A Step Forward and Back

Jill set plates of sausages, pancakes, and scrambled eggs along with a pitcher of milk on to her tiny kitchen table. Normally, she'd be okay with just a bowl of cereal and a banana (she was into having bigger lunches than breakfasts), but with a guest over, serving the simplicity of cereal and a piece of fruit made her uncomfortable. She heard the sound of a door close behind her and found Rebecca walking out of the bathroom, a warm smile on her pretty face. She had been staying with Jill for the past few days, and the two agreed that the medic would make one last trip back to her own apartment to do some last minute packing before they left for Europe.

Rebecca took a look at the table before sitting down, scooping some scrambled eggs and sausages into her bowl, taking a few nibbles here and there, but never really finishing the entire piece.

"Morning. Sorry, I can't really cook." Jill smiled, seating herself next to her friend. "I feel bad that you had to eat my horrible cooking for the past few days."

Rebecca waved her hand, dismissing Jill's critical opinion. "Oh! No, it's not that! It's just that I still haven't found my appetite yet."

Jill nodded in understanding, took a bite of her homemade breakfast, conscious that it tasted rather bland. She had always been careful to make sure her food had some flavor to it whenever she cooked, but the past few days must have taken a toll her, too. Honestly, she was very nervous about heading to Europe to stop Umbrella, but she couldn't make that evident to Rebecca. She had to be strong, not just for herself, but also for Rebecca and the rest of the team. Barry and Chris were anxious as well, but she wasn't sure to what extent. Everyone seemed to be keeping to themselves, trying to put on a hard and positive front, for the sake of conjuring some team spirit and morale.

"Sorry, I must have forgotten to add in salt while I was cooking."

Rebecca chuckled. "Jill, stop apologizing! Really, you've done so much for me. Thank you…"

She took another bite, perhaps just forcing herself to be courteous. Jill set down her fork, feeling full even though she didn't even finish half of her portion. As she looked at Rebecca, she couldn't help but wonder if the topic of Europe had been brought upon the younger woman too quickly. Was Rebecca really ready to take on such a fatal mission? In just a matter of days, her team, job, boss, reputation, and Billy were all gone. Honestly, Jill wasn't even sure she was ready herself, but spending each day making preparation plans with Chris and Barry made the mission more real, more demanding.

"Rebecca? About Europe, I'm sorry to have popped it out of nowhere last night-"

"No, Jill, I've been thinking about it all night. It was actually the perfect time. Right now, I'm at a loss, but if I go with you, Chris, and Barry to Europe, I feel like I'd find a purpose again, a purpose to keep on moving forward." She touched the dog tags, rubbing her thumb over the surface. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Jill pretended she didn't see the way Rebecca was longingly gripping the necklace against her chest, her heart. She had been a complete wreck after that day in Irons's office when she had found out about Billy's death, but each day after the next, Jill was so proud that Rebecca was recovering at an impressive rate. She knew Wesker didn't just pick any chum to be a part of S.T.A.R.. He was very selective, choosing the best, brightest, most talented person, and those qualities no doubt represented Rebecca. She reached out and touched the medic's hand, squeezing it gently. "Everything is going to be okay. We're going to go to Europe to take down Umbrella for good."

Rebecca gave a small smile and returned the squeeze. "You make everything sound so easy, Jill."

"Maybe I just want to convince myself that it'll be that easy, but on the other hand, everything seems to be going smoothly. Barry already sent his family to a safe location and set up a rendezvous point in Europe where we're going to regroup with other S.T.A.R.S. members all over the world."

"You mean the ones who haven't been sold out to Umbrella yet…?" Rebecca asked quietly.

Jill swallowed. It was still difficult to accept that according to Barry, the majority of S.T.A.R.S. had sided with Umbrella for one reason or another, mostly for money, but that didn't mean there weren't others out there who felt like them.

"Jill? Did you tell Barry and Chris about Billy?' Rebecca asked suddenly, the question startling both herself and Jill.

"I didn't. They knew his background and obviously were very concerned about you and his…" Jill thought for a moment, searching for the right word. "…involvement. But, I didn't tell them anything else. I made a promise to you and I intend to keep it. I'll let them know only if you want me to."

"Thank you. I-I think I want to tell them myself…"

"When?"

