Just Let Me Try, And I Will Be There For You

Title is from Sarah McLachlan's song Good Enough.

Thank you reviewers, very kind! Those I can't personally thank: C Redfield, as always thank you for the review. You've been faithful to this story and I appreciate it. Jane! Seriously woman, you'll make me arrogant with all the compliments you throw! I kid, thank you very much, you're always so kind. BearyBeary, first off, nice name. Secondly, thank you for the review, I hope you enjoy the story. Finally, Isabelucci, no worries. That you for reviewing that time, it was really nice. And no, I'm not finished yet. Thank you for the review and sticking by the story, I hope you enjoy the rest! Thanks everyone.

Ignoring the absence of a certain Wesker, things seemed to be going pretty good. It was worrying that in the space of another ten weeks there was still no news of Alex. Her absence began to become dangerous, as people started to let their guards down.

Though good did come from the peacefulness. It gave Chris and Jill the chance to reconnect. He accompanied her to every one of her scans, and they started to spend a lot more time together. They weren't back to what they used to be, but both enjoyed rekindling their friendship. And with their rebuilt friendship, love would blossom once more.

And in the ten weeks since Jill's first scan, everything seemed to be going good with the pregnancy. She was gaining more weight, and there were no complications. Chris could even begin to notice a slight bump on her abdomen.

Chris wanted to take Anna out for a meal, he felt guilty towards her. He knew it would be hard for her, she only found her dad and now suddenly his attention was moved to another child. And she understood he had too, she was nearly a grown woman now, and she knew he couldn't give up the chance to raise a child from the beginning. Although Anna easily understood, Chris still worried that she thought he loved her less.

"You decided what you're having yet?" Anna asked, staring at the lunch menu. It was a fancier restaurant than she was used too, but Chris didn't mind. His daughter was worth the money.

"Nope."

"Oh my goodness, we have been looking at this menu for fifteen minutes, make a decision, it isn't Sophie's Choice." Chris brought his eyes up to glare at his smirking daughter.

"It's all in French, smart ass. I don't know what bloody boeuf is!" Chris snarled back, as Anna just let out a loud laugh.

"Well it wasn't my choice to come here..." He brought his head up and shot daggers at her jokily again. "And strangely enough boeuf is beef..."

"Stupid French..." Chris grumbled under his breath. "I'll just go for the steak tartare... I don't like tartar sauce, but steak is good."

Anna tried to conceal her laughter at the ignorance of Chris, but she was starving. She wasn't going to tell him what he was actually going to order, and then have to wait another half hour while Chris tried to decipher what poulet meant to change his order.

The two made their orders and thanked the waitress.

"Are you happy school's finished kiddo?"

"Yeah, but I'll miss seeing some of my friends you know..."

"I hope none of those 'friends' you speak of are boys..." Chris joked, making Anna blush ever so slightly and let out annoyed groan. "I'm just trying to protect you from the boys; I was once a horny teenager too you know!"

"Dad!" Anna let out an embarrassed grunt and buried her head in her head in her arms. It was not the topic she wished to talk to her dad about.

"Sorry, sorry!" He laughed. It was fun to see her get so embarrassed. Their relationship really had grown strong. When he first met her, he never thought they could have gotten so close.

"Okay, let's change the topic." Anna quickly said. "How are you and Jill? She still hasn't moved back in."

"We're taking it slow. She doesn't need extra stress or strain on her. So for the time, we're just being friends again."

"Yeah, like you two could ever just be friends..." Anna quipped. She saw how they looked at each other. It wasn't friendship; it was always destined to be more than that.

"Excuse me, I'll have you know, we were just friends for ten years!"

"I don't believe that...Chris, I've read all about what you had to go through, and I just can't imagine that you were just friends."

"Well it's true. With the things we had to go through... War isn't the place for love."

"Whatever you say, but I still think there was something else going on..." She said slyly.

Chris was about to speak, when the waiters came and placed the food before them. As he looked to his plate, his face contorted into a look of disgust.

