you.” with that, he shut the door behind him as the room released E-type spores.

“Shit,” Chris said as their ventilators switched on.

Anna looked at him. “He’s right, we have to get that off of you, It looks different from the one who killed our comrade though. I think it has a timer that hasn’t been activated yet.”

“How can you tell?”

“If he really wanted us dead just now, he would have killed us. He’s getting greedy and that’s when these guys fuck up.” Anna reasoned.

“I guess you’re right, but it still doesn’t mean he can’t detonate it at any time he wants, we’ll proceed with caution.”

That's when their comms unit crackled to life. “You two can’t be serious. We have to get that off of you, Redfield.” HQ scolded them.

“The only reason we’re down here is that the BSAA seems to be convinced you are the good guys. Do you really want us to pull out now when we’re so close to apprehending Baker? Not a chance in hell.” Chris said sternly into the Mic.

HQ sighed. “We’ll talk more when you get back to base, Captain Redfield. Just stay focused on the mission ahead.”

Anna could hear the smirk in Captain Redfield’s voice when he answered with a “Yes Ma’am.”

Chapter Text

Captain Redfield & Anna just continued in silence deeper into the mine.

Anna was trying her best to continue to be professional, but the truth was she was scared shitless and couldn’t have been able to speak regardless.

All that could be heard was the sounds of their breathing through the rebreathers. She was so thankful the geniuses in combat equipment development were so thorough.

She made a mental note that if she got out alive, she would bring them donuts and coffee the next time she was at the base.

She was so lost in fantasizing about being back at HQ she almost bumped into Chris when he stopped abruptly.

They were now in what seemed like a holding area of sorts. That's when she saw what Chris had stopped for; it was another one of the missing soldiers.

“You Ok in there?” Chris said to the soldier.

The soldier looked up so weakly, it was almost like he couldn’t lift his head at all.

“Redfield is that you?”

“We're gonna get the key and get you out of there. Don’t worry.”

Anna was ready to get the key and get the soldier the fuck out of there. At this point she didn’t care about apprehending Lucas, she just wanted her comrade to live.

“Captain Redfield, I think I see something down here!” She said into her mic.

The sight was strange, it was in a crate labeled blatantly “key”.

“This is a game he wants us to play into, but why?” she thought out loud.

That's when she heard something quickly shuffle behind her. It was one of the molded. It let out a disgusting screech and went to strike her. She was able to move out of the way in time and shoot it directly in the head. The monstrous form disintegrated right in front of her.

Damn, she was fucking lucky. She wasn’t sure if it was pure adrenaline that had her shot right, or if St.Barbara was looking out for her dumbass; either way, she was thankful.

“Nice shot Connolly,” She heard Chris remark. “I was worried they had sent me another rookie. Looks like I was wrong.”

“Thank you so much, Captain, that makes me feel SO secure in my superiors' choice to send me down here.” She said sarcastically.

Chris laughed at her comment. He was very accustomed to the BSAA deploying soldiers into dangerous situations blindly; hence, why they were here.

The light-hearted moment was short-lived of course. More of the mold started to ambush them and the once dead silent cavern was filled with gunfire.

When they finally subdued enough of them, they scoped out the surrounding area to find any more clues to see what the “key box” was attached to. They both decided there was no other choice but to approach it.

That's when Chris moved to grab the key from the cart, the box quickly retracted into the air.

“Shit!” They both said in unison.

“It’s attached to that pulley over there!” Anna motioned to the device.

Captain Redfield moved closer to investigate. “It’s missing the lever, we gotta find it.”

Anna moved frantically to find the missing piece, praying no more molded would try to ambush her or Captain Redfield in the process.

She found it.

“Good job Connolly!” Chris praised.

She ran the lever over and Captain Redfield quickly rigged it up.

“All right, I’ll pull this thing up and you grab the key!” Chris ordered.

“Yes sir!” She happily obliged.

As soon as Chris started to work the pulley, a massive white creature started to make its way toward them.

“Connolly, MOVE!” Chris shouted at her.

She felt frozen in fear, but she managed to move her legs enough to fall back. They tried using their weapons against the monster, but it was useless.

“What the fuck are we looking at?” Chris spoke to HQ.

“I’m not sure, this must be new. Exercise extreme caution.” HQ responded.

“Captain Redfield, she’s right. It’s regenerating too fast.” Anna panicked. “There have to be some RAMRODS down here to subdue this fucker.”

“Let’s find out,” Chris responded in a calm tone.

How could he be so cool at a time like this? Blue Umbrella had no clue what this thing was and if the RAMRODS didn’t work, they were shit-out-of-luck.

The two busted into what looked like a storage area, searching through the shelves quickly.

“I think I found it?” Chris motioned for her to come over. She was able to read the label “Rapid-Acting Mycetotoxic Rounds”.

“Yup, this is certainly it.” She sighed. “We have to use these sparingly.” She assured him.

“Understood, ma’am.”

Chris led them back to the area with the huge white monster.

It was making its way slowly to them. “Here goes nothing.”

He threw the round at the beast and it screamed in pain, Anna then took her chances and emptied a clip into the mold. It shrieked one last time before liquifying onto the ground.

“Might as well multitask while we’re here,” Anna said as she plucked a specimen container from one of her tactical pockets and collected the fungus.

Chris looked curiously at her.

She understood his confusion and responded with “They didn’t let you know? I usually work in a lab analyzing this stuff, not battling them face to face.”

“Great thinking ahead on collecting the specimen Connolly,” HQ said to her. “We can use it for further research.”

Chris only shook his head “Let’s go and grab that key before Lucas can cause any more trouble for us.”

Anna agreed silently and they went back to free the soldier.

“It’s over now, we’re here to save you.” Chris tried to assure him.

“You shouldn’t have come back, I’m the bait and you fell for it.” The soldier wheezed out.

“Don’t talk like that, we’re here now. We’re going to get you out of here.” Anna tried to assure him.

That’s when the saw above his head whirred to life and made its descent to the soldier’s neck.

Anna panicked and tried to cut him free from his bondage while Chris tried to shoot the saw, but their attempts were futile.

The soldier’s blood splattered on her helmet. She was frozen in place.

Lucas’s voice filled the once-silent room. “Looks like y’all were too late! Oh well!”

Anna was silent, but she wanted to scream and retaliate back at him. She knew it would be useless, it was what he wanted.

She was broken out of her thoughts when she heard Captain Redfield’s labored breathing.

“Captain! You have to take his ventilator! Yours seems to be malfunctioning!” she panicked. “You can’t leave me down here!”

She apologized to the deceased soldier and made the sign of the cross over herself as she plucked the ventilator from his mask. She prayed wherever he was he was at peace. She handed the ventilator to her Captain and he quickly installed it into his mask.

“Thanks for thinking straight, Connolly,” Chris mumbled.

“If it was me, I would want someone alive to use it. Remember that!” she laughed

“Don’t talk like that Connolly, your sister needs you alive to give another saint to.” Chris quipped back.

She was so thankful for the visor at this point, not for the protection, but for the sheer fact, it was hiding her blush. She felt like a fucking schoolgirl; the last time someone had her blushing was probably when she was in high school.

She chalked it up to her brain taking in loads of mental trauma at once and Chris just doing his job, as to why she was crushing on him now.

She would need tons of therapy when she fully processed this in about two weeks, but she at least had her maladaptive daydreaming to keep her functioning at the moment.

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They finally came across the last missing soldier after almost being lasered to bits by the traps set by Lucas.

“This guy is such a loser.” Anna thought to herself. All of his traps were like overdone tropes from the “Saw” movies.

“It's you!” The soldier said with enthusiasm. “I thought they forgot about us.”

“Never.” Anna tried to assure him. She tried to believe it herself after the last two failures. She was terrified of what was to come next.

“Connolly, you stay right here, I’m gonna find a way to turn these things off.”

She nodded and stayed put.

“Are you injured anywhere?” She tried to keep him calm by talking.

“Just my leg, I think it’s broken.” He managed out.

She looked down and tried to feel where the break was, or if it was a muscle tear.

The soldier let out a yelp when she found the break with her fingers.

“Okay, yes it’s broken, but we’re gonna get you to safety and patch you up.”

The soldier nodded through his visor.

She felt her stomach flip flop, she wasn’t sure either one of them would get out alive.

“They’re cut off, it’s safe to move.”

“I think there’s a way out over here,” the soldier gestured over to a utility closet size space in the corner of the room.

“Let’s head out quick,” Chris ordered.

Anna nodded and threw the soldier’s arm around her shoulder to help him walk faster.

They moved to the exit when it was suddenly revealed that the soldier had an explosive device attached to his neck.

“Get this thing off of me!” He panicked. Anna knew it was useless, it was about to detonate; she had to let go.

This was the third soldier’s blood to be splattered all over her uniform.

She was livid, she hadn’t felt this kind of anger in a long time.

“Fuck you, Baker!” She screamed. She couldn’t keep it in anymore. She was cracking.

“You’re such a loser!” She called out. “We saw the footage from your attic on the way over. Still living with your parents and holding on to your lame, little trophies. You’re a scared little boy, with no friends and hiding behind this “psycho” facade. You’re pathetic and predictable.”

It was exactly what he wanted.

Lucas appeared in their comms unit.

“Loser huh? Is that the best you can do?” He sneered into the monitor. “Let's see about you, Anna Catherine Connolly !”

She froze, he knew her whole government name.

Lucas continued as images from her life flashed on the screen.

“Looks like you’re a nice little Catholic girl, Anna. Grew up in the church, oh look! You were a cheerleader & graduated with honors, I’m not surprised. All you little whores are the same.” He grinned.

Anna and Chris were silent with shock, how the fuck did he find this information?

“Awwww, who’s this Anna?” He taunted. A picture of Anna and her late husband at their wedding flashed on the screen. “You didn’t tell me you were married. The keyword was married.” He laughed out an ear-drum-bursting cackle.

“Stop this shit, Lucas!” Chris roared. He knew exactly what he was doing. Anna was young, she could recover from physical trauma, but this mental abuse would stick with her.

“I don’t think so. Anna, how did he die again? Wrong place, wrong time? Now you’re alone and fighting the same monsters who killed him right? You’re the one who’s fucking predictable.” Lucas spat. “Doing what others tell you to do and listening blindly. Maybe if you weren’t so fucking predictable you wouldn’t be alone.”

Anna felt the tears falling from her eyes. It was all too much. Lucas was truly evil, she was wrong to call him out like that, but damn he had hit her where it hurt.

“I like my girls to be obedient anyway. You’re gonna learn to respect me bitch.” Lucas taunted her. “I’m tired of playing games. There’s about to be four dead soldiers and I’ll have you all to myself, Anna.”

With that final statement, the communication stopped and the timer on Chris’ wrist started ticking.

“Oh, my god.” Anna choked out.

HQ buzzed through. “Redfield, Connolly are you there? We lost contact.”

Chris replied. “Yeah, but now we’ve got a situation, I’ve got a bomb that’s about to blow in 5 minutes.”

HQ paused, shocked, just the static of the comms could be heard through the speaker. It felt like years before she responded “there are canisters of liquid nitrogen close by, right through that red door. You can try to freeze the bomb and disarm it that way.”

You & Chris just looked at each other.

“Looks like it’s gotta work,” Chris said to you.

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The two of you successfully disarmed the bomb, much to Lucas’s dismay.

“I can’t tell if you’re actually smart or just plain lucky, but like I said I’m done playing games. You just couldn’t stop could you?” Lucas taunted them. “I’m gonna blow you two sky high. At least you won’t die alone like your husband, Anna.”

“If you’re going to kill us, Lucas, just shut the fuck up!” Chris growled.

Anna didn’t have time to absorb what Lucas said to her. The mine around them had started to go into self-destruction mode.

Chris grabbed Anna, he was determined to find a way out. He wasn’t going to let her die. It was very unlike him, but he prayed for the first time in a long time. “Work your miracle St.Barbara, prove to me what you can do.” He silently said to himself.

He almost believed it.

The two of them were frantically pulling at grates to escape when, like a miracle, it opened for Chris.

“CONNOLLY, HERE NOW!” He screamed.

Anna followed him straight away, without a question. They felt the explosion above them as soon as they were in the tight tunnel. The two wasted no time crawling deeper into the darkness when they finally reached the actual research facility.

“Redfield, Connolly? Are you still there? We detected an explosive event close to where you two are located.” HQ spoke calmly.

“We’re just fine, narrowly escaped, but fine,” Chris spoke.

“Captain Redfield, we just intercepted an email that Lucas sent out. It says: just took care of Redfield and Umbrella. Cost me some time but cost them much more. I can still get that data to you, but it’s quits after that.”

“So he thinks we’re dead. This might be our chance. Who did he send that email to? Chris questioned.

“We’re still trying to decrypt that,” HQ said. “Just try to get Lucas alive,” she spoke sternly.

“Keep us posted,” Chris grumbled.

The two of them explored the areas in silence.

Anna managed to document some images of reports in the meantime. Lucas had done horrible things to the people he brought down here. It was disgusting to see all the used lab equipment and the photos of the autopsies.

His lack of disregard for human life made her even more angry and sad.

She also couldn’t help but feel sorry for Eveline. Yes, she was a bioweapon, but she was sentient. All she wanted was a family.

Anna shook off her thoughts and decided thinking about that sort of thing was a waste of her time.

They finally reached a hallway where they saw Lucas through an observation window. He didn’t see them coming until they ambushed him.

“Oh fuck!” Lucas squealed. He tried to make a run for it but was apprehended by Chris.

Lucas tried to get away by swinging a combat knife at Chris.

She tried to separate the men to cuff Lucas so he could be brought in alive like orders stated but Lucas threw off her balance and the both of them fell backward. Lucas retaliated by rushing toward Chris.

Chris decided he had enough and shot Lucas.

“I can’t believe it,” Lucas started to grovel.

“Believe it.” Chris spat.

That's when Lucas began to mutate due to the gunshot.

“Oh, boy this is what it feels like.” His voice was strangely calm. “You’re both screwed!” he laughed one final time.

“Infection is at critical mass, exercise extreme caution,” HQ told them.

“Like we haven’t been doing that this entire time.” Chris mocked.

The two of them backed up and what was once a lanky human form had transformed into a gurgling mass of mold and bodily fluid.

“What the fuck!” Anna couldn’t help but let out.

The two started unloading ammunition into Baker, trying to get clear shots of his head.
That's when a fleshy red mass appeared.

“Try to aim for that Connolly! We gotta take this bastard down.” Chris yelled to her.

She started emptying clips into Lucas, aiming for that specific sweet spot.

He finally started to weaken, throwing up bile and eventually falling.

Chris walked right up to “Lucas” and delivered the final shot right between his eyes.

“Game over.” He said.

It felt so anticlimactic, after everything they had been through. After what Lucas had put them through.

“The data transfers are almost finished loading! You have to stop it!” HQ ordered.

“How do we stop it?” Chris said as Anna rushed over to the computer monitor trying to recall her limited training in the tech sector. There had to be a way to undo the transfer, that was simple enough right?

That's when Chris decided that the most efficient solution would be to shoot the processors altogether.

“That…worked,” HQ remarked “We’re gonna have some pretty pissed-off computer techs in here, but…”

“Cry me a river.” Chris interrupted. “How’d we do?”

“All threats have been eliminated, even the newer breeds. Good work.” HQ assured them.

“Then we’re out of here,” Chris said as he took off the helmet. “Let’s go Connolly.”

Chapter Text

While Captain Redfield was taking an important call at the base camp, Anna was left alone in the medic tent. She wore the disposable scrubs they issued to outbreak victims after decontamination.

She hugged her knees to her chest and cradled her forehead between her knees. She finally let out a sob she hadn’t realized she was holding in. She would have done anything to be able to run in her husband’s arms and hug his neck.

That would never happen again.

Lucas was right. She was and would remain alone. She’d never get close to anyone ever again after what happened to Michael. Her heart couldn’t take it.

Not only had her husband died during the Arlington outbreaks, but a part of her did as well.

The young woman who loved her simple life. She had a perfect existence with Michael. Everyone would compliment them on being a perfect & beautiful young couple. Random people in restaurants would remark on how sweet they were to each other; or how you could “see the love” they had for each other when they looked at one another.

They had it all.

She was so close to graduating nursing school & he was working as a mid-level consultant for a finance company. They went to church every Sunday, tithed their 10%, volunteered, and had a healthy social life. Those close to them would gossip about how they hoped a little Connolly would soon be on the way, but that day would never come.

On Tuesday, August 13th, 2014 one month before their Second Wedding Anniversary, multiple financial institutions were attacked by a crime syndicate. The crime syndicate had used BOWs to cause confusion and destruction to retrieve encrypted information and drain the banks of everything.

Unfortunately for Michael, he was preparing for a presentation with this specific institution’s board of directors that afternoon. It was supposed to be the step that would move him into upper management, so they could finally start their family.

Michael would never have the chance to see their family again. His death left a void so deep in Anna’s heart, that she dropped out of school and sold their house. She couldn’t bear to stay in the home they both had worked so hard for; it was now cold and empty.

Anna moved into a bungalow with friends in her city’s Victorian district to keep costs low & to heal from her grief.

She was trying to drown out her loneliness one day by scrolling through her phone when she saw an article about how the BSAA was looking for more recruits. It inspired her to enlist. She remembered the way they handled her situation with so much care. They had set her up with resources and counselors that were specifically trained to handle victims of bio-terror.

Anna knew that this next stage of her life was to help others. She had found a love that most people never know, she wasn’t going to be selfish and feel sorry for herself anymore.

She was going to take control of her new life. She wasn’t going to be victimized anymore and she was going to protect those who couldn’t do it themselves.

Her only way to heal was to heal others.

The recruiter was so impressed with her test scores, he expedited her application to be approved. She even survived the hellish 8 weeks of boot camp, where she perfected her fitness and combat skills.

Up until this point, her family had thought it was something to immerse herself in to forget the pain.

Then she graduated in the top 10% of her class.

They begged her not to go, to stay in her hometown. They assured her she was young and would find someone else.

“I can’t believe you’re crazy enough to go through with this!” her dad would say. “You really think you can make a difference? You can’t change what happened to Michael, Anna Catherine!”

The night before she left for her official move to New York, she was sitting outside her familial home looking at the stars, enjoying the humid summer air. Her older sister, Brigid came outside and sat next to her on the wooden bench.

“Hey,” Brigid said quietly to her.

“Hey,” Anna responded.

“Dad & Lisa are really stressed about your move,” she stated flatly.

“I didn’t notice.” Anna retorted sarcastically.

“I think it's pretty fucking awesome you’re doing it though,” Brigid said as she pulled out a cigarette and offered Anna one.

Anna shook her head, and Brigid brought the cigarette to her lips to light it.

“You never gave mom and dad any shit growing up,” she said, playing with the lighter still. “Got married first, bought the house & all that.”

Anna wondered what Brigid had come out here for, was she going to make fun of her decision to leave?

Brigid continued. “They always knew you’d have someone to take care of you; you were the sweet daughter that got along with everyone and did what she was told.” She took a long drag and held it in for a couple of seconds before exhaling.

“Now you’re freaking everyone out by moving away & joining this organization. They’re wondering where their sweet Anna has gone.” Brigid smirked. “I think you’re doing the right thing; no, I think you’re doing the best thing.”

Anna was shocked. She and Brigid were like oil and water, they never agreed on anything.

“You’re fucking with me aren’t you Brigid?” Anna looked at her harshly. “That’s so not cool.”

Brigid laughed so hard she broke into coughing. Anna rolled her eyes, she hated when Brigid smoked and Brigid knew; it was another thing they disagreed on.

“I’m really not,” she eventually managed to say between coughs. “I can even prove it!” Brigid pulled out a small box.

Anna looked at her through a furrowed brow.

“Well, open it bitch.” She said sardonically.

Anna rolled her eyes and lifted the lid. It was a patron saint medallion, she wasn’t quite sure who the saint was. Anna’s eyes glittered with tears; damn, she was so sensitive.

“Brigid, I love it. I thought your beliefs didn’t *align with catholic views* anymore.” She looked at her sister suspiciously.

“Well, I know you do, and you’ll be the one at risk of being blown to smithereens at any given moment. I had to google this saint in particular, you know, it’s St. Barbara.” Anna just smiled and listened intently, it meant a lot that her sister would go through this trouble for her.

“Of Course, my first thought was:” Brigid paused “St.Michael,” they both spoke in unison “The protector of the church and all of the military.” They both giggled.

Brigid composed herself. “But, I knew that would be overdone, you’re unique, so I thought I would pick a lady saint. She has a pretty badass back story, you should definitely look her up.”

Anna put the medallion around her neck and hugged her sister tight. She hadn’t hugged her sister since Michael’s funeral.

The girls both sat in silence while they hugged each other. The sounds of the crickets and owls were occasionally broken with sniffles coming from both of the sisters.

After what seemed like an endless amount of time they broke apart.

The two sisters walked back to the house with arms intertwined.

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“Connolly,” Captain Redfield’s voice broke her out of her reminiscing.

He was still dressed in his tactical gear. She felt sorry for him, “he must never get down time to himself.” She thought.

That's when she suddenly felt self-conscious. “Oh my god, I'm not wearing a bra and these scrubs are thin as hell. Can he see my boobs?” She thought “Just keep eye contact Connolly; hold his stare, he’s your superior so hopefully he won’t notice.”

Her face must have been turning red because Captain Redfield followed up with an “Oh, um they didn’t give you a change of clothes yet? I’ll uh, see if they have anything for you.” He quickly turned around and left.

She put her head in her hands. “Definitely noticed.” She thought to herself and groaned.

A female operative quickly came in and gave her her original sports bra back and a new standard-issue shirt and pants.

“I’ve never seen Captain Redfield so flustered like that, were you naked when he came in here?” She teased.

“I might as well have been.” She grabbed her clothes from the woman.

“Well, it was definitely shitty of them to leave you in here with nothing after what you just went through. Hopefully, the Captain's giving them an earful now.” The operative sympathized with her.

“Thanks, I really appreciate it,” Anna said softly.

“Oh shit, one last thing, Captain wants you to meet someone as soon as you get dressed.” She relayed to Anna.

“Will do.”

Anna quickly got dressed and couldn’t help but think about how much she actually enjoyed seeing the embarrassment spread on Chris’s handsome features.

“Calm down Anna, he’s your boss.” She thought to herself.

She walked herself to the main tent and met up with her superior.

“There you are,” Chris greeted her warmly.

She walked up to him. “I was told there was someone you wanted me to meet?”

“Yes actually,” he rubbed the back of his neck. “I feel like this sort of thing is more your territory.”

Anna cocked her eyebrow at him.

“Lemme just show you.” He said as he held open the tent for her.

She walked into the tent and saw a young woman sitting on a cot.

“Who’s that, Captain?” Anna asked genuinely curious.

“That’s Lucas’s sister.” He whispered.

She breathed in so hard she choked on her own saliva.

“Yeah, uh my reaction was very similar,” Chris said, rubbing the back of his neck. “She survived three years trapped with those monsters.

“Those monsters were her family, Chris.” Anna quipped back.

Chris smiled weakly at her. “That’s why I need you to talk to her. She needs someone like you right now.”

Anna took a sharp inhale and walked over to the tiny woman. She looked so fragile, Anna was afraid to step near her for fear of her collapsing.

“Hi, Zoe,” Anna said hesitantly. “I’m Connolly, Anna Connolly.”

Zoe looked at her, the circles under her eyes dark. She looked like what she had been through; hell.

“You and Redfield killed my brother.” She said flatly.

“Yes, we did.” Anna said, letting out a sigh. “I’m sorry.”

“You shouldn’t be. He was a bad person, everyone was right. I just wish Mama & daddy didn’t have to be pulled into it.” Zoe started to cry.

Anna quickly sat next to her and started to rub her back.

“You’ve been through so much, what you’re feeling is completely normal.”

“I can’t believe this is happening to me. It’s over, but it just felt like a bad dream, now that it’s over I-I…” she stammered and began to cry harder.

Anna embraced her in a tight hug. She just continued to rub her back while she cried, soothing her the best she could. She looked to Captain Redfield, who looked awkwardly on. Anna mouthed to him “I got this.”

Captain Redfield nodded and slowly made his way out of the tent.

When Zoe started to calm down they ended the embrace but remained sitting next to one another.

“I’m so sorry, I was trapped with those freaks for three years, they looked like my parents, but they weren’t; I can’t stop thinking about it.” She said putting her face in her hands.

“Zoe, you don’t know me from Adam and I couldn’t understand exactly what you’ve been through; but I also lost my husband years ago to bio terror, the grief doesn’t end, but it does get easier to deal with.”

Zoe looked at her with glittering eyes.

“I can’t bring your Mama & Daddy back, but we survivors gotta stick together and be our own family you know.” Anna said, letting out an awkward laugh.

It was Zoe’s turn to hug Anna.

“I really wasn’t sure how I was going to go on, but now I have hope.” Zoe whispered to her.

Anna just hugged her tighter.

Chris was still standing outside the tent observing, he couldn’t help but admire Anna, even though she had gone through the horrors in the mine, she still gave her all to Zoe.

He made a mental note to talk to her more when they were back in New York.

XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX//

Six months had passed since the Dulvey incident. Her superiors had convinced themselves she should be on *desk duty* after what she had witnessed, despite her protests.

They said she was an asset and coaxed her into complicity by helping her finish her nursing degree. She worked in the infirmary assisting with day to day operations in lieu of clinicals.

She drowned herself in work, not making it a priority to go out with friends or really taking care of herself. She lived at the office and when she wasn’t bedside, she was busy studying for the NCLEX. She was trying to fast track her nurse practitioner’s license to work in clinics overseas without having to get her doctorate.

She knew running from her demons wasn’t going to help her, and she felt even worse when one day she got a call from Zoe Baker, under an assumed name. Zoe sounded very distraught. Anna could tell she probably hadn’t slept or gone to therapy in a while.

“I’m going to do it!” She sounded hysterical. “I’m just going to end it, I can’t live without them! My memories, I just can’t go on!”

“Zoe, please!” Anna cried through the phone, she looked at her office clock. It was 11:00 pm. “I’ll catch the next flight out of here. Please give me some time to help!”

She heard Zoe make a sound that sounded like a choked sob.

“Okay,” was all she said.

Anna was out that night. She told her supervisor she had a “family emergency” which wasn’t a lie. Her supervisor just told her to take it easy; she had been working 60 hours a week since she joined their team six months ago.

She agreed and promised she would be back as soon as she could. She hopped on a red eye flight to New Orleans where she met Zoe in her apartment.

The small apartment was messy with newspapers and takeout boxes strewn everywhere.

“Zoe,” Anna looked into her dark rimmed eyes. “When’s the last time you slept?”

Zoe took in a deep breath of air.

“Two days.” She replied honestly.

All Anna could do was just nod her head sympathetically.

“Have you seen what your organization has been saying about what happened to my family?” She was angry. “They’re saying my family died from a gas leak.” She scoffed.

“Zoe I’m so sorry-“ Anna tried to say.

“Don’t-“‘she cut her off. She started to calm down. “Don’t apologize. I just want to know something.”

“Anything!” Anna said enthusiastically.

“Was the whole incident really the BSAA’s fault? They gave me this new name and everything. I tried contacting the Winters family and they disappeared.” Zoe was starting to ramble.

Anna sucked in. She knew this was Zoe testing her, she knew Zoe knew.

After pausing for a moment Anna answered her truthfully.

“The mission in Munich to subdue Evelyn apparently failed, which is why she was on a boat to the United States; the BSAA had to cover their asses and feed the media a story, I’m sorry Zoe.” Anna couldn’t make eye contact with her.

Zoe sat down and the women sat in silence for what felt like hours.

Zoe was the first to break the silence.

“You know we had so many memories in that house, and now it’s roped off and I can’t even visit anymore.”

Anna nodded at her to show she was listening.

“If I could go back one more time, if I could just walk through those doors on a fall day to my mama cooking and my dad working on something in the garage, I would do anything.” She said and put her head in her hands to cry.

Anna went over to rub her back. Anna remembered feeling this way when her husband died. She would have killed to have him walk through their front door and she’d hug his neck. She’d never let him go, they’d get an RV and never settle down ever again.

But that wouldn’t happen for Anna either.

She at least had the memorial for the victims and she wasn’t alone. People knew of what had happened to her husband; she wasn’t alone. Zoe was alone in her suffering and no one would ever know what she had gone through, every part of her identity had been wiped away in the incident, not just her family.

“Zoe, I’m going to propose something that is definitely dangerous and we could get into huge trouble,” Anna eyed her carefully. “I’m going to take you back.”

“Anna what the fuck are you talking about.”

“I’m going to take you back home, I want you to have your moment back in the house. I can’t bring back your family, but I can take you back to the house.”

Zoe just looked at her incredulously, but her eyes started to soften the more she thought about it.

“You would really do that for me?” She said barely above a whisper.

“Absolutely, I don’t know if it will help, but I’ll be damned if we don’t try.”

XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX/

Anna’s heart was beating so hard in her chest she thought she was going to pass out.

She drove the rental jeep up to the guard’s gate outside the perimeter of the Baker’s land. It had been deemed “dangerous” despite being devoid of contamination for months now.

The guard looked bored and disinterested when she showed him her BSAA badge.

“Who’s she?” He motioned to Zoe in the front seat.

“This is my research assistant, she’s so new she doesn’t have her badge or clearance yet. I knew this was a decontaminated area, so I thought it would be okay, I promise we won’t be long.” Anna tried to use some charm, she hoped she was pretty enough for this to work.

The soldier just rolled his eyes and let them in.

Zoe looked back from the rear view when they proceeded far away enough from the gate.

“I can’t believe that fucking worked!” She said excitedly.

“I can’t believe it either,” Anna said, gripping the steering wheel.

They rolled up to the now abandoned house. Mother Nature had taken over the residence, with ivy & moss taking over the facade of the home.

Zoe just stood in front of the porch staring. Anna noticed her hesitation.

“We can go in whenever you’re ready.”

Zoe took a deep breath and pushed the front door open to reveal a foyer lit only by the sunshine peeking through the windows.

“I remember Lucas and I used to chase each other all
Around this house.”’she laughed.

The two of them walked deeper into the house. There was a picture frame on the fireplace of the entire family; Zoe gently picked it up and admired it.

She carried it with her throughout the house, tenderly, like a child. She touched the doorway where her and Lucas’s growth charts were.

Zoe went through the house and told Anna every story she could remember. It was like Anna was experiencing the moments as they were happening, it was very cathartic for her just to hear; so she could only imagine how it felt for Zoe.

When they had finally reached the front of the house again, Zoe took one last look and whispered:”I’ll see y’all again one day.”

The two drove in comfortable silence all the way back to Zoe’s apartment. Anna hugged her goodbye and made her way to the airport.

XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX//

Anna had just touched down when she was immediately approached by a man in a black suit.

“Agent Connolly, come with me and don’t make a scene.” The man flashed his BSAA badge and she immediately felt her heart drop.

She followed the man’s instructions and was thrown into a black SUV with dark tinted windows. She was so upset, she couldn’t speak or freak out-she was completely frozen.

When they arrived at the BSAA base, she was quickly tucked into an all white interrogation room.

She would have loved to have been able to play dumb, but she knew what and why she was there.

The man interrogating her was a stout, balding man. His face reminded her of someone who had never smiled a day in their life. She immediately felt sorry for him.

“You know we could put you into a high security prison for what you did?” He said to her sternly. “What you did was a threat to national security! You’re a liability! I have half a mind to-“

The man’s ranting was cut short when the door to the interrogation room opened abruptly.

“Connolly,” the man said in the familiar baritone. None other than Chris Redfield had crashed their session.

“You’re suspended two months without pay, give your badge to security out front & we’ll see you back at the end of June.” He said sternly.

She stood up, thanked him and started to walk out of the room; much to the stout man’s dismay.

Captain Redfield grabbed her forearm. “And no more contact with Miss Baker, Connolly.”

Chapter Text

The music in the club was reverberating through her chest.

She had taken a temporary job bartending at the same club her roommate, Lavish Lazuli, known to Anna first as Daniel, was performing.

The club was known for their burlesque and drag shows in the area; which was great because that meant more customers and more tips.

Lavish begged Anna to dance at the club, but Anna didn’t have the fire she once had as a performer.

They had actually met while Anna was engaged working in the drag and burlesque bar in their hometown. Anna would dance and sing in the cabaret while her fiancé, Michael would bartend at the bar. Michael used to say it was the perfect job, he could make tips and watch his future wife perform all night.

Anna had come from a creative family. Her grandfather had performed in gospel choirs all over the country and her mother would sing at weddings and other events.

Anna’s parents wanted her to pursue a music career and saved money so she could take lessons. She was performing at public events in her city and even recorded a couple of songs for a demo to be sent to different labels when she turned sixteen.

Her career came to a screeching halt when her mother, at only 46 years old, had suffered multiple strokes and passed.

Her whole world had crashed down for the first time, she no longer felt the motivation to sing. The warmth and happiness that came from seeing her mama’s eyes light up when she would sing Dusty Springfield or Reba McIntyre songs or helping her prepare for recitals or shows, would never happen again.

Anna quit lessons, much to her teacher/manager’s dismay. Anna decided she would not sing again and just keep that part of her life to herself.

That was until she met a handsome man while she was getting coffee before a night class in her freshman year of college. He tried chatting her up and at first Anna was apprehensive as to why someone like him would be talking to her.

He would end up introducing himself as Michael Connolly & he had just moved for a banking job. He was so excited to be in a city like hers and insisted he needed someone to show him around.

Anna at first, thought he was completely full of it and was just trying to get into her pants, but something told her to sit with him and talk about the city she loved so much.

The two of them ended up closing down the coffee shop and exchanged numbers. They went on their “first date” two days later and had been inseparable since.

The two moved very quickly in terms of relationship, as they were moved in together 3 months later and engaged a year after that.

The two had bought a house together and were tight on money when they had gotten engaged.

Michael was the first to suggest that she work at Knocking Boots. Anna was shocked at first.

“Do you really think I’m good enough to perform there?”

“You sing and dance all over the house, it makes me so happy every time. You have something special, Anna-banana, you should share it with the world.” He would tell her enthusiastically.

This was the first time Anna realized she was healing from her Mama’s passing; She was singing because she had found joy again.

Anna would just humor him and laugh, until one day Knocking Boots did hold auditions for a spot in the Cabaret. and Anna had managed to charm the manager and all the original members.

She performed the song “Fancy” and it was a hit with everyone old & young.

She began her contract with Knocking Boots Cabaret and it was one of the best times of her life. Her co-stars became some of her best friends, they had all shared diverse life experiences together and were able to bond over them.

When the bartender position became available, it only made sense that Michael applied, the owner, an older queen known only by her stage name, GiGi, though it was “ absolutely precious” and “great for business” that Anna’s fiancé was so enamored with her.

Anna’s stage name came from her “deer in the headlights look” & the fact she was so young. GiGi had baptized her as “Bambii” and Anna used that stage name until the end of her short lived career.

Her fans ate it up, especially since she performed mostly “oldies.” She was a classic cabaret performer and that was her niche. She enjoyed being in charge of her whole production, down to the costumes, dance numbers and if she wanted to sing or not. It was the perfect creative outlet and she made enough money to pay for her & Michael’s wedding.

When Michael passed away, she shacked up with Lavish, who was her best friend and confidant at the time. She couldn’t bring herself to perform anymore, as Michael was her biggest supporter and fan. She just couldn’t help looking for him behind the bar as she danced and when he wouldn’t “suddenly appear,” she would be devastated.

When she made the decision to move to New York, Lavish decided to go with her and Audition at different clubs. It made sense, they were both at pivotal moments in their lives.

GiGi course was stricken with grief upon hearing the news, but understood why they were leaving.

That’s how Anna ended up in this club filling in as a bartender.

Lavish vouched for Anna and their new manager, Bunny, was delighted to have a multi-talented staff member.

Anna was busy cleaning up the bar after a rush of patrons had stormed the bar before the show upstairs began. Her bar seating was empty which was a rare sight unless there was a big show going on. A drag performer from Rupaul’s drag race was headlining so everyone was enjoying the show in the level above her bar.

Anna had her back turned to the bar when she heard someone take a seat at the bar behind her. Anna didn’t want to be rude, but she was cleaning a tap and couldn’t turn around immediately.

“Hey sweetie, I’ll be right with you. I’ve just got to make sure this thing is secure!”

“No one’s ever called me that and meant it, but I’ll take it.” A familiar voice vibrated behind her.

Anna turned around slowly in shock to see THE Captain Redfield at her bar. He definitely wasn’t the typical patron of the Silver Swann, but she knew he didn’t care; the man was very comfortable in his masculinity.

“I’m so sorry, I hope I didn’t offend you,” she started to stammer.

A grin began to spread across his handsome features. She felt her heart flutter.

“Of course not sweetie.” He emphasized.

She decided to let that one roll off of her.

“So, um what can I get for you?” She managed out through her embarrassment.

“Dealer’s choice, I’m interested in what you think I’ll like.”

Anna decided she would just make a Johnnie Walker Old Fashioned.

Chris picked up the drink and swirled the liquid in the glass.

“So you assumed whiskey, interesting. I haven’t had one of these in ages,”’he took another sip. “Especially one made this well.”

“Thanks Redfield, that means a lot coming from you,” she winked.

Before Chris could reply, her manager, Bunny, suddenly appeared.

“Bambi, who is this handsome piece of work?” She asked enthusiastically.

Chris cocked an eyebrow at the name bunny had referred to her as.

Chris decided to make her suffer a little bit.

“I’m just an admirer, I couldn’t help but notice Bambi’s bar was completely empty and I decided to keep her company.” He winked at Anna.

Anna was flabbergasted.

Bunny smirked, “You aren’t our usual clientele, you definitely didn’t just wander in here to enjoy a cocktail, considering you look like the average lumberjack. You must already be acquainted with my sweet Bambi.”

“You got me,” Chris laughed. “You see, Bambi and I haven't seen eachother in a while; I was hoping to talk with her privately, no offense to you of course, Miss.”

Chris Redfield was such a shithead and a charmer. He had Bunny wrapped around his finger.

“Oh honey,” Bunny said to “Bambi” “You go on break and don’t keep this gentleman waiting. I’ll cover the bar for you while you “work things out.” Bunny winked.

Anna started to stammer as Bunny ushered her out from the bar.

“You two can use the empty office in the corner over there. It has plenty of room.” She emphasized.

Chris gently wrapped his arm around Anna’s waist and walked her to the office and opened the door for her. He turned back to the bar.

“I’ll have her back in no time.”

Bunny smiled “Take your time, she’s a hard worker.”

“I know that’s right.” Chris and Bunny shared a laugh.

Anna entered the room and sat down on one of the hand me down upholstered chairs in the office.

Chris stood against the door.

“Always watching his six.” She thought.

Suddenly she felt naked again, she was in a confined space with a man she definitely had a little crush on wearing a Rhinestone Crop top that left little to the imagination.

She decided to speak. “I never thanked you for completely saving my ass a couple of weeks ago.” She said nervously. She was still ashamed she got caught, but she wasn’t sorry for what she did.

“You’re very welcome, I just hoped you learned your lesson and don’t do stupid shit like that ever again.” He said sitting down in the chair across from her.

