A/N;

Rawr. Can't think of many notes… I have some chunks of chapters 15 and 16 done, so when my big events roll around I'll hopefully still be able to keep up my updates. Kind of Ironic, but chapter 17's nearly done… XD

Ohs. *shruggers*, I didn't see much reason on going too far into Jill and Amy's past. When I finish this series I might write it up more detail just to clear it all up properly xD;

Ditto9 – Maybe we should make Charlie the fanfic's mascot XD? Jill and Chris may as well be living in Egypt :c *Brick'd for horrible, horrible pun*

Tiger Snaps – Here you go XD!

Hannah554 – This has really only been up for a day, so you've gotten in pretty early XD

Oh, you might like this x3

striped-tie (dot) deviantart (dot) com/art/STARS-Gabriel-XD-119517332

Resident Evil isn't mine. What? I couldn't think of a snappy one today!

'Songbird' belong to Bernard Fanning.

Songbird

If you'd let somebody love you just enough
You'd have everything you need to break free from all your pain

A slight melody played as Jill walked out of work. She reluctantly pulled her mobile from her pocket, flipping it open. A message from Amy, great. Well, what did she expect? They were… Friends, supposedly.

'Hey, come dwn 2 the pub with me & the rest of the grls. U're off work now, rite?'

Well, at least her spelling was picking up.

'I'll be down there in 10.' She texted back miserably.

Five, really, she made it down there in, even though she dragged her feet, and had Gabriel shifting his position constantly on her shoulders. She walked thought the pub door, gave no glances, no greetings. She looked up, spotted the group, and trudged over. There was no reason to spare any words as she sat down.

The group had quickly stopped their conversation as Jill took a seat, obviously not expected her early.

"Wow, I didn't expect to see you early!" Joanne gasped, the rest of the group nodding. Wow, real original reaction.

"Yeah… It was a faster trip than I expected." She shrugged, "Hope you don't mind. I can walk out and come back in later if you want."

"Would you mind?" Miki asked, before receiving a hit upside the head from Nicola.

"Nah hun! Stay!" Nicola chirped. Jill seemed to settle down in her seat, leaning back. Gabriel quickly moved onto just one of her shoulders to make sure he refrained from getting squished.

"Is… Is that a rat?" Miki asked, scooting as far back as she could in her seat.

"… He's a ferret." Jill answered plain. "He came in with me to work today, I didn't have any time to take him home before coming." Gabriel looked at them for a moment, before making a 'donk' sort of sound.

"… Eew." Amy said, while Jill just rolled her eyes. "Right, we were talking about Chris, right?" the rest of the girls, excluding Jill, nodded.

/… Fuck. Was I dragged here just to hear her brag?/ Jill thought bitterly.

"He's sooooo great, but some things just like, completely urks me about him. Ya know?" Amy asked. The girls nodded. Jill put an elbow on the table and leaned forward.

"No, I don't know. Please elaborate." She stated, catching Amy off guard. /Please, tell me what are your standards? Maybe I can pair you up with a more fitting tree./

"Uhm… Well…" Amy began, scratching the back of her neck, taken aback by Jill's reaction. "Ya know.. .He just, speaks so vulgar, and when he's joking around… It's all… Ugh, it just, really pisses me off!"

Jill found herself ticked off, and raised to her feet. "Excuse me a moment," She said, placing Gabriel on the table. "Look after my ferret." And with that, she swiftly left, heading out the back door which lead to an alley.

Gabriel stared at the girls for a moment, and they stared back. He hissed. They screamed.

Out behind the Alley, Jill was tempted to punch a wall – She was so angry, frustrated, but she was smarter than to do that. She spotted a dumpster, and quickly moved over to it. There were appliances thrown into it…

She grabbed a toaster from the pile, and threw it at the ground. It broke off into a lot of pieces, as if it was waiting to be put together at the manufacturing building. She breathed heavily, angrily, before calming down, and heading back inside. She sat back down, and went on to try and listen some more.

"And… Ugh, it's like, he doesn't take priorities." Amy huffed. Jill clenched her fist, "And he doesn't even look after himself, c'mon! He rarely shaves or, anything! He needs to clean himself up, it's disgusting!"

