Behind Enemy Lines

”Valentine!” 
There was an audible, somewhat annoyed sigh, before the owner of the name allowed her cobalt eyes to leave the window she was staring out of. “What?” Was her clipped response. 
“I said, some of the guys from floor six are grabbing a beer, thought you might want to come?” Though he knew what her answer would be, it didn’t mean Noah stopped trying. He had spent these last six months watching her rapidly turn from someone who lit up any room she entered, to nothing more than a mindless drone, only there to get the job done. Jill Valentine seemed like she had truly lost a part of herself when her partner, in both senses of the word, dumped her like week old pizza. It was so bad, that no one dared even breathe the name Chris Redfield within earshot of her.
“Oh... no.” Jill breathed, her voice softening slightly. “I’ve got a lot of work to catch up on.”
Noah glanced to her desk, noting her computer wasn’t even turned on. “Alright, but... if you change your mind, you know where to find us. We miss you, Valentine.” He offered her a smile then left her office. 
Jill waited until the door swung shut and simply slumped down in her chair, staring at her darkened reflection in the computer screen. What had she missed? What had gone so wrong that Chris had found it so easy to simply walk away from everything they had? After everything they had been through, she had thought they were bulletproof.

Chris turned his attention back to the goal at hand. This infection was Albert Wesker caliber it made him glad the other man was dead. "Did that kid make it back with the gasoline? We need to get this show on the road. I need a few hard ones after a night like this." He grumbled to his teammate.

“A night like this? I would’ve figured this was a walk in the park for the mighty Chris Redfield.” His teammate replied with a snort as they pulled their helmet off, a cascade of blonde hair falling down their back. She instantly turned her nose up, the stench from the swamp almost as bad as the very thing she was giving the stink eye to right then; Chris’ cigarettes. “You could’ve gone yourself, or is that below the hotshot, former BSAA hero?” She added.

The blonde hair made him catch his breath. It was all he could do not to grab the woman and kiss her. Not because of her hair but because of who she reminded him of. He had to clear his throat several times and give a loud snort. The ache made his insides hurt. Especially his chest. "That's a bitch role." He finally grumbled. "I probably should have sent you."

Rebecca Chambers stared hard at the walls of her new lab. She didn't know what to make of this. She was once again being moved around because of the undead. And like before, she'd lost the ones she cared for.

Full crimson lips curled into a smile and the blonde shook her head. “Oh please, is this the part where i’m supposed to get offended because you called me a bitch? The truth doesn’t hurt me, hotshot.” She replied with a roll of her green eyes. At least there would be no mistaking those eyes for a women with a softer heart.

“Wow, is that your excited face?” A familiar voice teased with a playful snort as Claire Redfield entered the lab. “No, seriously, don’t you science nerds usually go ape for a place like this?” She teased as she dropped a bag of donuts on the desk.

Chris shook his head. "It's nice to know that you aren't going to be anything but yourself." He snorted. "Come on, do your job before we both end up naked and running from the firing squad. "

"Claire?!" Rebecca cried, but tackling her best friend to the ground. "I've missed you so much! "

“Yeah right... like I’d let that happen twice.” Chris’ new partner replied with a smirk as she checked her side arm and sloshed on ahead through the mud. 

Claire grinned and returned the tight embrace. “You know... I should be mad at you.” She commented, thoughbhadnt yet let go of Rebecca. “You have some big adventure with Leon AND Chris, and don’t invite me? I expect it from them... but you?” She added, though was smiling somewhat as she said it.

Chris threw back his head and laughed, his first genuine one for his new partner. "Thank god. I thought I was the only ome." He added, jumping into the swap with no more complaint.

Rebecca looked a little sheepish as she pulled her longer locks of hair over her shoulder. "I was planning a wedding I didn't even know about and then the guy flaked on me. Still have the dress from both those times... " She ended with a soft sigh.

“You know, I’m expecting a lot from you, hotshot.” Chris’ partner remarked as they waded deeper into the swamp, and closer to the ship. “The mighty Chris Redfield... working for Umbrella. Tell me that doesn’t just make you all tingly inside?” She added with a quiet chuckle.

“Becks, really...” Claire breathed, turning only to open up the bag of donuts. “Why do you keep torturing yourself?”

"Actually, no. It's not doing anything for me." Chris snorted, making a face at the muck he was wading through. "The guy isn't so great. The people who think so are... You know it's too bad Wesker didn't live long enough... Not that you'd know who he was. " He added, still making faces at the mud. 

"I dunno." Rebecca said, making a show of pushing Claire out of the way to grab the first Chocolate one she saw. "Not all of us are crawling with boyfriends. "

The blonde arched her brow in amusement. “Seriously? You think I’m walking in blind?” She asked. “I’ve been fully briefed on everything about you, Mr. Redfield.” She added, though her nose wrinkled when her boot. Aught on something beneath the murky water.

Claire was only too happy to allow Rebecca the chocolate ones as she reached for a simple glazed pastry. “Oh please, like who?” She asked with a snort, though her thoughts would forever only drift to one man when Rebecca started with the boyfriend talk.

"Including my supernatural good looks?" Chris purred, leaning down once he was close enough to reach for what she was caught on.

"Leon S. Kennedy for starters." Rebecca said, holding the donut over her heart like it was a badge.

“Supernatural like the crypt keeper.” Chris’ partner replied with a snort, yanking her boot free with a grunt, though the effort simply caused her to stumble right into Chris. 

Claire felt her stomach flutter simply at the mention of his name. All this time and she knew that if he walked through that door right now and did nothing but smile at her, she would be putty in his hands. “Seriously, Becky... that ship has sailed.” She finally told the other woman with a heavy sigh, not before tossing a piece of her own donut at her friend.

