Time is such an easy thing to lose, Jill is almost surprised by how hyper aware she is of what's going on around her. And in the eye of a perfect storm, Jill feels like something's about to give. What could possibly go wrong? What couldn't?
She has these thoughts as she flips absentmindedly through her new recruit's files. Eyes flicking through the lines of experience and qualifications, she nearly loses herself in the text.
"Jill?" Rebecca's tentative voice startles Jill back a bit, "Oh sorry, are you busy?"
Letting out a sigh Jill turns to Rebecca, "No, just waiting for the new guys. What's up?"
"Well… I uh… I wanted to talk to you about something." Jill gives her a look of concern, which Rebecca merely shakes her head to. "I don't know if I'm cut out for this."
"What do you mean?"
"The guys… We all watched a video our new boss sent us, of you in that mansion or whatever." Rebecca cradles herself for a second as she continues. "That's the scariest thing I've ever seen… I don't know if I could do that."
Placing a gentle hand on Rebecca's shoulder Jill sighs, "You're a medic, Rebecca, you won't be on the front lines like that."
"You can't make that a guarantee though." She's right, but Jill wishes she weren't. "Sooner or later I may have to face that, a monster, or worse – a person… I don't know if this is what I signed up for."
"Have you spoken to Enrico about this?"
Rebecca shakes her head, "I wanted to talk to you first."
"Are you hoping I'll convince you to stay? Or do you want me to tell you to go?"
"I don't know, I was just hoping for. I don't know, I thought maybe you'd just give some sage advice on what my next step should be."
Jill nods, picking up the files from the table and tapping them, "I'm not known for sage advice, Chambers. But if you want my opinion, you can handle anything, and I do mean anything."
"Even monsters?" Rebecca chuckles heavily.
"Even men." Jill smirks, "You have a lot of brain in that head of yours. You're smart, you're kind, you're beautiful, you've got a lot going for you. Whatever you decide, it's the right decision."
Rebecca gives her a sheepish smile that melts into astonishment. Before Jill can ask why, Randal from HR's voice interrupts.
"They're all yours Ms. Valentine." Randal hands her a clipboard to sign off a few documents. Leon and Billy stand at the ready, Billy seems to be teasing Leon by the way the younger blushes. When Jill looks up again handing back the clipboard, however, it's Billy who's blushing.
"Rebecca, these are our new Alpha team members. Billy Coen and Leon Kennedy." Jill pushes a still shocked Rebecca a fraction of an inch closer to them. "Leon, Billy, this is Rebecca Chambers. Bravo team medic."
"Nice to meet you." Leon immediately sticks out his hand to her.
"You too." Rebecca chokes out before turning to Billy. The two of them stare blankly at each other for a half second before Billy sticks out his hand.
"I'm excited to… looking forward to working together." He stumbles over his words.
"Me too…" Rebecca nods dumbly before noticing his hand. She shakes it quickly before stuttering, "I-… I should be getting back to work."
With that she rushes off back to the STARS office, Jill bites her lip to keep from saying anything too snarky. After all, she and Billy don't know each other… It's Leon who interjects.
"Oh, I'm the rookie, huh?" He folds his arms in good humor.
"Huh?" Billy asks, still shaken by his encounter with Rebecca.
"I can't say I've ever been stunned like that, and by a woman to boot." Leon chuckles.
"Oh your time will come kiddo." Jill snorts, "And you best believe you're getting hell for it when that day comes."
"Yes ma'am." He nods with a chuckle.
Jill gives a tour of the department, pointing out offices they'll be needing but ensuring them that Raccoon is only their temporary home for the time being. She notes the PD's change in leadership which prompts questions from the rookie.
"So… is it true?" Leon asks with a surprising amount of confidence.
"Innocent until proven guilty, I suppose, but if anyone's guilty to begin with, it's him." She sighs.
"How'd they catch him?"
"They had good cops on the case." She catches Marvin chuckle as she says this. "Something funny over there?"
"You're not an idle flatterer, Jill, let me enjoy it." He tips his coffee mug to her.
"That's your Chief of Police, he'll only be your boss for a little while though."
"Nobody likes a change in management." He laughs approaching the three of them. Leon looks nearly starstruck as he shakes his hand, Billy is still somewhat reeling from meeting Rebecca, and Marvin smirks at Jill when he sees them.
"Some recruits."
"Well, they're men, what can you expect." She folds her arms, earning a scowl from Billy.
"Chins up boys, Valentine's going to wreck you if you give her the chance."
"I thought that was inevitable regardless." Billy grumbles, all in good fun of course.
"It will be with a mouth like that." She teases, "Now let's get moving."
"STARS really brought Umbrella down then." Leon says, once Marvin is out of earshot.
"The RPD may just have brought down all of Raccoon City." Billy folds his arms.
