Notes:- Here we are people! The final chapter of The Facility Aftermath! Thanks to everyone who has read this story and extra thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review it!

The Facility Aftermath

Chapter Eight

A terrible flashback to his night in Raccoon hit him. Rounding a corner in those disgusting, vile sewers to find this very woman standing there, her gun raised. Without any warning she fired at him and the bullet hit his left shoulder. He cried out in pain and she ran away. He could still feel the bullet's hot kiss as he heard her footsteps thunder away. But how could it be? She'd died that night. He'd seen it happen before his very eyes. She'd made him promise to tell Sherry that she loved her…

"Annette"? He choked out when his words finally returned to him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Chris' confused expression.

"An-Annette was my mo-mother's name" The woman replied nervously. Her hands were trembling visibly.

"Oh my god. Sherry"? Leon immediately dropped his gun. Of course it was Sherry. He hadn't seen her for years and when she invaded his thoughts, she was still that twelve-year-old girl he'd rescued from Raccoon. But that was years ago. She was a grown woman now, well into her twenties. Her eyes widened in surprise when she finally realised who he was.

"Leon"? She was looking nervously at Chris who still had his gun raised, albeit not as tensely. Her blue eyes held a mixture of fear and surprise. "What are you doing here"? She sounded a lot like her mother when she spoke and the physical resemblance was spooky.

"I could ask you the same question" He replied. He moved forward, wanting to pull her into his arms. He'd heard nothing about her since she'd been taken from him and although he'd tried to find out, he'd always been told that she was no longer his concern. He felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder, yanking him backwards, he turned around to see Chris' face set hard, his mouth a grim line.

"Hold on a second" He ordered. "This is a lovely reunion and all but she works for Wesker" His gun was still pointed at her head. Leon knew Chris had a point. Sherry wasn't actually his family, she had no real reason to be loyal to him and she could easily be a threat, just as her mother and father had been. Despite this, Leon still wanted to tear the gun from the older man's grip. "You need to start giving us some answers" He directed the remark at her, as cold and unyielding as he'd been with Ada back in Africa. Chris was right to be suspicious, Leon knew that. It was just hard to fight that protective instinct he had towards Sherry. In his mind, just as she'd always been, she was still his ward.

"W…what do you want to know"? She asked, her eyes not leaving Leon's, almost as if she couldn't believe he was actually standing there. Her hands were still trembling violently and she looked as if she wanted to burst into tears. Enemy or no, she was only a young woman and she didn't deserve to be treated this way.

"Chris, stop it" He commanded forcefully. Chris glared at him in disbelief. Leon chose to ignore it. "She's obviously terrified," He pointed out. "If she was going to try anything don't you think she would've done already" Not wanting to hear any argument Chris might have, he turned his attentions back to Sherry. "He does have a point though," He said gently. "Why are you here"?

"I've been here for years" Sherry replied, swallowing hard. "Albert brought me here after I graduated early from college" She explained, her hands still in the air. "He said he had some important work for me to do. He said he was sorry for what I went through and that he needed my help to make sure nothing like Raccoon City ever happened again. He set me up here and gave me my own lab-"

"Are you blind"? Chris snapped, so suddenly and harshly that he made her jump.

"Chris"! Leon chastised.

"Do you have any idea what he's doing you stupid little girl"? Chris fumed. "He's not preventing another outbreak! He's encouraging one"! Leon knew what Chris was doing. All of his anger about their situation, about his infection, was coming out. Sherry, to him, represented the face of Wesker's work and he needed someone to direct all of his anger at. Leon opened his mouth to try and calm him down but Sherry got there first.

"I know that" She said levelly. She started to drop her hands and when Chris didn't argue, she carried on. "Contrary to what you've just assumed, I'm not a stupid little girl" She said it as confidently as she could, even though she was still shaking. "It didn't take me very long to work out what he was doing. I have relative freedom at this facility. He doesn't really interfere with my work or oversee in it any way. I'm supposed to be developing the Plagas Virus for him. He claims that he needs it to operate at its maximum potential to destroy any remaining G or Veronica creatures. I know that he's planning to use it on humans to create an army"

"How did you end up working for him in the first place"? Leon asked.

"Albert's my godfather" Sherry admitted. "He was good friends with my father and they worked together for years. He'd always promised to look after me should anything happen to my parents" She looked at the ground. "When…when you went away I didn't have anyone…He paid my college fees and supported me throughout the course. He gave me an apartment to live in with a couple of college friends. He gave me money which he claimed came from my mother and father's personal savings but I was never too sure. I'd always wanted to go to college and even though I had my reservations about him he was the only way I could achieve my dream," She explained.

"I didn't want to leave you Sherry" Leon replied. "Trust me. I didn't have a choice, they never gave me a choice…"

"I know" Sherry nodded. "He tried feeding me lies. He told me that you'd chosen your career over me, that I was your little project that enabled you to play the hero. I never believed him," She explained, offering him a small smile. "I know you weren't like that"

"They wouldn't let me see you. Or even tell me where you were" Leon replied, feeling almost as if he was on the verge of tears. For years Sherry had haunted his thoughts. It was very rare that a day would go by without him thinking about her and how she was. It had hurt so much when they'd been torn apart from each other, almost as if he'd lost a family member. Every single year he sent her a birthday card. It was silly. He never addressed it. He didn't know the address. He'd just written her name on the envelope and put it into the post box. There was something about going through those motions that eased his pain a little.

