Jake had earned himself a substantial fan base in Yemen.

He stood in a dusty section of town wearing rough brown cloth over his face and body, it protected him against the dust that would roar up at any time. Only his blue eyes were currently visible.

Many of the buildings were abandoned due to the mutated creatures that had over run the area. Jake knew they were dealing with B.O.W.'s and this being perfectly in line with his abilities he simply showed up and started dealing with them. In reality it was the one thing he was really good at. No reason for him to quit now.

"What do you suppose they are doing out here?" The tall dark haired woman named Mira whispered to Jake. They were watching someone walk down the street. Whoever they were had all the right clothes for the area as if they were trying to blend in, but walking out in the open like that? Jake shrugged it off.

Definitely not from around here...

A local would have scuttled from door to door to avoid any B.O.W.'s. Plus there weren't many locals left since the B.O.W.s had showed up.

This individual did not seem to realize the danger they were in. He or she was dressed in a brown rough clothe similar to their own...but they kept scanning the area.

They were looking for someone.

"No one we know," he said putting a finger to the trigger of his gun ready to fall back to familiar surroundings. Something about the way they moved caught his eye and he hesitated. There was something vaguely familiar about the individual in front of him. They were looking for something, but out in the open here is where you tended to get killed. Maybe they wanted to be found.

He heard Mira cock her gun, Muhammed was behind them readying his own guns to leave. For the past four months they'd fought with him against B.O.W.'s. He'd showed up here and simply started taking them out. After a few weeks some of the locals had joined him. He kept a tough image but Mira had seen him trade apples to kill monsters for the local children. He was tough and capable and faster than any fighter they'd ever seen. Under him they'd learned to take out the B.O.W.'s on their own. He'd taught them all the weak spots.

Mira herself had fought with him on several occasions and made it very clear that she was interested in him. In the past Jake would have taken her up on any offer and left it at that. But not since meeting Sherry Birkin.

Damn it super girl for giving me a conscience.

He reminded himself to take her to task for that the next time he saw her.

He never opened himself that much to any of them. Muhammed told Mira, he had photo in his pocket that he looked at every night. True, Mira had seen it herself she'd never put the girl in it together with Jake in a relationship. The photo was of a blonde girl with short cropped hair and blue eyes. It was also wrinkled because he looked at it a lot and kept it in his pocket.

Jake stared at the figure and couldn't shake the feeling that this was someone he knew. He suddenly called out to his companions.

"Wait a minute." He began moving forward eyes locked on the brown robed figure. The face was also covered but around here in this dusty climate that wasn't necessarily an indication that they were female.

"Wait?" Said Mira surprised following him.

Jake ignored them both and broke cover heading towards the individual who, as he moved closer, he could see was much shorter than he was. Could it be?

"Hey!" Jake called out in Arabic moving closer to the individual. It was dangerous here, there were still plenty of B.O.W.s (Bio-Organic Weapons) to take out and he was never sure who the enemy was or who was an innocent civilian. The locals paid him in food to kill any B.O.W.s that kept popping up. It was pittance compared to what he used to make. He smirked at that as he moved closer to the person who had stopped and was just watching him come closer. Wouldn't Sherry be surprised now, especially considering he once demanded 50 million dollars for a pint of his blood?

And Sherry had made sure they'd given it to him too, that was the bad thing about it. He'd used some to travel here, and on occasion for weapons, but touched very little of it. He still felt guilty for asking that much in the first place. Considering Sherry had honestly been trying to save the world. And him? He'd just been another mercenary trying to make a buck off of it, and her.

Stop thinking about her.

Her name struck a chord deep within him like it always did. He often wondered what she was doing now. It had been six months since they'd seen each other last. His going with her hadn't been option. They had both known that. He'd stolen a photo of her from a report, someone had snapped it of them climbing out of the underwater base in China. It might have been selfish or silly but he didn't want to live without being able to see or remember her face. He was never going to admit that to anyone else.

She'd saved him in more ways than she probably knew and he missed her terribly. She had wanted his freedom as a condition for his pint. Non-negotiable. He remembered her stealing the phrase he'd used on her for the money. The good-bye had been the most difficult. She was not free to stay, and if he went with her he would have had to endure the same arrangements. She wanted to spare him that. God, he wanted to have just one more moment with her. Tell her what she meant to him.

