New recruits

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“And she’s due for transfer at 05:00? No, there’s no paperwork. Just have her ready for my guy to collect before then.” 

Several days later…

“Good morning, Barry.” Albert Wesker seated himself at his desk, cool blue eyes glancing across at the other man. It was early, and the teams would be arriving shortly. Each one had been hand picked by himself, with assistance from Barry Burton over the course of several months. He had staggered their start dates, wanting to watch how well they accepted the change in set up as each new team member was added. The last addition had been Forest Speyer, who was a former team mate of the next new arrival; Jill Valentine. A former army lieutenant he had secretly plucked from confinement as she awaited the ruling of the court martial she had been subjected to. He had given her a simple option; join the unit he was building with Raccoon city police force, and her record would be destroyed, no one but him would know she had even been convicted. Refuse… and well, they both knew he didn’t need to tell her the punishment for what her superiors considered a crime. Jill’s moral compass was far stronger than he willingness to blindly obey orders. For what he had planned, that was exactly what he needed. 

Jill was pacing outside the ornate gates of the RPD, a building far too beautiful the belong to law enforcement, or so she believed. She was muttering a little pep talk to herself, seemingly trying to convince herself she belonged here, and that second chances like this shouldn’t be wasted. Suddenly she found herself giggling almost helplessly. What would her father say if he knew his only child was about to start a career in law enforcement? Henri Valentine, french born thief and deadbeat dad.

Claire was eyeing Rebecca suspiciously, trying to understand who she was, and why her brother had never mentioned he worked with someone barely older than she was. “Afraid of what?” Claire asked, blowing some of her dark red hair out of her bright blue eyes. “Losing? Nah, those idiots always think I don’t know my way around a bike.” Clearly Claire didn’t think she had really done much wrong, but not because she simply wished to rebel. There was another, deeper reason she did what she did.

"Guys never seem to give us enough credit, do they?" Rebecca asked. "I'm willing to bet you were handing them their asses when our guys showed up." She laughed. "Why were you trying to earn money? Are you trying to get out of town or something?" She stopped as they made it to the processing door and turned toward the woman's restrooms. She had no intentions of taking Claire to booking. She wasn't cruel. Besides, her supposed charges were petty on the part of the officers. It seemed more like they had an axe to grind than anything else.

Chris followed Wesker back to the STARS office, worried what he had told that other girl to do with his sister. He was silent as he returned to his desk, glad that none of the other members said anything when he and the Captain walked in. He was just spoiling for a fight in that moment and he knew Wesker was looking for a reason to get rid of him.

Rebecca wasn’t wrong. Though Chris was well liked for the most part, there were those who wanted to make life difficult for him. Claire was shooting the elder woman a puzzling glances as she was steered into the restroom. “No, I’m not trying to get out of town and live life as a teen runaway, if that’s what you’re thinking. My brother takes good care of me… more than he should sometimes.” Her voice softened slightly and she looked down at her boots. “He deserved better, you know?”

Wesker glanced around the office at all the men doing their very best not to meet his gaze, then his eyes fell on Jill. She was on her feet, clearly about to greet him enthusiastically. “Why aren’t you in uniform, Valentine?” He asked, barely concealing his smirk as the hand she was about to extend to him curled back in on itself. “This isn’t a singles bar.” He added as he looked her attire over. 
Jill was, for once, left somewhat speechless. This hadn’t been the man she had thought would be her captain. It seemed he had taken an instant dislike to her, and as far as she knew, all she had done was turn up on time, while he was late. “I reported for duty, on time, anticipating allocation of a uniform, sir.” There it was. The tone of her underlying insubordination. Even the addition of ‘sir’ at the end had been dripping with sarcasm. Every single person in the room seemed to hold their breath, unable to comprehend Jill’s response.

Rebecca took off Claire's cuffs and gently rubbed at her wrists. "I've heard you two have had it pretty rough. I wouldn't really know what deserving it better would be." She said gently. "I'll bet if he wanted things differently he would tell you." She smiled, slipping the cuffs into her pocket. "He hasn't done that yet and meant it. So..." She tossed the file into the trash and held out her hand. "My name is Rebecca Chambers. Nice to meet you. I'm looking for a friend. Are you interested?" 