“I deserved that.”

“Yeah you do.”

She shifted in her chair uncomfortably.

“I also didn’t come to embarrass you in front of your coworkers either, even though you do make it really easy, Bambi.” He couldn’t help but burst out in laughter.

Anna felt the tension disappear, she started to giggle too.

“Did you pick that name out yourself?”

“No, it was definitely given to me.”

“It suits you, I see why.”

Anna started to finally relax.

“So why did you come here?”

“I’ve actually come to propose something, Connolly.”

Anna looked confused.

Chris continued. “I know why you brought Zoe back to her home and I know you’re starting to doubt the BSAA because of your actions.”

Anna started to pale, how did he know that? Was he going to hurt her? Sure he saved her ass in The Dulvey incident but had she completely fucked up by telling Zoe the truth?

“Anna, Anna!” He raised his voice a little bit. She made eye contact with him and released the air she was holding.

“Damn, you looked like you saw a ghost.”

“Chris, did you come here to kill me?” She whispered out.

Chris looked at her, incredulous at first and then started to full belly laugh, it shook the small room they were in.

Anna’s face started to redden, she completely misjudged his motives apparently.

“Oh my god, that’s the funniest shit I’ve heard all week, really,” he started to calm down. “Damn Anna, do you really think that low of me? I should be worried.”

“What do you want then?” Anna said flustered.

“I want you to join my special ops unit.”

“You’re fucking kidding Redfield, that’s not cool!”

“Connolly, I’m 1,000% serious. You have this intuition that cannot be taught, that’s priceless.”

Anna cocked an eyebrow.

“Also, you’re a trained field medic that’s been in combat already, you can’t imagine how hard that is to find nowadays.” Chris admitted

“Wow, thank you! That is so thoughtful Chris!” She said sarcastically.

Chris rolled his eyes. “You wanted transparency.”

“Which I do appreciate, but I’m going to be honest with you, I’m not sure I’m ready to go back to combat, plus I’ve still got a couple more months of my accelerated nursing program to finish, I’m not sure I have time to join a team, especially not special ops.” She admitted.

“We would make sure you were taken care of you Connolly, just think about it, that's all I ask.” He then approached her and gave her his phone number.

“This is my personal number, call me whenever you’re ready.” He turned around and exited the room.

Anna sat in the room staring at Chris’s number, this was a very important decision to make. She felt like she owed it to him, considering he’s the main reason she wasn’t buried under a federal prison right now.

She tucked the card in her back pocket of her shorts and made her way back out to her bar.

Patrons had started to make their way down to her bar again and they were starting to get busy again.

She pushed her way back to the bar and Bunny’s eyes lit up when she saw her.

“Girl!” She exclaimed, “Was that forreal your man? He’s a daddy for sure!”

“He’s just an acquaintance,” Anna admitted.

“Well, either you gave him the blowjob of his life back there or I need to go where you meet your acquaintances. You better not be on some hoe shit Bambii.” Bunny laughed.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Anna couldn’t help but question.

“Baby, look at this receipt.” Bunny handed her the thin piece of paper. Anna looked down and her eyes nearly shot out of her skull.

“He tipped me 1,500$ on a 20$ tab?” Anna said loudly.

“I told him the drink was on the house, but he insisted on paying.” Bunny told her as Anna’s hands were shaking.

Anna was on autopilot the whole night as Bunny was telling the other employees about “Bambi’s boyfriend.”

Of course Lavish was pissed when she was one of the last to hear about it.

“How the fuck did you not tell me you had a sugar daddy?!” Lavish said as she was removing her makeup when they got home.

Anna was so tired of explaining to everyone that Chris was actually just someone she had worked with and nothing more.

Of course, no one believed it.

“Really Anna, are you dense or just really that oblivious that this man tipped you our rent payment? Please tell me you haven’t been pimping yourself out since you got suspended girl, it’s not that serious you don’t have to pop your pu-“ Anna cut Lavish off.

“Why does everyone think I’m a prostitute?! She said just a little too loudly.

“Anna, baby, I don’t know if you realize this, but you’re BEAUTIFUL baby, like trophy wife beautiful. A man doesn’t give you that kind of money without wanting something from you.” Lavish said flatly.

It hit Anna, was Chris really bribing her?

“I need to go to bed.” She said quickly.

“It’s okay baby! Michael was a good man and treated you right , it’s okay if you get a daddy to take care of you now!” Lavish called after her.

Anna shut her door and turned on her shower. When she was taking off her shorts she felt a card fall to the floor. It was Chris’ number.

She put it on the counter and took an uncharacteristically cold, purifying shower. She wondered what Michael would tell her to do, would she take his bribe? Was it really a bribe though? Chris didn’t seem like the guy to bribe people. She came to the conclusion that it was his way of taking care of her, since she was having to bust her ass to pay her rent since being suspended.

When she got out she sat on her bed and dialed Christopher’s number.

“You’ve made your decision?” Was all he said when she answered.

“I’m in.”

Chapter Text

Anna woke up extra early the day she was supposed to meet Captain Redfield in his office.

She was officially off of suspension and was excited to get back to work.

She decided to put on some makeup and do her hair to calm her down and bide time. When she finished getting ready, Lavish was up, drinking coffee in their living room.

“Oh don’t you look pretty! Are we meeting daddy today?”

Ever since Chris had visited her at the club, all her friends referred to him as daddy. She couldn’t stop them so she just embraced it.

“Something like that.” Anna replied as she was getting her things ready.

“Don’t leave me behind when he proposes, make sure your mansion has a mother-in-law suite for me! I couldn’t imagine having to live with someone else; who will help me get my costumes together?”

Anna just rolled her eyes and hugged Lavish goodbye and said “I love you’s” They started this tradition when Anna joined the BSAA. She never knew if she would make it home and always wanted to cover her bases.

When she arrived at the BSAA office main reception area, all her old coworkers rushed in to meet her.

Apparently Anna was missed a lot more than she had anticipated.

“Anna! I’m so glad to see you! The clinic hasn’t been the same without you girl!” One of the girls said.

Anna smiled at her and thanked her.

“Is it true you’re moving departments though?” Another coworker inquired.

“Yes, I will no longer be in the clinic with y’all, but I’ll still be here!” Anna tried to be as enthusiastic as possible. She was nervous herself, but there was no sense in also worrying the clinic staff.

“I heard you’ll be working on Hound Wolf and were scouted by Chris Redfield himself!”

Anna’s face paled, so everyone did know. Great.

Anna forced a smile and answered with a “yup.”

The room filled with “oohs.” She also heard comments about how cute Chris & the squad were.

“We’ll, I gotta go y’all, I’ll see you around!”

The girls all bid their goodbyes and Anna rushed to Captain Redfield’s office on the administrative floor, before being stopped by anyone else.

When she arrived, his door was open, but she stayed in the doorway until acknowledged & invited in.

“Damn, are you always this polite Connolly?” He laughed out.

Anna blushed. “I can’t help it, it’s how I was raised. My mom would be rolling over in her grave if she knew I just walked in and plopped myself down.”

Chris just smiled and walked over to the door to close it.

“So, I know you’re just absolutely excited to get back in the action.” Chris half teased.

“Totally.”

“Before you meet the team, I have to brief you on, well, a lot actually.”

Anna must have made a confused face because Chris just chuckled.

“I want to explain why we were in Dulvey in the first place. Eveline should never been there, and that was my own fault.” The mood in the room had changed.

Anna adjusted herself in her chair and looked into Redfield’s eyes intensely.

Chris continued. “You were right, the BSAA was 100% at fault for what happened to Zoe’s family. I personally take the blame, but the BSAA decided the best plan of action was to cover up the incident entirely.”

Anna played with the end of her cardigan uncomfortably, she didn’t know what to say.

“The BSAA has…changed since its founding.”

She could tell he was being very careful with his word choice.

“Unfortunately, becoming a bigger organization with more bureaucracy involved, there’s always some things that get lost in translation.”

“So you mean like not adopting actual morals.” Oh shit. That slipped out of Anna’s mouth.

“You get the idea, Connolly.”

Anna was silent for a minute.

“Why do you want me on your team so bad?”

“I don’t need to tell you this, because I know you know already. I know you’re starting to doubt the BSAA, otherwise you wouldn’t have brought Zoe back to the Baker Ranch. I’m also aware of your looking into the mutamycete and the effects it has on survivors.”

Anna opened her mouth to reply but nothing came out.

Chris smirked. “Didn’t think I was keeping tabs on you Connolly? I knew you were valuable in that mine, the way you handled yourself like a professional. You remind me of a younger version of myself in some ways.”

“You’re flattering me.”

“Believe it or not, I rarely give compliments these days. You earned the praise.”

“You’re such a suck up.” Anna laughed and so did Redfield.

“Ouch,” Chris feigned injury. “I’ll never recover emotionally, Anna.”

Suddenly Chris’s phone rang and he picked it up quickly.

“OKay, will do.” He said finally and put the phone back on the receiver.

“I’ve got to go to a meeting, but take the rest of the day off. I’ll get you acquainted with the rest of the team later.”

Anna thanked him and made her way to her old office to pick up her things from her old cubicle.

When she finally collected her things and made her way to exit the medical offices one final time she was met by her old supervisor, Walden.

Walden was an older man that had served in the Marines before coming to the BSAA. He took Anna under his wing and treated her like a daughter.

“Hey there Anna, I didn’t think I’d see you again, since you were promoted.”

Anna set down her box of belongings. She went and gave him a hug.

“You know I’d never forget about you Wally!” She teased.

Walden smiled sadly. “You were a great asset down here, I only knew it was a matter of time before the commanders wanted you for themselves.”

Anna returned his smile.

“I just wanted to warn you though, be careful of Captain Redfield.” He whispered harshly.

“What-“

“There’s been some whispering about him, I think he’s finally off his rocker. He’s always been a good guy but I finally think the years of being in this business have got to him. Please be careful, Anna. We’re a family in this department and you’re always welcome back home if things get rocky.” He said as he patted her arm.

All Anna could do was just stand in silence. She was trying to absorb what Walden had just admitted to her.

Walden was never the type for office gossip, so if he said something, he meant it.

“Love ya girl, can’t wait to hear all the stories when you get back from your first mission. Boy, do I miss those days.” And he walked off.

Anna just stared as he left.

Was she making a mistake?

XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX//

She was helping Lavish finish the stoning on an evening gown for an upcoming performance when they heard a soft knock on the door.

The two friends looked at eachother confused because neither one of them were expecting a visitor or delivery.

“I’ll go check.” Anna said as she got up off the floor.

She looked through the peephole and was confused when she saw Captain Redfield standing outside of her door. She quickly unlatched and opened the door.

“I almost thought you were going to leave me out here in the cold!” Chris joked.

“You need to get your iron levels checked then, it’s June!” She laughed.

She loved how he was always so casual around her. It was very comfortable.

“I gotta ask though, how do you know where I live? I also would have preferred a text so I could get dressed in real clothes first.”

Chris smiled. “I know, it was spontaneous, I’m sorry. I just finished up with some business and thought I could take you to meet your team.”

Lavish soon appeared at the door upon hearing Christopher’s voice.

“Heyyy!” Lavish said with surprise. “Anna-Cate, I didn’t know you had a date tonight!” Lavish turned to Chris. “I’m sorry for what she’s wearing, if I had known you were coming, I would have made sure she was presentable.”

Anna felt her eyes roll in the back of her head.

Lavish and Chris shared a laugh at her expense.

“I guess I should get dressed if we’re going out,” Anna said looking down at her old tank top and shorts. She had a great talent of being scantily clad when Chris showed up.

“Would you like to come in? You can keep me company while I finish this dress.” Lavish invited.

“Of course.”

Anna scurried into her room before she could hear anymore of their conversation. She was going to get dressed as quickly as she could.

She didn’t want Chris stuck with Lavish too long, for her own privacy’s sake.

Anna picked out her favorite Lilly Pulitzer dress, a Jane shift dress with lace on the front.

No one could deny that Anna was a girly-girl, she loved color and knew she looked great in it. The dress was comfy, but looked dressy enough to make a good impression-or so she hoped.

She paired the dress with some gold jewelry she always had laying around, put on some sandals and ran out of her room in record time.

When she entered the room Lavish was showing the details of the evening gown they were working on to a genuinely interested Chris.

“So we started focusing on the details of the bodice first since that’s where we wanted the crowd’s eyes to hit, can you believe our dear Anna constructed the gown itself? We’re just getting the bling on now, which is my favorite part of course.” Lavish said pointing to the small rhinestone details on the dress.

“Lavish, I don’t think he really cares as much as we do.” Anna said entering the room.

Lavish ignored her comment and instead gasped dramatically, “Oh my, don't you look beautiful! It’s like day & night, we don’t have to look at you in those awful rags you insist on wearing.”

Anna rolled her eyes and Chris just smiled. “That dress looks like it was made for you Anna.”

Anna couldn’t help but blush and squirm.

“I wish I had this on camera, the girls at the club would just eat this shit up.” Lavish teased.

“I’m so glad you don’t.” Anna said as she walked next to Chris.

“Are you ready to go?”

“Absolutely.” Anna went to grab the door but Chris was too fast and opened it for her.

“After you.”

Anna decided she would give him shit.

“Oh Chris you’re such a gentleman, what would I ever do without you!” She said in an over exaggerated southern accent and placed a hand on his bicep.

It was Chris’s turn to be embarrassed now.

“Y’all better use protection! I’m too young to be an Auntie, Anna Cate!” Lavish called after them. “Don’t let her convince you she’s on the pi-“

“THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE INFORMATION.” Anna screamed and all the blood left her face. She grabbed Christopher’s hand and ran out of the apartment.

She wanted to disappear, she was so irrevocably embarrassed that she almost wanted to go back inside the apartment and hide.

Chris opened the passenger door of the truck open for her and held out his hand to help her into the slightly lifted vehicle.

“Thank you.” She said silently.

Chris definitely sensed her embarrassment.

“Your friends care a lot about you.” He said as he cranked the vehicle. “They wouldn’t give you so much shit if they didn’t.”

“I wished they wouldn’t do it so much.” She groaned with the back of her hand over her eyes.

“Well the fact that they still vet everyone that talks to you despite you being more than capable of handling yourself, speaks volumes on how much they love you.” Chris said.

“I know you’re right, but can we pretend that those comments that Lavish made back there were never said?”

“The comments about us using protection?” He teased her. “Your new teammates will say worse, don’t worry.”

She was so thrown off by Lavish’s comments she forgot she was going to meet her new team.

“Wonderful.” Was all she could manage out.

XX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX//

They arrived at what looked like an empty dive bar with a couple of cars out front. She suddenly felt overdressed even though she wasn’t wearing makeup or anything.

“I’m so sorry if this is rude, but I thought we were going to meet on base…?” She trailed off.

“Connolly, Rule 1.” Chris looked her in the eye and held up his index finger. “Stop being so damn polite.”

“You knew I was this polite when you asked me to join, asshole.”

“That’s more like it!”

She rolled her eyes again and hopped out of the car.

“To answer your question though, we like to keep things informal. You’ll understand when you meet the rest of Hound Wolf.”

They walked into the bar together and almost immediately, wolf whistles sounded throughout the bar. She would have normally felt out of place, but she felt safe next to Chris.

She thought it was funny the way his jaw tensed up at the whistles.

“I think those were meant for you, Captain.” She joked.

“I don’t think so, I’m not an attractive woman in a short dress.”

They walked down the stairs to an almost empty pool table room.

Two young men were arguing about the rules of pool while a beautiful woman with dirty blonde hair looked on, shaking her head. On the other side of the hazy room were two older men laughing at the exchange taking place at the pool table.

Everyone stopped what they were doing when they heard Chris’s heavy boots making their way down the stairs. When they reached the bottom, Anna felt the weight of everyone’s eyes.

“Team, I'd like you to meet our newest recruit, Anna Connolly.”

The room was silent until one of the young men, who was arguing over the pool table started laughing.

This was her worst case scenario. Anna wanted to run out of the basement and tell Chris she couldn’t do it. That she belonged stateside and the fact she survived Dulvey was an act of God.

“This has got to be the funniest joke you have ever played on us, Alpha. Seriously!” He couldn’t catch his breath. Everyone else in the room was dead silent, the beautiful woman shot the young man a nasty look.

The young man stopped immediately. “Oh shit, you’re serious aren’t you? She looks 18!”

“I’m sure you meant that as a compliment, Canine.” Chris said pointedly.

She couldn’t help but instinctively step back, rejection made her feel uncomfortable at best.

The woman was the first to introduce herself. “Hi Anna, I'd like to apologize for my teammates' lack of manners.” She shot Canine with a paralyzing look. “I’m Emily, but everyone here calls me Tundra.” She stuck out her hand for Anna to shake.

“Thank you, Tundra,” Anna tried to say as comfortably and warmly as possible. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

“Team, Connolly was my partner in the Abercrombie Mines during the Dulvey incident. I hope from this point on you make her feel welcome.”

Chris introduced the rest of the Team by their “Real names” and then their codenames.

“Hey, who gets to name the Newbie this time?” the man known as Night Howl asks the group.

“Name the Newbie?” Anna questioned.

“It’s a tradition we started when Tundra joined.” Umber eyes said.

“We’ve been choosing the other members' names since!” Lobo said excitedly.

Everyone broke out in conversation about who & how they got to pick Anna’s name. Somebody said rock paper, scissors; somebody else mentioned an arm wrestle.

That's when “Alpha” spoke up.

“I’ve already picked out Connolly’s name.” The room silenced again.

“Seriously?” Anna, Night howl & Canine said shocked. The other members muttered “Of course.”

“Well what’s her name, Alpha?” Tundra asked genuinely curious.

“Bambi.”

“No FUCKING way!” Canine started to laugh until there were tears in his eyes. Night Howl joined in the laughter. “It’s perfect!”

Anna just sighed and glared at Chris.

He just winked at her.

Damn him, he looked so handsome when he was smug.

Lobo put his arm around Anna’s shoulders gently and held up his drink.

“Welcome to the team Bambi!” Everyone cheered and she couldn’t help but smile.

The rest of the night Anna was socializing with the rest of the team.

She learned Canine worked as a former dog handler & Tundra was a DEA agent. Night Howl, Umber Eyes and Lobo, were BSAA agents that worked at various different branches when they were scouted for Hound Wolf.

The group kept asking her questions about herself and getting her more drinks to “open up.”

“Is that a southern accent I hear?” Lobo teased. “Where are you from exactly?”

“I’m from Southeast Georgia.” She said, her face flushed. The alcohol was hitting her faster than she anticipated.

He seemed to notice the charm on her gold bracelet. “What Saint is on your bracelet Bambi?”

Night Howl chimed in. “Lobo talking about Saints? I’ve seen what kind of texts you send to the ladies, you’re a straight sinner!”

Lobo & the rest of the group laughed, “Yes, but I was raised in the Catholic church before I came to the states.” He turned to Anna to show he was listening again.

“Umm, this is Saint Cecilia. She’s the saint I chose for confirmation actually.” She examined the bracelet mindlessly. “I honestly didn’t realize I had grabbed this bracelet when I left my apartment. My Grandad gave it to me.”

The room filled with awws and laughter, while she felt her face get hot.

“I’m glad to see you have another Saint, Bambi.” Chris spoke up. “I’ve still got St. Barbara to keep me safe.”

“Alpha you’re full of shit, you’re not religious.” Canine said.

Much to everyone’s surprise, Alpha pulled out the medallion of St.Barbara Anna had given him in Dulvey.

“Bambi gave it to me herself, so of course I keep it for good luck.” He winked at her.

“Wow, Alpha is going to get us all killed because he has a little crush.” Night Howl said mindlessly.

“Hey, you haven’t seen her in action yet,” Alpha chided him. “I bet she’ll kick your ass in training wednesday.”

The room echoed with resounding “ooohs.”

It started to get late and the team decided to go their separate ways.

Anna had managed to receive Tundra & Lobo’s numbers, even though she thought Lobo was definitely flirting with her.

It didn’t matter if he was or not; she was just happy to have some of her new teammates on her side.

She definitely wasn’t sure about the other three. Night Howl and Canine seemed annoyed with her & Umber eyes just seemed indifferent.

“It’s your first time meeting them.” Anna reminded herself. “Everything takes time.”

She was quiet the entire ride home and when they arrived she thanked “Alpha.”

“Do you prefer I call you Alpha?” She asked him before exiting the vehicle.

“It’s whatever you prefer, Bambi.” Alpha winked at her.

“Duly noted, have a good night and thanks…for everything.” She hesitated.

“What’s wrong?” he asked her.

“It’s really lame and kind of childish.”

“I promise you it’s not, I think I know what you’re already going to say.”

She sucked in a deep breath. “I’m worried about not fitting in or being good enough for this team. I don’t know if you know this, but everyone has been reminding me about how elite of a squad this is.”

“Remember what I told you about compliments, Bambi?”

“Yessir.”

Chris rolled down his window and pulled out a box of cigarettes from the center console. He offered her one and she declined.

He chuckled. “I should’ve known you didn’t smoke.” He lit the cigarette, took a drag and blew the smoke out of the window.

“I would have never even let you go into that mine if I wasn’t confident in your abilities, your actions down there just exceeded my expectations. Collecting those samples during active combat, thinking ahead; I even saw your notes on the mutamycete. Well done.”

She just stared at him.

“You think I'm bullshitting, but you had a great reputation before they called you to deploy. I think the biggest obstacle is yourself, Bambi.”

God that sent a shiver up her spine. Why the hell was he doing this to her?

“Thank you Alpha. I’ll do better next time.”

He chuckled. “Don’t worry, you’ll learn.” he took another drag. “I’ll see you bright and early on Wednesday, don’t be late Rookie.”

She smiled and got out of the car. “Yes Sir, Alpha.”

Chapter Text

Chris dropped his keys onto the counter of his apartment.

He made his way into the living area and plopped down on the couch. He let his mind wander, thinking about the events that transpired earlier in the evening.

Chris couldn’t help but admire how easygoing she was; she didn’t let the others see how insecure she felt about meeting them.

He couldn’t help but think selfishly about how he wanted her all to himself. The way the other guys looked at her drove him crazy.

He quickly pushed the thought out of his mind. “Don’t get too close.” He thought of his many failed relationships with other women, the BSAA would always come first. He didn’t expect them to understand which is why when the occasional urge would strike, he’d resort to one-night stands.

The thought of treating Anna like a one-night stand physically pained him, she was such a good person and it was a shame what happened to her husband.

She deserved to be genuinely loved by someone and Chris couldn’t do that.

That night he was met with usual insomnia, the only thing lulling him to sleep was thinking about when life was more simple, before Raccoon City & when he thought he’d settle down one day.

XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX

Chris arrived at the base early in the morning to set up the training area for drills.

He was surprised when he saw Anna, just standing outside in her gym clothes on her phone. Usually, the other team members would complain about the early hours and barely make it on time; let alone early.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” He said as he approached her. He didn’t want to startle her.

She looked up from her phone, the blue light shining a glow on her face, her smile was genuine and it made Chris feel warm.

“You told me not to be late.” She stated plainly.

“I didn’t tell you you had to open up the place either.”

She just rolled her eyes and went back to her phone while he opened up the gym. He held the door open for her to go into the dark space first.

She found the light switch and the fluorescent lights buzzed to life.

Anna took a deep breath and sighed.

“Something the matter?” Chris inquired.

“It’s been since before the Dulvey incident that I was in a room like this.” She said, biting her lip unconsciously.

Chris sensed her hesitancy.

“You wanna practice a little bit before the rest of the team gets here, so you can have an advantage?”

She chewed on her lip a little bit more. “Sure.”

Chris showed her a couple of techniques before engaging her initially in combat.

He felt Anna getting more frustrated with her punches, he felt her starting to get sloppier with her technique.

“Don’t expend all your energy in the fight, the take down is where you need that for.”

Anna thought about it, took a step back and caught Chris by surprise.

She was able to grab him in a chokehold for a second, but it seemed like she was feeling insecure with her movements.

Chris decided not to go easy on her, as she needed practice. He flipped her over and she let out a tiny yelp as he pinned her to the ground on her belly, her right hand restrained behind her back, her cheek on the floor.

“Stop squirming, what’s the next step?”

She tried picking up her hips but was stuck.

Chris was about to instruct her on how to get out when Canine & Lobo walked in.

Lobo let out a low whistle.

Chris snapped his head at the men entering the facility.

Canine smirked. “Are we interrupting something Alpha? Do you need us to come back in 10 minutes?”

Chris let go of Anna and helped her up gently.

“Good job, we’ll work with you some more.” He patted her back.

Anna’s face was red and Chris also seemed a little shaken up.

The rest of the team started to trickle in before Lobo and Canine could give them any more shit.

“Alright team, let’s break off into groups and work on hand-to-hand combat.”

Chris watched in annoyance, as Canine immediately grabbed Anna as his partner.

Anna was doing better with Canine as a partner. It made Chris frustrated and jealous. That’s when the giggling began.

“You wanna practice what you & Alpha were doing at my place later?” Canine winked at Anna.

She responded with a playful punch to his shoulder. “No wonder your codename is Canine, 'cause you’re a dog.”

“Oooooh, that was lame Bambi, I thought you were cooler than that.”

The duo exploded into laughter, much to Chris’ dismay.

“That’s enough, everyone takes 5 minutes,” Chris spoke to the team sternly.

Everyone broke up to grab water or just to sit, Anna decided to approach Chris to thank him for working with her earlier. As she was walking up to him he walked away and she felt a bit dejected, was he mad at her? Was she not good enough?

She sat by herself hoping nobody saw the awkward exchange and to her relief, no one seemed to notice.

Alpha entered the room again and had them run drills for the rest of their session.

XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXXXXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX///XXX//

The training was grueling, but it was needed. Anna was feeling confident in her skills again.

She remembered earlier in the day she was able to pin down Canine a couple of times and even Night Howl. She smirked at herself, “They wouldn’t dare to give me shit after that.” She thought to herself smugly.

Although she was proud she still felt strange, Alpha seemed like he was avoiding her. Were the comments from the other teammates from earlier getting to him? Surely, he didn’t have an interest in her romantically.

She cringed; Chris was her superior and he had to be at least 10 years older than her. There’s no way he’d ever entertain even a hook-up with her.

Although she did feel a powerful warmth in her lower abdomen when he had her pinned to the floor on her belly earlier.

She shivered as she thought about it, ashamed. The last time she had any kind of intimate relationship was a failed hookup after her husband died.

To Anna, it felt like cheating.

There would have been no reason to sleep with the random man at the bar if her husband was still alive. She just told herself it wasn’t worth the pain and decided not to let anyone get close to her like that again.

She made her way to the women’s locker room, as she needed a shower desperately.

She made her way down the corridor not paying attention to where she was going and bumped into something solid.

Turns out that something was someone, and that someone was Alpha.

“Oh I'm so sorry, I thought I was the last one left.” She stammered. She looked up at him and realized he was shirtless.

“Obviously, I thought the same, didn’t mean to scare you there, Bambi.”

Anna tried to make things less awkward by resuming the conversation from earlier. “I wanted to thank you, for the training session earlier, it definitely helped. I hope you’re not mad at me, I didn’t mean to joke so hard with Canine earlier”

He wiped his still-damp face with the towel he was holding, “ I’m not mad, I’m sorry if it came across that way. You know how it is when you’re focused on work, you don’t really pay attention to those around you.” He threw his shirt on. “You’ve improved a lot already. You just needed some practice.”

Thanks for making me feel better, Alpha. I’ll let you head home, I know you’re busy.” She said trying to end the conversation.

“I’m never too busy, if you ever want one on one time let me know.” He said and walked away.

Was he hitting on her? Or had it been so long since she was romantically involved with someone she didn’t know how to tell anymore?

She finished her shower and got dressed quickly. When she checked her phone, she had a message from the Hound Wolf Squad chat.

Apparently, they had a last-minute meeting with the higher-ups tomorrow. The information was ambiguous; only the location and time were disclosed.

“Great.” she thought to herself. She prayed this wouldn’t be anything too intense or emotionally demanding. She really didn’t enjoy the thought of talking to a boardroom full of different commanding officers.

She clicked her phone screen shut and drove away.

What Chris & Anna didn’t realize was that someone was watching them, monitoring them from afar.

“Looks like you’re starting to get complacent, Redfield.” The man watching them said to himself. “Adding a soldier this wet behind the ears so urgently, you’re going to fail.”

The man’s phone started to ring, he looked at it and cursed. “Hello? Yeah, I saw the update. Oh, I wouldn’t worry about her, she’s harmless.” He laughed. “I’ve witnessed first hand don’t worry.

Chapter Text

The boardroom was unsurprisingly stark. Houndwolf squad was the first to arrive, all of them seated together.

Anna found herself sitting in between Tundra and Umber Eyes; it was silly but she was always afraid of no one wanting to sit next to her, so she was relieved when they filled the empty seats beside her.

She noticed the absence of their captain and the other “members” of the meeting.

“God, this is annoying, we always have to be on time and they get to just walk in whenever they please.” Night Howl groaned.

Anna just giggled, looks like she wasn’t the only person who noticed.

“You know how it goes, you’ve been doing this for a while.” Umber eyes grumbled.

The rest of the commanders and directors came in, including Anna’s previous supervisor Walden.

“What’s he doing here?” she thought silently.

The board members began the meeting by briefing them on the lasting effects of the Dulvey incident.

“The two survivors, Mia & Ethan Winters are our main priority,” said an older man in an expensive-looking suit. “It has come to our attention that the connections are still heavily active, we have decided that it only made sense that Hound Wolf would continue in their surveillance and training.”

Anna watched as the rest of Hound Wolf silently protested, but Alpha just stayed in his seat, still like a statue.

“We are currently Relocating them to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Your team will head out there first thing tomorrow morning for a month, Captain Redfield.”

“A month? With such short notice?” She thought to herself, “What the hell am I going to tell Lavish?”

Walden spoke up, much to Anna’s surprise. “We need to conduct important surveillance on the Winters’ family considering their exposure to the Mold. As part of this assignment it’s pertinent that we receive as much clinical data as we can, Ms. Connolly.”

Anna looked up and made eye contact with her old supervisor, something in his eyes seemed different.

She cleared her throat, “Yes sir, I’ll be able to conduct the tests needed.”

“Wonderful!” Said another “important person” Anna hadn’t been personally acquainted with.

The rest of the meeting was just briefing the team on the assignment and the history of the Winters family. Anna knew they had gone through some surgeries to remove mold from their bodies, but their other findings hadn’t been published yet.

“Guess that’s why they need us to monitor them, see how they’re doing in witness protection.” Anna thought to herself.

When the meeting adjourned the team congregated together outside. She was surprised to see that Hound Wolf was comprised of smokers. Canine, Tundra, and herself were the only ones not partaking.

“This seems so random, weren’t they put on witness protection three months ago? Why would they need us to head out there so late?” Night Howl questioned no one in particular.

“Could have come across some unprecedented threat, maybe?” Anna tried to reason.

Umber eyes shrugged. “They have a whole department of people to determine threats, it would be strange for them not to disclose what it was to us.”

The group was just silent.

Chris walked up to them, clearing his throat and everyone turned to face him. “I thought you all would be more comfortable with me by now,” he laughed.

Everyone seemed to relax a little bit.

“I came to hand out the itinerary for tomorrow and what all you need to bring,” Chris turned to Anna and Tundra. “You two notify the research team of what equipment you think you’ll need for the assignment.”

“Yessir.”

It took Anna and Tundra a longer time than anticipated to get everything they needed. The clinical research team kept trying to chat up with Anna and see what she was up to now that she “was in the action.”

“I don’t know why I expected that to be a quick trip,” Tundra said to her as they walked back. “They seem to have really enjoyed working with you, it’s like they couldn’t get enough of you.”

Anna smiled. “I just find it easier to be kind to those who you work with, it makes things easier; plus it’s just who I am.”

Tundra stayed silent, but it was an amicable silence.

The two women secured the equipment with help from Chris & Lobo when they arrived back.

“I would suggest getting a drink but it seems like we’re gonna be hanging around each other for the next month,” Lobo said.

“I’d love to go, but I definitely have to break the news to my roommate, who is going to freak out.” Anna thought out loud.

“Roommate? They don’t pay you enough to get your own place?” Lobo chided.

“I don’t like living alone.” She answered honestly.

“That’s enough Lobo,” Chris said “We just know you’re jealous you’re not Bambi’s roommate.”

Lobo snorted. “Damn right I am, I’d keep Bambi company all night.”

Anna & Tundra joined in the laughter. A while ago she would have been embarrassed, but she was so comfortable with them; she knew they really were just joking.

“You can keep dreaming Lobo.”

The group parted ways after that, each one of them in high spirits.

XxxxxxxxxxxxX

Anna entered her apartment to find Lavish sitting on their couch with the back of his hand draped over his eyes in exhaustion.

“Hey,” Anna spoke softly. She had brought home Indian food as a peace offering for the news she was about to deliver.

Lavish looked up with tears in his eyes.

“Hey honey,” He said weakly.

Anna stopped dead in her tracks and rushed to Lavish’s side.

“What happened? Oh my god, are you okay?”

His voice broke “A girl… At the club, she was found murdered.”

All the blood drained from Anna’s face.

“Who, who was it?” she stammered out.

Anna couldn’t believe she had let herself live in a bubble, since her move to New York she really hadn’t understood how sinister the city could be. It never occurred to her how her friends could still be murdered for being trans or gay. She was so desensitized to the violence happening for no good reason she hadn’t even fully fathomed evil being so close to her.

Lavish looked up at her, his face pale and clammy from crying. “Bunny.”

Anna felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach. The same empty feeling she felt when the doctor told her that her mom wouldn’t survive and when she was told by the BSAA agent her husband had to be neutralized.

Anna just sat down next to Lavish, her head and heart feeling like they weighed 1,000 lbs.
Why Bunny? Bunny was a kind, tough person. They had survived so much and brought so much joy to not only her life but others as well.

Anna didn’t know if she even wanted to ask how it happened or how Bunny was found. All she knew was there was an empty void in her life already.

The rest of the night Anna packed her bags in silence, save for the occasional bouts of sobs between Lavish and herself.

“Anna baby, how am I going to make it without you?” Lavish said in between tears.

“I promise I’ll be back, it’ll feel like no time at all,” Anna said weakly.

Would it really feel like that? Was Lavish safe to be by themselves?

“Anna, I hear you some nights, the nightmares have gotten worse, baby.”

Anna looked down ashamed. She hadn’t even begun to process the Dulvey incident consciously; lord knows she was still having vivid nightmares about Michael.

“What kind of things are you doing at work, Anna? What would I do if I lost you? I couldn’t Live with myself!” Lavish pleaded.

Anna Just enveloped Lavish in a warm embrace, she held on tight; not saying anything.
Anna whispered into their ear. “I will not leave you alone, ever.”

“How do you know that though? We just had Bunny over here the other night! We were laughing! She was thriving! Now she’s gone!” Lavish started to grip her tighter.

“I have to do this. I can’t not go, I promise I’ll come back in one piece.”

Lavish let go, and Anna felt the awkward distance between them.

“Go.” Was all lavish said.

Anna gathered her things and tried to calm them down so they wouldn’t say goodbye angrily.

“I can’t keep doing this with you Anna, I love you, but I’ve been through too much and you have to.” They sighed. “We’ll talk when you get back.”

“I love you Lavish.”

She closed the door and cried in the car all the way to the barracks. She decided to spend the night outside of the apartment to be prepared for the mission ahead.

She was unsure of what the future held for her personal life & professionally; before tonight she thought she could juggle both, but it was starting to look like she was starting to let down those closest to her.

Anna entered the common room of the barracks and grabbed some ice in the freezer. She had been crying; her face was puffy and warm.

She wrapped the ice in a towel and held it to her face.

The sound of the door opening to the common room had her freeze. How was she going to explain she was sleeping on the couch?

Chris came through the door, folders & paperwork in hand. He looked equally shocked to see Anna there.

“Heyyy,” he said awkwardly, looking her over, all her luggage on the ground. “You know we don’t leave until tomorrow.”

Anna was still feeling upset and overwhelmed, she didn’t know what to say and when she opened her mouth a sob slipped out.

Chris instinctively rushed to her side and sat down.

“Anna, what happened?”

She covered her face with her hands embarrassed and Chris just stared at her intently.

“Lavish and I had…” she said shakily looking for the words, “an argument.”

Chris looked at her for a minute, confused and then the realization came over his features.

“Was it about the job?”

“That was one of the topics of discussion, yes.”

“Did they kick you out or did you just leave?”

“We decided some space would be better.”

Chris let out the air he was holding in.

“You shouldn’t sleep here Anna, this couch is super uncomfortable, trust me.” He said, trying to lighten the mood.

It worked, as Anna started to smile a bit. “You’re right, I should just get a hotel for the night.” She said starting to move off the couch.

Chris put his large hand on her shoulder before she could raise herself off the couch completely.

“I live near here, no sense in wasting time getting a hotel. I have a guest room for when my sister comes to visit that you could use; only if you want of course.”

Anna thought for a minute. She wouldn’t have to drive her car out of the parking deck again, she would get here guaranteed on time and she could see how her captain lived.

That last part made her cringe, she was a fucking weirdo.

“You’re right, are you sure you don’t mind?”

The skin around his eyes crinkled up when he smiled. “I wouldn’t have offered it if I didn’t mean it. Come on, let me take your stuff.”

Before she could protest he grabbed her duffle and suitcase. She followed him out to his Truck. He put her things in the back seat and opened the door for her.

He got in and the engine roared to life and they were on the way to Christopher’s home.

You didn’t realize how silent you were until Chris spoke up.

“Did something else happen?” He asked gently. She could tell he wasn’t trying to pry.

Anna let out a sigh, she needed to tell someone about Bunny. She couldn’t internalize it.

“Remember when you came to visit me in the bar? Do you remember the manager that let us use her office?”

Chris thought for a moment. “Bunny, you said her name was, right? Is she okay?”

The tears started to well up in her eyes. “She was murdered…I don’t know the full story…I…I couldn’t even ask.” She started to let the tears fall.

Chris looked at her sympathetically. “I know what that’s like, to lose a friend.”

“I’m sorry I promise I won’t let it get in the way of the mission.” She said, wiping her tears with her sleeve.

“It won’t, everyone on Hound Wolf knows what it’s like to lose someone unexpectedly, but we’re here for you.” Chris said warmly.

She believed him, and the heaviness in her chest started to lighten up.

They arrived at a small neighborhood outside of the city, he pulled into a driveway that led to a two story White House, with a red door and black shutters.

“I love your home,” Anna said without really thinking.

“Thanks,” he said. “I didn’t pick it out.”

Anna laughed uncomfortably. Captain Redfield wasn’t married was he? Surely he would have mentioned something about a partner?

The two got out of the car and made their way into the home. It smelled clean and masculine, the house looked like it had been professionally decorated, save for a couple of personal photos here and there.

“Sorry about the mess, I was just doing some work in the living room a couple nights ago and didn’t have time to clean up.”

She looked at the pristine living room and saw a laptop and files strewn on the coffee table. She wondered how often he actually came home.

They walked up the stairs together and Chris showed her the guest room. He set her things down gently on the floor.

“Have you eaten anything?”

She thought of the Indian food she had brought home to Lavish and how she received the news of Bunny’s passing.

