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"An invisible thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, and circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle. But it will never break." - ancient Chinese proverb
Few things were as cathartic to Chris Redfield as a long, hard weight lifting session. Though he had recently taken a couple weeks off the job to visit his younger sister at her university out of state, his alleged vacation hadn't been particularly restful. Claire, being his younger sister and a starving college student, had taken advantage of both Chris and his wallet, though he couldn't necessarily blame her. He could vividly recall going nights without eating when left to his own devices while on leave in the Air Force due to a gross misestimation of income after paying for both his own and Claire's living expenses.
Though he would never confess such aloud, there were times in which he secretly envied his fellow airmen who had parents to reach out to for support. The close relationship that the Redfield siblings harbored was forced upon them by the death of their parents at a relatively young age. At the time, Chris had been pressed to simultaneously learn how to be both an older brother and father figure to Claire.
As a result, Claire held an incredible sense of reverence for her brother. He had managed the role extraordinarily well and she felt indebted to him for shaping her into the woman she ultimately became. To others, the resulting stress of his responsibilities manifested in the form of insubordination and rebellion, particularly when authority was concerned. Chris took no shit from anyone and wasn't afraid to call things for what they were. This was something he continued to struggle with when regarding his current S.T.A.R.S. captain, but he had managed to keep most of his distaste private, an accomplishment that his younger self never could have achieved.
With a grunt, Chris placed the curl bar back into place, almost regretting the muscle soreness that was sure to set in by morning. He leaned forward, allowing his forehead to rest against the firm pad of the preacher seat before him as he attempted to catch his breath. Given the way his shirt clung to his back, he knew he'd need a shower.
He padded to the showers quietly, exhaustion already beginning to set in. The heat of the water beating along the surface of his back was welcome, but his meditative moment was short-lived.
Joseph had burst into the bathroom, already halfway undressed. The sound of the shower running piqued his interest and he called out a greeting as he threw his discarded shirt into his locker. It had taken a while for Chris to grow accustomed to Joseph's penchant for bathroom gossip despite their often naked states, but, after a year of being subjected to his behavior, it finally no longer perturbed him.
"Welcome back to paradise, Redfield!" He greeted, stripping out of the rest of his casual wear to don his uniform. "I bet you're thrilled to be back."
Chris snorted and flipped off the tap, shaking the water from his hair.
"Yeah, definitely can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be for the next 24 hours." He deadpanned, fumbling for a towel.
The 24-hour shifts in their line of work were daunting, but Chris had grown to prefer the unconventional scheduling. Emergency calls at three in the morning were a hell of a lot easier to respond to when he didn't have to leave his own bed and force himself to drive to the precinct.
A moment of silence fell between them as Chris toweled off, but Joseph quickly interrupted.
"You heard about the new recruit? She started right after you went on vacation."
Chris paused for a moment, slightly caught off guard by the commentary. Before, he had half-listened to Joseph's chatter about a rumored new hire, but never picked up on the fact that it was a woman. Vaguely, he remembered some mention about the candidate having former Army experience and an expertise in breaking and entering, but not much else.
Truth be told, based on the description, he hadn't expected a woman. He cringed at the thought and could practically hear Claire chastising him for his prejudice in the name of feminism.
"Cool." He tried to force enthusiasm in his voice. "She good?"
It was a pretty stupid question, he realized in retrospect. S.T.A.R.S. was meant for the elite.
Joseph shrugged as he slid on his vest.
"She's kinda boring...super textbook, probably never broke a rule in her life." He paused, reflecting on his experiences with her. "She's nice though. Haven't seen her do field work yet."
Chris didn't really care to listen.
"Guess we'll see."
He didn't give it any further thought as he began to dress, psyching himself up for his return to the humdrum of routine. As he pulled on his shirt, he felt something pull in his shoulder, and he winced at the sensation.
Man, he hoped they'd have an uneventful night because he sure as hell could use a nap.
In an unexpected turn of events, he eventually did give it a second thought...and then about a hundred more because, god damn, Chris thought Jill might have been the hottest thing he had ever seen.
There was something about the way the low light of the basement highlighted her features, casting long shadows that accentuated her soft edges in all the right places. She was leaned over the edge of a pool table, dark locks tucked behind an ear with her brow furrowed in concentration as she stared down the arrangement of balls laid out before her. The thick, ribbed fabric of the pale blue, standard issue shirt she wore clung to her as if it had been tailored for her body alone, tucked into navy cargo pants that were equally flattering, providing just enough hint of long, toned muscle to pique his interest.
Her brow relaxed and she tilted her head to the side, looking up at Forest to pull her full lips into a sideways smirk.
"Sorry, Forest…"
There was a hint of something playful dancing behind her words and, with a definitive clack, she struck the cue ball expertly, simultaneously sending the final three balls into pockets.
Jill laughed good-naturedly-a light, bubbly sound that made something shift in Chris's chest. The sound of her voice had done enough to stir something low in the pit of his belly, something that smoldered so hotly that it was nearly suffocating.
