A/n- Okay for all you JillxChris fans, this is a JillxCarlos fic.
Why? Cause I feel there aren't enough of these, and that all this obsessive Carlos bashing could be toned down a bit. He's not THAT bad!
If you don't like the idea of JillxCarlos don't read this, and if you do and feel compelled to flame me, don't bother cause it does absolutely nothing…though I do always get a good laugh out of people who can't take fiction for what it is...fiction!
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Sorry I Lost You.
Chapter 1 - Of coffee and Roses
It had been a good few months since the incident in Raccoon City, and almost two months since Chris had returned from Antarctica with Claire under an arm.
Jill had only heard a little of the story of what went on. Chris seeming a little reluctant to talk about it, Claire even more so.
Though things were always very tense things had quieted down, there was no longer a need to meet in alley ways or under bridges, in a fear that someone would appear out of the shadows pointing a gun to her temple.
Though there was always that nagging voice in the back of her mind, telling her to be more careful, to always look if she was being followed. Bordering on paranoia.
But she didn't always need to remind herself of the impending danger of being at the top of the Umbrella hit list. She had the others around her to do that.
The events that have occurred over the past year had thrown her life literally into chaos. She had moved around seven times in the past few months as to keep her location unknown.
She now resided in Paris.
Of course she wasn't alone, she was never alone. Barry, Chris, Claire, Rebecca and Carlos were all also in Paris. Though the closest person to her was Rebecca who was stationed in an apartment block a street away.
Although safety in numbers was the smart thing, Barry had said that he felt that suspicion might arouse should a large group of foreigners be staying altogether in the one apartment block.
So it was decided that they would all live in a separate area of the city.
The furthest away from where Jill was, being Carlos.
He had said that he wanted a nice view and chose an apartment near the river.
Jill rather resented that he should be so far away. Barry had insisted that she chose a place that was near everyone else, rather than more isolated from everyone.
As much as she felt close to them all, she needed to have a little space.
She spent nearly all her time with either Rebecca or Claire, or out at dinner with Chris.
Chris, her former partner. Things between them had gotten rather close, he seemed to visit her at her apartment more often than the others.
Jill had figured that he wanted more than friendship, and she had been willing to give it a go.
Though things became difficult to work around, with moving all the time.
It had been on more than one occasion that he had left her standing alone outside a restaurant. Only to find that he had discovered another lead onto Umbrella's newest headquarters or new information on the latest strand of the G-virus.
Jill had been seriously thinking about ending it. As much as she loved being with Chris, enough was enough.
There were other things that troubled her mind.
She was tired. Tired of running, from using fake names and dying her hair other colours. She wanted to just stop and stand still for a minuet as everything else was spinning so violently around her.
Relieved to know that they were going to be staying in Paris for a good few months at the least., she had gotten a job down at a small antique bookstore. Enjoying the quite of the small corner shop. She loved the smell and texture of the old books and reading the classic volumes of timeless stories.
She felt she learnt something from it everytime she opened their leather bound covers and flicked through the discoloured pages.
Her love of books had come as a surprise to the rest of her friends. None of them ever seeing as her as the sort to sit down and read a book. Though Carlos was the only one who didn't think it was a surprise as they'd only known each other for a couple of months and she'd mentioned it during the first few weeks of there friendship.
Carlos had become a good friend to her, although he was younger by a couple of years he acted a great deal more mature than a lot of the guys she use to know.
Jill sighed. Looking into her reflection in the mirror. Her hair done neatly up in a butterfly clip.
Her dark brown hair falling softly from the clip.
She missed her old hair colour. It use to be a rich brownie-red. Now a dark chocolate colour.
She was suppose to be going out with Chris again tonight, but he had canceled. He'd found more leads on Umbrella and him and Barry were no doubt going to be having an all-nighter of Strategies and plans of action, if any.
Claire and Rebecca were going to have a "girls night"
Rebecca's plan of trying to cheer Claire up.
She'd lost a friend in Antarctica, and ever since has been very withdrawn and distant.
Jill didn't want to seem heartless in not going but she really didn't need the weight of someone else's sorrow on her.
On a last minuet impulse she'd rung up Carlos and seen if he wanted to go out for dinner and a movie.
He had agreed, as always and was coming to her apartment to meet up with her.
"You're late" Jill smirked, looking out the window she saw the figure of Carlos running up to the entrance of the building.
Carlos looked up to see Jill's face peering down at him, she pointed at her watch in mock anger.
"You're late!" she yelled
Carlos shrugged and flashed her a grin, swinging the door open to the building he disappeared inside.
Jill backed away from the window, shutting it as she moved away.
She heard a light rapping at the door, "Come in" she said, rummaging around in her desk draw for a small comb.
There was a click at the door, as Carlos stepped through, closing it behind him.
"Hola Jilly" he grinned.
Jill turned around to face him, a smile on her delicate features, she walked over to him giving him a hug and a peck on the cheek.
"Long time no see" Jill spoke, drawing back as she went to grab her purse.
