After Death

Chapter 2

Apartments.

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"Those apartments in which Rebecca lives look kind of... Insecure… wouldn´t you think?"

Claire shrugs.

"Well, it's not that Terra-Safe pays well enough for the services of a good researcher such as our Becca, although I will tell you that she gets paid better than me, just for the biological risk she´s under."

Leon gives her a look of disbelief through the rearview mirror.

"But you take risks too, and perhaps even more than her, given the fact that your activities sometimes are on the field and there are still many outbreaks of bioterrorism."

Claire shrugs again.

"I have no problem with such arrangement if it means that the most qualified people earn better than me. Anyways, Chris and Jill help me pay better rent. That's more than enough for me."

"At least until I get her a good husband, hoping he´ll get her out of that building."

Chris laughs as Claire punches him in the shoulder.

"Very funny. You should stop joking, though, because I told you, I don't plan to get married. Ever."

Chris turns to his sister, completely indignant at his sister.

"What do you mean?! What will happen to the Redfield lineage?"

Claire crosses her arms, showing her indignation as well.

"Don't ask me! If you want the Redfield lineage to last, you must take it as your mission, not mine. Get me out of your weird dreams, little brother, because I have more than enough problems in Terra-Safe to have to deal with your silly ideologies."

Chris shakes his head, but refuses to continue fighting with his sister: he knows it´s a lost case, so instead, he takes advantage of the distraction and gives Leon indications for the trip.

"We've arrived at Claire's apartments, you can park in here, mate."

Leon does as he is told, parking parallel to the sidewalk, and then he looks up at the apartment building that, although not luxurious, definitely looks better than the rather slum place where they left Rebecca. Leon is left thinking that he might as well get his two friends a better job at the government, at least one that could offer them a fairer salary.

Well, that's in case the younger Redfield decides to put her stubbornness aside and abandon Terra-Safe in search for something better.

His thoughts are interrupted by Claire's voice as she says goodbye to Jill.

"It´s a pleasure to work with you again, girl. I really missed you."

Jill smiles at her as she hugs her best friend.

"I'm also glad to be back, Claire. I really needed to have these missions you and me, and Chris, like we used to."

The redhead returns the hug and gives her a kiss on the cheek as a farewell, and then hugs the blond's neck from the back seat.

"As always, Leon, you're quite a gentleman. Please, I really don't want us to be angry anymore. You better keep your word and invite me to dinner soon."

Leon becomes nervous at the unexpected show of affection but appreciates it.

"Y-yes, of course, don't worry about that. We'll arrange our… situation, in the restaurant of your choice. You have my word."

At hearing Leon´s promise to his baby sister, Chris gives his friend a disturbing look, but the blond quickly shakes his head, asking him to drop it at the moment, with a palm up promising him they´ll talk about it later, in order to clear up any possible confusion he may be having.

For her part, Claire gets off the car, but instead of getting into her apartment, she immediately stands next to the passenger door.

"You're coming with me, Chris."

The aforementioned makes a surprised face.

"What? How? Why? I want to go to rest in my own apartment!"

But the redhead crosses her arms over her chest, staring at him angrily.

"No way, little brother! You promised that you would help me repair my heater, something I have been asking you for weeks, and you always tell me you´ve been on missions as the eternal excuse!"

"But… But I do have been on missions, Claire!" The man tries to defend himself. "And if you already forgot, we are just returning from one, I want to bathe!"

Claire hits the roof of the car, causing the two men to flinch. Jill watches everything in silence, struggling to keep her funny laughter from escaping out of her mouth, already too accustomed to this exchange between the belligerent siblings.

"Precisely! I want you to feel what it feels like to have to bathe in three minutes because it's all hot water lasts for me! Come on little brother! Now that I have you in front of my apartment, I'm not gonna let you go."

Chris sighs, resigned, mumbling against the 'little brother' moniker, and offers Leon a fist, as a farewell.

"Now I see why you haven't agreed to be my brother-in-law."

"¡Chris!"

Leon laughs quietly, feeling empathy for the poor man while bumping his fist against the agent's.

"I'm so sorry, buddy."

