Hello everybody! This is my welcome home gift to myself after a veeery long week in Germany.

First of all, let me tell you that the action part is over. This chapter and the following one are about Feelings, nothing more than feelings xD So, if you can't stand it, don't read it xD Also, know that I'm trying my best not to turn this into Disney romance xD

Writing this chapter has been extremely complicated and I've edited and re-edited this hundreds of times. If there's anything that still doesn't fit, please let me know.

Oh, I still don't own Resident Evil.

- IX -

Hits and Punches

Wednesday, 7:40 p.m.

"I must admit, I was sceptical about the idea of you cutting my hair," Jill said letting the image in the mirror impress her. She wore tight blue jeans, a white, short-sleeved shirt and a thin grey jacket on it; all Claire's clothes. Only a small amount of makeup covered her skin and the now shorter blond locks barely brushed against her shoulders. "But you've done a pretty good job."

"I'm glad you like it." Claire giggled. "You'll leave Chris speechless."

Jill closed her eyes. She didn't want to leave him speechless, just the opposite. She wanted him to talk to her; to tell her everything about him she didn't know yet; to say he needed her as much as she needed him. Something about Claire's plan still bothered Jill.

"I still don't think this is a good idea, Claire," she said. "Even if you're right and he sees something more than a friend in me; and I tell you he doesn't; there is a reason that nothing ever happened between us."

"Yes, there is," Claire nodded. "You're both stupid enough to think that you don't deserve to be happy and that your only purpose in this world is fighting evil. Now put these on." She swung elegant black stilettos in front of the blonde's eyes.

Jill sighed, still trying to talk Claire into giving up.

"What if your brother is seeing someone?"

"If he is, it isn't someone important. I would know about that." Claire shook her head at Jill's shy, doubtful gaze.

"By the time we went after Spencer your brother was starting something with a young BSAA employee." The blonde sat down on a chair and put her head in her hands.

"Of course he had his love affairs and even something like a girlfriend when he was younger." She smirked at Jill's grimacing gaze. "But nothing has ever been as important as you. You are one of the two most important women in his life. And if it wasn't for me, his sister, you'd be the only one."

"It's easy for you to say. You already know Neil likes you." Jill narrowed her eyes.

"Maybe." Claire frowned. "But trust me; I have been where you are. I know the uncertainty of caring for someone and not knowing if the feelings are reciprocated. In my case, I found out very soon that they weren't. And it hurt, of course." She laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "But your case is different, Jill. Now, stop worrying and put the shoes on, I'll get you a handbag."

With those words and a wink, Claire left Jill alone in the room and went downstairs. The blonde smiled slightly and stepped back to the mirror.

"I really look amazing."

While Jill was getting ready, Claire took care of what, in her opinion, could have been the only thing able to stop Chris and the blonde from having sex that night. She emptied a whole box of condoms in the handbag Jill would take with her and hid them under the blonde's purse.

"You'll probably need them," she whispered smiling. "Chris, I hope you take your chance to be happy, once and for all."

She turned around as she heard Jill come down the stairs.

"Wow, Jill," Claire couldn't stop staring at her friend. "You are so beautiful."

"Thank you." She shook her head. "I still have my serious doubts about this evening. If it doesn't turn out well, you'll have to buy me a drink."

"I'll buy you two if it goes wrong; and another two for me," Claire said. "But I'm sure that won't happen. He'll be so stunned when he sees you."

The doorbell rang. Jill couldn't avoid fanning herself with her hand to dry the thin layer of sweat on her forehead. Claire laughed amused at her look and went to the hall to open.

"Hey Chris!"

Chris looked good in his blue jeans and grey button-down shirt, which remarked his muscles in a slight and delicate way. Jill bit her lip at his glance. He greeted his sister with a kiss on the cheek and smiled tenderly as his look fell onto the blonde.

"Wow, you… You look great. Even better than this morning," he said laughing, making her giggle slightly at the comparison. "Your hair is shorter."

"Yeah! I had Claire cut it off since it had been a little burned at the tips." She held a lock between her fingers. "You look great, too."

They stared at each other without quite knowing what else to say. It was like none of them wanted that moment to end and they would have stood there like that forever if Claire hadn't broken the silence.

"Okay, you better get going now. And don't forget this," Claire said handing Jill the handbag with the so important content. She pushed them out the door and waved them goodbye as they got into Chris' Jeep. "Have fun. I'll stay up."

