Disclaimer: IOOMOC

J.L.: My apologies on the wait but we are finally settled in, and I'm a bit partied out now. Anyways, I would like to just give a quick thanks to the readers. You guys have been really supportive of this idea, despite the fact it's a wee bit out there concerning Resident Evil's usual themes. This has really let me expand upon my creativity and that's something I really enjoy doing. So, Thank you for your support. Anwaycangways, let's get on with the getting on with, eh?

Chris

Two weeks had passed since we left the island and very quickly did things return to normal on the ship. Which is to say that Richard and would be cleaning the deck up until the point in which we'd start joking around and then Jill would bark at us for slacking off until the chores were done. The only thing that really changed was the attitude Rebecca started having with Jill, the two women starting to bicker and nitpick at each other. I had asked Richard if it had anything to do with the reprimand on the island, and he replied that it was more the fact the two were probably battling the crimson tide. I refrained from asking what he meant after Sully threw a smirk at us.

I had started thinking about Jill more often when I wasn't on crow's nest duty for the night and was alone in the sailor's quarters. It was almost always empty now that Joseph was gone. Forest refused to really interact with anyone much more these days, preferring to retire to his hammock that was tied to the mast and rails on the starboard side of the deck. Sully kept Forest company, listening to the younger man's woes and offering advice. Barry shared quarters with Enrico, and Rebecca had her own room like Jill and Wesker did.

On one of these nights that Richard had crow's nest duty and I was alone, I started off with my usual fantasy about Jill and I being deserted on an island alone together. Just as I got to the part where Jill would quit her coat and britches for a loincloth, I heard said woman speaking with Wesker in the hall adjacent to the sailor's quarters. Curious and the fantasy having been dashed, I sat up from my hammock and pressed an ear against the wall.

Jill

I sat behind my desk, listening to Wesker's plans of navigation with the usual amount of boredom. It was the same trip we had taken the two trips prior, the excitement of the paths having lost their charm. I listened none-the-less because tonight I would fish out of him the information he had discovered about my brother while he was on Cutthroat Isle.

"Again, we're heading around the coast. It's up to you if you want to stop at the harbor, we are good on supplies for now but the boys may get a bit restless without the company of the female variety. I know that Sully's been looking forward to this stop since we left the Muluki tribe." Wesker stated.

"Alright, we're dock there, so long as they promise not to bring the….women of questionable repute…on board. I will not have a repeat of last year when we had those women on board for three days. They used up all our supplies and poor Edwards….God rest his soul." I replied.

"God rest his soul indeed. I will speak with the men about the dangers of Syphilis before we dock." Wesker agreed. I nodded my agreement and Wesker took a deep breath.

"You know what I want to hear next." I spoke, starting him off.

"Yes. Now Jillian, you must have thought this about this possibility at least once in your life." Wesker started.

"Which possibility is that?" I asked.

"From what I gathered from several nearly sober pirates, the ship Black Stillwaters was sunk earlier this year. No one knows of any survivors returning to Cutthroat. There is a very strong possibility that your brother is dead." Wesker reported. I had always braced myself for this, but my heart still found its way to my throat. I could only nod as thoughts of my brother drowning ran through my mind at most terrible speeds.

"I would understand if you would like to turn this ship back, Ms. Valentine." Wesker continued.

"N-no. These men are still under contract for four more months of policing the waters. I cannot end this contract, not with many of them depending on this payout for their livelihood." I responded, almost systematically, like I had rehearsed this in my head time and time again.

"Very well then, we will continue our journey. However, what are your plans concerning the company now? Do you plan to continue with policing, knowing that your primary objective is no longer valid?" Wesker asked. I looked him right in the eyes, my breath faltering slightly under his drilling gaze.

"I am not sure of that at this moment. My brother…we were the heirs to the Kennedy estate, together. Now that…I have much more responsibility towards it's upkeep as the primary heir, my whole future is in question." I replied, tears threatening to burn my eyes.

"May I suggest something to you, not as your Captain but as your friend?" Wesker inquired.

"You may." I answered.

"You said that you are to be married to a Duke. Perhaps it is time that you do so. You are a little past the age that most women marry, and yet this Duke still wishes to court you. I know that you enjoy this life, but all good things do come to an end. My advice is that you do return home and settle. You do not have to sell this company, but it is time for you to start thinking about producing an heir for not only the Duke's legacy but your own. That, I do believe, would make your late Father proud." Wesker said. I released my breath in shudders, fear and anxiety creeping up on me like a spider crawling on one's back.

"I will contemplate this as we finish this journey. I will let you know of my decision as soon as I have decided, Captain. You are dismissed." I said and waited for him to leave before the tears started rolling down my cheeks.

Chris

Having heard the conversation, I sat there, almost heartbroken. I could only imagine what was going through Jill's mind when Wesker delivered the news. If something would to happen to Claire I would be a lost man. As Wesker's footsteps echoed further down the hall, I slipped out of the Sailor's quarters and made my way toward Jill's private quarters. I could hear very light sobs from outside the door, so I knocked softly.

"I would prefer to be alone, thank you." Jill's voice spoke, trying very badly to mask her pain.

"I would prefer that you not be alone, Jill." I replied, and opened the door. Jill's hands cradled her head as she leaned her elbows on her desk. She glanced up briefly, enough to show the tears flowing from her blues. I shut the door and walked over, pulling her into a hug to allow the woman to hide her face in the crook of my neck.

"Not a word of this to the others…please." She pleaded. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close.

"That's why I'm here and not running to fetch them." I whispered. Her hand snaked around me as she allowed herself to quietly release her emotions concerning her brother out. This wasn't the way I had imagined my night turning out at all; Jill wasn't naked in the same pose as she was in my fantasies. Still, I refused to abandon her for the night. She needed a friend and she needed one badly. I was comfortable filling that role out tonight and presumably for the next few nights to come.

J.L.: So there we have it. A little bit of story and development. AS you may or may not be able to tell, this story is less about sailing around the world and more about the choices and decisions people make regarding their own fate. See, Chris is happy to just make his way through life, as Jill is much more determined to make something of it. The responsibilities the two have are severally different in how they affect the choices/decisions. I know I may have made Wesker a bit more dickish than we're used to in this story, but that's why's he's the Captain, to keep things logical. Anyways, enough A/N talking, I've got work in the morning, and you've probably got some reviewing to do (if I'm lucky).