She didn’t really say anything other than look down at her feet.

“I’ll order something, do you have any preference?”

“You don’t have to do that,” she started to say.

“I’ll take that as no preference then.” He smirked as he pulled his phone out and ordered.

“Should be here in like an hour, just relax and I’ll let you know when it arrives.”

“Chris, don’t take this the wrong way, but why are you being so nice to me?”

He just laughed. “We’re team members, I couldn’t have just abandoned you to sleep on a couch in the common room. What kind of leader would I be?”

She smiled at him. “Thanks Chris, I’m thankful for you.”

“You’re welcome, Bambi.”
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

She walked out of the shower and got dressed.

She made her way down the stairs and was welcomed by the smell of pizza.

“Ooooh yum, I love this place.” She said looking at the logos on the boxes.

“We’ll dig in, I didn’t order anything too fancy.”

They grabbed the pizza and sat down in the living room.

Anna made sure to be as careful as possible to not get anything on the nice couches.

“I love how your place is decorated, did you do this yourself?” Anna tried to make normal conversation. All she really wanted to do was retreat in the bedroom and cry.

She couldn’t imagine life without bunny, and how someone so bright could just be taken from the world so tragically.

Chris sighed. “I actually bought this house with my ex-fiancé, she did all the decorating. I just went along with it, after we broke up I just haven’t had the time to change anything.

Anna was mortified. “Chris, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to pry.” She stammered out.

“It’s no worries, you didn’t.” He said casually taking a bite out of his food. “She’s a lot happier now.” He said in matter of fact tone.

Anna let herself go silent. She let her mind wander again. Chris must have noticed. “Do you want to talk about Bunny?”

Anna looked up, eyes glistening. She didn’t realize she was such a mess.

She quickly started to clean up her mess. “Can I take anything back to the kitchen for you?” She said avoiding the question.

“You don’t have to act like you’re okay, I’m here for you, I hope you know that by now.” Chris said standing up to meet her gaze.

She decided to put the plates down and sit next to him.

She started to talk about all the good times at the club, and the group outings they would have together.

“This one time, we had this business man who got too drunk at the bar who literally couldn’t move from his seat without stumbling,” Anna began, Chris looked at her with a warm expression.

“She went to the *Bro-Bar* next door and was able to charm the bouncers to get him out of the bar. Next thing we know Bunny has both of the Bouncer’s numbers and is flirting with them instead of getting this guy out of the bar.” Anna laughed with her full belly.

“She had a way of prioritizing things. She could always get us prepared for a rough shift, or if friends in the community needed a job to pay rent.” Anna started to cry again, she felt like she was cried out, it was a dry sob.

“I just can’t understand why anyone would hurt her, why would they do such a horrible thing to such a beautiful person.” It was instinct, she just leaned into Chris and he embraced her, rubbing her back.

“I thought the same thing back in the Arklay Mountains.” Chris began. “Do you know the story of how the BSAA started?”

Anna shook her head.

The rest of the night was spent with Chris telling Anna about the memories of the RPD. How he wasn’t always a serious person, he used to goof off with his peers. He gave his captain hell and was traumatized when his Captain betrayed him and his teammates.

“Chris, oh my god. I knew you had seen some shit, but I genuinely had no idea.”

Chris shrugged. “I’ve learned time doesn’t heal, it just numbs you, I hope you never feel that way.”

Anna just looked down into her hands.

“I hope not either.” She finally answered.

Chris smiled and patted her back.

For the first time, in a long time, Anna felt a gravitational pull towards her Captain. Like she wanted to kiss him.

She decided to ignore the feeling and quickly got up.

“I should probably head to bed, thanks for listening to me and sharing your story.”

“Of course, Anna."

The way he said her name made her weak in the knees.

She quickly turned around and went to bed.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chris watched as Anna left to go to her room. When’s the last time he felt this comfortable with someone?

Sure he had one night stands since he and Jill split. He had been desperate for companionship. He thought they would have a happy ending after Africa, but it was glaring how much the two had changed.

The two remained friends and she married a great man that had saved her life in Raccoon City. He could never forgive himself for abandoning her in that hell hole.

He was just relieved she had found someone that would do anything for her.

He let his mind wander to Anna, how she was able to be a good soldier and a compassionate person.

He also couldn’t help but think about how good she looked at the club, her top exposing just the right amount of skin and how she was glowing in that environment.

If she had expressed interest, he might have had her bent over that desk in that cramped office.

The thought of it made him crazy, she deserved better than him. She didn’t deserve to just be another hookup. She was the type of girl to make someone happy and he had convinced himself that it wouldn’t work out for them.

He turned in for the night, hoping he could at least behave himself while they were in Canada.

Chapter Text

Anna found herself the first one awake in the house. She decided to make coffee for herself and Chris.

She was busy getting the machine to warm up the water when she heard Chris’s heavy footsteps come into the kitchen, he was dressed fully and Anna realized she was still in her *Pj’s* comprised of shorts and a raggedy t-shirt from The Chicks concert she attended years ago.

“Thanks for making coffee,” he said and sat down.

“I thought it's the least I could do after you let me stay over and fed me.” She laughed. Something about his demeanor made her not as self-conscious, she really felt like she had made a friend in Chris.

He chuckled. “It’s the least I could do, I know you would deny it to anyone else, but you saved my ass back in Dulvey.”

She almost spits her coffee out. “You’re right, I think that's bullshit.” She looked at the time on her phone. “Oh shit, I better get my ass in gear.” She said putting her cup down and running upstairs.

Chris just laughed silently. He could get used to this, when was the last time he had someone he genuinely enjoyed in the same house as him?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hound Wolf met up at the base to depart on a smaller aircraft. The group could not fly commercially due to the precarious nature of the Winters’ situation.

The rest of the squad groaned about how small the private aircrafts were and how cramped they all would be.

“At least it’s just going to be us, its not like we have to ride with a bunch of other people.” Anna tried to remain positive. Smaller aircraft made her worry;even though she faced death on a daily basis, she knew there was an increased risk of crashing in a private aircraft.

Anna prayed during entire flights and always kept her head between her knees during flights or buried in a book with heavy headphones on.

The flight was silent until they began experiencing some rough conditions due to the weather.

This was Anna’s first time experiencing such rough turbulence in such a small plane. The team was shaken up, and Anna had almost fallen out of her seat.

“What the Fuck!” The words slipped out of her mouth, she was terrified.

Everyone started to laugh at her, and night howl spoke up.

“Scared of flying much?”

“You have no idea, I just can’t wait to get out of here.”

The team landed in Nova Scotia safely and without further incident.

They were ushered into a small “Camp” where they set up their base. It was a decommissioned Canadian Military encampment from WW2 that BSAA had converted into a small armory and lodging for short term stays.

“Is it true? It’s only us here? Does that mean everyone gets their own room?” Canine said excitedly.

Anna giggled over Canine’s sudden change in behavior, it reminded her of an excited child going on vacation for the first time.

Alpha smiled. “Yup, we do.”

The rest of the squad seemed excited as well, not having to share personal quarters like normal.

The team got busy putting their things away. They didn’t have to officially start working with the Winters family until the next day.

Anna couldn’t help but shiver, even though it was early October, the weather was less than accommodating to her natural cold nature.

When she “fluffed” up her room as much as she could and couldn’t bare to be alone any longer she made her way into the small common area. She found the rest of the team had already made themselves comfortable and were enjoying themselves.

She noticed someone had made sure to pack “the necessities” as they were all drinking.

Anna approached the group feeling like an outsider. Even though she was a part of the team on paper, she felt like the weird kid sister coming to crash the party.

Lobo was the first to notice her. “Heyy Bambi!” He said slurring his words a bit. “We were wondering when you’d wander out here.”

Umber eyes raised his drink to greet her and Tundra smiled.

She noticed Alpha hadn’t entered the “party” yet either.

Anna sat in an empty chair just outside the group, close to the hallway. “Who brought the alcohol?” She asked innocently.

“Everyone brings their own poison, it’s become tradition really.” A warm baritone sounded behind her.

Alpha was dressed casually, in a simple cotton t-shirt that fit him well.

Anna felt lonely in the crowd again. “Oh I’m sorry y’all, I didn’t bring anything.” She said moving to retreat back to her room.

Alpha’s warm, large hand rested gently on her back preventing her from retreating.

“There’s a reason no one told you, we wanted to celebrate!” Tundra said, bringing her a drink.

“Lighten up kiddo,” Umber eyes said jovially. “We’re happy you’re here.” He toasted the drink that was now in her hand.

She took a sip of the drink and immediately made a face. It was strong.

Everyone started to laugh and she couldn’t help but smile either.

Much to everyone and her own surprise she downed the drink.

“How about shots? I wanna see if y’all can keep up with me!” She said, face turning red. Anna knew she was a lightweight, she just wanted to give hound wolf a show. She knew that they were safe to get belligerently drunk with.

The night progressed with Lobo teaching Anna how to salsa to Celia Cruz.

“You can keep up really well, Gringa.” Lobo joked with her.

“You sound surprised.” She joked

The closeness of another body made her feel amorous, it must have been the alcohol.

The music came to an end; Lobo kissed her hand playfully while the team cheered and wolf whistled.

The team kept drinking while Anna decided to slow down a bit. She felt fluid and warm, like she was waying around in a warm pool of water.

She felt herself start to fade in and out while Umber Eyes and Night Howl had a heated discussion about which sports team was the best.

She looked around the room with heavy lidded eyes and noticed Canine, Lobo and Tundra retelling a story to Alpha about some kind of incident that happened while he was away.

Everyone looked so happy and seemed so normal. She almost had to remind herself that they were all soldiers that would and have seen unspeakable horror.

She thought of Bunny and how they all used to get together like this, laughing dancing and just enjoying life. She would never have those moments again and now she was another person that would just exist only in memory.

Anna felt her cheeks start to dampen due to the tears that started to fall involuntarily.. She looked around quickly and realized if she left quickly no one would realize she was crying.

She got up and left for her room, her body swaying due to the liquor in her system. She reached her quarters and left the door open, she flopped down on her bed and put her pillow over her face.

She hadn’t heard the heavy footsteps of Alpha following her into the room. He rapped on the door frame with his knuckle.

She shot up from the bed faster than she should of, and fell backward due to the lack of balance. He quickly caught her.

“Hey, it’s okay, I just came in here to check on you. I didn’t mean to freak you out.”

“Oh yeah, i’m fine!” She lied.

“I saw you leave the common room pretty fast, I wanted to make sure you weren’t throwing up back here. I’m kind of bummed you aren’t, I’m down $20 now.” He joked with her.

“Oh, thanks Asshole, y’all are taking bets on me now?” She hit him with her pillow and he feigned being in pain.

“How dare you hit your superior ma’am? I’ll have you know thats a serious infraction!”

“Self defense!” She joked and fell back on the bed.

“So…” he said hesitantly.

“You want me to talk about Bunny.”

“Not necessarily, I noticed you did look upset. When you left though,”

“Oh shit do you think the rest of the team noticed? They already think i’m a lightweight, I dont want them to think i’m a fragile little flower too.” She groaned.

“You aren’t a fragile little flower, you’re more like a wildflower. Resilient, grows in any condition, and you pop up everywhere.” He chuckled.

Anna laughed so hard, she felt the heaviness leave her body. Chris smiled as he looked on.

“Sounds like me I guess.”

The two felt into comfortable silence.

“Your friend, she’ll a;ways be apart of you, you know. The memories never leave, those things are the most persistent of all.”

Anna shifted her weight and laid her body down on her side. She rested her head into her hand.

“Being in the room, laughing, reminded me of all the times we would hang out in our apartment and drink till sunrise. I feel guilty for enjoying myself so soon after her passing, I should be mourning.” Her nose had that familiar burning sensation from when you hold back tears too hard. “What kind of selfish person am I?”

Chris sat himself down on her bed gently, she felt the weight of his body form to the mattress.

They locked eyes.

“Mourning doesn’t have to look like tears, she wouldn’t want you to be sad to honor her memory, Anna.”

“In my heart, I know that’s true. I just keep thinking of how awful the circumstances of her death were. How can I be here enjoying myself when her killer is out there?”

Chris let out the air though his nose and put his elbows on his knees. He let his palms cradle his head and he looked at her thoughtfully.

“You know, when I thought Jill had died, I spent all of my time chasing down every lead, no matter how small to avenge her death.”

Anna shifted, looking him in his eyes intently to signal she was listening.

“I let it consume every part of my life, to the point where all my life was hunting down Wesker. When Sheva and I finally rescued Jill, I thought a weight would lift off my shoulders. It was the exact opposite. I was so scared of losing her again I pushed her away.”

Chris’ eyes started to glisten.

“When we ended things, you know what she said?”

Anna shook her head.

Chris took in a deep, shaky breath, “She said that she couldn’t move on and heal because I hadn’t. I was mourning her like she had died, because to me she had. She needed to live and I was holding her back.”

He disguised wiping his tears as pinching the bridge of his nose but Anna saw through it.

It must have been the liquid courage, but she leaned up and kissed him on the forehead.

Before Anna had time to realize what she had done, Chris took the opportunity to gently grab her by the nape of her neck and kissed her lips.

Anna intertwined her fingers in his short hair and pulled him closer.

He began to move his hand to her hip, lifting her shirt slightly so he could feel her soft warm skin.

The moment was short-lived as Anna thought she heard someone close by, and in response pulled out of the kiss and tried to straighten herself up.

Chris fixed himself and sat up straight.

“I’m sorry Anna, I shouldn’t have done that.”

Anna looked down, flustered. “You’re right, I think it was just the alcohol.”

Chris smiled weakly at her. “I think you’re right. I’ll leave you be, have a good night.”

“You too.” She said and he walked away.

“It’s for the best,” she thought to herself. “I don’t want to mourn you too.”

Chapter Text

The next morning, Anna realized she was the first person awake. She wasn’t surprised as she imagined the team probably stayed up a lot later than she did.

She began her morning routine by stretching and praying, before wandering into the common room to get coffee started. As she waited for the machine to do its thing, she decided to see if there was any literature she could find. She had to leave her personal cell phone back home due to the risk of their location being tracked, so she had to get creative with entertaining herself.

She cursed herself for being so tied up in the device in the first place.

While she was looking around she did find a notepad and a pen. She decided that this would do as a creative outlet and sat down at the table.

Anna, staring at the blank paper waiting for inspiration, remembered how in grief counseling they told her to write down all the things she would want to tell loved ones who passed.

Her counselor called it her “heaven journal”.

Anna decided to spend the next couple of minutes writing everything to Bunny.

Anna wrote how much she was going to miss her, how every time she saw something beautiful she thought of her and most of all, Anna had kissed the “super hot lumberjack” who was also her boss and she really liked it.

She was in another world completely that she didn’t realize Captain Redfield had entered the room until he spoke to her.

“Look at you Connolly,” He said in a chipper tone. “We might just have to promote you as a designated coffee maker.”

Anna almost jumped out of her seat. “Redfield, how long have you been there?”

“Just long enough to see you writing so furiously, is everything okay?”

“You’re going to think it’s dumb if I tell you.”

Chris rolled his eyes, “Try me.”

“I’m writing in my heaven journal.”

He kept his expression neutral, but she could tell he was trying to hold back his brows from furrowing. “Heaven Journal?”

“It's something I learned in grief counseling, to write what you wish you would have said or what your person in heaven missed out on. I find it helpful.”

He laid out two coffee mugs on the table and poured the fresh brew into the cups. “That sounds interesting, I’ve never thought of that.” He took a sip of coffee. “How do you get this stuff not as bitter? What do you do with it?”

She giggled. “I add cinnamon to the grounds, it cuts the acidity just enough, I learned that trick from my mother in law!”

“She sounds like a wise lady.”

“She is, I learned alot from her actually. I really need to call her and check up on her. I haven’t spoken to her in a while.” she looked down at her reflection in the mug thoughtfully. She really hadn’t been in touch with her in-laws since Michael’s passing.

Chris and Anna fell into an awkward silence not making eye contact. It was like they were in a deadlock, waiting for the other to mention the events of the night before.

Chris was the first to break the silence.

“Anna,” he started with shakily. “I think we should talk about, um,” his voice started to waver.

“Captain Redfield-”

Chris,” he corrected, “please call me Chris when it’s just us.” He looked at her, she was having trouble placing his emotion.

“Chris,” she began again, “ I really enjoyed last night, but I want to keep it professional. I’m not ready to enter any kind of romantic, well anything, after what happened to Michael. I don’t think I'll ever be ready.”

Chris nodded softly and relaxed his rigid shoulders. “If that's what you want, then I agree.”

She smiled and got up, she patted Chris’ back. “I like you alot Chris, and I hope we can still be friends.”

He returned her smile. “Of course.”

“I better start getting ready, I went over the Winters’ medical files briefly but I need to make sure I’m prepared.” she rinsed out her cup and placed it into the empty dishwasher. “I’ll be in my room if you need me.”

Chris just raised his mug in agreement while he watched her walk away.

“It’s for the best.” He thought to himself. “It would never work out.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anna was nervous meeting the Winters family.

After being directly involved with the Dulvey incident, she had no idea how they felt being under BSAA lock and key, or having to undergo constant medical procedures.

When she arrived at their residence, it was a simple blue bungalow with a nice little porch. Anna thought it would be big enough to have a porch swing in the corner, it reminded her slightly of the little bungalow she shared with her own husband.

Tundra and Chris were tasked with briefing Ethan & Mia about their training, while Anna performed routine medical testing.

When they arrived and knocked on the door, a skinny, anxious-looking woman answered. She just barely opened the door, revealing that the chain to the deadbolt was still attached.

“Oh, it's you.” she said flatly, and shut the door.

Anna and Tundra exchanged confused and annoyed looks as the door was still shut, they could hear Mia undoing multiple locks.

When she opened the door it revealed a dull looking interior with moving boxes still strewn about everywhere.

Anna wanted to break the silence and make the situation more comfortable, but understood why Tundra and Chris didn’t have much sympathy for her. Mia worked as a researcher for the connections and was Eveline’s caretaker; in the BSAA’s eyes, Mia was just as at fault for the Dulvey incident.

“Mrs.WInters,” Anna started off very formally. “My name is Anna Connolly, I will be the Nurse practitioner overseeing the treatment plan for you and your husband.” She outstretched her hand as a peace offering.

Mia just looked at her and didn’t take it.

“The BSAA couldn’t even send a real doctor?” Mia said instead, crossing her arms.

Anna’s face reddened in embarrassment and shock, her voice catching in her throat.

“Ms.Connolly is very experienced in the messes you and your associates have created, Mia.” Chris spat out. “I would try to get on her goodside, her research conclusions are the deciding factor whether or not your ass gets sent to a high security facility.”

Mia’s demeanor changed immediately as the reality set in of her precarious situation.

“I’m sorry, Nurse Connolly.” Mia said bitterly, adding emphasis on “Nurse.”

Anna just decided to shake it off. “Not a problem Mrs.Winters, or would you prefer I call you Mia?” she said trying to give her best impression of a genuine smile.

“Mia’s fine,” She grumbled.

“Alright, Mia. Is there an area in the house where you’re the most comfortable? I’m going to have to ask you some personal health related questions, Chris and Emily are going to talk to Ethan about some safety measures in the meantime.”

Mia turned around and led you to the kitchen where there was a small table with two chairs. Anna thought the space could use a new coat of paint, it would be more cozy that way.

Anna set down her medical bag delicately, as Mia carefully eyed her.

She had different BSAA issued equipment that she had only worked with a handful of times on infected animals but not humans. She would be lying if she said Mia’s words hadn’t shaken her.

“So, Mia.” Anna started trying to calm her nerves. “Have you experienced any side effects since your surgeries? Anything out of the normal for your body, pre-infection?”

Mia rolled her eyes. “Of course I have.”

Anna flinched at her words slightly. She made it her mission to not be rattled by Mia. “Would you like to go into detail?”

Mia sat back in her chair. “My cycles have been strange.” Anna looked up.

“Have they been heavier, longer, more painful…?”

“They’ve been very intense, Ethan and I will go at it like animals, then I’ll have the most painful period cramps, heavy bleeding for a short while then the cycle starts all over again.”

“Mia, I'm so sorry, that sounds miserable.”

She shrugged.

“Have you two been using protection when these urges hit?”

“No, the surgeon performing our surgeries to remove the mold told us that Ethan was more than likely sterile, shouldn’t you know that already?”

“I’m aware of Ethan’s situation. There’s always a chance of conceiving, so I'd advise using protection regardless.”

Anna continued her questionnaire and collected vials of blood. She thanked Mia for her time then escorted Mia to the living room where Chris and Emily were going over the training plan for Ethan.

“Hey there Ethan, I have finished up with your lovely wife. Now it's your turn.” Anna said cheerfully.

Ethan was much more amicable than his partner, he looked relieved to be able to break free from the training talk.

“Sounds great doc.” Ethan said as Anna escorted him into the kitchen to sit down.

“I heard what Mia said to you, I hope that you understand she really doesn’t mean to be so angry.” Ethan said.

“It’s all water under the bridge, you two went through a lot as a couple. I couldn’t imagine surviving an event like Dulvey as a civilian.”

Ethan raised his eyebrows in slight confusion.

“I was on the ground at Dulvey, I worked with Captain Redfield in the mine to subdue Lucas Baker.”

“Oh shit,” Ethan responded.

“Yup, and now fate brings us together again. Just know we’re here to genuinely help you and Mia reintegrate as much as you can.” she smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Anna conducted the same thorough questioning as she did with Mia. Ethan confirmed the strange animalistic urges, but he also divulged he had other strange symptoms.

“It’s like I never get sick or hurt for long anymore.” He started. “When I cut myself or when I think I cut myself, I heal immediately.” Ethan said shaky.

“Ethan, I appreciate your honesty. I can’t imagine what you’re going through; but I need you to be 100% real with me on this next question.” Ethan looked at her with a very concerned look.

“Are there moments where you black out and have found yourself in places where you’re unsure of how you got there?”

He let out a shaky breath. “Not since immediately after the incident. I’ve had weird dreams, but I thought it was just PTSD.”

Anna nodded as she wrote down the observations. She was trying to remain calm, but what she was observing and the evidence presented, she was extremely concerned.

“We’ll, Ethan, thanks for your time. I’m excited to learn more about you and Mia since we’ll be spending a lot of time together.” She smiled.

Ethan looked like he wanted to say something more, but didn’t. He just returned her smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the way to the barracks Anna sat in the back seat of the SUV looking over her paperwork. She was busy annotating the different data and was so out of it she barely acknowledged Chris and Emily.

“Damn, Anna. I’ve never seen you so busy. What the hell did you ask them?” Emily turned around in her seat to make eye contact with her.

“I’m not sure what I know yet. It feels like I’ve taken two steps backwards.”

“Looks like we have our work cut out for us then.” Chris chimed in.

“Whatcha mean?” Anna looked up from her paperwork.

Emily rolled her eyes, “I have no clue how Ethan survived in Dulvey other than pure dumb luck. He has no idea when it comes to self defense.”

Anna looked to Chris. He seemed to be gripping the steering wheel. Was there something he knew that they didn’t?

Anna swallowed hard, she was beginning to suspect something about Ethan, but she needed to look over her data and conduct more tests to be absolutely sure.

When they arrived back at the barracks, Chris briefed the whole team on their duties.

“So basically we have to train them from the ground up?” Canine groaned.

“Don’t be like that K,” Anna said. “We could really do some good here.”

“Yeah K,” Lobo teased.

Canine threw a water bottle at him.

“Please act like adults here.” Umber eyes groaned.

“To answer your question, Yes.” Chris began. “But, I agree with Bambi, we could accomplish some good here, a family would be safe.”

“Do they really deserve it though?” Emily questioned dubiously.

“I agree, Mia was directly involved with creating bioweapons; who’s to say she’s a reformed woman? She lied to her husband for god’s sake and almost got him killed! Bambi, doesn’t that break one of those biblical rules that you, yourself follow?” Night Howl looked at her pointedly.

“I don’t know, I would have never lied to my husband like that.” Anna said honestly.

“Wait, Bambi. Are you married?” Canine asked, shocked.

The rest of the team, save for Alpha, looked at her, dumbfounded.

“I was, he’s passed now.” Anna said quietly, slinking down in her seat.

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.” Tundra said, moving closer to rub her back.

“Way to go asshole,” Lobo said to Canine.

Canine looked at Lobo aghast. “I had no idea! You know you wanted to know too! We know nothing other than what Alpha told us! We barely know her!”

“Guys, it's okay. It was a long time ago.” Anna said, trying to dissolve the situation. “I didn’t feel like I had to say anything, I’m sorry.”

“Bambi, don’t apologize. We shouldn’t have interrogated you.” Umber eyes said, calm as ever.

“Thanks.” Anna said, pulling her knees up to her chin, unconsciously.

“Well, now that we’ve cleared the air in here, I think it’s best we focus on the job at hand.” Chris said gruffly.

The different team members responded in their own ways, in agreement.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anna stayed up long after the other teammates went to bed that night.

She was buried in the data she was able to collect from the Winters. She was evaluating a blood sample of Ethan’s when she saw it. Something wasn’t entirely right with the samples, it wasn’t like anything she had seen in the lab before.

She decided to contact her old supervisor, Walden.

She sent him a message over their secure database, not expecting a response right away.

She was delightfully surprised when Walden responded immediately.

He told her to hold tight until he received clearance to come to their location.

“Should I inform Captain Redfield of your arrival? You might have an easier time getting approval if he knew you were here.”

“I think it’s best we don’t say anything for now, in case it’s a false alarm.” Walden assured her.

Anna thought that was a little strange, but decided she was just wary and paranoid from the events earlier in the day.

She started cleaning up her workspace.

She felt guilty, like she was hiding something from her teammates, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She decided just to push those emotions down and go to bed.

Chapter Text

The day of Walden’s arrival was uneventful.

It was actually kind of miserable due to the previous night’s events, her team members felt like they had to walk on eggshells around her.

She just shut herself into her work, creating a makeshift “lab” with one of the spare rooms. She thought it best to stick to herself and prepare her results for Walden’s arrival while the rest of the team was working with the Winters family.

It was around midday when she heard the rumble of a vehicle outside the building and stepped out to see Walden exiting the SUV.

“I am so glad to see you, Wally,” Anna said happily.

Walden was an older man, he was what some women in their department considered a “silver fox.” He had a rugged appearance, his physique was still in great shape and he had a rather handsome face.

The younger girls in the lab had deemed him “Wally” as their own way of flirting with him. He seemed to enjoy the nickname and attention. Anna thought it was mostly innocent since most of the girls were in committed relationships anyway, and Walden was older than all of them.

Wally smiled at her. “It’s good to see you, Anna. I’m sad to see you on Hound Wolf, you were one of my more talented employees.”

Anna smiled sadly. “Don’t say that, the other girls are great too.”

“None of them are you, Anna.”

Something in his voice made her uncomfortable, but she pushed the feeling down. It had been a while since she had seen him. She chalked up the unfamiliarity to not having close relationships with coworkers anymore.

“Should we get down to business then? I have some reports I want you to look over before I submit them to the higher-ups.”

“Of course Anna, always professional. Just like old times.”

Anna and Walden engaged in small talk while walking to the small, makeshift “lab.”

“How are you getting along with the others? How’s Captain Redfield treating you?” Walden asked genuinely.

“They’re nice enough,” Anna said, keeping things short.

“Nice enough, huh?” Walden said something in his voice wanting her to elaborate. She went with her instincts not to.

When they arrived at Anna's workstation she wasted no time producing her data.

“According to the blood samples here, the organic material collected differs from normal human tissue.”

“What are you insinuating, Connolly?” Walden asked, his voice grim.

“I don’t think Ethan survived the Dulvey incident,” Anna said in an almost whisper.

“This discovery is impressive, especially for someone like yourself.”

“What do you mean?” Anna said, slightly offended.

“I mean with your limited resources, you still came to this conclusion. I’m impressed.” Walden said.

“Well, I still want to run this by Captain Redfield before I submit my official report. I may be wrong. I’m sorry I disturbed you, Walden.” Anna said, backing up from her previous superior, to exit the room. Her gut was telling her it was a mistake bringing Walden here.

Walden moved closer to Anna pinning her between a table and himself.

“I think you know exactly why we can’t let Captain Redfield know, Anna.”

“Walden, what’s the matter? Do you have something against Chris?”

Walden scoffed. “Do you think Redfield knows what to do with this information? You’re wasting your time by taking orders from him.”

“I don’t follow.”

“I knew you would find out the truth about the Winters family eventually, I just thought I had more time to convert you, to the right cause.”

“Convert me? Walden we work for the same people, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Anna’s spine felt like it was made of ice, but her skin was on fire.

Walden smiled a joyless smile, he looked like the Cheshire cat. “That’s where you’re wrong, sweet Anna.” He suddenly grabbed her face by her chin so she was forced to look at him.

“How’s your friend doing? From the club? Bunny, I think her name was?”

Anna forced her face away from his grip. “What the fuck are you talking about Walden? I think you need to leave. I should be in contact with Captain Redfield, he’s expecting me to update him.” Anna lied, hoping that it would deter Walden from whatever the hell he was going to do to her.

“Captain Redfield is busy with the Winters, you’re here all by yourself,” He saw right through her excuse. “I think you understand who’s in control of this situation.”

Anna felt her blood run cold. “Walden, did you have anything to do with Bunny?” Her eyes started to water uncontrollably. She knew the answer, but she needed to hear it.

“Look at you, Anna, starting to put the pieces together. That woman was an easy target, she was so quick to tell me all about you and the man who visited you at the bar.”

“Why would you hurt her? She was innocent in all this!”

“Anna, don’t you get it? She was close to you and was so quick to give information away to a stranger. She deserved to die.”

“You motherfucker!” Anna yelled and pushed him off. Walden was too strong though, and threw her to the ground in the process.

“Good to see Redfield has completely failed with training you.” He stepped closer to her as she tried to gain her composure.

“What do you want from me?”

“What do I want? I want you to join me Anna. You’ve got so much potential.”

“Why would I join you? You killed my friend! My sister!” Sobbed out at him.

“You have something I want, what we want. Potential to be a real researcher.”

“Who the fuck is we Walden? You’re fucking crazy! You need to be in prison for what you did!”

“How’s your roommate Anna? Didn’t you have a falling out because of your leaving? Wouldn’t they like to know you’re the reason your friend is dead?”

“They’re not a part of this.”

“They are. They’re a part of you, and I can take them away if you don’t do what I ask.”

Anna thought of the fear and betrayal in Bunny’s last moment, she would do anything to keep Lavish safe from the same fate.

“What do I need to do?”

“You can start by leaving with me,”

Anna just complied, she knew by agreeing it would buy her more time.

Walden had led her to some decommissioned research base, it had to have belonged to Umbrella at one time. The inside of the building was arid, making Anna’s lips chapped and making it harder to breathe.

Walden led her to a long, bright hallway with blinding manufactured light.

“Why did you bring me here Walden? Why didn’t you kill me back at the base?”

“You’re worth more alive, Connolly. You have a valuable skillset the Connections want.”

The Connections, the crime syndicate that Mia was working for and that was responsible for creating Eveline.

“So that’s who you’ve been working for, this whole time? Predictable.” Anna spat out, she was so mad she couldn’t have seen it before. She let herself get too close and was blinded by the trust that was assumed to be reciprocated. She couldn’t have been more incorrect.

“Apparently it wasn’t,” Walden quipped back. “You’re quite feisty when you’re wrong Connoly.”

They finally stopped in a fully equipped surgical room, it was obvious this moment had been orchestrated well before they had even received orders.

“ Is this what you wanted to show me? An operating room? This definitely could have waited.” Anna tried to say sarcastically, but her voice faltered.

“Anna, the connections wanted to make sure you were fully compliant before they met you in person, by any means necessary.”

She gulped. “What are you talking about?”

“I was sent here to give you the gift.” Walden said, quickly grabbing one of the syringes off the table. She vaguely recognized the liquid inside, it was a strain of the mutamycete that was responsible for the Dulvey incident.

She had to act fast, she threw down the surgical table to create distance between herself and Walden. She ran out of the room as fast as she could.

“Bitch!” Walden screamed, pushing off the table and chasing after her.

She ran around the familiar corridors trying to remember where they had initially entered the facility. She immediately came across a seemingly abandoned office when she heard Walden gaining on her.

“Damn him.” She thought. He had an advantage, he knew this building.

“Anna,” Walden called out, like they were two kids playing some demented version of hide and seek. “Please don’t fight me, you know its for the best. You’ll keep your family safe this way.”

She scrambled through the office desperate to find something to defend herself with, when she knocked a phone off the desk and a dial tone broke the silence. It was like a sign from God.
She scrambled over to the phone and quickly dialed Alpha’s number; but before he could pick up she heard Walden’s heavy foot steps come closer to the office. She had to leave.

She ran out of the office, but was unable to hang up the phone. On the other end all Chris could hear was a struggle and Anna’s scream.

Hound wolf wasted no time in tracking the location of the call, they were able to get to Anna’s location in no time.

The whole team arrived in their full gear, not wanting to take any chances. Alpha and Umber eyes were the first to storm into the building, finding a fully mutated Walden, but no Anna.

“It was you after all, you were the mole we were looking for, Walden.” Chris addressed the beast.

The monster gurgled in response before forcing out the words, “You’re too late.”

The team attacked the monster full force, still unsure of where their missing comrade was. Walden gave little, to no fight, like a pawn that had served its purpose, he was ready to die.

Chris began frantically searching with the rest of the Team for any signs of Anna or insurgents. The whole place seemed empty, until they walked further down the hallway and spotted a bloody trail littered with scarlet handprints. Somebody had been dragging their injured body to safety.

“Bambi! Bambi!” Canine began to scream and the rest of the team followed desperately in hopes their comrade would call out to them. The silence was deafening, until they heard a weak voice call from inside the office area.

She looked like a doll that had been tossed carelessly aside. Through her right shoulder, was a deep red wound where she had been impaled by one of Walden’s appendages. Blood was dripping from her mouth, it was evident she had fought hard and was barely conscious to prove it.

Alpha quickly ran to her side and propped her up, attempting to stop the bleeding from her wound. “Hey, stay alert, he’s gone. We’re going to get you out of here, Bambi.”

“I’m ready to go home, Chris.”

“We’ll get you home, I just need you to be awake okay? You did a good job here, we’re going to take care of you.” Chris began to plead. Canine stood there uncomfortably while the rest of the team were rushing to get Bambi evacuated to a hospital.

Bambi’s eyes rolled back into her head while Chris was barking orders to hound wolf.

Anna awoke in her childhood bedroom, the pink and green quilted comforter felt familiar beneath her fingers. Her room smelt of the clean linen airfreshener her mother loved to use. She moved from her room into the living room, into the dining room with the overhead light on, illuminating the two figures at the table with warm yellow light.

As Anna approached the two figures she quickly recognized them as her mother and Micheal. Anna felt a lump in her throat.

Her mother turned around and hugged her, she smelled the familiar scent of honeysuckle perfume and cigarettes. She felt the warmth only a mother’s hug could provide.

Anna didn’t want to let go of the feeling.

“Mama. I’ve missed you.”

She smiled at Anna, her blue eyes glittering at the sight of her daughter.

Anna’s attention was quickly diverted to her late husband, also waiting at the table. He looked exactly how she remembered, his auburn hair combed neatly atop of his head, his blue eyes were completely clear and bright. They shared an affectionate embrace and kissed eachother.

They all sat down at the dining table with Anna talking about all the things they had missed. Anna talked about her wedding to Micheal to her mother and Anna filled Micheal in all about moving to New York despite her claiming to him early on in the marriage she would never live in the big city.

She even talked about the BSAA and Chris. Suddenly, she felt ashamed about mentioning Chris in front of her husband. She never considered herself single after Micheal passed away, she still felt married, like her husband was at a business trip far away.

Micheal smiled at her knowingly and affectionately. “I’m happy for you, baby.”

She felt her eyes start to water. They moved up from the table into the home’s entry way, where her mother opened the door, revealing the most beautiful sunset. The neighborhood outside was hued with a sepia colored filter and she could smell the grass and the fruit trees in her front yard from when she was a child.

Anna turned around. There was an unfamiliar boy standing behind her mother and Micheal. He was lanky, with dark eyes and hair. She felt a strong platonic connection with him, despite never seeing him before.

She quickly turned to her mother and Michael with pleading eyes; this world was too sweet, she wasn’t ready to go.

“Do I have to?” Anna sobbed to her mother.

Her mother just nodded sadly.

“I’ll see you soon.” The boy said hugging her around the waist. Anna returned it, running her fingers softly through the boys dark brown locks.

She made her way through the doorway and the sky turned to a stormy gray.

She gasped herself awake and the sterile hospital scent filled her nose. The room was filled with the white light of early morning. There was no telling how long she was asleep.

A nurse walked in and upon making eye contact with a now awake Anna, the young lady ran into the hallway to grab the attending physician.

The next two hours was spent with doctors and nurses performing various cognitive tests on her. They claimed she had been in a coma like state and they were very close to placing her on full fledged life support, due to her lack of brain activity.

Anna felt sick to her stomach and had tried to vomit, but couldn’t due to lack of contents in her stomach. She was left dry heaving for most of the day.

The next morning, when she was finally deemed healthy enough to have outside guests, Hound wolf had made an appearance at the hospital, bringing flowers and a signed card.

“Okay, who’s idea was this? I’m finding it hard to think one of you thought of this on your own.” She said, joking.

The group laughed and pointed out, that it was their Alpha.

“Hey, I just thought it was the nice thing to do, it was cheaper than buying a funeral arrangement, that’s for sure.” Anna coughed out a laugh, due to still being hooked up to oxygen.

“I’m just glad you’re here, having each new shift rotation stare at me like a medical anamoly was starting to get a little old.” She said nonchalantly, but the rest of the room went silent.

Anna gulped, sensing the light hearted mood quickly change. “So how have you all been entertaining yourselves since I’ve been spending my time relaxing?”

“We’ve been relocating our friends in Canada.” Umber eyes responded flatly.

Anna’s brows furrowed until she realized what he was talking about.

“Oh damn, that must be a bummer for them.” She said twisting the bed sheets underneath her hands. How much did they know.

The room was awkward. Then the slightly ajar hospital door opened wide and in came Lavish and Anna’s sister Bridgitte.

“Oh honey! I’ve never seen you so pale before!” Lavish said hurrying in, not even acknowledging the rest of hound wolf.

“Lavish! I thought you hated me!” Anna said weakly. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“I never could hate you Anna-Banana! You didn’t have to get in this bad of a car accident to get me to talk to you again!”

Anna looked awkwardly at her team, whom were now making their exits. She realized the real reason she was in the hospital must be considered classified.
“Yeah, I barely remember anything at all.” Anna said, trying to sound confident.

“Damn, Anna,” Bridgitte sat down on the bed with her sister, “I knew you liked attention, but weren’t this desperate for it.”

Anna hit her sister with a pillow playfully.

“Now, now Anna, don’t get mad at Bridgitte. She’s right, you are a spotlight hog.” Lavish said, looking around the room acknowledging the others, sharing the space.

“I’m so sorry, Bridgette and I just barged in here, did we interrupt your visit?” Lavish said concerned.