He shrugged the feelings away and concentrated on the current problem at hand. He would think about Sherry later.

He always did.

"Hey don't you know how dangerous it is here?" He snapped out in Arabic.

"Jake?" The voice hit him like a punch to the gut. He reached up and snatched at the hood with one hand and grabbed the person's shoulder. As it fell away his mouth fell open in surprise.

Wide blue eyes under close cropped blonde hair stared back at him in surprise. "Jake." She said again smiling in relief.

"Sherry?"

He crushed her to him in a hug. "What the hell?" He whispered, "I was just thinking about y-." He stopped, her face was still pressed to his chest as he squeezed her.

"Hey," she said into his chest returning his embrace. They'd had a lot of close contact in Edonia, and then in China but they had never hugged just to hug.

They had parted ways with a handshake. He had held her hand a little longer as If there was something he wanted to say. But in the end he gave her hand a squeeze and smiled at her ignoring anyone else. They had given him a blood draw and he, after his wordless good-bye to her, he had left and from a distance watched a plane take her away.

Now here he was again embracing her in a way he had never done previously. "Am I still asleep? What are you doing here?" He said pulling back and looking her in the face.

"You dreaming about me?" She said in a joking tone. Her face tinged pink as she said it.

He didn't answer and his own face flushed slightly. A growling sound saved him from making a reply. It was coming from behind him. He instantly knew it was a strelat; a lizard type creature that came out of the numerous chrysalids all over the area. They were so numerous around here in these abandoned areas that Jake encountered them on a daily basis. They also had an annoying habit of throwing spikes in your direction if you didn't kill them quickly enough. He had a few new scars to show for it.

He glanced at it and yanked Sherry close to him and the other arm jerking up with a gun faster than Sherry's eyes could see. He fired into the creature's face as it opened its mouth to spew acid in their direction.

Then he was moving her away from it as it died. In its death throes it would still spew acid but he hoped it wouldn't mutate again. A good head shot would bring it down but leaving the brain intact left you open to an even worse mutation.

"Jake you can put me down now, I am armed," Sherry gasped. She was feeling a little smothered and he was half carrying her, half dragging her along against his chest.

"Sorry," He was still squeezing her against his chest. He relaxed his hold on her still scanning the area just in case they had attracted the attention of anything else.

"Jake who is this?" Mira called from behind him in Arabic. He had forgotten they were there. He turned to Mira, she was frowning staring at the girl he'd just wrapped his arms around.

That he still had his arm wrapped around.

Muhammed jogged up behind her wearing a puzzled expression. This was a side of Jake they had never seen.

"This is Sherry," said Jake hesitantly in Arabic to them. He didn't want too many to know about her just as not many people knew about him. He turned back to her.

"I thought I put you safely on a plane out of China and back to the states," he said switching to English and stepping back to look at her. Her hair had grown a little longer but she was still the short petite blonde he remembered. He still had his hand on her arm, never fully releasing his grip.

"And let you have all the fun?" Sherry smiled. She looked around. "Plenty to go around isn't there?"

"You know super girl, I was attempting to keep a low profile." He lifted an eyebrow at her, the unspoken, "Why are you here?" did not go unnoticed by her.

"You call being the most successful person to take out B.O.W.s a low profile? The BSAA knew it was you out here. No one else can take them out like you've been doing."

"You keeping tabs on me?" He said half grinning. This time Sherry blushed.

"No..." She started, her face red. She dropped her gaze quickly.

"Just doing what I'm good at," he said staring at her. "It is so good to see you again. I..." He hesitated.

"Good to see you too," Sherry whispered quickly in a low voice that only he heard. He nodded suddenly very aware that they were not alone. He glanced back half guilty, half hoping Mira and Muhammed would take the hint and leave.

"Perhaps we should take this visit elsewhere?" interrupted Mira, not taking the hint at all. Jake had not released this girl yet, and he had let his guard down too much with her standing there.