Joseph sure as hell hadn't mentioned any of that about her. What the hell was wrong with him?
With a groan of disgust, Forest wrinkled his nose at her and sneered.
"Not my fault you're a fuckin' pool shark prodigy."
With his ego clearly bruised, he crossed his arms over his chest and flicked his nose into the air.
"I'll have you know that, before you came along, I was the best in the precinct, honey."
Barry snorted at the remark from across the room, eyes fixed on the television as he remained posted in his usual spot on the couch. He allowed his focus to stray briefly to glance over at Chris and they cast one another an acknowledging nod.
"Very important detail there," Chris spoke up as he stepped into the room, "Was."
He could never pass up an opportunity to dig at Forest and the moment had presented itself all to perfectly. The deep rumble in his voice had caught Jill's attention and she turned towards him, allowing them both full surveillance of one another with she in her blues and he in his olive green.
Forest surely gave some snide retort, but it fell on deaf ears. When her pale eyes met his, Chris felt a his breath hitch in his throat.
No, there was no longer a "might have" about it-Jill was the hottest thing he had ever seen. How the fuck did Joseph fail to mention that?
Chris coughed before stepping forward, offering his hand.
"Chris Redfield, sharpshooter." He introduced himself, voice a little more gruff than usual.
Jill watched him, gaze hesitating on his face before moving to his hand in order to oblige him with her own.
"Jill Valentine, B&E."
Chris raised his eyebrow curiously, but said nothing aloud. Instead, he simply nodded and gave her a warm, welcoming grin.
"Welcome to the team."
His eyes were fixed on hers, but the trance was abruptly interrupted by a heavy-handed clap on the back from Forest.
"You forgot to mention your position as 'first loser,' since you'll never beat the champion here."
Forest pointed both thumbs towards himself and tossed his head to the side, flicking back his long hair in an exaggerated gesture. Chris held his tongue. Under any other circumstances, he would have openly protested Forest's claim, but he couldn't quite force himself to look away from the woman in front of him.
Despite being on the sidelines, Barry found the meeting between the two to be strange at best. As long as he had known Chris, he'd never seen him become intimidated by another person, let alone a woman. He resisted the urge to laugh to himself and shook his head, turning back towards the television.
He knew Chris had already fallen and he hoped it wouldn't be detrimental for either party involved. Chris Redfield never half-assed anything and he could only assume the same principle applied in his relationships. Chris was a man fueled by passion and, if he believed in something, he devoted his entire self to it.
He hoped Jill Valentine was as tough as she attempted to seem.
Rising from the couch, Barry extended his arm upwards to stretch stiffened muscles.
"Well, Forest…" He spoke up, shifting the attention towards himself, "As honorary loser, I do believe that makes you my food running partner tonight."
It was a lighthearted comment and an unofficial rule the team had established long ago. The S. .S. were competitive in nature, always instigating challenges with one another. The proclaimed loser of the day was always responsible for the graveyard shift food run as the ultimate form of punishment.
Forest relented with a heavy sigh-after all, rules were rules.
"Yeah, fine. What do y'all want from Marguerite's?"
Joseph, who had been inconspicuously tucked away in the corner, snapped up from his book, face lighting up at the mention of food.
"Aww yeah, Marguerite's! I'll write it down."
Once the pair departed, Joseph settled back into his chair with his book, leaving both Chris and Jill to their own devices.
"So...are you from Raccoon?" Chris asked, instigating small talk.
He had stolen Barry's spot on the couch and aimlessly flipped through the channels, not particularly interested in much of anything. In response to his question, Jill slipped into the seat beside him, and he felt his heart begin to hammer in his chest.
"No, I just moved here...for the job actually." She paused for a moment, giving him a sheepish smile. "How about you?"
Chris felt his breath hitch in his throat. In their close proximity, he caught a hint of the faint perfume she wore, something subtle with just enough floral undertone to be distinctly feminine. The blue light from the tv screen played across her features, highlighting the soft surface of her skin and those pale eyes that he swore he would have jumped off the damn roof for if she had asked.
Like a goddamn teenager, he scolded himself, Get it together, Redfield.
Regardless of his inner turmoil, he didn't miss a beat.
"Nah. I've been here a few years though. It's not too bad."
He truly didn't mind Raccoon City. The views of the mountains were nice and tourism brought in a decent enough bustle to keep things from being too boring. There was always something to do, always some joker committing some stupid crime to get involved in.
"It seems pretty quiet." Jill commented offhandedly and Chris laughed.
"Trust me, the drama will pick up."
He wasn't a particularly superstitious guy, but, as if on cue, he heard the familiar footfalls of someone descending the stairs. The rhythmic, robotic crescendo was unmistakable and he tapped Jill on the knee.
"Captain." He whispered.
Truth be told, he was halfway convinced that Wesker was some sort of android and it wouldn't have surprised him if he had been programmed solely to spite him. Chris's relationship with the Captain was tumultuous at best and their distaste for one another was no secret.