“We were just leaving,” Tundra said smiling at Lavish.

“Well, aren’t you gorgeous and here I was worried about Anna being the only feminine energy on the team. It is a woman’s world.”

“Lavish seriously? Get some manners!”

Lavish turned around with faux offense on their face. “Anna, I was just saying how excited I am that you have a friend on the team.”

Anna buried her face in her hands.

Tundra shook Lavish’s hand. “I’m Emily and this is the rest of the team.” Gesturing over to the rest of Hound Wolf.

Lavish looked around the room and smiled with delight. “You’re a very attractive team. It’s nice to meet you,” they made eye contact with Chris “Oh Anna, I didn’t know Daddy was here! I should have known!”

Lavish was making it clear that even if Anna had escaped death she wasn’t going to escape the teasing. Anna definitely preffered this treatment over the cold shoulder treatment.

The room snapped their heads at Chris, then to Anna.

Chris cleared his throat. “I may have visited Anna at her bartending job before she was a member of our team.”

“BARTENDING JOB?” Canine looked shocked.

“Bambi was a bartender? Where? I wanna go!” Lobo said like a child who missed out on some excitement.

“We’ll discuss this later after she’s had some rest. I think its best if we give her some alone time, we’ve got a lot of work to do team.” Chris said ushering the team out the doorway.

They all said their goodbyes and left Anna alone with her family.

“Well, that’s cool I got to see who Lavish was talking about.” Bridgitte said

“You mean Chris? Yeah, he’s my boss.”

“He is very handsome, lots of nice muscles. Just like you said Lavish!” Bridgitte and Lavish had a laugh at Anna’s expense.

“You guys are whores.” Anna said holding back a smile.

“Oh lighten up, Anna.”

Anna only rolled her eyes and enjoyed the rest of the night laughing with her sisters, truly thankful she was alive.

Chapter Text

The next couple of weeks were spent on leave, Anna’s body slowly catching up with her mind.

She had received news, in a sterile BSAA clinic that Walden had exposed her to the Mold where it entered her bloodstream. After her initial life saving procedures to stop the mold from spreading further, the medical staff conducted a CT scan on her brain to see if the mold had moved to her brain.

She was lucky, there weren’t any masses found in her brain, but she would have to go back for scans and tests twice a year.

Doctor Williams, who was an internationally recognized scientist and medical doctor, assured her she wasn’t contagious and she could live a normal life, with few modifications.

He even hypothesized that the infection is what saved her life.

The news was devestating. She was struggling with a condition now, that had little research about it and she couldn’t even tell her best friend.

After she was released from the hospital she was cleared to go back to her apartment she shared with Lavish.

The apartment didn’t have the same warmth as it did before.

It felt like the ghost of who she used to be, was haunting the apartment.

The weird thing about having a near death experience and seeing loved ones that have passed on, is that everyday you’re reminded of it.

Every time she stepped into the shared living space she expected her mother and husband to be there, but they were absent.

She also longed to receive a message from Bunny. She would have accepted anything; a feather, butterfly or cardinal. Maybe, an unfortunate, yet comical series of events that only she could orchestrate in the afterlife.

It was like radio silence coming from the other side of this existence. As the days passed on, Anna felt more empty; it was like a part of her died when Walden tried to end her life.

And maybe it did.

She had experienced actual pain before, but nothing compared to the betrayal of a friend. She had betrayed her friend, by not being able to keep her safe. She had died a horrible death for nothing. It was selfish, but there were nights she wished she had been the one to die instead. It only made sense, she was the one who vowed to risk her life for the safety of others, not Bunny; yet, here she was laying down on the cold floor of her bedroom alone.

It was Saturday night, Lavish was at the club performing.

They held a week-long celebration of life for the late Bunny while Anna was still in the hospital. Her murder reverberated through the community and seemed to bring everybody closer together. The bar was busier than ever and Lavish was reaping the benefits.

Lavish would come home, plentiful cash tips in hand at sunrise, but there was always something sad in her eyes.

“I don’t know how much longer I can do this without my friend.” She would say. Anna would just sit there and listen while Lavish would talk through her guilt.

Sure, they were doing better than ever, but Bunny wasn’t here to see it. It was almost like she was some sacrificial lamb. Anna didn’t even want to think about it, it’s not like she could talk about what Walden confessed to her. This was the first time she really couldn’t talk about something with Lavish and it was killing her.

Anna decided the pain was beginning to be too much to bear and she got off the cold floor and decided to do something about it.

She was going to Redfield’s house; before she could realize what she was doing she was standing on the porch of Alpha’s home.

She was debating whether or not to knock on the door, or to turn around with her tail between her legs but fate had other plans.

The distinct sound of a lock being undone and the door creaking open filled Anna’s ears.

Chris stood there in a plain, gray tee that accentuated his muscular chest and arms. He looked at the woman with the slightest bit of confusion and curiosity.

“Anna, what are you doing here? I didn’t expect to see you for a couple more weeks.”

Anna’s breath hitched in her throat. “I made a mistake, I should really be leaving, I’m sorry for disturbing you.” She went to leave but she felt a large hand gently, yet firmly grab her wrist.

Anna looked up to meet Chris’ concerned gaze.

“You made the drive out here for a reason. Why don’t you come inside, even if it’s just for a minute.” He reasoned with her.

She bit her lip with indecisiveness and let him guide her through the threshold of the doorway.

Out of habit she gently removed her shoes at the front door before stepping further into Chris’ neat home. Her bare feet were cold on the hardwood floors.

“Why don’t you have a seat on the couch?” Chris suggested.

Her movements were automatic as she sat on the plush couch. She instinctively sat at the edge of the couch and propped herself up against the armrest.

Chris came back in with a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. He sat them down on the coffee table and sat at the other end of the couch Anna was on.

“Soooo….” He started off by pouring the dark liquid into the glass and offering it to her. She took it and watched as he poured some for himself.

She stared into her glass swirling the dark amber-y liquid, watching it change in color as it moved around the glass. She decided it was only fair for her to break the silence.

“I’m so used to always initiating cheers before I drink.” She said awkwardly.

“Considering you showed up looking helpless on my doorstep, I’m guessing you’re not in the mood to cheer for anything.” Chris said flatly.

“You would be absolutely correct.” She announced the last two words bitterly. Then, without giving it a second thought she threw back the whiskey in one take. She put her glass firmly on the coffee table. The warmth from the alcohol swirling in her belly.

“Right on.” Chris said and did the same.

“I came here to talk about the incident.” She said shakily, the liquid courage starting to numb her a little bit.

Chris stared at her sympathetically, he was silent, but his body language said that he was listening.

“Walden told me some things… some awful things. I can’t get them out of my head. I have nightmares almost every night.”

“He almost killed you Anna.” He sighed, pouring himself another shot and did the same for her. “You trusted him, and he tried to murder you.” The thought of Walden leading Anna into that lab alone, if Chris had just been five minutes late, or hadn’t even thought to look for her, Anna would have been dead.

Anna looked at Chris intently. “That’s not even the worst part.” She felt the sadness and guilt build up in her chest. She drank some more of the burning liquid to numb the pain. “I killed her.” She said out weakly.

Chris instinctively moved closely to her. He put his hand on her shoulder. “Killed who, Anna?”

Bunny’s face flashed in her mind. She thought of how scared she was in her final moments and how Anna was completely to blame. She began to cry in her hands.

Chris pulled into her an embrace and began to rub her back. She couldn’t tell if it was the alcohol or the fact she had kept the awful secret to herself for weeks, but she felt comfortable enough to cry into his chest.

When she had calmed down a little bit, Chris loosened his embrace on her.

“Walden killed Bunny because of me.” She managed out.

“Anna, it's not your fault.”

“But it is!” Anna sobbed. “She’s gone, it should have been me, why couldn’t he just have killed me?”

Chris tensed his jaw. He remembered the Arklay incident. The feelings of guilt flooding back to him. His comrades dead because of his selfish leader; and Chris, left alive to suffer.

“I should never have involved anyone else in my life when I moved here. I knew the risk! I knew there were bad people out there like Walden, I just never thought it would be him! Bunny is dead because I was selfish, I just wanted friends so badly, I felt like she really understood me and now she’s gone.”

“She’s dead because some selfish asshole wanted to hurt you Anna. And he succeeded.”

Anna began to spiral. “It’s not just Bunny Chris-“ she raised her voice a little. “If I hadn’t pushed Michael so hard, if I hadn’t been so adamant about starting a family. Maybe if I had just stopped demanding so much he wouldn’t have felt the need to advance his career so fast, he wasn’t even supposed to be there the day he died.”

She breathed shakily, moving her hand through her hair. “But I insisted he go, I wanted him to be the first one there to make the best impression.” She started to sob again.

Chris breathed in. He remembered the guilt that he still carried with him, with Jill. She wasn’t supposed to be there with Spencer either, but she insisted. He remembered saying to him that it was “their fight”.

He regrets letting her go everyday.

Chris decided to speak. “You know, I bet he didn’t think you were pressuring him.”

She looked up at him, her usual spritely features marred with tears and red blotches.

“You…think that?”

“Of course I do, the way you talk about him, he seemed like a good man, but you’re also a good woman.” He planted his hand on her thigh assuringly.

The warmth of his hand on her thigh made her weak, but his words made her weaker.

“I bet you were so good to him. I bet everyday you gave him something to smile about.”

She sniffled starting to feel like she could talk to
Him without sobbing.

“Everytime he was sick, I would go to the grocery store and get his favorite fruit, because I know it would make him feel better.” She laughed at the memory. “I demanded he lay in bed, because he was always moving; even when he was sick.”

She grimaced and looked down at her feet.

“I really miss the life I had.”

Chris gave her an understanding look.

“You know I think about that all the time. I dream about the life I had before all this bio terrorism mess.”

Anna quickly snapped her head up. “Chris, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to seem ungrateful.”

Chris held her tight again. “You don’t sound ungrateful, you sound human.”

She leaned her head into his chest. “Did you ever want a family Chris? Did you ever think you’d get married, have kids?”

Chris hadn’t dwelled on the thoughts he had while living in Raccoon City. Working at the RPD, sure he was immature, but he saw how happy Barry and Kathy were. He was a womanizer, but he always thought he’d find the right girl to settle down with and have a couple of kids.

When he met Jill, he was convinced it was her. She was beautiful, smart and tough as hell; she didn’t take any shit from the guys at the station. Then the incident happened, he was so hellbent on avenging his dead friends he forgot about the ones who were still alive.

He abandoned Jill in Raccoon City where she needed him most, he had even abandoned Claire.

What kind of man was he?

He decided to answer truthfully. “I did, I don’t think I deserve it anymore.”

It was Anna’s turn to comfort Chris.

“Chris, I think you’d be an amazing husband and an even better dad.” She said sincerely.

He shifted uncomfortably. He decided to switch the subject back to Anna.

“Did Walden do anything else to you, Anna?” He said cautiously, making sure he didn’t offend her or bring up traumatic memories too soon.

She grabbed the glass bottle and poured them more, she knew she needed to slow down, but she couldn’t stop herself.

“I can’t remember much of what happened honestly,” she sipped the alcohol this time, taking time to taste the bitterness of it. “I remember he threatened my family, that’s why I went with him. He wanted to inject me with something…” she trailed off. She hadn’t thought of the events since her recovery in the hospital, she suddenly felt panicked.

“He…he… exposed me to the mold, Chris.”

Chris’ eyes widened. Anna buried her face into her hands.

“Is this the first time you’ve talked about it with somebody?”

“Yes.” She sobbed a little bit.

He laughed humorlessly, lost for words. “Well, you haven't been neutralized, so you must be okay.” He tried to say lightly.

“It’s in my bloodstream but I’m not contagious. They tried some experimental drug on me so it wouldn’t spread. It wasn’t very pleasant as you can imagine.”

“Anna, I’m so sorry. I knew you had been exposed, I just wasn’t aware of how bad it actually was.”

“Do you think I’m a monster? That I’m like Lucas?” She asked sharply.

Chris looked at her incredulously. “You’re nowhere near that crazy bastard. You will never be like him.”

“You’re the only person I’ve told, I don’t know if anyone else knows.”

“They don’t.” He said assuringly. “I won’t tell either. Your secret is safe with me.” He smiled at her.

Anna nodded, her eyes still unfocused, mind in some far off place. Chris recognized that stare, he had seen it too many times. It genuinely made him angry that Walden, and the connections had caused her so much pain.

“So you and Micheal wanted kids?.” He asked casually, trying to lighten the subject.

For the first time tonight, Anna genuinely smiled. “I wanted them so bad.” She said. “We tried so hard to conceive. The doctors told us our only hope was IVF, my body was having trouble ovulating.” She blinked quickly and made a grimace.

“I’m sorry that was TMI.” She laughed awkwardly.

“No it isn’t.” Chris laughed with her.

Her face fell a little bit. “It was expensive, but I wanted a baby so bad, I just wanted to be a mom. Michael would have done anything to make it happen and he did.” Her face fell again.

“It just wasn’t meant to be.” She took another shot of the whiskey. Her body was getting warmer, she knew she needed to stop, but didn’t want to.

“You don’t know that,” Chris said reassuringly. “You’re still so young.”

“Yeah, well, I think God has other plans for my life.” She said. “They advised me at the clinic if I were to conceive they would have a chance of having the infection. You know that means.”

Chris nodded. He did. Terrorists were manufacturing BOWS in labs. If word spread that a human was producing super humans naturally, Anna and her children would be in extreme danger.

Anna stood up quickly, “Well I’ve wasted enough of your time tonight Chris, I should get going,” she stumbled slightly before Chris firmly seated her into the couch again.

The mood started to shift to a lighter tone.

“I think you’ve had too much to drink, missy.” He said in a playful tone. “You should stay here until you sober up. I’ll let your roommate know where you are.”

“Do you know their phome number?”

“Oh I got Daniel’s number while you were in the Hospital. He was listed as your emergency contact.”

Anna looked at him confused. “He lets you call him Daniel?” She glared at him. “Have you guys been texting behind my back?”

He smirked. “Maybe.”

She flopped her back into the couch dramatically and put a pillow over her face. Chris smirked at her overracting.

He sat down next to her again. “Alright, he’s aware you’re staying over.”

“Great.” Anna said through the pillow which muffled her response. She took the pillow off her face. “Soooo… since we’re in a talking mood tonight,” she said, starting to blush. “Should we talk about that kiss we had in Canada?”

Chris blinked at her, genuinely shocked. The kiss had been on his mind for weeks. He thought she would never bring it up, he was worried he had forced himself onto her. Obviously he knew now the feeling was mutual.

“What about it?” He asked, trying to cover up his shock.

“Well, do you have feelings for me Chris, because I definitely think I have them for you.”

Instead of answering verbally, Chris decided to do what any hot blooded man would do. He kissed her passionately.

It was comfortable and romantic, it was like they had just picked up where they ended in Canada. Anna decided to break the Kiss.

“I’ll take that as a yes?” She giggled.

“Yes.” He said, going in to nibble at the sensitive skin on her neck.

She instinctively let out a moan. It had been so long since she had been touched like this, she missed it. She also felt slight guilt of being with another man.

She tried to shake it off, remembering her fever dream. Would Michael really be okay with her having a relationship with another man?

Chris sensed her demeanor change. “Are you okay? We don’t have to keep going.”

She smiled up at him and kissed him again, rougher this time. The liquor was doing things to her body, she felt like her belly was on fire and she could smell Chris’ natural scent, which only made her more aroused.

Chris picked up on her neediness and began to paw at her breasts through her clothes. Impatiently, she ripped her shirt and bra off. She wanted to feel his calloused hands on her bare breasts.

“You want this bad, don’t you baby?”

“I’ve wanted you since Dulvey, Chris.”

“You’re such a bad girl making me wait that long. We have a lot of lost time to make up for.” He said roughly pulling her hips up to align with his. She could feel his erection on her thigh.

Although Chris was in his 40s, he was rock hard and had no problem getting “it up” for her. The size of what she felt excited her, but also made her nervous. It had been years since she had been fucked. Would she be any good still?

Chris began to play with the waistband of her shorts. She lifted up her hips and removed them exposing her panties.

She suddenly felt self conscious. “Why don’t you take your shirt off honey?” She said playing with his shirt.

Chris responded enthusiastically by taking off his shirt. “That good enough sweetheart?”

She smirked. “Definitely.” She began to gently rub his muscular chest. “Chris, you’ve got an amazing body.” She began to stroke his hair and move her hands from his head, down to his neck and stop at his shoulders. She couldn’t help but squeeze his biceps.

“Mmm, you’re driving me crazy baby.” He said as he pressed body against hers again. He let his hand drift down below her waist, touching the thin fabric of her panties.

She shuddered at his touch. She kissed him again to affirm she wanted him to continue. She bucked her hips up to him and moaned in pleasure when he moved her panties to the side to gently stroke her most sensitive place.

“Mmm Chris, please don’t stop it feels so good,” she moaned into his ear.

He responded by inserting a finger into her tight entrance. She gasped at the sensation of a thick finger inside of her.

“God baby, your pussy is so tight.” He began to pump his finger in and out of her while rubbing her clit. “It’s a shame I’m going to stretch it out.”

Anna and Michael hardly exchanged dirty talk when they had sex. The two of them would say the occasional dirty thing and then giggle. They were so young and inexperienced when they married.

Chris was proving to be the exact opposite. The way he touched her body, he had probably been with several women, and he didn’t hold back with expressing his dirty thoughts.

She started to blush a deep red. Chris used his free hand to caress her face. “Is this your first time since…?”

Anna nodded sheepishly.

“I’ll take good care of you baby, don't worry.”

Chris began to kiss down her abdomen to her pelvis. He pulled down the thin fabric of her panties and revealed her pussy.

She began to sit up to protest what was about to happen when Chris placed a firm hand on her abdomen, keeping her in place.

He spread her thighs apart and put his head between her thighs and began to lick her clit mercilessly.

Anna was not the type to receive oral sex, sure her husband had tried it, but she was so self conscious it was never enjoyable.

With Chris it was different. He was assertive, Of course she didn’t feel pressured to do anything she didn’t want to do, but he was making sure to push her limits.

“Chris, it’s so much,” she began to writhe underneath him. He didn’t slow down, but instead he entered two of his thick fingers into her pussy.

She couldn’t contain the erotic noises of her pleasure. She thanked god he lived in a home and not an apartment. She was loud and knew that if people were nearby they were hearing her react to Chris’ unique set of skills.

Her body began to tremble as the increasing waves of pleasure ran over her body. Just as she was about to climax Chris withdrew himself from her.

She lifted herself, face flushed and looked at Chris with confusion and slight embarrassment.

“Did I do something wrong?” She stammered out.

Chris kissed her reassuringly. “You’re doing everything right sweetheart.”

He began to undo his pants and she couldn’t help but stare.

“You wanna help me get these pants off so I can fuck your little pussy quicker?”

Anna giggled and instinctively looked away. He was so comfortable with her. She wish she could return the same confidence.

Never the procrastinator, Chris guided her hands to the waist of his pants. She followed his lead and began to undo his belt buckle. She pulled down his pants and his thick cock sprung out.

She was hesitant at first, but she gently took Chris’ member in her mouth and began to suck his cock.

Chris began to play with her hair gently, moving it out of her face and holding it in a ponytail.

“God you look so beautiful sucking my cock. It’s like your mouth was made for me.”

Ever the people pleaser Anna began moving faster, attempting to take more of him into her mouth. It was a challenge but she was up to it.

Chris rubbed Anna’s shoulder warmly. “Baby, I don’t want to cum just yet.”

Anna understood and moved away from his cock. She kissed up his chest, to his neck to meet his mouth. He buried his fingers in her hair, completely dominating the kiss.

When they came up for air, Chris gently picked her up.

Anna looked at him a little confused.

“I don’t want our first time together to be on a couch.”

She smiled at him and held on to his neck as he carried her into his bedroom. He gently laid her down on the bed and looked into her eyes.

“Are you sure you want this?”

“Of course.”

That’s all he needed. Chris spread her legs at the knees as he positioned himself between her. “This okay?”

Anna nodded positioning her hands on his biceps again.

He grabbed her hips and brought them to align with his. He began to tease her a little bit by rubbing the tip
of his cock against her clit and wet entrance.

“Chris, please.” She whined out.

“Chris, please what?” He chided her. He wanted her to beg for it.

“Chris please…I want you inside of me.” She said sheepishly.

Chris smirked, “You are such a sweet girl.” He kissed her cheek.

He grabbed knees by the backs, and pressed them to as far as they would go so she was completely helpless to
him.

“All that training paid off babygirl. You’re so flexible.”
He began to enter her, little by little, Anna began to clutch his arms digging her nails into him.

“That’s right baby, you’re taking my cock so well.”

Chris eventually managed to get his cock inside of her right entrance, completely filling her up. He began to thrust into her, the head of his cock grazing her cervix with each thrust.

Anna couldn’t help but yelp with each thrust. He was being rough with her, but she was enjoying it.

When she was married sex was sweet, it was never erotic like this. Chris was completely dominating her and enveloping her entire body. He was commanding every sense she had.

She felt Chris’ thrusts become deeper and faster. She knew he was close. She let herself relax so she could ride out the waves of her own orgasm. Chris bit down on her neck as he came.

Chris collapsed into her as soon as he finished. They shared a long kiss and he pulled out of her. She suddenly felt very empty,

The post coital clarity hit her hard.

She quickly ran into the bathroom before Chris could question her. She immediately turned on the shower and got in.

She felt Chris’ cum leak out of her.

In that moment she felt so dirty, that she didn’t even make him wear protection, that she was so easy she’d just let anyone fuck her.

Overwhelmed with emotion and hormones she began to cry.

She felt so guilty for sleeping with Chris. He was so good in bed, but they had no real relationship. She just slept with him out of pure carnal attraction.

She was torn out of her thoughts when she heard a gentle knock at the door.

“Can I come in, Anna?”’

She quickly turned off the shower and wrapped a towel around her. She opened the door. Chris stood there with a concerned look.

“I heard you crying.”

She felt awful. “Chris, I just um, I don’t know, I think it’s all the hormones or something. I just haven’t been right that’s all.”

Chris brought her in for an embrace. “Was I too rough?”

Anna stroked his muscular chest. “No, it was perfect, honestly it was too perfect.” She pulled away.

“Then why were you crying?”

She took a shaky breath. “Because I know we can’t continue like this Chris. I feel like I’m just a hookup to you.”

“A hookup? Are you serious?”

“It’s really okay, I understand. I’m just not used to this.”

“Anna, you’re not just some hookup, you mean so much more to me.”

She felt overwhelmed.

“Is this really going to work? I feel like I have so many complicated feelings for you.” She leaned into his chest.

“All we can do is try.” He hugged her back and stroked her soft hair. He knew the risks of sleeping with her, he felt himself falling for her as well. He vowed mentally to take care of her. Whatever it took.

They ended up making love a second time that night and fell asleep in each other's arms.

For the first time, in a long time the pair hadn’t had the nightmares that kept them awake at night.

Chapter Text

Anna awoke to the sunlight bleeding through the blinds of Chris’ bedroom.

His bed was extremely comfortable and warm. She snuggled into the comforter and entwined her legs into Chris’ warmer, muscular ones.

He slept like a rock, exactly as she imagined he would and it made her smile.

Anna didn’t want to admit it, but she was a hopeless romantic. The last night spent together had evoked some very strong emotions she hadn’t felt in a while.

She was absolutely in love with Chris now.

Although she may have thought this was unrequited love; she couldn’t discount the fact that their trauma-bond and the hormones contributed to the fact she was absolutely enamored with him right now.

She just prayed that he felt even a fraction of the affection she was feeling.

Chris let out a groan and began to stretch himself awake. He turned towards her and smiled.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

“Good morning.” She giggled out and kissed him.

Chris roughly kissed her back. It was very obvious he enjoyed physical intimacy. Because of this, Anna was the first one to pull away.

Chris groaned in dissatisfaction.

“You’re not allowed to do that.” He whined jokingly.

“I’m sorry Alpha.” She said teasing back.

“Now you’re just trying to get into trouble.”

She giggled and went to put some clothes on. “I should get going though, I’m sure you’re busy.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Chris, I know relocating the Winters has been hell.”

Chris groaned and flopped onto his pillow. “Why did you have to remind me?”

Anna noticed Chris seemed more casual around her. She was happy to see this side of him. She wondered what he was like before the formation of the BSAA and the weight of the world was placed upon his shoulders.

As she started to pick up her clothes from yesterday, she felt his eyes on her.

“Take a picture, it'll last longer.” She turned around and winked at him.

“I’d rather just have the real thing all to myself.”

She laughed a full belly laugh that made Chris smile, she was truly beautiful. He loved the sound of her laughter and the way her dimples would only show when she smiled a full smile.

“Can I see you tonight?”

Anna stopped by the bed and cradled his head between her hands and stroked his beard. She leaned down to kiss him. “Of course.”

As she turned to leave he smacked her behind, and she yelped with surprise.

“Got ya.”

“Asshole,” she said playfully.

Chris grabbed her by the waist and sat her firmly in her lap and began kissing her neck needily.

“Chris-ahn~!” She moaned as he hit a sensitive spot behind her ear.

Chris stopped abruptly. “What were you saying sweetheart? You needed to leave?”

Anna smirked at him. “Maybe I can stay just a little bit longer.”

Chris smiled knowing he had got his way.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Anna made her way up into her apartment and was surprised to see Lavish awake. Usually her roommate would be asleep by this time.

Lavish smiled at her, the first genuine smile since the passing of their mutual friend.

“I heard you spent the night at Chris’ house last night.” Lavish put her head in her hands coyly, smirking at their roommate’s obvious discomfort.

Anna decided to give them what they wanted.

“We had sex and it was AMAZING.” Anna made sure to accentuate the words “Sex” and “Amazing.”

Lavish’ jaw dropped to the floor.

For the first time in a long time, Anna’s friend was speechless.

Anna smirked and pulled up a chair to the table and smiled triumphantly. She knew she had a morning glow and didn’t care.

“We also did it multiple times. INCLUDING this morning.” She said accentuating every word childishly.

Lavish looked like they were about to fall over.

“Anna CATHERINE Connolly” Lavish said sternly. “ How dare you lie to me like this?”

“Oh no, it’s the truth. We definitely had sex.”

Lavish let out the breath they were holding in. Then dramatically pulled up the chair so they were as close to Anna as possible.

“I want every detail, and DON’T” they wagged her finger at her, “Leave out any of the extra dirty bits.” Anna gladly detailed every moment of her sexual conquest with a man that was technically her boss.

After Anna had painstakingly described every dirty detail, Lavish was once again speechless. Lavish leaned back in their chair, almost limp from the information.

“And here I thought all this time we were going to be spinsters together, living in this apartment together until old age, but it seems like you found yourself a man.”

Anna suddenly felt a slight sadness.

Sure she shared a physical connection with Chris, but were they actually going to pursue a relationship? Chris was an important person, he was a founder of the organization she was employed by for god’s sake. If Anna thought she had a target on her back, Chris’ target was triple the size.

Lavish snapped Anna out of her inner thoughts. “So when are you guys going to hang out again?”

“He actually wanted me to stay with him today, but I-”

Lavish cut her off, “ You mean that handsome man wanted you to stay over and you denied him? ANNA!”

“He has work to do! He’s a busy man, I didn’t want to distract him!”

Lavish rolled their eyes, “Trust me babe, he’s gonna be distracted regardless; ESPECIALLY if what you told me about what YOU did was true! I didn’t even know you were capable of such things!” Lavish teased her.

Anna’s face turned a deep red. She really needed to stop making decisions when she was drunk.

“Well, before you rudely interrupted me,” Anna shot her a faux glare. Lavish threw a napkin at Anna and they laughed. Anna continued “He wanted to meet me tonight. I’m not sure what we’re going to do though.”

Lavish squealed. “I can’t believe this is happening! You’ve got a date and you’re making so much progress! I HAVE to tell the girls at the bar.”

Anna’s eyes widened and she grasped Lavish’s arm quickly. “Lavish you can’t, please nobody can know.”
Lavish looked at her with concern. “Oh shit, he’s married isn’t he? Is that why the huge cash tip? He’s paying you off to be quiet isn’t he! Damn him, he had me fooled!” Lavish ranted.

Anna looked at Lavish genuinely confused and withdrew her arm. “Wha…? No! That’s not it! Why would you think I’d break my abstinence for a man that was married? Do you think I’m desperate?”

Lavish frowned. “Not desperate, it’s easy to get swept away by a man who has power.”

“Trust me, Chris really is a good guy it’s just…” she sighed, she had to think of something. She decided to go with the half-truth. “We could get into huge trouble if people at work found out we were together.”

The BSAA technically didn’t have a fraternization rule, but in their line of work it was obvious you didn’t want to be on the field with someone you had a romantic connection to.

Lavish cocked her eyebrow. “Oh-Kay then” she said somewhat skeptically.

Anna pleaded with them. “Seriously he’s somewhat of a public figure, he was on CNN a couple of weeks ago, even if the wrong people found out, he’d be screwed.”

Lavish rolled her eyes. “I guess I’ll respect your wishes.”

Anna sighed in relief.

Thank god Lavish was a good friend.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Anna had genuinely lost track of time. She was on her computer researching apartments.

She didn’t want to live alone, but she was terrified of anything happening to Lavish. She knew it was inevitable she’d have to seperate from their living arrangements eventually.

She just didn’t anticipate it to be so soon.

She had a couple of places close to BSAA headquarters and even picked out places close to Chris’ house. She told herself it was because she was sick of the hustle and bustle.

She made a note to call them all later this week.

She quickly put down her notebook when she heard a tiny knock on her slightly ajar bedroom door. She knew it was a guest, because Lavish had no boundaries and would always just enter.

She opened the door and saw Chris standing in the doorway.

“Chris, oh my gosh-“ she put her hand over her mouth. “I’m so sorry, I lost track of time!” She grabbed her phone off her dresser. She saw the missed texts and calls.

“I told you I wanted to see you tonight, and you just ignored me? That’s cold, Anna.” He said feigning hurt.

Anna looked at him sympathetically. “I’m so sorry, it won’t happen again.”

“It better not,” he said, pulling her in for a kiss.

They may have gone at it like wild animals earlier, but this kiss was sweet and it made her knees weak.

She went to close the door to her room. “Make yourself comfortable, this is my portion of our, uhm,” she felt self conscious. “Very small apartment.” She laughed.

Her room was very neat, almost devoid of clutter, save for a couple of personal mementos and pictures. Her style was eclectic and comfortable, mixing modern and antique pieces together in her room. She had a small “closet” which was just a metal wrack that she hung her “fancy” clothes on.

Chris without thinking picked up the picture of Anna’s Wedding. It was a group picture with family and the bridal party. He was analyzing it.

Anna leaned over his shoulder and looked at the picture.

“That was a really great day.” She said softly.

“You look great in white.” He said and she blushed.

“That’s sweet of you to say,” she squinted at the picture. “God, I’ve lost so much weight since that picture was taken. I really put on the happy weight when I was with Michael.”

Chris grimaced. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, you look hot.”

“You’re just saying that.” She rolled her eyes.

Chris knew it was a losing battle arguing with her. He thought she looked nice with a fuller figure. To him, Anna would look beautiful regardless.

“Is this your dad?” He pointed to a tall gentleman with grey flecks in his black hair and a beard.

She nodded and took the picture gently out of his hand and started naming everyone in the picture and their role in the wedding.

Chris felt very close to her at this moment, hearing her go through the multiple stories of what happened during the wedding weekend.

“It was honestly so full of love, the whole weekend. Everything was perfect, I hope everyone gets to experience that kind of love.” She said, smiling at him.

He felt those words tug at his heartstrings. He never would experience love like that, but that was his life now, that was the choice he made a long time ago.

“Well,” he said, trying to mask his agenda of changing the subject. “I’d love to take you out and actually talk.”

Anna put down the photoframe and smiled. “I’d like that. Where did you want to go?” She wasn’t expecting anything fancy, really. She just wanted to be with him.

“I know a place.” Was all he said and winked at her.

She felt warmth in her belly. Why did he have to be so handsome and mysterious?

She felt so lame, she couldn’t believe he was actually in to her.

“Alright,” she said, rocking back on her heels like a little girl. “What should I wear?”

Anna was expecting Chris to just shrug, so she was surprised when Chris walked over to her small “closet” and grabbed a dress he must have seen when he walked in.

It was another Lily Pulitzer Aria shift dress. This one was a hydrangea blue, with a deep cut neckline and two small bows down the front.

She smiled. “You really like when I wear Lily, huh?”

Chris looked confused. “Lily?”

Anna laughed from her belly. “I’m so sorry, I forgot. Michael knew what Lily Pulitzer was. He used to like picking out my clothes too.” She said light heartedly.

“Oh.” Chris said, looking at the piece of clothing. .

“She’s the designer, she has a distinct style. It’s VERY popular where I’m from.”

Chris shrugged. “I just like when you wear color, I’m tired of seeing you wear hunter green and black.”

“Anything for you, Chris,” she winked before taking the dress from him and laying it down on the bed.

She started to take her top off when Chris went to step out of the room.

“Where ya going?”

“I’d like to actually make it to the restaurant, I don't want to be tempted by a beautiful woman.”

She giggled and he closed the door.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chris pulled up to a restaurant just in a small town just outside of Long Island.

It was a small, intimate restaurant on the water.

The restaurant was completely empty, save for the couple.

“Are you sure we’re not too late?” Anna said to Chris worried. She worked as a server when she was younger and never went to restaurants at closing.

Before Chris could answer, an older, burly man came from the kitchen. “Of course not! Chris, it’s good to see you.”

The man shook his hand firmly with a huge smile.

“Antonio, thank you for hosting us so late.” Chris said warmly.

Anna tried to smile as politely as she could, she was flabbergasted.

Chris was a damn charmer.

The man moved his attention to Anna.

“Who’s this young lady?”

Anna felt the air stick in her throat. What were they to each other now?

“This is Anna, my girlfriend.”

Anna thought she was going to faint.

“Anna, how lovely to meet you. It’s so good to see Chris with a young lady, you look good together.”

Antonio led the pair to a table overlooking the water. The dock lights sparkled over the dark blue ripples.

Antonio let the pair alone for a moment to grab something.

“How do you know him?” Anna asked innocently.

Chris looked out the window and shifted uncomfortably.

“His son was involved in a terrorist attack and I was able to bring him home.” Chris cleared his throat.

Anna was surprised. “That’s amazing.”

“Yeah, well, we were both lucky. I didn’t do anything special.”

Anna grasped his hand firmly. She didn’t call him a hero, she learned that about him. Anytime people came up to Chris, they would always say how brave and what a real hero he was.

She also noticed how Chris would shift uncomfortably and a pained look would flash across his eyes.

She understood that look, especially after the incident in Dulvey.

Antonio came back and poured them each a glass of wine.

Antonio gushed about how his brother had sent him this wine as a gift, and he ordered cases for the restaurant because he loved it so much.

“This is our best seller. Please let me know what you think.” He smiled proudly.

Anna took a sip, and smiled immediately.

“Mr. Antonio, this is amazing!”

“Antonio is just fine, dear. No need to make me feel too old.” He winked at her. “But thank you. I’ll leave the bottle here for you while you chat.”

He set down the bottle and left the two alone.

“So, you’ve got me here Mr. Redfield,” she said, swirling the deep red liquid around the wine glass. “What would you like to talk about?”

“Anything, really.” He smirked. Chris was not much of a talker these days.

“That’s fair.” She sipped daintily. She thought for a moment. “Do you have any family?”

“I do, I have a little sister.”

Anna perked up. “A little sister? What’s her name?”

Chris laughed at her interest. “Well, she’s not so little anymore, but we’re five years apart. She works for Terrasave.”

“Terrasave? The non-profit right?” Anna questioned.

“That’s the one.” He took a swig of his wine unceremoniously.

“Oh, um, do you see eachother often?” Sensing hos change in mood.

“Not really, we’re both so busy.”

“I understand that, I haven’t seen my family since last year.” She said thoughtfully. She remembered when they used to hang out weekly. “I really miss my dad, but we text almost everyday.”

Chris smiled. “You’re a daddy’s girl huh?”

She returned his smile. “Of course, he’s a good man. He did everything for my mom.”

“Are they still together?” Chris asked innocently.

Anna let out a low sigh and poured some more wine in her glass. “She’s passed. But my dad, he’s been remarried for five years, I still don’t know what to think about his new wife.” She laughed humorlessly.

“Anna, I’m so sorry. When did your mom pass away?”

“When I was 17. A stroke. There was nothing we could have done.” It was her turn to look into her glass thoughtfully.

“I lost my parents around that age too.” Chris said, meeting her gaze. “Car accident. They died on impact. I was stationed in Texas with the Air Force. I decided to pause my career to take in Claire so she didn’t have to go into Foster care.”

“Oh my goodness. You two have really been through a lot together.”

“You have no idea.” Chris said absent mindedly.

“Oh honey, I didn’t mean to offend you, I’m sorry.” She said, her eyes full of worry.

“You didn’t, it’s hard to offend me babe.” He winked. “You just made me think that’s all.”

Anna smiled. “I’ll make sure to not do that again.”

The two shared a laugh and spent the rest of the evening talking about their favorite memories.

They didn’t leave Antonio’s until 1 in the morning. Antonio insisted they stayed as long as they wanted but, Anna suggested that they leave so he could get some rest.

Chris drove Anna home, the two chatting amicably along the way.

Chris walked Anna to her door and the two shared a kiss.

“Do you want to come in? I think Lavish is at the club tonight.”

“How can I say no to you?” He said and kissed her again, deeper this time.

The two going into Anna’s bedroom to pick up where they had left off earlier that morning.

Chapter Text

Anna woke up suddenly in the wee hours of the morning.

She looked over to find the other side of her bed was empty.

Chris had left without saying goodbye. Her heart sank.

Did he decide that she wasn’t good enough for him? That she was too easy and he decided to sneak away because she wasn’t worth the explanation?

She felt too numb to cry.

She turned in her bed and put her feet flat on the floor. She saw her phone light up and went to check it.

Relief washed over her as she saw it was a text from Chris.

“Got an emergency call in the middle of the night. We're having to deploy Hound Wolf. Contact is going to be limited, but I’ll see you soon.”

It was concise and to the point. Not anything out of the ordinary for Chris.

She laid her head back down on the pillow, disappointed but relieved.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chris was grumpier than usual when loading hound wolf into the carrier aircraft.

He received the call shortly after Anna had fallen asleep in his arms. He carefully laid her down, and exited the bed. He debated waking her up to say goodbye, but she looked so peaceful.

He kissed her on her forehead, she moaned slightly but her eyes didn’t flutter open.

And that was it.

“Captain,” Night Howl called from behind him.

Chris turned around to face the soldier.

“Have you heard from Bambi, do you know when she’s coming back?”

He let out a low whistle. “We still don’t know, but hopefully soon, it’s completely up to her and the Doctors.”

“Well hopefully they don’t give her too much red tape. Mia keeps asking about her.”

They were stuck in the middle of nowhere Europe relocating the Winters’ family again. They were unhappy about their arrangements, Mia seeming to be more irritated than usual, due to the fact the only medical professional briefed on their situation was currently incapacitated.