"Maybe when we get to Europe, or perhaps during the plane ride there? It's going to be a long way and it'd be nice to kill some time, huh?" Rebecca said, easing some light humor into the tension. "I know they're dying to know…and I bet Chris has been bugging you about it for awhile now, huh?"

Jill let out a small laugh and nodded. "You know Chris. He's an insanely curious person, but with good intentions. And yes, he has been bugging me about it a lot, but only because he cares about you, Rebecca. When I told him that you're staying with me, he seemed to be really relieved that you're being taken care of."

"Thank you, Jill. Though I've lost so much, I still have so much to be grateful for." Her eyes became moist but no tears fell.

Both women forgot about their breakfasts. Jill pushed her seat back and reached forward, lightly embracing Rebecca. Honestly, Jill wasn't very fond of vulnerable people, being that she had always been a very independent person since her mother's death, but it was more than understandable in Rebecca's case. She was only eighteen and had gone through the unimaginable suffering that people couldn't even envision. Rebecca relaxed her head against Jill's shoulder; the warm and caring contact of another human comforted them both.

Suddenly, a series of loud banging at the front door startled the duo. Jill was the first to recover from the shock and raised a finger against her mouth, signaling silence as she softly crept toward the door. Rebecca nodded and pulled out her Samurai Edge from her holster, keeping the gun concealed beneath the table. Jill tipped her head in affirmation and opened the door in one quick sweep, causing an erratic man holding several briefcases to fall into the apartment, landing face first on the floor. Rebecca swiftly swept her gun from beneath the table, the muzzle pointed at the man's head.

"Hold it!" she yelled, weapon trained mercilessly on the invader.

"W-wait! Don't shoot!" The man raised his hands and crouched, his face coming into clear view.

"Brad!" Jill gasped, kicking the front door close before helping him up. "What are you doing here? We all thought you ditched town!"

The anger in Jill's voice at the latter statement made Brad tremble, but reminding herself that she couldn't blame him for his cowardly actions, she decided to start over. "What's going on, Brad?"

"Jill, Rebecca," he wheezed, paying particular attention to the briefcases to make sure that nothing had spilled from his reckless landing. "Chris and Barry. Are they here?"

Rebecca immediately dropped her weapon and helped support Brad's weight until he was steady on his own two feet. "They're not here. They're making final preparations for our flight to Europe."

Brad's eyes widened, unsure if he had heard correctly. "What! Europe? You guys are going to Europe?"

Jill rolled her eyes, feeling her frustration rise yet again. "Brad, how about telling us why you're here."

When Brad stood to his full height, she noticed that his face and hair were disheveled, his clothes stained with blood and dirt, crumpled and ripped. His dark eyes were wild, as if they were searching, seeking, but couldn't find what they were looking for. There was a strong odor emanating from his body, as well. Jill knew that some men from the Alpha team had passed on rumors to the Bravo team that Brad 'Chickenheart' Vickers would sometimes skip days of showering, causing an overwhelming scent of BO to be released, but no, this smell was different. There was a strong whiff of decay reeking from his body, the smell of death.

"Y-you guys can't go to Europe!" he screamed frantically, holding up the briefcases in his hands. Not only did his voice shake, but his entire body was wavering. "I-I have the T-virus with me."

Well, Rebecca certainly had not expected this: Chris, Barry, Jill, Brad, herself, gathered in Jill's tiny living room, silently digesting Brad's bombshell. Who knew Brad had such amazing timing? Moments after Brad's confession, Jill had contacted Barry and Chris, holding an emergency meeting at her place. Now, all eyes were on Brad, and as much as Rebecca sympathized with Brad being put under the spotlight, she couldn't help but feel angry at him, too. No, she couldn't be completely angry towards him. A part of her was for sure, but the other half was more frustrated about the situation. Everything had been set—they were going to head to Europe, take down Umbrella, leave behind Raccoon and S.T.A.R.S. forever but somehow, she had a feeling that this was all too good to be true. Yes, Chris and Barry had suspicions about secret laboratories within the city, but they had hoped that by taking down the main headquarter in Europe, the labs within the city would be defunct. But now that Umbrella was transporting T-viruses into the city, well, that was another story.

