"Wait." Jill holds up her hand and sips a modest amount of beer. "So that guy you are texting and the one you went on a cruise with-"

"It's a short boat ride." Rebecca quickly corrects her but the blonde just shrugs.

"Similar enough." She insists. It's not every day that a gorgeous man would tour you around the sea. Since the concept is the same, she would call it a cruise regardless of the size of their ship. " Anyway, he is the same Billy in your report, correct?" Jill sips her drink again without taking her eyes off Rebecca while the latter just nods.

Then they were both silent but not like an awkward silence. Both ladies are just smiling widely after the big reveal. Like two teenage girls who just unveiled the school's biggest gossip of the year. Jill doesn't know what surprises her more. That Billy Coen managed to reach Rebecca after all these years or the fact that Rebecca lied to cover for him, basically disobeying orders, on her first mission. She never gave her that impression unlike guys like Chris.

"Cheers." Jill raises her bottle and Rebecca follows her suit. "To you and Billy."

"And to you and Chris. Found you again after 3 years." She takes a small sip of her beer, the liquid barely touching the back of her tongue. "And for finally quitting that "just partners" bullshit. We knew you two would eventually date."

Jill almost spilled her drink at her remark. "You too?" She has heard Claire jab hints and jokes about it whenever they are with Chris. Although she would chalk it up to just two siblings just being silly and teasing each other. She never took it seriously but apparently, it's not just the younger Redfield who thinks that way.

"Me, Barry and I think I heard Quint and Keith making a bet about who will confess first between you and Chris during my few visits to BSAA HQ." Who knows how many conversations she never heard of? It's a miracle how they managed to keep convincing people for a decade that they are just regular co-workers, like the term partners doesn't have a double meaning.

Jill rests her elbows on the table and covers her face as she exhales deeply. "That many?"

"Probably more." Rebecca nods her head with a chuckle. "But seriously, how come neither of you felt like . . . I don't know, the need to address something or at least acknowledge to yourself that you are indeed feeling something for this person?"

Avoiding eye contact, she leans back on her seat and tries to recall the times it made her think about doing something about it.

2005

"There you are." She smiles as she spots him at the balcony, away from the crowd of people with a drink in his hand. Seeing the brown liquid in the old fashioned glasses, she knows it's not the usual red wine they were serving and judging from the slight red shade on his face, he has had a couple of drinks. "You don't feel like celebrating with others?"

BSAA successfully stopped Il Veltro and an outbreak. Sure it was not a swift and easy journey but they all deserve to rejoice after what happened and one Friday night seems reasonable enough. Though he didn't feel like celebrating, knowing very well it's still a long battle, quite feels like it's never-ending. His eyebrows raise up as she lifts her glass of wine to him.

"Cheers, by the way." She raises her wine glass.

"Jill" Her name is the only thing that comes out from his lips. Seeing her in front of him, there is this sudden thumping in his chest. It's not the type you feel when you are scared or surprised. No, it's just different with her but he can't figure it out yet. Sometimes he compares it to that ecstatic feeling when we were kids and you get a whiff of freshly baked chocolate cookies. Just pure joy and overwhelming blissful feeling.

"You OK?" She fixes the collar of his white shirt. This is one of the rare nights they are not looking half-dead, might as well try to look their best at least just for one night. Of course, she wants him to look his best. Though, every time she has laid her eyes on him, he always has that rugged look but gorgeously striking.

"You are here." He could chalk it up to 'It's the whiskey talking' for he can't really grasp what are the right words to tell her now. He technically just searched the entire Mediterranean sea to find her. Truth be told, there were times when he was terrified like never before. She was not just lost in a mansion or stuck in a city. She could be anywhere around the endless body of water. When they arrived at the ship and she wasn't there, he almost lost it and cursed at his teammates. He wanted to scold them for the sloppy job or poor performance. He wanted to blame someone but kept it together, knowing very well that letting out his frustrations on others will do no good.

"Yeah, I'm here."

"No, you don't understand. You're here. Just right here." His wide frame envelops her slim figure as he places his hands over her shoulder. It was only then that she realized what he was pertaining to.

