Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the below piece of fiction, Capcom does.
Warning: Nothing
Authors Note: On to yet another chapter! We're getting on when it comes to the number of chapters, eh? Well its going to continue to get longer and I hope you look forward to more character develpment and relationship building! And you know, funny scenes, sex scenes, action scenes- all the good stuff! Once again I would like to give you all a shout-out for being so totally awesome and amazing and totally wicked crazy cool. Without you guys, this story would not be truckin' along like it is, and I owe you guys a lot for your support! Anyways, without further ado... the next chapter!
Chapter 16- One-night Stand
I'm always looking for meaningful one-night stands. ~Dudley Moore~
"Are you all ready?"
"Yeah, although I think we should be asking Jill this more than anyone else," Chris replied from the front seat of the van, body twisted so he could see into the back where Jill, Barry, and Richard were all stationed- recording devices and cameras crowding the already small space.
"I'm ready- I've been waiting all week for this!" Jill tucked back a piece of her hair behind her ear, a grin adorning her features. Her corduroy jacket was pressed snugly around her slim form, adding extra padding to hide any of the wires taped to her back and stomach that hooked up to the recording system.
"Are you sure? I don't want you to get hurt," Barry quipped in, eyebrows furrowed as he gave Jill a stern look.
"I'm fine Barry, but I appreciate the concern. I have you three as backup, a hidden gun, and a barrage of self-defense moves under my belt. Besides, if we're all on top performance tonight I won't need any of that- and we are STARS, so I know we'll be fine."
"Gotta love your confidence," Chris said, a small smile appearing to match her own.
"Okay, the meeting is starting soon, so I better hurry over there. Hopefully I'll see you when it's all over rather than in the middle."
Giving the group one last confident smile, Jill opened the back door and hopped out before slamming it shut. Chris watched the young woman hurry off to the closed coffee shop a block away, dodging a patch of ice with ease before she was inside, away from view.
Turning around, Chris observed Richard as he flicked a few switches on, and the recording reels on the van's wall began to turn and the sounds from inside the coffee shop carried through.
"Hey, Carry made it! Nice to see you could make it- we were worried the snow would have kept a lot of you guys at home."
The sound of an unfamiliar male voice broke through the murmur inside the coffee shop, and all three of them hoped Jill would play her part well.
"Thanks, Tony. I wouldn't miss my first meeting just because of a snowfall."
A hearty laugh could be heard and shuffling carried through- idle conversation being made with everyone as more people began to arrive with Chris watching them trickle through into the coffee shop for a good fifteen minutes.
No noteworthy conversations were had with Jill for the duration of the mingling, but Jill did her best to greet everyone by their names- identifying them for possible future use.
"How many people were supposed to show up for this?" Chris asked, stuffing his hands in his coat pockets. Barry looked up from a report open on his lap as Richard pressed his headphones closer to his ears, trying to catch all of the conversations with no interruptions.
Richard was quiet, but he seemed like a really good guy. Chris had never really had the chance to talk to him, and while he was on duty and the time for conversations wasn't exactly prime, Chris knew that the two would have to grab a drink sometime.
Although drinking now reminded him of scotch and passionate kisses- things he really did not want to think about.
"Around twenty, Jill estimated," Barry replied, standing up as best he could so he could shove through and move to sit in the passenger seat in the front. He almost toppled onto Chris once in his endeavour, but managed to stay semi-upright and land with little grace onto the seat.
Taking his hands out of his pockets, Chris rubbed the bridge of his nose and looked over at Barry, who was grinning.
"What's with the grin?"
"Are you starting to wear new cologne now? Trying to attract the ladies?" Barry nudged Chris with his elbow, his eyebrows waggling.
"What do you mean by that? I'm not wearing… oh shit."
His jacket probably still had that spice cologne smell on it… fuck.
"Y-yeah, that's exactly it. But I think I might stop- the scent isn't suited for me, I guess," Chris stuttered out, cheeks going pink while he slouched further down into his seat.
"What kind is it? It's kind of familiar, except I can't place it…"
Chris was about to make up some bullshit answer when Richard spoke up.
"The meeting has started, guys."
"Time to get to the bottom of this damn group," Barry mumbled, the three of them ready for action.
**XX**
"A peaceful protest and a fucking bake sale?"
"Would you please stop repeating that, Chris?" Jill asked, her chin resting on her hand while her free hand twirled a coffee mug around.
"But… but a bake sale?" Chris was leaning forward in his chair, arms placed upon the cheap diner tabletop as he continued to repeat what TAP had planned. After all of that work it turned out TAP was moving from violent means to a more peaceful way- a realization coming to the leaders that STARS meant business and anything out of the ordinary would just be stupid now.
And so they had planned a peaceful protest outside of city hall, with a bake sale preceding the protest in order to raise funds for elderly healthcare and medical expenses. One of their main concerns as a group was the fact that the people who needed Umbrella's medication the most (the elderly) did not have the funds needed to buy such expensive pills. So they, as a collective, decided to try and mend such a situation. It was commendable in many respects, but a damn inconvenience for those like Chris and Jill who were looking for some excitement and not a bake sale.