"Don't worry. I promise she'll be home before midnight." Chris gave Jill an amused look.

Claire closed the door when they'd driven off.

"Don't mess this up, Chris," she whispered to herself.

Once she was alone, she pulled her phone out of her pocket.

Wednesday, 8:20 p.m.

The small Thai restaurant placed in a dark backstreet was a secret only few people seemed to know. However, even those few people were far enough to fill the tiny place. Lucky the waiter already knew Chris and had kept the nicest and most intimate spot for him, so he and Jill could talk quietly. They had already had a small chat about Johnson's strange habits and bad manners on their way to the restaurant, and talked about how Claire had recommended the place to her brother while they were waiting for their meal. Chris was the first one in being served.

"That looks very good!" Jill said leaning over to have a better look at the dish.

"Taste some." He lifted his bowl of fried rice with shrimps.

She took up a small amount on her spoon

"Mmmh, it is indeed delicious."

"Take as much as you want," Chris said placing his bowl in the middle of the table between them. "We can even share both dishes."

"Just like old times." Jill smiled at him.

"Just like old times." He nodded, letting out a short laughter.

"Tell me about your new position," she said. "It must be really exciting to lead a whole team of men."

Chris nodded chewing.

"Yes, it is. But it's also a huge responsibility," he said. "But these changes are very recent and we're still seeing if it'll work out. You know, I'm used to work alone."

"Oh, thank you. Now all your partners have been reduced to nobody." Jill laughed out loud, amused by his mindless comment.

"Sorry, I didn't mean…" he replied headshaking. "Damn, you already know what I meant."

"I know, I know," she said winking. "Don't worry about the responsibilities, Chris. If there's anyone who can do it, it's you."

He smiled at her compliment.

"You know, it may sound weird," he said. "But when I think of how a good captain should be, the one who always comes to my mind is Wesker, back at S.T.A.R.S. I mean."

"It's not weird at all." She chuckled headshaking. "We all learned a lot from him, even after finding out he worked for Umbrella."

The man gave her a shy smile before he looked down.

"Jill," he said. "I know what you went through was very hard, and I don't want to remind you of it. But there's still something..." He sighed. "Shit, I'm not even sure if I really want to know. And it doesn't make sense because he is already dead, but..."

"He didn't touch me, Chris," she interrupted. He looked up and took a deep, slow breath. She gave him a warm look. "Neither him nor anyone. Not a single time." She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "It's not what he was looking for. And I guess it wasn't challenging enough either. He was a man of principles after all." She giggled.

Chris sighed and closed his eyes.

"You can't imagine how relieved I am." He shook his head and looked at her again. "How… how was he being like?"

Jill hesitated before answering his question.

"Distant. Always busy. He never really cared about how I was evolving. But I remember that mad smile on his face when he found out how well the P30 worked." She swallowed. "I knew that wasn't a good sign, of course."

"I'm so sorry Jill. I wish I could make it undone. And I think I never even thanked you properly for what you did." He cleared his throat. "So, thank you, Jill. Thank you for saving my life."

Giving him a warm look, she took his hand.

"Chris, listen. I knew exactly what I did when I tackled Wesker." She smiled. "And even if it didn't come as I had expected; even if I'm not proud of what I was forced to do; I would totally do it again. And I'm so thankful for being here today, sharing this meal with you."

She could see the pain in his eyes and knew it would take some more to help him get over his guilt. She approached his hand to her cheek and softly rubbed it against it.

"Jill, what...?" He couldn't believe she was letting skin contact happen without even blinking. "Since when…?"

"This afternoon; all of a sudden," she said laughing and a proud smirk suited her lips. "And I also shot a weapon."

"You did?" Chris couldn't believe it. He suddenly saw the spark of his old partner in the woman in front of him. His eyes started to glow and he smiled widely at her.

"I knew this would cheer you up," she said, letting go of his hand. "I'll be fine Chris, don't worry about me and, please, stop torturing yourself."

He looked at her and couldn't hold back a grin. Her eyes had recovered their natural glow, though the color was clearer now. And she looked so beautiful. "Yes, you're back," he whispered smirking.

They smiled at each other in silence and kept on enjoying their meal together.

When the waiter brought the bill, Chris made an attempt to pay, but Jill stopped him.

"Please Chris, let me do this. This was my idea, after all." She winked. "Besides, I have recently found out that my bank account is still active. Someone must have forgotten to close it." She winked.