"Did they forget to cook my dinner?" He asked, glaring at the plate of raw meat, topped off with a raw egg in the centre. Anna burst into laughter at his angered face. "You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?"

"Maybe...Look, it isn't my fault you're lacking in knowledge of other cuisines." Anna said, still giggling slightly.

"Ugh, you're too smart for your own good." He mumbled and picked up the fork to prod into his mound of raw beef.

"So, are you hoping for a boy or a girl?" Anna asked chirpily, chomping into her actually cooked meal.

"I honestly don't really mind. I'll be happy no matter what the outcome." Chris continued to play with his food, unsure if he was actually brave enough to eat it.

"Surely you'll be able to find out soon, no?"

"Hmm, probably. I haven't actually thought about that. Well she's eighteen weeks now or so...I should ask at the next scan when we can find out..."

"When is the next one?"

"Uhh, she has to go for an anomaly scan on the 12th of July..." Chris replied without even thinking. Anna frowned and glanced to her watch.

"That's today." Anna said. The colour drained from Chris's face.

...

"Oh, hell no!" He couldn't believe he had forgotten. He hadn't missed a single scan, yet now with one of the most important ones, he had. He chucked Anna his wallet so she could finish and pay, and quickly sprinted out of the restaurant, receiving disgusting looks as he did so.

"Are you sure you're ready to go, Miss Valentine? There is time if you wish to contact someone; I mean most people like to have loved ones with them for this scan." The female sonographer said politely, as she brought in the ultrasound scanner.

Jill paused for a moment to think. She had already waited fifteen minutes, but it was clear the father wasn't going to show. She didn't know what he was doing; he could have been working for all she knew, so she wasn't going to pester him. And although she could bring a friend, there would be no one other than Chris she would want with her at this time.

"Yeah its okay, I don't think anyone's coming...Fire ahead." Jill joked, laughing slightly as she lay back on the bed and brought up her top to reveal her stomach.

"Okay, Jill. Just to tell you, this can last longer than most scans, usually twenty minutes or so. And you can watch all of it. Now, your Midwife will have told you all the details of the scan, but I'll just give a little recap. Providing the baby is in a good position, we'll be looking at possible abnormalities that the baby may have. For example, looking at the size of the head, the growth of the organs, ensuring the spine is aligned and covered... There are a lot of things, and hopefully, we'll be able to see them today. And depending on the development and again position of the baby, we could even determine the sex of the child, if you wish of course. But as always it isn't completely certain." The sonographer said, as she placed the gel upon Jill's stomach.

Jill was unsure. She had never talked to Chris about finding out the sex beforehand, but secretly she always wanted to know. But she made her decision.

"I'd like to find out, if it's possible." Jill said, with a smile on her lips.

Luke scrapped the leftover food onto the floor for Abe to quickly scrounge up, and began to clean the plates. Although Chris and Jill's relationship seemed to be improving, his and Claire's was steadily deteriorating. She spent hours upon end on the computer catching up with the man claiming to be Steve. And when she wasn't on the computer, her mind seemed to be elsewhere. Just like now, at lunch. The two barely spoke to each other as they ate. She was very protective over her relationship with Steve and she wouldn't give anything away to Luke.

In the ten weeks that had passed, Claire asked him to move in with her. And he graciously accepted her offer, anything was better than living out of a hotel. She had of course consulted Leon, the owner of the house, and without a shadow of a doubt he was more than willing to let Luke move in.

"Will you please talk to me, Claire? I want to know what's going on with you, I worry..." He said honestly, sitting gently beside her at the table. She was preoccupied today, he could tell something more most have happened.

"I don't know what to say... You don't understand me, you don't understand this." She whispered into her hands.

"That's because you don't tell me anything..."

"That's because I know you think I'm being stupid." Her voice cracked slightly. She didn't understand it herself, so what were the chances Luke would understand the emotions she was feeling, with the reappearance of Steve.

