That was probably that last batch of stuff she needs to get from the STARS this point, it doesn't even feel like it will be called the STARS office. More than half of their team is gone. Not just fired or retired, they are gone. Those of them left have been trying to cope with the situation. For Rebecca, the first step for her is to leave the city. She and Jill walk down the corridor towards the main lobby of RPD.
"You sure you don't need help?" Jill while opening the main door for her.
"Yeah, it's not that much." The younger one lightly raises the box she is holding in front of her to emphasize that she has no trouble carrying it. She was the last recruit of STARS and she barely brought stuff with her to the office before that cruel night.
Jill smiles a bit and pats Rebecca's shoulders. She couldn't imagine what she must have been going through. After all, Rebecca is the only surviving member of the STARS Bravo team. Not to mention how young she is. None of them even knows how to operate or what to do during that mansion incident. She admires how Rebecca managed to keep her composure and fight through all that horrific experience.
"You should leave this city too." She says.
She only replies with a sigh at first and opens the gate. "I'm thinking about that. I just want to maybe tie some loose ends and I'll leave too. I'm worried about Chris as well."
"Yeah, he looks a bit too agitated lately"
"I know. Yesterday he bumped into Elliot on his way to the office. I swear there was a moment he was about to charge in for a punch." She shakes her head in disbelief.
"We all need some time off. Let's keep in touch, alright?" She gets a nod from Jill and they walk their separate ways.
Her time off is long overdue. She not only needs days but weeks, months even. Nightmares are almost present every night. Paranoia creeps up to her almost every time she is alone, feeling like someone would just grab her. Never in her life did she ever think she would be scared of dogs. Dogs for goodness sake! It saddens her to think that it would take a while before she could cuddle with another canine again.
"Need help?"
She just shakes her head, ignoring the person walking beside her. "No."
"Need someone to talk to then? Officer Chambers?"
She stops on her tracks. Upon recognizing the voice, she slightly pivots to her left and is surprised to see him. His lips curl to one side as he takes the box from her. She didn't even say his name, knowing too well what he is already risking just by staying in the city. Despite the brown sun hat, big tinted aviators and gray long sleeve shirt hiding his tattoos, she knows it's him.
"What are you doing here?" She resumes walking, her body facing front and her voice almost a whisper.
"I guess I just want to see what's the big deal with this city and Umbrella. Disappointing, really" He scoffs.
She discreetly looks around. Trying to make sure they are not being followed or listened to. "If there is nothing interesting for you, you should have left."
"I was about to." He looks at her for a moment then back to the sidewalk. "But last week I was at the . . Jack Bar was it? Anyway, I ended up talking to his cop named Kevin and he mentioned that at his work, there is this team he tried out for, multiple times by the way, but he didn't get in. He hated it at first but he doesn't regret it now after hearing about what STARS went through during one mission. Then he also mentioned that one girl is leaving town soon. Apparently, it's her last day of work today. So I tried my luck and hoped I'd see you."
"I see." She pauses as they pass by Moon's donuts. She wanted to ask if he wanted to get some snacks but she dismissed the thought. Instead, she continues walking. She scratches the side of her head, not even sure where this conversation is going to or what they are doing, then ends up tucking her hair behind her ear. "So did you wait for me just to help me move my stuff?"
Now that he hears what he is basically doing, he chuckles at how absurd it is. "Yeah, I guess I just want to make sure you leave this city."
"That's very kind of you. I will be leaving tomorrow indeed."
"Unless you want to visit some places you haven't been to. Like the zoo. I heard there are plenty of monkeys there." He laughs a bit at his own remark.
"I don't think I want to see any primate and other animals for now." She giggles as well as she hears the sound of his contagious laughter. Though there were times they both tried to make the atmosphere lighter when they were stuck in the train and research facility by cracking small jokes here and there, they never really laughed like this. "I'm definitely leaving. I want to study again but I'll just go on a break for a while."
He only nods. No questions when it comes to her skills. The kid managed to survive something that even trained soldiers failed to do. He might not even be alive if it weren't for her. They might not be here if it weren't for each other.
"How about you? Where are you off to?" She gently grabs his arm and guides him to the right. Immediately letting him go as well as she noticed it wasn't necessary to hold onto him as he could easily trail beside her.
"I don't know where specifically, but south sounds good."
She stops in front of a building and faces him. For some reason, she doesn't want to speak a word and she just looks at the box he is holding. He takes a quick glance at the building and looks at her. They both just stand there, him carrying the box and her searching for her keys.
"Do you- " He wants to offer to carry the box up to her apartment but the sudden silence is unnerving. "Do you have your keys?"
Just as she manages to find the right pocket where it's located, the keys slip from her hand and drop on the ground. "Yes, thank you for your help today." She picks it up and takes the box from his hand.
"It's nothing." He was about to hand over the box but the shining metal around her neck got his attention. "It looks good on you."
"What?" Her eyebrows furrow as she looks up at him. Both of them holding on to the box. His gaze goes up from the dog tag to her face then back to the item around her neck. She follows his sight. "Oh, this. . . " She feels blood rush to her face. "Report filed so I guess you can have it back."
"No." He lightly pushes the box towards her, preventing her from reaching for the necklace as her hands grab a hold of the bottom of the box. "Keep it". He fixes his hat and looks around, setting his eyes on everywhere but her. "I can't wear it anymore anyway."
She takes a deep breath and stops herself from insisting. It looks like his mind is made up anyway. "Alright, thank you again for today." She starts to make her way towards the entrance of the building. The box is not heavy but her steps are slow.
"Rebecca." He calls out her name after mustering up the courage to ask the question he has been wanting to ask since he saw her.
There was a slight relief just by hearing him call her name. She didn't even notice she was holding her breath until she heard him. As she turns around, he walks closer to her.
"You said you want to take a break for a while. Why don't you come with me? Go somewhere . . .less . . . less like what happened before in the mountains?" Words are failing him as he doesn't even understand what he wants to do or where to go. What he is sure of though is that he wants to spend more time with her. In a more normal circumstance.
"Where exactly?" She tries to suppress her laugh. Partly because of the unclear idea he is trying to convey but there is also a part of her that's excited and happy for what awaits them.
"I actually don't know either." He shrugs. "Honestly, I am not sure where to go and what to do. But I'm sure I would want to take a break too." His hand starts to be a fidgety for his liking so he shoves both of it in his pockets. "I'm also sure that I want to spend some time with you. . . Under a more normal circumstance."
She just stares at him. She would be lying to herself if she says she isn't thrilled with his plan. But is it really the right thing to do?
"You don't have to answer now. You have the entire night- day to think about it." He pauses and slowly nods. "But tomorrow, I know you probably don't like trains right now but let's say tomorrow night around seven? Seven-ish? You know that newspaper stand near the entrance?" He gets another nod from her, there is even a hint of a smile on her face. Hopefully, there isn't much convincing he needs to do. Hopefully she won't think too much about it. Hopefully she would take the first step in getting to know him even more, and know each other more. "If you want to, I'll be there"
A/N: Here is another short fic for Billy and Rebecca. Seems like short one-shots are the only things I can publish now but that's perfectly fine since I can still balance my time and juggle through most of my hobbies like writing and playing video games. Also, if you happen to have some free time, drop by at my Twitter account and add a vote to the story I submitted for a writing contest. The link to vote is in the pinned tweet in my profile. Your support is highly appreciated and please do leave a review to this story if you can.