Let's Rest For a While, Till Our Souls Catch Us Up.

Title is from Bring on the Wonder, by Susan Enan.

Apologies for the delay had a tidily bit of writers block, knew what I wanted to write, but wasn't really exciting so had to try and fix that...

Longer than normal chapter, yay!

Thanks again for the reviews, they're my inspiration to continue!

The sun began to set over the houses of Racoon City, although it was still relatively early, Winter had taken full control of nature. Jill sat alone in her empty kitchen, in her empty apartment. The sun, her only companion, beginning also to fade behind the surrounding hills beyond her window.

She glanced to her photos sitting propped up on her bench, so many photos of family and friends, yet she spent another Christmas alone. Where were they now? Her family? Either deceased or living on the other side of the pond. Her friends? She didn't know it seemed they just lost contact. Honestly, Jill never tried to maintain the friendship, her job was her life.

In particular, her eyes rested upon one elegantly framed photo. The one of Chris and herself. She had her arms around his neck with eyes closed planting a soft kiss on his cheek, while he smiled sheepishly at the camera. It was taken by Sheva, before any of this mess happened. Where was Chris now? She thought that this year would be different; perhaps she could have spent Christmas with him. Instead she spent the day watching mindless TV, and then having mindless sex with a mindless individual, before falling asleep. Jill hadn't heard from Chris. It was part of the arrangement he set last month. He didn't want any contact; he wanted only peace for him to think. They broke the contract briefly, by sending each other good wishes for Christmas. She now eagerly waited the time when he would be willing to talk.

Jill rose from her seat to answer her apartment door which had been knocked. Opening the door, she saw the familiar face of the devil.

"You don't usually knock." She stated nonchalantly, stepping slightly aside allowing him to enter.

"Came to wish you a late Merry Christmas." Wesker smiled. Jill scoffed, his smile was so false and she knew this. He only truly smiled when he afflicted pain on others. She refused to talk back to him, and perched herself carefully on the arm of her sofa, staring up at his dark figure.

"I also came to congratulate you. You've been a very good girl," He said patronising her. He reached up and placed a gloved finger on her delicate face, "going to clients. Not huffing, performing well...it's about time. I'm guessing you got rid of that dirty piece on the side?"

"Don't talk about him like that." She said, averting his gaze.

Wesker scoffed and placed his hands on either side of her on the sofa. Leaning his face down to hers,

"I'll talk about Chris in whatever way I wish. Understood?" He threatened. Jill nodded, and began to lean back to steer away from his face. In doing so, she lost her balance and fell backwards onto the sofa. Wesker just laughed viciously at her.

"Am I that intimidating?" He teased while smiling smugly. "I'm glad you're free from him, it's for the best."

Wesker made it sound as if Chris was in the wrong. Like Chris was the one holding her against her wishes.

Wesker began to approach her on the sofa. She scuttled into a more upright position, but her legs and feet remained on the sofa. He put a hand on the arm and the other on the back of the sofa, pinning Jill between them. He lowered himself, so he was now looming over her.

"I may be slightly late. But what would you like for Christmas?" He whispered sadistically, his face mere millimetres from hers.

"To get away from you. Away from all this and away from the Godforsaken job!" She spat at him. Wesker chuckled, shaking his head.

"We both know that isn't going to happen, my dear. I just can't let you go." He breathed smoothly into her ear, sending shivers down her spine. He brushed his lips over the soft skin of her cheek, breathing in her sweet scent. He placed a gentle, faux loving kiss on her tender flesh. And with that, he abruptly stood up and left, leaving Jill in a confused daze.

Jill couldn't stand it. His gaze made her writhe. Yet his scent allured her. And his touch was electrifying sent static shocks along her body. She hated it. He had complete control; she was a puppet under his command and he was playing with her, knowing full well the effect his actions had on her.

Chris carried over two mugs of coffee over to his wooden table, placing one in front of Sheva and the other for him. Sheva had recovered well, her shoulder remained bandaged for support but all in all she was feeling a lot better. However she remained on leave until the New Year.

Chris and she met up often to catch up on their lives. He missed not having her with him at work. Chris had told her all about Jill and so he relied on her as comfort and support. Undoubtedly, the two had grown closer. In Chris's eyes, closer as friends and companions. In Sheva's, she felt they had become closer than friends. She admired everything about him.

"How was your Christmas?" Sheva asked happily.