After the meeting had taken place and the report data had been gathered, Barry and Richard had gone home to sleep after a long night. This left Jill and Chris to wander over to the diner a block away and sit in a florescent light booth at two in the morning, drowning their woes in cheap coffee and apple pie.
"The worst thing is they want me to bring the chocolate chip cookies. I'm allergic to chocolate and I'll just be tempted to eat some!" Jill sighed heavily and dumped another sugar packet into her weak coffee, a frown accompanying the action.
"You're allergic to chocolate?" Chris asked, momentarily distracted by the strange news.
"Not really allergic, just intolerant. I get horrible stomach cramps when I eat it."
"Remind me not to buy you a box of chocolate then," Chris mumbled, taking another bite of his pie.
"Girls aren't always flattered by chocolate; they also really like flowers." Jill shrugged and took a sip of her coffee before making a face. "Okay, I can't do it. No matter how much sugar I put in this it still doesn't taste good."
"Ever think the sugar is what's ruining the coffee?" Chris asked, an eyebrow raised as his fork dangled above the plate.
"That's impossible, sugar can't ruin anything." Smiling, Jill locked eyes with Chris, causing him to look right back. A moment passed before Jill looked away, a small smile still playing at her lips.
"Are you going to the Halloween party?" she asked, leaning back in her seat.
Chris mentally scolded himself. If she thought that was a 'moment' between them then he had just royally fucked himself over.
"Uh, what Halloween party, and when is it and where is it?" he asked, coming back to reality in time to find out he had no idea what Halloween party she was talking about. Chris hadn't been paying attention to what was going on outside of his 'love life', and had completely forgotten about the fact that Halloween was closing in, and with it another month closer to Christmas.
"Uh… it's today, Chris. It's the 31st- although very early on the 31st." Laughing, Jill shook her head before continuing. "I was just going to go to the one at the RPD- it's for staff mostly, and I figure it's going to be a lot of people eating cookies with the occasional on-duty cop running in to steal a treat before patrol. But it's better than sitting at home watching a re-play of The Shining."
"Uh… maybe. I don't have a costume, though."
"Weren't you in the Air Force? I'm sure you still have some of your combat gear- just go as a pilot," Jill supplied as the waitress came to put the bill down on the table. Snatching the receipt, Chris read over the bill and pulled his wallet out, paying for the both of them.
"Yeah, I guess I could do that- and don't worry about the bill, it's my treat," he said when he noticed Jill was about to speak up.
Grabbing their jackets, the two off-duty STARS members walked outside onto the cold street, frost sticking to the windows as ice-fog had set in across the town.
"So, I better see you at least make an appearance later this evening," Jill said as the two wandered back to the RPD's parking lot.
"Promise," Chris replied before they parted ways, both of them getting into their vehicles to drive home.
With the idea of a Halloween party in Chris' head and a stomach full of apple pie, he found himself momentarily forgetting about Wesker.
**XX**
"Is there a rule book or something that has a page that says every Halloween party has to have the 'Monster Mash' play at least once?" Kenneth asked, his back pressed against one of the bulletin boards, a glass of punch secure in his hands.
"Page nine, actually. Under the chapter 'Ways to Annoy Your Guests'," Chris said, scratching the back of his neck as his dog tags dug into his skin. In reality they weren't really digging in, but they felt like they were. After getting discharged, Chris hadn't put them on because they were too much of a reminder of his failures. But, well… it was Halloween and he would be a pretty shoddy pilot without them. He had debated wearing them for quite a while before he actually placed them around his neck- he knew he had to move on at some point in time and a Halloween party was just an excuse for him to suck it up.
"Looks like whoever put on this party bought the book," Kenneth said, taking a sip of the sickeningly sweet liquid.
"Oh well, at least we get to see everyone loosen up a little, right? Police work is a tough gig, and, you know… it's an excuse for Forest to flirt with Jill some more." Chris turned his attention to the group standing across the room from them. A conversation was taking place between three regular duty cops, Forest, Jill, and Richard. Forest was currently waving his arms around, trying to drag Jill's attention towards him in what, Chris assumed, was a hilarious tale while dressed in a cheap banana suit.
Jill for her part was nodding and smiling- making it seem like she was enjoying the story when her gaze would flit over to Chris and Kenneth, a silent plea for escape carrying over to them loud and clear.
"Think we should save the angel?" Kenneth asked, referring to the fact that Jill was wearing a set of wings and a halo crown- a cheap but effective costume.
"I don't know, it's sort of amusing seeing Forest jump around in a banana suit," Chris replied before Jill was dragged away by a female cop, one Chris had seen Jill talking to earlier.
Jill had only been with the RPD for two weeks and she had already managed to make a large number of friends- Chris was a little jealous of the fact.
"So what are you going as?" Chris asked, looking over Kenneth, who was dressed in regular civilian clothing, nothing spooky or different about it.
"I'm the token black guy, so you should feel safe standing next to me. Any ghouls try and attack us and I'll be your meat shield," Kenneth said casually.
