Disclaimer : Resident Evil and all of it's characters belong to Capcom. This story is simply fiction, and is only for entertainment.

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Genre : Angst/Family

Same Ol' Situation

"And please remember...
That I never lied,
And please remember...
How I felt inside now honey,
You'll get on making your own way,
But you'll be alright now sugar,
You'll feel better tomorrow..."

--Raccoon City, September 27, 1998--

A man who was obsessed with his work. That was how many who knew William Birkin on a personal level would have described him. William himself would probably have agreed to a certain extent, but there was only three people, including himself, who knew different. The sandy-haired scientist had spent many nights engrossing himself in his work in a brightly lit, underground lab, located more meters than he cared to count below the surface of Raccoon City. That was where he held the position of head researcher. It was where he was currently fine tuning his life's work, the G-Virus. And it was there on those glossy white tiles, and under those blinding white, florescent lights that William, alongside his wife Annette and other researchers, developed some of the most grotesque creations that ever stepped foot on the Earth. William and Annette viewed them as failed experiments, while others, such as Albert Wesker, viewed them as powerful bio-weapons. And as such, William and his family had to live with that horrible secret. If nothing else, the only regrets William had about his job requirements was the fact that he couldn't spend nearly as much time with his twelve-year-old daughter, Sherry, as he would have liked. There had been too many nights under the bright lights of the experimentation labs, or studying notes in his dimly lit office that could have been better spent tucking his daughter into bed or reading her stories. She was growing up too fast, and every minute not spent with his daughter was another minute that drifted away in the breeze, causing William to miss more and more of Sherry's childhood.

The bright sunlight and chirping birds were a stark contrast to the underground laboratory where William was stationed at ninety-nine percent of the time that he was awake. It was a cool day, not too hot, but not too cold. The gnarly branches of several oak trees served as decent shading, blocking most of the sun's rays from piercing the tan Suburban. William smiled, watching a couple of raucous squirrels chase each other around the base of a particularly thick oak tree, before rocketing up the branches and zig-zagging out of sight. As crazy as it might have sounded, William couldn't help but compare the carefree squirrels to himself and Annette in their youth. Back in collage, when life was simpler. Umbrella complicated so many matters. With a sigh, William turned his attention to the large building in front of him. He was resting in the parking lot of the Raccoon City Middle School, anxiously waiting to see Sherry bound down the steps.

The sandy-haired scientist stifled a yawn with the back of his hand and rubbed his weary eyes. He looked absolutely dead tired, which was made evident by the dark bags that sagged under his eyes. No doubt attributed towards the infinite hours of work that he had poured into the creation of the G-Virus. William smirked bitterly, thinking of the thing that had taken over his life. True, it was a scientific breakthrough, possibly the biggest scientific breakthrough of the twentieth century, but he was beginning to wonder if it was even worth it anymore.

Of course it's worth it...this is my life's work. The personal gratification alone is worth it, not to mention the barriers we'll break and the history we'll create.

At any rate, William decided that now was not the time to lose confidence in his work. After the amount of energy that had been sapped directly from his own body, it had felt like he had poured not only his time, but his heart and soul into the G-Virus project. The ash-blonde's thoughts were cut short when the shrill sound of a bell ringing filled the air. Almost instantly, the double doors at the front of the school burst open, and dozens of children piled out, laughing and running away from the building as if they never thought they'd see daylight again. After a few moments, and the initial rush of happy kids had dissipated, Sherry and a few other children walked out slowly. William couldn't help but smile when he saw his little girl and the other kids exit the building. It was children like them, William decided, that would probably be the true future of America, or possibly the world. The sandy-haired scientist watched as Sherry smiled and waved to her friends and then turned, her eyes scanning the parking lot for her ride. A slight twinge of pain hit William's heart when the twelve-year-old's eyes passed right over his tan SUV in search of what was presumably the familiar blue Ford Escort that belonged to Melissa, the nanny and caretaker that Umbrella paid to attend to his daughter and house when he or Annette couldn't. Which, apparently was too often. William honked the horn of his SUV, garnering Sherry's attention, and waved. Sherry's face immediately lit up in excitement when she saw her father, and she sprinted towards the Suburban, unhindered by the heavy books in her backpack. She hastily tugged the door open and piled in, hugging her father tightly.

