Chapter 4 - Meet Again

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"You have grown so much, Chris. I almost did not recognize you." Vector says with a welcoming smile, shaking Chris's hand. "How is Claire? We lost contact so suddenly."

"She's good. And changed as well. Like me, apparently." Chris jokes. "But yeah...work occurred and we had to move. What about you? Your daughters?"

"They are both beautiful ladies now," Vector answers.

"It's been eleven years..how have you been holding up?" Vera steps into the conversation amazed to see him after so long, pressing her palm gently against Chris's strong shoulder.

"We heard you serve as a Captain at the B.S.A.A now." Chris nods.

"We are good, Vera. So far..we are good," He smiles back at her, before turning his glare at Vector. "And- yeah. I work at the B.S.A.A. Which means constant duty, and heavy responsibilities. But I'm not complaining...I like action." He grins slightly.

"I am glad to hear that. Please, take a seat." Vector requests, pointing at the chair across him with his hand. Chris takes off his black leather jacket, laying it on the back of it before he sits down.

"I should get going as well." Vera places her purse on her shoulder. "Chris, it was so nice to see you being well.-"

"Me too Vera, but actually," Chris glances at the couple. "I would like to talk to both of you about something. Unless you are busy." Vera looks in surprise.

"Oh, I am not. I was going home anyway." Vector frowns in confusion. He rests his brought-together hands against his desk, as his fingers hug. Vera takes a seat, next to Chris.

"Alright then. We are both here and listening. Tell us. What is the reason behind your visit?"

"Okay...I am here because-.. I require your services."

"For what?" Chris stays quiet for only a few seconds.

"We have a specific mission, that only a few people of trust can work," He explains. "I am given the order to create an undercover team...and we will be in need of a doctor or two. Someone that can take care of me and my men, just in case." He lowers his voice. "And I believe you or Vera...or even both of you would be the greatest for this. For the obvious reasons of course."

Vector smiles lightly, but he does not seem to agree with Chris. Vera, on the other hand, seems not to want to participate at all.

"Listen, Chris.." She starts, while Vector sits thoughtfully. "We think that's very beautiful of you to trust us so much to offer us a job like that, but..." She pauses, looking at her husband.

"But?" Chris asks. Vector being brought back to reality rubs his hands together slowly.

"But what Vera is trying to say is that we want to leave this behind..." He speaks up. Chris looks at him. "After y/n was born, we decided to abandon these kinds of jobs, and go for a more calming life." He nods, listening to Vector's words. "Plus..we are old people now. We do not have the same 'stamina' for something like this."

"Please do not excuse yourself, I understand," Chris pauses, bringing his hands together. Vector yet tries to think of a solution, instead of letting Chris down.

"I wish we could help you, honey...really." Vera tries to comfort him.

"You already did this job for my dad for years..time to finally let you rest." He smiles weakly before he sighs. "It's okay. will try to find someone else..it will sure as hell be difficult since we need a face of trust but- we will keep looking until we find the right person...which I hope happens soon. We do not have much time on our hands." Chris completes, getting up from his chair. He then takes the jacket back in his hands.

"You're leaving already?" Vector asks.

"Yeah..I am sorry, I wish I could stay longer but-"

"Your duty awaits." Chris chuckles.

"Exactly..but anyways- Now that I am back in town, I hope we will meet more often. Starting with a coffee perhaps? Claire will be so happy to see you."

"Of course!" Vera exclaims, standing back up as well. "Dinner at our house. How does that sound?" A wide smile appears on Chris's face.

"Sounds great to me."

"Great, we will stay in touch-"

"Chris.." Vector interrupts the conversation, looking at him.

"Yes?"

"Vera or I may not be the one for the job but," he stands up from his seat. "I have someone, who may be young but is more than qualified for your mission. She is a great doctor and definitely a face of trust," he puts his hands in his pockets, before making his way towards him. "My daughter can help you with everything you need."

Vera shakes her head in anger. "Ava is a doctor now?" Chris asks.

"No, Vector. There is no way!" She cuts him off. She is filled with disbelief. "Ava is a married woman. She has a child. You will not take her away from her family!"

"I do not talk about Ava, but y/n." He turns his glare back at Chris, to see him smiling weakly. "She is a nursing student, but trust me..her skills are above the title."

"I trust your judgment. But- shouldn't we ask her first?" Vector nods.

"I will talk to her, and plan a meeting for the two of you...but please," Vector steps closer. "Keep her safe. Whatever this mission is about." Chris nods.

"I give you my promise." Vector agrees, before giving his hand once again.

"It is a deal then."

"Thank you, Vector. I hope y/n will agree to this." Vera glares at Vector, once Chris spits out the specific sentence.

"She is always willing to help when there is a good cause. I am sure she will." Chris nods once again and pulls his hand away. The smile on his lips returns as hope starts to build up.