Chris watched the exchange, feeling as if he'd been pushed to the sidelines. He could understand the happiness and probable relief that Leon was feeling at seeing Sherry again but the situation was making him feel a little uneasy. They were standing in the middle of one of Wesker's facilities! Sherry was his goddaughter! She was obviously also very intelligent. What if this was all another one of Wesker's traps? They hadn't come this far and through so much to fail at the last hurdle.

"So if you knew all along that was he's been doing is so bad, why the hell didn't you get out of here"? He suddenly demanded, ignoring the filthy look that Leon shot him.

Sherry opened her mouth to explain but was cut off when Leon started to cough. Chris forgot all about watching her and turned his attentions to his lover. Leon had slumped against one of the counters, clutching his stomach, his coughing becoming increasingly more violent. Chris was at his side in an instant, grabbing hold of the younger man's hand and rubbing his back at the same time. He felt Leon lean into him as the coughs and convulsions wracked his body once more. Blood flew from his lips, spotting the floor and spattering Chris' arm and uniform.

"Oh god…" Chris heard Sherry gasp and, just like him, she rushed to Leon's other side. Leon gasped, frantically sucking in air as he tried to explain that he was ok. "Help me get him over there" Sherry ordered, nodding her head towards a small gurney in the corner of the room. Chris nodded and wordlessly helped her move Leon, slowly and carefully, over to the gurney.

"Fine…" Leon gasped. "Don't…worry…"

"Shut up" Chris said firmly as he helped Sherry get Leon into a comfortable position on the gurney.

"How long has he been infected"? Chris was suddenly aware that Sherry was speaking to him. Her eyes were full of concern but also a steely determination. Even though he wasn't sure whether or not he fully trusted her, her look gave him hope.

"Not long…" Chris replied. How long had it been? He felt as if they'd been chasing Wesker forever.

"Plagas Virus…" Sherry was muttering to herself as she grabbed some tissues for Leon to cough into. "Egg's already hatched…"

"Is there something you can do for him"? Chris asked. Leon was clutching his hand so tightly; his knuckles were beginning to go white. Chris wiped the younger man's sweaty fringe away from his forehead and kissed the clammy skin. When he moved away, he could see the fear in Leon's blue eyes.

"We can…trust…her…" He said in between coughs. The tissue in his free hand had become saturated with blood. The red liquid stained his partner's lips and chin. Something needed to be done. He trusted Leon's judgement implicitly. If he deemed Sherry to be trustworthy then Chris was just going to have to learn to trust her too, despite his reservations.

"Leon"? Sherry was back at their side. "I've got something that can help you" She put her hand on his shoulder. "I developed an anti-virus for the Plagas…" She explained as Leon nodded.

"Give it to him then"! Chris demanded. Leon's coughing fit seemed to have dissipated and the younger man was now slumped onto the gurney's thin pillow. His face was horribly pale and little beads of sweat had gathered on his forehead. His eyes were dull with pain and it was obvious that he was struggling to focus on what Sherry was saying.

"There's a problem" Sherry replied irritably. Chris had to admire her confidence. She was still a young girl, a little slip of a thing and here she was giving him attitude. Maybe he'd misjudged her. "I haven't tested it on a human subject or when the egg is fully hatched like yours obviously is" She continued. "What I'm effectively saying is that I don't fully know what will happen if I give you the anti-virus. I can guarantee that it will kill the Plagas but what I don't know is what side effects you'll experience and how painful it will be," She sounded apologetic and Chris felt himself warming towards her. From the way she was speaking and the concerned way she was looking at Leon, it was obvious that she cared for him a great deal.

"But you'll still give it to him right"? Chris asked.

"If its what he wants" Sherry said with a nod. "I have some basic medical equipment here in the lab that I can use should he arrest or fit but I don't think either one of those outcomes is very likely" She turned her attention back to Leon. "I'm hoping that the most it will do is make you vomit or possibly briefly lose consciousness"

"It's worth the risk" Leon said quietly. His eyes met Chris'. "What do you say"?

"Damn right" Chris replied confidently. He didn't like the idea that Leon might suffer in any way but a little puking or passing out would be a lot better than a lifetime of servitude to Albert Wesker. "I'll be right here for you"

"Of course you will be" Leon smiled despite the obvious pain he was in. "You're annoying like that"

Chris nodded but couldn't help the fear that slowly crept up within him. Sherry was busy at her desk, obviously readying whatever it was she needed to administer the anti-virus. Chris kissed Leon's sweaty forehead once more and gave his hand a quick squeeze before walking over to the desk.

Sherry was bent over it, opening a small, gold, circular shaped locket. Inside the locket was a tiny vial, which was, Chris assumed, the anti-virus. Seeing Chris' shadow fall over her desk, Sherry quickly turned around.

"Albert would never find it here" She said by way of explanation.

"You won't-" Chris started. His mouth had suddenly become horribly dry. He swallowed hard and tried again. "You won't, let him…die will you"? He finished quietly. He hated showing any kind of vulnerability to a stranger; particularly one who was so closely linked to Wesker but the fear of losing Leon far outweighed something as trivial and silly as that. He looked over at Leon, who was still laying prone on the gurney, his eyes closed. He looked utterly exhausted. "If he dies…"

"He won't die" Sherry cut him off quickly. She turned her attentions back to the small vial, extracting its contents using a hypodermic needle. When the syringe was full, she tapped it a few times to let out any air and carefully placed a cap on it. "It's ready" She took a small first aid kit from one of her desk drawers and walked back over to Leon who, upon hearing their footsteps, opened his eyes. "Are you ready"? She asked gently.