He missed when Anna was here, at least she was able to put the Winters’ family at ease. Her absence was proving itself as a burden and Night Howl asking about her confirmed his anxieties.

He was rougher than usual with Ethan today, not on purpose, he just had a habit of taking out his problems at work, and right now, Ethan was his work.

“Redfield,” Ethan asked out of breath, hands on his knees. “You gotta stop training me like I’m one of your men. I’m just an engineer.” He tried to laugh.

“Ethan, I don’t know if you know this, but there are some pretty bad people out there that want a piece of you.”

Ethan’s face fell. He wasn’t getting out of the rough training anytime soon. He decided to change the subject.

“What about Anna? How is she doing, since the uh, accident?”

He didn’t know what exactly to call what happened to Anna. He had heard vaguely of what happened to her, when the other members of the squad discussed it in hushed whispers away from Redfield.

“She’s fine.”

He really wanted to tell him that the same people that his wife had worked for, had completely fucked Anna’s chance at having a normal life.

He decided to leave that part out. Ethan was a good guy and had suffered enough.

“That’s good, I guess,” Ethan said sheepishly.

“Yeah I guess, she’s a tough lady.” Chris said, forcing a smile.

Ethan, relieved Chris had finally smiled, let his body relax with relief.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Anna was anxiously packing her training bag.

Tomorrow morning she will be reporting back to BSAA headquarters for the first time since she was injured.

She was worried that the team would baby her, that they would belittle her for getting hurt and too trusting. She felt extreme guilt over the situation with Walden and the connections.

It was around 6 o’clock in the evening and she was wired, so she decided to drive up to BSAA headquarters to practice a bit before the morning.

She was the only one in the gym and decided this was the perfect time to practice her cardio.

Anna loved running and had picked up the sport in highschool, when she was actually struggling with her breath support to sing.

The two things that running and singing had in common were that you needed to be able to control your breath.

She would pick her favorite songs that required various different tones and volumes. After persistence and lots of hard work, she perfected the technique.

Her vocal coach was elated, that she had found a technique that actually worked for her. She also found she loved the high running gave her and began to participate in races.

When she stopped singing professionally, the love of running stayed and came in handy, especially when it came to BSAA boot camp.

She turned on the treadmill for her warm-up speed and put in her headphones.

She did a quick double check that the area she was working out in was completely clear before starting the music.

She turned up the speed and put her music on shuffle. Patti Lupone’s version of Les Miserables was the first song to come up.

“Looks like we're belting songs today.” She thought to herself.

The playlist did not let her down, she was beginning to let herself get lost into the music. She felt her lungs were burning, but didn’t care; the endorphins were flowing and she felt too good.

She felt so good in fact, she didn’t even realize someone else had made their way into the shared gym space.

She was finishing her rendition of “I’m telling you I’m not going.” By Jennifer Holliday when she slowed down the treadmill. She finished the biggest part of the song, which happened to be the ending, while completely stopping the treadmill.

For the first time since the accident, she finally felt normal again.

As she let out a sigh and wiped some of the sweat she heard something shuffle behind her.

She turned around quickly to see an average height man, with sandy blonde hair sitting on the bench of the weight machine behind her treadmill.

He wasn’t dressed in workout attire, and was actually dressed in business casual. Her guard was up immediately, why was he in there with her?

He spoke up sensing the tension. “That’s some show you put on there, I came down to see if someone had left a radio on.”

She smiled awkwardly. “Thanks, I guess.”

Something about him made her uncomfortable, she couldn’t put her finger on it, but she also didn’t want to be rude. She had a habit of being a bit aggressive after workouts, so she chalked it up to the different brain chemicals.

She still wanted him to leave her alone.

She began to grab her things and walk out, when he got up and stopped in front of her to prevent her from leaving.

“I’ve seen you around before haven’t I?”

“Umm,” she said “I mean I work in the spec ops unit.”

“That’s not it.” He snapped his fingers, “You used to work in the medical wing. You were a nurse!”

You decided to try to chalk his uneasy vibe to just plain bad social manners. “Yup, I worked in the medical wing before transferring.”

“That’s where I’ve seen you! My name’s Travis. I’m one of the forensic computer analysts, and also an IT guy, I worked on some of the computers in your department!”

She didn’t remember him at all, but she didn’t want to be rude. “I remember you now!” .

His excited expression turned into a scowl.

“You don’t remember.”

She felt her cheeks flush. “Travis,” she used his name to make him feel special. “I’m so sorry, my memory hasn’t been so great recently.”

His scowl softened. “You didn’t have to lie.”

She avoided his gaze. She hated to make people feel forgettable. “Well, I’m glad we met again. Maybe we’ll see each other more!”

That was enough penance for him. He returned the smile. “You can count on it.”

Anna, exhausted from the interaction bid him a goodnight and went to shower off and head home.

She decided to text Chris.

“Can’t wait to see you tomorrow, I’ve missed you.”

It was a couple of minutes before he responded with a thumbs up emoji and a heart.

She couldn’t help but laugh to herself about his awkward texting habits. He definitely was more of an in person guy when it came to communication.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

For the first time in a long time, Chris was actually ready to head into work. Anna would be rejoining the squad for a meeting and training.

He would be lying to himself if he said he wasn’t excited to work with her again.

Since they began seeing each other formally he couldn’t get enough of her. He was worried about coming off too clingy for a man his age, but she didn’t seem to mind.

They decided to not make their relationship known to those around them and to keep it nothing but professional at work.

He quickly learned Anna was naturally submissive, which wasn’t a bad thing; it definitely made their work dynamic easier. She understood he was still in charge and had no problem following orders.

Chris was the last member of Hound Wolf to enter the gym. He had made sure to reserve this particular training room for the whole day. He wanted to make sure Anna felt completely reintegrated to the team.

He heard Canine’s voice first. “What did you do with all that time off Bambi?”

“Oh you know, all that free time, I just went to every bar in the city.” she said sarcastically. “Because I totally wasn’t incapacitated for most of it.”

The group laughed wholeheartedly.

It was music to Chris’ ears.

“That Walden dude was always a creep man,” Night Howl sneered. “I’m glad he’s gone.”

Tundra chimed in. “We’re so glad you’re back, Bambi. We really missed you.”

“Especially Alpha!” Lobo said loudly, noticing he had just entered the room.

Anna instinctively blushed, but the rest of the team was oblivious to their relationship status. Or so she hoped.

“That’s right,” Chris said, cracking a smile.

“It’s good to see you, Alpha.” She stood up to greet him when he entered the room as a sign of respect. He had taken note she was the only one who seemed to make a point to do that on his team.

He shook her hand. He really wanted to envelope her in a hug, but he felt four pairs of eyes watching them.

“Well, back to regularly scheduled programming, team.” He said in a commanding tone. “To welcome Bambi back, I’m going to have you do suicides to warm up.”

The entire team groaned.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Anna had just been pinned down for the fourth time by Night Howl.

“Gotta be faster than that girl. I know you got it in you.” He extended a hand to help her up.

She looked up at him, her eyes glassy from frustration.

She took his hand and got up. She was completely out of practice when it came to combat, but she was also distracted.

She couldn’t stop thinking about the weird interaction she had with Travis last night. She didn’t even know his last name. She wanted to tell Chris, but she was worried she was overreacting to Travis’ weird behavior.

“Let’s take a break, team.” She heard Chris’ voice echo behind her. “Refresh and I’ll see you in an hour.”

She frowned, she had lost some of her edge and dexterity; she might take up her boyfriend on some extra training.

She was going to go up and talk to him, but saw he was busy going over some details of the last visit with the Winters family with Lobo.

Anna went over to grab some water and cool off when Canine approached her.

“I heard you and Travis know each other.”

She almost spit out her water. She had only one awkward exchange with Travis literally the day before, how did Canine know?

“Umm, yeah” she stuttered out. “Apparently we met when I worked in the Medical wing.”

Canine’s face looked serious, it stunned her; he was always in a joking mood.

“Well, he made sure everyone knew that you knew who he was. Just be careful of that guy, he's a real creep.”

“Have you worked with him before?” She asked hesitantly. Her instincts must have been right.

Canine shifted on the bench uncomfortably. “I worked with him when I first joined the BSAA, he’s got major issues. I’m surprised they let him still work here after an incident with another girl.”

Anna tried to hide her shock. “Incident?”

“Yeah, he just got obsessed. Christina was nice like you,” he made sure to emphasize the last part before continuing. “ and he couldn’t tell the difference between someone being nice and flirting. One day he cornered her in her cubicle. while they were alone. She requested a transfer immediately after that.”

“Did she say what he said to her?”

Canine shook his head, “No one has any idea. Until she was finally able to move away, I heard he waited for her outside of her apartment, waiting for her to come out.”

Tundra came over sensing something was wrong.
“What are you guys talking about?”

“Travis Greene.”

Tundra’s face fell. “That guy? What about him?”

Anna became worried. “You know him too?”

Tundra smiled awkwardly. “Everyone in the BSAA does.”

“I didn’t!” Anna exclaimed. She immediately cleared her throat embarrassed. She leaned in closer to her friends. “Seriously, I was working out alone last night, he just came in and sat down and watched me. I have no idea how long he was there with me!”

“You really need to watch your six better, rookie.” Canine said, trying to lighten up the situation.

“I’m serious, I thought no one was there. I was just trying to get my mind off of stuff.”

Tundra put her hand on Anna’s back. “I wouldn’t think anything of it, just stay clear of that guy.”

————————————————————

Anna was spending some time at Chris’ place. She was feeling very self conscious and hated to be alone. She weasled her way into her boyfriend’s house under the guise of helping him with chores.

Little did she know, Chris adored having her in his home and the fact she was willing to do his laundry was also a plus.

The only thing that was strange to Chris, was that Anna was silent. She usually happily chirped away on whatever was on her mind when they were together. Instead, she was furiously folding his clothes with her mouth pursed in a thin line.

“Something wrong, Honey?” He asked her gently.

She looked up at him, her eyes tired. “Umm, I have a lot on my mind.” She answered ambiguously. She hated talking about things that bothered her, because she hated to relive them. She went months without therapy for Michael’s death for that reason alone.

Chris cocked an eyebrow, he knew better than to pry, instead he sat close to her and began to kiss behind her ear and neck gently. His large hands caressed her sides in an assuring, non sexual way.

He stopped and looked at her in her eyes this time. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”

“Well,” she blew out the air she was holding. “I’m scared that I’m overreacting.”
“I doubt you’re overreacting.”

“I was at the gym last night, running, alone and some guy from IT just approached me while I was finishing up.”

“That sounds like you’re missing some details.”

Anna began fiddling with her fingers, Chris noticed she only did this when she was anxious about something.

“He apparently remembered me from the medical wing, but I didn’t remember him, it made him upset.”

“Did he threaten you?” Chris felt himself get frustrated, he was a territorial man and hated that she felt uncomfortable in what should have been a secure area.

“He just got upset that I didn’t remember him. I think he said his name was Travis, Travis Greene I think?”

Chris’ jaw tensed completely up. He knew exactly who she was talking about. Travis was a creepy little douchebag at best. When he was found stalking another female BSAA operative, he wanted him dishonorably discharged; Hell, Chris wanted to kick his ass personally.

The only reason the little asshole wasn’t barred from working everywhere but a gas station was that the BSAA Director Isaac Chandler was fond of him. Chandler himself wasn’t exactly the most scrupulous guy; Chris hypothesized Travis must have been able to bury some evidence of him cheating on his wife or something.

Nonetheless, Chris wanted him to stay as far away from Anna as possible.

“I don’t want you to talk to him ever again.” Chris growled.

The intensity in Chris’ voice made Anna flinch, he had never been that firm with her before.

“I’m sorry,” she said flustered. “I had no idea he was in the gym with me, I wouldn’t have talked to him…I…” She began to spiral.

Chris put an arm around her shoulder to comfort her. “I’m sorry Anna, I’m not mad at you. I’m just worried about you.” He gently put two of his fingers under her chin so she would look up at him.

She looked him in the eyes and smiled, he knew exactly how to make her feel safe.

“Next time you go somewhere let me know, please? Better yet, I have an entire home gym here, I’ll give you the key.”

“Oh so we’re now giving each other the keys to our place?” Anna joked with him.

“You’re always welcome over here Anna,” He picked up a neatly folded stack of laundry. “Especially when you clean my house like this.”

She smiled in the way that would make her dimples show and Chris adored it.

He loved to make her smile, he just didn’t want to see her hurt again. The BSAA was starting to lose their integrity and Chris didn’t want Anna to suffer anymore for his shortcomings as a leader.

Chapter Text

Chris was working in his office when he got a notification on his email reminding him of an organization wide PR event. It was 2:00pm on a Friday.

“Of course they chose today of all days to send out an important email like this.” Chris thought to himself.

Chris groaned as he skimmed through the email. “Mandatory for all staff, dress code is black tie.” He sighed.

He hated dressing up to entertain politicians and figureheads that didn’t give a shit about the work that the BSAA was actually accomplishing. They just wanted their picture with him and the ability to name drop him any chance they got.

It made him sick, he’d rather be doing anything else.

He’d rather be doing Anna.

He relished the idea of Anna dressed up in a tight dress, hugging the curves of her body.
He started to fantasize what it would be like to sneak away with her, to hike that same dress up to her waist and-; he snapped himself out of his fantasy, he was getting too carried away.

He decided to pay her a visit instead.

—————/-//

Anna was busy typing away at reports in her own little cubicle when her phone line started to buzz.

She clicked her tongue at the disruption, she had finally found her equilibrium with this report and didn’t want to stop. She wanted to get ahead on her work so she could assist Chris with his work. She always noticed how frustrated recounting the nitty gritty of the missions they went on; she figured it was the least she could do to help him out.

She sucked it up and answered the phone with her friendliest voice. “This is Anna,”

“Hey Anna, it’s Travis.”

Anna’s face went pale, she remembered how angry her boyfriend got at the mention of his name.

“Oh hey,” she said hesitantly, her hands twirling the phone line anxiously.

“I know you received the email about the Founder’s Gala.” He said enthusiastically. “I was wondering if you would like to go with me, as my date.”

Oh no, this was about to get bad. She was about to crush this guy’s hopes and dreams. It honestly made her worried about how he would react.

“Ummm…” she started to think of a way to form her words diplomatically.

She felt the tension immediately.

Travis scoffed. “I guess you’re too busy, you’d never go with a guy like me.”

Anna stumbled over her words, “N-No, I just um, have been asked by someone else. If they cancel, you’ll be the first to know!” She tried to recover the conversation.

“I guess,” he mumbled.

“Have a good day Travis.” She tried to say sincerely.

His response was the noise of a receiver being slammed down onto its’ nook.

She didn’t realize she was shaking until she heard a knocking on her door and Chris entered her cubicle. His entrance startled her slightly and he noticed she didn’t have her normal sunny demeanor.

“You good, Connolly?” He asked his brow furrowed.

“Yeah, I will be, Travis called me on the office line to ask me out to the Founder’s Ball.”

Chris immediately walked over to the phone & blocked the entire IT department from making calls to her personal line.

“There, problem solved. If you need any IT help, let me know. I’ll make sure you’re out of office when they come to fix it.”

She blushed at Chris's insistence on always making things better for her.

“Thanks Alpha, I appreciate it.”

“You’ve got to be more assertive with that guy,” Chris crossed his arms across his broad chest. “You should tell him to fuck off.”

“First of all,” she walked over to Chris and fixed the collar on his white button down shirt. “That wouldn’t have been professional, honey.” She said seriously.

Chris still made a displeased face. “What’s unprofessional that he’s chasing you so aggressively.”

“Well, I have to consider his feelings too, I’m not going to kill his confidence.”

Chris' face changed from a displeased disposition to disbelief.

“Anna, Sweetheart,” He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He remembered giving this same speech to Claire as a teenager that he was about to give to his adult girlfriend.

“All men are dogs. Seriously, he has no problem with confidence. That’s what he wants you to think. He’s taking advantage of you.”

“Oh,” Anna looked at her feet. She was so used to people telling her she was too nice. She just wanted others to feel comfortable out of hopes someone would do the same for her. They usually never reciprocated.

“It’s not your fault you want to see the best in people, but Anna,” he pulled her close by the waist, their faces close so she could see how serious this was to him. “We see the worst in humanity every day. Please just trust me on this one.” He pressed his lips to her temple then looked her in the eyes again. “Okay?”

She smiled and began to laugh.

“What’s funny?”

“Michael used to tell me the same thing all the time. He used to always tell me people were takers and that I never knew when to stop giving.”

Chris smiled. He noticed she was starting to talk about her late husband more with him. He never felt jealous of Michael, in fact he liked when she would mention him. It affirmed that he made her feel safe enough to open up.

“Michael sounds like a smart man, I agree with him.”

“He was,” she leaned into Chris’ chest. “But so are you, I promise I’ll get better at setting boundaries with others.”

Chris shifted on his feet, he wasn’t used to compliments.

“You better.” He said half jokingly.

“Did you get the email about the Gala?” She said, trying to change the subject.

“You know, I may have received something, It’s as if it was an organization-wide email or something,” he said, sarcastically.

Anna’s face reddened with embarrassment. “You know, you can be such an ass,” she said as she playfully swatted his chest.

Chris grabbed her hand gently and brought her very close. “You better be careful missy, you don’t want me to give you a spanking.”

Anna laughed so hard her face turned beet red. “You are sick!” She couldn’t stop laughing.

He leaned in for a kiss and she returned it happily, thankful that the door to her tiny office was closed.

“We better cool down before we get caught. I don’t want you to get into trouble.” She said, rubbing his shoulder. “You’re still my superior.”

“I’ll make sure we won’t get caught. You can trust me.”

“I guess.” Anna said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

“I’m going to remember that later,”

—-///——/////

A man sat in a dark room looking over files on his computer.

It was various candid pictures of women who had no idea they were being photographed, at various stages of undress.

He was deleting all of them except for one woman: Anna Connolly of Hound Wolf. He had infiltrated the Spec ops womens’ locker room when he met Anna that fateful night.

He was adjusting the cameras when he heard a woman singing. It was like whoever she was, was singing only to him.

He had to find out who was behind the voice.

He exited the room to make sure the coast was clear before he approached the indoor gym,where he saw her through the glass windows.

She had removed her heavy cotton “BSAA” t-shirt and was wearing only a skimpy sports bra and running shorts. She was glistening, the beads of sweat running down her neck to the tops of her breasts. It was so erotic, like she knew he was there watching her.

He had recognized the woman from when she was a nurse in the medical wing. He remembered how cute she was in those scrubs, but they were too baggy to really see her feminine figure.

Her body was more toned than before, probably from the hardcore training Redfield put his teams through.

She was beautiful in that particular moment, like she was teasing him, ready for her to be taken by him. He couldn’t help himself, her body’s movements on the treadmill were so graceful as she moved in tandem to the beat of whatever song she decided to sing for him.

That was when he snuck into the gym with his key card, hoping the loud “beep” and “latch” of the door didn’t disturb his private show.

He decided to sit behind her on a weight bench, getting a full view of her anatomy. She was so blissfully unaware of his presence, he could have tried anything; but, he didn’t want to ruin the moment, not yet. He was content with watching her athletic, yet feminine body run faster and faster.

It was like subconsciously she was running away from him, like she was his prey. She wouldn’t be able to run away from him. “Not this one.” He thought to himself. “She won’t be like the last one.”

He was going to try to touch her, when the steady pace of the treadmill belt began to decrease in speed rapidly.

Looks like his prey was done with their chase as she sang out the final note of her song, and in that moment Travis was completely hooked.

He couldn’t help but smirk when she turned around in shock, her eyes wide in surprise and fear maybe? A woman in her position and training afraid of him?

“She’s the perfect prey.” He thought to himself.

Strong enough to put up a good fight but insecure enough to eventually submit to him. He could have taken her right there if he wanted.

“No” He thought. “I’m going to savor this chase a little bit longer.”

He wanted to relive that moment in the gym over and over. The other women he had taken pictures of meant nothing to him. Only Anna’s pictures mattered to him, he could just get rid of the other pictures his camera happened to pick up.

There was a huge market of men willing to pay good money for pictures of women in locker rooms, especially women who were in any armed forces. That’s how all of this started, he’d disable the cameras in certain hallways, then loop already recorded footage to make it seem like the cameras were still recording. He’d place the cameras in bathrooms and locker rooms alike, to get the most lucrative shots.

He was only doing this for extra cash when he found his first victim; Christina Fuentes. Christina was another nice girl, just like Anna. He threatened to release them if she didn’t sleep with him. Fuentes caved quickly afraid of being humiliated. He had wished that she had put up more of a fight, he was disappointed in her.

When he showed up at her apartment, it turned out she had called security on him. He was able to talk them out of arresting him, but he returned to the BSAA with his tail between his legs and his reputation ruined.

No one knew of the blackmail at least, they just knew he was the reason Agent Fuentes transferred.

He would have been fired if it weren’t for the Director picking him of all people to bury his own dirty secrets.

Director Chamberlin had a thing for teenage girls, and when one of the teenagers he was paying off to be silent threatened to tell his wife, let’s just say all their online interactions disappeared completely.

He felt so proud of himself when Director Chamberlin gave him a job well done in the form of a lucrative pay raise.

Things really started to look up for Travis when new female recruits started flooding into the headquarters. It was like a fresh start for him, they had no idea what kind of man he was.

He remembered how special Anna had made him feel when he came to the medical wing to fix her computer. She asked him how his day was, and what he liked about working for the BSAA; she made him feel like she actually cared about what he had to say.

Then she suddenly disappeared, he wondered what happened to her until he overheard the other girls chatting excitedly that Captain Redfield had recruited her personally for Hound Wolf.

Travis’ face grew red. He knew Anna was as good as dead. Redfield was notorious for spearheading dangerous missions, it would make sense he’d want a skilled medic like Anna, but damn was he terrible at keeping his men alive. He was surprised that the BSAA let someone as inexperienced as Anna Connolly join Captain Redfield.

It was no secret that Redfield had a thing for younger women. Plenty of BSAA Agents loved to gossip about him. After his long engagement to Jill Valentine crumbled, there was a rumor going around that he would sleep with anything with a pulse.

He remembered that fucker Walden joking with a male doctor that Redfield needed a warm body to keep him company and that Anna was perfect for the job. “She has that little doe eyed look, I’d want something sweet like her in my bed too.” He remembered the Doctor telling Walden.

Walden Chuckled, taking into account he was in the company of only men, “She always aims to please, I bet he could get her to do anything he wanted.”

The Doctor and Walden laughed together, before Walden spoke again. “If he does get lucky, he would have definitely worked for it, if she gives it up to him.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” the Doctor sneered. “She does know how to respect a man though.” The doctor leaned back on his heels to turn to Walden. “Do you see any other of the girls on this floor answer to orders like Connolly does? When it comes to work, you ask her to jump and she’ll ask you how high?”

Walden laughed again, maliciously. “I told you, with the right motivation, you can get that one to do anything.”

This made Travis’ ears turn red. How dare they talk about Anna that way? His Anna.

Like a lot of people, Travis was actually glad when Walden was eliminated. There were rumors about what actually happened to him, that he killed himself when he found out the BSAA was on to his dealings with The Connections; others said he turned himself into a Bio-Weapon to kill the members of Hound Wolf.

Whatever the reason was, he knew that the BSAA started to crack down on security clearance because of it.

If he had the chance to have Anna all to himself he wouldn’t mess it up over greed like Walden had. He’d make sure she was all his no matter what.

He felt his pants get tighter as he clicked through the last of the private pictures he took of Anna.

“Maybe one last time.” He thought to himself, as he snaked a hand down his pants

Chapter Text

Chris had just finished a workout in his home gym. He was disappointed to see Anna hadn’t texted him yet.

She went out with friends tonight,, she even asked him to join them, he just felt uncomfortable tagging along.

“I don’t want to be the ball and chain, go have fun with your friends.”

“Are you sure, Chris? They’d be so happy to see you.”

The truth is, he felt out of place in Anna’s world. She was surrounded by interesting people, people who were gregarious, who would be horrified by the things Chris had done in his career.

Chris sat down on the couch with a beer, the house feeling empty. He looked down as his phone buzzed.

——————//////————/////————/////———-:////

Anna was dressed in tight ripped jeans shorts and a pink bandana top. Her friends had brought her to a “Cowboys vs Aliens” burlesque show. She decided to rep Cowboys. She had put on a cheesy fake tan and a platinum blonde wig and cowboy hat to seal the look.

Her friends were so happy to see her coming out and dressing up again.

“When I was applying the fake tan, I even added a playboy bunny sticker, remember from back in the day?” Anna pulled down her jean shorts to show her friends the iconic bunny’s outline on her hip bone.

“Bambi! Girl you took this trashy cowgirl thing seriously, you look amazing!” Jordie, a bartender, said to her obsessing over her dedication to a theme.

“Does your boyfriend know you’re out here dressed like this?” Lavish laughed at her friend. “I bet he would flip his shit.”

Anna thought for a minute. “Maybe we should take a group picture.” Anna smiled. “That might convince him to come out.”

Lavish and Jordie smiled wickedly. “Let’s get Jack in the picture.” Lavish said wickedly.

Anna damn near passed out. Jack was a hot burlesque performer; he had a nice body, but he had an even nicer personality. He wasn’t into girls but she knew what lavish was doing when she suggested Jack get in the picture.

It was too late for Anna to protest as her friends all posed together, they forced Jack and Anna together as they were the only “cowboys” in the picture. Jack was shirtless and wrapped his arms around Anna flirtatiously.

Lavish thanked the photographer and immediately grabbed Anna’s phone and sent the picture to her boyfriend.

Anna didn’t protest, she figured he’d find the picture cute. She didn’t think Chris was the jealous type.

Was she wrong to assume.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chris looked down at the picture, his girlfriend, with the least amount of clothes on he had EVER seen her in, with another man’s arm around her shoulder.

Chris immediately grabbed his jacket and thought to make an appearance.

Anna was on the dance floor after the show, having had a couple of drinks was dancing freely. She loved to dance and LOVED dancing with others.

Usually the older men in the club were open dancing with her, Anna loved it. She knew being in a club that was mostly LGBT, they were dancing with her because they enjoyed it, not because they were trying to feel her up.

When the next song ended she felt a pair of familiar strong hands wrap around her bare waist.

She turned around clumsily due to the alcohol, “baby!” She slurred.

Chris smiled down at her. He couldn’t deny she looked hot when she dressed trashy like this. “I like how much glitter you have on, I didn’t know you got this tan.” He said rubbing her shoulder, her body glitter transferring to his hand.

“It’s fake tan.” She slurred out and smiled. “I don’t get this tan naturally I’d burn alive.”

“Really?” He said, raising an eyebrow. She was completely drunk. He was thankful he came.

Lavish and Jordie came up to Chris.

“Look who made it to save the day, it’s Chris!” Lavish smiled and hugged the man.

“Hey, it’s good to see you.” Chris said warmly.

Jordie pushed herself to the front. “I’m Jordie, I don’t think we’ve met.”

Anna gestured to Jordie. “Jordie is so nice, she’s so pretty, I love you Jordie.”

“I love you too baby.” Jordie giggled. “Are you taking goober here home?” Jordie asked Chris.

Chris hadn’t realized just how intoxicated his girlfriend was. “I guess I am now, thanks for taking care of her.” Smiling at them. “And Jordie, it's very nice to meet you.” Chris smiled.

Jordie smiled back, showing a gold crown on her right canine. “The pleasure’s all mine.”

Chris gently wrapped his arm around Anna’s waist as she was dancing to the music. “Let’s go home sweetheart.”

Anna whined. “Pleassseeeeee,” she whined. “Can we stay for this next song? They’re about to play Watermelon Moonshine and it’s my favorite song PLEASEEEE,” she begged.

“Alright,” he laughed. “One last song.” He went to stand off to the side when Anna grabbed his hand.

“Dance with me.” She demanded. She never was this serious.

“Anna, I have two left feet.” Chris tried reasoning with her.

“I don’t care.” She leaned her head on his chest. “We can just sway like this, I can show you a couple of steps or two.”

Chris reluctantly agreed and followed Anna’s lead. None of his other girlfriends could get him to dance, but Anna had him wrapped around her finger.

Maybe age was softening him.

The song ended and Anna let out a sigh. “Okay, I’ll keep my promise since you danced with me.” She wrapped her arm around his neck and kissed him deeply.

Chris felt his body get warm. “Come on sweetheart.”

On the way home, Anna couldn’t keep her hands off of him. Chris had to be firm with her. “Anna, not while you’re drunk.”

“But Chris,” she whined. “I want you so bad.”

When they got back to his home he picked her up and took her to the bedroom. “You need to take your makeup off, you hate sleeping in it.” Chris said to Anna firmly.

Anna instead let her hands wander all over Chris kissing him sloppily. She had never attempted to sleep with him when she was drunk and she was very aggressive.

She immediately got on her knees and unbuttoned Chris’ pants. Chris moaned, he knew he shouldn’t let her do this but it felt so good.

Anna began to take him into her mouth. She began to take him deeper into her throat, Anna was so drunk, it didn’t even bother her that he was gagging her.

Chris snapped out of his thoughts and lust, he tapped on her shoulder to stop her.

“Baby, we should continue when you’re sober, I’m serious.” Chris said to her and kissed her forehead.

“Did you not enjoy it?” Anna looked up at him, her makeup smeared.

“I liked it too much Anna, but you’re not in the right state of mind, baby. I’m not taking advantage of you.”

Anna began kissing his neck. “It’s not taking advantage, I want it, please, it’s not like we haven’t had sex before.” She whined.

Chris gently picked up Anna and put her on the bed kissing her gently. He took off her jean shorts and revealed she was wearing a thong. He cocked his eyebrow. His hands traced over the outline of the playboy bunny.

“You do this for me?” He smirked.

“I always want to look sexy for you baby.” She giggled.

Chris removed the thong and began to tease at her folds with his tongue. She moaned. “Chris,” she moaned, grabbing at his hair.

She was less timid with Chris pleasuring her at least, Chris couldn’t get enough of her, her crying out and moaning making his cock rock hard.

He entered two fingers into her tight entrance, massaging her. “I can tell how much you want me, you’re such a good little slut for me.”

She squealed and giggled when he talked so dirty to her.

He looked up smirking. “I know you’re ready for my cock, but I want you to beg for it.”

“Chris please, I need it, I need you.” She haphazardly sat up and grabbed his face. She gave him an open mouth kiss.

Fuck this bold side of her was driving him crazy.

Chris manhandled her and flipped her on her belly. He lifted her bottom up and pressed it into him.

“Oh no, you’re not in control, Bambi,” Chris growled.

Chris lifted Anna up where her back was on his chest. He supported her legs under her knees. He entered her roughly as he began to bounce her on his cock.

Anna wasn’t quiet. She cursed and screamed. He loved how much she was unraveling. He thrusted into her at a back breaking pace. Her cries became more desperate, he reached his hand down the front of her belly and began playing with her clit.

“Cum for me sweet girl, show me how dirty you really are.” He breathed in her ear, biting her neck.

That was enough to send her over the edge, the muscles in her lower abdomen contracted and she felt a warm gush of liquid leak from her.

She began to shake, it was so intense. Chris was still thrusting into her and playing with her clit.

“Chris, please it’s too much.”

“Oh no sweetheart, not until I cum, maybe you could give me one more orgasm though.”

He used her like a ragdoll, pushing her back on her knees, her chest on the mattress. He held her arm behind her back and thrusted deeply into her.

Anna felt relief when she felt his thrusts slow down and she felt him fill her with his cum. She didn’t realize she had tears rolling down her cheeks. She turned her face on her side to catch her breath. Chris stayed inside of her for a little bit.

He rubbed her sides lovingly. He noticed the tears. He pulled out and laid next to her, brushing the hair out of her face.

“Are you okay sweetheart? Was I too rough?”

“No Chris, it was amazing.” She smiled, “but I don’t think I can move.”

Chris smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes. “You’re beautiful, you’re so beautiful.” He kissed her gently.

She exhaled deeply, something on her mind.

“What’s the matter honey?” He looked at her with concern.

“I had a lot on my mind tonight.” She said silently.

“Yeah? Is there anything you want to talk about?” He said, stroking her arm.

“No, I think I just need some sleep.” She smiled tiredly, her makeup smeared from the rough sex. “I’m gonna go take my makeup off now.”

Chris smacked her bottom, “Alright, gorgeous.” He said, smiling from the bed.

As she left he wondered what was on her mind, he didn’t want to pressure her, but he felt extremely connected to the young woman and would do whatever it took to make her smile.

Xxxxxxxx

The next morning Anna awoke before Chris. She went downstairs and decided to make him breakfast. She felt butterflies in her stomach thinking about a domestic life with Chris.

She knew it probably wouldn’t be in the cards for them, she could dream. She probably wouldn’t be able
to have a normal life, because of the virus that lay dormant in her body, she would always be tied to the BSAA.

She tried not to think of it.

When she broke the news to Lavish she was moving out, Lavish was disappointed, but happy for her.

“Will you still visit me though? We’ll stay in touch?” Lavish asked through tears.

“Of course Lavish, we came here together, I’d never leave your life, even if you begged me to.” Anna giggled.

Their mutual friend Jordie, agreed to move in with Lavish, which made Anna feel much better that they wouldn’t be alone.

Anna brought the warm food up to Chris in bed. She sat on the bed and kissed his cheek, he woke up immediately.

He looked confused at first but his gaze softened when he saw who it was.

“Breakfast in bed? What did I do to deserve this?” He kissed her jaw.

“I just thought you deserved it.”

Chris sat up and took a sip of the coffee Anna brought him. “I still don’t understand how you make coffee so well. Makes me want to keep ya’ around Bambi.”

She punched him playfully. “That can’t be the only reason.”

“Of course not.” They ate in silence. He knew Anna too well to know she was acting normally. He leaned in and cradled her.

“Baby, if you tell me what’s wrong I’ll take you shopping today, isn’t that what girls like?”

Anna laughed hard, when they were alone together Chris was goofy. She liked his sense of humor, it reminded her a lot of her late husband.

“It’s just that…” she gripped the ceramic mug she held in her hands. “I’m going to move into my own place, I’m leaving the apartment.”

Chris looked shocked. “You’re not going to be living with Lavish anymore? What happened?” He immediately realized the weight of his words.

Anna shifted uncomfortably. “Anna,” he said softly, holding her close. “What happened to Bunny wasn’t your fault, baby. Please, you have to let it go.” He knew it was easier said than done. He had gone through the same guilt with Jill.

Anna began to cry, it was a genuine, weak cry of sorrow. It broke his heart. He held her close, cradling her in his large arms.

“I don’t want it to happen to anyone else, I’m infected, what if a leak happens and the connections find out? There are days I want to talk with Lavish but I can’t.” She sobbed out. “I carry so much, but I have no one to talk to.”

“Anna, honey. You can always talk to me.” He felt awful. “I want to have a real relationship with you, you can tell me anything.” He lifted up her chin. “But I know there’s nothing like having your best friend.” He looked at her, his blue eyes were softened significantly.

She hugged his neck and nuzzled into him. “I’ve never had to hide anything from them. This hurts so much, I can’t look at them everyday, knowing they don’t know a major thing about me.”

Chris put his large hand on the small of her back. “I know, baby.” He felt guilty, he had asked her to be a part of Hound Wolf. He felt somewhat responsible the incident with Walden.

“Why don’t you move in with me?” He asked lightly.

Anna felt the air catch in her throat. “Chris, really?”

Chris sat Anna in his lap. “Yes, I’d love it if you lived with me. I was thinking…maybe making our relationship official to everyone.”

“Everyone, like officially to the BSAA everyone?” She said skeptically. It was only recently they mutually agreed to let *her* friends know.

“Yes, I want to be official, but you know that you’ll have to step down from Hound Wolf,” he stroked her cheek with his thumb.

Anna nodded. “I understand, I’ll put in the request on Monday.”

“It’ll be safer for you that way, you know? We don’t know what The Connections will do if they find out you were infected and survived.” Chris' eyes darkened.

She honestly hadn’t thought of how her life could be in danger. Chris made her feel like she had nothing to be scared of.

“I’m going to miss you when you’re gone.” She pouted. She didn’t want to tell him she’d be scared without him. She was trained in combat and firearms, but she always felt safer when Chris was around. The only reason she made it out of the Abercrombie mines was because he was babysitting her ass.

Chris rubbed her back. “I wish I could read your mind. You have a terrible poker face.”

“I’m just feeling insecure, I really haven’t processed how my life has changed.” She kept fidgeting with her hands. “I don’t know what I’m going to do when you leave, I’m scared.”

“You’re still the same, don’t let them make you feel different.” He said softly. “You’re still human, what Walden did to you was awful. He took away your sense of security. I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”

“Oh Chris.” Tears rolled down her face. Chris was her protector, she didn’t even know she needed saving.

“I love you Anna.” He breathed.

Anna’s eyes went wide. “You…what?” She squealed like a high school girl. “You said it first! I thought I would!” She giggled.

Chris’ heart fluttered. He loved seeing Anna like this. He wanted to make her happy for the rest of her life.

“Chris, I love you too. I love you so much.” She littered his face with kisses.

“Then it’s settled, this is your new home.”

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Travis hated bars. He never enjoyed nightlife, because he was never invited by others to go out.

He walked into the bar where he saw a tan girl with a black pixie cut and a gold nose ring. Tattoos covered her body.

He walked up to the bar. “Hey there, are you lost?” She asked.

Travis was taken aback that she acknowledged he didn’t belong there.

“I’m looking to see if a girl named Anna works here?” He said shakily.

The woman cocked her eyebrow. “Oh you mean Bambi, are you a fan of hers?” The woman smiled, her gold canine showing.

“Something like that.” He mumbled. “Are you close with her? Do you know when she’ll be working?” He asked enthusiastically.

Jordie raised her eyebrow. “ You seem awfully fond of her, you know she has a boyfriend right?”

Travis felt like he had been stabbed in the heart. Boyfriend?

She smiled as she saw his face fall, he must have not known. “Anna only works as a bartender sometimes, but she’s a close friend of mine. I can pass on a message.” She smirked. “For a price.”

Travis smirked. This woman wasn’t above taking cash for favors.

He put 500$ in cash on the bar. “I’ll give you this if you can tell me what her boyfriend's name is.”

She looked down at the cash. This dude was serious. “Chris, some buff army dude, he’s older than Anna. I don’t know his last name.” She said taking the money.

Travis clenched his fists. Chris fucking Redfield. “I have more cash if you can do me a favor.”

Jordie raised an eyebrow. This dude was obsessed with her “friend,” But if he kept handing her cash for information she didn’t care. Jordie would never admit she was jealous of Anna.

She thought Anna had it so easy; men basically fell head over heels for her “nice girl” act. She wasn’t particularly prettier or smarter than other girls in the bar either, she was just nice, and straight men ate that shit up; in Jordie’s eyes she was setting women back centuries by perpetuating the nice girl stereotype.

Travis looked around and handed her a small black case. “These are cameras, if you can place them in her bedroom and maybe a bathroom, I will pay you 5,000$.”

Jordie couldn’t believe it. 5,000$ for accomplishing such an easy task? Anna had texted her and Lavish earlier in the day, that she was moving to her boyfriend’s place. She could move into the apartment when Anna moved her things out, Anna even offered to pay for the extra month of rent, so Jordie of course offered to help Anna move.