Beside Jill, Chris grinned. He couldn't help himself. Jill's tone was the same as the one he was using in his head. He'd already deemed the tall svelte woman to be amazing. If she stood up to Wesker like he did then she was nothing short of perfect.

There was a darkness in Claire’s sapphire eyes as she pondered what Rebecca had said about Chris not wanting anything different. Claire wasn’t a naive seventeen year old, she knew the kind of life a twenty five year old man craved, and that’s all she wanted her big brother to have. Claire quickly pushed the troubling thoughts aside and didn’t even try to hide her bright smile as she took Rebecca’s hand. “So… you’re the fresh meat, huh? I thought that poor sap was called something Valentine.” she remarked as she shook Rebecca’s hand firmly. 

The silence dragged on, and Wesker was very much aware of the grin Chris now wore. Finally he simply exhaled and turned away. “Barry. Take Miss punctuality down to the equipment storage and get her geared up.” Once he had said that, he simply moved into his office and shut the door.

Friday morning Chris was once again late. It was raining hard, but that had nothing to do with it. He'd met up with one of the ladies from the front office and they'd decided to go ahead and start the weekend early. He'd woke up to a stern shouting from his sister, just as the young woman jumped out the window and ran with her underwear to her car. 
Chris was hoping not to be noticed as he slid past Barry and flopped into his seat, hearing that Wesker was already giving out orders. This wasn't going to end well for him. He could already feel the other man's scornful gaze on him through his dark glasses. 
He glanced over at Jill and gave her a wink. He didn't know how she did it. Even in the morning she managed to look so beautiful. His mind wandered and he found himself thinking of what she might look like in the middle of the night...with nothing on at all...

Rebecca was writing notes as Wesker talked, sitting cross legged on the table nearest to him. She was exhausted. The two of them had stayed up through the night moving apartments. It seemed hers had developed a problem with mold and the manager had called her the same day pleading with her to understand and moving her to a larger unit despite her protests. What little furniture that she had of her own had been moved and they'd spent the rest of the night planning on what to buy the next day. 
She'd slept on the floor when he left, the things he'd said about watching out for certain people still fresh in her mind.

Jill had spent the weekend hiking in the Arklay mountains before ending Sunday night in one of the local bars. She had gone home with one of the bartenders that night, having to do the walk of shame herself once she had scratched her itch. She had drank enough that as of right then, she hadn’t even realised she had called out ‘Red’ while she had been with her overnight fling. 
Jill had zoned out somewhat as Wesker spoke, tracing the end of her pen along her lower lip as he went on about some Umbrella big wigs taking a tour of the station. It was only as she suddenly felt the heat of Chris’ gaze on her that she snapped back to reality, raising both her brows at him in the silent question of ‘what?’

Rebecca would have no clue that the apartment manager had been terrified into offering her a different apartment. Wesker hadn’t like the idea that Irons had chosen that unit. He worried what the pervert had planned. This way, the chief no longer even knew which apartment Rebecca was in.
As he updated both teams on the mornings memos Wesker had to remind himself not to let his gaze linger on the young recruit too long, she was certainly a distraction, sitting there looking so engrossed in what he was saying.

Chris gave Jill a devil may care grin and lifted up a piece of paper, showing her a picture of Wesker with devil horns and a goofy mustache. Beside her Joseph laughed softly, though he was making a show of paying attention. 
Barry elbowed Chris and yanked the paper from his hand, shaking his head with a frown. It was good that Wesker was currently stuck on one of the million questions that Rebecca had or he had a feeling their Captain would have zeroed in on them. 

Rebecca closed her eyes as Wesker leaned over her to look at a map she'd found. He smelled like bayberry. That was the scent she'd been trying to pinpoint the night before. It was the perfect culmination of winter with that added in. But you only got the last part when you got close. "Is this map of the city correct?" She breathed. "If it is, it means there's several underground areas that we might need to alert someone to..."