"Excuse me again, I forgot something." Jill said, heading outside again.

SMASH went a microwave before Jill came back and sat down.

"Well I guess I can't bitch about everything, I mean, the sex is damn well good~" Amy purred.

"A minute." Jill said though clenched teeth, quickly running out. About five more appliances met their demise with loud smashes and crashes, followed by a loud, drawn out and yell. A lot of people looked towards the door, before getting back to their drinking as Jill walked back in, seeming fine with a smile on her face.

Throughout the rest of the conversation, Jill continued to get up, leave, find something in the dumpster, and proceed to destroy something from it before venturing back inside. Eventually, as one more remark was made, Jill stormed out once more but stopped when she reached the dumpster. There was nothing worth smashing in it, but she still had so much anger built up. The music in the pub had been turned up so loud she couldn't even hear her thoughts about trying to figure out what to do. Extremely frustrated, Jill grabbed her gun from the holster she had pt on while at work and uploaded a full clip into the poor dumpster, before walking back inside, seeming far more relieved. No-one had heard the gun firing because of the music.

But as the subject finally, finally moved on, Jill thought of a question worth asking.

"Hey, Amy… Do you remember how we actually became friends?" Jill asked out of the blue. Amy gave her a strange look. It wasn't exactly the most desired question to be answered, and in all honesty…

"Nope." She said, looking back to Marie. Jill quietly moaned. Maybe that was why she was treated like this – Her deed wasn't remembered. She couldn't really blame them – It had only been something small, and looking back, they had no doubt taken her into the group purely for protection purposes.

It was probably around, three or four years ago. A simple intimidating man giving Amy and Joanne a lot of hassle, close to turning violent. A simple step in by a girl they had seen on campus once or twice, whom that had taken no previous acknowledge of.

'What makes you think you've got the right to intimidate people like that? You're nothing more than a thug, get out of here.'

'And what are you gonna do about it, missy?'

'Shooting you seems like a good option. I can claim self defense.'

A twirl of a new gun, brought to congratulate herself on getting her gun license not too long ago. And he hightailed it out of there as she shot at his foot, a simple but effective warning shot. Even back then, she wouldn't put up with it. The two girl's first encounter with the girl known as Jill Valentine.

Such a simple thing, Jill didn't blame them for forgetting it. Things were far more important these days, though sometimes she found herself wishing she hadn't got involved.

Jill stuffed her hand into her pocket and pulled out her mobile, hiding it under the table. She found Claire's number, and sent off a quick text as the other girls continued to chatter about idle things that, although important to them, made Jill want to rip her ear drums out. The text message simply read:

'FUCKING. SAVE ME. EARS, BLEEDING. PUB, YOU HERE, NOW.'

She quickly switched her phone to silent, looking up. They hadn't noticed her lapse of attention. Soon the phone vibrated, and she quickly opened it.

'… Caps abuse? Are you yelling? I'll be there in five.'

Jill thanked her lucky stars. She new she must have been dragging Claire away from her studies… She'd make it up to her later for this. But for now, she definitely needed to get away before she went deaf.

Gabriel ran back up Jill's arm to her shoulder, hissing once more from his perch. He didn't like these girls, no sir. His 'mummy' seemed to always have bad vibes whenever she was around them. He didn't know why they upset her, or how, but he didn't like it.

"Jill… Can you put that thing outside or something? It's feral!" Miki squeaked, moving back once more in his seat.

/He's more tame than you mongrels… Oh! Who said that?!/ Jill thought, a soft smirk on her face, but it quickly turned to a grimace. "Ugh… Possum…" She muttered under her breath. Gabriel quickly stood up on Jill's shoulder, ready for the sentence.

"Did you say something?" Joanne asked. Jill shook her head.

"No, nothing…" She sighed, looking to the door. Where was Cl… Ah, what good timing that girl had. Jill quickly stood up as Claire wondered through the door, seeming to have grown accustom to these sorts of places. "Oh, I'm sorry, I need to leave for a few minutes, is that alright?"

"Not really…" Amy began, but Jill had already darted away, Gabriel just managing to hang onto the fabric once again. The girls went back to their conversation, the topic now turning to Jill. They didn't see her grab Claire's hand and drag her off to a table.