"You found me. We make a good team as always." She moves in front of him and studies his features. There are tears lingering deep in his eyes. She can't imagine what it must have felt like to just reach one dead end after another while searching for a partner. Hopefully, he wouldn't experience it again, that she wouldn't be the cause of his worry once again. But with their line of work, it's nearly impossible but she wants to hold on to that wish as long as she can.

His hand moves up to touch her hair, one that's flawlessly tied up to a bun. Utterly lost for words, not knowing how to describe how perfect she looks tonight, he just stares at her while he tucks a strand of hair behind her ear then he looks down at their hands. They didn't even notice they were holding each other's hands. By the time he looks up at her eyes, that's when his walls break. It's always those pair of blue mesmerizing eyes that makes him just want to risk it all.

He leans forward and kisses her lips in the gentlest way possible. Their lips slowly move in sync and their eyes close in union. He could feel her other hand land on his chest. She could feel his beating heart on her palms.

But then she reminds herself where they are. Ever so slowly, with the remaining self control she could manage to find, breaks the kiss and gives him a small smile. Stroking her fingers on this side of his jaw. Oh, how she wants to just keep doing that for the rest of the night while his lips just explore her entire body. However, this is not the right place or time. Will there ever be though?

"You are really drunk tonight huh?" What a petty question to ask, she tells herself and he absentmindedly nods. "I'll go get Barry and ask him to drive you home." She pats his cheek one last time before walking away.

2009

Chris is such a gentleman. He asks her first if she wants to call it a day and suggests that they should "sleep early". You'd think the guy would learn and stop making lame excuses. Still she nods and wraps her legs around his waist, allowing him to carry her to his bedroom.

It is her who dares to make the first move. All it takes is to ask one question and Chris surrenders in an instant.

"But don't you think we stared at each other a little bit longer than how friends should?"

And now here they are. Lips locked until someone needs to breathe, ferociously exploring every corner of each other's mouth. Still he manages to open the door and enter the room just as she removes his shirt.

"Wow." Words slip her mouth at the very sight of his bare chest. She has seen him working out in their gym, even went jogging with him. However, as much as she would hate to admit it, she is one of the ladies to steal a glance or two, especially when he is just wearing their tank top uniforms. But when he is standing there and she is literally clinging to him is a different story. He's breath-taking, from his sun kissed skin to the patches of hair on his chest and all those bulging muscles. It's a lot to take in and she finds herself lightly biting her lower lip while trailing her hands on his shoulders and chest.

While on the other hand, he smiles proudly upon seeing her reaction. He pins her against the wall, one hand supporting her waist and the other cradling the side of her face. "Before we do what I think we are about to do. Can I just say something?" He plays with the hem of her shirt while staring directly at her eyes. She looks back at him with a nod. "I just want to let you know that I'm not drunk right now."

She finds the random and sudden sharing of information funny but she just utters. "Uh-huh." She plays with his hair behind his ears to distract herself from laughing.

"I just want to let you know that now in case you will make the same excuse like last time."

"Oh." Caught red handed, she scrunches her face and hides her face in his neck. She knows exactly what he is talking about. At that time, had he said he's not drunk, she'd risk it. She couldn't care less about the event and would just ask him to come with her some place else. "OK. Fair enough." After being reminded of the circumstance, she chuckles and he does as well while kissing the side of her face.

Latching onto him feels like the most natural thing to do, from her legs around his waist to her arms around his neck. Gradually, his kisses start to be more intense while she is being sandwiched between him and the wall. Chris' wide frame pressing on her and his unparalleled way of keeping her mouth shut using his own makes it a bit difficult for her to breathe.

At first, she was just playing with his hair but then there's a sharp yank and he looks at her with raised eyebrows.

"Do you want to maybe, if you want to, put me down there?" She eyes the bed near them just in case he didn't get the hint.

He couldn't stop himself from smiling at the sarcasm in her voice. Nonetheless, he removes her shirt, in a not so swift manner, before putting her down the bed. She's pretty sure the fabric may have a tear now but at this point, she wouldn't mind if he rips all her clothes off.

She didn't untangle herself from him and yet they landed gracefully on the soft bed. There he continues roaming his mouth on her neck but his hands are also working their way to get rid of her bra. By the end of the day, he's just a man who appreciates the woman's features, specifically Jill's perfect breasts. And once the only fabric covering it is removed, he thanks the heavens for finally allowing him to use all his five senses on it. The moment he gazes down on it feels like there is a magnet that gravitates him closer to it until he could feel it in his hands and lips.