Chris stared at Kenneth, eyes slightly wide. He didn't know if he should laugh or not. Would he be considered racist if he laughed- or was it really considered racism if the joke was told by the minority in the joke? But what if Kenneth got offended because he didn't laugh- then he would just come off as a fool who couldn't get a joke, and no one liked working with a guy like that.
"You can laugh, Chris- you look confused but I meant it to be funny," Kenneth said after a long pregnant pause, a smile gracing his features.
Chris let out a breath he had been holding and laughed softly, cheeks going pink. "Thanks for telling me, I was afraid I might come off… odd if I laughed and I wasn't supposed to."
"A lot of people think you can only laugh at a minority-based joke if you're from that minority, but that's not always the case- you just gotta be careful." Raising his glass to Chris, Kenneth took another sip while Chris fiddled with his dog tags.
"Yeah, I know what you mean, it's a delicate balance. I mean, I guess I could tell jokes about—"
Chris has meant to say American jokes- he really had. But then he walked past the office door and something else slipped out.
"—being gay, but that would be touchy."
"Being gay?" Kenneth asked quickly, his entire attention resting on Chris all of a sudden.
"I didn't- did I say gay? Uh, listen, I have to go," Chris stuttered out, gaze flicking from Kenneth to the door hallway where Wesker was currently trudging down with his usual determined gate.
Chris had to talk to him- now.
Pushing past a 'Zombie Brad', Chris made his way quickly out of the office and through the hallway, catching Wesker at the end of it.
"Captain!" Chris called out, jogging up to the older male. He slowed down when Wesker stopped and turned around, an eyebrow raised.
"Yes, Christopher?" Wesker shoved a folder under his arm and cocked his head to the side, expectancy radiating off of him.
"Uh… can we… talk?" Chris asked, his dog tag fiddling becoming more and more frequent as the seconds passed.
"I believe we are talking now, but I suspect you would like to speak in private?" When Chris nodded, Wesker turned around and continued down the hallway and through a few doors before going up the stairs all the way to the STARS office, Chris trailing behind as per-usual.
When they entered the office, Chris closed the door behind himself and watched as Wesker tossed the folders on the desk and sat on the edge, relaxed despite the tension between the two.
"What is it you wanted to discuss, although I have a feeling I already know."
"Why are you working at night on a Sunday when all of STARS have the day off?" Chris asked, dodging the real question with one that was genuinely bothering him. It was eight at night, so why the hell was Wesker still working?
"Well, I… wasn't expecting that. But if you must know, I came back to the office to retrieve a few files that I found myself needing," Wesker replied, quickly composing himself.
"Oh… well you should go home and get some rest," Chris said, sounding lame even to his own ears. Here he was with the perfect opportunity to talk to Wesker about Friday night and all he could tell Wesker was to get some sleep.
"I will as soon as you say what you would really like to say." Wesker pushed himself off of the desk he was leaning against and walked over to Chris, stopping before him so there was a slight distance between the two. Taking Chris' hand in his own, Wesker gently pulled it away from the dog tags and pushed his arm down before letting go. Chris suddenly found it hard to breathe as Wesker closed in and touched him yet again, memories from their night together invading his mind.
"First, though, I would appreciate it if you would stop fiddling with your dog tags- it is rather distracting."
Nodding, Chris looked down at his hand for a moment before looking back at Wesker, his regular sense of reality coming back, and with it more confidence.
Chris wasn't one to let simple matters such as this intimidate him.
"I wanted to talk about Friday night, actually… wanted to see where we stood now."
Stepping back from Chris, Wesker nodded and went back to his desk where he grabbed his folder. Turning back around, he smiled softly- but Chris didn't feel much warmth from it.
"I believe that it was just something to pass the time- a pleasant diversion from the mundane parts of life that we must all take part in. But I don't expect anything to come of this… why, did you?" Wesker said, every word breaking Chris just a little bit.
He refused to show it- too bad his voice had a tendency to betray him.
"Uh… yeah, that's what I thought too- a diversion… yeah, it's, uh… good to know we're on the same page. Just… move on," Chris muttered, his voice sounding hollow in his ears.
"I agree- we wouldn't want to add complication to our work environment with such personal matters. In any case, I believe I should be going home to get some rest, as well you should too. You look like you haven't slept well and I need my men on top performance."
Chris nodded and watched Wesker leave, unable to really say or do anything. Watching the door close, Chris went to his desk and sat down in his chair before running a hand through his hair.
Wesker had pretty much just said what Chris feared the most- and worst of all he had gone along with it. He hadn't said anything to try and change Wesker's mind, hadn't said anything to really tell him how he felt. He just… agreed.
Like a fucking coward.
Resting his head on his desk, Chris closed his eyes and tried not to think about how much it affected him. He was still vainly holding onto the notion that he was okay with only being with Wesker once, when it clearly was not true anymore.
Sometimes Chris seriously questioned his love life.
Yeeeeah, more drama! But hey, I've already eluded to the fact that there will be more chapters of this story- a lot more, and what kind of story would this be if I just ended the relationship so suddenly? Not a very good one, thats what! So never fear, things will work out... sometimes... maybe... possibly. Keep on reading to find out! Thanks once again you guys! Also, there will be more action coming up for you adreneline junkies! Hopefully you'll look forward to that!