"You're not stupid, Claire. I just worry about you..." He reached over and clasped her much smaller hand in his. "But I can't understand this until you tell me what your relationship with him was."

Claire hadn't given away any information about her relationship with Steve; she told Luke how she knew him but nothing more. And the reason for this was Claire herself didn't understand her feelings for Steve. In life threatening circumstances, emotions are heightened. So it was hard to decipher whether her feelings for Steve were just a spur of the moment. But after talking to him again for so many weeks, she felt they weren't. He had been dead for so many years, but talking to him again, it seemed nothing had changed. It was like this was the second chance God had intended for him and her. But on the other hand, she knew how absurd his reappearance was. And her feelings for Luke were definitely beginning to blur into the lines of love.

"Is that what this is about? You're jealous, aren't you?" Claire asked. He was taken aback, but refused to answer. He knew he was jealous, any man would be considering she was being so secretive.

"Well, should I be? ...Did you love him?" Luke asked sharply.

Claire paused to think. It couldn't possibly have been love between them, but it was definitely something significant at least. She believed everything happened for a reason, and she felt her meeting with Steve so many years ago was no exception.

"It couldn't have been love, Luke. I didn't know him long enough, for God's sake."

"Then what is it? Why does he have you so strung up?" Claire broke down and began to sob. Her mind was so confused, she didn't know why. She couldn't answer his questions, because she just didn't know.

Luke's face softened and he tugged her into his chest. At least she had told him more than before. And it was never his intention to upset her. He just wanted to help and protect the woman he was beginning to fall in love with.

"He wants to meet up..." She whispered onto his shoulder.

"Do you want too?" He asked soothingly, while petting down her auburn hair.

"...Yeah, I want to know if this is real or not...But you think I'm being crazy again, right?" She pulled away so she could look into the hazel eyes.

"I think this is very dangerous...But if you want to meet him, then I can't stop you...But let me come too, so I can attempt to protect you at least." He joked.

"Thank you." She gave him a light smile and gentle hug.

Chris couldn't believe he had forgotten... such a stupid thing to do. But his mind had been elsewhere, so many things to think of, he forgot the most important date. More than anything, he was worried Jill would be angry or upset with him. That was the last thing he wanted.

Chris entered the hospital room and was surprised to see Jill turned from him, picking up her items and sorting herself out, ready to leave. He thought the scan was later than it was. But he had obviously missed all of it. He felt even worse.

"Jill? I'm so sorry, I completely forgot what date it was...And then I thought it was at half two, not two o'clock itself. I tried to get here as soon as I could, God, I'm so sorry..." Chris rambled out his words. But as soon as she turned to him, he stopped his babbling, and his face turned into one of worry.

Jill's eyes were red and puffy, trails of mascara running down her cheeks.

"Is everything okay, Jill?" Chris asked carefully, moving closer to her, to cup her damp cheeks in his hands.

His heart began to beat again, when Jill let out a smile and nodded her head quickly. Her blue filled more with moisture as she gazed into his. She brought her shaky hands up to cup his unshaven cheeks.

"...It's a boy, Chris." She whispered to him. He furrowed his brows slightly, surprised, but then let out a huge smile. One she hadn't seen from him in a long time, one of sheer happiness.

While Chris stood gobsmacked, Jill turned to reach into her bag, bringing out a small picture, and placing it into his hands.

"There's our son, Chris."

He looked at the photo, and now knowing it was a son, his son. He felt the same love he did when he looked upon Anna. Chris wrapped his arms around the woman before him, and lightly laughed into her hair.

...

The two broke their embrace, and began to walk out of the hospital.

"Do you have plans for today, Jill?" Chris asked. He knew he would have to make his absence up to her somehow.

"Actually, I planned to get some information from the BSAA regarding Alex...There was definitely something about an Alex at the Spencer Mansion, right?" Chris frowned slightly, he had half hoped Jill would have forgotten about Alex, and left those matters up to him to finish.