"So let me get this straight. You grabbed random files from Irons's office before you left and when you were driving south, through some forest, you read the files and realized that Umbrella was planning on sending shipments into the city, most likely to the RPD. Then, you decided to conduct a stakeout by yourself and took down the driver of the transport vehicle, and hid his body and the van before gathering these briefcases, heading back to Raccoon and storming to Jill's apartment at eight in the morning," Barry said in one breath, an incredulous look on his face.

Brad nodded, but his flitting eyes told Rebecca that perhaps there was something else he had not shared. Heavy dark circles surrounded his eyes, making him appear older than he really was.

Jill shook her head, equally as annoyed as everyone else in the room. "I don't even know what to say. Brad, how could you just run off like that, without telling anyone?"

Brad bowed his head out of shame and embarassment. "I'm sorry. I know it was wrong of me, but I was just so scared at the time." He straightened himself until he was able to meet everyone's eyes. "But that's why I came back," he continued. "I want to make it up to you guys for leaving when you…I mean, we…are so vulnerable."

"You sure pick the best time to play team player," Chris said sarcastically. He unfolded his arms from his chest and sighed. "But at least you did manage to get the T-viruses. I-I don't even want to think about the viruses inadvertently spilling in the city due to whatever reason."

A cold chill ran down Rebecca's spine as she considered the implication of Chris's words- the Mansion Incident magnified tenfold.

"Okay, now that we know what's going on, what's the plan?" Jill asked.

"The plan still stands. We're heading to Europe," Barry stated firmly in a voice that meant finality.

Brad shot up to a standing, looking bewildered than anyone had ever seen him. "Did you not hear a thing I said? What about Raccoon?"

"He's right." Chris rubbed his chin. "Now that we know suspicious activities are taking place, we can't just forget about Raccoon. We have to make sure that whatever happens, a biohazard outbreak is out of the question."

The small was soon filled with a shattering crescendo, everyone trying to top their voice over each other, except for Rebecca. She watched quietly, oddly feeling like a small child witnessing a group of adults bickering over something trivial such as taking a bill. The volume elevated, everyone lost in the heat of the verbal fray, and Rebecca was starting to wonder if the walls were soundproof.

She covered her ears and shook her head, trying to drown out their yells. God, did they even realize that she was still sitting here, waiting for them to act their age? "GUYS!" she snapped with such force that the room became eerily quietly even before the ringing of her own voice faded from her earshot. The argument immediately disbanded and everyone turned around to face her, looking at her questioningly.

"Sorry," she muttered, feeling her cheeks flush. "I think I came up with a solution that will make everyone happy.'

Barry raised a brow. "What is it?"

She looked at them intensely, wanting them to realize how serious she was being. There were moments when she didn't mind being treated and looked upon as a rookie, but not right now, damnit. Everyone had worked so hard to keep on fighting strong, and now, she had to make her contribution. She couldn't let them fall apart, couldn't let the plan fall apart, not like this. "Barry, we're going to stick with the plan of heading to Europe. Brad, I also hear you, too." She took a deep breath and stood up, walking towards them, filling the gap of the little ring they had formed. "We're gonna do both. Barry, you and Chris should head to Europe and stick with the original plan. Jill, Brad, and I will stay behind in the city and keep a lookout for information on the labs. We'll join you guys later on. How does that sound?" she asked with too much hesitance for her liking.

"No," Chris said almost too quickly. He looked at Jill, worry flashing through his eyes. "We should all stick together. I-I don't want anything to happen to you both." Brad looked as if he was about to say something, but Chris cut him off before he could. "And you, too, Brad," he added.

"Chris…" Jill whispered, hurt and emotion coiling in that one syllable. "I agree with Rebecca. I think it's best if we split up."

Chris's shoulders sagged. He and Barry both saw the firm resolve twinkle in Jill's eyes, which meant that her mind was made up. Once she was adamant about her decision, nothing could sway her otherwise. She was just stubborn like that. "Don't worry about us, guys. We'll be okay, right Rebecca?" she added with a smile.

Rebecca nodded and felt truly glad for the first time since the day she had let Billy go free. "Yeah, we weren't selected to be in S.T.A.R.S. for no reason," she reminded everyone. Gathering the metal briefcases with care, she handed two to Barry and the other two to Chris. "Take them. Get them out of the city and bring them to Europe, far away from Raccoon."

Barry and Chris accepted them without a word. They both weren't used to taking orders from an eighteen-year old, but there was a first time for everything.