Jill damn near choked on her coffee when she saw the picture Chris had drawn. She was suddenly spluttering, which drew Wesker’s attention from Rebecca, though Barry had already hidden the evidence.
“Oh my apologies, Vanetine, am I disrupting your morning coffee break with my assumption you are here to work?” He asked coolly, and though he still leaned over Rebecca and the map somewhat, he was watching Jill through his sunglasses. “Perhaps your time would be better spent on… other, more fitting tasks?” He suddenly stood back up to his full height and dropped a stack of papers in her lap; it was a several page list of all the restrictions that were to be in place during the Umbrella visit.  “I want 30 copies of each document making. They will need binding and then you will deliver them personally to Chief Irons for his officers. No fucks ups. Are we clear?”
Jill barely stopped herself from tossing her coffee at Wesker, as it was, she did narrow her eyes slightly. “Yes, sir. Always happy to serve.” She responded thinly as she dropped her disposable cup in the trash beside her and got to her feet.

"I'll help her." Rebecca said cheerfully, missing the entire exchange. She slid off the table with a wide smile. She'd been hoping for a segue into meeting Jill. This was perfect. She couldn't think of a more perfect way than the two of them working together while the rest of the crew guarded the Umbrella CEOs. 
Across the room Chris was making a face when Wesker wasn't looking. He couldn't help but wonder why he seemed to already have it in for Jill.

Jill dared a glance in Chris’ direction, surprised to find herself disappointed at not getting to work with him. She was quick to mentally chastise herself however, again reminded of her father’s words.
They had been down in the records room using the copy machine for a little while now, Rebecca seemed nice enough, if a little naive. Jill smiled slightly, wondering if she had ever been that wide eyed and innocent. Despite this, it wasn’t lost on Jill that Rebecca had more than won the attention of their captain. “So, Rebecca… what’s your secret? How do you avoid the wrath of Wesker?” She mused, slamming her hand down onto the stapler she was using, imagining it was the man in question’s face.

"Huh?" Rebecca jumped as Jill slammed down the stapler. She'd been lost in her thoughts of the Captain. He'd made her promise that their meetings after work would stay between them. He didn't want any of the others thinking he was playing favorites. 
She was drawn to the gentle laugh he'd given her when she'd told him about her favorite pastime. He'd been surprised to find out she loved to surf. He'd told her she seemed far too mousy for that. She'd promised him that she'd show him one day. 
"It's done." She said, a little too loudly. The way Jill was looking at her she knew she needed to make up something and quick. "Do you...uhm...know Richard?" She asked, blushing deeply. "The Captain said he'd introduce me." 

Chris hated the way the group of old men were all but creeping through the station as if they'd never seen it before. The oldest of them, a man named Ozwell something kept looking between him and the Captain and it made his skin crawl. It seemed like he was assessing them for something. 
Every his wheelchair turned Chris made every face he could think of. 
It caught up with him when they reached they reached the evidence lockers and the older man saw his reflection. "Mister Wesker." His voice came in a hissing rasp. "Do you not teach your monkeys to behave any better than that?" He was staring at Chris without blinking, his gray eyes seeming to be filmed over. "Which of you should be punished for such foolish behavior? Hmm?"

Jill was smirking as she watched Rebecca, not yet saying a word. She could see the blush in the younger woman’s cheeks and hear the slight change in pitch to her voice. Jill had always been good at reading people, something that had come in useful in her father’s line of work. “Richard? That’s your type?” She finally asked, her brow arching slightly, though she was still watching Rebecca, silently assessing her reaction. “He seems… quiet, if you like that in a guy.”

As always, Wesker’s eyes were hidden behind his dark glasses, but still the was little doubt to who was going to be punished once the visit was over. “Forgive his behaviour, Doctor Spencer.” He replied, something in him wanting Chris to at least have a vague memory of the name in the months to come. “He is still fresh meat, not yet even tested in combat.” He added, also watching Chris’ reflection now. He was silently plotting ways he was going to push this young man to his limits. Not just him, all of them. He wanted them to know failure at every turn before it crafted them into the team he wished to take into the line of fire.