"Born ready" Leon replied, smirking at Chris.

"But are you ready now"? Chris finished for him. He knew what Leon was doing. He was trying to ease the situation by messing around. Only, Chris had never felt less like laughing in his life. They were effectively going into this blind with no idea of what the consequences might be, despite Sherry's apparent confidence.

Chris watched as Sherry opened the first aid kit and started to wipe a patch of skin on Leon's arm with an alcohol wipe. The dirt, blood and sweat that had collected throughout their time in Africa and Antarctica came away, staining the pad a horrible grey-red colour. The patch of skin looked alarmingly bright and pale against the filthy skin that surrounded it. Chris looked down at his own arms, realising for the first time just how dirty they both were. He resolved to take a very long bath when they returned home, preferably with Leon in the tub with him. That was, of course, presuming that Leon made it home.

"Stop it" Leon's voice jolted him back to reality. "Stop thinking the worst" He ordered, almost as if he'd read Chris' mind. He let out a quiet hiss of pain as Sherry gently sunk the needle into his upper arm.

Chris felt as if time had completely stopped. He waited with baited breath for some kind reaction. Judging by Sherry's intense expression, she was feeling the exact same way. Leon lay back on the gurney, his eyes closed.

Finally, after what felt like an age spent fretting and feeling stupidly scared, Leon vomited. He managed to lean to the side of the gurney so that the vomit spewed onto the shiny tiled floor. It splashed onto the toes of Chris' hiking trainers. It was then that he noticed the colour. Chris, for better or for worse, considered himself somewhat of an expert on puke. He'd spent enough of his life with his head down a toilet bowl after a heavy night's drinking to know what was normal and what wasn't. He'd seen some interesting kinds in his time, like the bright blue puke he'd had after chasing a few shots of some blue coloured spirit. What was coming from Leon's mouth however, was far from normal and far from something to boast about later to the guys in the bar. Leon's puke was an unnatural greenish-white colour. The slightly acidic, bile-like smell seemed stronger than normal too.

Sherry snapped into action, quickly locating a small basin and bringing it over for Leon to use. He nodded gratefully as he retched and heaved, vomiting over and over again. Chris stood by his side, gently rubbing his partner's back. He felt a strange mixture of concern and relief. It was obviously a huge relief that Leon hadn't lost consciousness but at the same time, it was concerning that he was vomiting so much.

"I think…I'm done…" Leon said after a few moments of dry heaves. Sherry offered him a water bottle and Leon sipped from it gratefully, occasionally swilling the water around his mouth and spitting it out into the bucket.

"How do you feel"? Sherry asked. It was then Chris noticed that she had hold of Leon's hand and was gently stroking it. If Chris needed any more convincing of how much she truly cared for him then that was it. He offered her a smile and she smiled back at it despite her present concern for Leon.

"Shaky…" Leon answered, taking one last hit from the water bottle before handing it back to her. "But all things considered…not too bad"

"So the anti-virus has worked"? Chris asked eagerly.

"Hopefully" Sherry replied. "The only way to know for sure is to perform a scan. I don't have the necessary equipment here unfortunately"

"It's alright," Leon said reassuringly. "I agreed to this knowing that there were no certainties"

"I'd feel happier if I knew for sure" Chris grumbled. He was staring at Leon, desperately looking for any signs of the godforsaken virus still being there. He was pale, but then, Leon was always pale. He didn't look as ill as he had done just a few moments ago but that seemed to happen after an 'attack'. "If that thing is still in you then we need to find out as soon as possible," He said, nodding to confirm his own thoughts. "We need to get you home"

"God, home sounds good right now" Leon replied. He held out his hand and Chris took it as he slowly and carefully got to his feet. He swayed slightly but quickly regained his balance. He turned his attentions to Sherry. "And you're going to come with us right"?

"I…I can't leave" Sherry said. "He never said as much but I've always been given the impression that I don't really have a choice when it comes to my being here" She swallowed hard, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "I know that he sees me as nothing more than a valuable commodity because of my intelligence"

Leon felt a horrible churning in his stomach that he knew had nothing to do with his recent dose of anti-virus. Sherry might've grown up and gotten her college degree, but the person who was standing in front of him now looked horribly like the scared little girl that haunted his memories of Raccoon City. He wanted to gather her up in his arms and just hold her, like he had done during those first few nights when they'd holed in some horrible motel at the back of beyond just after the incident. She'd suffered terrible nightmares back then, waking up in the middle of the night, crying out for her mother and father, babbling incoherently about the various monsters they'd encountered. He'd been there for her, running into her little bedroom in the middle of the night, hugging her as she sobbed relentlessly against his chest. He was all she had in the world and he'd struggled to create some sort of normalcy for her. The government had granted him temporary custody and given him time to get his life sorted before sending him to Basic Training. So he'd dipped into his savings and found a small apartment in Washington. He'd done his research and found a good therapist who'd agreed to meet with Sherry once a week. He'd enrolled her in a local school and made sure that he was always there to collect her when the school day finished. He kept busy, for both their sakes, filling weekends with activities like bowling or going to the movies and that one time they'd gone miniature golfing. The higher ups in the Government had promised him that he would be granted full guardianship of her and, for all intents and purposes, be her foster father.

But then he'd been called to Basic Training. He'd arranged for his brother and his wife to look after her whilst he was away. Only the government had lied. The goodbye he'd given her when he left for Basic Training had been the last time he'd spoken to her. She didn't go to his brother's place. He didn't know where she'd gone. She was torn from his life just like that. He was ordered to forget her; she was no longer his concern. She was being looked after and that was all he needed to know. Any attempts he made to find her or contact her were thwarted. He'd thought about her every day since.