"Daddy!" Sherry cried happily, clutching her tired father. William smiled again, enjoying every second of his daughter's hug, and allowed her to pull away when she was ready. The twelve-year-old pulled her seat belt on quickly and beamed up at her father, as he affectionately brushed her hair back with his hand, giving her a few pats on the top of her head when he was finished.

"How was school sweetheart?" William probed, feeling his energy return. If anything could inject a little life back into the weary scientist, it was undoubtedly his family. He never realized before just how much he counted on Sherry and Annette to keep him going, but he found out shortly after beginning his work on the G-Virus.

"What are you doing here daddy?!" Sherry questioned, ignoring her father's question in her excitement. William grinned and shifted the vehicle into drive, applying light pressure to the accelerator with his foot. They were soon back on Raccoon City's streets, driving safely back to the Birkin house.

"Well Sherry, I talked to my superiors earlier...and, I pulled a few strings. A long story short, I managed to get me and your mother off of work tonight." the ash-blonde man answered, casting a quick glance to the extremely intelligent young girl. Sherry's eyes widened in disbelief for the second time that day, and she almost squealed with joy.

"So that means..? You and mom can come to my dance recital tonight?" the twelve-year-old asked with a hopeful tone, motivating a smile to flicker on William's face. He nodded, carefully keeping his eyes on the road before him.

"Really? You mean it?" Sherry inquired again, a slight tone of skepticism in her voice. It didn't go unnoticed by William, who couldn't help but lightly cringe. Sherry had every right in the world to doubt her father, but that didn't stop the pain that he felt when she did. William was just as sick of letting his daughter down as she was, if not more.

"I promise you...there's nothing in the world that can stop me and your mother from watching you from the front row." he replied soothingly, directing the SUV into the driveway of their house. It was strange to William how different and foreign his own home looked to him sometimes. As he slowed the vehicle to a halt, he looked over at Sherry, who was grinning widely and visibly bubbling with elation. Chuckling softly, William cut the engine to the Suburban, and exited the SUV, his daughter mimicking his actions. Instantly, the ash-blonde man's eyes traveled to the spot where his wife's vehicle should have been. His blue eyes narrowed at the vacant spot, and he frowned to himself. But, his frown soon disappeared as Sherry clutched his hand and led him towards the front door of the house. When they reached their destination, Sherry looked at William expectantly. The sandy-haired scientist simply smiled in response and fished a key out of his pocket and inserted it into the locking mechanism. With a simple twist of his wrist, the door was unlocked and the father and daughter entered their home. William instantly knew that something was wrong when he noticed that all of the lights in the house were off.

No William...you're just being paranoid. There are hundreds of different possibilities for where Annie could be...she might have just went to the store for something. So let's not jump to any rash conclusions just yet...

No sooner had William placed his keys on the hook near the door did the phone begin to ring. The ash-blonde sighed, rubbing his tired eyes again as Sherry bounded upstairs. He slowly made his way towards the kitchen, and picked up the receiver when he was within distance.

"Hello?" William answered, waiting for the person on the other line to respond.

"Will? Take three guesses where I am." the familiar voice of Annette replied. Judging by the tone of his wife's voice, she wasn't happy with her current situation. And the thought of where she possibly and probably was infuriated William.

"I know that if you say hundreds of meters below ground I'm going to be pissed..." he offered, dark thoughts forming in his brilliant mind. Annette simply sighed, confirming her husband's suspicions.

"And...me...do they...?" William trailed off, not wanting to audibly speak his fears. Annette remained quiet, instantly knowing what her husband meant without him having to finish his sentence.

"No, not tonight Annie. I can't come in tonight" he spoke softly, peering into the living room to make sure that Sherry hadn't wandered back downstairs. The front room remained as quiet as it usually was, with no sign of life in sight.