"Take care of Jill, mate. Drive carefully." He extends also his fist to his partner sitting in the back seat, who leans forward to collide his fist with her own.

"Stop worrying, old man. I promise you that we will go straight home, without any detour."

Chris snorts, amused.

"Old man? I´m only two years older than you!"

"And you better never forget it." She winks at him, and Chris smiles sideways, shaking his head, as he reluctantly gets out of the car.

The two passengers in the car watch as both Redfield gets into the building, and as Jill decides to get out to claim the copilot seat for herself, Leon notices a wink that Claire sends him over her shoulder, making the blond open his eyes wide and then smile, while shaking his head.

"I can't believe it..."

"The what?"

Jill climbs up to the copilot´s side, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Nothing. I guess I got unaccustomed to the Redfields' interactions. I thought that, with time, they would fight less."

She laughs quietly. Being an only child, perhaps their complicated interaction is precisely one of the things she loves most about the two siblings.

"Yes, well. Claire has her brother's temperament, only she applies it against him, while Chris applies it against his subordinates."

"I'm glad then that Claire only has to take care of him."

Jill huffs at his thoughts.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but at Terra-Safe, Claire is the head of the open field investigators."

"Ah, really? And that's a bad thing?"

The woman snorts, amused and at the same time proud of the dominant attitude of her best friend.

"Didn't you know? Our beautiful and beloved Claire Redfield has all her colleagues squirming in terror whenever she passes by, even if they are not her subordinates. And the poor people whom she does have under her orders, well..." Jill looks significantly at the man. "She treats them worse than soldiers."

Leon whistles at the news.

"Wow... I would have never believed such things about Claire. I always see her as a very cute, calm, and even-headed girl. I've only seen her mistreat Chris." However, for a moment it comes to mind the last time they saw each other. "Well... Maybe that's not so true..."

Jill doesn't pay much attention to his last words.

"The point is that, ever since Racoon City, she pushes harder than the rest, and that´s why she demands the same thing from everyone, sometimes including her bosses. She's so determined to save lives that she takes her work way too seriously, even if sometimes it's only a desk job. So, you can imagine how she gets whenever her mission is related to outbreaks."

Leon sighs, as he stirs the wheel into the main avenue.

"Don't we all do it, to some degree? To try to compensate for the lives that we didn´t manage to save, by working our asses off?"

Jill is paralyzed by this assertion and turns her sight to the window.

"Yes... To some degree we all do..."

Her tone sounds so sad, that Leon turns to look at her, and indeed, her countenance has become gloomy. He's not sure what effect his words may have had on the agent, but he imagines that, after what she went through, it surely wouldn't be a pleasant thing to say.

"Jill, I'm sorry... I didn't mean..."

"You are going to pass the exit to my building."

Jill interrupts him as she signals the exit, and Leon immediately turns the steering wheel, barely managing to take it, scolding himself for such insensitive words when he's trying to make her feel good.

He's really losing his touch.

After several minutes of awkward silence, they finally arrive at the apartments. The man notices that the building is small, classic-looking, its facades pleasantly styled, the neighborhood apparently safer than Claire's, and definitely more than Rebecca's: a very charming little street, with old buildings of no more than seven floors, but rather European facades, with perfectly manicured trees located every ten steps, reminiscent of some avenues he encountered when he visited Paris.

"Oh... shoot...!"

The blond is a little startled at the sudden and childish exclamation.

"What's wrong?"

"Someone has taken the place of the entrance. Again."

And, just as she said, there is a car covering the entrance to her building, even blocking the passage of the disabled.

"Is that your spot?"

Jill sighs, somewhat annoyed.

"No, no, our parking lot is one street ahead, since there is no underground parking, but the neighbors always try to leave that spot for free entry, so that those who do not have a car can get off the cabs. Of course, there is always an idiot who does whatever he wants. But you can park right around the corner." The moment when she turns to give him more instructions, the woman allows herself to observe him carefully, and notices for the first time, the pronounced dark circles under the blond´s eyes, and how his eyelids look rather heavy, his countenance that of utter exhaustion. Maybe they all look like that, including her... or maybe not. "Are you okay?"

