The Story So Far...

Robin Burton, a survivor of Raccoon City and Barry Burton's adopted daughter, has been in love with Chris Redfield for a majority of her life, but she had kept it a secret. On her first mission as a BSAA operative-in-training, in her birth father's native county of Finland, Robin encounters a rival for Chris' attention. Mistaking identities, she is overwhelmed by her emotions and abandons the mission. Finding out that she has gone missing, Chris goes after Robin, realizing not only her feelings, but his own as well. In the wilderness, Robin is mauled by a mutated bear, but she is saved by Leon S. Kennedy. Partnering up, his mission to arrest one Noah Walker for blackmail, hers to bring him in for involvement with the Uroboros Project, they defeat the now mutated criminal, only to be contacted by his boss. After taunting Robin, they find files about Noah's mission, files that confirm the President's guilt in a number of underground operations. After reuniting with Chris, they leave the bunker before it self-destructs. Once things return to normal, Leon contacts Robin with a job, but she is unsure about whether or not she can take it. Robin and Chris begin sneaking around behind her father's back, getting caught in the act. Barry kicks Robin out, so she moves in with Chris.

Everything seemed to be happening so fast! One moment Robin was enjoying life, embracing her lover, and the next, the earth had been snatched from under her feet sending her into a tailspin. To top it all off, she was still suffering from whatever God-forsaken stomach flu she had caught a week ago! But, in all of that turmoil, she was able to find one ray of light - Chris. Chris had been her saving grace and had not only been there for her in her time of need, but agreed to move her in with him without a second thought. At first, considering they had only been together for a little over a month, she was hesitant.

Discussing matters further, curled up together on the worn hunter-green couch, he pointed out the most obvious statement of all - Robin spent most of her time at his house anyway, so all this is was taking the next step. She couldn't argue with that logic, necessarily, but she reasoned that they have only been together for five weeks now, and no matter how much you loved someone, moving in that soon could add unwanted pressure to the relationship. She also had to point out that they had only just gotten back on track since getting together in the first place.

Chris knew that she had valid arguments, but he saw no reason for them to not move in together. Scarcely believing that he was about to say this, he hurried and got it out in the open, "Think of this as practice for the future."

The future, as in wedding bells and baby carriages? Or the indiscernible, yet-to-happen path that laid before every living being? Doubting that he meant the later, Robin realized that she hadn't ever thought that far into the future. She loved her family very much, and she would like to see it for herself, but the thought of being a mother shook her to the bone. And she had spent so long lusting after a seemingly unobtainable dream, she had never put much serious stock into things like marriage. But sure, she had had fleeting thoughts about getting married, just like almost every other little girl.

Besides, it wasn't like he was proposing to her right this minute - He was just looking forward, like any centered individual would. But still, marriage? That was a huge step, and Robin wasn't even twenty-five yet!

Twirling a strand of jet-black hair around her finger, Robin gazed over at the mantel, where Chris had kept all of his important pictures. One of them showed a much younger Chris playing with his baby sister in the summer, a larger frame encased a portrait of the entire Redfield family that had been taken shortly before their parents untimely deaths, and the one at the end was a picture of the entire S.T.A.R.S. team that had been taken before Rebecca had joined the team. There was a picture of him and Barry at a hotdog-eating contest, Chris with a third place ribbon and Barry with a first place medal, and finally, one of him taken at a mall photo booth with both Claire and Jill. She wondered if there would be any pictures of her up there someday.

"Robin," He said gently, hand on her knee underneath the covers, "I want you to go with Leon."

Ok, she wasn't expecting that to be the next thing that would come out of his mouth, not in a million years. All she could do was blink stupidly at him for several minutes while she tried to form a sentence, "But... I was just kicked out of my house, and we... Why are you even suggesting that I go at a time like this?"

"You need to get away from here; to focus your attention on something else. Besides, from what you told me, it sounds like someone out there knows who you are. Trust me, if you don't go, you'll probably regret it." It was obvious by the tone of his voice and the way he was looking at her - holding a gaze full of lament - that he didn't want her to leave, but he knew Robin, and he knew that he was right about this.

