Author's note: If you've played it in the game, or have seen it in your TV screen, then you know that it ain't mine.

Resident Evil: "The Valentine Legacy"

Prologue:

                The baby's cries echoed in the spotless, white delivery room. "Congratulations…it's a healthy baby girl." Announced the middle-aged surgeon as he tenderly handed the child to a nearby nurse. She gently wrapped her around a green blanket, and with the biggest of smiles, passed her to the mother. Jill Valentine had tears in her green eyes, fatigue was still clear on her face, but she didn't care. Chris Redfield was by her side; his face was just as elated as hers. He was the only other color in the room, save for the blanket, as he wore a red polo t-shirt and a pair of slacks.

"She's so beautiful…" Jill whispered to Chris as she cradled the baby in her arms.

"What's her name?" Chris asked the woman, who seemed to be in a deep euphoric trance. "Uh…how's…Heart? Heart sounds nice."

"…Heart sounds perfect."

"…"

"I'm a dad." Chris finally blurted out, hovering his finger over the baby's now peaceful face. Heart gave a small moan, and reached out, her hand softly grasping her father's finger. Only the three of them seemed to exist in those golden memories. Time stopped and hearts melded as the couple stared lovingly at the child bore out of their love.

                Sixteen years had passed since that moment in the delivery room, as both Chris and Jill were already in their late thirties. On the other hand, it has been a eighteen and a half years since they managed to defeat Umbrella, as well as the HCF, after setting them to war against each other, and attacking full force right in the middle of the madness. Sixty-eight people were arrested for illegal research, sedition and murder. No less then three thousand people were put out of their jobs. "It's better than losing their lives."

                There was of course, still some hostility towards them, they who destroyed the very companies that the whole world itself grew so dependent on. Some praised them however, but those some were few. People looking for vengeance, people looking for solace, and mostly people who wanted their grief to subside. "It's a part of us now."

                The agents of survival did not think of the aftermaths of Umbrella and HCF's ultimate oblivion. Who would? There where undead humans, they shot them. There were hunters, lickers or the like, they slay them. There were Tyrants and gigantic mutations; they blasted them to hell with everything and anything they could get their hands on. It was as simple as that. Anyone would have the right to do so. Most of everyone does want to stay alive. "It's the only thing that could have been done."

                Between the travesties budded relationships and brotherhood; through the darkness there came the light, the hope, that in each other they could find their way. And they did. All of them. Unspeakable horrors haunted them through the prime of their lives, but its fruit was an undying passion to never let life go by. Chris and Jill will never let life go by. And this is their story.

Chapter 1: "Intrinsic"

                Heart Redfield watched the Esjay Lake reflect the golden sunlight as she sat among the tall grass. Her long, brown hair flew to her side because of the soft winds that blew. She was an epitome of beauty, with soft, tanned skin and sparkling green eyes. She had her mother's nose and chin, while she carried her father's courage and determination. Heart wore a red and pink, horizontally striped tank top, and a pair of blue jeans.

A young man stood beside her, he had chestnut hair that was slightly curled on the ends and reached down his neck. He had ghostly pale skin, and like Heart, dazzling green eyes. Mark Levant Hal was a young man of eighteen, just two years older than the woman he loved. He wore a loose, v-neck green shirt and khaki shorts that reached his knees. The young man kept both hands in his pockets as he stared into Esjay. Past the deep waters and into the horizon could be seen the mountain range that was once known to be Arklay, but is now just a nameless tribute to time. It was amazing to see the sun peek out from behind those massive trumps of earth and stone. 

"Mark?"

"Yeah?" he responded, looking down to find Heart leaning her head on his waist.

"…Amazing how…we all picture tomorrow as…a place full of chrome skyscrapers and flying cars…"

"…Yeah?" he gently moved down and sat beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"You know, the people from mom and dad's time actually thought that we'd have space colonies in, like, Pluto by now."

"…Looks like nothing really changes from the past."

"Yeah…well, they have that pre-cognitive thing going on."

"I don't think that went well."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh."

"Too bad."

"…Mark?"

"Yeah?"

"The chest pains…they're getting worse." She told him, making him turn and stare at her with worry.

"You said that…they were gone…"

"I…didn't want mom and dad to worry."

"Heart…"

"I've been flunking my subjects…I get into a lot of fights…mom and dad are already knee deep in problems because of me and…"

"But they're your parents. It's our jobs to be juvenile delinquents and its their jobs to set us straight…come on Heart, this may be bad…"

"I…don't tell them, okay?"

"…Heart…"

"Mark, I told you this because… I trust you."

"And I'm saying this because I love you. Tell them."

"…"  

                Jill Valentine was one of the lucky few people whose features were not eaten away by age. She was still so radiant, so perfect, that flowers shied away at the sight of her.  The ex-officer was practically a celebrity to most women in the world, a symbol of strength and equality. To most men on the other hand, she was eye-candy, and they were right. That also made her husband, Chris, one of the luckiest men on Earth. Like his wife, he was also a hero, one of the few men who charged into the mouth of hell and emerged alive. Also like his wife, age did not hinder his features as much as it did other people, most probably because he always kept his body in check.