Jill found a free table, slumping down in a vacant chair next to it. She still seemed extremely agitated.

"Are you alright?" Claire asked as she took the opposite seat, "You look… Pretty pissed."

"I'm fine." Jill assured her, "I've just been trouble-shooting."

"Trouble-shooting… Isn't that STARS code for 'shooting the fuck out of a dumpster'?" Claire asked. Jill simply nodded in reply.

"I never thought I'd have to follow Barry's example of that." She sighed. "I feel so... Arg! I'm just being used and no doubt being bitten when I'm not looking by the Oh-so-popular sorority angels."

"Jill, have… You been watching the soap operas too?" Claire asked, leaning forward a bit. It was almost like their roles had been reversed.

Jill grunted, slamming her fists down on the table, "Watching them? I'm damn well living one…" She mumbled.

"… Please tell me you don't secretly have a child hidden away somewhere?" Claire asked. Jill shook her head.

"God no. I think I'd remember if I had a child." Jill stated.

"I dunno, Amnesiaaaaaa." Claire pointed out. Jill chuckled and shook her head.

"No, I'm sure I don't have a child, there's no reason to worry. This soap opera hasn't brought in the 'You're my mum!' plot line yet." Jill assured her. Claire sighed in relief, then seemed to jolt. "Is something wrong?"

"Not really, I don't think… I just, kinda know one of those guys over there. Kinda being used very, very loosely." Claire explained, gesturing to the bar counter. Jill looked over her shoulder to get a look.

"Do you need me to pretend to be your girlfriend again?" Jill asked, studying the people over there. It would have helped if Claire had been far more specific… There were a lot of guys waiting to get drinks. Claire shook her head.

"Nah, I think I'll keep being straight today, thanks though." Claire said, "I only met him on the street, once, so I'm sure he probably won't bother me now."

"What exactly did he do to grab your attention in the first place?" Jill asked curiously.

"When I was heading to the station earlier today, he grabbed my arm and gave me a packet of M&Ms." She said.

"So he was trying to court you?" Jill joked.

"They were the crunchy ones." She shrugged.

"I think that might have been a marriage proposal then." Jill said nudging her arm. "Be careful, people usually defend those crunchy ones with their lives, to give them to you, my lord!"

"Cut that out." Claire laughed. "We've got other things to discuss, eh?" Jill leaned back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling. She just watched one of the fans spin slowly, not even being very efficient. Her mind only drew blanks.

"… So, are you going to the mission as well?" Claire asked, trying to think of a subject. Jill nodded.

"Yeah, it's all of Alpha Team. You know what the funny thing is? Neither Justin or Amy seem to know about it." Jill laughed. Claire tilted her head to the side.

"How do you know Amy doesn't know?" She asked curiously.

"Well I haven't told her, I doubt you've told her, and I don't remember Chris calling her the two nights I slept over." She explained. Claire put her elbow on the table and leaned forward, a smirk on her face.

"Oh, did you now?" She asked, her smile much like that of a sly cat. Jill quickly slunk back in her chair.

"Don't try to make something of it, missy." She said, crossing her arms in an attempt to be more intimidating on the subject. "Nothing happened."

"Oh, and why not?!" Claire asked, standing up. A few people looked their way. "Just once, sleep with him just once!"

"Soap operas, Claire!" Jill reminded her, taken aback. "… Though, this doesn't really seem to fit with it… For god's sakes Claire, both Chris and I are taken! I can't go doing that! I, couldn't if I wanted to!"

Claire sat back down in her chair, concentrating on Jill's expression, and how she had worded her statement. "But you do, don't you? You love him, don't you?"

Jill looked away, "Please… Claire, don't do this to me…" Claire nodded and looked at her apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Jill." Claire apologized, honestly. Jill sighed, pushing some hair from her eyes. Claire shook her head. "Hey… I'll keep you up to date on everything, alright? You know I'm here to talk if you need to. You look like you're stressing out a lot, and I can understand why… Frankly, it doesn't seem very fair exactly what's going on. But, I know you enough to know you can play the cards you've been handed. Just hang in there, alright?" Jill gave a nod, refusing to sigh again. It just seemed obnoxious. She looked up slightly, her eyes gazing next to Claire.