Brad chimed in,. "She's right. Besides, if you can infiltrate Umrbella's systems in Europe, maybe you can provide us with some pass codes for the labs here. I'm sure the labs here are tightly secured."

Jill nodded. "I doubt we'd be coming across random keys and keycards so readily as we had in the mansion…"

Barry exhaled deeply, cleared his throat, and grinned. "Can't believe I'm actually saying this, but it sounds good to me. What about you, Chris?"

Chris looked like he still wanted to argue but decided that it was for the best if he just kept his mouth shut. He was alone in his argument. Even Barry had sided with the other three. Still, Rebecca could tell he couldn't shake the sick sensation of anger and regret if something were to happen in his absence, especially when he could have prevented it. "I'm still not okay with the idea of you three being left alone here, but I guess there's no other way around it." He turned to face Jill and gave her a tiny supportive smile. "But I guess all personal feelings aside, our main priority is still to make sure that we finish our mission, finish what we started."

Rebecca watched the silent exchange between Chris and Jill and felt a mixture of contentment and hurt sear her heart, the latter feeling like tight coils curling around her chest. God, the way they interacted reminded her so much of her partnership with Billy. She had her reservations about him in the beginning, but undoubtedly, she had grown to care deeply for him. He, in return, had become fond and protective of her. She didn't want to admit it to herself back then because it had made her heart flutter, the beats racing faster. She shouldn't be focused on those emotions while her main objective was to make it out of the facility alive to expose Umbrella's secrets, and not to mention, nearly her entire team had been wiped out. But who would have guessed that she'd be left with nothing but longing right now? Longing to see him, touch him to make sure he was really there, and tell him what her heart didn't understand.

It was too late for that.

But like Chris had said, it wasn't too late to finish what they had started, and right now, she would have to solely focus on that. It was the only thing she could do to keep her sanity.

Regan snapped his phone closed, and leaned into his plush leather seat, weaving a hand through his thick mass of brown hair. He rested the phone on the table and folded his hands together, closed his eyes and sat perfectly still, meditating on what he had just learned from Irons. Suddenly, his fingers curled, his hands became fists, and he felt anger run from the length of his fingertips to his chest. He should have seen it coming, but most importantly, he should have prevented it from even happening. After everything Umbrella and Spencer had done for him, he couldn't let the company be even slightly scathed. Without Umbrella, he was no one; they were one and the same.

He had ordered some soldiers from the Dunnell Marine base to scout for the whereabouts for Coen with no luck, but after the critical piece of information Irons had just exposed, Regan could almost bet his life (and he was never one to take his own life lightly) that Coen was partially responsible for intercepting the shipment. He had already found out too much during the failed mission in Africa to eliminate that village, under the pretense that there was a heavy tribal warfare that needed to be quelled. And, after discovering all the secrets within the Umbrella Research Facility in the woods, the goody-goody boy had all the intentions, motivations, and drive to take down Umbrella, but Regan would not allow that, never.

Whether any S.T.A.R.S. members were in on it or not with Coen, that didn't matter. They would meet their fatal end soon, they all would, but he personally wanted the pleasure of escorting Coen to his death sentence. A perfect ending for a chapter that shouldn't have been treaded upon. The edges of his mouth curved, a wide grin forming. This was absolutely delicious news to him.

Forget the incompetent morons at the Dunnell Marine base. No, he would send in his own men, trained Umbrella militias.

Though Regan hadn't personally acquainted himself with Billy, he knew a pest when he saw one, and Billy was a rat. "Perhaps I've underestimated you, Coen, but no more."

He'd hunt him down, cage him like the animal he was, and have him slaughtered for the world to see.

This time, he'd be dead, for good.

A/N: Yep, Rebecca and Jill aren't going anywhere, and neither is Brad. And as for Billy's fate…well, we gotta wait until next chapter! I just want to point out that regrouping with other S.T.A.R.S. members (assuming there are others outside of Raccoon City) was an idea taken from Perry's Resident Evil novels. I thought that was a nice touch and motivation to head to Europe. As usual, all the comments I have received have been much appreciated! Seriously, they can really brighten up a crappy day so I truly thank you for sticking with me! We're getting close to Billy/Rebecca meet up and I got a bunch of ideas to write!