It seems like he doesn't know which one to prioritize for she just looks at him with a small grin as he tries to scout every inch of her skin, from her chest to her neck to her lips. Since she figures he must be too preoccupied with leaving marks around her body, she might as well help him shorten the process of getting them naked and so she takes off the rest of her clothes. But she figured she shouldn't let him have all the fun. "Roll over." Short, simple and direct. And his reaction? It would be an understatement if she would describe it as being speechless. He didn't say a thing but the feral look in his eyes tells her everything she needs to know.

Of course, Jill didn't want to share too much but at least that BSAA after party was more than enough to give Rebecca an idea of what's going on.

A long exhale, that's the only thing Rebecca could do. It's bewildering how Chris Redfield, one of the bravest people she has ever met, just cowers when it comes to facing what he feels about Jill Valentine. If Jill never went missing for 3 years and presumed dead then maybe the man would have just kept his mouth shut for an eternity.

"It's just a constant push and pull, I just put the idea back on the shelf." Jill states then impales a piece of baked mojos. "I even joke about how he must like dating young girls from other departments. He couldn't get a hint that I'm being nosy because I'm starting to get jealous." She points the fork with the potato to herself. "Me, Becca, Me. I shouldn't. I'm too old for that but whenever I see how most of the ladies, married or not, look at him in the HQ I get this possessive feeling. I want to tell them to back off but I couldn't do anything about it because we are professionals. We are just partners." She eats the piece and shrugs.

"Well now you can! I'm pretty sure you won't go charging to some random woman's desk with a deadly weapon and threaten her to keep her hands off Chris." She takes a sip of her strawberry daiquiri but frowns a bit after noticing it's empty. When did that happen? Better yet, how many have they ordered so far?

"I do hope it won't come to that. I hope he won't do it to anyone there either." She lets out a light chuckle. "Chris can be a hot-head. Damn, I remember he punched a guy because he accidentally spilled coffee on him." It was back when they were in the RPD. It was right after the Spencer Mansion incident so most of them were on the edge.

"Speaking of coffee, do you need one or any other drinks?" Rebecca asks before calling the waiter.

"Coffee? Are you gonna try to sober up? Does that mean you are getting drunk already?" She playfully rebuts before drinking the rest of her Margarita "Let's get a shot of tequila then we'll call it a night."

"Time flies when you're having fun." She gestures to the number of empty cocktail glasses and beer bottles on their table. She orders two shots of tequila and an iced latte.

"And maybe a pineapple juice too." Jill adds and leans back on her seat. "It really is fun getting to talk about stuff with you again but enough about me. So basically, I know when this thing with you and Billy started, I know you exchange messages and emails and call and sometimes maybe even have phone sex given the long distance thing." Rebecca gapes at her after the last remark but she plays innocent and ignores her reaction. "So what did I miss while I was gone?"

2006

"It's about to start. Are you really not coming?" Rebecca knows that there is nothing under that tombstone. That it is just for formality, to honor a fallen soldier. She understands why Chris didn't feel like attending because he is adamant and still believes that Jill Valentine is still alive somewhere.

"For the last time, I don't give a damn about that stupid fake tombstone. I'm gonna find her"

The call drops.

She wants to believe him. She has unwavering trust in Jill and wants to believe that she is indeed just somewhere. But she has read the reports and did her homework. It's almost impossible to survive the fall. Even if she did, she was with that devil. Wesker. She knows Jill is capable of many things but she has read the reports and seen the evidence. Wesker is no longer human. He is a monster. Whatever miracle rained on them on the day that they survived that mansion incident, she hopes that Jill got it once more.

Even before having superhuman abilities, Wesker has always been a dangerous man. She had the first hand experience of how vile he is by getting shot at, point blank. If it wasn't for her bulletproof vest then she never would have made it this far. How cruel it would be to survive for almost two days, fighting and running away from all kinds of monstrosities only to be betrayed and be shot by their very own STARS captain.