"We will talk again, then. Take care."

"You too, honey. Say hi to Claire from us." Vera says and Chris agrees.

"I definitely will." They say their goodbyes and the moment Chris leaves Vector's office, Vera turns her gaze back at him, before approaching him. Vector notices Vera's judgemental look and exhales.

"You know (y/n) will not agree to this, right?" He nods.

"Still, I prefer to hope for a positive answer." His eyes then meet his wife's. "I do this for her, Vera. Only for her and Chris. If she refuses, it is a great opportunity for her to work with someone we know...and I do not want to let Chris down. Not now, that we reunited after so long. He and his sister have suffered a lot." Vera smiles in awe at how compassionate Vector seems to be with Chris, before walking up to him and giving him a gentle kiss.

----

"Salvation...Divine providence..." He whispers to himself, before opening the suitcase with 25 injections that contain the Plaga parasite. "Do not resist the great gift of Las Plagas. Such a profound blessing.." He lays his fingertips against the needle, caressing it with his index finger. "The Island....A sign of my survivance....A sign to share this gift...with the world."

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- 10 Days Later -

You open the oven and carefully pull out the hot baking pan filled with bear-shaped cookies, laying it on the counter. Irene gasps amazed at the view, her mouth watering over their scent.

"They are so cute, auntie!" She exclaims, reaching out to touch them, but you gently push her hand away.

"Be careful, they are hot," You chuckle. "Let's wait for a few minutes and then we can enjoy them. Okay?" You smile at her.

"Okay," Irene replies quietly, resting her palms on the counter. Suddenly, the smell of cookie dough mingles with perfume, before it enters your nostrils. You frown disgusted and direct yourself outside to the living room to see Ava..... dressed up?

"Mommy, we made bears out of cookies!" Irene says, running towards her.

"I can tell by their smell, they will be amazing!" Ava replies excitedly, matching her daughter's enthusiasm. You rest your back against the wall, beside the entrance of the kitchen and cross your arms. 

"What's with the fancy attire?"

"I'm going out with the girls for a drink. Wanna come?" She asks, adjusting her earring.

"No- I have to go to work."

"Oh. It's okay. You can find us later." You shake your head, trying to process what this woman is on about.

"Ava...what about Irene? You can't leave her here."

"I will take her with me of course," Ava replies.

"Of course, or else the girls' night can't be completed without a 6-year-old." You sarcastically remark.

However, Ava once again seems unconcerned with your words. "Come on Irene, let's go get dressed. Let auntie complain like a granny." You let out a desperate sigh about the situation.

Almost two weeks have passed, and Ava is still staying with you. Which is the longest it has ever been. Something that starts to freak you out...what if she really is done with Aiden? He keeps calling you, asking you when Ava is going to be home since your dumb sister doesn't answer his calls, and acts like a literal child. You want your bed back. You want your loneliness back. And of course, you don't want to spend your free time babysitting anymore.

As Ava leads Irene to your room, the doorbell goes off. You raise an eyebrow, before you approach the entrance. Sighing, before you open the door...to only see-

"Aiden?" A big smile of relief, joy, and any other positive feeling can be behind that smile that forms on your lips.

"(y/n)..Hello. Can I come in?" He asks, with his hands holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Of course. Don't even ask." You step aside, giving him space to enter. He makes his way inside and the first thing he notices are his daughter's toys scattered all over the place. He can't help, but smile.

"The flowers for her?" You tease.

"For who else?" He chuckles. "Is she here?"

"Yes. You came just in time."

"Why?" The two of you hear Ava's heels slapping the ground, getting closer to them.

"The girls here alre-" Ava's glare stops at Aiden, and an expression filled with annoyance perhaps, appears on her face once she enters the living room. "Why did you let him in?"

"Ava..please." Aiden tries to give a friendly approach, by also showing her the flowers. "I am not here, to fight."

"And I am not here to make up." He sighs. "From now on, our lawyers will talk for us."

"Your lawyer is mine too."

"Well...let him talk to himself then!" She raises her voice, making her way towards him. "And I do not want your presents or flowers."

"Can I have them at least?" You ask with an innocent look on your face, taking the bouquet before Ava can snatch them to toss them in the trashcan.

"You can leave now if you don't have anything to add." Ava completes like the bitch she is.

"I am not going anywhere," Aiden replies back. Realization hits you and you look at the time. You quickly lay the flowers on the table. "Not until we sit down and talk."

"Okay y'all, I am SO sad that I will miss this, but I have to work. So please, fight in peace and don't break anything in this house-"

"Talk? We already talked!" Ava ignores you as the volume of their voices begins to rise.

"Okay then-..." You murmur, taking your backpack and keys. It didn't even take ten seconds before Ava and Aiden started to fight once again, prompting you to hastily leave your home outside and head your way to the hospital.