"Okay." He smiled and lied through his teeth. He spent Christmas alone in his apartment, silently reminiscing with old childhood videos of himself and Claire. "Yours?"

"Good, thank you. My sister flew over to spend it with me." She smiled, and so did Chris. He appreciated the connection between siblings, because he had always felt it firsthand himself.

"Any advances with the you and Jill situation?" She asked blowing on her mug of coffee.

"Not really. Still just thinking..." He said solemnly.

"You've been thinking for a month. Don't you think it's time to contact her, or...move on?" Sheva questioned in the hope he would be willing to move on with her. But Chris seemed blissfully oblivious to her feelings towards him.

"I suppose. I mean I need to tell her something. It's not fair on her."

"Chris, stop thinking about other people and put your wants first for once!" She shouted jokily at him.

"I'm just trying to be nice." He chuckled.

"Well stop it! Do you think she worries about you when she's having sex in a sleazy hotel room?" Chris's smile soon faded. He had refused to think about what Jill's job had entailed. He made himself look at it as nothing more than a job, and he wouldn't think about the actions that occurred within it. And slowly, he had begun to accept that. He had began to realise he could live with that, providing he didn't know the details.

Sheva noticed his change in appearance and swiftly apologised.

"It's okay. Should we go watch a movie?" He asked changing the subject. Sheva placed her hands onto his and nodded.

Chris sat on his sofa, waiting for Sheva to emerge from the bathroom. As she walked past him, he placed his hands around her small frame and playfully pulled her onto his lap, giving her a tiny tickle as he did so. She giggled and looked deeply into his captivating eyes. In a brave move, she brought her lips to collide with his.

"Sheva?" Chris mumbled quietly against her lips. He was shocked, he never expected her to do something so brash. But he thought she was just being friendly. He kissed her on the cheek quite a lot, so he thought perhaps she was just playing with him. She parted her lips slightly and slid her tongue against his lips. He immediately opened his eyes and pushed her gently away from him.

"Sheva, we can't..." Chris said apologetically to her. He didn't want to hurt her feelings but he wasn't going to lead her on when the feelings weren't mutual.

"I really like you, Chris. I always have." She said giving a sweet smile. Chris had a flutter of butterflies in his stomach. He was treading on dangerous water; he had to choose his words carefully.

"Sheva, I like you too... but not like that." Her cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment, and he felt terrible, "I think you're great, you're beautiful. But I can't, I still love Jill."

"Love?" Sheva asked. The slightest glint of water appeared on her eyes. Chris looked away, he couldn't face to see her hurt.

"I guess so." Sheva scoffed dubiously.

"She's a hooker?" Sheva said.

"Yeah I know that! But it doesn't change how I feel about her."

"I can't believe I did this... I'm so sorry, Chris." Sheva apologised and got off him, walking out the door.

"Sheva, wait!" He called after her, but it was too late she'd left. Chris felt awful, he didn't want to embarrass her and now everything would just be awkward between them and he never wished for that.

When things went wrong, when life treated him bad, Chris Redfield did one of two things. Either drown himself in nicotine or drown himself in booze. He had chosen alcohol this time.

Chris sat alone at a dimly lit, gloomy pub. He wasn't yet drunk, but he was tipsy enough to find every woman at the bar attractive. A sleek figured woman slid into the stool next to him, and ordered a drink. He looked her up and down, admiring her body. She was wearing a short red dress, with elegant butterflies on it. Her facial features were delicate and of Asian descent, and her hair was short, dark brown. And Chris found her very attractive indeed. He thought he recognised her, but with the extra alcohol in his system he found it hard to remember.

"Enjoying the view?" She asked teasingly, obviously noticing his wandering eyes.

"Yeah." He said awkwardly and introduced himself. "I'm Chris."

"Nice to meet you, Chris. What's a handsome man like you doing in a place like this?" She asked, licking her lips slowly.

"I could ask you the same thing. Do you have a name?" He asked.

"Yeah I do." Chris chuckled at her secretiveness. "Let me guess, you're moping over a girl?"

"Two actually."

"Impressive. You know it's a lot easier if you kiss and run?" She said seductively while placing her hand gracefully on his thigh.

"I bet it is." He breathed huskily, as her hand snaked higher up his leg.

"How about we get out of here?" She asked. Chris contemplated his next move. He didn't want to make things even worse, but it was just one night of meaningless sex. Jill did it regularly, so he didn't see much of a problem. Besides, he planned on getting so drunk he wouldn't remember who he slept with anyway.