He smiles at her, trying to reassure her.

"Yes, of course, why would you ask?"

"You look terrible."

For a moment Leon opens his eyes wide, and then lets out a tremendous laugh that takes the woman by surprise. After a few seconds, he finally manages to articulate a word.

"I really would have preferred to die rather than see the day when a beautiful woman would say something like that to me!"

Jill´s cheeks turn deep red.

"I´m... sorry, I meant..."

Laughing some more, Leon passes a palm over his overtired eyes.

"Don't worry, truth is, I haven't slept for two days, doing the research that took me to Alcatraz with you, and on the afternoon of the third day, I arrived at my destination in the bay, and well... The rest you already know."

"That you spent a third sleepless night saving our assess..."

He laughs a little at the words his co-pilot chooses.

"Don't take it the wrong way, but I would never regret saving my friends' buttocks." 'Especially if it's one like yours' Leon barely manages to suppress this last comment, which he knows perfectly well would not be welcomed by a woman as independent as her. Unable to help it, and perhaps because of the conversation they are having, a wide yawn escapes from his mouth. "But don't worry, a hot bath and a good nap will get me in prime shape."

Jill stares at him for a moment and then rests a hand on the arm holding the steering wheel.

"Get to the corner, I think I managed to see there was an empty spot."

The D.S.O. agent does as she asks, and once he pulls and parks, he turns to say goodbye to her but is greeted by a perfect view of Jill's more-than-perfect rear, the moment she gets out of the car without telling him anything. Faced with such an action, the man cannot help feeling a twinge of disappointment stinging his chest, as he sees her getting off without being able to say goodbye. Or at least receive a 'thank you...'

"Emh... Well... It was a pleasure to serve you as a chauffeur..."

"What are you mumbling about?"

The man is startled to find her standing next to his window, her beautiful sky-blue eyes very close to his, as she leans forward with both palms resting over the window of his door, which, unintentionally, gives him a perfect view of her cleavage.

'And well, I guess I'll have to agree with Rebecca...'

"N-nothing... I thought you had already got into your house."

She stares at him in silence for a couple of seconds, as if wanting to read in his eyes the words she did not get to hear, and then, deciding that those were surely not relevant, she straightens up, extending her hand.

"Come with me, Kennedy, let me invite you to my apartment."

Leon opens his eyes wide to the absolutely indecent proposal, fighting against himself from showing off a goofy smile.

"W-what? But... I don't think it's appropriate..."

The woman huffs, rolling her eyes, and before he has time to react, opens the pilot's door, extending her hand again.

"Don't be childish. I'm just inviting you for a cup of coffee. It's not that I'm going to abuse you or anything of the kind, but I can't allow you to leave in that condition. I would never forgive myself if, after what you did for us, something happened to you for not showing a little courtesy on my part."

'If you ask me, you can abuse of me as much as you want.' With a sideways smile, Leon suppresses those thoughts and takes the offered hand.

"Such a fine gentleman..."

Jill huffs again, though she smirks at his words.

"Are you always this talkative?"

He shrugs.

"Some people say I am, but I can't really help it. Although it has been pointed out to me that it´s a quality women actually like."

Jill rolls her eyes again, though this time a soft laugh escapes her.

"Oh dear, believe me, it´s not. But that explains why Claire expresses herself like that about you."

An eyebrow rises.

"About me? What do you mean?"

Jill looks at him from under her long eyelashes, unintentionally making him shudder, and with a wave of her hand omits the answer.

"You should lock your car. It is a relatively safe street, but that does not stop assaults on vehicles." The man immediately does what she asks, and follows her inside. Her apartment is located on the third floor, so, as they cross each floor, Leon looks intently at the different doors on each level, four in each corner, analyzing the details of every one of them, immediately noticing when a lady in her sixties comes out of her apartment, making the gesture as if watering her plant outside, although it's more than evident that she came out just to check on the agent.

"Welcome home, Jill. Everything is fine?"

Jill smiles sideways, as she raises her hand and answers without turning.

"Everything alright, Mrs. Figg, thank you for coming out to meet me."