- Time Skip -

You enter the building and make your way directly to the changing room. Laying your backpack on the ground, you change from your everyday clothes to your blue shirt and pants and attach the tag of your first and last name on the right side of your chest. Lastly, you pick up your hair in a ponytail, before you proceed towards the exit, and from there, towards your room.

"(y/n)?" You hear a voice calling out for you from a distance. Turning around, you see your mom approaching you. "You're here."

"Yeah, I got a patient in five minutes and-"

"I know. I told Jessie to cover you for a bit." You frown.

"Why? Is everything okay?" You ask her confused. She feels uneasy and slips her hands into her pockets.

"Your dad needs to speak to you about something...something that he has been trying to tell you about the past week." Your expression turns into worry. You nod in response to her request and decide to follow her to your father's office, unknown of what you will hear.

----

"Piers has sent a few of our soldiers to go and investigate the charred Island," Chris announces to his team, that are all sitting at the table. "We already believe that the person that survived the explosion is definitely no ordinary."

"And since he got the injections with him, it means that the suitcase is intended for immediate use," Luis adds. Leon tries to follow the conversation, but he feels a sting on his thigh, causing him to clench his jaw, trying to endure the pain by giving a poker face.

"Exactly. The thing is..." Chris pauses, his seems skeptical. "If he works for someone. This is what I am trying to figure."

"When do we begin with this?" Carlos asks.

"Once our soldiers return with intel, and once make sure we have the doctor with us," Chris answers. "Still, we will not be visiting the Island, unless it's urgent." He rests his hands on the table. "Piers, you will follow me to the base. The meeting is over." He announces. The rest of the team nods and stands up from the table, dissolving the meeting. Chris makes his way toward Leon and extends his hand.

"Thank you, Leon...for participating in this." He thanks him. Leon shakes his hand while he holds his leg with the other.

"Don't mention it." Chris smiles lightly and walks back to Piers. As Leon stands up he gets struck by another sharp pain, emanating from the wound he had on his thigh. Claire notices from the distance and walks towards him.

"Are you okay?" She asks, glancing at his leg.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just my leg-"

"You're bleeding." She gives a concerned look at the blood smeared on his jeans. Leon follows her gaze and sighs.

"Okay.." Before Chris and Piers get up, they notice Leon having difficulty standing, so they approach him.

"Is everything okay?" He asks, stepping in.

"Chris, Leon is wounded," Claire says, letting her brother take a better look. He hisses once he glares at the blood trail staining his dark blue jeans.

"Claire, can you take him to Vector's hospital? They'll be able to help him immediately. We can't waste any time."

"Okay."

"Come on, man. Let's get you out." Piers says, helping Leon make their way outside...and from there, their way to Vector's hospital...

----

You open the door and furiously make your way outside your dad's office. Your mother walks right after you.

"(y/n), please—"

"No mom." You stop and turn around to face her. "There's no way in hell I will take part in something like this." Your dad catches up. "How many times do I even have to tell you I don't even want to become a doctor?!" You slightly raise your voice. Your dad lifts up his hand lightly, signaling you to lower the tone of your voice.

"You'll only be collaborating with Chris, (y/n). Perhaps for a few months at most... He needs our help," Your dad tries to explain once again. "This is the only thing I am asking from you. You know what the hell that kid has been through almost his whole life!"

"I understand..But suggesting me in the first place was wrong. Especially when you know pretty well I don't want to be a goddamn-"

"Enough!" He cuts you off with a sudden aggressive tone in his voice. "We will continue this conversation at home." You scoff.

"No Dad. The conversation is over." You coldly announce before you make your way towards your operating room.

"(y/n)...(Y/N)!" You ignore him and walk faster. The last thing your ears catch is your mother's voice, trying to comfort him. As soon as you enter the room, your gaze fixates on the grey floor.

"Is everything alright?" You hear another nurse's voice calling out to you. You rub your forehead tiredly and nod.

"Yeah-. I can take the patient from here, Jessie." You say, avoiding eye contact.

"As you wish." She replies, leading herself to the exit. You open the door for her and close it once again. You then walk towards your desk, where your purse is left, and take a look at the time from your phone. You inhale, as you see that your shift has just started, and you put it back in.

"Alright," You clear your throat, trying to collect yourself and forget about the intense conversation. Taking the patient's file in your hands, you review the situation. "Let's see.." You whisper to yourself, studying the papers. It was the little girl that came in to stitch her elbow, a week and a half ago. "Okay, Lily. How is your elbow feeling?" You ask, not lifting your gaze.

"I sure do not look or sound like a Lily." You instead hear a quite familiar, yet deep voice jokingly reply. You raise an eyebrow before you lift your eyes to see the face behind that voice. Your confusion turns into shock once you see...

"Mister Kennedy?"

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Only a few chapter before the beginning of our love story!

Have a great and lovely day!!! <3