Disclaimer: All Resident Evil characters, places and things all belong to Capcom and other involved companies. I own none of it. This fanfic is purely for the fun and enjoyment of others and myself. I make no money from it.
RESIDENT EVIL: ROAD TO DESTINY
"ETA IN 5 MINUTES PEOPLE."
Jill sighed after hearing the voice of Barry over the intercom. Only 5 more minutes until they reached the others. Only 5 more minutes until they reached Chris. Jill had become more and more troubled by the idea of seeing Chris. After such a long time, she wasn't sure how she should act. She was sure she still had strong feelings for Carlos, and what they did all those months ago still seemed fresh in her mind. She just didn't know where to turn anymore. She had been wrestling with the whole issue throughout the whole plane ride and was now frustrated that she still had not come to a decent conclusion regarding the issue.
She glanced over at Carlos but immediately turned her eyes the other way. He was staring straight at her. 'Does it look like I'm as nervous as I truly am?' She thought to herself. Carlos was always a huge support to Jill. First in Raccoon City, and then on. He had always consoled her and treated her like an angel. Chris was similar to that yet he let her walk on her own two feet most of the time. He would never do anything that hinted at a romance between the two. However the option had always been there and vaugely enough, that had been more then sufficient for the two partners. They both had feelings for the other and they each, to some extent, knew how the other was feeling but they never truly explored those feelings. Chris never made Jill feel they way Carlos has. Chris could be helpful and sweet and an all around great guy as a friend but Carlos had been more then that. Carlos had been someone who could protect her. Someone who could understand her feelings and relate them with his own. Carlos reached out to Jill on a more emotional level, one that Chris would never go for. Jill slowly closed her eyes. The decision was obvious. Now the hard part was that she was back to square one again. How should she react to Chris?
"Jill? You ok?" Carlos asked softly.
He was sitting across from her on the helicopter they were in. Beside him, was Barry who faced off with Derrick. Then, next to him was James who sat across from Risakes and next to him was Belivan.
"I'm fine!" Jill lied. "Why? Is something wrong?"
Carlos gave her an unbelieving look. "Jill don't play dumb with me ok. Look, ever since your friend Barry mentioned that guy Chris, you've been acting strange. Is something going on between you two?"
"Why are you so interested in finding out?" Jill argued in defense.
" Jill, I don't want to fight. I just want to know if you've still got feelings for this guy. If you do… I can respect that… I guess I'll understand and leave you two alone."
Jill looked down. She definitely didn't want to tell Carlos how she was feeling. Not now, when she didn't understand it herself. She sighed audibly. "Look Carlos, nothings going on between us. We're just really good friends. That's all." 'Well at least that wasn't a total lie.' Jill thought to herself.
Carlos gave her another disapproving look. "Jill I don't –"
Carlos words were cut off by the loud alarms going off inside the chopper. Soon following, Barry's voice came to life over the intercom. "OK PEOPLE, WE'RE MAKING OUR FINAL STOP. GET YOUR GEAR TOGETHER AND PERPARE TO DEPART."
Carlos grit his teeth at the interruption and gave Jill one last look. Jill rested her hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze.
"Look Carlos, now's not the time to have this discussion. We'll talk more about it later ok?"
Without responding, Carlos just stood up and began heading towards one of the entrances. Jill knew he was upset and she hated herself for it. She should have told him the truth, but she wasn't sure if she knew the truth herself. Just then, James Mathy whipped the door open and walking towards them from the distance was Chris.
****
Chris walked towards the helicopter with uncertainty. 'What will she be like after all this time?' he asked himself mentally. He knew he still loved Jill. That was no question. But when they had parted, it was definitely not on the best of terms. On top of that, it was a long time ago. Many things have happened since then. He had come to terms with himself and now he wasn't the same man Jill remembered in Raccoon. Thoughts that she had found someone else filled his mind. It wasn't hard to believe. Jill was an incredibly attractive, ingenious, and talented woman. Any man would fall head over heels for someone like her.
Even still, his eyes twitched slightly when he saw them all depart. Jill was walking very close to a man with shoulder length, brown hair. 'I shouldn't be surprised.' Chris thought to himself. 'Its not like she was going to wait for me forever. Besides, maybe it's better this way…'
Jill's heart was thundering as she approached Chris. Something about him looked different. He looked more confident and sure of himself. He seemed like he was in complete harmony with himself and his surroundings. However, at the sight of that familiar boyish gleam in his eyes and the fashionable grin on his face, Jill couldn't stop herself from running up to him and embracing her partner in a hug.
"Chris!"
Chris hugged Jill back, relishing the moment. He saw out of the corner of his eye how the man with brown hair was looking at him. Had he been the same old Chris, a look like that would have led to a sure fight. However, now Chris understood by that look that the brown haired guy and Jill had something going on and he made a silent promise to himself not to destroy her happiness.
After a moment the two partners broke away from their hug and looked at each other.
"It's great to see you again Jill!" Chris said with a smile.
"Likewise Chris. Some people tried to make it seem like you were dead but I just couldn't believe it. I just knew you wouldn't be dead."
Chris smiled. However, before he could say anything else, a firm hand clapped his shoulder.
"Barry!"
"Chris! Long time no see buddy! As you can see, I got the email!"
The two men laughed and hugged one another. The processions of reunions drawled on and in turn, each person had their reunion with their old friend Chris. Rebecca nearly jumped on him in glee after seeing her old partner from the Spencer Estate. Finally, Claire came towards them from the distance with Sherry following close by.
Chris walked over to his sister and led her to the group. "Everyone, this is Claire. My sister."
Claire smiled, then her eyes widened as something caught her eyes. "L- Leon?!"
"LEON!" Sherry screamed then rushed for the man!
Leon laughed and embraced the young, 13 year old girl who thought he had died not too long ago. "Claire, Sherry, It's great to see you both are alright."
Claire hugged Leon and he returned the favor. Chris frowned slightly at first then smiled. 'It looks like my sister did find some one to comfort her in my absence.' Chris shifted as he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"The names Carlos Oliviera. I don't believe we've met."
"Chris Redfield." He held his hand out to him. Although Chris respected what Carlos and Jill had, it didn't mean he had to be all happy happy with him. Chris face became serious.
"Everyone, I'm glad you could all come. I've found information regarding the plans of Umbrella that could be most useful. Please follow me." With that, he turned then headed towards the safehouse with everyone else somewhat awkwardly trailing behind.
****
::::::::: To Be Continued ::::::::::
Authors note: Hello again! Thanks for reading everyone. I want to deeply apologize for not updating sooner but life's been a bit hectic for me as of late. Anyway I promise that I will update a lot more frequently from now on. Sorry about the shortness of this chapter but it seemed like the best place to end at. Anyway, Hopefully things will heat up a lot more soon. Once again, thanks for reading and please review! J
-Cordis