As expected, the lady looks at the tall man straight in the eye. The latter, uncomfortable, greets her with a wave of his hand.

"Good afternoon."

Before the woman can ask, though, Jill answers her unasked question in a rather monotonous tone, as if it were a common conversation between them.

"He's my lost brother, Mrs. Figg. He only came to take some things for Mom."

"Sure, child, sure."

It's more than evident that Mrs. Figg doesn't buy such a silly story, however, it's also evident that she takes the hint and asks no more, disappearing behind the door of her apartment, though her chocolate eyes linger on his azure ones up until the door is closed.

"Interesting lady."

Jill shakes her head, sighing.

"Mrs. Figg comes with the rent of the apartment. I've known her since I moved here. Quite nosy about a lot of things, but she's a good person. More than once she has helped me, taking me to the doctor when I fell very sick after the tests they practiced on me at the B.S.A.A. after... Well, when I was feeling really sick, and healed me a couple of times too, when I've had minor wounds, especially now that I'm back on the field. She was a nurse in her youth, so we benefit from each other: I am her entertainment, I let her take care of me, and I provide her with something else to do besides snooping into the intimate lives of others.

He laughs a little.

"Let me guess, does she supervise that you don't bring the wrong men into your apartment?"

Jill sends the man a hard look.

"I'm not twenty anymore, Leon. Obviously, that's not an issue between her and me."

Huffing, she turns to look straight ahead, and Leon slaps his forehead with the palm of his hand. Wow, he's doing really badly with this girl! It seems that, after all, he's indeed losing his touch.

Once they enter the apartment, Leon realizes that it´s actually quite spacious, and while Jill does not have many things, looking more like a rather spartan room, the distribution of the furniture, as well as the colors and tones, make it look very comfortable and warm. In fact, the moment the man sits down on the spacious sofa, he exhales with pleasure as he feels his body sink deliciously between the cushions.

"This feels great..."

Jill laughs quietly.

"You must be careful, that sofa is very old, but it seems that it´s exactly what makes it even more pleasant. That's why I took the TV to my room: the moment you sit down, it would seem as if it hugs you so deliciously that almost immediately you fall asleep."

Leon hugs himself while he settles better on the couch.

"Don't tempt me, because right now I don't have much willpower."

Jill laughs again.

"Okay, Agent Kennedy, you can make love and whatever else you want to my couch. But I'm not kidding: if you don´t be careful, you'll fall asleep. Let me better make you some coffee so you can go home to rest. And above all, you can travel more awake, and a little bit more safely."

Leon closes his eyes as he settles better, marveling at the feeling her crystal laughter leaves upon his ears.

"Don't worry, it was just a joke. I have an iron strength. I promise you I won't fall asleep."

Jill, amused to notice his rather slurring voice, shakes her head.

"If you say so..."

With the certainty that this battle is already decided, the woman disappears behind the kitchen door, and while she lets the water in the kettle heat up, she takes off her boots intending to walk deliciously barefoot, and then allows her hands to work automatically, preparing things for coffee, inadvertently allowing her mind to wander over the latest developments.

However, whenever Jill arrives at her home, she always turns on the radio, so that there is always noise in her home, noise that anchors her to the place, the here and now. But with Leon in her living room, she preferred to leave the radio off, hoping to offer him those minutes of so-needed rest, because she is sure that the man, more than a cup of coffee, what he truly needs is to sleep at least a while. He is, after all, a good friend to his best friends, and now, thanks to that night they just spent, a fellow in nightmares.

It's the least she can do for him.

That´s the reason why she did not turn on the radio as she usually does, and now, in the absolute silence that in those moments surrounds her kitchen, without being able to avoid it, undesirable memories again crowd in her mind, memories of last night mixed with those of more than seven years old.

Of walking dead. Of living and threatening tentacles. Of deformed bodies with muscles exposed to the environment, without skin, without anything. Of screams that tear the air. Of blood flooding like rivers of death.