"I won't let him hurt you," He said gently. He reached out for her hand and she took it. He could feel her trembling. He was aware that Chris was watching them carefully but no longer seemed to be wary of her. Using this as his confirmation, Leon pulled her into a tight hug. "You understand that he has to die"? He felt her nod against his shoulder. She was no longer that little girl. He couldn't chase away her demons as easily but, just as he had been all those years ago, he was determined to rescue her. "He's too dangerous to be kept alive"

"I can help you" Sherry broke the hug and took a step backwards, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her lab coat.

"Do you know where he is"? Chris asked eagerly. Leon felt the older man give his hand a quick, reassuring squeeze.

"He might be in his private quarters" She replied. "That shutter that you probably saw before you came in here, that leads there. I have a copy of the card key" She hurried over to her desk and pulled a small silver key out of her pocket. She unlocked the bottom drawer and quickly located what looked like a blank silver credit card. She handed it over to Leon who looked down at it in confusion.

"You're not coming with us"? He asked.

"Leave the shutter open and I'll follow" She replied. "I've got something to help you but I need to go and fetch it"

"Then we'll wait" Leon said adamantly, ignoring Chris' exasperated sigh. "We'll wait here while you go get it"

Sherry shook her head.

"He probably already knows that you're here" She nodded at the card key. "You need to go after him before he gets the chance to escape. He's got all sorts of creatures here that he will unleash if he leaves. I'll be ok. I know my way around here"

"She's right Leon" Chris interrupted. "We need to get moving. I don't know about you but I'm done chasing the psycho around his fucked up facilities"

Leon still had his reservations but he knew that both Chris and Sherry had a point. They'd already spent too much of their lives chasing Albert Wesker so now they'd been presented with the perfect opportunity to end things once and for all, they had to take it. For the greater good, he told himself with only a hint of bitterness. Something he'd been fighting for most of his adult life. Sherry was an adult now. She could handle herself and like she said, she knew her way around the place. They weren't in Raccoon City now, strangers to the hallways of the Police Station. He took a deep breath, fighting down whatever internal argument remained before nodding in agreement. He slipped the card key into his pocket.

"Let's go"

"See you soon" Sherry said, giving his hand a final squeeze. Obviously thinking that Leon was about to change his mind, she hurried off towards a door in the corner of the room. Now that she was gone he really had no choice but to keep pressing on until they found the man responsible for all of this.

They made their way back to the shutter and quickly located the card key machine. Leon slipped it into the slot and a row of lights above the shutter slowly turned green. The shutter started to open smoothly and it was only half way up when Chris moved forwards and ducked under it. Leon followed close behind, a horrible sense of foreboding invading his senses.

And he was right to be worried. They'd just stepped into a massive room, akin to the size of a small aircraft hangar. The floor was made of grey tiles and the walls that sickening sterile white colour. There were two doors along the back wall, one of which presumably led to Wesker's private quarters. Above them was a gantry that encircled the room and above that, a steel grey ceiling that looked as if it opened up. Leon wondered if this actually did serve as a hangar, probably for Wesker's private aircraft, the gantry designed to make it easier for any maintenance work to be carried out on the fuselage.

A door slammed suddenly, startling them both. A loud clacking of boots on the tiled floor echoed around the room. Simultaneously they turned their attentions to one of the doors along the back wall. Wesker was walking towards them, slowly and deliberately, the arrogant predatory smile across his face. He was dressed entirely in black, a black fitted top with tight black leather pants and black boots ending just below his knee. His black shades hide his eyes as usual and his blonde hair was slicked back.

"Going for the bondage queen look are we"? Chris taunted, his voice a deep growl, full of hatred.

"Christopher" Wesker said smoothly, as if he'd just noticed they were standing there. "I really think such a comment is unnecessary" He continued to stalk forwards. "I think, given the current circumstances, that such a description would be more suited to you don't you think"? His smirk widened. "I would have never taken you for a homosexual. Although" His head turned to regard Leon. "I must admit you have chosen a pretty one" He opened his mouth to continue but whatever he said was drowned out by a shot from Chris' shotgun.

"I've had with you" Chris snarled as Wesker easily dodged the shell. "Never did know when to shut the fuck up"! He fired again and Leon joined him, both of them firing off shots as quickly as they could. Wesker dodged each bullet and shell easily, using his inhuman speed. He kept smirking throughout, a condescending and patronizing twitch of his lips that told them they were wasting their time. Chris obviously thought so too. Without any warning, he dropped his shotgun and rushed Wesker, colliding with him and nearly knocking him off his feet. Wesker recovered quickly and kicked Chris hard in the knee causing the older man to cry out in pain. As he stumbled backwards Wesker punched him hard in the face. Chris, still stumbling, responded by spitting blood in his face. Wesker snarled and Leon used his momentary focus on Chris to line up a perfect headshot. He was about to pull the trigger when Chris was back on his former captain, punching him in the side of his head.

"Chris! What the hell are you doing"? Leon called out. "I could've shot you"!

"Yes Chris" Wesker said, the smirk back on his face. "What are you doing? Surely you don't think that just because you've pumped your body full of steroids you're a match for me"?

Chris responded with another punch, a hard right hook that Wesker easily dodged, coming back quickly with his own right hook, connecting perfectly with Chris' ribs.