"Really?" Chris faked surprise. "Maybe the application form was left on the backseat of someone's car." He grinned at her.

"Thank you, Chris." She laughed.

"I couldn't stop the BSAA from selling your apartment, but I could save this." He nodded.

"This is more than you should have done. Please stop risking your job for me."

"Oh, come on. They're not going to fire me." He grinned. "As you said earlier, we founded the BSAA."

They smirked at each other. As Jill pulled out the purse from her handbag to pay she saw the present Claire had left for her.

"What the damn hell?"

Wednesday, 10:05 p.m.

"A great restaurant," Jill said as they got into the car. "Claire should recommend you places more often."

"Oooh, you have no idea what you're saying!" Chris laughed headshaking. "Claire would recommend absolutely every place to eat. She's as happy with a five-star menu as in a fast food restaurant as long as they serve desserts. This place was actually a tip from a friend of hers."

"I see." Jill smiled. Chris was about to start the engine as his phone beeped.

"It's a message from Sheva," he said. "She's happy to hear you're getting back to work."

"That's nice," the blonde said. "How is she?"

"Good." Chris nodded and finally started the car. "She asked a lot about you during her visit here."

Something about the news bothered Jill. Sheva had come?

"Her visit?"

"Yes. She came about four months ago for a couple of weeks. The cold weather did make her have a very tough time here but she enjoyed being back in the States."

"Why didn't you tell me she was here?" Jill frowned.

"Well, she actually wanted to pay you a visit but it was right when the nurses didn't let anyone speak to you," he explained.

"I see. What a pity." She forced a regretful smile. His words had made her feel a stabbing sensation in her chest. He had not answered her question. Why hadn't he told her about Sheva's visit? Had something had happened between them? Sheva was very young, yes. But Jill knew that Chris believed that age didn't matter if there was chemistry.

"But you'll see her when she comes back in ten weeks, okay?" He turned to her.

"That would be great." A laugh left her throat. This time, it was completely sincere. She laughed at herself for having expected anything. Of course Chris was not available. Sheva was a young, strong and extremely beautiful woman. Who in the world would not fall for her? Jill bit her lip and smiled. She smiled for Chris' and Sheva's happiness and at her own foolish intentions. She was pissed. It was all Claire's fault. It had been the redhead who had given her hope and expectations about this date with Chris. Now it turned out that it wasn't even a date. It was just dinner with a friend. She frowned, hoping they'd arrive home soon. The only thing she wanted now was another one of those ice-cream tubs Claire stored in her freezer. She clenched her teeth.

"So, here we are," Chris said turning off the engine in front of Claire's vacation home. He looked at Jill and grinned. "Thank you. I've had a lot of fun tonight."

"Me too," she forced a smile. "I guess I needed this." At least it had opened her eyes.

"Come, I'll walk you to the door."

'What for?' she thought frowning. 'I'm sure I can make it inside without getting lost and you're not going to kiss me goodnight either.'

He opened the car door, she followed him. A terrible thought hit her when she saw that all the lights inside were turned off.

"Chris," she said. "I think Claire is not home."

He looked at the building.

"Maybe she's fallen asleep."

"Sure, and her car drove off by itself," she said narrowing her eyes. "Chris, she's not here."

He realized Jill was right. But where had Claire gone so late? He grabbed his phone and dialed his sister's number.

"Come on Claire, answer," he mumbled. "Please, Claire. Don't do thi… Claire! Where are you? Are you alright?" he yelled hastily. Jill sighed in relief as she heard the rustling sound of the speaker Chris had pressed against his ear. "You're where? Tell me you're not with Fisher… What? Kennedy?" He rolled his eyes and snapped his tongue. "Claire Redfield, listen to me, move your ass back to where you were supposed to wait for Jill to come back." Chris sounded angry.

Jill froze. Had Claire really planned all that to make her stay with Chris? She clenched her teeth in anger. The redhead would definitely have to pay for playing tricks on her.

"She isn't coming, right?" She asked as Chris hung up the phone. He shook his head.

"I don't know how to apologize to you, Jill. Claire is usually a very responsible person," he said. Jill raised a brow remembering how Claire had put herself in danger several times that day. "But every time her friend Leon is in town she completely loses grip."

"Leon Kennedy?" She grinned. "I didn't know they knew each other."