It would be the perfect opportunity to place the cameras. They were tiny enough, and Anna would never find them. She also had a big tough boyfriend who would probably kick this guy’s ass if he tried to cause her any real harm. He just wanted a personal peep show that was all.

“I’ll do it.” Jordie said.

Travis gave her the 2,500$ up front. “I’ll give you the other half when you place the cameras.”

“Deal.”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was move out day, Anna was nervous to be moving in with Chris. Sure, they had been through a lot together, but this was a major commitment.

Anna was thankful her friends were helping her out, they had spent all week packing her things and putting them neatly in boxes. She decided to leave her furniture behind for Jordie to use, and what she didn’t want, Anna figured they could give away.

Chris was into spoiling Anna, he enjoyed being able to provide for her. He hired someone to reorganize the closet space in their now shared bedroom and even made one of the guest bedrooms into a dedicated workspace for her.

Jordie and Lavish entered Chris’ home. They were in awe how nice it was.

“Anna you’re so fucking lucky.” Jordie said entering the workspace Chris made for her. She put her hands on the antique vanity Chris had picked out for his girlfriend.

“I really am, I don’t deserve him.” Anna blushed.

Chris scoffed. “Anna, don’t say that.”

Jordie went into the bedroom area, she scoped it out while Anna, Lavish and Chris were talking downstairs about how they were going to set up the closet.

Jordie positioned the small camera on top of a bookshelf in the bedroom and positioned the other camera on top of the shower head in the bathroom.

“I better get more for this.” She thought. She knew what she was doing was wrong, but this guy probably only wanted to see her naked, it’s not like he stood a chance of ever breaking into this house and hurting her; not with a guard dog like Chris.

“Jordie? Where’d ya go girl?” Anna asked, coming up the stairs.

“I was just checking out your new closet.” She said, motioning towards the large space.

“I know it’s crazy, it’s literally the size of my childhood bedroom I think.” She said blushing.

“You are lucky, Chris loves you. Thank god for you he likes em’ young apparently.” Jordie smiled devilishly.

“Oh my god.” Anna rolled her eyes. “Its not like I’m 21 anymore.”

“I’m still confused how you guys met.” Jordie asked, digging for more info. Maybe if she got extra information Anna’s little admirer would give her a tip.

“Umm,” Anna shifted. “You can’t tell anybody, but Chris is kind of my superior.”

“Superior?! You fuck your boss!”

“Jordie! Be quiet!” Anna tried to shush her.

“What? I’m not supposed to know? I don’t work with you guys.” Jordie made a face of irritation.

“It’s just that, we’re going to make it official at work. I'm transferring out of the unit, but we’re still waiting on the approval. I haven’t told anyone.”

“Don’t worry your secret's safe with me.” She said and walked downstairs.

Something about Jordie’s change in demeanor made Anna uncomfortable. She chose to ignore it. She assumed her friends were just tired of her keeping her relationships so secretive.

They had finally moved all of Anna’s things into Chris’ home.

She didn’t have much, it was mostly just clothes and personal effects. She didn’t have much in her apartment to begin with.

When she sold the home she shared with her husband, she sold most of her belongings too. She was able to pay off her student loans and pay the rent on their apartment in New York for a couple of months.

Chris was surprised she didn’t have more. Chris looked at their shared closet.

“I’m surprised you didn’t have more clothes or shoes,” he said, crossing his arms in the doorway of the chic closet he had rearranged for her.

“Michael used to take me shopping all the time when we were dating, I just don’t like to go shopping anymore.” She turned around. “It’s crazy, my body is the best it’s ever looked but It just makes me sad when I go shopping alone.”

Chris wrapped his hands on her waist, letting his hands roam her body and began kissing her neck.

“You’ve always been beautiful,” he squeezed her breasts and it made her laugh. “I’d love to take you shopping, I want to be bored in a mall, watching you try on clothes and tell you how beautiful you are.”

She smiled and looked up at him. “You’re silly.”

“I mean it, you deserve it. Let’s go tomorrow, please, it would make me feel normal.” Chris looked at her with puppy dog eyes.

“You know I can’t resist you when you make that face.” She kissed his cheek.

She went over to a box on the floor in the closet. It was the picture from her wedding to Michael. She sighed and put it in the box. Chris shouldn’t have to be reminded he was her second love.

The next morning Anna awoke to an empty bed, she heard him stirring around. She saw in the main hallway Chris had put up the photos of Anna’s family, including those of her late husband.

She walked in on Chris putting together her new desk in the spare bedroom. “Hey sweetie.”

“Hey, gorgeous, I didn’t wake you up did I?”

She sat on the floor next to him. “You didn’t have to put up the photos of Michael,”

“He was an important part of your life Anna, I know you kept them in the box because you didn’t want to hurt my feelings.” He stopped fiddling with the furniture.

“Chris I love you, I want to respect your space.”

“It’s your space too now.”

“Chris, you won’t even let me pay a bill.” She laughed.

“You shouldn’t have to, let me be the man.” He winked at her.

She rolled her eyes. “If you say so.”

Chris pushed the hair out of her face. “Why don’t you get dressed and we go shopping? We need to get you a dress for the work event.”

Xxxxxxxxxxxx
Anna wasn’t anticipating to go to one of the fanciest department stores in New York.

She cursed at herself for dressing too casual. Chris had apparently premeditated this, he led Anna to what she assumed was a VIP section. The well dressed man greeted the two of them at the check in desk.

“Hello Mr. Redfield, it’s nice to finally meet you.” He reached out to shake the man’s hand. “Mr. Kennedy informed us that you needed your partner fitted for an evening gown.” He turned to Anna.

“Hello, ma’am, My name is James Sims and my team will be assisting you today.”

Anna shook his hand. She looked at Chris, what the hell did he get her into?

A group of women helped Anna into a room where she changed into a robe, Chris sat down on a comfortable couch. The room was set up with a rack of gowns and a private mirror to see every angle.

Anna timidly walked out in the first dress, it was a revealing Tom Ford number.

“How do you like it?”’ Anna asked Chris nervously.

“Anna you’re just beautiful, but how do you feel?”

“I think it’s too much skin, I think it gives off the wrong idea.”

The shop assistant agreed. “My dear, you’re well endowed, unfortunately certain brands don’t accommodate an effeminate figure.”

Anna blushed at the comment.

The next dress Anna adored, it was an opal colored Gaurav Gupta dress. It accentuated her semi tanned skin and chocolate brown hair. Anna couldn’t stop looking at herself.

“I think this one is it, Anna.” Chris said getting up and admiring his girlfriend. She looked like a goddess.

“You think so?” Anna did the wrong thing and took a look at the tag. She gasped. “Chris, this dress is more expensive than my wedding dress.” She suddenly felt constricted. “I can’t possibly get it.”

Chris rolled his eyes and told the shop assistant. “We’re taking it and any other things she may need as well.”

The assistant smiled. “Will do.”

The assistant brought out shoes that would go with the dress, Anna ended up picking out a pair of Christian Louboutin heels and a pair of diamond earrings.

At the end of the appointment, Anna had to walk away, she didn’t even want to see how much Chris was spending on her.

When they got back into his car and he drove her home she was speechless.

“Chris, are you sure we should have done that?”

“Anna, I’ve been working this job a long time, I’ve also been single for a long time. Just know you will never have to worry about anything ever again.”

“Chris, whatever you want I’ll give it to you. Seriously.”

“Just be yourself Anna. Just continue loving me like you already do.” He smiled and placed his hand on her thigh.

Chapter Text

Anna was anxiously waiting in the HR office to withdraw from the Hound Wolf squad. She knew she shouldn’t be so nervous, she made sure to tell the members of the squad before officially putting the request in.

Everyone was shocked she was withdrawing after all the work she had put into the Winters’ family and the other smaller missions they had been on. Chris and Anna let them know that they were officially a couple and that they thought it would be best if Anna left Hound Wolf Squad for safety and personal interests.

“How long have you two been seeing each other?” Umber Eyes was the first one to respond. The rest of the team was stunned.

Anna shifted. “For a couple of months now.”

“Months?” Canine blurted. “You guys have been hiding this for months and now you decide to leave the squad?”

“Canine does have a point, Bambi, are you pregnant?” Tundra teased her underling.

“NO!” Anna said firmly. The group laughed, the vibe in the room had lightened up.

“Good, I’m not ready to be an Uncle just yet,” Lobo put his arm around Anna. “I’m happy for you guys, I really am. I haven’t seen Alpha this consistently happy in, well, ever.”

Chris smiled. “I’m glad you’re all so supportive. Anna and I are officially living together, so you’ll still be seeing her around.”

The team looked even more shocked that Chris admitted he and Anna were shacked up.

“That’s…great.” Night Howl said apprehensive.

“It’s an adjustment for sure.” Anna said rubbing Chris back, more for her comfort than his. “I just hope you all still feel comfortable being my friend.”

The room was filled with “Of courses” and
Umber Eyes chimed in with “You’re crazy if you think this is going to change our opinion of you.”

Anna smiled a bright smile. “Well thanks y’all. I better get going, I have my official exit interview with HR.”

Anna gave hugs out, and umber eyes kissed her cheek.
She closed the door to the meeting room unceremoniously behind her.

Chris and the rest of Hound Wolf were left in the meeting room.

“I didn’t want to ask while she was still here,” Tundra said. “But who is going to handle the treatment of the Winters’ family now that Anna isn’t officially apart of Hound Wolf. Anna’s discoveries are EXTREMELY classified; I mean, it almost cost her life.” Tundra emphasized.

Chris shifted as Tundra made a great point. “Technically, the Winters’ family visits could fall under Anna’s new placement. As long as she’s not running recon in the field or in active outbreaks, I’m sure our relationship won’t get in the way.”

Umber Eyes smiled. “You thinking about adding to the family, Redfield?”

Chris’ eyes softened. “Not at this stage in my life, two people can be a family.” He said confidently.

Umber Eyes and Lobo exchanged looks.

Anna stood up when Jennifer Smith, the HR supervisor for her unit, came out to grab her.

Anna stood before her superiors, Director Isaac, Commander Whitefield and Jennifer.

“So you’re deciding to leave Captain Redfield’s Hound Wolf squad. May I ask why?” Commander Whitefield looked down at her written request. “Your work with the Winter’s family has been priceless, if this has anything to do with Walden, I promise you Connolly, that will never happen again.”

Anna decided to let them know the truth. “Captain Redfield and I…have become romantically.”

The room was dead silent. Jennifer, who had become a good acquaintance of Anna, winked at her comfortingly. Anna confided in her before the official meeting, she assured Anna she nor Chris would receive a reprimand, especially since she was withdrawing from the unit.

“So you’re leaving because of a personal relationship and not because of the incident in Canada, correct?” Whitefield was trying to clarify.

“Yessir, that’s correct.” She said as her ears turned red from anxiety.

“Well, I don’t see any problems here. Consider your request approved. I wish you and Captain Redfield all the happiness,” Director Isaac signed off on the request nonchalantly.

“I have one amendment before I sign the request,” Commander Whitefield looked intently at the young woman in front of him. “I’d like you to accompany the Winters’ family visits. You’ve come so far, I’d hate to see your hard work go to waste.”

Anna looked at him surprised. “I’m flattered, commander.” she said blushing.

“I agree as well, you have proven yourself a true asset to the BSAA,” Director Isaac said warmly to Anna.

“Well it’s settled,” Jennifer said, putting her hands on the table. “Connolly, you’re officially out of Hound Wolf. We’ve decided to promote you to Walden’s old position as clinical supervisor.”

“Clinical Supervisor?” She choked.

“Your hard work has not gone unnoticed, we’ve had a hard time replacing Walden and the other employees in the medical wing actually named you as their candidate for the position. They miss you over there you know?” Jennifer patted Anna’s arm.

“Are you serious? Are you sure I’m capable?” She asked nervously, she didn’t want to admit but she was a follower, she never saw herself in charge.

“I think you’re plenty capable. You’ve proved your worth with everything you’ve been through. Congratulations.” Commander Whitefield put his hand on her shoulder.

“Thank you all so much. I will make you all proud.” Anna got up shaking their hands excitedly.

She went straight to Chris’ office right after the meeting. He looked so handsome in his BSAA issued polo. She loved seeing him in business casual.

He looked over at her and smiled. “Hey beautiful, how’d it go?”

She smiled so hard, “You’re looking at the new Clinical Supervisor!”

Chris hugged Anna tightly. “Sweetheart, I’m so proud.” He kissed the top of her head. “We need to celebrate.”

Anna blushed. “It’s okay, it’s no big deal.” She tried to downplay it.

“This is a big deal, I heard you came highly recommended by your peers, that’s a massive compliment, baby.”

She didn’t want it to get to her head. “I’ve also been approved to continue work with the Winters’ family, so I still get to spend time with my favorite SOU squad.”

Chris smiled. Things were starting to look up, he hadn’t felt this secure in a relationship in a long time. He was so proud of Anna, she had grown so much in the time they had known each other.

“I’m taking you out tonight.” He said leaning against his desk, “Don’t try to protest either, you deserve it.”

Anna smiled. “You spoil me.”

“It’s not spoiling when you earn it babe.” He enveloped her in a hug, and grabbed her bottom. “Damn, I love it when you wear those cute little dresses, they’re much better than those damn fatigues.”

“I’ll have to get more now, I won’t have to wear scrubs or fatigues anymore.” She smiled.

Chris raised an eyebrow. “Better be careful, miss, you may be spending your lunch breaks in my office dressed that way.”

She laughed out loud, pulling away from his embrace, as Chris pulled her in close, “Don’t try to get away from me now.” He laughed teasing her, he began playfully kissing her cheeks and then down her neck.

She giggled loudly. “Chris, stop it!” She squealed playfully.

Someone walked into Chris’ office, it was Travis. “Looks like you two are having fun here.” He said bitterly.

Anna pulled away and immediately fixed her dress, Chris didn’t flinch.

“You know Greene, most people knock before entering.” Chris said, crossing his arms.

“Most people don’t usually fool around with their superiors before 10:00 am either.” Travis glared at Anna.

Anna shifted uncomfortably, she felt like she was caught making out with the Captain of the Football team by the School Principal.

Chris narrowed his eyes at Travis, choosing to pick his battles. “What did you come to my office for? I didn’t put in a request for anything.”

Travis continued to glare at Anna and it made Chris very territorial of his girlfriend.

Travis then turned to him. “I’m here to talk to Anna about her new security credentials, I needed to escort her to the clinic and set up her office, to see what equipment she needs.”

Chris knew there was no way Anna was going to be alone with that creep, she could hold her own, but she would blame herself if he tried anything with her.

“I can help her, I can escort her down to her new office to get things figured out for her.” Chris smirked deviously. “I know that your department has been bogged down with requests that haven’t been answered.”

Travis wanted to scream. Redfield was such a dick,his poor Anna was just caught in the middle.

“Alright, but if it’s not set up correctly, you know where to find me, Anna.”

Travis walked out.

Anna looked at Chris wide eyed. “That...was weird.”

Chris embraced his girlfriend. “I’m sorry.” He kissed her forehead. “Don’t worry about him, okay?” He held her gently, one hand on the small of her back, the other on the nape of her neck so she was positioned to look up at him.

Chris escorted Anna to her new office in the clinic where her friends ran up to hug her tightly. “I can’t believe you’re really going to be our new manager!” A young blonde said excitedly to Anna. “You were the best trainer, I’m so glad they listened to us!”

An older nurse with salt and pepper hair put her arm around Anna, “You are going to do great, we’re so excited you’re back where you belong.”

Anna chirped excitedly with her employees, telling them all about her new ideas for the clinic. Chris stood back proud of her. When the excited talking died down, Chris greeted her employees and they were in awe that a founding member was involved with their friend.

“It’s good to meet all of you.” He said to them politely. Anna was tickled, he was such a charmer.

Chris helped carry the little she had from her previous cubicle to her new office. Anna turned on the light. It had a big window and ample space. “This is…incredible.” She stood and she became overwhelmed with emotion.

Chris set down the box on the empty desk. He noticed Anna’s face was turning red, he rubbed her back gently. “Hey, you earned this. You should be proud.”

Anna inhaled shakily, “I never thought I would have this, I never thought I’d be good enough to earn this.” She looked up at her teary eyed.

Chris enveloped her in a hug.

“I wish Michael was here to see this.” She said absent-mindedly.

Chris would never admit it, but the mention of her late husband hurt something in Chris.

Anna immediately realized her mistake. “Chris,I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that, I just-”

“It’s okay honey. I understand, sometimes things in our lives don’t happen like we imagined.”

“I’m so thankful for you, I’m so thankful we’re together. I don’t ever want to lose you.” She cupped his face.

He let go of Anna and closed the heavy wooden door and went over to the window to shut the curtains. “Let’s christen your new office.” he said, placing her on the desk kissing her forcefully.

“Chris, I don’t know if we should.” she whined.

He kissed her neck and began to run his hands up her bare legs underneath her dress. “Come on baby, your office is at the end of the hallway, no one will know.” He began to kiss her on the weak spot of her neck.

He played with her pussy before rubbing his thick cock up and down her slit, pushing in slightly, so she could feel his big cock at her entrance. He then pushed into her without warning causing her to bite down on her shoulder to keep from crying out.

Chris had to cover Anna’s mouth to keep her quiet as he thrusted into her mercilessly. He lost himself in her, he came into her making sure his cock was pressed uncomfortably next to her cervix. His primal instincts were kicking in.

He loved seeing his once innocent girlfriend a sweaty mess on her desk, his cum leaking out of her pussy. She looked beautiful, after being used by him like this.

Umber Eye’s words about starting a family with Anna echoed in his brain. He knew she wouldn’t be able to conceive given her history, but the thought of her pregnant with his child made him excited. He’d never admit it to her, after what happened with her precious husband he knew it would hurt her.

There was no denying she was his completely, and he would do whatever it took to keep her.

He pulled up his pants and cleaned her off. “You can take an early day Connolly, go get pretty at home so I can take you out later tonight.”

Anna’s face flushed. “Will do Alpha.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chris insisted Anna take the rest of the day to pamper herself. He was informed by the women she worked with, that she used to always have her nails done when she worked in the clinic. Of course due to health codes they were always short, but the women in the office mentioned to Chris how she always looked so put together.

Chris frowned at the thought of her giving up apart of herself. In The field, she couldn’t have anything effeminate, Hell, they were lucky if she was able to shower. He felt guilty he had put her through so much,but she never complained. He wanted her to be how she was before she joined Hound Wolf, mannerisms wise at least.

When Anna got to the nail salon she used to go to, she was thankful her usual girl had a cancellation.

“Anna! I thought you moved away!” Vee, her nail tech came over to hug her. “It’s been at least a year.”

“Yeah, it was nothing personal I swear, I didn’t have time with the new position I was in, but I accepted another job and now I can look pretty again.” She smiled.

The entire appointment, the women in the salon gathered around Anna to catch up on everything she had done.

“So you have a boyfriend now? Will we get to meet him?” One of the girls asked.

Anna laughed. “Maybe, I doubt he’d sit down for a service though.”

“You’d be surprised we have those tough guys come in here all the time, you’re never too manly for a foot massage.” One of the older ladies laughed.

“I guess you’re right.” Anna thought. “I wonder if I could get him in here for a couple’s massage or something.” Anna laughed.

“Do you have a picture of the two of you together?” Vee asked as she was shaping up Anna’s nails. Anna pulled out her phone. She had a picture taken by Lavish at the Cowboys Vs Aliens show. Anna nor Chris knew the picture was being taken, it was of Chris and Anna cheek to cheek, smiling.

“Oh my god! He’s handsome!” Vee grabbed the phone showing the other women.

“Oooh, he looks older than you Anna,” The older woman held her glasses looking at the picture. “But look at those muscles, he must throw you around in the bedroom.”

“I don’t kiss and tell.” She laughed.

The older woman and Vee looked at eachother. “That means yes.” Vee said.

Anna hadn’t realized how much she missed the pampering and girl time. She made sure to get her toes done in hot pink like she used to. Her hands were a perfect French ombré.

She drove home to get showered up and do her makeup. When Chris arrived home, she was dressed in a pink satin mini dress that had thin rhinestone straps, and strappy heels. Her balance had gotten better with all the physical conditioning, she could wear heels not because of it.

It was different than her usual style, he was surprised to see her dressed in something so sexy.

“Anna, you look…” the breath hitched in his throat.

“Is it too much skin? I’ve never worn anything this revealing before.” She turned around.

“You look sexy babe, I can’t believe it.” He said rubbing his chin. He wanted to stay in and fuck her all night, but she deserved to be shown off.

Chris immediately showered and put on a black silk button down and black pants. He felt like an accessory to Anna who looked gorgeous; that’s how it was supposed to be.

When Chris exited, he was adjusting the cuffs of his shirt. “Honey, you look incredible.” She said coming up to him.

He gently grabbed her soft hands, and examined her nails. “You girls take nails seriously huh? These look really cool.” He kissed her hands.

Anna laughed, “Thanks Chris.”

Chris led her to the car, he couldn’t keep his hands off of her, they headed into the city.

Chris had apparently pulled in another favor from his friend only known as “Mr.Kennedy.”

It was an exclusive restaurant she only had seen on TV. She was shocked that Chris took her somewhere so fancy.

They were sat in a private enclave. Chris sat closely to her, his hands wandering up her thigh.

“I love this dress on you, you look lovely tonight.”’he whispered in her ear,” his lips lingering on the nape of her neck.

They were interrupted by the waiter coming over to
The table and dropping off wine menus.

Anna made small talk with the waiter, as they discussed the wine menu; it was a habit to get to know her server as she worked in the industry so long.

“Why don’t you pick for us then? You seem to know a lot more than I do.” Anna asked sweetly.

The young waiter’s eyes lit up. “Of course ma’am.”

The waiter brought back a bottle of Moet and Chandon Rose Champagne. “It’s a lovely mixed champagne with a fruity bouquet, and it matches your dress.” He smiled pouring Anna & Chris a glass.

“My manager also informed me this bottle is compliments of the restaurant.”

Anna looked at the waiter surprised. “That’s so kind of your manager and you too. Thank you so much.”

“It’s nothing compared to what you two do.” The waiter said knowingly. He walked away.

Chris leaned back. “Kennedy must have laid it on thick.”

“Who is this Kennedy character I keep hearing about?” She cradled her head in her hands.

“He’s a very good friend, you’ll meet him at the work gala next week.” Chris said, pouring more champagne for her.

“I hear the President is going to be there.” Anna said excitedly. “Is that true?”

“Oh yeah.” Chris winked at her.

“You’re so relaxed, with how cool your position is. It’s crazy you get to hang around all these important people.”

“It’ll be your world too, now that you’re working your way up.” He said proudly. “You’ll get used to it too.”

Anna’s smile faltered, “I guess.”

Chris furrowed his brow at her. “You guess?”

“I just feel like people are gonna think I slept my way to the top.”

Chris frowned. “Who gives a shit, anyone who knows you directly and your employees know that you earned where you are now.” He finished the glass of champagne.

She scratched the table anxiously, not saying anything. He put his hand on hers.

“Baby, you’re going to put yourself into an early grave.” He motioned to the crystal glass. “You should enjoy yourself a little. We’re here to celebrate you.”

She decided to push the thoughts outside of her mind and sipped on her champagne more.

The waiter brought out the Prix Fixe menu. Anna had never tasted anything like the three course meal that had been deliberately prepared just for them.

The end of the meal, the dessert was a seasonal peach dessert that reminded her of home.

As they continued light hearted conversation when Chris pulled out a velvet black box. Anna nearly fainted at the sight.

Anna felt the air in her throat completely disappear as Chris put the box on the table. She was shocked, sure she and Chris had moved in together but they hadn’t discussed taking their relationship further.

“I see the shocked look on your face.” He laughed. “This isn’t the moment you’re thinking of.”

She let her face relax. She would have said yes, she would have just insisted on a long engagement. She wanted Chris to meet her father first at least.

She took being a wife very seriously, she would have hoped Chris would ask her father for her blessing.

He opened the box and it was a beautiful, custom made pendant of St.Adelaide of Italy.

“I thought it was only fair to give you a saint, since you gave me St.Barbara. I keep her with me when I go on missions.” He pulled the medallion out of his pocket to show her he always kept it close.

Anna couldn’t believe it. This was so much more romantic and thoughtful than a promise ring.

“Bear with me, I’m not Catholic , I had to research a lot into this, but Adelaide is the patron saint of Second Marriages. I wanted to give this to you, to let you know that I plan to marry you someday and that I want you to think about saying yes.”

Anna wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him so tightly. She began to cry tears of joy. “Chris,” she sobbed out. “This is so beautiful.” She cupped his face with her hand.

“Let me put it on you.”

She turned around and held up her hair. He affixed the necklace on her, admiring how perfect it looked on her. He made sure to have a sacred heart attached to the pendant as well.

“It’s perfect.” He said.

“This is the most thoughtful thing anyone’s ever done for me Chris.” She said, stroking his hand with her thumb.

“Get used to being treated like this sweetheart, you deserve it.”

Chris escorted her out of the restaurant where they walked hand in hand to the front of the restaurant where the valet had Chris’ vehicle.

The ride home was spent laughing over Chris’ childhood stories.

“I can’t believe you convinced Claire she could change the tv with her mind. You’re such a good brother.” Anna laughed.

“If you ever bring it up to her she’ll deny it.” Chris smiled at her. Anna was cherishing this night. She knew she’d look back at this moment and wish to go back, so she made sure to savor every moment.

Anna couldn’t believe that she had won the partner lottery twice.

When they arrived home, Chris began to kiss her sweetly and gently. His hands began to wander and her thin dress was on the floor.

She was surprised at him taking his time,usually, when the two of them had sex he was rough and devoured her.

Tonight, he took care, laying her on the bed worshiping her body. He kissed every inch of her, caressing the soft skin of her breasts, suckling her nipples gently.

She moaned as he gave her breasts lots of attention. His hands massaging her sides as he sucked on her needily.

“Chris let me take care of you.” She got up and pushed him on his back.

She unbuckled his pants, and took his cock in her mouth. She began slowly licking the tip of cock, causing his hips to try and thrust into her mouth.

She took him in fully, causing him to gasp. He gently began playing with her hair, her mouth deliciously wrapped around his rock hard cock.

He fucked her mouth, his cock going deeper into the back of her throat. He stopped abruptly when he heard her cough.

“Baby are you okay? Was I too rough?”

Her face and eyes were red. “Sorry, I got too into it, guess I gotta practice more.” She laughed.

He kissed her lips sweetly. He pulled her into his lap, in a passionate cradle position. He intertwined his body into hers, entering her softly, as he rested his head in between her breasts, his hands lifting her up to bounce on his cock.

Anna wrapped her hands in Chris' hair and held him close. She loved making love, she felt that Chris was finally completely vulnerable with her.

She felt as his thrusts became more methodical and felt his release. She leaned her head on top of his and they stayed entwined for a couple of minutes, gently kissing each other.

Chris grabbed her by the waist and laid her next to him.

They fell asleep in eachothers arms unaware they had an audience.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Travis was angry. He wasn’t even going to check the camera that girl had set up in Anna’s bedroom. The shower cam gave him enough content to fantasize about her for the rest of his life.

Some reason, something told him to check the bedroom camera. Low and behold he saw Anna sucking the cock of Chris Redfield.

Redfield had turned the sweet girl into a complete slut the way she had her mouth wrapped around his cock. She let him do whatever he wanted to her. He felt even more betrayed when he saw how Chris fucked her, Anna worshipping his body, moaning his name.

Travis slammed the laptop shut and he had to clear his head. He went for a walk when he thought of a plan.

He wanted to create a rift between the couple. Chris was obsessed with his job, and he was going to make him choose. He knew he wouldn’t pick Anna.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tonight was the night of the major PR event for the BSAA. Anna, being a date of one of the founders, had to look her best.

Lavish came over to assist Anna and help her calm down before the big event. Chris was on the phone all day with other superiors and peers making sure the night was going to go off without a hitch.

Lavish had finished Anna’s hair and made sure her makeup was demure enough to not look garish but enough to look good on camera.

“I can’t believe this is happening.” Anna said nervously as Lavish finished the details of her hair.

“All you have to do is stand there, be good company and be pretty. You’re perfect at all of those things.” Lavish teased. “Chris wouldn’t put you in a situation you wouldn’t want to be in though, so you’re in good hands.”

“You’re right.” Anna said.

Lavish helped Anna into the extremely expensive designer gown and helped her put on her shoes.

“My god,” Lavish stepped back. “I can’t believe it, you really look like someone important. It makes me sick.”

Anna laughed. But lavish was right. The young, regular housewife she once was, no longer existed. She had matured into a dignified lady who was a true survivor. A part of her felt sad that she had changed so much, but she was proud of who she had become.

“Come on Anna, let’s go downstairs.”

Chris was texting furiously, already drinking in his tuxedo, which fit him like a glove. When he heard the clack of Anna’s heels, he immediately snapped his head up.

“Babe, you look incredible.” He smiled. Helping her down the stairs and picking up her dress so she didn’t trip.

“We’re just waiting for the limousine now, we’re riding with Commander Whitefield, Director Isaac and their wives.” He winked at her.

Anna grabbed lavish’s hand.

“Thank you, really. Thank you for being an amazing friend.” She hugged lavish.

Lavish hugged her back. “You look beautiful Anna, I’m so happy for you.” Lavish looked at Chris. “Take care of my friend okay? She’s the only sister I have.”

Chris put a hand on Lavish’ shoulder. “I wouldn’t dare mistreat her.”

The limousine arrived and Anna hugged Lavish one last time. “Stay here as long as you want.” Chris said to lavish grabbing his wallet and handing Lavish cash. “If you get hungry or need anything.”

“Are you sure?” Lavish asked.

“Of course! Thanks for helping my girlfriend look her best, you can hang out here.”

“Will do!” Lavish said happily reclining on the couch. “I’m gonna take advantage of all the fancy streaming services you have!”

Anna laughed out loud as Chris shook his head.

Chris helped Anna down the stairs of the house, helping her walk down the brick driveway. “Take it easy, I know you're anxious, sweetie.” Chris said calmly to his date.

“I’m sorry Chris, I think I’m just ready to get this over with.” She smiled weakly at him. Chris agreed. He hated these events but it was important for the general public to understand what the bsaa did.

So what if it meant he had to talk in front of a bunch of stuck up politicians. If it meant he could continue to save people from bio terrorism, he’d gladly do it.

Chris opened the door for his date, the chauffeur coming around to make sure he was able to close it when Chris got in. Anna was so nervous about ruining her dress.

She forgot she was getting into a car full of her superiors.

“My goodness, what a lovely young lady.” Director Isaac whistled from his seat. Someone she assumed was his wife glared at him. She was probably Chris’ age, but she had massive amounts of work done. Fillers and all. Anna thought she was beautiful but she just looked disinterested and didn’t even try to greet Anna.

“Thank you Director.” She smiled modestly.

“You got a good one, Redfield, she could teach my wife a thing or two.” He nudged the blonde woman who was pouring more champagne.

“The more you talk the more I spend.” She said to him not looking up from her phone.

Anna looked over to commander Whitefield and his wife. They were the polar opposite. Mrs.Whitefield was a natural beauty and was aging gracefully. She had salt and pepper hair gracefully wrapped up on her head. Her gray eyes were warm and her skin had a glow to it.

She wore an elegant Oscar de La Renta gown. “Hello Commander Whitefield, Mrs. Whitefield. It’s nice to see you.” She greeted politely.

The Whitefields smiled at her, “I can’t believe it, you’re just as polite as my husband says you are.” Mrs.Whitefield said. “I’m happy to see Chris found someone so charming.” She smiled at him.

Chris returned her smile. “I’m a lucky man.” He kissed Anna on the forehead.

“Remember when we used to be that sweet?” Commander Whitefield looked to his wife.

“Well after 30 years of marriage and 3 children, being sweet isn’t the only thing that matters anymore.” She kissed husband while raising her glass. Commander Whitefield toasted her glass returning the kiss.

Anna looked at Chris, she hoped they may have a relationship like that.

The ride was spent with Mrs. Whitefield briefing Anna on what to expect.

“You have an extra edge to this, the media will want to talk to you because you’re a BSAA agent yourself.”
Mrs. Whitefield winked at her.

Anna looked over at her boyfriend nervously. He put an arm around her shoulders. “You’ll know what to say sweetheart.”

Anna felt a cold sweat. She wasn’t very diplomatic and had a habit of messing things up for herself.

When they arrived, there was too bitch security, and lots of cameras flashing. She was already shaking.

Chris gently guided her through the zoo of media. They were interested in talking with Chris, asking him questions about the affairs of the BSAA and the black market use of Bio weapons, Anna stood back as they asked him questions, when an independent journalist came up to her.

“Hi there, my name is Madeleine and this is Craig, my cameraman, I have my own new outlet and I was wondering if you’d like to do an interview with me?” She asked nervously. She had small recording devices but her passion was obviously there.

“Of course!” Anna smiled at her.

Madeleine smiled, it appeared Anna was her first interview of the night.

“Okay state your name and what your position is within the BSAA.”

Anna gave a hell of an interview, Madeleine didn’t realize what gold she struck picking Anna, who was apart of an SOU team.

“I understand you came here with Chris Redfield. Are you two an item?” Madeleine made sure to ask off camera.

Anna blushed. “We are, I currently left the SOU team he was leading and now I’m a clinical supervisor, I’ll be back helping people where I intended.”

“That’s so awesome!” Madeleine smiled, “Thank you, really for your time! We got some great footage here.”

“I’m glad I could help.” Anna and Madeleine hugged and Craig shook her hand.

“Thank you for your service ma’am.” He said.

She finally understood why Chris felt weird when people thanked him. She never felt like she was doing anything special.

“We all do our own part. No need to thank me.”

She rejoined Chris who was annoyed by all the questions, thank god they moved on to Director Isaac who loved the attention.

“Director Isaac is something else isn’t he?” Anna asked as they went inside the main building surrounded by well dressed people.

“The dude loves cameras, I swear the only reason he became director was to feed his ego.” Chris said grabbing a cocktail.

“Don’t have too many of those sweetie, you need to be somewhat sober when you help me take this expensive ass dress off.” Anna joked

Chris rolled his eyes, “I guess.”

She kissed his cheek.

A man with dirty blonde hair and a designer suit approached them.

“Well, look at these two lovebirds.”

Anna was taken aback, and Chris smiled. “Kennedy, you’re a sight for sore eyes.” The guys exchanged niceties while Anna looked on. This was the Kennedy that pulled favors for Chris.

He turned to her. “This must be the woman my friend is head over heels for. I’m sad he got to you first, you’re gorgeous.”

Anna smiled embarrassed, “The pleasure is really all mine.”

“Damn Redfield, I didn’t know you were into women this polite. Does she not know how rude you are?”

Chris rolled his eyes. “Believe it or not, she has seen me at my worst.”

It was Anna’s turn to roll her eyes. “Chris you don’t have a bad side, I’d love you no matter what.” She kissed his cheek.

Leon smiled genuinely for his friend. He had really found himself a nice girl. “Well don’t screw it up Redfield,” Leon took Anna’s hand and kissed it. “It was nice finally meeting you.”

“Likewise Mr. Kennedy, we’ll have to have you over sometime.” She winked at him.

“I’d like that a lot.” Leon put his hand on Chris’ shoulder and walked away.

The night went on smoothly, Chris was required to address the audience as a main founder of the BSAA. Anna watched in awe as she sat with the rest of Hound Wolf.

Chris ended his speech to the sound of applause and he came back to the table. Anna rubbed his back.

“Chris that was amazing, you’re so good at commanding an audience.”

Anna thought she saw Chris blush. “It was nothing.”

“It’s still so strange to see you guys so close.” Tundra mentioned. She looked lovely in a navy blue dress, her hair coiffed to the side.

Anna felt self conscious, she forgot they were amongst peers.

“Don’t be so shy now Anna,” Tundra laughed. “You’re both adults, it's okay that you two are sweet to each other in public.”

“I prefer that over fighting, there’s nothing worse than when a couple argues in public.” Night Howl rolled his eyes.

Anna left the table during Director Isaac’s speech to go into the bathroom to text Lavish an update and to just get out of the crowded room.

On her way to ladies’ room, Anna was grabbed by the arm. It was Travis.

“You look lovely tonight Anna.”

Anna delicately took her arm back not trying to anger him.

“Hey Travis, you clean up well.”

He smirked at her. “Going to meet Captain Redfield in the bathrooms for a quickie? Can’t even contain himself here, I’m not surprised.”

She was taken aback by his words. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about Anna,” he grabbed her roughly, which caught Anna off guard.

He opened his phone and showed her the videos he had of Anna and Chris being intimate in their home.

Anna felt like she was going to faint, “how-how did you get those!” She grabbed for the phone but he snatched it away.

“All I’m going to say is you need to pick better friends,” Travis smirked wickedly.

“Travis, you know there are laws against this sort of thing right? This is illegal. I won’t hold it against you, you just need to delete the videos and pictures. I won’t tell anyone.” Anna tried to reason with him.

“He’s turned you into a whore Anna, that’s unforgivable!” Travis was unhinged. She couldn’t predict what he would do.

Anna wasn’t thinking straight, she tried snatching the phone out of his hand one more time, but he yanked it away.

“It wouldn’t even matter, you know, if you deleted it off my phone. I back up everything. This is just a tip of the iceberg.”

She felt helpless to Travis’ humiliation. She was about to ask him what he wanted when Chris came down the corridor of the event center.

“Hey, I was looking-“ he saw Anna looking upset and Travis standing over her.

Chris immediately went into protector mode. He grabbed Travis by his collar and slammed him against the wall.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

Travis wasn’t as shook up as he should have been. He just smirked at Chris which made him more upset.

“Chris, please. Let him go.”

Travis chimed in, “Yeah Chris, wouldn’t want to humiliate your little whore girlfriend further.”

Chris raised his eyebrow. “Humiliate further?”

Travis pulled out his phone again and showed Chris what he had. “Be careful how you treat me, this could ruin your career. Imagine the news outlets finding out Chris Redfield fucking his subordinate. That makes the BSAA look pretty bad, considering she was just promoted.”

Chris threw him to the ground. “How dare you insinuate that!” He growled. “You know damn well that isn’t true.”

Travis fixed himself. “I may know that, but the rest of the organization wouldn’t know.”

“What do you want?”

“I want Anna all to myself,.” Travis grinned wickedly. “Maybe even make a couple videos with her myself.”

Anna felt sick. “No.” She said firmly.

Travis laughed wickedly. “That’s not how you should be acting sweetheart, I can ruin your life.”

“I don’t care, go ahead.” She said weakly. “But I will never sleep with you, you pathetic little worm.”

“How dare you talk to me that way!” Travis went to strike Anna, but Anna grabbed his hand and fixed it behind his back painfully.

Chris smirked. He was proud of Anna. While Travis was incapacitated, Chris grabbed the phone from his hand.

Travis tried to grab Chris, but Anna had enough. Anna managed to hold him down in a restraint, her knee in his back.

“You’re crushing me you crazy bitch.” He wheezed out struggling against her grasp.

