She was drowning.
Water rushed around her, tearing her mouth open, and spreading a path of fire wherever it touched. Jill screamed, the liquid cushioning her cries for help. She kicked her legs feebly, her eyes growing heavy. Her hands fell from her throat, her attempts to save herself becoming more and more weak.
"Keep calm Jill" a voice penetrated the fog of panic surrounding her, whispering in her ears, attempting to rouse her. "It's almost over".
She opened her eyes and saw Wesker, hands pressed against the glass, gazing down at her. Then she dropped painfully to the floor, powerless legs slamming to the floor, pulling a cry of agony from her mouth; a gargling disgusting sound, as water spat from her. She gasped for breath, panting in short ragged heaves, attempting to get as much oxygen into her lungs as possible. She squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to to fight against a stabbing pain attacking her brain. She was still in the tube; all liquids drained, leaving her choking in the empty cell. Wesker lightly rapped his knuckles against the glass, drawing her attention. He made a shooing motion with his hands, and she retracted from the glass that she was leaning on and he nodded. Pressing a button on the console, the walls of her prison retracted, and she fell forward, slumping at Wesker's feet. Panting, she looked up at him, her eyes pleading, still struggling for breath.
He looked down at her, his expression unreadable. He squatted down, eye level with Jill. He took her jaw in his hand, apparently studying her.
"Interesting" he muttered, almost to himself. "Towels, Excella" he growled, standing suddenly, dropping Jill. She stalked into the darkness and returned moments later, carrying a bundle of dark towels, throwing them at him.
"I have work to do, Albert. Once you're done sorting out "Project Valentine", maybe you could...join me?" she purred, fingers tracing his shoulders. He shrugged from her touch.
"Indeed, Excella" She nodded, and once again entered the darkness, her footsteps fading into nothing. Wesker dropped the towels on the floor, a soft impact on hard floor. He crouched again, this time swiftly taking a towel from the pile of three from the floor. He took a corner between thumb and forefinger and draped it around Jill's shivering frame, covering both shoulders and fell to her thighs. Her hair stuck to her head and down her back, and she was cold and aching. "You need rest, my dear. Your muscles are most definitely weakened from being in cryostatis for such an extended period of time. You're going to have to learn to walk all over again." His words shocked her, as did his tone. Over all the time she'd known him, such emotion had never been evoked from him. He probably needed something from her, but she was too tired to even think about it. She just huddled closer to his chest, determined to find warmth and somewhere to sleep. Closing her eyes, she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "Whatever" she whispered, intent on breaching the borders of sleep.
A tentative hand stroked her shoulder and moved down to grip her waist, the other arm under her knees, and lifted her in an awkwardly tender motion. Shifting slightly to sit more comfortably in his arms, sighing against the motion.
"I'm taking you to your room, and that's where you can stay until Excella comes for you tomorrow morning, Valentine" he explained as he carried her through the darkness.
"Why's it so dark?" she mumbled into his throat, wondering aloud.
"Conserving energy to detract attention. We don't usually dwell in such darkness, but keeping you in cryostasis for so long was a little bit of a drain" he answered, almost automatically. Jill was surprised that he even answered, though not for long, as sleep swallowed her.
She was surrounded by soft sheets which traced the contours of her body. Rolling on to her side, she opened her eyes and stroked the white cotton sheets. Goosebumps raced up her bare arms, which upon closer inspection had become paler. It frightened her, thinking about her hair which was spread over her pillow. She circles her finger with a strand of hair and let it unravel, deep in thought. She slowly curled into a ball under the covers, cold and scared. She wrapped her arms around her knees and tucked her chin into her chest, and something clicked. She was naked. She last remembered wearing the purple leather body suit; yet now she was naked. She rolled onto her back and sat up, gathering the sheet underneath her armpits and covering her breasts. She felt terrible; her body a step or two behind her thoughts, not fully responding to her signals. She placed a hand to her forehead and fell back onto the soft cushions, trying and failing to properly move her legs.