"You know if I had my way, I wouldn't be here either." Annette declared soothingly, obviously as exasperated with the situation as he was. The only difference was she was managing to remain calm, whereas William felt his blood begin to boil. Then again, that was one trait of his wife's that he simply loved, as it tended to keep him grounded. It would take an awful lot of stress to break Annette down.

"The fact of the matter is, we have some new added pressure. They want the project completed within the next week." she continued resentfully, being very careful not to let any key words or names slip whilst on the telephone.

Oh you have got to be kidding me...

"Look, I want to finish...the project just as much as the next person, but pressuring us isn't going to help matters. And the fact-..." the sandy-haired scientist trailed off, casting another cautious glance towards the empty living room.

"And the fact that they decided to call us in on the only day off we've asked for in months is complete bullshit." he finished, lowering the tone of his voice considerably.

"I know Will...I tried to tell them, but...you know how demanding they can be. I don't want to miss Sherry's dance recital anymore than you do. We both know how much it means to her, but what else can we do?" Annette pondered, secretly hoping that her husband had thought of a way out of the situation. And hopefully it was one that she hadn't already tossed around her own head dozens of times. However, when William sighed in defeat, Annette lost all of her previous hopes.

"Fine...I have no idea what I'm going to tell Sherry, but I suppose it wouldn't be the first time I crushed her heart..." William muttered bitterly, resting his forehead against the wall, next to where the phone hung.

"I'm sorry honey...but Sherry will understand. She's a smart girl after all...she takes after her father in that aspect." Annette added thoughtfully.

"Don't forget her mother." the ash-blonde included, a light smile having formed because of his wife's efforts. Annette chuckled softly at William's comment, and he could only guess that she was holding her hand to her mouth politely, as she always did. Yet another of her countless traits that he loved.

"Well anyway...you'd better hurry. We can't begin work until you arrive." Annette proclaimed quietly. William sighed softly again, closing his eyes.

"Yeah, you're right. I guess I'll see you in a little while then." he agreed, wondering how his daughter would react when he would tell her of the schedule change. He cringed at those thoughts, dreading the moment that would be coming very soon.

"Alright then...I love you honey." Annette answered.

"I love you too Annie...see you soon." William replied, hanging up the receiver. He held his position by resting his head against the wall for a few more moments, before frowning and rubbing his eyes again. He turned to see Sherry standing in the entrance of the kitchen, conflicting emotions plastered on her young face.

"You're not coming...are you?" she asked in chagrin, gazing at the floor. William also found his eyes focusing on the floor's surface at his daughter's question. They both remained silent for what seemed like an eternity, before Sherry finally spoke up.

"But...you promised...you promised me!" she protested angrily, with tears threatening to spill out at any moment. Without hesitation, the sandy-haired scientist carefully walked towards the young girl. When he was close, he knelt down on his knee to bring himself to his daughter's level. Her eyes were already watering in disappointment, a sight that simply shredded William's insides and broke his heart. Oh how he hated to see his little girl as upset as she was.

"I'm sorry sweetheart...truly I am. If there was any way that I could be there tonight, I would. But, you see...they really need daddy to work tonight." William began in a low, comforting voice. He wrapped his arm around Sherry's shoulders, pulling her closer.

"B-...but you said there was n-nothing that could stop you and m-mommy from coming..." she sobbed lightly, recalling her father's words that he had spoken earlier. He lowered his head miserably for a moment, trying to think of any possible way to make up for his absence tonight.

"I know honey, but...I only have a week left on the project that I'm working on, at the very most. And after that, I can spend much more time at home. And mommy can too...just a little longer, and we'll be a family again." William explained, trying to gauge his daughter's reaction. From what he could tell so far, she wasn't about to calm down anytime soon. Sherry still refused to look in her father's eyes, choosing instead to stare mindlessly at the white and blue tiles on the kitchen floor.

"I don't believe you..." she responded sadly, turning and pulling from her father's grasp. The twelve-year-old exited the kitchen, leaving a bewildered William empty handed. After shaking his head, he stood up and made his way to the kitchen's entrance and spotted Sherry sitting on the couch, silently glowering. The blonde man sighed and returned to the kitchen, grabbing the phone and quickly dialing a number.

