A/N: My apologies for the delay. If I am being totally honest with you all, I sort of slipped into a bit of depression over a few things, and I was having a hard time writing because of it. A few things that I need to address in terms of comments left, which were unfortunately by guest reviewers and could not be handled privately:

Guest one: You seem to have misread the paragraph. Jill was merely stating that Wesker knew where to find Spencer, not that she herself knew. I apologize if my writing made that unclear in anyway.

Guest two: You asked how Spencer knew about Jake. On the one hand, I tend to believe that Spencer just knows all, because Umbrella has eyes and ears everywhere. If you would like a more valid reason, I think it's safe to assume that Wesker would have talked about Jake, and since he works for Umbrella, it's plausible that word got to Spencer. For sure, Will knew about him, and Will does tend to have a bit mouth in my opinion. It's not unlikely that at some point in time Spencer became aware of Jake's existence.

Again, I'm sorry for the delay, but I have decided the rest of the plot, which should only be a few more chapters to go. I appreciate anyone who has been sticking around, and would like to thank you for your continued support. All my love~ Skye

Rescue:

"So you and Claire, huh?"

I grip the steering wheel tighter as I drive. I didn't want her to come with, but one cannot possibly deter a determined Jill Valentine. So there she is, sitting in the passenger seat and gazing out the window. It has started to rain and the droplets are rolling down the glass in little rivulets. I want to tell her that this is hardly the time for this interrogation session, but I suppose it's better than sitting in silence and drawing up horrible images of my son.

"Chris is going to freak out, you know," she goes on, glancing over at me.

"I'm well aware," I retort, keeping my gaze transfixed on the road ahead of me. I turn my lights on to cut through the fog. Even though it's only the afternoon, the clouded sky has made it darker. "Why do you think Miss Redfield and I have been keeping it to ourselves?"

Jill recoils a little into the seat from the harshness of my tone. I almost feel bad for snapping at her, but I've had quite the exhausting day, and I don't particularly care to discuss my relationship on top of it all. And to think, I was so looking forward to having a nice day in. Once again the thought crosses my mind that I cannot seem to catch a break.

A few more silent moments pass by. Traffic is moving slowly because people seem unable to drive properly in the rain. I catch myself wondering how many accidents there will be called in today, and then wonder why I care at all when this whole police thing is just a big game of charades to me. Spencer has been residing in a manor house hidden deep in the woods outside of town, usually not too long of a drive, but at this rate it is going to take twice as long to get there.

"Who is Spencer?" Jill asks then. This question is almost worse than anything she could possibly ask about Claire, and I wish I had allowed that conversation to continue instead. I start to instinctively reply that he is my boss, but of course I cant tell her that. My second response is that he owns Umbrella, but I don't need to raise questions about why the owner of a highly reputable pharmaceutical company is kidnapping children from their homes.

In truth, I have been trying to figure it out myself. I get the feeling I don't want to know the answer, that he has the intention of using my son for some twisted experiment. The mere thought makes my blood boil. Sure, I have never been innocent in this whole matter with Umbrella and the experiments they conducted- an image of Lisa Trevor flashes across the back of my mind- but to kidnap a defenseless child…I just cant seem to figure out what the hell he is after.

Jill must have realized I didn't want to talk about this or anything else. She goes back to watching the rain, and I focus on watching the road, and we sit in silence as I drive further out of Raccoon City.

"What makes you so sure this Spencer guy wont have left?" Jill's low voice cuts through the silence once again. I never noticed before how many questions she asks. I suppose Jill is just the kind of person that wants to know as much as possible before entering a situation, unlike Christopher who just runs in headlong without thinking it through. I tend to plan ahead myself, weigh the options and always, always have a backup plan. But right now, with Jake involved, I realize that I am just making it up as I go.

"Because," I snap back simply. Because Spencer wouldn't have called me and told me it was him just to take off and leave. Because Spencer clearly has some bigger plan; Spencer always has some sort of plan. Even if I haven't figure it out what it was. Because Spencer wants me to come and find Jake myself. I cant bring myself to care if I am walking into a trap. I am aware that, chances are, Spencer is luring me to him for a reason.

"You really love the kid, huh?" Jill's voice has grown softer now. I glance over at her and see the way her blue eyes are fixated on me, searching for something. I am grateful that I slipped my dark glasses on before we left. People's eyes are always giving them away, and I don't want her to see the pain and fear I am sure mine are displaying.

I never would have expected myself to become so infatuated so the child, upon meeting him two months ago. But in that short time, I have grown to love and care about him more than I ever knew was possible, more than I have ever loved anything. He quickly became the most important thing in my life, more so even than the research I have dedicated my entire life to.

"I… love him, yes," I reply slowly. It is the first time I have ever openly admitted to loving anyone. But there it is. He is my child; I do not find it too far fetched that I would love him. I have spent so long walling myself off and refusing to let anyone into my self created sanctuary. But with Jake, it is so easy to love him. He is so innocent and so in need of someone to protect him. And I have found that I enjoy that feeling of being needed, even if it is only to fill a glass of water.

Jill reaches over and places a hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, you know," she tells me quietly. "It's only natural to love your child."

Yes. And yet that love for my child was not enough to keep him safe. Love is not enough to save someone, no matter how much people try to pretend it is.

We slip back into our silence. I withdraw a cigarette from my pack and light it up, half expecting Jill to chastise me for the bad habit, but she just keeps her mouth closed and watches me carefully like she is waiting for me to fall apart. I have never fallen apart in my life, but if I was ever going to try it I believe now would be the time. But breaking down isn't going to bring Jake back, and it isn't going to stop Spencer from whatever twisted plan he has formed. I roll the window down a little and feel the rain splatter in against my cheek.

After what feels like hours of driving on a cramped back road through the woods, the manor house comes into sight. I stare up at its imposing presence, letting out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. Killing the engine, I give a small nod to the brunette beside me. "Ready, Captain?" She asks, mustering up a brave smile.

As ready as I would ever be, I suppose. My fingers hover over the door handle for a moment before actually gripping it and pushing the door open. Jill does the same, coming around to stand at my side. She is one of the most loyal people I have ever met, and in that moment I feel more grateful for her presence than I ever thought possible.

There is a nagging voice in the back of head reminding me of the entire reason the STARS even came to be. But standing there with Jill, her blue eyes trained on me in concern as she awaited my order, I have to wonder if I will ever truly be able to follow through with it. And with what Spencer has done, the lines he has crossed in a single day by attacking my best friend, my girlfriend, and my son, I'm having a hard time feeling any sense of loyalty to Umbrella at the moment.

Anyway, those are thoughts to sort through later. For now, I just need to get in, and rescue my son. "I'm coming, Jake," I whisper aloud, before taking a few steps towards the looming manor home. Whatever awaited inside, I was prepared to deal with it, and whatever it took, my child was getting out of there alive.