"They escaped from Raccoon City together. And don't look like that. According to both, they are just good friends," he said shoulder shrugging. "Like you and I."

"Like you and I," she repeated, realizing how much those words upset her. "Don't worry about me Chris; I'll wait here for her. I'm sure she's coming back soon."

"Forget it," he said. "Even if she's a grown up woman, I still feel responsible for my sister's decisions and her mistakes. Get into the car. You'll stay at my place."

Jill swallowed and cursed Claire for her stupid ideas.

Wednesday, 10:35 p.m.

"Come in, make yourself comfortable." Chris opened the door and led her into his apartment. "Do you want a drink?"

She shook her head.

"No, thank you. I'm fine." She looked around. The apartment was exactly as she remembered it. Dimly lit, a little messy and with a nice smell of cigarettes in the air. She was sure he'd tell her that he had given up smoking months before, but that the stench had somehow remained on the walls. He watched her walk around the room in silence.

"A penny for your thoughts," he said.

"They are worth way more than a penny," she replied laughing and kept looking around. "This is like travelling back in time. Everything still looks like four years ago."

"Well, you know how much I hate changes" he yelled heading to the kitchen. "Are you sure you don't want a drink?"

She shook her head again and continued inspecting randomly the stuff that could be found in his apartment. Soon her look fell onto a picture of Chris and several BSAA agents. She felt disappointed when she recognized Sheva right next to him. He had his arm laid around her shoulders and looked very happy. As far as she knew, Chris had never been the type of men who had photographs of his loved ones on a shelf. He didn't even have a picture of Claire or his parents. He had always said that photographs were material nonsense used only to remind him of things he'd remember even better without them. And even so, he had a picture of Sheva on that sideboard. She felt anger burn inside her. How could she have been so stupid? Chris and she were simply not meant to be more than friends and partners. She sighed. If she had to stay the night at Chris' place she'd need to calm down. Nothing of that was his fault and she didn't want to seem moody around him.

"May I use your bathroom, Chris?"

"That way." He leaned out of the kitchen and pointed to a corridor. "Second door on the right."

"Thanks."

The pain in her chest and stomach didn't let her think nor breathe clearly. She tried to cry, but couldn't get a single tear out of her eyes. No, crying wasn't something the new Jill was able to. At least, not because of a man; even if it was her partner. She looked into the mirror and couldn't help but laugh. If Chris had been aware of how she had styled up for him he'd have laughed, too. She had even put on those ridiculously high heels for him. What a stupid idea of Claire's. She should have never listened to the redhead, who just wanted her brother to be happy with someone.

"He is already happy, Claire," she whispered, glad and sadly disappointed at once. "Your efforts were completely needless." She smiled at herself and decided to forget about Chris and go back to be just friends with him. It was the best for everyone. She took off her shoes and left the bathroom.

As she walked through the hall to the living room, she noticed that the door to the next room was ajar. She hadn't meant to peek inside, but through the small space between door and frame she caught a glimpse of a familiar object in the moonlight. Curiously, she opened the door.

Hello people out there! I hope you had a fantastic week.

And I hope you liked the chapter. I had a pretty hard time portraying new, recovered Jill, since I didn't want her to act like a jealous teenager. I decided she'd just accept that Chris is dating Sheva and laugh at the situation (and at herself, yes xD). Poor Jill, Claire will have to buy her many drinks.

And, by the way. Yes, here, Claire and Leon are really just good friends. But we'll talk about that later ;)

Thank you so much for reading, following, liking and reviewing this. I think I owe some replies to the following people:

Thebigticket21: Your review and your updates made this past week much lighter. Especially your review, which I read right before the plane took off. Thank you so much for always being there, my friend. Yes, Jill is still a little shy, but I imagine that behind that badass image there's still a woman who wants to be loved, and REAL love issues are always complicated, aren't they?

Adonna2424: Thanks again for your reviews :D And you are right. There are several odd words and expressions in my writing. I wasn't aware of it until you told me. As I promised, I will improve. Thanks again :) And I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Sofistinha: Yes, Claire will have dinner with Neil again; and, yes, that will be the base for a super hot Fisherfield muahaha You're right. Claire sees the good spirit in everyone. That's why she's so easy to pair up with Wesker I guess, hahaha. I'm so happy you liked the last chapter. Thanks for your support sis.

Next chapter will come next week (probably on Monday). Thank you everybody!