"Yeah, in one of the diaries, the BSAA will have the documents on file most likely...But I don't think it's a good idea, Jill. You should be relaxing; this added stress isn't going to help the baby." Chris was just worried for her, but it angered her that the baby made her incapable of doing anything. She was still fairly independent. "Let me take care of Alex."

"Chris, I have to do something. If we don't get on top of this, she'll take me and the baby...I can't let that happen."

"Okay. Just don't get too uptight about it." He was defeated; there was no point in arguing with her. He would only lose most likely anyway. "I'll come around tonight to check on you."

Jill gave a smile.

Chris arrived a little later than he had planned to Jill's. He got caught up talking to Claire, but nevertheless he came. He let himself in, and saw no sign of life. Looking upstairs, he saw Jill's bedroom light was on, so he led himself to it.

Jill was sitting at the desk, comfortably in her pyjamas, reading something intently on the laptop, so intently in fact she hadn't noticed him come in. Chris walked behind her, and placed a large bunch of lilies, her favourite flower, before her. He figured it was a nice apology for his earlier mistake.

Jill screamed as the flowers appeared in her view, and he immediate placed his hand on her shoulder to calm here.

"God! I'm pregnant, remember? What happened to being relaxed!" Jill squealed at him, he pursed his lips so not to let the chuckle escape his mouth. "...And those are very beautiful flowers, thank you Chris."

"It's quite alright." He laughed at her quick change in emotion, and sat on the edge of the bed, so he too could see the screen. "Are you still reading those documents?"

"Well I'm finished. But I think I understand now... Chris, Alex got the key to immortality." Jill said seriously. His face dropped, unsure of whether to believe the, well, unbelievable.

"What?"

"Spencer instructed her to find the key to immortality. And she's got it, she's made a virus which will make you immortal..." Her voice was riddled with fear, and she was just as shocked as Chris. "I didn't tell you before, but when I stabbed her...I...I could have sworn the wound re-healed... I know how ridiculous that sounds."

"But then, what would she be doing looking for you?"

"I don't know. She said my antibodies would stabilise the virus she talked of...But, I don't really understand..." Chris nodded his head. Jill was smarter than he, so if she didn't know, there was no hope for him.

"We should talk to Luke, he's a microbiologist or whatever he is. Surely he might understand it a little more." Chris said.

"Yeah..."

"Don't worry, Jill. It's not good for you."

"I can't help it...I'm scared." She admitted to him. Chris placed a large hand on her shoulder to give what little comfort he could.

"Come on, you should get to bed... It's getting late, Jill." She reluctantly nodded, and switched off the laptop, hoping into the bed.

Jill wrapped herself up in the duvet, and Chris leaned down to place a hand on her face.

"Don't worry, okay? I'm going to protect you and our son no matter what." Chris whispered. She nodded and gave a gentle smile to him.

As Chris retracted his hand to leave, Jill brought hers to latch onto it. He stopped in his tracks and turned back to face her, a worried expression across his features.

"Will you stay with me? ...Please." Jill said. She had spent too many nights alone, she just wanted to feel safe in his arms again. But she was worried that this was overstepping their newfound friendship. He gave her a large smile.

"Of course...But you'll have to move over fat ass, otherwise there's no way I'll fit." He joked, patting her on the thigh. Jill laughed and shimmied herself across, giving him more room to join.

Chris positioned himself on the bed, lying on his back. She turned on her side to face him, and carefully placed her hand on his chest, while burying her head into the crook of his neck, taking comfort in his warmth. Chris smiled, and traced his hands lightly along the curves of her waist, bringing it around to reside on the place where their son was growing stronger each and every day.

I will say, this story will be coming to an end soon enough. Still a good couple of chapters left, but I'm not creative enough to keep it going. Speaking of creativity, sorry for skipping months and stuff, but I'm not good enough at this writing jazz to fill in all the months of Jill's pregnancy. Anyway, hope you enjoyed. :D

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