"I'm glad you said you'd come." She said turning around to face him again.
Carlos smiled. It had been a couple of weeks since he last saw Jill, delighted everytime he did get the chance to see her.
Since Jill and Chris were now and item (much to his disapproval) he felt awkward around Chris when he was with Jill. Chris didn't seem to trust him very much.
"You look great" He grinned. Digging his hands into his pockets.
Jill wore a light blue Turtleneck sweater with a pair of cream canvas hipsters, donning a small gold crucifix around her neck.
Carlos wore a beige short sleeve shirt, with cream khaki pants. A sweater tied around his waist.
"Same to you" she replied. Walking towards the door.
"Shall we go?" Jill asked.
Carlos grinned, "After you" he said gesturing to the door.
"Why thank you" Jill replied, stepping out into the hallway.
They walked down the street in small banter about this and that. Sharing various events that had happened over the past few weeks of their absence from each other.
"I think we should really do this more often" Jill laughed, as they walked towards the movie cinema.
Carlos laughed "wouldn't Chris get jealous if we did?"
Jill didn't reply, she somberly stared at the ground as they walked. Carlos felt stupid for what he had said, he didn't mean to bring Chris up, he just wanted to joke.
"Sor-"Carlos began but was cut off by Jill " You know I was suppose to go to dinner with Chris tonight".
Shaking her head "he canceled because of a lead he found two more of umbrella's facility's…Again"
Carlos remained silent.
"Not the perfect couple as perceived by others huh?" She mused. "As much as I want to get revenge on Umbrella, I want to pretend it never happened-"
"To wake up tomorrow and not know a thing about horrible Umbrella or the latest virus break-out"
"I want to have a normal life, with a normal relationship"
Jill felt an arm link under hers, looking to her friend. He said
"Jilly, some things are just meant to happen you know?"
"Although some of these things are horrible, unmentionable, everything happens for a reason"
Jill smiled closing her eyes and resting her head on Carlos's shoulder as they walked on.
"That's fine" she smiled "just don't walk me into a pole, I've got my eyes closed"
The rest of the night went much on with no talk of the past, of Umbrella or of the Nemesis.
No talk of relationships of the past, nor relationships of the present.
"I swear some of the things in that movie just weren't right"
Jill spoke shaking her head dismally.
Carlos grinned, nudging Jill "you're right, there were hardly any naked women, truly disappointing."
"Pervert" Jill muttered. Giving a short laugh.
"I wonder if I should ask for a refund" Carlos mused, "I want my money back, you promised me naked women and there weren't any"
"They'd tell you to grow up and get a life" Jill panned "though I doubt you could say anything more than 'naked women' in French" she laughed, linking arms with Carlos again.
"I can say more than 'naked women'!" he said "I can say-"
"and isn't part of the lyrics to 'Lady Marmalade'" Jill cut in. "you were saying?" she asked innocently
Carlos smirked at Jill, "Who needs enemy's when you've got friends like good old Jilly"
They walked on contentedly arm in arm, not saying much. Just enjoying the company of the other and the fresh scent on the night air.
"What do you think will happen?" Jill whispered
"huh?"
"If Umbrella ever catch up with us?"
They were at the bottom of Jill's apartment, standing under the archway.
Carlos looked at Jill for a while, careful with his words "I guess I don't know" "There will only be one way to know-" Stopping himself.
He looked down at Jill, her hair covering her face. Conveniently preventing him from being able to read her expression.
Jill was perhaps the strongest person he had ever known, even over the guys that he knew, had known.
She had lived in Raccoon, she lost her home, her friends, more.
Yet she didn't let it bring her down.
Carlos couldn't even imagine himself being able to compare to Jill's strength with everything that had happened to her.
"Jill-" he began "Feel like coffee?" Jill cut in. Her hair away from her face now. Smiling sadly.
"Sure" he replied.
"Which one do I pick?"
Carlos eyed a long line of jars, all containing some sort of coffee beans. For Carlos there was only one coffee, the one that was the least complicated. AKA Instant.
"There's the Roma, Livanto, Volluto, Cosi or plain old Ristretto" Jill said absently, her upper half hidden behind the white fridge door.
Carlos picked Volluto, out of pure judgment that he had a 1 out of 5 chance of getting something that tasted all right.
"Have you planned anything for the rest of the week?" he asked, watching as Jill fiddled around with the coffee maker.
"Actually no I haven't, I was gonna see if Chris wanted to have lunch with me on Wednesday but he says he'll be tied up for the rest of the week with this" she mocked "new information" pulling her hair away from her face.
Carlos surveyed her "you really aren't happy with this arrangement are you?"
Jill looked at him "well, no not exactly" she sighed, pulling on the coffee mugs from a rack next to the Coffee machine.
Carlos opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Jill "You know, I'm sick of being pulled around here"
Jill splayed her hands "I just want a normal relationship, where I'm important not something that will wait around till your quite available"
"no last minute notices 'Sorry Jill, we'll have to reschedule it for some other time'." She thumped her hands down onto the kitchen bench, lowering her head.