Chris nodded and she grasped his hand, leading him out of the pub and into a nearby alleyway. She pinned him up against the wall, ensuring to apply pressure in the right places. Chris sighed lightly by her actions, and brought her into a forceful kiss, their tongues battling for dominance. There was no tenderness in the moment, it was merely for pleasure.

"From one of my girls to another..." A voice echoed through the dark alley.

Chris and the mystery woman stopped and he put his arm in front of her protectively. Wesker stepped into the dim light of an overhead streetlamp.

"Wesker? What are you talking about?" Chris growled. He looked to the woman and back to Wesker.

"You obviously have a thing for my women." He said smiling. Chris looked to the woman in disbelief. She grasped his bicep,

"I'm sorry, Chris." She said smirking, and walked elegantly over to Wesker.

"Was this a set up?" Chris asked.

"Perhaps." Wesker began to tut and shake his head, "I didn't know you could move on from little Jill so quickly."

Chris shrugged. He wasn't going to let Wesker get to him, nor would he give him any satisfaction by giving him information.

"It's probably for the best. She deserves much more than you, and besides she needs someone who can...satisfy her." Wesker smirked devilishly.

Chris grunted. Wesker always seemed to know people's fears; he could seek them out and use them against the individual so easily.

"What do you want from me, Wesker?" Chris demanded.

"A bit of fun?" He suggested. He waved to the woman indicating for her to leave.

"I thought you got your kicks out of hitting women?" Chris shouted at him. Wesker casually walked up to the younger man, and brought his face up to his ear and whispered,

"No, just Jill. But it isn't my fault she likes it." Instinctively Chris brought his fist up, and punched him around his face. Wesker stumbled back, and spat out the blood which appeared in his mouth.

"You're a son of a bitch!" Chris yelled, as Wesker regained his composure.

"Is that all you have?" Wesker said, squaring up to Chris.

"Why don't you let her go? She doesn't need the job." Chris asked, remaining calm.

"Funny. She said the same thing to me today. But no matter how much you persist, she will always be mine." Wesker drawled out. Chris ignored him, and began to walk away. "Leaving so soon, Redfield? Aren't you going to defend her?"

Chris continued on his way. He didn't see the point in fighting Wesker, he knew doing so would bring him great satisfaction. On top of that, the alcohol in Chris's veins would not fare well for him. It would be an unfair fight. Chris would wait for the opportune moment to show Wesker exactly how he felt about him.

The sun beamed through the curtains, awakening the sleeping form of Chris. He stood up groggily and ran his hand through his tangled hair. He wasn't completely hung over from the night before, but his head wasn't feeling the best.

He walked into his kitchen, smelt the waft of cooking bacon and found a familiar silhouette slaving over the cooker. The young woman flicked her dark auburn pony tail, and turned around catching sight of Chris.

"Claire!" Chris exclaimed and ran into her open arms. She squeezed him tightly.

"I missed you, kiddo." He said, reluctantly breaking the friendly hug. Usually Claire spent Christmas with him, but this year she decided to stay with her friends. So he was surprised to have her here, but he was over the moon. The two always had a strong unspoken bond, and she could unremittingly cheer him up.

"Ew. You do not smell so good." She laughed while wafting the air around her nose.

"Sorry. Too much alcohol." Chris giggled.

"Yeah, I can smell that. So what drove my brother to drink?" Claire asked, trying to squeeze information out of him.

"Eh, everything." Chris shrugged, "So, how have you been?"

"Good, College isn't as bad as I thought it would be." She said, setting a plate of bacon and pancakes in front of him.

"Yeah I bet it isn't. You better be steering clear of the boys." Chris warned, teasingly. She always got defensive if he brought up the mention of relationships. She didn't like to tell him because not only was it embarrassing, he was a very protective brother.

"Stop it." She squealed, joining him at the table with her own plate of food. "Speaking of which, have you got me a nephew yet?"

Chris spewed out the slurp of coffee he had just taken.

"Excuse me?" He asked, still choking on residual coffee on his throat.

"Well you aren't no spring chicken, Chris. And I wouldn't mind being an aunt..." She said insouciantly, taking a bite of her breakfast.

"I'm 26! I don't think there's any rush. Besides last time I checked, I need a woman to have a child." As much as he hated to admit it, Chris loved the banter the two had and he'd missed it.

"So you still haven't found Mrs Right?" Claire asked. She only asked the previous question to get onto her favourite topic: her brother's love life. "What happened to the girl you told me about?"