"She's right," Jake nodded. Muhammed ran ahead, his shot gun ready. Mira turned away and started to follow.

"Is she safe to learn about our place?" Mira questioned him. Jake nodded, and Sherry noted the way the woman looked at him. She wondered if there was something between them. If there was she was going to feel horribly guilty about what she was about to ask Jake to do. A twinge of jealousy worked its way through.

Instantly, she was comparing the two of them, she was short with close cropped hair...and nothing special. Mira on the other hand was gorgeous with dark brown eyes, tan skin and long flowing black hair that she kept halfway under a veil. Sherry suspected the veil was some sort of formality as her long hair hung down out of the back of it towards her bottom. Infected can't grab my short hair, Sherry reasoned. Then mentally berated herself for feeling jealous. It had been her decision to leave him behind. They had never started anything

Jake towered over all of them as he followed after Muhammed and pulled Sherry behind him. She stared up at the back of his head craning her neck up, she had forgotten how tall he was.

He had yet to release Sherry, he was still holding her hand, as if he let go she'd disappear again. Mira saw this and frowned even more.

Muhammed gave a few short knocks on a door in an intricate pattern and then ran inside. They followed and Sherry was surprised to find herself in a small but clean room. Inside were crammed several teenage boys, several loads of weapons and themselves. The boys struck Sherry as they weren't the kind of boys she'd encountered in the states, but ones who'd seen war and their eyes reflected the fact that they'd grown up too quickly. The room itself was decorated with rugs and cushions, a few short tables and a bathroom.

"Adan, Elian, Aharon," Jake called a greeting to them in Arabic. "How's the fort?"

"Still loaded Mr. Jake," the tallest one called back eyeing Sherry curiously.

He led Sherry to the corner aware that everyone was staring at them.

Muhammed leaned to Mira and whispered quietly to her. "It's her from Mr. Jake's picture." Mira sucked in her breath hard.

"I know!" She retorted miserably in Arabic. She shot Muhammed a hard look hoping he would not to say another word about it.

Across the room Jake wondered if they were aware at how good his hearing was. He shot Muhammed a look with an eyebrow raised to let him know that he'd been heard. Muhammed's face turned red and he glanced down at the floor.

"This isn't a social call though is it?" He said turning back to Sherry and studying her for a moment. He spoke in a low voice aware that every ear in the room was straining to hear what they were talking about. "Why are you really here?"

That stung her although it was the truth. She would not have come looking for him otherwise. She turned away for a moment thinking about what she was going to say next.

That was how it was with him though. If he had his own super power, it was that he could always tell when she was holding something back. He reached over and slowly turned her around with one hand on her shoulder with a raised eyebrow. "Just tell me." He said gently.

"No, I don't get many social calls," she said smiling sadly up at him. "You know that. But this one I took specifically to find you. I want you to come work with me..."

"No." That was Mira from across the room. She understood enough English to know what Sherry was asking. Jake turned and glanced at her and then back at Sherry.

"Give us a minute guys," he said to the rest of the room. He gripped Sherry by the shoulder again and steered her outside the door into the alley where they were alone.

"What's going on?" He said pointedly. He knew she wouldn't have come looking for him unless she had a reason, and that reason would have to be pretty fucking bad. After all she had left to keep him a secret. She wouldn't be here now if it the danger was not real. "You saving the world again?" He said it jokingly hoping to lighten her mood.

"Neo-Umbrella is looking for you...well us." She said earnestly, looking into his face and then glancing away again.

"Aren't they always," he muttered turning away for a moment before turning back to her. "I've done alright so far," he said. He stared at her. Something wasn't right, there was something she was leaving out. "What are you not telling me?"

"The lab we escaped from...they took our samples, and..." She hesitated her eyes dropped down.

"What?" Here it comes, the punchline.

"They were using it to make a new virus strain. One, they are calling the Immortality Virus."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me?" He laughed covering the anger that suddenly swelled up. "They couldn't come up with a better name than that?" This is China all over again.

"Jake this is serious. If they get their hands on us, it's going to be much worse than China was." She shuddered. She had been thinking along the same lines that he was.