Just as he had predicted, Wesker whisked into the room, movement fluid and commanding.
"Alpha team."
His speech was cold and sharp as always. He was strictly business all the time. In fact, Chris was pretty sure that Wesker's developer had forgotten to install the "fun" program to his hard drive.
All three S.T.A.R.S. swiftly rose to attention.
"Another body was found. The RPD is as incompetent as ever. The public is getting riled up and there are rumors of civilians forming a vigilante justice group to search the area themselves."
He let out an amused chuckle at the prospect of civilians attempting to take the case into their own hands, but his expression quickly became stoic once again.
"This is unacceptable."
He stepped forward to hand Joseph a thick file.
"Frost, meet Vickers upstairs to assist with his research. Compare this to previous cases and find the missing link. Redfield…"
He languidly shoved a thin folder towards Chris, looking Jill dead in the eye despite addressing Chris.
"Head to the Marble River in Cedar District with Valentine to investigate the scene."
Just as quickly as he had entered, Wesker breezed his way out, leaving them all irritated and confused.
Night had already settled in Raccoon City, cloaking everything on the rural roads with an eerie shadow. The Arklay Mountains laid just within the outskirts of the city and were largely uninhabited, making it the perfect destination for hikers to not only partake in their sport, but also get murdered by some deranged, B-horror inspired lunatic, it seemed. Chris had visited the area enough times to be as familiar of a dense, overgrown forest as one could be, though he hadn't encountered any bodies during his previous hikes.
Needless to say, he was grateful that this body had washed up within the city limits. Navigating the mountain in the dark didn't seem like the most thrilling thing to do.
"Another body?" Jill asked from the passenger seat as she flipped through the documents Wesker had provided.
Chris admittedly had not followed the news during his absence, so he wasn't entirely sure of the current body count. All he knew was that it was too damn high.
"Yeah, something like...three bodies have shown up around the mountains."
He squinted, trying to make out the nearby landmarks in the dim, yellow glow of the headlights.
"The RPD has been investigating, but they never really uncovered any leads. All the bored housewives and teenagers have theories that there's an axe murderer on the loose, but...y'know."
Jill laughed.
"Sprinting around the mountains with an axe? That's some impressive stamina."
If the fact that they would soon be faced with a corpse fazed her in any way, Jill gave no indication of it. She was as calm as could be and Chris found himself to be a little impressed. Joseph would have been going a thousand miles a minute, running off theories and attempting to solve the case before they had even arrived, whereas Brad would have simply brooded in the backseat, anxiety palpable.
What kind of experiences had she endured? Joseph never mentioned previous police experience, but there had to have been something unique about her to persuade Irons to hire her.
Before he could conjecture further, the glimpse of flashing blue lights between the trees in the distance signaled that they had arrived at their destination.
"The hell is S.T.A.R.S. doing here?"
The officer who greeted them seemed less than impressed as he met Chris with a hard stare. Chris, too, seemed equally apathetic, not even bothering to respond to the man as he ducked beneath the fluorescent crime scene tape to study the scene.
Clearly, there was a lot of RPD history for Jill to study up on.
"Captain Wesker's orders." She offered lamely and the officer turned to her, studying her intently.
"Ah," He said, eyes sweeping over the S.T.A.R.S. emblem emblazoned on her beret, "You're the new one. Congrats."
His statement didn't seem congratulatory-in fact, it was rather deadpan.
"Yeah, she beat you out, Ryman."
Chris didn't look back as he headed through the small scattering of trees that led to the river. Jill mouthed the officer an apology before slipping beneath the tape and sprinting after her partner.
"You guys seem close." She jested, falling into step beside him.
Chris smiled.
"There's this stupid rivalry thing between us-Ryman, Speyer, and myself. Don't listen to their bullshit though." He winked, "I'm the best shot."
Jill felt something flutter in her chest at his remark.
The body was laid out on a sheet of white plastic beside the riverbed, surrounded by fluorescent lamps that emphasized the gore with their bright lighting. The woman was laid on her back, dressed in tatters of what appeared to have once been athletic gear, a hiking boot still present on her...one foot that remained.
She had been obviously mutilated. Her grey skin was bloated from its exposure to the river and marred by jagged, deep lacerations. Flesh had been ripped from bone, sinews of muscle and blood vessels dangling freely where the ends of her limbs had been severed.
Bile rose in Jill's throat, but she forced herself to swallow it, wincing as she felt it burn on the way back down.
"Probably a bear or some shit." Kevin spoke up from behind her. "Doesn't take S.T.A.R.S. to solve this mystery."
If only they had known.
Chapter revised 2 May 2019.
Thanks for reading! This will be a long-winded piece centered around Chris and Jill's partnership along the duration of their lives. The Mansion Incident will still occur, but not quite in line with the typical canon, and all that follows will be a rework of the entire series with some original arcs thrown in. Please look forward to plenty of zombies, a little bit of the ocean, a lot of PTSD, and a great deal of steamy romance at likely inappropriate times in due time...if it suits your fancy. :)