She knew it too. Collecting her thoughts in a bottle, she looked at him thoughtfully, "You're not wrong about that... But the timing of everything couldn't be worse!"

"Robin," He uttered her name so delicately, his voice came out resembling a purr.

He just wasn't giving her the option to say no, and already she was grateful for that. She really did need to do this, even if the timing could have been more favorable. Flashing him a half-smile, she joked, "Why do you want me out of here so badly already?"

He smiled coyly, "If I told you that, I'd have to kill you."

Putting her finger to her chin in mock thought, Robin smirked, her deviously dirty little mind envisioning a number of methods he could use on her, "I dunno, I might have to take you up on that... How would you 'kill' me anyways?"

"It would involve me blowing your brains out," He ran his hand down her face, pausing with his hand on her chin before gruffly pulling it back - a loving version of what the cold-hearted Albert Wesker had done to the ambitious Excella Gionne when they had been discussing her usefulness, "And not in the way you're thinking."

She frowned, a look of semi-genuine hurt on her broad face, "Chris Redfield, what kind of girl do you think I am?"

For the briefest moment he considered not answering her at all, but ultimately he replied, only half-jokingly, "The one I would do anything for- the one that's going to be the death of me."

"Only if you let me." Getting serious again, she pecked him on the cheek, "Thank you."

Holding his cheek where her lips had touched, he nodded, "Just don't make me regret this."

The Next Morning...

Finally, Robin had woken up exactly where she wanted to be - in Chris's arms! Scared at first that maybe she was dreaming, Robin sat up, poking and prodding Chris with her right index finger. Grabbing her hand irritably, he curled her fingers to her palm so that she couldn't poke him anymore. He fell back asleep before letting her hand go, so she carefully had to pry it off so that she could go to the bathroom. Mumbling something about death in his sleep, he released her hand of his own accord and rolled over. Robin dashed off to the toilet, almost not making it in time, making a mental note to not poke Chris while he was sleeping... at least if she had to go pee.

"I almost peed myself back there..." She grumbled at Chris when he skulked into the bathroom, already in the process of flushing the toilet. At least she didn't have to vomit this morning, that was a perk.

Using the john as she washed her hands, he yawned, alternating the arms he stretched over his head, turning groggily to leer at Robin, "Maybe next time you won't poke me awake."

She shrugged indifferently, "I had to make sure that I wasn't dreaming."

"Are you always a morning person?" He groaned, wanting nothing more than a few more hours in bed. He knew that she would be leaving today, meaning that every moment was precious, but it was hard for him to pull together after just waking up.

"Yeah, I kinda am." She nodded, skirting around him to head to the kitchen, as per her usual morning ritual. Following her normal schedule, she would have woken up, went to the bathroom, got something to eat, work out and then take a shower. Chris's routine went something like bathroom, shower, then breakfast and a workout. Well, it wasn't too much different, so it wouldn't too bad.

Catching her by the bare waist, Robin only in a bra and a matching thong, Chris held her in his arms for a moment so that he could soak in the natural scent radiating off of her, kissing the nape of her neck, "Where do you think you're going?"

"To get breakfast? I don't know about you, but I like to eat in the morning," To prove her point, her stomach rumbled, "See?"

Begrudgingly, he let her go, "I take a shower first."

She frowned, brightening back up almost instantly, "I'll make us breakfast then!"

Letting her go, Robin scampered off to the kitchen while he got in the shower. He hoped that she was a descent cook, or at the very least didn't burn his kitchen down. She wasn't terrible per say, but she was far from getting her own show on the cooking network. Making eggs of the scrambled variety, heaps of toast four slices tall, orange juice, enough bacon to feed a large family, she stacked two plates full of grub for the two of them, leaving plenty for leftovers. One thing Chris soon learned about Robin was that she was a firm believer in leftovers.