"Pathetic" Wesker snarled as Chris reeled back. This time he didn't give Chris any time to recover. He moved forward gracefully and backhanded him across the face. Blood splattering across his black leather glove as Chris' lip split. He followed up with a swift knee to the older man's stomach.

This all seemed to happen in seconds and Leon found himself torn. He knew that he couldn't shoot because there was a danger he would Chris. Rushing Wesker himself wasn't a good idea because he didn't have Chris strength. He frantically looked around for something he could use as a weapon but the only thing that looked remotely useful was a fire axe encased behind some glass.

Chris was on the floor now, blood smeared across his face. Wesker was standing over him, laughing to himself. He moved like lightening, one hand grabbing hold of Chris' thick neck and hauling him to his feet and then a few inches off the floor so he dangled. He moaned with pain at the movement, struggling in Wesker's vice-like grip. Wesker started to squeeze his neck; Chris' kicks became more desperate as he was effectively choked. Leon resisted the urge to panic. He needed to act and he needed to act fast. He grabbed his combat knife and, with the deadly accuracy that had gained him fleeting fame at Basic Training, let it fly. The silver blade sunk into Wesker's left shoulder causing the twisted man to cry out in pain. He released his grip and Chris crashed to the floor. Wesker turned round quickly, his gaze turning to Leon.

"Pesky rat" He spat, making no movements to extract the knife from his shoulder. "How about I make you kill your precious boyfriend hmm? Make you choke him with your bare hands whilst he pleads with you? Then when he's dead, how would you like me to release my control over you so you can admire your work"?

"Do it" Leon said with a shrug. There was a brief flicker of doubt in Leon's stomach. He was taking a big risk. If Sherry's anti-virus didn't work and Wesker could still control him, he didn't doubt that the ex-S.T.A.R.S captain would make him kill Chris. Wesker was grinning at him, obviously relishing the situation. Behind him, Chris was slowly attempting to get back to his feet.

Wesker opened his mouth, no doubt to command Leon to attack when he suddenly jerked forwards, almost as if he'd been hit in the back. There was a brief look of confusion on Wesker's face as he whipped around to see who'd hit him. He snarled when he discovered the perpetrator. Leon followed his eye line and saw Sherry standing on the gantry, a large rifle in her hands.

"It's sedative"! She yelled out, catching Leon's eye. "It should slow him down-"

Leon watched in horror as, in a matter of seconds, a thick, slimy black tentacle shot out of Wesker's shoulder and wrapped around the railing of the gantry. With an inhuman cry of rage, Wesker hauled the railing, rocking the gantry. Sherry let out a scream of terror as the rifle fell from her hands, narrowly missing Chris' head. Leon shot at Wesker's tentacle but to no avail. Just like the beast back in Spain, the bullets merely bounced off its slick skin. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Sherry frantically trying to remain on her feet as the gantry rocked and swayed dangerously. He looked to his left and saw Chris aiming the rifle at the flailing tentacle.

But it was all too late. With one final, co-ordinated tug from the tentacle, Sherry lost her balance. A blood-curdling high-pitched scream seemed to reverberate around the entire hangar until it was silenced by a sickening crunch.

Leon had watched her fall. Unable to tear his eyes away from his former ward's fatal fall. She'd landed on her head, her entire body weight forcing her neck to snap. Her lifeless body slumped to the ground, her head a mess of blood and gore, splattered across the pristine white tiles. A scream caught in Leon's throat and stayed there, unable to escape as he stared at her body.

He'd turned his gaze to Wesker who was slowly curling the tentacle back into his body. A new, intense rush of hatred invaded his senses. Everything this man had put him through, put Chris through and put Sherry through flashed before his eyes in glorious Technicolor. White hot rage clouded his vision as he ran forwards, focussing on the knife stuck in the blonde man's shoulder. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he yanked the silver blade from the man's flesh and tried to dig it straight into his neck.

Despite the effect of Sherry's sedative kicking in, Wesker was still quick. Leon felt the blow to his ribs and tried to ignore the pain as he sunk his knife into the closest part of the monster's body he could get to. Wesker hissed in pain as the silver blade dug into his forearm. The black tentacle began to rise from his arm once more but this time, it appeared a lot slower. Leon seized his opportunity and slashed at it, causing a spray of blood to fly across his face before he was thrown to the ground.

"The virus…you killed it" Wesker's words meant nothing to him. All he could see was Sherry falling, over and over again, hearing the brutal sound of her neck snapping. With a cry of rage he stumbled to his feet and lashed out again, catching the bastard across the face.

If this was going to work he was going to need something bigger, something more immediate. He remembered the axe as Wesker's well aimed kick caused him to crash to the floor once more.

There was a flash of green and a cry of 'Bastard!' as Chris suddenly leapt onto his former captain's back. His own combat knife, something more akin to a machete was in his right hand and slashing out at the tentacle just as Leon had done. Wesker snarled and flipped the older man off. Leon heard Chris' body connect with the tiled floor and he was sure that he'd heard the crack of a broken rib. But Chris was back on his feet, rushing Wesker again and this time managing to land a savage right hook that sent the former S.T.A.R.S captain reeling.

Leon used this opportunity to get back to his feet as Chris went in for another attack. The savage ballet continued with Chris throwing punches and Wesker throwing him to the ground, his senses and reactions now obviously delayed.

Leon's hiking trainers squeaked on the tiles as he ran for the axe. He deliberately kept his gaze facing the opposite way to Sherry's corpse. He couldn't think about her now or he might break down. There would be days, weeks, months in which to mourn her and celebrate her last act of bravery but for now he had to focus on ridding the world of the beast that was Albert Wesker and ensure her death, like all the ones before her, were not in vain.