“You’re fine you fucker.” Anna spat. “Don’t act like this isn’t the closest you’ve ever been to a girl touching you.”

Hearing the commotion, several agents came into the corridor to the scene to assess a threat to the president.

“Redfield, what’s going on here?” An agent questioned as other agents separated Anna and Travis.

“She tried to attack me! She tried to silence my right to free speech!” Travis wailed.

Anna said nothing, her anger causing her to be silent.

The agent looked over skeptically at Chris. Chris shook his head. “This man has been stalking female agents. He attempted to blackmail Agent Connolly with illegally obtained material.”

The unnamed agent looked over in Travis’ direction. “You decided to blackmail a field agent, at an event with several other agents in attendance… Do you have a brain injury?”

Travis became irate. “You wouldn’t understand! Guys like you get all the girls, do you know how hard us NICE guys have to work to get a girl to even look at us?”

Anna began to laugh, breaking the tension in the room. She laughed so hard she couldn’t catch her breath.

“You’re delusional! I can’t believe it! I thought guys like you only existed on the internet.” She choked out laughter. “But you’re real, losers like you actually hold jobs, that's amazing!”

“That’s big talk from a girl who fucks her boss to get ahead!” Travis spat out.

The agent restraining him jerked him. “That’s ENOUGH.”

He cuffed Travis. “I’m arresting you under the suspicion of blackmailing an agent of a government sanctioned agent, anything you say will be used against you in a court of law…”

When the investigators came on scene to investigate the evidence they had on sight, those involved were horrified to see there wasn’t just footage of Anna. It was several other female agents.

Commander Whitefield felt sick to his stomach. “I can’t believe this happened in our organization.”

Anna’s face was flushed with anger, embarrassment and an emotion she couldn’t quite place. As they were planning their next steps inside a private room in the event center, A press secretary for the BSAA came into the room.

“The media outside is going crazy.” She said gravely. “We’re going to have to make a statement.”

The commander took a sharp breath. Anna put her hand on his shoulder. “What can I do to help?” She looked at him earnestly.

“Connolly, i don’t even know where to start.” He said flustered.

Anna put both of her hands on his shoulders facing him. “We’re going to do this together as a team, you me and Chris,

The media went crazy. The stories that broke about the gala were not about the BSAA’s work, but that there was a dangerous predator employed within the organization.

Anna was inundated with texts as she wasn’t afraid to speak out against Travis’ actions publicly and made an official statement against him to the press.

She made sure to defend the BSAA and how they handled the situation. She owed it to Commander Whitfield and Chris. They had put so much of their lives into building the organization from the ground up. She didn’t want it to be ruined by one bad man.

The press crucified her in the media, trying to find anything wrong with her personal and professional life.

Anna wasn’t ready for it, when they started pulling pictures from her club days and started to question her past.

Some reporters speculated that she was just some girl trying to get ahead in her career and had manipulated Travis. That broke Anna’s heart that they were painting that picture of her. She knew that people who knew her personally didn’t know that was true, but what about everyone else?

Many outlets however, painted facts that she was a victim along with several other women. With the new age of technology, there were more threats than ever and women in all work environments needed to be careful.

To cope with the public scrutiny, she threw herself into work, which caused Chris to be genuinely worried about her. He never spoke on the situation publicly, he wanted to threaten the people that tried to slander her, but knew that wouldn’t do any good.

Her sense of security had been taken away more than once, he didn’t know how to help her.

As part of the investigation, federal agents did an entire sweep of their home to find the cameras that were hidden in their home.

Chris tried to comfort Anna the best he knew how, she remained positive and Chris was hopeful she was recovering; until Anna came home a week after the incident with a bottle of wine. Chris had made it home before her, as he was training and had a short day.

She didn’t say anything as she came in, which was unusual and poured herself a glass of the sweet red wine. Chris shuffled into the kitchen wrapping his arms around her upon hearing her entry.

“What’s up buttercup?” He asked kissing her cheek.

“It was just a rough day. That’s all.” She sniffled.

She walked into the living room and cuddled with her boyfriend. He was happy to see she was wearing the necklace he had made for her.

“Can we watch a movie? Can you pick please?” She looked up at him. Chris, obliged. Trying to accomodate his girlfriend without pressuring her to talk.

They were an hour into a movie when Anna decided to speak.

“The investigator called me today.” She said silently.

Chris craned his neck to look down at her. “Yeah? What’d they say?”

“Jordie placed the cameras in our home.” She clutched her glass & her face turned red. “She accepted money for it, 5,000$ was all it took for her to betray me like that.” Tears streamed down her face. “I would never do that to my friend.”

Chris clenched his jaw. Anna had done so much for that girl for her to treat her like that. He didn’t know what to say, he had been betrayed before, he wish he could take her pain away.

“Are they pressing charges?”

“They left it up to me.” She said weakly. “I don’t know what to do.”

Chris immediately sat up straighter to look at his love. “Don’t know what to do? Anna, seriously?”

Anna looked at him pitifully. “Send her to jail though? I don’t know if I can do that! I might as well cut ties with everyone I worked with if I do that!”

Chris looked at her incredulously. “You’re saying that your friends at the club would pick a girl who was willing to hurt you for money? Sounds like they weren’t friends to begin with!”

Something within Anna broke. She sobbed out.

“It just hurts to know that no one was really my friend, it hurts to find out how lonely I actually am.” Anna slammed her glass down and tried to get up.

Chris grabbed her. “Anna, I didn’t mean it that way. Honey please.” He wrapped her in an embrace. “You’re hurting right now.”

She cried into his arms. “Lavish said I should press charges too, but that would affect her employment, I know it. I don’t want her to suffer because of me.”

“Lavish will find a way, they don’t need to be working in a place that condones that kind of behavior. What if Jordie does the same thing to another girl?” Chris wiped her tears.

“Anna you did so much for her and she still did what she did, what’s stopping her from doing it to someone else?”

Anna didn’t want to admit he was right. “I’m going to sleep on it.” Anna got up and took her glass to the kitchen.

He knew when she said she was going to sleep on it he was right. He just hoped she knew that she could lean on
Him.

Chapter Text

Several weeks had passed after the media frenzy of what happened with Travis.

Travis had officially been charged with a slew of felony charges and would spend at least 10 years in prison.

Jordie was also charged with a racketeering charge. Chris was upset she didn’t receive more charges, but Anna had made peace with it. More jail time wouldn’t heal Anna’s sense of security.

Much to her surprise, the staff at the club were supportive of Anna. They chased out reporters trying to get shots of the club and a memo was sent out that anyone talking to the press about the ordeal would have consequences.

Anna was very thankful for her community. She was adjusting to her new position as clinical supervisor, but missed when Chris would deploy. Unfortunately since the incident with the security breach in the BSAA, major threats started popping up all over the globe leaving Anna alone for most nights.

She took up bartending again just as a way to bide her time. Even though they were often in different time zones, Chris would text Anna here and there.

*We’re in Italy, there are beautiful cathedrals in the smaller towns, everytime we pass one I think of you. We even were in a town that was holding the feast of St.Michael, I wish you were here. I’ll have to bring you back on a pleasure visit.* Chris texted her one night. It made her smile.

One of her friends came up behind her. “Are you texting that handsome boyfriend of yours? I’ve never seen you smile so hard.” Mahogany, a queen said.

“Yeah, he’s in Italy on assignment. He’s laying it on thick how much he misses me. He must have met someone else.” Anna joked.

Mahogany playfully swatted her. “Girl, I've seen how that man looks at you. I’m surprised he hasn’t put a ring on it yet.”

Anna shrugged. She was just pouring drinks for people rushing upstairs to see the drag show when she saw a familiar face out of the corner of her eye.

“Leon?” She asked, turning around. He was with a red haired woman who was gorgeous.

Leon smirked at her. “Hey Anna, my friend and I were in town and she hasn’t met you yet, I thought we’d pop in.” He smirked. His friend was smiling amicably at Anna.

Anna stuck out her hand. “Hey, I’m Anna Connolly, it’s nice to meet you.” She said as she poured them shots of Patron.

“These are on me, your whole tab is on me tonight, I owe you big time Kennedy,” she giggled.

The red haired woman smiled at Anna. “I see why Chris is head over heels for you, you really are as sweet as everyone says.”

Suddenly Anna recognized the red haired woman from a picture in the home she shared with her boyfriend. She was embarrassed her memory was going to shit.

“Oh my god you’re Claire, his sister aren’t you? I’m so sorry for not recognizing you right away.” Her ears turned bright red.

Claire only laughed. “It’s no worries, really. I rarely see my brother, we’re both occupied with our industries.”

Anna poured herself a shot and took it with her new friends. “So I guess you’re aware I’m shacking up with your brother huh?” Anna said anxiously.

Claire smiled. “We text often, he talks about you constantly.”

Anna blushed at her words.

“Oh my god, you’re adorable, isn’t she cute Leon?” Claire joked with her friend.

Leon crossed his arms over his chest. “Your brother’s lucky I didn’t get to her first.”

Claire swatted Leon playfully. “You wouldn’t know how to handle her. I guarantee.”

Anna’s air caught in her throat and she began to cough.

“You embarrassed Anna.” Leon joked.

“So what are your plans for tonight?” Anna asked to change the subject.

“I don’t know, Leon’s never been to a drag show.” Claire swatted her long time friend.

“Why don’t y’all go upstairs? My best friend is headlining, I can get you a VIP table.” Anna suggested.

“You’d do that for us?” Claire asked.

“Are you kidding, you guys are family now.” Anna smiled. She quickly turned to tell Mahogany she was escorting her friends upstairs.

Leon was apprehensive and Anna was smiling deviously, “You’re gonna love it I promise, and they’re going to LOVE you Leon.” Anna laughed

Anna brought them upstairs and told the bartenders to let them drink whatever and that they were on Anna’s tab. Anna sat and chatted with them until the show started. She hugged Claire and patted Leon on the back going back downstairs.

Her bar was empty and she began to clean so she could get out at a decent time.

She decided to text her boyfriend back. *Just met your sister, she’s a gem. We should have her stay with us sometime.*

Chris responded immediately which was rare. *She’s pretty cool, only because of her big brother though.*

Anna smiled. *What time is it over there? You’re texting back awfully fast for a busy man.*

*It’s four in the morning, we’re six hours ahead and I can’t sleep, I’ve been surviving off of coffee*

Anna scolded her boyfriend over the phone. *Honey, please get some rest, it’s going to catch up to you. You can’t live off of cigarettes and coffee.*

*Why not, the Europeans do it?* he responded sarcastically.

Anna sent a laughing emoji. *You’re too clever for me. I didn’t know you grew a sense of humor overnight.*

*I guess you just bring that side out of me Anna Catherine.*

Anna felt butterflies in her tummy. He only called her by her full name when he was feeling sentimental with her.

*I miss you Chris. I miss you snoring in my ear at night.* She tried to keep things light. She really missed him
so much it hurt.

*I miss you too sweetheart.* another bubble appeared.

Anna’s eyebrows raised and her heart started to flutter at the next text he sent.

*I’d give anything to be buried in your tight pussy right now.*

Chris rarely sexted.

He must have been in his feelings tonight.

*Are you touching yourself right now, to the thought of fucking me?*

Anna couldn’t believe it, she never sexted her husband; but they were seldom apart for more than a couple of days.

This was new to her and it excited her; so she decided she had to keep her man happy.

*You know I am, thinking of your perfect body, how you always know how to make me cum, just know when I get back, I’ll make sure you won’t be able to walk.*

Anna laugh reacted to his message. *That better be a promise Alpha.*

*Fuck it turns me on when you call me that.*

*Promise you’ll get some sleep, if you’re awake enough when you get back, my body is yours I’ll let you try whatever you want.*

*That better be a promise Bambi.*

*It is.* she sent a winky face.

*I love you babe, have a good night, get home safe.*

*goodnight get some rest, I’ll text you when I get home, hopefully you’ll be asleep.*

Anna put her phone down as soon as she realized that the downstairs dance floor was filling up again. The drag show must have let out.

Claire and Leon came to sit at Anna’s bar. “Soooo.”
Anna said smiling. “How was it.”

“It was pretty neat, I’ve never seen a 6 foot man do a split to Whitney Houston before.” Leon said matter of fact.

Claire and Anna laughed. “It’s definitely an art form, I get it now, I was entertained the entire time.” Leon admitted.

Anna liked how confident Leon was in his masculinity. He was one of those guys that dealt with real issues, he didn’t have time to judge other people.

“Although Leon does have a couple of fans now, Claire pointed out a group of college-age boys and girls ogling the agent.

Anna smiled at their innocence. “Can you blame them?”

Claire returned her smile while Leon crossed his arms looking smug.

Mahogany came up to them. “Anna go home baby, go hang out with your friends, you don’t need to be up here every weekend, come on I’ll pay you cash tonight.”

Mahogany handed Anna a wad of cash and Anna tried to refuse it. “Girl, if you don’t take your damn pay.” Mahogany rolled her eyes to Anna’s friends.

“This girl tryna be humble. She’s my best bartender, do you know I had a businessman come all the way to New York from California cause he has a certain drink he orders from ONLY,” Mahogany pointed to the brunette to accentuate her point, “Anna,”

She stared at her again, hitting home the point while Anna rolled her eyes.

“cause she’s the only one who makes it right. He plans his business trips around Anna’s schedule.” Mahogany lectured Leon and Claire.

Anna blushed. “That’s not the only reason he comes.”
Anna said quietly.

“Well he may have a thing for Jack the burlesque dancer, but I swear to god if he doesn’t call a month ahead to see what Anna’s schedule looks like.” Mahogany said, shrugging her shoulders.

Anna cleaned up her bar and handed her apron to Mahogany.

Anna kissed Mahogany on the cheek, Mahogany returned it.

“Love you baby.” Mahogany sang in her smooth tenor voice.

“I love you.” Anna said and walked out with Leon and Claire.

“Where are you guys staying while you’re in town?” Anna asked innocently.

“I actually don’t live that far from the city.” Claire admitted to being embarrassed. “I know it sucks that I don’t see my brother often and we live so close.”

“I understand.” Anna empathized. “He’s deployed often these days and you work for Terrasave right?”

Claire nodded her head. “Yes, I’m usually on ground zero of outbreaks.”

“So it sounds like you’re busy with work, not that you guys live in the same city and choose not to see each other.” Anna said empathetically.”My siblings and I lived in the same city and saw each other once a month or two. Don’t beat yourself up.”

Claire smiled at Anna. “That does make me feel better when you put it that way.”

“Why don’t you guys come back to the house? We have plenty of room for you guys to stay the night, it’ll be fun.” Anna suggested hoping they would take her up on the offer. The house was huge and she hated being alone in it.

“Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever been over to see the house, Chris has been there for like what? Four years now?” Leon said, his question more so directed at Claire.

Claire frowned. “Come to think of it, it has been a while since…” she caught herself.

Anna looked at them inquisitively.

“Let’s go over, we’ll have a good time.” Leon said to save the situation.

Anna called an Uber back to her shared residence with Chris.

Anna turned on the light in the foyer when they entered. She was thankful she always made a point to keep the home tidy.

Claire was the first to say something. “It feels a lot warmer here than I remember.”

Anna raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

“It just feels more welcoming, like my brother and his adorable girlfriend actually live here.” She giggled.

Anna laughed. “Thanks Claire, I try to make it seem bearable so Chris comes back.”

Leon was observing the photos on the bookshelf in the living room. “I didn’t know you were married before, Anna.”

Claire stepped beside Leon and looked at the wedding photo.

“Oh my god you both look so young, what were you like 21?” Claire asked.

Anna’s face turned red. “How did you know?” She laughed nervously.

Claire looked at her. “You tied the knot at 21? What were you in a hurry for?” She joked.

Anna took the picture, looking at how happy she and Michael were, oblivious to what life was going to hold for them.

“I guess I subconsciously knew the time I had with him was limited.” Anna whispered.

Claire rubbed her back, “I’m not going to lie to you, I’ve done some research on you Anna. I think it’s awful what happened to you and even worse what some of the outlets are saying about you.”

Anna felt a cold sweat, what did Claire know?

“Yeah?” She asked shakily.

Claire gave her a soft look. “Don’t worry you get used to it after a while, I mean I’ve had tons of independent news outlets say I was a plant for Raccoon City and that it didn’t happen.” She visibly cringed.

Leon chimed in. “I remember when the news broke I was dating the President’s daughter. That was a fun one to deal with.” Leon rolled his eyes.

“We came this weekend because we really wanted to check on you and see how you’re doing, because…well Chris asked us to.” Claire admitted.

Anna raised an eyebrow. “Chris asked you two to check on me?”

Claire nodded, biting her lip. “He was worried about you, and Chris never worries. He’s kind of a brick wall.”

Anna sighed. “I’ve really been struggling recently, especially with what they’ve been saying about my ex husband.”

Leon sat down next to Anna on the couch and put his arm around her in a friendly manner, encouraging her to talk about it.

“I got a call from my in-laws, they were angry I moved on so quickly from their son, and now they’re upset that people are analyzing our married life.” Anna threw her head back on the couch. “But I can’t control what they say.”

Claire looked at her concerned. “Why are they upset you moved on? It’s not like Michael and you divorced. He’d want you to be happy.”

“They never really liked me to begin with.” Anna admitted. “They thought I was too trashy for their son, they got wind that my intimate photos leaked and they’re telling everyone back home that I probably sent them to Travis myself.”

Anna hadn’t even admitted that to Chris, she knew he’d go ballistic.

“Please don’t mention that to your brother,” Anna pleaded. “It’s just something I needed to get off my chest. I couldn't worry him with that.”

Leon took a deep sigh and Claire shifted uncomfortably. “That’s so incredibly shitty they are doing that.”

“What joy do they get from that? Seriously it’s not like you’re married to their son anymore,” Leon mumbled.

“I guess they couldn’t control our lives when we were married and now they’re just trying to change the narrative for everyone back home.” Anna sighed.

Anna got up, “I don’t want to think about it, let’s play a drinking game, you guys ever watch ghost adventures?”

Leon looked at Anna incredulously. “Ghost adventures?”

“Yeah you know the show where they ghost hunt on the travel channel!” Anna said excitedly.

Leon started to laugh, “Do you really believe in ghosts Anna? Seriously?”

Anna looked at Leon incredulously. “You mean after everything you have seen in the field Leon, you don’t believe in the other side? C’mon now, I promise it will be fun. Let me explain the game.”

She poured everyone starting shots of Jose Cuervo from the liquor cabinet.

“I normally don’t drink, but when I do it’s tequila.” Anna winked. “Do you need chasers?”

Leon scoffed, “Do you know who I am?”

“I mean not really,” Anna laughed. “Here’s how we play the game.”

As Anna explained the game rules, Leon raises an eyebrow unamused and Claire is genuinely interested.

“It gets more fun as we actually play, I promise Leon!” Anna giggled. “Basically we take a shot everytime the guys on the show freak out at something that isn’t there.”

“We’re going to die of alcohol poisoning.” Leon said melodramatically. “These shows are just bullshit.”

Claire swatted her old friend. “I think it’ll be funny, just one episode, please? Weren’t you complaining how bored you were recently since that girl bailed on you?”

“That’s low Claire ELIZABETH.” Leon said pointedly.

“Elizabeth?” Anna giggled. “Your name is perfect.”

“Leon’s mad, he used my middle name, we should probably watch the show now.” She laughed light-heartedly.

They began to watch the show and Leon started to laugh. “Do you see what this guy looks like? Why does he dress like that?”

Anna giggled. “I think he thinks he looks cool, I genuinely think Zak Bagans owns stock in embroidered jeans.”

They laughed along with the show, Leon and Claire talking happily, but Anna became noticeably silent as she became more intoxicated.

Claire and Leon argued that Zak would send Aaron to go down to a dungeon filled with lickers or zombies if it made for good television.

The episode ended and Claire realized her new friend was abnormally silent.

“Anna honey, what’s on your mind?” Claire asked, sipping a drink out of a water bottle.

“I just kind of realized how lonely I really am without Chris here.” She was so drunk she didn’t realize, in her haze her eyes were wet with tears.

Claire sat next to her and rubbed her back. “Don’t you have all those friends at then bar? I’m sure they’d love to do these things with you.”

Anna wiped her eyes. “They don’t understand, there’s a degree of separation I feel like this bio terrorism shit has changed me.” Anna admitted.

Leon and Claire exchanged knowing glances.

“I know what you mean.” Leon sighed. “I heard…” he stopped himself. Anna looked up at him. “Heard what Leon?”

Leon realized he had said too much. “Anna I’m so sorry, my work with the DSO we have to know who is infected with any kind of virus associated with bio terror.”

Anna’s face went pale. She immediately ran to the kitchen and threw up in the trash can, Leon knew and now Claire knew.

Claire came to Anna’s side and held her hair back. “Anna it’s okay, Leon and I have been infected before too, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Anna felt so overwhelmed. “I couldn’t tell anyone but Chris, my friends can’t know, they would see me as a monster, they don’t even know half of the things I’ve seen and it’s so isolating.” Anna knew she was preaching to the choir, she needed to get it off her chest.

Leon leaned his bodyweight against the archway between the kitchen and dining room. “Trust me, a lot of us in this industry know how you feel, that degree of separation, I mean. When you look at normal people, and you know, you can never be that ever again.”

Anna looked up, her face red and blotchy from releasing her insides into the trash can. Never one to hide her internal monologue, Anna spoke again. “I’ve embarrassed myself and ruined your night.”

“You didn’t, honestly we were kind of expecting this.”

Anna put her head in her hands. “God I’m such a loser, I’m more like a child than a partner.” She was embarrassed and humbled; she must have sounded so bad over the phone for Chris to enlist his sister and Leon.

“Don’t beat yourself up kid.” Leon clasped her shoulder helping her up. “He’s a good guy, and no offense we’re all quite a bit older and wiser than you.”

Anna blushed. Leon was right she didn’t have nearly the amount of experience they had, hell when she and Chris would go out in public people always thought Chris was her uncle or a father figure. She didn’t mind at first, but it would bother Chris which in turn would bother her.

“Do you guys want to stay the night we have guest rooms here, I just changed the sheets to keep the rooms smelling fresh.” She then shrunk a little bit. “Although I know if you guys feel awkward about babysitting me now.”

Claire smiled. “I’d love to, it would be like a sleepover.” Anna got giddy, yes it would be like a sleepover. “I have spare pjs and everything you can wear!” Anna couldn’t even hide her excitement which caused Claire to laugh.

“Anna, you really are sweet. I hope Chris doesn’t fuck this up.”

Anna gave Claire a set of her pajamas, Leon took an Uber back to his hotel wishing the girls goodnight.

Anna convinced claire to watch Steel Magnolias and they laughed and cried together. It was the perfect movie to end their night. Anna hugged Claire before going to bed.

“I’ve never been great bonding with other people, especially other girls, but I had a lot of fun tonight.” Claire admitted.

“Claire I’ve cried enough tonight I have no more tears to give.” Anna choked out a laugh.

“I’m serious, you’re like the sister I never wanted.” She laughed.

“That’s better.” Anna said. “Goodnight, I’ll see you in the morning.”

Anna checked her phone after brushing her teeth and laid down in bed. It was a picture of sunrise over the Amalfi coast. Chris thoughtfully added the caption: “This made me think of you.”

Anna felt her heart swell with adoration, she was falling hard for Chris, she hoped the feeling was mutual. She made a mental note to plan a trip back home to Georgia so he could finally meet her family.

Anna tried to stop the thoughts from coming, but she couldn’t help but fantasize, what it would be like to have a family with Chris. She imagined a beautiful child with his dark hair and her brown eyes, or maybe they would inherit Chris’ steel gray eyes and her light brown hair. How it would feel to see Chris hold their bundle of joy in his arms, how much love and care he would give to their baby.

Anna crashed down to reality. Their lifestyle would never allow them to have a baby even if she could birth a healthy child.

She couldn’t conceive when she was younger and free of experimental viruses, there was no way she was conceiving now. The risk of a child being born mutated or suffering another miscarriage was too much to bear.

She pushed the thoughts out of her head and instead thanked god for what she had, a healthy relationship
With a man that loved her and a job that she loved.

Chapter Text

Anna awoke feeling exhausted. She knew she needed some coffee and comfort food. Eating poorly wasn’t her favorite thing in the world to do, but she knew it was necessary sometimes.

She got dressed and exited the bedroom to find Claire dressed in yesterday's clothes sitting at the breakfast table.

“Hey I’m so sorry I’m a horrible hostess.” Anna sheepishly admitted. “Did you want to borrow some of my clothes? I feel bad for making you stay over unprepared.”

Claire smiled at Anna. “Honestly, I am curious about the infamous closet Chris spent so much time on, so yeah I will take you up on that offer.”

Anna laughed and led Claire up to the bedroom to the large closet. Claire let out a whistle. “I remember how they bought this house. He put a lot of work into this closet.”

Anna felt a cold sweat. She knew he did a lot for her, she felt like she wasn’t reciprocating enough.

As if like a mind reader, Claire clasped her hand on Anna’s shoulder. “He loves carpentry, he’s always loved building things almost as much as he loves to fish. I’m glad he has someone to build things for.”

“He’s a good man, I hope I give him enough in return, sometimes I worry I’m not enough for him. It’s hard being in a relationship with a guy like your brother.” Anna admitted.

Claire tilted her head in confusion.

“I mean, he just means a lot to a bunch of people, it’s like dating an A- list celebrity.”

Claire looked at her with sympathy. “I think you are overthinking it, the way he talks about you, Anna, he hasn’t talked about anyone that way in a long time.”

Anna remained silent, she didn’t know what else to say. “Thank you Claire.”

“Don’t mention it girl.” She laughed.

Claire analyzed Anna’s wardrobe.

“I can already tell your clothes are completely different from anything I would wear.” She said holding up a lavender gingham sundress.

“That dress actually goes really well with your red hair Claire.” Anna admired. “Give it a try! It’ll be fun wearing stuff you wouldn’t normally wear, I’ll do your makeup and let’s go out for brunch, I’m jonesing for girl time.” Anna whined and begged.

“Oh my gosh you are a real little sister.” They both laughed in unison. Claire caved and let Anna doll her up and the girls went to one of Anna’s favorite brunch spots.

“Please let this be my treat.” Anna said after they placed their order. “I really appreciate you wasting a Sunday babysitting me.”

Claire blew a raspberry. “I think you need to stop making it seem like it’s a chore to be around you.”

Anna felt her face fall. “It’s like you can read my mind.”

“I don’t have to, you wear your emotions on your face. It’s amazing they haven’t taught you at the bsaa how to hide them.”

Anna covered her face out of habit. “Chris always says that too, he says I’m so lucky I haven’t been interrogated, I’d give everything away.” Anna shifted in her seat. “I was never really special agent material, I just happened to be stupid enough to go down in that mine.”

Claire looked at Anna curiously, analyzing her. “No offense, but you didn’t strike me as someone who willingly went into dangerous situations like the one where you initially met Chris.”

Anna knew why she was being vague, they were out in public, they were talking about extremely classified things. They were dancing around the subject, that’s what her new life entailed, hiding behind innuendo.

Anna sighed, she ordered a mimosa, it wasn’t like her to drink but she knew there would be girl talk and always needed an extra boost.

“At the time I agreed to go to that place,” Anna sighed, “I was starting to give up.” She hadn’t talked about this with anyone, not even Chris. “I hated my life, I was ready to just let anything happen to me.”

Claire took in a sharp breath understanding what Anna meant.

“I wouldn’t have been allowed down there if they knew how I truly felt, I said that I was willing to go above and beyond for research purposes. I was surprised HQ agreed, but it seemed they were desperate for people willing to deploy to the area.”

Anna swirled the liquid in her glass. “In a way something that I had intended to destroy my life saved it, I met your brother. I swear I’m not the type of girl that’s only happy if I’m in a relationship but after my marriage and the death of Michael, the loneliness is so much worse.” She pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Oh Anna,” Claire exhaled. “That’s a lot to hold in, have you thought about seeing a therapist?”

Anna laughed. “Honestly no, the grief counselors I worked with after Michael’s death just made me more frustrated.”

Claire smiled knowingly. “You and Chris are a lot alike.”

Anna laughed a full belly laugh. “Yeah I guess in some ways we are, there’s got to be some basis for attraction right?”

They enjoyed their drinks and brunch, on the way home Anna decided to be brave and ask about Chris’ ex, Jill.

“What do you want to know?”

Anna sighed, “She’s like a legend at the BSAA, I feel like everyone’s scared to mention her around me.”

“Maybe it’s because of how it ended between them.
You do know Chris and Jill bought the house you guys live in together.”

Anna sighed. “I’m aware, but what happened? I just don’t understand how someone could give up everything, especially a man like Chris.”

“Their relationship was complicated at best.” Claire was extremely vague.

Anna left it at that.

They said their goodbyes and Anna told her to keep the dress. “I can’t ever pull off that dress as good as you can Claire, please keep it. Maybe it’ll inspire you to buy girlier clothes.”

Claire laughed out loud. “I doubt it but thanks.” She gave Anna a real hug, one that made her feel warm.

After Claire left and the house settled, Anna felt empty again.

With her time she decided to do something daring.

She went into the closet and pulled out a white box that hadn’t been opened, revealing a lacy black bustier and matching undies. The underwear, if you could call them that, were low cut in the back with a little bow at the top of the panty line. It made her ass look amazing.

She had a little photo shoot in the mirror showing off the set initially. Her hands shook as she sent the pictures to her boyfriend.

She was hanging out in bed scrolling on her phone 20 minutes later when she got a response.

“You drive me crazy babe.” She smiled.

Her phone pinged again. “Mind taking off a little more?”

Anna couldn’t deny her hard working boyfriend, she teased him with photos of her slowly taking off the straps of the bustier.

“Don’t be a tease baby, you’re a good girl, you know how to please me.”

Anna felt a jolt of electricity course through her. She did something she would have never done before. She sent a picture of her hand down her panties.

“Good girl, take them off, show me how much you miss me.”

Anna did as she was told. She was too horny to be embarrassed, she would have never taken nudes like this before but the distance changed things.

Anna actually came to Chris’ texts. He had guided her through her release and it was like nothing she had felt before.

*Its crazy how much power you have over me even thousands of miles away. I miss you so much.* Anna sent.

*I miss you too Doll. It’s been a rough mission, I needed this release tonight. I should be home soon.*

*Really? Oh honey, that's amazing news.*

She bit her lip and double texted. “Maybe with your time off we could visit my family in Georgia?*

She felt like it was a million hours before Chris responded.

*I’d love that Anna, do you think your dad would like me?*

Anna laughed out loud. The thought of Chris being nervous about meeting her father made her giddy for some reason.

*He’s going to love you, you guys are going to get along very well.*

The next couple of days were torture for Anna waiting for Chris to come back. She received a definite day to expect him back and immediately began coordinating their trip back to her home in Georgia.

The day finally came and Chris came home. He looked weary, but his eyes still had light when he saw Anna.

Anna hugged him tight, she inhaled his scent that was intoxicatingly woodsy. He wasted no time to pick her up and take her to the bedroom.

Anna was excited to strip off her dress to reveal the same set she had sent him pictures of.

“I was hoping you’d be a good girl and wear that one for me baby.” He said leaning back onto the pillows.

Anna playfully struck a flirtatious pose. She turned her back to him and looked over her shoulder, “You like this daddy?” She let it slip, she didn’t mean to call him daddy.

Chris raised an eyebrow. “Daddy?” His tone of voice indicated that he didn’t hate it, he was just making sure he heard her correctly.

She blushed immediately. “Yup,” she said awkwardly.

“Come here sweetie, don’t be embarrassed.” He said huskily. “Come show daddy how much you missed him.”

Anna smiled as she crawled onto Chris’ lap and he immediately enveloped her lips in a passionate kiss. He dominated her mouth with his tongue, making up for the lost time,

“Fuck I missed you so much sweet girl.” He breathed, kissing her neck, letting his hands wander to the bustier, pulling it down revealing her ample breasts.

Anna leaned her head back and moaned as he took the supple flesh into his mouth and began to suckle her.

“I missed you…daddy.” She said again stroking his dark hair.

“Take these panties off princess, I want to see all of you.”

Anna happily obliged, taking off the flimsy fabric exposing her wet pussy. Chris pushed her onto her back and gripped her hips with his large hands. “You look so beautiful baby, all tight for me, I bet you barely played with yourself while I was away.”

Anna laughed awkwardly. “Nope, other than that one night I’ve just been waiting for you.” She admitted.

He spread her lips apart with his thick digits entering his index finger into her. She writhed underneath him as he added another and began to suck her clit needily.

“Please…” she whimpered.

Chris placed a large hand on her lower abdomen. “Patience baby, I have to make sure you’re ready to take me. Don’t want to hurt you princess.”

Anna whimpered, she felt her climax was near. Chris began to continue faster, as he pumped his fingers deeper into her until he felt her cum.

He got up and wiped his mouth, causing Anna to look away in embarrassment, she had completely wet his face. “You taste sweeter than I remember gorgeous.”

Anna got up and kissed Chris passionately, kissing his neck and moving down to his cock as she began to suck. He was surprised she took initiative so quick and held her hair gently out of her face.

“So beautiful when you suck my cock princess, you’re such a good girl.” He stroked her face gently.

As Anna took Chris deeper into her throat, Chris tapped on Anna before she went too far. “I want to cum inside your pussy.”

She blushed at his new nickname for her. She got on all fours but Chris flipped her on her back. He got in between her legs and put his elbows next to her head so he completely enveloped her frame. “I want to be as close to you as possible.” He entered her gently, allowing her to stretch around him before bottoming out inside of her. He kissed her gently, murmuring into her ear about how much he loved her.

This was the kind of sex Anna was used to having, she felt her climax impending. “Chris I love you so much, never leave me.”

Chris caressed her face, “I promise, I’ll do whatever it takes to make it back to you princess.” He kissed her needily, his thrusts becoming sloppy.

Anna felt her climax happen causing her to tighten around Chris, which caused him to cum deep inside of her.

He stayed inside of her. “I love you Anna.” He said simply and kissed her cheek.

Anna collapsed her head on the pillows as Chris nuzzled his face into her neck. He pulled out and rolled over next to her holding her close.

“I missed this,” Anna said.

Chris hummed into her in response. He was falling asleep. Anna rubbed his back gently until she heard his light snores. She felt at peace and was finally able to close her eyes.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next morning Anna awoke to Chris already awake and shuffling around. She knew how hard it was to adjust coming home after deployment.

He was dressed and on his laptop likely writing a report, he had his back turned to her. She approached him but made sure to say something before wrapping her arms around him; she wanted to make sure she didn’t spook him.

“Hey handsome, writing reports already?”

He looked up at her and smiled. “Just trying to get a head start on the inevitable. You looked so peaceful I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Anna leaned down to kiss him tenderly.

“Thanks, it’s embarassing but I sleep a lot better when you’re here.”

Chris smiled. “Good, makes me think you’ll keep me around.”

Anna scoffed. “As if I’d ever want to get rid of you.”

Anna made Chris coffee as he worked on his computer silently. She knew he had just come home but since their relationship was getting more serious by the second, she couldn’t help but ask.

“Chris…” she squeaked out hesitantly.

He turned around looking at her curiously. “I’ve been thinking about it and you don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.”

Chris closed the laptop and sat next to Anna on the bed, he put his hand on her thigh and gently squeezed.

Anna took a deep breath. “I wanted to ask some questions about Jill.”

Chris blew out a low whistle. “I knew this was coming.”

Anna scrambled. “I know you just got home and I am so sorry-“ Chris cut her off by kissing her.

He rubbed her arm. “It’s fine Princess, she’s my ex and you’ve been nothing but open about Michael, it makes sense for you to be curious.”

Anna felt herself relax.

Chris started from the beginning, about their working relationship in Raccoon City, the mansion incident and the formation of the BSAA. Anna listened intently as he explained the situation with Wesker and Jill’s “death.”

Her heart broke as he faltered. Anna could tell even though Jill was alive and well, the two years that she was presumed dead had leveled out Chris’ spirit completely.

“We bought this house together in 2014, I thought I was going to retire and maybe,” he let out a sigh and raised his hand through his hair, as if he was nervous about what he was going to say next. “Have a couple of kids.”

Anna knew why he danced around the subject, he didn’t want to make her feel even worse.

“We fell into a routine, I started to pull back from missions some, but Jill, she had this renewed passion inside of her. She kept accepting dangerous missions across the Globe, it was like I was waiting for her to come home. I remember our first big fight, I begged her to slow down, take it easy, but she refused.” He rubbed his temples.

“I wanted her to stay out of danger, I wanted her to settle down and stay with me, I wanted to start a family. I tried controlling her every move because I was scared of losing her again; but I eventually ended up pushing her away.”

Anna felt so much sorrow from her partner. She rubbed his back and leaned her head on his shoulder. Chris put his arm around her in return.

“She said it was like living with her brother, that I controlled every aspect of her life. She didn’t want to live under someone else anymore. It was hard, but for her to be happy I had to let her go.”

“Oh honey.” Anna held his face in her hands. She was feeling tears, damn her sensitive side. “You are such a good man.”

“And that’s the story of Jill and I. Anna I promise, we’re through, you don’t have to worry about her at all.” Chris said, leaning into her.

“I was never worried, Chris. I know your spirit, I don’t think you’re capable of hurting me in that way.”

“God I hope not, I don’t know what I would do if I lost you too.” His eyes were glittering with tears.

“You’ll never have to find out.”

They were in comfortable silence for a moment. Anna thought about what Chris said, how he wanted children, she tried to push it out of her mind.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That night Chris and Anna were planning their trip to Anna’s hometown to meet her family.

“Have you ever been to Georgia before, Chris?”

Chris was sitting with his legs crossed on the floor looking through different brochures of her home state. Anna wanted to make sure this was just as much of a leisure trip as it was meeting her family.

“Nope, but You grew up in a beautiful area babe.” He says thumbing through a brochure for deep sea fishing. “It makes sense why you always talk about home.”

Anna glanced at the brochure. “Claire mentioned you liked to fish when she came over.” Anna laid her head on his thigh, commanding his attention.

He gently stroked her hair then resting his hand cupping her face. “I did, I used to fish a lot with my dad.”

“You could go fishing with my dad, he has a boat that can go into deep waters, we used to take it off on the coast a lot, my mom loved the ocean.”

Chris raised his eyebrows. “Your dad has a boat?”

Anna laughed. “Yeah it’s not what you think it’s not like a yacht, it's just a saltwater fishing boat, it has a great motor life.”

“You know a lot about boats Anna.” He said with a hint of amusement.

Anna smiled. “I even have my captain's license, I’ve been able to man a boat since I was 18.”

Chris smiled at her, he was surprised that Anna was quite the “outdoorswoman”. “I enjoy shrimping more than fishing though, fishing is fun but there’s something interesting about catching things with a net.”

Chris laughed, he hadn’t laughed like that since he had been home. He couldn’t help but love his girlfriend’s eccentricities.

“A net babe? Really?” He laughed.

“It’s the surprise of what you’re going to get! And it’s a glimpse of what’s in the water! It’s a big glimpse!”

Chris smiled at how much she loved the ocean, well how much she loved nature in general. She mentioned she enjoyed deer hunting in the winter and just observing the wildlife was her favorite part; waiting for something to come along and witnessing it in real time.