"Neither of them have been 'brought down', we've got a long way to go before then. And you're going to help us get there."
"Yes ma'am!" Leon says enthusiastically.
"You've got a storm coming, kid." Billy chuckles.
"Even though you're right, that doesn't mean you get to be rude." Jill sighs walking them down to the STARS office.
"Don't go easy on him!" Billy snorts.
"Oh I won't, but you will." She gives him a stern look. He relents near immediately, causing Leon to chuckle under his breath.
"The rest of STARS, I can't protect you from, so good luck." She opens the door to their office door.
The office banter is immediate and all consuming, Billy fits right in while Leon nervously bites his lip and chuckles through the teasing. The new guys acclimate well to their new positions as well as they're able, Jill genuinely can't believe she's the reason they're here.
Whoever said the big changes in life happen slowly clearly never met Jill Valentine. The world is such a wild and refreshingly random place, there is no guess work to be made. But this office is part of Jill's making, and she's about to make it a place she can be proud of. What do they call that again? Home?
As she's observing her handiwork she feels someone brush past her and only catches a glimpse of red hair before the shouting starts.
"What in the EVER-LIVING FUCK CHRIS REDFIELD!?" Claire slams her hands on his desk.
"Claire, what are you-"
"Unless you're going to explain to me why you've been ignoring my calls for DAYS I don't want to hear it!"
"Shit, I-"
"You better have a good fucking explanation for this!"
"You need to calm down!" Chris stands from his desk. Tone raising in volume as he does, a fatherly edge filtering into his voice.
"Me!? ME!? Are you KIDDING ME!?"
"Hey, hey, hey." Jill attempts to stand between the two.
"Stay out of this!" They yell in unison before directing their attention back to one another. The shouting match begins immediately after, neither listening to the other.
"Cut it out! Both of you!" Jill manages to get a word in. So sharp and fierce is her interjection the siblings pause. "I'm not about to have a fist fight breaking out in this office."
They both speak up to argue but she holds her hands up firmly, "I don't want to hear it."
"But-"
"Chris, sit down." She punctuates firmly, gaze firm and steely until he relents. "Claire, you need to cool off."
Claire mutely folds her arms but nods solemnly.
"Work this out, outside or when we get off. But not here, understood?" They both nod stubbornly. But it's enough for Jill, so she turns to her own desk and calls for the new recruits. She catches Claire's lingering gaze on the two of them until Chris gets up and leaves the office. She follows swiftly after, but not before passing a look over the rookie.
"Jill's such a good office mom." Richard chuckles.
"Get your MILF talk out of my office." Jill retorts with a laugh.
"No offense, but I respect you too much to want to fuck you." Edward laces his fingers behind his head, "Also-"
"We know, we know, your hot fiancée." Forest rolls his eyes.
"She is, isn't she?"
"You're a regular fisherman, Edward." Brad snorts.
"Hey listen, I'm about to be a married man! The end of the week is quickly approaching!" Edward starts his drabbling about the love his life, as he's done for the past three weeks. Jill would think it was sweet is she wasn't so goddamn tired of hearing about it.
Chris comes back into the office, looking a bit disheveled and like he's cried a bit, Jill passes him a gentle smile but says nothing. By the end of the day, they're all worked to death and the new guys have felt the full force of being STARS members.
Jill, Chris, and Rebecca are the last people in the office, Jill takes this time to continue their conversation from earlier as they get ready to leave.
"So, you still thinking of moving on?"
"Oh! That… uh…"
"Moving on? You've been on the job a week." Chris laughs.
"I know, that's why I've decided to stick it out." She says resolutely, "I can do this."
"Yes you can, but is that the only reason?" Jill teases.
"Well!... I uh…"
"I see." Jill chuckles, reaching for Chris's hand as she speaks. "I know you didn't ask for it, but if you want some advice-"
"God please." Rebecca sighs dramatically. Her face tinted pink even in the darkness of the office as they leave for the evening.
"Don't waste time." Jill says simply, gaze leading to where Billy's stood at the front desk. Probably waiting for a ride or something of that nature.
"Are you sure?" Rebecca asks.
"Of course, I am."
"Okay!" Rebecca bristles for a second before bounding over to Billy.
"What was that?" Chris asks.
"We can't have another engagement party fiasco on our hands." Jill chuckles. Watching Billy nod to Rebecca and her throwing her arms around his neck. "Thank me later."
"Tell him not me." Chris snickers.
"Technically, I did last time." She snorts.
"Oh as if." Chris rolls his eyes.
"Are you and Claire alright?" Jill asks.
"Yeah… I really should have called her sooner." He shakes his head.
"She is your only family, it's worth it."
"Not my only family." Chris laughs pulling her in for a hug.
"I guess you're right." Jill smiles into his chest, hoping that the contact between them never ends.