Carlos as much as he didn't like Jill going out with Chris, he wasn't the type to break up relationships because of jealousy. Jill has every right to go out with whomever she wants to, even if it isn't him.
"Jill I'm sure he doesn't mean to-" "y'know I thought I would be really happy with Chris" she cut in. "that perhaps for the first time in my life I'd have a relationship that worked."
Jill stared intently down at the counter. "but you know you can't always be right" she said.
Carlos doing the manly thing went around to the other side of the bench and gathered Jill in a warm hug. If there was anything she needed right now it was a friend who'd support her if she was having relationship problems. But he couldn't help but feel a growing resentment towards Chris.
Sure the guy had helped Jill escape the mansion incident, he deserves a pat on the back for that one. But pulling Jill around like this, was not something Carlos approved at.
"Jill " he cooed, lifting her chin so he could look at her. "Have you spoken to Chris about how you feel?"
Jill looked away, her dark hair falling over her eyes "no" she breathed "I haven't told him how I feel.". Jill sighed, looking up at Carlos, giving him a weak smile. She sniffed and blinked away the stinging in her eyes.
Carlos led her to the lounge where he sat her opposite himself, "I don't have a handkerchief or a tissue" he noted "but you're welcome to use my sleeve" he waved his arm in front of Jill's face, with a warm smile.
Jill looked up, grabbing the sleeve of his shirt and mock blowing her nose on it. "Thanks" she laughed.
"No problem" Carlos grinned "but this is gonna take forever to get out". Pointing at the area where Jill had supposedly blown her nose.
Jill laughed again, wrapping her arms around Carlos and burying her head in his chest. "Why are you so good to me?" she asked, her words slightly muffled.
"Ah, I dunno cause I care I guess" he said, breathing in the soft perfume of her hair.
The truth was, Carlos cared a great deal about Jill, more than mere friendship he felt he loved her. Something people seemed to think he was impossible of understanding. He wasn't the womanizer everyone made him out to be. In fact he'd had very little experience with women as far as relationships went. Though he liked to flirt on the occasion he never had really had the time to get into a relationship.
"I hope you don't mind, but I'm not moving for the rest of the night" Jill's muffled voice sounded. Carlos grinned "don't mind at all".
Jill fell asleep thinking over the night and how good Carlos's after-shave smelt. Not one thought of Chris entered her mind for the rest of the night.
Chris had a distinctive feeling that he probably should be doing what he was doing. Breaking into Jill's apartment to 'surprise' her probably wasn't one his most brilliant plans. After all Jill was more likely to pull out her 9mm and open fire without looking to see who it was than act pleasantly surprised. They were after all on the constant alert that Umbrella might be trying to track them down.
He felt bad about canceling dinner last night. And about canceling all the other dates as well.
So here he was, at 6am in the morning with a bunch of red roses, trying to break into Jill's apartment with an old lock-picking tool he had grabbed off Barry.
Hearing the soft click that meant success, he silent slipped into the apartment, closing the door quietly behind him. Jill was sure to be either thrilled about this or upset for mistaking him for an intruder and killing him.
"Such is the price for love" he mused to himself.
He checked the bedroom first the bed was empty. The perfect wrinkle-free quilt with elegantly printed floral designs covering it sat with its usual mound of pillows and teddy bear propped up against them. Chris wasn't going to deny that he hadn't seen Jill's bedroom before, on two occasions in fact.
A smug look flashed over Chris's face as he remembered those two occasions he'd been in her bedroom.
Dragging his eyes and mind away from the bedroom he left walking along the hallway to the lounge room.
Upon entering, the first thing he noticed was the pair of dark khaki Colarado's placed haphazardly on the floor behind the lounge. They weren't Jill's they were too big, and they certainly weren't his, who's then?
Chris had moved around to the other side of the lounge, the sight was not one that pleased him.
There on the lounge curled up was Jill, a pair of tanned arms wrapped around her slim figure: Carlos's.
He dropped the flowers, making a soft crunching noise as they hit the floorboards.
Jill stirred by the slight noise opened her eyes. She'd had the most wonderful sleep, and a pretty good dream to go with it. Not only that but she was still wrapped very warmly in Carlos's arms. Though he'd shifted and she was now lying down, she still had the most wonderfully warm tingling sensation all over her body.
Jill blinked again, lifting one arm to wipe the sleep out of her eyes. She noticed a bunch of flowers lying on the floor and next to it a pair of feet.
Perhaps it was the fact she'd just woken up and her senses not being one hundred percent on the ball, but for a moment she thought it was just Carlos. Then she realized that Carlos was still next to her.
To be continued…
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Ooooh! What's gonna happen next? Will Jill realize its just Chris and tell him to join the party? Or will Chris go on a rampage and try to kill Carlos?
Only time shall tell!
Hope ya liked so far…tell me what ya thought won't ya!