“Are you going to show me how to drive a boat babe?” Chris teased her.

“I’m surprised you don’t know already.” Anna looked up at him.

“I know how to man a dingy, but nothing bigger than that.” He admitted.

“We’re going to have some fun with you then.”

Chris laughed knowing he was in for some good old fashioned hazing from Anna’s family.

Chapter Text

Anna was glancing out the plane window, Chris’ head resting on her shoulder. She envied his ability to sleep anywhere.

Anna could never sleep on planes or anywhere that wasn’t her bed for that matter. It didn’t make her a great soldier.

They were an hour away from the small local airport of her hometown, Savannah. She never thought she would miss the marshy, flora and fauna rich scenery of her hometown; New York City was devoid of the natural charm that Savannah provided.

Anna was brought out of her thoughts when the intercom of the plane’s cabin crackled to life informing the passengers of their decline to the airport. Anna gently woke up her boyfriend by gently stroking his hair.

“What?” He said sleepily.

Anna giggled. “We’re landing soon honey, you can sleep in the hotel room.”

Chris still had his eyes closed as he let out a sigh and rubbed his face. “How hot is it going to be?”

“It should be about 80 degrees, not too hot.”

Chris groaned. “80 degrees? Jesus.”

Anna laughed, Chris was typical for someone from the northeast to her. “80 degrees is nothing,” she nuzzled into him. “Just wait till it’s 97 degrees outside but feels like 105*.”

Chris groaned, “Well I’m glad we came during the cool
Month of October.” He said sardonically.

The pair made their way through the airport and Chris was already polarized by the amount of people smiling to one another and saying “hey”. He was jaded by the social isolation of New York.

“Does everyone know each other down here?” Chris asked Anna as he grabbed their luggage from the return.

“Nope,” she said simply as they made their way to where the rental cars were located, Anna greeted more people she didn’t know.

Chris just shook his head. He was in for a culture shock.

Chris insisted that they get their own vehicle while they were down here. He didn’t want to rely on Anna’s family, as she didn’t paint them as the most responsible or reliable people.

“A mustang?” Anna raised her eyebrows at the choice of car they would be driving around her hometown.

“Yup,” he said, lifting their suitcases into the trunk. “Not too flashy, but enough to impress your family.”

Anna rolled her eyes. “You don’t need to impress them, they’re just a bunch of rednecks.”

“Exactly why I picked the mustang and not the BMW.” Chris teased.

Anna playfully punched him. “You’re a dick.” She laughed.

Chris held the door open for her and they made their way to their accommodations.

Their home for the week was a historic mansion renovated to be a luxury hotel; when Anna was a little girl she would have never imagined staying here.

She showed her excitement by taking everything in the lobby as Chris checked them in.

Chris admired his girlfriend, she had been through so much, but was still impressed by life’s small pleasures. He felt a foreign feeling of warmth spread through his chest watching her examine the intricate decor and talking to other guests.

He approached her when she finished her conversation with a businessman from Chicago and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Let’s go up to the room and get showered, babe, I want to take you out to dinner. I scored reservations at the restaurant here.” He said proud of himself.

Anna looked back at him excited. “Chris really?” She grabbed his hands. “You treat me too well.”

Chris smiled. “Anything for you.”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chris spared no expense for the room. It was a suite with a living room and a king size bed. Chris went to shower off after the flight while Anna unpacked the luggage.

Chris came out with a towel wrapped around his waist, everytime Anna saw Chris in a state of undress she always felt her heart flutter.

“Take a picture, it'll last longer.” Chris winked at her, which caused her to blush.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, if we didn’t have reservations to get to, I’d suggest having you as the appetizer, but we’re short on time.”

Anna smiled. “Well, I can be dessert then.”

Chris smiled deviously. “I’ll hold you to that Princess.”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Anna wore a Lilly Pulitzer shift dress with a mandarin collar. She loved how it was short enough to show off her legs, but wasn’t indecent. She knew it was a great choice because Chris couldn’t keep his hands off of her.

“You look radiant Anna, you look beautiful all the time but, wow.”

Chris’ honesty made her heart flutter, she felt like she did with her first husband.

“I guess this southern air is good for me.” She said, fanning herself with the menu. She hadn’t realized how long it had been since she had been in this kind of heat.

“I guess so.” Chris placed his hand on her thigh.

The waiter came over to them and immediately recognized Anna. “Hey, didn’t you used to perform at Chuck’s club? I wondered where you went!” He said enthusiastically.

“I did actually, but that was a while ago,” Anna tried to sound casual.

“You were really good! Are you still doing it professionally?”

She smiled sadly. “No I don’t perform anymore, I just appreciate the art offstage now.”

The waiter frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that.” He took their drink orders and left.

“You didn’t seem too excited when he mentioned he knew you, you should be proud.” Chris said, taking her dainty hand into his.

“It’s kind of complicated, especially after the Travis situation,” she spoke quietly, avoiding his gaze.

Chris felt genuinely sad; usually he would feel anger in this situation, but he hadn’t realized how much the Travis situation had crushed her spirit.

Chris gently squeezed her hand assuringly, trying to offer whatever comfort he could.

They ate their meal in peace, Anna laying out the details of how they were going to spend their week.

“We’re going to go fishing on Tuesday, then we’re gonna cook out at dad’s house. He wanted to see your skills on the boat.”

The skin around Chris’ eyes crinkled as he smiled, “See my skills? So now it’s a competition.”

“I’ve been bragging about you, he’s just curious.”

“Curious? Sounds like he’s sizing me up.”

Anna rolled her eyes. “My brother is a lawyer, he hates fishing, my dad is probably excited to bond with another man.”

Chris looked at Anna with surprise. “You have a brother?”

Anna took a deep breath, “Half brother, he’s much older than I am.”

“I take it you aren’t close.”

Anna swirled the liquid in her martini glass before taking a large gulp. “He has different…values than I do.”

Chris grimaced. “What do you mean?”

“He hated that I did burlesque at a gay bar, hated that I moved in with my first boyfriend right away and was PISSED when I joined the BSAA.”

“He has a lot of opinions about you, what about Brigid?”

Anna laughed humorlessly, “Brigid doesn’t even talk to him. They have disowned each other.”

“Damn.”

Anna just nodded silently.

Chris quickly changed the subject. “So are you going to show me your old stomping grounds? The night is young and you look beautiful.”

Anna smiled a toothy grin. “I guess I should. The club should still have happy hour by the time we get down there.”

They left the restaurant to walk to the street where all the bars and clubs were located.

Anna hadn’t realized how much the nightlife scene had grown since she was here last.

Immediately outside knocking boots Anna was recognized by an old friend, Julie.

“Oh my god is that who I think it is? What the hell are you doing down here? I thought you moved to the big city!” Julie flicked her cigarette onto the sidewalk and nearly tackled Anna. She was a makeup artist during the day and a bartender at night; in Savannah, it was common for creative people to have multiple jobs for socialization.

“Julie it’s so good to see you, your makeup looks amazing as always.” Anna hugged the woman tightly.

Julie flipped her platinum blonde hair, she had black stiletto nails and blush up to her temples. Chris thought she looked like a witch in a good way.

Anna turned to Chris, “This is my boyfriend, Chris Redfield.”

Julie’s jaw dropped. “Boyfriend? You’re dating again? You and Michael were so perfect for each other, I didn’t think…” she then smiled and took her hands in hers. “Anna, you have no idea how happy I am for you.” Julie turned to Chris. “Take care of her okay? She’s very dear to a lot of people.”

Chris smiled and shook Julie’s hand. “I promise,”

Julie returned Chris’ sincere smile and the group went down to the basement bar. Julie was in the process of opening it up and called down other staff members that knew Anna to catch up.

Anna was cozied up at the bar with her old friends, while Chris was talking to the doorman.

“Chris is a complete 180 from Michael.” an older queen said. “He was a total finance bro,” the queen looked at Anna. “God rest his soul, he was a sweet man, he gave you whatever you wanted. I remember when he surprised you with annual passes to DisneyWorld because you mentioned you wanted to go. He was too good to be true.”

Anna smiled sadly. “I know it, he doted on me completely. I remember when we first started dating, anytime we went into a store and I said something was pretty, it’s like he would wag his tail. He’d always ask, *Do you want it Anna? I’ll get it for you!” She reminisced fondly.

She quickly turned to look at Chris, she didn’t want him to feel like he was second best.

Chris kissed Anna’s temple gently. “I wish I could take you to DisneyWorld every month like Michael did.”

Anna hugged him. “We were really young when we did that, plus we only lived four hours away. We didn’t have the responsibilities that you and I share now.” Anna sighed.

Chris still felt guilty. She deserved the world.

“Chris treats me so well, he insists he pays all the bills even though I have a pretty good job.”

Chris smiled, “You need your money to stay beautiful and happy for me babe.” he kissed behind her ear causing Anna to blush.

“Girl, how’d you win the man lottery twice?” Crystal said. “I bet he gives amazing massages, you think he’d give me one?”

Amerie chimed in, “Girl you are so thirsty that man don’t want nothing with you. That's Anna’s man you are talking about.” She said taking her long nails to flip her long hair around to accentuate her words.

The familiar banter made Anna laugh. Chris excused himself, squeezing Anna’s hip.

Crystal just rolled her eyes, “I’m just saying he cute or whatever Amerie,” She looked at Anna. “Listen girl, we seen you on the news. That psychopath who took your pictures? Girl I know your man TORE his ass up. You’re a local celebrity down here, the bar has never been busier, reporters are shady but they do get the public interested, and it’s good for business.”

Anna’s face paled. She hadn’t realized people would be affected down here because of what happened. It made sense it was a major national scandal.

Amerie saw the way Anna’s face paled and put her arm around her shoulder.

“Don’t worry girl, we got your back, we ain’t said shit to those reporters about you girl. We told them to get the hell up outta here or I woulda bust them upside the head and that’s the truth.”

Anna hadn’t felt true sisterhood like this in a while. “I love y’all.”

“We got you boo!” Crystal accentuated by *booping* Anna’s nose, making Anna cackle in response.

“Crystal girl, did you smoke without me?” Amerie whipped her long black hair around to face the other queen.

“I’m sorry, it helps with my creative process. I couldn’t wait.”

Anna missed the bar life, she used to partake in “smoking” before shows, they would bond over sharing a blunt in the alley and dancing till morning.

She started to mourn her old life, she wouldn’t be caught dead smoking in an alley, hell, with reporters sniffing around here she should have probably been more careful with showing her face around here. She wondered if Chris would judge her for partaking in those activities; hell, he did start off as a police officer before the Mansion Incident that changed his life.

Anna was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt the warm hands of her boyfriend wrap around her waist. She didn’t realize the basement bar was filling up.

“Looks like your man is back.” Crystal waved flirtatiously at Chris. “You better stay a while and watch the show, I’d hate for you to miss my performance.”

Chris wrapped his arm around Anna. “We wouldn’t miss it for the world, would we Anna?” He smiled at her.

Anna smiled, but still felt uncomfortable; she felt self conscious, like she shouldn’t be caught dead here. Were there still people trying to dig things up on her? What about Chris’ reputation?

Amerie picked on Anna’s hesitance and grabbed her drinks from Julie’s bar. “I’m going to need you to keep drinking and coming back drunk and ready to dance.”

Anna smiled. “Alright.”

Chris held Anna by the waist as they made their way up the stairs to the cabaret stage. The show was incredible, and Anna even saw Chris smile at the performances.

Anna stayed a little while to dance with her friends, but she couldn’t get into it.

As the duo walked out of the club, instead of being inspired by the performances, she felt melancholy. She kissed her friends goodbye before promising she’d visit one last time before leaving for New York.

Anna held on to Chris’ arm gently and was silent on the walk back to the hotel, Chris thought this was strange; usually Anna would chirp happily after an event like this.

He wondered what was on her mind.

“What’s up? You haven’t said anything since we left.” He gently grabbed her waist and pulled her close.

Anna thought pensively. “I’m just thinking how much my life has changed…again.” She didn’t look him in the eye, only kept her brown eyes glued to the sidewalk.

Chris slowed them down and gently lifted her chin to look at him and caressed her jawline. Her eyes seemed tired and dull, which concerned Chris.

He pulled her in for a kiss. Sometimes situations didn’t need words to fix, just affection.

-////////////———-/-//://///:;:

Arriving back to the hotel room, Anna quickly went to shower off and joined Chris on the bed.

Chris was on his laptop checking work emails and checking in with the team.

Anna would usually just put her hand on Chris when he would finish up work in bed, or even intertwine her legs with his.

Tonight, she crawled in the crisp hotel linens and turned her back to him. Chris noticed this and closed the laptop. He wrapped his arms around her and began to kiss her neck and face.

Anna giggled as he playfully kissed her.

He turned her to face him. “Anna, what’s wrong? You’re not yourself.”

Anna just lowered her eyes and laid her head on her hands.

“I was informed that the press was coming to the club to ask questions about me.”

Chris raised his eyebrows. “To the little club we just visited? They came to ask questions at that place?”

Anna slowly nodded. “I don’t know why, I don’t know why they're so desperate for news they would even worry about someone like me. I’m nobody.”

Chris sighed. “You’re not nobody.” He rubbed her back gently. “You’re a young woman who is attractive, smart, and not afraid to speak out. You were involved in something incredibly fucked up, people obsess over these kinds of things in our industry.”

“They didn’t have to literally come to my hometown for dirt. What if they ran into someone who hated me? Or someone who didn’t give a fuck about me like Jordie.”

Chris cringed at the girl’s name. “Anna, you can’t keep worrying about things you can’t control, it’s going to make you sick.”

She just turned the other way again. “You’re right, it’s just a hard pill for me to swallow, that's all.”

Chris held her again and nuzzled into her neck. He wasn’t great with words, but he knew sometimes Anna appreciated the silent gestures.

Anna gently backed her bottom into Chris, hinting at what she wanted.

Chris was more than happy to give his girlfriend what she wanted, he gently pulled up her robe, revealing her bare skin.

Chris gently grabbed her hips and kissed down her back. Anna lifted her knees much to Chris’ delight.

“Someone’s excited.” Chris grabbed her hips roughly, massaging her sides.

“I just need you to fuck me until I can’t think.”

Chris was surprised at her words. What happened to his sweet Anna? In the same breath, who was he to deny his girlfriend what she wanted?

“Say no more.” He growled.

He positioned Anna so she was sitting impaled on his cock and his hand around her throat.

Each thrust hit a new depth inside her causing her to squirm and whimper. He made sure to bite her shoulders and her earlobe, careful to not leave visible marks on her neck.

“I want you to beg for it sweetheart.” He kissed her cheek roughly.

“Please Chris…”

“Please what?” His smirk is evident in his question.

“Please cum in me.”

Something primal activated in him, causing him to lay her on her belly and grabbing her hair in the process. He knew he might be causing her some discomfort, at this point he didn’t care, he was going to give her what she asked for.

Chris pushed himself uncomfortably far into Anna, causing her to whine and bite the pillow. He kept himself deep inside of her as his seed coated her walls.

He gently twisted her dark chestnut hair off her back and kissed the nape of her neck gently.

He gently turned her over and held her close. “I’ve got you sweetheart.” He assured her as he kissed her forehead.

Anna laid her head on his chest tracing the scars on his rough skin.

They just stayed in silence as Chris continued to stroke her soft hair, until they both fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Morning came and Anna woke up before Chris. She always would turn off his alarm when she caught it.

It was rare that Chris slept well and when he did, Anna wanted to make sure nothing interrupted him.

She showered, washing off the remnants of last night’s intimacy.

She moved around the room silently and decided to dress in resort dress before going downstairs to hang out in the lobby with the other guests for a little while.

The only people awake at 7:00 am were Anna and an older couple from Massachusetts.

Anna talked to them for a little while, she learned that they had a daughter at the University of Arizona and a son that had just received a job offer to work for Porsche.

Anna didn’t give much information about herself, but they were so happy to meet someone who grew up in the city and asked her plenty of questions.

The interaction energized Anna, and made her feel normal again. The couple was extremely thankful for her own kindness, but she knew they had no idea how much the interaction meant to her.

She grabbed her coffee as the couple left for their early morning golf tee time. Anna went back to the room relieved to see Chris was still asleep; She would have hated it if he woke up alone.

She began putting on some makeup to get ready for the day. She was listening to a podcast with headphones in when she felt a large hand on her shoulder and Chris kissing the top of her head.

Anna took out the AirPod and turned to face her boyfriend.

“Hey handsome, did you sleep well?”

Chris gently pinched underneath her chin, careful to not mess up her makeup causing his girlfriend to smile.

“You’re so beautiful Anna, but yes I slept very well.” He brushed her hair behind her ear. “You didn’t have to let me sleep in, I’m sorry you were alone for so long.”

Anna stood up and brushed her thumb along his cheek. “You looked so peaceful, I know how rare that is.” She winked.

He frowned and rolled his eyes playfully. “Anna, we’re here to spend time together.”

“We are, but that doesn’t mean you can’t relax too.” She cupped his face and planted a kiss on his lips.

Today was the day Chris was going to finally meet Anna’s family. Chris was nervous, he shouldn’t be. Chris meeting his girlfriend’s family should be a cake walk compared to things he’d done; but he genuinely loved her and didn’t want to lose her.

Anna noticed Chris taking more time to worry about his appearance.

“You look great Chris. They’re going to love you.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek to the back of his shoulder.

Chris placed his larger hands over Anna’s delicate ones. They enjoyed the quick moment of intimacy and Anna pulled away to allow Chris to get ready.

By the time they had breakfast and got into the rental mustang, it was 11:00am.

Anna welcomed the southern air and sunshine as they rode to the small island where she grew up on. As they drove through the winding roads surrounded by marsh and river scenes Chris commented on their view.

“I can’t believe you grew up out here, you drove through this everyday?”

Anna nodded lazily. “You know, when you’re a little girl and you don’t know anything else, you don’t realize how lucky you are.”

She felt melancholy, she wouldn’t have the joy of bringing children down here for the summer to play with friends and stay out all hours of the night. They would never experience the magic of sitting on a river bed at night, looking at the stars that were unobstructed by city lights.

“What are you thinking about Anna?” Chris asked as they pulled into the long dirt pathway that led to her father’s home.

“Just reminiscing, that’s all,” she lied.

Chris put his hand on her thigh and stayed silent knowing that wasn’t the case. He also knew he didn’t want to pressure her for any extra information that she wasn’t ready to talk about.

They pulled up to the older home where Anna grew up,it was a beautiful home built in the 1920s, the defining details being the big front porch and floor to ceiling windows in the front. A big German shepherd was lazily sitting on the porch. When Anna stepped out of the car the dog got excited and waddled over to her wagging her massive tail.

“Dixie, it’s so good to see you old girl.” Anna kneeled down and gave the old dog some love.

Chris smiled as he observed his girlfriend interact with the dog.

Dixie was then disinterested with Anna once she saw Chris. She immediately waddled to Chris and laid down on her back demanding Chris rub her belly.

Chris’ felt the soft fur of the dog’s belly. “Dixie has always had a thing for my boyfriends, she was the same way with Michael.” Anna reminisced.

Chris smiled at her, it was a good sign that Dixie was welcoming to him, he just hoped Anna’s father would feel the same way.

As if on cue, a tall, burly man dressed in overalls stepped out onto the porch. He had deep brown eyes, tan skin and jet black hair with flecks of gray.

He smiled a toothy grin before exhaling in a southern drawl; “Magnolia.”

Anna dropped everything to hug her dad. “Daddy I missed you so much.” Anna’s father kissed the top of her head.

Chris felt an unfamiliar emotion seeing Anna interact with her dad. He hadn’t been around his own family in a capacity like this in over 25 years.

Anna quickly returned by Chris’ side and took his hand gently. “Daddy, I want you to meet someone very special to me, this is Chris, my new boyfriend.” Anna’s voice shook a bit.

She was worried people would compare Chris and Michael. It was like comparing apples and oranges, they were two completely different men that loved Anna dearly.

Anna’s dad and Chris stood at almost identical heights. The two men approached each other and shook hands firmly.

“Nice to meet you son.” Anna’s father sized up the hardened military man in front of him. The skin around Chris’ eyes crinkled as he smiled. He was amused at being called “son”; he deduced he probably wasn’t much younger than Anna’s father.

“The pleasure’s mine Mr. Sullivan.”

“At ease soldier,” Anna’s father said jokingly. The man was jovial and lighthearted despite his intense appearance. “Just call me Rob.”

Chris felt himself genuinely smirk. “Will do, Rob.”

Anna smiled seeing the men exchange pleasantries.

Anna’s dad invited them into his house, which was decorated with all sorts of art pieces and other farmhouse antiques from family members.

Chris admired the family photos that still adorned the walls. “Is this you Anna?” He pointed to a picture of a tan, barefoot little girl with a missing front tooth, holding a blue crab proudly.

Anna blushed at the picture. Anna’s dad laughed a full belly laugh. “She loves crabs, she used to catch them all the time when we would go out on the boat. She would beg me and her mom to steam them up.”

Anna blushed harder and Chris smiled at her. “You like crabs huh?”

“She loves em, I never saw a little girl eat so many dang crabs in one go.” Rob clasped his hand on Anna’s shoulder and laughed again.

Anna’s father had a mischievous glint in his eye, one that Anna definitely inherited.

They sat down in the living room where Rob showed off his speaker system he installed himself. “I can play music off of my phone and it plays through the whole house! That’s outta sight.”

Anna cringed as Chris smiled.

“Modern technology is great dad, I’ve remembered you always had a stereo in the house. I guess I get my love of music from you.”

Anna’s dad smiled. “You’ve had a great ear for music Magnolia, I remember when you were little you knew who performed every song we played. It became a party trick.”

“That’s impressive,” Chris said amused. “You never told me that.”

Anna blushed. “I guess I didn’t think it was important.”

The group visited with each other a little bit longer before Lisa, Anna’s step mom came home with the groceries they were gonna cook dinner with.

Lisa couldn’t help but cry when she hugged her step daughter. “She’s home!”

“I missed you Lisa.”

“Oh sweet girl, me and your daddy have missed you tremendously. Do you know how many Sunday dinners your seat stayed empty? I miss your baking.”

Anna just forced a smile, she had a hard time facing how much she missed her old traditions.

“Lisa, I want you to meet my boyfriend, Chris.”

Lisa’s eyes brightened as she saw the handsome mature man. “Oh my.” She said her southern drawl.

“Nice to meet you ma’am.” Chris said, giving her a hug.

“Oh honey, call me Lisa!” She exclaimed with delight. “Anna baby you never mentioned how handsome he was!” Lisa grabbed Chris’ arms. “And strong.”

Anna blushed, “I wanted you to find out for yourself.” She giggled

Anna began helping Lisa put together side dishes in the kitchen, while Anna’s dad invited Chris to the back yard to grill.

Chris and Rob made idle chit chat while together.

“So you’ve been with that organization a pretty long time huh son?” Rob said, flipping the steaks.

“Since its conception, myself and a couple of like minded people came together and founded the BSAA.” Chris said, trying to act casual.

Rob stopped for a moment and looked at Chris. “You’re a founder and dating my daughter?” He raised an eyebrow.

Chris felt taken aback. He then realized how it sounded, Chris was older than Anna and was her superior; he knew it looked bad.

“I’m just messing with you Chris.” Rob put a hand on Chris’ shoulder. “Anna‘a not the type to just be swept up by a man. I remember when she and Michael first got together, she complained constantly about him being so clingy.” Rob laughed.

Chris felt his shoulders relax. Anna’s father was much more relaxed than he thought, now he just had to wait to meet the brother.

30 minutes had passed, and the other members of the family started to arrive.

Brigid was the first to arrive with her fiance Rhett. Anna and Brigid embraced for a long time, Anna began to tear up.

“Oh my god Anna, I know you aren’t crying. Didn’t you go to bootcamp? Wasn’t that supposed to toughen you up?” Brigid complained playfully.

“You would think,” Anna wiped her eyes.

Chris came over to meet Brigid and wrapped his arm around Anna’s waist. “Your sister is a sensitive lady, doesn’t mean she isn’t tough.” Chris said, kissing Anna’s cheek.

“So this is the man we’ve been hearing so much about!” Brigid exaggerated her words.

Chris smiled at Brigid’s sardonic sense of humor. “Yes, Anna talks about you all constantly, I feel like I know you all so much already.”

“Same here, Anna gushes over you when we talk on the phone it’s disgusting.” Brigid said facetiously.

Anna turned red, “Alright, Alright Lisa is waiting for you on the back porch to smoke with her.”Brigid rolled her eyes at her younger sibling. “Is you-know-who coming?”

Anna gulped, already knowing exactly who she meant. “Yeah... and he’s bringing his wife.”

Brigid groaned, folding her arms. “Just know I’m not going to talk to either of them—and I refuse to be nice.”

“He’s your brother too, Brigid,” Anna reminded her gently.

“Yeah, well, that doesn’t mean much when he’s a misogynist prick with a God complex.”

Anna didn’t respond. There was no winning an argument with Brigid. Poking the bear would only make things worse.

She slipped into the kitchen and poured herself a generous glass of wine.
Out back, Chris was deep in conversation with Rhett when he noticed Anna was gone. He wandered inside, didn’t see her, and peeked out the front window—just in time to see a gleaming white Mercedes SUV pull up.

A man stepped out looking like a younger, sleeker version of Rob—clean-shaven, polished, and unnervingly smug. He wore a blue-and-white checkered button-down, khaki pants pressed to perfection, and designer loafers that probably never touched real dirt. He looked painfully out of place at the humble family home.
Chris felt overdressed in a collared shirt and jeans—this guy looked like he was headed to a country club brunch in Beverly Hills.

The man walked around to open the passenger door for a tall, tan woman in a flowing red and white gingham dress. She was the picture of magazine motherhood—slim, manicured, and too perfect.

Chris shook himself. Stop analyzing. Just be polite.

He approached with a smile. “Hi, I’m Chris Redfield—Anna’s boyfriend. You must be her brother?”

The man looked Chris up and down like a tailor measuring a suit, pausing at his boots and slowly working his gaze up to his face.

“Yes. Jackson Sullivan, Esquire,” he replied, adding the title as if it were necessary. He gestured with a grand flourish. “And this is my stunning wife, Vanessa. Can you believe she just had our son? Barely a mark on her.”

Oh God, Chris thought. He’s worse than I imagined. Did Anna warn him about him? He genuinely couldn't remember.

Chris’s eyes drifted to Vanessa, who was struggling to unhook a bulky baby carrier from the back seat while Jackson adjusted his cuffs and checked his reflection in the side mirror.

“Let me help you with that,” Chris said, stepping in before Jackson could notice—or care.

Vanessa looked up, relieved. “Oh, thank you! This thing’s a beast.”

Chris peeked inside the carrier and softened at the sight of the sleeping baby boy.

“He’s beautiful. What’s his name?”

“Greyson Joel Sullivan,” Vanessa said proudly, beaming.

Chris smiled. “Big name for a little guy. Is he going to be a lawyer like his dad?”
Vanessa giggled, but Jackson interjected before she could respond.

“Of course he is. He’s going to go to the University of Georgia Just like his dad. Success is in his bloodline. He won’t need to wait tables or dance in clubs like some people.”

Chris’s jaw tightened. The dig was so blatant it practically echoed off the house. But he said nothing. For now.

He carried Greyson inside while Vanessa grabbed the diaper bag, Jackson strode in on his phone answering a "very important" text from one of his associates.

The moment Anna saw Vanessa, her face lit up.

“Oh my God, Nessa!” she squealed, throwing her arms around her.

The two women hugged tightly while Chris gently placed the carrier on the floor. Anna bent down, beaming at the baby.

“Well, it looks like you met Mister Chris before you met your favorite auntie,” she cooed.

“Do you want to hold him?” Vanessa offered.

Anna’s whole face lit up. “Yes! Let me just wash my hands.” She practically skipped to the sink.

Chris stood back, watching her cradle the baby like he was spun from glass. Her joy was infectious—it made his heart swell.

Back outside, he grabbed the forgotten case of Sam Adams from the Mustang and headed to the backyard.

Rob and Rhett were chatting with Jackson, and the tension in the air was immediate. Rhett looked like he was using all his willpower not to roll his eyes.

“Hey Rob,” Chris said, holding up the case. “I hope Anna was right—you still like Sam Adams?”

Rob’s face lit up. “Hell yeah! That’s my favorite.” He laughed, grabbing a bottle. “It amazes me sometimes, all the stuff she remembers. You’d think with everything she worries about, she’d forget what kind of beer her old man drinks.”

“She even got me this fancy-ass Yeti cooler for Christmas. Took it on the boat. Then I looked up the price and damn near fainted. Told her she didn’t need to spend that kind of money on me.”

Chris smiled. “She loves you. Talks about you all the time.”

Rob beamed with pride. “Yeah, I raised a pretty good kid.”

Meanwhile, Jackson stood silently, his eyes calculating.

“So,” he said, finally speaking, “how’d you meet my little sister, Chris? Are you the same Chris Redfield who co-founded the BSAA?”

Chris shifted slightly. He could already smell the arrogance behind the question.

“Yeah. We worked together on an assignment, stayed in touch. There was a connection—we started seeing each other after that.”

Jackson smirked, swirling his bourbon. “Didn’t the age difference bother you? I mean, you’re what—ten, fifteen years older?”

Rob shot his son a warning glare. Watch it.

Chris stayed calm. “It’s unorthodox, sure. But we have a lot in common. She’s lived a lot. Been married. I've been engaged. She’s grounded, mature.”

Jackson’s eyes narrowed, intrigued. “Oh? Engaged? And what happened there?”
Chris exhaled slowly. He knew this would come up eventually. “It just didn’t work out.”

Jackson didn’t miss a beat. “Are you sure you’re over her? Was she as young as Anna?”

Chris clenched his jaw. Rob stepped in, his voice cool but firm.

“Come on now, Jackson. You’re not in a courtroom litigating a case. Chris is a good man and good to your sister. That’s all that matters.”

Thankfully, Anna came outside, sensing the tension like a radar.

“Hey, Jackson! Good to see you,” she said, giving him a hug.

Jackson returned it stiffly. “You’ve lost some weight since I last saw you. Chris worried about your physique?

Anna’s face fell for a split second before recovering. She wrapped her arm around Chris. “Of course not. He treats me like royalty. We’ve just been working out a lot.”
Jackson’s eyes moved between them, unconvinced.

“Come inside, honey,” Anna said quickly to Chris. “Lisa’s daughter and the grandbabies are here.”

Chris was more than happy to escape.

Inside, Anna introduced Chris to her stepsister, Janna, and her husband Daniel, a primary care physician. Janna was sweet and grounded, and their four-year-old daughter Leila was clutching a stuffed pig tightly to her chest.

Anna knelt to her level. “And who’s this little friend?”

Leila shrank back behind her mom’s leg, peeking at Anna from behind the fabric.
It had been so long since Anna and Leila had seen each other that the little girl acted shy, nuzzling her face into her mother’s skirt.

“Oh no, I’m sorry,” Anna said softly, crouching down a little. She looked up at her stepsister. “I didn’t mean to scare her.”

“Oh, Anna,” Janna whispered, brushing it off. “She’s just going through a phase. I’ve gone back to work, and little miss is adjusting to preschool.”

Anna nodded, her expression understanding. She knew Leila adored being with her mother—change was always hard on little ones.

Chris stepped in gently, crouching to the child’s level. “I like your pig. What sound does a pig make?”

Leila’s eyes lit up as she let out a delighted “oink oink!” The room burst into light laughter.

The women drifted to the screened-in back porch while Leila stayed with her dad and Chris.

Daniel and Chris got along instantly, chatting across the table while Leila crawled right into Chris’s lap. Anna peeked back inside and smiled, heart full at the sight of her niece showing off her beloved stuffed pig.

As Chris and Daniel traded stories—military missions and medical school—Leila chimed in about her future ambitions. She couldn’t decide whether she wanted to be a princess or a veterinarian.

Chris beamed. “Well, I know you’ll be amazing at whichever you choose, Leila.”

Meanwhile, on the porch, the women got down to girl talk. All eyes turned to Anna.
“So, any plans on getting married?” Janna teased. “I mean, Chris seems like serious husband material. And honestly? He’s giving major dad vibes.”

Vanessa chimed in with a nod. “He helped me get Greyson out of the car without a second thought. Didn’t know us from Adam and still jumped in. That’s rare.”

Anna gave a bittersweet smile. “He would be a great dad. But… I don’t think children are in the cards for us. You all know how hard it was for me with Michael.”

Vanessa reached over and patted Anna’s thigh. “You know it’s all in God’s plan, Anna. His timing is perfect. He knew your time with Michael would be short.”

Anna folded her arms around herself instinctively, shrinking in her seat. Only Brigid noticed how deeply uncomfortable her sister looked.

Brigid cleared her throat sharply. “Anna, let’s go set the table. Dad’s almost done with the ribs.”

Anna rose like she’d just been rescued. “Yeah—good idea.”

Chris, sensing the shift, excused himself from the table and intercepted her in the dining room.

“Hey, babe.” He kissed her cheek and gently cupped her face. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“I’ll tell you later,” she said quietly. “Right now, can you help me set the table?”

Chris hesitated at her distance but nodded. She handed him the silverware while grabbing plates from the pantry. They worked in silence, tension clinging to the air until Anna broke it with a whisper.

“I’m sorry I’ll never give you a family like Janna’s or Vanessa’s.”

Chris blinked, blindsided. “Where is this coming from, Anna?”

She looked at him, eyes glossy with unshed tears. “That I won’t be able to have your children. We’ll never have a little Greyson or a Leila to fill our home.”

She sat down heavily, covering her face with her hands. She was tired of crying.
Chris immediately sat beside her, rubbing her shoulders.

“Baby,” he said softly, “I have you. That’s enough. You and I are a family, okay? Just us.”

Anna hugged him, burying her face in his neck. “Thanks for reminding me. It’s just hard, seeing everyone so happy… And you’re so good with kids, I feel nothing but guilt.”

Chris frowned. “Just because I’m good with kids doesn’t mean I need to be a dad. I love having the freedom to take care of you after a mission. You’re my reason to come home.”

Anna’s lip quivered. He was just so good to her. They embraced tightly before returning to set the table.

Soon, the rest of the family gathered in the dining room. Anna helped her dad finish things in the kitchen, while Leila made herself at home in Chris’s lap.

At the table, Brigid and Jackson sat across from each other, actively ignoring one another. The air between them was arctic.

Anna returned with bowls of sides while Rob brought in the ribs. Leila stood sweetly between Anna and Chris, leaning her head on Anna while munching from her plate.

When Greyson started fussing, Jackson let out a loud, exaggerated sigh. Vanessa, mid-bite, reached for the baby—but Jackson didn’t so much as flinch.

Anna noticed Vanessa struggling and stood to grab the bottle.

“Damn, Vanessa, couldn’t put down the rib to grab Greyson?” Jackson muttered snidely. “We’re here to celebrate Anna.”

Brigid snapped her head toward him like a loaded cannon. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

Jackson recoiled in mock offense. “Language, Brigid! There are children present!”

Brigid scoffed so loud it echoed. “Don’t pull that sanctimonious crap with me.

You’re sitting there acting like a damn king while your wife just had a baby and you won’t even lift a finger. The way you treat Vanessa is disgusting.”

“Y’all, cut it out,” Anna said firmly as she fed Greyson his bottle.

But Brigid wasn’t finished. She turned to Anna, voice rising.

“You haven’t seen it, Anna. Jackson treats Vanessa like crap, and no one says anything. I don’t even know how we’re related! Our mother would’ve—”

Jackson slammed his fist on the table, silencing the room. “Oh, our mother? You mean the woman who destroyed my parents’ marriage?”

Brigid stood, fire in her eyes. “You mean your crazy-ass mother who made that story up because she knew she was the reason your father left?!”

Rob rose abruptly. “Enough! This is ridiculous! Your sister is finally home, and her boyfriend is here. Do either of you realize how much you're embarrassing her right now?”

Jackson, ever eager to double down, turned to Chris. “Speaking of her boyfriend... You know Anna’s first husband died in a bioterror incident. If you really cared, why would you keep risking your life, knowing you might not come back?”

Anna felt the world tilt. She looked to Chris, who had gone stone-still.

“I would never leave Anna,” Chris said through clenched teeth. “I do everything in my power to make it home.”

Jackson sneered. “Don’t you think Michael said the same? And look at him. Dead. Gone. And what’s left? My sister, chasing danger like she’s got something to prove. What kind of man lets the woman he loves do that?”

Anna stood, trembling with rage. She handed Greyson to Vanessa with shaking hands.

“How dare you talk about Michael like that?” she said, tears spilling down her cheeks. “And how dare you belittle Chris? You have no idea what it’s like to lose everything and have to rebuild your life. Chris has been my rock.”

She sobbed harder, and Chris didn’t hesitate. He guided her out of the room, protective instincts in overdrive.

Outside, he cupped her face gently. “Hey. Hey, baby,” he whispered, wiping her tears with his thumbs before pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.
Anna collapsed into him, face buried in his chest. Chris rubbed her back in slow circles.

“What Jackson said… about Michael—that was beyond wrong. Michael never would’ve gone if he knew. But life doesn’t play fair. Sometimes awful things happen to the best people.”

He tipped her chin up so she was looking into his eyes.

“But you… You give me hope, Anna. You’re the reason I come home. You’ve saved me more than you know.”

“Chris…” she whispered, placing her hands over his.

They were interrupted by the sound of the porch door creaking open. Rob stepped outside.

“You okay, Magnolia?” he asked, gently rubbing Anna’s back.

Chris kept an arm around her waist, protective but respectful.

Rob looked at him. “I’m sorry about my son. He’s… always been protective of Anna. Especially after what happened. But he went about it the wrong way.”
Chris nodded. “I get it. I raised my younger sister, so I understand the instinct. But that doesn’t make it okay.”

Rob raised an eyebrow. “No wonder you take such good care of my Magnolia.” He chuckled, easing the tension. “Anna, you must be cooking him something special to keep a man like this around.”

Anna finally cracked a smile, and Chris’s chest eased with relief.

They went back inside the home to see that Jackson and his family had left without saying goodbye. It didn’t make Anna feel any better.

She took a deep breath and sat back down, poking at her food.

Chris wrapped his arm around Anna’s shoulders. The night finished without event.

Anna and Chris drove back to the hotel in silence. Chris could tell Anna was still shook up. He was upset that this trip was turning out to be more of a disappointment than something fun for her.

When they got back into the room Chris began to playfully kiss her and pin her on the walls. He was trying his best to elicit a giggle or some other emotion than sadness.

While Anna took off her makeup and started texting Lavish about what happened, Chris grabbed the bottle of champagne he was saving, and ran Anna a bath.

Anna thought Chris was taking a shower and walked into the bathroom, but was delighted to see he was running the bath for them both.

Chris gently undressed her; rather than a sexual manner, he was gentle and soothing. They sat in the tub together, Anna’s back to Chris’ chest. He loved being close to her, he wasn’t much of a talker, but loved physical affection.

Anna slowly felt the tension in her muscles dissipate, as Chris kissed her neck and caressed her. She slowly fell asleep on him, making Chris smirk. He was thankful she was finally able to relax around him, that she truly felt safe and comfortable in his presence.