That was before. With all the news she has heard and read about, Wesker has become unhinged and even more hungry for power. She prays that wherever Jill is, it's not anywhere near that devil.

She sighs then feels a hand press on her shoulder. "Barry." He looks drained. Despite retiring from field work. Barry still works and supports BSAA from the background like her. She wonders if he regrets not convincing Jill and Chris to do the same. Then maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't have happened. But then again, it would take a miracle to convince the two of them. They are hands-on from day one, even as Umbrella stock market crashes, they're priority is prevention of outbreaks and not just rescuing survivors. To eliminate the threat from the roots.

"I gotta go. I need to . . ."

Something pinched her heart upon hearing his voice. She heard about the accident that happened with his family as well. She can't imagine how much Jill's disappearance adds to whatever he is going through. She hugs him tightly, as tightly as she can. Doing so makes her realize that she needed it as much as he did. "Go. I'll be fine. I'll be heading off soon too anyway."

"She is out there." He breaks away from the embrace and nods firmly. "I just . . . I know it." She taps her shoulder and gives him a nod before she sends him off.

The only thing she could do is have faith in what they believe in. Taking one last glance at the tombstone then the people left around. Quint and Keith are quietly talking not very far and there is also Parker with a cup of coffee in his hand. All of them looked tired and weary. It breaks her heart seeing this kind of scene over and over again. She begins to question whether there is really an end.

Her trip went by in flash, it was like she was driving on autopilot. She takes a seat in her favorite coffee shop, her drink starting to be cold. She opens her phone and checks if he has sent a reply.

"They declared her dead, I can't believe it. They are even making a tombstone for her. Anyway, Tomorrow I'll be dropping by there to see it then I'll be going to that coffee shop near the HQ, the one I told you about. I miss getting some Caramel Macchiato there with her."

No reply. She puts her phone away and sighs. Usually he'd call but maybe he's just been busy recently. She did message him out of the blue after the Raid on the Spencer Estate, he might not even have the same number.

"Rebecca?"

She hears a familiar voice and turns around. Sure it's been around 8 years since she last saw him and they only exchange letters or postcards or text messages but she knows him all too well. His jet black hair under that fedora hat, a glimpse of his tattoo under his long sleeve shirt.

"How are you?"

Suddenly, her eyes struggle to hold back her tears as she recalls everything that happened recently. She hates it. She wants to scream at someone. She wants to put a blame on something. Was one incident not enough? She is starting to lose hope when it will be over. If there was something she realized after what happened is that it reminded her that they can never truly be safe, that she could lose someone anytime. This war has already stolen her youth from her, now it's starting to take her friends away too.

He removes his hat. "My condolences." It pains him to see her trying to hold back her tears. All he can do now is pull her into a tight hug. She lets him, pressing her face to his chest to drown any sobbing noise she makes.

A week ago

When she asked Billy earlier when they should go after their dinner, he told her to get back to her place which, as much as she doesn't want to admit it, made her feel like a kid getting her favorite candy.

Given their situation, he can usually just stay for a day before going back to Maine to go back to working at the farm. For almost 2 years, he has been taking the train from Maine to New York to see her on Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year, Birthdays, Valentines and any other days they could make time to spend with each other. A walk in the park, a trip to the spa or fancy dinner, anything they could squeeze in their busy schedules. Juggling between her hectic schedule at work, the busy streets of New York, his long commute. The night usually ends with her accompanying him back to the train station. But tonight is different.

Tonight she gets to take him to her small but cozy apartment. Tonight he gets to see all the bread crumbs he leaves behind every time he visits her. His array of clothes in her closet that has been piling up whenever he forgets to pack one or two pieces back in his bag. His hair products that occupy half of her cabinet in the bathroom. His bluetooth speaker. His huge water jug. That's just counting what he has seen so far.

She decides to ditch the bra and wears her cotton white t-shirt to match her green silk shorts. Checking herself in the mirror, making sure that her hair is brushed properly before turning on the TV just as he gets out of the bathroom.

"You shaved." She comments while looking at his face, particularly at his sculpted jaw.

"Thought you'd never notice." He banters with her before grabbing a can of beer from the minifridge. He makes his way to the couch which is just literally two steps away then takes a seat. He tries not to snicker at how he almost occupies the entire furniture. This place may be big enough for Rebecca but if you include him in the picture then some items are miniature for him.