                As all most people prefer, they lived in a ranch just outside the city, beside a beautiful lake that stretched far and wide. Two dust roads stretched down and converged by a somewhat triangular area where a simple, but relatively large house was. Blades of grass grew taller as they stood farther from the house itself. The house was made of two floors, and was shaped like an "L" with a longer side that was nearer to the roads, and a shorter tail side that faced the lake. Brown hardwood made up for the establishment, something that Chris and Jill had always wanted.

                The area that faced the lake was the lounge room, with a glass partition that spanned two floors. It was their living room. They had a perfect view of the lake and the mountain range from there. On the wall adjacent to the glass wall was a brick fireplace, and opposite that was a set of Corinthian leather seats and a sofa. A Persian carpet of red and gold was laid in the middle of the living room. Wooden, but polished floorboards made up for most of the ground. 

                Jill and Chris spent their time in silence, sitting on the sofa. They had a golden retriever sleeping peacefully by their feet. It was like a portrait of a perfect marriage, with Jill leaning her head on Chris' right shoulder as they held hands under a comfortable silence. Chris wore a long-sleeved black shirt and a pair of grayish slacks, while Jill wore a red blouse and blue denim pants.

"Is Heart with Mark again?" she asked him.

"I think so. They've only been together since forever."

"…Heart's too young for something like this."

"But it's summer love."

"…What?"

"Nothing."

"She'll be headed for college by June, she doesn't need this kind of distraction."

"If I remember correctly, we were fighting ten-foot mutations and it was this kind of distraction that kept us alive." Chris whispered to her ear.

"It was you or the tyrant."

"Uh-huh."

"The tyrant blew up so I'm stuck with you." She joked at him.

"Now that's harsh." He replied with a chuckle.

"Hmm, I think I'd better start fixing dinner."

"So…"

"If I hear any innuendo from you mister, you are sleeping on the couch."

"Not a word."

"Check up on the kids, will you? Make sure that they're not…making out or something."

"Sure thing, my queen of the night." He said with a mock salute.

"I'm serious."

"Don't stereotype the kids. Not every teen-ager is a walking hormone bomb."

"Yeah, right."

"I wasn't."

"Liar."  

                 Heart and Mark made their way to a small atrium just near the lake, out of view from the house's living room. It was a round, white construction that had five arc-shaped beams going up and converging into the center. The beams weren't too narrow, nor were they too wide. A wooden bench ran along each beam, save for an entryway that acted as the only entrance or exit. Glass made up for the space that was not occupied by either beam or bench. The entry way was a tall, arched opening. In a way, it looked more like a small green house than anything else, as it was Jill's own contribution in the architecture.

"…Listen, I can take you to the doctor, and they won't have to know." Mark suggested as they sat down. They still held each other's hand. "You know how expensive that is…" Heart replied.

"Well, I've been working since I was fifteen…"

"…Stoneville hospital is directed by Rebecca Chambers, a personal friend of my parents. Nothing happens in that building that she doesn't know about."

"We can't just…"

"I'm not having strokes. For all we know, it may just be…heart burn from eating so much."

"But you're a vegetarian."

"…Right…" 

"Maybe you should eat more." He retorted jokingly. Heart had a thin frame that made her look like a model, something definitely inherited from her mother. "…You should definitely eat more."

"…" Heart just smiled and looked down onto the wooden floorboards. Something then caught the corner of her eye as she shifted her line of sight to her boyfriend. Chris was headed their way.

"…My dad's here." She whispered just as Chris rounded the atrium as to reach the entrance. Just as he did, mark slipped a few inches away from Heart innocently.

"Dinner's going to be ready soon." Chris quickly announced just as he peered through the entryway, shifting his gaze from daughter to lover.

"Good afternoon Mr. Redfield." Mark greeted.

"It's a minute past six." The elder man then reminded.

"Oh, good evening Mr. Redfield."

"Actually I lied, it's quarter."

"Dad!" Heart interrupted.

"What?" Chris responded with a slight laugh.

"Okay, okay, we'll go to dinner." Replied his daughter.

"We are?" Mark then asked.

"Yes, you are. We insist." Chris then added.

"Uh…"

"Mark says yes." Heart chided.

"Yes."

"Okay. See you two in the house?" Chris asked.

"Sure." Both the kids then replied at the same time.

                Chris then waved at them, bidding farewell as he went back to the house in a carefree manner that didn't seem possible when tied to the events of the past. He put his hands in both his pockets and strode through the there neatly trimmed grass. Chris had a child-like essence to him, something that a good number of fathers lack now a days.

"You're dad's a cool guy." Mark said as he watched the ex-soldier disappear into the distance.

"…Yeah, he is, isn't he?" Heart responded with a smile. She held her chest, once again feeling a rhythmic, pulsating pain that was like a knife that kept on stabbing her chest. "What's happening to me?" she thought to herself as she stood up. "Let's go inside." She offered, trying as best as she could to hide the pain that pounded all over her body. "…This has to stop…"  

Author's note: I hope you got interested in that. In case no one has figured it out, the thing in Heart's chest isn't exactly natural. This may span more than ten chapters, which is my usual count. The Moonlight Mile and In the Bedroom inspired this story, with the latter being one of my favorite movies of all time. Of course, I'm not following their stories, I'm making my own, and I hope the readers would enjoy.