He reached the glass cabinet and, grabbing the barrel of his magnum, he used the heavy grip to smash the glass. He quickly looked over his shoulder to see Chris landing another blow to Wesker's jaw before Wesker brutally backhanded him to the ground. A siren started wailing loudly, a sudden and loud clanging followed by a torrent of water. He'd obviously activated the fire alarm and sprinkler system when he'd smashed the glass. Another look over his shoulder and it appeared that neither Chris or Wesker had noticed. They were now locked into a tussle with Chris trying to take Wesker down and Wesker trying to haul the man off him, his shoulder tentacle leaking blood and flailing wildly. Leon wrenched the axe from its hangings, careful to avoid the jagged glass that still littered the frame and ran back to the fighting men.

Chris looked at him in confusion for a moment but quickly recovered as Wesker's tentacle tried to wrap around his neck. Water continued to pour from the ceiling sprinklers and was beginning to pool on the tiled floor. Leon took a big swing with the axe and felt resistance as it collided with the back of Wesker's knee. Wesker howled with pain and crumpled to the floor, the tentacle whipping around in a frenzy. Blood spurted from the wound, mixing instantly with the pools of water collecting on the floor. Chris was on Wesker, trying to pin the struggling man to the floor by his shoulders. He nodded at Leon who took another swing, this time bringing the heavy blade down right across the writhing man's eyes. The dark glasses crunched and shattered. A viscous clear liquid burst forth from his eyeballs, mixing with the blood that was running in rivulets down his face. He screamed in pain, his writhing growing more desperate. His tentacle flung Chris to the floor as his hands covered his obliterated face.

"Did you get his brain"? Chris asked, slipping slightly in the water as he hauled himself back to his feet.

"Don't think so…" Leon said breathlessly, staring down at the bleeding man. It was like being back in Raccoon. Just like the zombies here was something that had once been human but was now a soulless monster leftover from Umbrella. Had Wesker not put them through so much pain, he might've actually felt sorry for him.

He saw Chris gesticulating to him to back away. He retrieved his knife and did so, carefully and quietly. Now that Wesker was blind, he wouldn't be able to dodge what he couldn't see. The water from the sprinklers continued to pound down on the tiles, further masking their already carefully footsteps.

Wesker rolled over onto his front, his back now an undulating mass. His leather clad skin appeared to be bubbling and transforming. A large, red eye was starting to emerge from his back. He was obviously trying to compensate for his lack of vision. Leon moved quickly, aiming and then throwing his knife. It landed squarely in the middle of the developing eye, effectively blinding it.

Chris didn't waste a second, moving forward as quietly as he could and leaping onto Wesker's back. He withdrew the knife from the eyeball with a sickeningly wet sucking noise and slid it across the wet floor to Leon who caught it easily. Chris pinned Wesker to the tiles using his entire body weight. Wesker screamed and struggled, his blood-stained hands clawing at the tiled floor, splitting and breaking his nails. Leon went in with the axe, aiming at Wesker's left leg. He cut it off through the shin causing the former S.T.A.R.S captain to let out another gut-wrenching scream of pain. He managed to flip Chris from his back but couldn't see where the older man landed. Chris used this to his advantage, punching Wesker hard on the back of the head before pressing it into the tiled floor. The tentacle went for his neck once more. Leon swung and cut into it, feeling that same steely resistance as he tried to chop all the way through it. He pulled the axe back out, sending another spray of blood across the tiles. The tentacle whipped him across the face, causing him to reel back as he felt it cut into his cheek.

In what was no doubt retaliation for that, Chris ground Wesker's face into the tiles. Even though the water's cacophony continued relentlessly, Leon could hear Wesker's nose break. Ignoring the blood that was now running down his face, he wielded his weapon and brought it down on Wesker's right leg, chopping it neatly in the middle of the thigh.

"Quicker"! Chris ordered, struggling to hold Wesker down. It seemed the more of him they cut away, the stronger his desperate struggling became. Chris was bleeding and exhausted and, Leon feared, had broken ribs. He wouldn't be able to hold him down for much longer.

Even though his back and shoulder muscles screamed at him to stop, Leon continued to raise the axe, chopping at and removing Wesker's arms. Over and over again he swung the heavy weapon, occasionally missing due to Wesker's movements. As soon as the arms were dispatched, Leon started on his torso, hacking away as if he were trying to fell an old oak tree.

"Leon! His legs"! Chris called out over the din of the water. Leon quick-turned to look at the stumps that used to be Wesker's legs but slipped on the wet floor, crashing onto the tiles and landing heavily on his side. Even on the floor he could see that the stumps were growing worm-like thin tentacles and boned appendages.

"Shit" Leon cursed as he forced his body back to his feet. His arms felt like jelly as he raised the axe once again, aiming for these new additions. "You doing ok"? He called to Chris. The water had soaked his clothes completely, making them heavy and making it all the more harder to move. His hair flopped in his eyes and he had to keep shaking his head so that he could see.

"Yeah, yeah" Came Chris' frantic reply. "Keep going Leon, you're doing great"

Chris' words spurred him on. He kept chopping, thinking of Chris, thinking of Sherry, thinking of Jill and the poor villagers who'd suffered by Wesker's hand. He was doing this for them and he was doing this for himself too. Wesker had shot him, had tortured him, had implanted him with some fucked up virus, all for his own amusement. He'd ordered the sick bastard to go to his hospital room and photograph him when he was at his most vulnerable. He'd ordered those photos to be used in that corridor, that sick, twisted corridor that had upset Chris so much.