"Jill? We're on a break at the moment." Chris said downcast. Claire felt slightly guilty, she didn't want to make him sad, she just wanted his latest gossip.

"Why?" Claire's voice took a more serious tone. She wasn't teasing him anymore, she was genuinely concerned for his feelings.

"I just needed time to think."

"Commitment problems?"

"Kind of," Chris didn't want to give Claire the details. She was just as protective of him as he was of her. And if she didn't like Jill, she wouldn't hesitate to let him and Jill know.

"Well I don't know what's going on between you two. But if she means a lot to you...," Chris nodded at this, and Claire continued, "then you got to be careful. Don't take her for granted. Did you choose to go on the break?"

"Yeah." Chris replied.

"Well then be wary. She won't wait forever for you, Chris. And before you know it, you could lose someone you really care about." Chris nodded. Claire was right, he had waited long enough. The thought of losing Jill scared him more than anything, and although he didn't like her job, he would try and deal with it. Because life without Jill, wasn't a life he wished to live.

"It sounds like you're speaking from experience?" Chris asked, the cheeky smile reappearing on his lips.

"This isn't about me," Claire reminded him, and he let out a soft chuckle, knowing he wasn't going to gain any information from her.

"I think I'll contact her." Claire smiled at his decision, knowing she had been able to help him.

"You should invite her to the New Years Eve party." Claire suggested.

"What party?"

"Barry's. The invitation was in your letterbox. It says bring friends. So you should invite her." Chris laughed at the fact his sister flicks through his post and reads it without permission.

"Well yeah, but you would have to be my plus one." He said making puppy dog eyes in an attempt to suck up to her.

"Says friends. Plural. So we can both go, besides Barry would have invited me if he knew I was here."

"True. Okay, I'll invite her." He agreed and plucked out his phone to contact Jill.

Jill accepted Chris's offer with open arms. She was touched that he invited her, and she felt a bit of promise because he was willing to meet up with her and perhaps the two could talk. Although in the back of her mind, she had doubts, the ominous voice in her head kept telling her he could just want to be friends. Jill would be happy with just being friends but selfishly she wanted more.

Jill arrived at the Burton household an hour before midnight, and was greeted with a warm embrace from Barry. They had only met the one time outside the station, but he was a warm character. He accepted everyone, and seemed genuinely pleased to see her again.

Barry shared his house with his wife and two daughters. It was pretty large and had a wonderful terrace and garden. Each room was filled with people laughing and talking. It was a very large party, not that the Burton's seemed to mind. Some people she knew and recognised from the RPD, others she didn't.

Jill glanced around the swarms of people, attempting to catch sight of Chris. She abruptly turned around to check another room, when a bubbly auburn girl who wasn't watching bashed into her. Jill dropped her clutch bag in the process.

"Oh! My goodness, I'm so sorry." The younger girl said quickly without taking a breath. She reached down and picked up Jill's bag for her.

"It's okay, don't worry about it." Jill smiled at her flustered state, and thanked her for returning her bag.

"I'm Claire Redfield. I don't think we've met." Claire said chirpily, holding out her hand for Jill's. Jill smiled and accepted it.

"It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Jill, your brother's told me a lot about you." Jill said smiling. Claire's happiness and aura could bring a smile to anyone's face, it was no wonder Chris cared so much for her.

"Oh. I'm so embarrassed." Claire said trying to hide the blush appearing on her features. "I didn't really want to meet my brother's girlfriend like this..."

"I'm not his girlfriend..." Jill reminded.

"God, you're just as bad as him. Just admit it!" She scoffed, and Jill laughed. "Come on, let's get some drink and gossip about Chris!" Claire grabbed her hand and led her to Barry's mini bar.

"Are you old enough to drink?" Jill questioned, giving Claire an unconvinced look.

"Do I look old enough to you?" Jill eyed her up and down,

"No." Claire huffed,

"Fine. I'm not old enough, just don't tell Chris." She smiled. Jill nodded and agreed to remain silent.

"You're really pretty, Jill. I'm surprised Chris got someone like you." Claire said. Jill blushed slightly, and tugged on her elegant blue dress. It was a huge compliment, and one she rarely heard.

"Thank you. But you know Chris isn't too bad himself." Jill winked coyly at her.

"Ew no, we are not getting into the attractiveness of my brother." Jill laughed at Claire's annoyance.

"Do you know where he is anyway? I should probably tell him I'm here." Jill asked.