He shot a dark look at her as he started pacing in front of her, one black gloved hand scratching the back of his neck.

"You found me," he said stopping and leveling a look at her. "Trouble follows you around you know. What if they used you to get to me?"

"We found you FIRST." She protested. It hurt, what he had just said to her. Mostly because when she'd left him confused about her own feelings for him, she managed to convince herself that this was the best way for him to remain a free man. Now she was back...back to what? Capture him? Cage him? They needed to warn him, but what did that mean for him?

"No.... but someone in the group might." Jake was thinking fast. "I've only got one contact in this phone you got me. You." He started pacing again in front of her, one hand on his chin, the other flexing at his side.

She blushed when she heard that.

"But," he went on, "I've been staying off the grid. Letting Jake Muller fade into history. I like life on my own terms, not Neo-Umbrella's. Not the BSAA's I'm not their fucking guinea pig. Remember?"

"Yes, I remember." She muttered looking down at the ground to hide her smile at his outburst. This was the Jake she remembered and trusted. Temperamental, his language colorful, yet he could always be counted on in the thick of things. "We wanted you to work with us, as an agent, in the Division of Security Operations, where I work..." She was starting to ramble when he still hadn't responded.

He stopped pacing and faced her. "As an agent."

"Jake, I know—"

"Fine." It was brusque and to the point. He stared at her for a moment with one eyebrow raised, waiting for her to argue. He knew she would because he knew that she wasn't expecting it to be so easy.

"But-?" Her eyes widened. The protest she was about to make died on her lips and for once she had nothing to say back. He grinned at her sudden discomfiture.

Suddenly the door opened and Mira rushed out followed by Muhammed. "Jake you cannot just go! We need you here." She spoke in rapid Arabic giving Sherry a searing glance and then staring at Jake, begging, imploring him to stay with them.

"Mira—" Jake started, uncomfortable.

"We need you," she repeated. "I, I need you."

Sherry looked away. She didn't have a clue as to what they were saying but she understood the look enough to hurt for the girl who was obviously in love with Jake. Again she felt a twinge of jealousy. What if they were in a relationship?

Jake put that notion to rest quickly enough.

Jake put his hands on Mira's shoulders. "No, you don't need me. You guys have been taking B.O.W.'s out on your own for a while now."

"You don't care for me at all do you?" Mira asked, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Not in the way you want me to," Jake said. He was blunt and he knew it hurt her but that was his way and there really was not a good way to soften the blow. She dropped her head down lower and then broke away from him and ran away down the alley. Jake stared after her for a moment, he felt guilty. Damn it Sherry, you had to go and give me a conscience?

Muhammed stepped forward then. Behind him the other boys were watching the scene with interest. "She'll never forgive you for breaking her heart," he said glancing worriedly after Mira.

"No," said Jake looking Muhammed in the face. "But you might."

Muhammed glanced up at Jake in surprise and then nodded as a smile broke out over his face. He reached out clasped Jake's arm and Jake knew he had guessed right about the younger man.

"Where will you go? Vacation?" he asked Jake, grinning.

"Nah," said Jake in Arabic, looking at Sherry. "Where that one goes, trouble is usually not far behind, much worse than anything we've faced here so far. This here has been cakewalk compared to what she and I went through together."

Muhammed's eyes opened wider as he snuck a glance at Sherry. "My friend, I pity your choice of women."

"Don't," said Jake smiling. "You know how much I like trouble. Tell the boys I'm still off fighting something even worse."

"You weren't kidding about the trouble were you?" Muhammed asked sobering.

"No," said Jake. "Go find Mira, tell her how much you love her."

Muhammed nodded and then trotted off down the alley after Mira. She had been armed when she left but this still was not the best place to be out alone.

Jake had grown fond of these kids while he was here. Although they really weren't that much younger than he was. He hoped they would make it, but they didn't need him any longer. He'd make sure they got what they needed to continue fighting. Muhammed and Mira were both capable leaders. Not kids then, he corrected himself.

Plus, they were probably safer without whatever was hunting him this time finding him here.

Jake started walking in the opposite direction and turned back to Sherry. "You coming?"

"After you." She replied taking his extended hand.

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