Chris. His lover. The man who'd been hounded by Wesker for years. Chop. Chop. Chop. Keep going. Keep swinging. Wesker had sent his team mates to die, kidnapped his sister, beat him to near death. He'd made him live through the recreation of his worst nightmare and Chris was bleeding right now because of him. Chop. Swing. Chop. Swing. His muscles were killing him. They were screaming and pleading. No. Don't give up now. Sherry. Oh god, Sherry. She was young, barely an adult and now she was dead. Had it hurt? She'd certainly been scared. They always said that when fell from a great height you were dead before you hit the ground. No. Can't think about that. Chop. Swing. Wipe the blood from your face. The water from your eyes. Swing. Chop. Shit. Can't lift the axe. Drop it to the floor. The knife. Stab. Stab. Harder. See Chris in that hallway, tearing down those photos. Stab. Slash. Stab. Feel yourself hit the floor, the bullet burning your stomach. Stab. Stab. Wipe the blood away.

"Leon"!

No. Can't stop now. Stab. He's got to die.

"Leon! Stop"!

The worry and desperation in Chris' voice brought Leon back to reality. In his hand, the blade of his knife was stained crimson, blood was splattered across his hand, halfway up his forearm. He looked down and saw the thing that used to be Albert Wesker, now nothing more than a bloodied head with a mangled stump for a torso. Chris is standing a short distance away watching him carefully.

"He's dead" Chris said gently. Leon nodded. It was worrying. He'd never lost control like that before. He continued to stare at Wesker's lifeless corpse. He heard footsteps in the water and Chris was suddenly by his side. The older man wiped the hair from his face and stroked his cheek, carefully to avoid the gash that was still bleeding. He whispered something that Leon didn't quite hear but thought was 'it's over now'.

Leon watched as Chris picked up the bloodied axe. He raised it high above his head, his face contorting in pain, confirming Leon's theory about the broken ribs, before bringing it down on Wesker's head, splitting it in two. The force of the swing sent the blood flying, hitting both of them, adding to the already numerous stains on their clothes and skin.

For the first time the water coming down from the ceiling felt like heavy rain. The sort of rain that cleared your head. Leon lifted his face to the water and felt it hit his skin, stinging his cut slightly but feeling refreshing at the same time. He felt as if he was waking up from some terrible nightmare.

When he looked down again, he saw Chris moving around the body, kicking all of the separate parts around the room with as much strength as he was able to muster. Leon guessed that he must've looked confused at this as Chris explained.

"I'm not having him join back together. Haven't you ever seen Terminator 2"?

Leon let out a laugh which quickly faded when he realised how inappropriate the noise sounded in the hollow emptiness of the hangar. The sprinklers suddenly stopped, almost as if they too realised the funereal atmosphere that had suddenly descended over the hangar and its occupants.

Leon was about to inspect Sherry's body when a loud metallic creaking noise came from overhead. He looked up to see the ceiling yawning open to reveal a bright flood of natural light. All around them, ropes dropped down and splashed the reddened water on the floor. A dozen men dressed in black tactical gear and armed with assault rifles descended into the hangar, shouting the word 'CLEAR!' to each other. Leon looked over at Chris who smiled back at him humourlessly. He knew what the older man was thinking. They were far too exhausted and too beaten to endure another fight.

"Chris! Leon"! A familiar voice joined the general chatter of the landing men. Leon instantly felt his worry ease slightly. He knew that voice! And sure enough, one of the 'men' had taken off their helmets and revealed herself to be Jill. "I brought some back-up" She said as she surveyed the mess of blood and gore that surrounded them.

"Better late than never I suppose" Chris replied tiredly. He gave her and exhausted smile and she game him a quick hug before turning to the assembled men and ordering them to start setting charges at various points around the room.

Two of the men were directing a pallet that was being lowered into the hangar. As it landed, Leon could see that it was filled with cases containing the charges and a black bag from which one of them men pulled out two thick, grey woollen blankets. Jill handed them to Leon and Chris. Leon wrapped the blanket around himself, suddenly realising just how cold he was. Chris wound his own blanket around himself and then held the edges of it open. Leon moved into Chris' open arms and the older man wrapped his blanket around them both. Careful to avoid Chris' broken ribs, Leon huddled up to him feeling a brief respite of relief that Chris had survived.

"Get on the pallet guys and they'll get you into one of the helicopters" Jill ordered. "You need to get checked out by the medic. We'll finish up here. I'll be making sure we destroy this entire facility"

"Sounds good to me" Chris replied, giving Leon a gentle kiss on the top of the head.

"Sherry"! Leon said suddenly, breaking away from Chris' embrace. "I…I don't want her leaving here. She needs to be taken back to America…given a proper burial"

"Don't worry about that" Jill placed a reassuring hand on Leon's shoulder. "We'll airlift her body out"

Leon nodded. He knew that it would in no way ease the pain of her brutal death but the least he could do was make sure she was given a funeral and laid to rest somewhere picturesque. He felt another hand on his shoulder, a stronger one, one that belonged to Chris. Wordlessly, the older man led him to the pallet and sat him down. Chris sat down beside him and Leon, still wary of Chris' injuries, wrapped an arm around his exhausted lover, holding on as tightly as he dared as the pallet rose upwards.