Chris caught the young woman easily and gave her a brotherly pat. "Watch your step, honey. " He chuckled. "You're all left feet huh? " He teased. 

Though Rebecca was laughing with her friend, her thoughts were still hovering in darkness. Claire knew but not everything.

“Don’t call me that.” The blonde huffed, shoving herself away from Chris and continuing onward. “You know, you’re lucky they let you come on this mission.” She finally commented as the grounded ship came into view. “Seems awful suspicious to me... you suddenly trusting the very company you helped destroy.”

“Wow... aren’t we just a pair of Friday night losers?” Claire finally remarked with a snort as she slumped down into a chair next to the table where the donuts sat. She sighed heavily and smoothed a hand over her face. “Jill still hasn’t got past what he did, you know.” It seemed even Claire was having a hard time so much as speaking her brother’s name.

"Yeah well, when practically everyone you trust becomes the very thing they fight against... I've already been through that song and dance with the higher ups."

"I can imagine." Rebecca said softly, hating that this was yet another dark secret she kept from her friend. "Did I tell you the last time I went out I took some guy home and I don't even remember anything but yelling at him to take his pants and not to slam the door?"

The blonde was side eyeing Chris now as she bolstered her gun to begin climbing through the wreckage. “Even Jill?” She asked, proving she had indeed been briefed well.

Claire arched her brow in amusement and grinned. “Well... at least he didn’t have to do the walk of shame with his ass out.” She snorted before grinning. Claire was blissfully unaware that almost everyone she trusted was lying to her in some way.

"Especially Jill." Chris said darkly, hoping it came across as depressing as he felt. "Wow. All you people did your homework. Feel better?"

Rebecca choked on her donut, coughing hard. She wondered what her mystery lover looked like with his ass hanging out.

The blonde glanced back over her shoulder with s grin when she heard how miserable Chris suddenly sounded. “Yep.” She replied simply before hoisting herself up onto an outcropnof metal and offering a hand down to  Chris. 

Claire calmly sipped in her coffee as Rebecca hacked up the donut she was choking on. “Did I hit a nerve?” She asked sweetly, thinking it payback for Rebecca bringing up Leon’s name.

Chris didn't take her hand. He was still thinking of Jill as he hoisted himself up. He missed her so badly. The worse you about it was, he couldn't tell her.

"No." Rebecca croaked. She made a face at her friend. "Has Leon ever done the walk of shame from your apartment? Chris would eat him alive."

“This is worse than I thought...” Chris’ partner breathed as she glanced around at the mess the shop was in. “No wonder there were no other survivors.” She added, not thinking her partners thoughts were hundreds of miles away. 

Claire laughed and shook her head. “You think I would risk letting Chrjs rip such a perfect head from a body like that?” She asked with a smirk.

"It's just an old girlfriend. It doesn't affect..." Chris stopped talking when he realized what was going on. "Holy hell. This is alot like the Spencer mansion shit. What the hell?" He poked his boot at the goo in front of him and scowled. 

"He's got the body of a boy scout." Rebecca snorted, tossing a chocolate donut piece at her friend. "You're just jealous!"

“Welcome to the other side, Mr. Redfield.” His partner breathed. “You people... you think the job is done once you kill the bad guy. This...” She paused and gestured to the mood still covering most things. “Is what you leave for us little guys to clean up.”

“You’ve never seen it.” Claire pointed out, pulling a face at her friend. “Unless...” Suddenly her face turned serious and she leaned forward. “You’re the reason he dumped me, aren’t you?!” Claire could barely keep her face straight for more than a few seconds before she grinned again. “Alright, then who is it I’m supposed to be jealous of?”

"Screw you." Chris snapped. "You think I've never worked clean up?" He kicked the goo at the little blonde, scowling at her. 

"He dumped you?" Rebecca wasn't smiling at all. In fact she looked heartbroken. "Why didn't you tell me?"

“Too fucking right!” The blonde shot back angrily. “I think you think mighty fucking highly of yourself!” 

Claire leaned back in her seat and shrugged, the usual Redfield way of dealing with the hard questions. “It wouldn’t have changed anything.” She replied softly, clearly not as over it as she worked so hard at having people believe. “He... never mentioned anything about us in New York... did he?” That wasn’t Claire fishing for information, that was her breaking a little more at realising Leon was probably glad to be free of her.

"You don't know me any better than anyone else ever did." Chris hissed, shoving past her and grabbing for his radio. "I'll call for the clean up boxes. You just keep being a bitch. You women are all good at that."

"Leon was drunk for a good portion of the time I saw him." Rebecca confessed. "We didn't really talk. Which was weird. I was prepared for Chris to be the one that was a bit tipsy." Bright blue eyes remained locked on her friend. "I'm usually the one that's got the weight of the world on my shoulders. This isn't like you, Claire."

“Yeah? Well ever wonder who made us that way?” She shot back in reply, still muttering to herself as she headed deeper into the grounded ship.

Claire could feel Rebecca’s gaze on her, but couldn’t meet it with her own just then. “I loved him.” She answered quietly, like it explained everything. “But he loved the job more.” She added, finally able to let her own watery gaze meet Rebecca’s. The other woman was right, this wasn’t like Claire at all.

"Albert Wesker." Chris grunted, unaware the other man could hear him over the radio he held in his hand. "That man made a lot of people this way. All we can do is thank whatever gods there are that he isn't here anymore." 

"I don't think that's true." Rebecca said softly. "And trust me, I'd know better than anyone what someone loving their job more looks like."