Dressed in his most casual clothing - a pair of light jeans and formfitting tee shirt - Chris sat down at the small dinner table across from Robin who was already stuffing her face full of crispy pig. Amused by the amount of food that she could fit into her mouth at once, he made the mistake of saying, "Easy, or you might eat the table too."

Gorgeous grey eyes glaring daggers at him, very sensitive to her weight, Robin stole his toast frim his plate, "No toast for you!"

Sensing that she was angry by his careless comment, he made a mental note to avoid talking about her weight. Good luck with that one, because women always had a way of bringing it up, "This looks delicious."

Beaming proudly, she gave him back a slice of toast, just one, "Thank you."

Once breakfast was over, Chris doing the dishes so that Robin could get ready, he realized that she probably wouldn't have anything of her own to pack for the mission. Her sisters were supposed to be bringing some of her things by, but he would bet that she would already be gone by then. Deciding to loan her additional supplies, he packed her bag for her while she was getting dressed. Not having anything of her own to wear, she borrowed a pair of Chris's old things, but wearing them was like an empty bottle lost in the ocean, so he called Claire to bring Robin some clothes. It was around eight in the morning, so she would be awake by now.

Bringing over a dozen outfits for Robin, Claire had pulled Chris aside while she got dressed to chat with her brother. Stepping out of the bedroom in a pair of grey pants, a cranberry jacket, and a sleek black tank top, Robin overheard the end of their hushed conversation. It wasn't like she had meant to spy on them, it just happened! Besides, it might be good to hear what they had to say. She was hidden behind the wall, neither sibling aware of her presence as they conversed.

"...Sure about this?" Claire sounded doubtful.

"I am." He certainly sounded sure.

Assuming that they were talking about her moving in together, she came around the corner, a strong front her face, though she was hurt that Claire was skeptical about their relationship. She liked Claire and had thought that the relationship was mutual, but now she had to wonder about that, "Thanks again for the clothes, Claire."

Looking at his black-banded watch, Chris frowned at the two most important woman in his life, "You had better call Leon and give him your answer."

Quavering voice matching his expression, Robin sighed, "I guess I should."

Handing Robin her phone so that she wouldn't have to dig around for her own, and partially to break up the sight of her brother and his girlfriend, Claire informed her that Leon was third on the contact list. Robin flicked down the screen, passing by Chris's number and someone she assumed was in TerraSave as well, seeing that Leon was in fact third on her list as promised. Punching in the number, she smiled at Chris while she waited for the blonde to answer.

There were butterflies in her stomach, but that was probably just the flu.

"Claire?" He inquired, picking up the phone on the first ring. During his lifetime, mostly due to the events of Raccoon City, he had made it a habit to answer his phone as soon as possible - which because of his well-honed reflexes was pretty damn fast. Claire's imprisonment at Rockfort Island also ensured that he would pick up with all haste.

"Not quite." Robin chuckled.

He recognized her voice immediately, "Robin. So, have you made your decision?"

She looked at Chris for reassurance, "I have. You're going to need people of intelligence on this mission. Quest. Thing."

"That rules you out then." He indulged her inner nerd, shocking her even more by simply knowing the line.

Overhearing the conversation and at a loss, the Redfield siblings looked at each other in confusion. Claire at least knew where it came from, but somehow she was only half surprised to find out that Leon was familiar with the "Lord of the Rings". He was an interesting man.

AN: What, what? That's right; I just put in a reference to my favorite comedy, Blades of Glory! Man, I love that movie so much - It lifts my spirits whenever I'm down. And this is only the first chapter, which is obviously a set up for the action! Yeah! Sorry, I'm really hyper right now...

To Recap This Chapter: Robin and Chris talk about Leon's offer some more, Chris encouraging her to take it. She agrees with him, calling Leon the next morning to let him know that she's in.

Song: "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin.

Disclaimer: Capcom owns Resident Evil, not me. All respective properties, like, but not limited to, songs, belong to their respective brands. All I can lay claim to is the Varis family... and this work of fiction. Any game-related information used in this story comes from the Resident Evil Wikia, actual game play, and videos (official ones of the games) come from YouTube.