Jill notices that she is hyperventilating as her body bathes in cold sweat, and her hands shake. Barely aware of what she´s doing, she manages to deposit the cup on the table, worried that she might drop it to the floor and break it; feeling about to pass out, she lets herself sink into the nearest chair, forcing herself to inhale and exhale deeply, struggling to get out of the panic attack, while images of zombies, of bodies, and of Wesker's golden eyes, assault her mind.

"Leon ..." Jill barely whispers, her head between her legs to be able to inhale deeply, so as not to faint, wishing that he would listen to her, that he would come to help her... but at the same time wishing that he does not, concern about the shame that she would feel in case he could get to see her like this, shattered and without the possibility of recovering. His eyes on her, filled with pity, would definitely kill her.

After several distressing minutes, the sound of the teapot manages to pierce her troubled mind, and guides her back to the present, helping her to calm down, although more slowly than she would like. Once she feels that she can breathe better, that she has regained control, even if only partially, she gets up from the seat and pours the two cups of coffee, her hands still retaining a fine tremor.

She needs a cup of coffee... although she would have preferred it to be a drink.

Shaking her head, the woman carries the two cups into the living room... only to find that her visit is, as expected, lying comfortably spread over the large sofa, snoring softly. Jill shakes her head, amused.

"I thought I had warned you, Leon."

Resigned, but grateful he feels this confident in her home, to let himself be exposed like that,

she takes the small blanket on the back of the sofa and covers the man with it, then kneels at his feet to, as slowly as possible, remove his boots and proceed to accommodate him as best she can on the old sofa. The man stifles a little at the movement but doesn't wake up at all.

"I'm glad you can rest, Leon. You can stay as much as you like. And you better not think of doing anything weird, because I really need a good bath." The woman scolds him as if he were a child, but only in a whisper because she sincerely wants the exhausted agent to recover his strength with good sleep.

She knows what it feels like to be several days without rest, hunting for a distressing clue.

Without any further ado, Jill enters her room, all too happy to be home. With each step she takes, her hands peel off one of her clothes, throwing them carelessly into the floor or furniture, garment by garment, until she manages to enter the bathroom, already completely naked, and then proceeds to regulate the water in the shower as hot as she can bear it. This time she does need it as hot as she can.

Meanwhile, Leon moves a little, partially waking up as he feels one of his legs almost falling off the sofa, giving him the feeling of emptiness, which manages to tear him a little off of the delicious dream he was in. His senses partially alert, he realizes that, in the distance, he can hear the sound of water running in the shower, and dares to open one eye. At first, he feels lost, but immediately his brain catches up with him and remembers the latest events. The man snorts, a half-smile drawing his face.

"Not bad... it looks like I'm moving forward after all... at least I can presume that I slept in the apartment of the famous Jill Valentine."

The man closes his eyes and settles deeper on the sofa, ready to continue sleeping in such an exquisite place, marveling at the possibility that this might be more comfortable than his own bed, when his trained ear perceives the turn of the doorknob, although much too slowly for his liking.

As if the person who is about to enter the place does not wish for anyone to hear him.

Leon opens his eyes completely but does not move, forcing himself to remain absolutely still, while his ears clearly perceive how the door opens slowly, with absolute parsimony, and then he hears a pair of heavy boots carefully treading on the wooden floor, evidently striving not to make noise, The silence of the movement causing all his senses to jump in alarms throughout his body.

'What the hell...?!'

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A/W: Second chapter! I'm sorry it might feel like a filler, but among other things, I want to explore Jill's mind, answer for my part the thousand questions that all fans have about her, about what happened during the time she was with Wesker, and especially what happened after, during her time in recovery. Two things that the film did not clarify at all.

Of course, I'll also want to explore her relationship with the two Redfields, as well as increasing the temperature between her and Leon, hehehe...

I hope it's not coming out too O.O.C., because the truth is that Jill always fascinated me for being very human, very feminine, and despite that being very brave and determined. Something that the Jill of the film did not take away from her, but, unlike the games, it does not delve into her personality either. I suppose it's understandable, given that screen time had to be divided among everyone. Anyway, I hope you're liking the story, and that you're having as much fun as I am!

Before I forget, Resident Evil and its characters don't belong to me, they're owned by Capcom. If they were mine, there would be many more kisses than zombies! hehehe