"Yeah, he was in the back living room, last time I looked,"

Chris sat amongst his workmates in the back room, taking the occasional swig from his bottle of beer. He hadn't seen Jill, but she said she would come so he decided to wait. He was nervous to see her again, it had been awhile and he wasn't sure what exactly to say to her. But he knew the minute he would lay eyes on her, his worries would disappear.

Glancing up to the door, Chris caught sight of a person he had become accustomed to seeing. He smiled at her, and waved her over beside him.

Reluctantly, Sheva placed herself beside him, giving him a weak smile. They hadn't talked since she abruptly left his apartment.

"Can we forget the kiss, please?" Sheva pleaded with him. She had embarrassed herself enough, she just wished to move on and pretend it never happen.

"If you want too." He said calmly. She nodded.

"I'm sorry, Chris. I don't know what I was thinking..." She apologised, eyes firmly focused on the ground.

"Hey. It's okay. I just don't want this to come between our friendship?"

"Me either. So let's just pretend it didn't happen, okay?"

"Okay." He brought her into a warm, gently embrace. It gave her some comfort, but she never would be fully at ease because she would never get what she wished for. And that was Chris.

He glanced over her shoulder and caught sight of the person he longed to see stepping out into the back. Chris apologised and excused himself from Sheva.

Jill stood at the doorway of the back room about to approach Chris. But she saw him hug Sheva. And yet again she was sprung with jealously. It was little more than a hug, but she couldn't help it. Those two had a close relationship and it terrorised Jill.

She decided to step out for fresh air. She stood out on a small wooden terrace, and gazed up upon the brightly shinning stars of the night sky. She sat herself down onto a wooden bench which was placed next to the house, and continued her star gazing.

"I'm glad you came." Chris said softly. He walked around and sat gently next to Jill. Already her heart began to race and he'd barely spoken.

"Thanks for inviting me." She said sweetly, gazing into his eyes. A silence fell between the two. It wasn't awkward, both just appreciated the beautiful night. Jill shivered slightly, the cold hitting her bare shoulders; it was enough for Chris to notice. And within seconds, he removed his suit jacket and placed it over her shoulders carefully.

It made her smile and brought her back to the first time they met. He did the exact same thing, he was still the charming and caring man she had met then.

"I met your sister," Jill said quietly, and Chris looked up to her, "She's really sweet and friendly."

"She's great." He replied. Again the pause fell between them. Chris knew what he wanted to say, but he was scared. But she deserved to know, she had waited a month not knowing how he felt for her.

...

"I love you." Chris whispered to her. Jill looked up to him, she had waited so long to hear it. She believed the feelings were one sided but now she knew the truth.

"Thank you." She said quietly not knowing what else to say to him. He already knew how she felt, she had told him previously.

"I was hoping we could start over, again?" Chris asked, nervously. He had neglected her for a long time he believed she had every reason to dislike him.

"Are you serious?" She asked in disbelief. Chris smiled and nodded,

"I don't like your job, Jill. But I'll get over it. I'm just going to have to live with it, because I love you. And nothing's going to change that." Jill beamed at him, a tear beginning to form. But for the first time, they were tears of absolute joy.

"Thank you. Hopefully I won't be in it for that long. And I don't need it, all I need is you." She said cheerily, which made him giggle.

"I love you too." She whispered. Chris shuffled closer to her and cupped her face lightly, bringing their foreheads to touch. They had been apart for so long, it felt like their first kiss again, neither wanting to make the first move. Eventually Chris brought his lips to hers and kissed them softly. He savoured the taste he had missed for so long, and slipped his tongue into her mouth teasing her slightly. Jill placed her hands on his chest, while he held her face, and they continued their passionate and long awaited kiss.

A racket of noise and cheering was heard from within the building. Chris pulled away slightly, breaking the kiss. But he kept their faces intimately close. He glanced quickly to his watch,

"Happy New Year," He breathed lightly into her ear.

"Let's make it a good one." She replied, gently.

They entwined their fingers together and continued with their display of love.

CHEESY! Yeah, that was terribly cheesy, My apologies. Well Happy New Year, and for once I ended a chapter on a happy note. I could have split this and stretched it out into two chapters but no I thought I'd make it happy.

Sorry if it was boring...

I like Claire, I may just keep her in a little longer. She was fun to put in, but I'm always scared that I'll destroy their characters, like I did to Sheva, ha!

Anyway, Reviews are sweet!

Artichoke,

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