This is great...my daughter hates me. As far as she's concerned, I'm an untrustworthy liar. Damn Umbrella...

After inputting the number, he hung up. Melissa would arrive shortly to watch after Sherry and fill one of the two front row seats that William had reserved at his daughter's dance recital, but there would still be the empty chair beside of her. He had no doubt in his mind that their nanny would quickly arrive at his house, as Umbrella paid her handsomely to make sure that she would be remain constantly alert to appear on short notice if she was paged, no matter the time. William once again made his way to living room, noticing that Sherry hadn't bothered to move from her spot.

"Melissa should be here soon sweetheart. Will you be alright by yourself until then?" the ash-blonde man inquired gently. The young girl didn't answer, or even really acknowledge her father's presence in the room. Her eyes were still puffy and red from crying, and from the way that she was hugging her knees to her chest, she looked like she just wanted to be left alone. But, she didn't really need to answer anyway, as William and Annette had left her by herself plenty of times before. It was really nothing new to her, and even if she was very intelligent and mature for her age, it didn't justify their actions. William knew this very well, and the bitter resentment that he felt for Umbrella just continued to grow higher with each day. He walked towards the front door slowly and reached for the keys that were resting on the hook near the entrance.

"I'm very sorry that I let you down...I love you very much Sherry. I'll be home as soon as possible." William reassured quietly, exiting his house. His mixed emotions of guilt, sadness, regret, animosity, exhaustion, and downright outrage were wearing his nerves thin. And there was one corporation that was completely at fault for the situation that they had thrust him in to. William entered his vehicle, angrily slamming the door behind him.

Umbrella...it always been Umbrella. They ask for so much, yet offer so little.

He inserted the key into the ignition and started his SUV, muttering angry curses as he pulled out of his driveway and began speeding down the street. After all, it wasn't like the Raccoon City Police would do anything to stop him. "Chief" Brian Irons was as crooked as a question mark, and as dumb as one to boot. Just another expendable pawn to Umbrella's little game.

"Not me...and not my family. I'll be damned if they take advantage of us anymore." William hissed softly to himself. As he rounded a corner, getting ever closer to his destination, a light bulb suddenly went off in the brilliant scientist's head.

"That's it..." he murmured dreamily, wearing a large smile. If Umbrella wanted the G-Virus completed soon, it would be. As a matter of fact, William decided at that very moment that he would finish up tonight, no matter what. And once he truly put his mind into something, he couldn't be stopped. Especially with Annette assisting him. Yes, the G-Virus would be completed tonight. And if Umbrella thought that he would simply give it to them, they had another thing coming. After everything he'd sacrificed to create it; his daughter's trust, his time that could have been better spent with his family, his energy and all of his brain power...the G-Virus was in a sense, the very essence of William Birkin. It was a part of him now. William smiled again, knowing exactly what he'd do. He would turn the G-Virus over to the United States government, and get a huge reward. He, nor Annette would ever have to work again, and they could spend the rest of their days on some tropical island living the good life as the family that they should have been. He'd found a way to make it up to Sherry. Almost giddy with anticipation and new found energy, William laughed and sped faster towards his destination. There was history to make tonight...and a family to unite once and for all.

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God I hate my writing. Sorry if this seems rushed or off in any way lol. I honestly don't know where I got the idea for this oneshot...it just kinda popped into my head for no reason like all the rest of my ideas. Besides...the Birkin family deserves some more love! Hardly anybody writes them as a family, or even humans with emotions (mainly William....), so...maybe that's where the spark for this came from. Anyways, the chapter name is a song by Mötley Crüe, and the lyrics used in the beginning are from the song Don't Cry (Original) by Guns N' Roses. *Yawns* Sorry, I'm tired...

So yeah...sorry for the shortness too. That was another issue. And hopefully my friend MA-121 (aka William's biggest fan lol) likes this...if so, it's dedicated to her lol. If not...disregard the last sentence...XD