"Hey, Claire. You've got company." She commented. Claire jolted – Just as Jill had said that, someone placed their hand on her shoulder. She quickly spun her head to look next to her. By the look on Claire's face she felt it was safe to assume that it was the guy that had given her the M&Ms. At least he seemed… Confident? That was a good trait… Dressed in cargo pants, a yellow shirt and blue jacket of sorts, it was hard to tell whether he blended in or stood out. His shade of red hair wasn't one that you saw everyday, though.

"Well hey there again beautiful~," Was the first commented made. Jill quickly turned away, mentally leaving the two... Her mind needed to be in other places. Gabriel had jumped off her shoulder – sitting on the table now, eying the new comer suspiciously. He wasn't bothering Jill, though… But he'd stay on guard, just in case.

Claire clicked her fingers, snapping Jill once again from her thoughts. Claire's expression seemed… Mixed, in a way. "So, did you find out where he got those M&Ms?" Jill smirked.

"Uh… He said he'd text me the address…" She said meekly, putting a hand over her face. "So… He's got my number."

"Oh, don't look so 'meh', Claire. All Princes start as Frogs and all Gentlemen as Dogs. He didn't seem that bad. A little cocky, maybe." Jill assured her, giving her a pat on the shoulder. "And if anything strange goes on, Chris'll sort things out, like usual."

"You mean in the 'Step aside as I shamelessly step in and defend your hounor' way?" Claire asked.

"That needs to be called the Chris Redfield syndrome." Jill laughed. She looked up at the clock adjacent to the bar and bit her bottom lip, feeling the habit set in once more. "… Well, Gabriel and I had better be off. Sadly, I have a home to get back to."

"… Why don't you just stay at Chris' again?" Claire quizzed as Jill stood up, grabbing Gabriel from the table.

"Because my head doesn't hurt anymore. I'll see you around, Claire." Jill said, then paused. She looked at Gabriel sadly. "Claire, can I ask a favour?"

"Sure, what is it?" Claire asked, tilting her head slightly to the side.

"… Can you look after Gabriel? I can't take him with me, and I don't trust leaving him at home." She explained. Claire gave a nod, and put her hands out.

"Sure, just pass him over."

Jill looked at Gabriel sternly, "Now Gabriel, be good for Aunty Claire." She stated. He gave her the pleading 'But I don't want to, mummy' look. It was… Strange from a ferret, but he seemed to behave as she gave him to Claire. "He can eat cat or ferret food, but he nibbles on a lot of other things, too. If you can't find him, just squeak a squeaky toy and he'll come back."

Claire nodded. "I got it, leave it to me." She said with a smile.

"Thanks, Claire, I really owe you."

Jill sat on the couch in the apartment. Her little set up had been dismantled – It would be cold if she slept there that night. She needed a good sleep, she'd have to sleep in the bed. She got up, able to heard Justin in the shower, and headed to the bedroom. She got changed, and snuggled down into bed, nearly falling out from being so close to the edge.

"Oh, you're home?" Justin asked as he finally walked in. Jill put a pillow over her head, not wanting to look at him. She just wanted sleep. "So…"

"No." She said simply. "I'm tired, Justin. I have a mission tomorrow, I need my sleep."

"… Not even a quickie? It'll help you get to sleep faster." He tried to coax her.

"No." She repeated once again, not budging.

"It's been months…" He said, honestly trying now.

"No." She said firmly once again.

"Aren't you just a little bit…" He began.

"Yes, extremely, but I have my priorities. For god's sakes, I'll only be gone for two days. Just wait until then." She stated.

He muttered to himself, getting into the bed. He attempted to put an arm around her, but she hit his hands, giving a slight 'for the love of Christ, leave me alone' growl. He muttered angrily once more, turning his back to her.

"You're lucky I love you." He mumbled. She shifted awkwardly hearing it, but did not pick up what he said next, as it was obviously meant just for him, "Sometimes I wonder why I do…"

Back in Claire's Dorm, however…

"Damn it Gabriel, come back here with my bra you little pervert!"