A sharp rap at the door brought Jill from the surface of sleep again; and Excella striding into the room and perching on the end of her bed surprised her.
"Good morning, Miss Valentine; are you well?" she asked sweetly, though something about her tone aroused Jill's suspicions. It was almost as if there was something stirring beneath her words, waiting to expose itself at any moment.
"I'm fine" she answered, sharply, her guard instantly up. "A little cold, but that's hardly the least of my worries, is it?" She threw the question at her, wondering if she would falter, but the beautiful woman did not, though her eyes hardened. A sneer played around her mouth.
Excella leaned forwards, and spoke softly. "You're right, of course. Though if you don't do as you're told, you will find yourself to be in, how do you say, hot water? Yes?" Jill wasn't afraid, as she'd fought bigger than Excella; and won.
"Anyway, I was only here to wake you up." Excella continued, shaking Jill from any fantasies she had about destroying her. "You'll have some form of walking aid delivered to you later, as no doubt your ability to walk won't have returned overnight" Excella stood, and strode to the door, turning quickly on her heel to look at Jill, and then exited the room, slamming the door shut behind her. Jill rolled over, and sleep quickly claimed her again.
A soft noise roused her, pulling her from dreams of Chris and freedom. Somebody had placed a thick comforter around her, and some crutches by the side of her bed, as well as a clock on the bedside stand, the soft, melodic ticking calming her. She rolled onto her side and her heart stopped. Wesker was sitting in a chair that was artfully placed beside her bed. The black leather blended with his outfit, making them almost one solid entity, half human, half chair. Her eyes locked with what she assumed was his, but couldn't tell because of the sunglasses. His elbows were on the armrests of the chair, his fingers met together under his chin, not flinching away when Jill woke up. He didn't seem to care that Jill had caught him spying on her, his expression was almost inquiring, asking a question that she wasn't quite sure of.
"Why are you in here?" she asked slowly, making sure not to trip up on such a simple question. He inclined his head slightly, and removed his hands from under his chin, interlocking his fingers and stretching, something feline and animalistic in his actions. Dangerous, predatory. She was scared. He was bigger than her, and quite capable of snapping her neck in seconds, he could materialise next to her with his superb skill and rip out her heart right in front of her eyes. But instead, he was stretching; almost as if he'd been sitting in that chair, waiting for her to wake.
"I brought you your crutches, as you'll need support to walk again" he answered, proudly pointing at where they sat. "And Excella mentioned that you were cold, so I also brought by the comforter" he added, in a tone that could of been perceived as sheepish, if Jill didn't know better. But she did know better. She was extremely aware of the fact that she was also still nude, and the sheet she had on before had been removed, and if Wesker had replaced the sheet personally; he would have definitely seen her naked. Colour crept into her cheeks, turning her a bright pink. She looked away, hoping that he hadn't guessed what she was thinking, though he seemed completely unaware.
"Tomorrow, you will start learning how to walk again, Valentine" he said, distracting her momentarily from what she considered to be quite shallow thoughts. "I assume it will be Excella who will be helping you, as I have work to complete" he stood, mimicking Excella in his stride to the door, but passing the end of the bed and lightly tracing the end of the blanket as he passed. "Clothes are in the drawer in the night-stand I suggest you get dressed" he muttered, hinting at what Jill had earlier thought about him seeing her naked. When he exited the room, she quickly rolled to the edge of the bed and pulled out a generic grey t-shirt and white cotton panties and threw them on, and sat on the edge of the bed staring at her feet, completely unsure of what to do next.
Author's note!
Apologies for such a short chapter this time, but I really wanted to get something written, but I haven't slept, and I'm completely surprised at my own ability not to mess this up any more. I thought I'd written a lot more than I actually had! I am super sorry! I will be updating this as frequently as possible, as this is something I've wanted to do for a while, and I may as well commit to it. I'm in this for the long haul! All reviews/favourites/followers/even simple views are appreciated, truly. It means a lot, each and every one of you! I heart you guys!