It was a good forty minutes later before Jill and the rest of the BSAA troops joined them back in the helicopter. Chris knew because he'd counted every damn minute. He and Leon had been checked over by the on board medic and 'patched up' in the young medic's own words. Leon's open wounds were cleaned and a large gauze pad was taped to his face, covered the gash made by Wesker's tentacle. Chris' cuts had been cleaned too and his ribs had been strapped up. They'd both been helped out of their wet, filthy clothes and had been equipped with a rather uncomfortable grey jumpsuit which, they were told, would do until they got back to the BSAA headquarters in America. Leon, of course, was going to have to answer to his superiors in the Secret Service and judging by the expression on the younger man's face, the last thing he wanted to do was explain and relive everything they'd been through since first arriving in Africa.

Chris couldn't blame him. Wrapped once more in the itchy grey blanket, he leant against the younger man if only to reassure himself that Leon was still alive and well. It was a bitter sweet moment to be leaving. Wesker was dead and gone and everything that his life had been working towards for the past few years was done with. He was effectively free to start a new life without being haunted by the threat of his former captain. But at the same time Chris knew that he and Leon both had wounds that weren't so easy to patch up. Sherry's death was obviously one of those wounds. He barely knew the girl but it was still a tragic way for anyone to lose their life, especially someone so young. He looked up at Leon who was staring blankly out of the window of the helicopter. Chris wanted to do something, say anything to ease his lover's pain but he knew that there was nothing he could. Leon would heal in time, they both would, but Sherry's death would be constant in Leon's memory.

"Chris"? Jill sat down next to him. Since the troops had piled back into the helicopter, the space had decreased a lot, so much so they everyone was sitting pretty much shoulder to shoulder. Jill handed something to him, something small. He looked down at his hand. It was a radio controlled detonator. "You deserve to finish this" She said.

Chris didn't hesitate. He pushed the button on the detonator and heard the explosion that followed. He carefully leant over Leon to see the low buildings of the facility engulfed in a massive orange fireball. Blackened debris blossomed in the sky before raining down over the acres of clean white snow. He dropped the detonator and, rather awkwardly because of the limited space, put his arm around Leon. He didn't need to say anything and neither did Leon. Both knew what the other was thinking. The time for talking about the horrors of their ordeal would come within time but for now the best thing they could do was hold on to each other and be grateful that they'd gotten out of it alive.

One year later…

The tiny fairy lights wrapped around the wooden railing of the veranda glowed in the moonlight. It was a beautiful evening, calm and peaceful. It was just the right sort of warm and the air was still and quiet. Beyond the veranda was the sandy beach, silent and devoid of its usual cluster of tourists. The midnight blue water was gently ebbing and flowing with an almost perfect rhythm and the sky above was clear and dotted with bright, glowing stars. Leon leant back in the comfortable, cushioned deck chair and smiled. He swirled the brandy around in his glass and took another bite from the Tapas platter in front of him. This truly was the life.

"BURP"!

"Leave it to you to completely slaughter the romance" Leon moaned as Chris threw himself into the opposite deck chair with a satisfied grin. He reached forward and grabbed a handful of Parma ham, cramming it into his mouth and taking a big swill of his beer to wash it down.

"Can't help it" He said with his mouth full. "It's that chorito thingy. Always does it to me"

"The word you're looking for is chorizo" Leon said with a roll of his eyes. Although in the last couple of years his life had changed considerably, one thing remained constant. Chris Redfield was, and always would be, a pig.

"It was nice of Dennis to lend us this place." Chris continued, grabbing some olives and cheese. "Might've gotten us some decent snacks though." He added after a moment's thought.

"I'm surprised he let you" Leon took another sip of his brandy. Dennis had left a bottle of it in the kitchen of his beautiful holiday home and if there was one thing Dennis knew about, it was good brandy.

"He was all about it when I told him why" Chris replied with a smug grin. "Like I said, we both deserve a holiday"

Leon couldn't argue with that. They'd taken a short break after the events of Antarctica but it had been far from restful. He'd given a long and detailed report of everything that had happened and his superiors had insisted that he find himself a therapist before he returned to active duty. It was hard to relax and appreciate the rest when you were forced to pour your innermost out to a stranger twice a week. Chris had been the same, providing reports for the BSAA and organising the clean-up mission to get rid of the twisted mess that used to be the Antarctic facility. Barry Burton had expressed some concerns about Chris needing to see someone but Chris had been resolute that he could deal with it himself. Then, of course, there'd been Sherry's funeral to organise. Chris had been amazing, listening to every one of Leon's wishes and trying his best to help him get it all sorted out.

After a long discussion, Leon had chosen to bury her in Washington, the city where they'd spent those precious few months together. He'd found a quiet cemetery and had her buried in a corner plot close to a large weeping willow tree. He'd used some of his savings to buy her a simple yet elegant headstone made from white marble and he'd made sure to visit regularly, to tidy up any overgrown grass and weeds and to leave her a bunch of her favourite flowers. At his insistence she'd been buried with her gold locket and her copy of the photo of the two of them outside the mini golf centre. Chris always visited the grave with him, helping him to keep it tidy and holding his hand as he swallowed the lump that always seemed to gather in his throat.

Leon shook his head and came out of his reverie. This was their first proper holiday with no therapists, superiors to report to or anything work related. He was damn well going to enjoy it. He looked over at his partner to suggest they go for a midnight swim but found the words wouldn't come out. Chris had moved aside his deck chair and was now down on one knee. In his hands was a tiny red velvet box, open to reveal a simple silver band. The smug, oafish expression on the older man's face was gone and had been replaced with one of seriousness. Leon heard himself gasp as Chris spoke.

"Leon Scott Kennedy, will you marry me"?

THE END.