"Was I supposed to laugh?" She pats his knee. "Scoot"

Instead of moving, he grabs her wrist and makes her sit on his lap instead making her yelp out in surprise but she doesn't protest and just stretches her legs to the other end of the couch. He proceeds to open the can of beer while she turns her attention to the random rom-com movie on the TV screen.

"Hey, when do you need to go back to the farm by the way?" She leans back on him as she feels his arm encircle her waist.

"I actually don't know." He takes a long gulp of his drink as she shifts to look at him. "Remember I told you that The Mills' eldest son has been helping out on the farm more?"

"Mhmm."

"Well, it's not the autumn, not the harvest season so they were more than delighted to tell me that I could get a long vacation. They said I've never taken one longer than a day."

She smiles and clings her arms around his neck. "That's great to hear. They are such nice old folks and don't get me wrong, I love that you are doing your best to help them out but of course I love it more when you visit me."

"Honestly, I don't know when they'd need me again. Maybe I'll go back there next week, see if they need extra help but they did imply that if their eldest gets used to things then I might need to find a new place to stay at." The corners of his lips form a tiny grin before drinking from the can of beer again.

"So that means you are staying here for the weekend?"

"The whole week if you want me to."

Clearly overjoyed, she presses her lips on his. "That's great. I'll be talking to Chris tomorrow. He has been asking me to work at this University in Australia for just a few months and I haven't said anything about it yet. But maybe I could agree to that and in exchange he could let you join BSAA and train new recruits."

"Woah, wait." He drinks the rest of his beer, a bit taken aback by how specific and well-thought-out her plan is. "Let's not jump into things. I'm fine with just doing a maintenance job, maybe in this very building you live in."

She could feel her cheeks start to get warm as she may have just been a tad bit too obvious that she has never stopped thinking about it. She has thought about it multiple times. She wants him to be able to utilize what he knows and show what he could do. She understands that he has to keep a low-key profile after that Arklay incident. That's why he moved to Maine and was fortunate enough to find a couple who needed help on a farm. But he was a Second Lieutenant in the US Marine Corps. He could do so much more and she knows the BSAA needs a man just like him. She knows he knows this too, not sure if it's his pride or just wants to remain humble.

"Just think about it." She rubs her thumb on his freshly shaved chin. "But I'll be meeting up with Jill this Saturday so you better stay here until then so that you could at least meet them in person."

"Yeah, that I can do." He smiles then she gives him a kiss. A delicate one at start then her hands cups the side of his face. Her touch is still tender but the intensity of their kiss starts to escalate.

Their heartbeat palpable, their breathing accelerated. When he begins feeling her fingers running up his scalp, he does his best to compose himself and pulls away from the kiss.

"Don't start something you can't finish, doll face." It may come as a teasing but partly asking for confirmation as well.

Even though she knows it's just his way of just humoring her but still can't help but roll her eyes. "Then let's make sure we both get to finish this." Glancing down, she hooks her fingers under the hem of his white undershirt and takes it off.

Catching a quick glimpse of her biting her lower lip, he smirks before closing the gap between their lips again. Getting a taste of it once again only makes him wonder if he could ever break away once more. The more he leans towards her, the harder she kisses him back. And every time she gasps for air is an opportunity for him to slip in his tongue.

His hand expertly plays with the fabric of her shorts. He loves the texture of silk. Commendable choice. Their lips only part ways for a miniscule moment to take a breath of air. And even that feels too long. There is this certain thirst in both of them that needs to be quenched.

Her arms tighten around his neck after hearing reassurance. She was about to wonder if she should have put on a suggestive nightgown instead or if she needs to do something else. But turns out everything is just going fine and they continue with their open mouth kisses. The fabric of her shorts somewhat gets shorter as his hands constantly run up and down her skin that she could feel the breeze blow on her private area.

"It's a little damp here." He murmurs then looks down to his hand cupping the soaked part of her underwear inside her shorts. "I think I can do something about it. May I?" He looks back at her with a juvenile smile.

"Yes, right now if you could." Even though her eyes are rolling back and her hands clasped around his neck, she manages to reply with the same level of sarcasm.