•Lighter Than Air•

•Chapter 6•

After a long day of spending the little time they had together, Claire and Leon finally headed to bed early. They needed to wake up in time to catch their flight after all. I mean seriously, what is the point of super early morning flights? They were lucky enough to get a five AM.. but that's besides the point. They were in bed, peacefully wrapped up within each other as they slept, meanwhile the other three were downstairs and outside of the house.

Chris was sitting off to the side on the patio, his arms resting up on his knees as he leaned forward against them. He was looking out on the tree line as the stars were shimmering in the sky. Genevieve and Sherry were sitting beside each other in the grass, looking up at the sky. Genevieve was sitting up straight as she watched the sky, wondering who else could have been looking at the same sky right then.. Sherry's head dropped and leaned down against her cousin's shoulder.

"Sherry, are you sure you're okay? You're a lot quieter than you normally are." Genevieve commented.

"I'm just worried about this sort of thing.. They're really going to hunt someone who killed at least twenty three people? They're going to save that girl.. but what if they see something they really don't want to? Why are they sending a government agent over regular police officers in that department? Don't you think it sounds more dangerous than they're letting on?" Sherry asked, looking up at Genevieve.

Genevieve took a moment to think.. now that she thought about it.. that was quite strange. Doesn't Wisconsin have its own police force and such? Surely there are divisions in the force to help with these cases.. Perhaps it was FBI related? Leon was a highly skilled government agent.. for Christ's sake, he was sent to save the president's daughter! Not just any person can do that. What made Rebecca Chamber's case so special? She bit her lip.

"That is a little bit strange.." She said softly, glancing over her shoulder at Chris. It looked like he wanted to say something based on his expression. Genevieve could tell. "Dad, do you know anything about it?" She asked.

"It was more than just a kidnapping." Chris said, blurting it out like word vomit.  "There was an outbreak before Raccoon City."

Sherry's eyes widened, her head snapping in Chris's direction as she watched him. He had a solemn expression on his face, as if the weight of a thousand boulders was resting on his shoulders. Her heart skipped a beat in her chest. Genevieve's eyes flickered between Chris and Sherry, her arm wrapping around her cousin and pulling her closer. She knew she was prone to panic attacks, so she was attempting to calm her down.

"What do you mean Raccoon City wasn't the first outbreak?" Sherry asked, her tone heightening with anxiety.

"I was in S.T.A.R.S at the moment.. After Spencer's Mansion, I found some files on the case Rebecca Chambers was on.. Her team was investigating some.. apparent cannibalistic murders in the Raccoon Forest. That car that was holding Billy Coen.. those cops didn't show signs of foul play. Rather, from the photos.. it looked as though they had been ripped up and eaten." He said. "I don't think a human could do that unless they were infected, but even then.. those marks resembled something canine, i'd know."

"Just like the zombie dogs you've mentioned before.." Genevieve breathed out, her arms around Sherry as she rubbed her back.

"That's right." Chris nodded at his daughter. "I'm led to believe that these cannibalistic murders were actually attacks by those infected with the virus, or.. zombies." She said, "It's said in Billy's death report that he had died in an Umbrella facility." He looked towards the girls. "There's something they aren't telling us, I'm sure of it. That's how these missions always go.. there's far more than they led on with. Leon and Claire are handling something bigger than just a missing persons case."

"I knew it! I knew there was no way they'd send an agent just for any missing person!" Sherry slammed her hands down on the ground. "What if Umbrella tries to hurt them? We can't just let them go on their own." Sherry's voice was getting louder and shakier the more she thought about it. She didn't want to lose her parents again. Especially not Leon and Claire. The only set of parents that actually acted as parents toward her.

"I'm going to take them to the airport in the morning, I'll try and talk with them when the time comes. "Don't worry, Sherry. I'm sure everything will be fine. You two..  I think it's time for you both to head to bed." He said.

"Really? After hearing all of that you expect us to just go to bed?" Sherry's nose crinkled with rage as her eyebrows furrowed.

"It's cold out. I don't want you girls getting sick. Go along now."

Genevieve nudged Sherry and helped her up off the grass. Sherry was glaring daggers at Chris, but he didn't take it personally. He knew she was on edge. She didn't have a good childhood as it was.. It was only natural for her to cling to the good things she actually had. He shifted his glance to Genevieve, nodding at her as a signal of thanks. Genevieve nodded back and urged Sherry to their room.

Slowly, the both of them crept up the stairs and into their bedroom at the end of the hallway. There was a bed on either side of the room. One side of the room was blue while the other was purple. At least their bedsheets were, that is. Genevieve's side of the room was practically untouched, nothing but notebooks and bookshelves that were hardly used. Meanwhile, Sherry's side of the room had many books, art supplies, and paintings scattered along it.

Sherry went and sat on her blue bed, resting her head in her hands. She took a few deep breaths, counting up to four every few moments. This was something Sherry's therapist had suggested she do when she panicked. Though, her quick pace of her counting only seemed to make her more anxious. Genevieve moved forward and set her hands on Sherry's shoulder.

"Trust me. Everything is going to be fine.. they've survived so much, the two of them. They're both smart.. I'm sure they've caught on to everything we have. And if they haven't, my dad will warn them.. they won't go into this alone." Genevieve assured her.

Sherry sighed and wiped her eyes. "I hope you're right, I really do." She said, "I just really don't want to lose the only family that's ever treated me correctly.. they're the only parents I've truly loved. They actually care about me. Just like I care about them.." she looked down. "I don't know what I'd do without them." She admitted.

"Hey... I know the feeling. I mean.. my dad died when I was really young." She said, "I was about six years old. Then, it was just mom and I. She always followed orders accordingly. Whether that meant leaving me alone all the time or forcing me to be part of plans..." she looked to the side, "Just like when I.. led Umbrella to you. I had to do that on her orders.. or else we could be killed. Just like my father."

"Umbrella.. killed your father?" Sherry asked, eyes slightly wide at the statement.

"Yes.. I don't know what made my father snap, but he was trying to find classified intel on an experiment he was working on, along with other scientists. They caught him, somehow. Then... they killed him for trying to betray them. At least, that's what my mother told me." Genevieve told her. "What I'm trying to say is... I never felt too close to my family either. Chris was the first person to ever outright protect me... without hurting me in the process. He put my safety first, always. I never wanted to lose him after that. I finally felt like I had a parent who cared about what I was doing, how I was feeling, and if I was safe.."

"It seems we have similar feelings about our parents then, huh?" Sherry asked, her gaze softening as she watched Genevieve.

"Seems we do. Can understand where each other are coming from.. that's for sure." Genevieve set a hand on Sherry's  shoulder. "I'll always be here for you, Sher. No matter what."

But, Sherry pulled her in for a hug instead. "I'm glad you're my family, Vieve. Thank you.."

Slowly, Genevieve would return the hug. "Of course, Sherry... I'm glad you're my family too."