Oh she liked quiet. She liked it when they spoke in rumbling purrs and little more. Rebecca could feel her neck catching onto the heat that her cheeks already had. She wanted to crawl beneath the tables. She hadn't even spoken to Richard. This wasn't going to get her very far. 
"I was thinking of having a party at our apartments. Maybe it would help us all get better acquainted. What do you think?" She asked, quickly turning her back and stacking the papers into neat piles. 

The old man was frowning. "I want to read reports. Where are they?" His hoarse voice came out in an ugly bark. He waved a hand at the man who was pushing him and the group filed out, leaving Chris to sigh sheepishly at Wesker.

Turning her back meant Rebecca missed her sudden grin Jill wore at the mention of the party. “Sure, sounds like a great idea.” She declared. “I’ll make sure there’s enough alone time for Richard to drink tequila from your belly button.” She teased, nudging Rebecca playfully as she gathered up her own stack of papers. 

Wesker remained there glaring at Chris, his arms folded across his chest. “You just couldn’t behave for one afternoon, could you?” He remarked icily. “Despite what your facial expression tells me, do you have any idea who that man is?”

"Should I?" Chris asked, rolling his eyes. "Come on, Wesker. The dude looks like he's a breath away from being dead. Is there really a point in anyone knowing him at all?" He realized he was acting just like his little sister and the feeling itself frustrated him. "Look. I'm sorry. I'm having trouble with Claire. And yeah. It doesn't give me the right...I'll apologize..." He sighed. 

Out in the hallway, the old man was already chuckling at something Rebecca was saying to him. The young woman certainly knew how to turn on the charm. On could only hope that Jill could do the same and he might very well forget Chris' slight.

Wesker simply shook his head this time. “That excuse is already wearing thin. I have seen your file, Claire is not a child, she is old enough to be accountable for her own actions.” He warned.

Unfortunately, it seemed Jill was in a similar position to Chris when it came to Ozwell Spencer. She had caught the leering way he had looked Rebecca over when they approached, and it had caused more than a little tension that he would no doubt raise with Wesker personally. “Rebecca, you really need to get those documents to the chief.” Jill remarked, her tone rather cool, when she felt Spencer had touched the younger woman far too many times for it to be mere friendliness.

Chris sighed heavily. He had made a promise to himself that he would take care of Claire. He'd make sure she'd never want for anything. He'd had fight for every single scrap that they'd had in the foster homes. He couldn't count the amount of times he'd gone to bed hungry or cold because he'd made sure his sister had everything. As they walked into the hall he stared at the wall, remembering the night he'd finally managed to get them out of the hell altogether and somehow managed to get a job. 
"You'd make a lovely test subject..." Doctor Spencer purred in his raspy tone, his bony fingers drifting over Rebecca's wrist. 
The young woman simply smiled like a doting granddaughter and seemed to ignore the remark. "Our Captain has done an excellent job on these reports." She told him. "I noted several added nearby labs and updated their equipment lists. However, I believe that you need to have a better trained staff if you are..." Rebecca droned on about lab features and it was more than a little clear she knew what she was talking about. Spencer glanced at Wesker over the girl's head. He was all but foaming at the mouth. He wanted her with Umbrella and it couldn't be more obvious.

When her attempt to rescue Rebecca went unheeded, Jill took that as a sign the young woman was more than happy right there with the old man and sighed heavily. “Guess I’ll do that then, shall I?” She snorted, grabbing the remaining files from Rebecca before making her way in the opposite direction, missing the fact that Wesker and Chris had joined them in the hallway. Like with Irons, something about Orwell Spencer just didn’t sit right with Jill. Why was the Umbrella CEO so concerned with safety protocol at the precinct anyway?
Wesker didn’t stop Jill from leaving, though he did nod his head very slightly at Spencer, acknowledging that he too saw the potential.

Ozwell dug his nail into the palm of Rebecca's hand while she was distracted, trying to call Jill back. It was his way of marking her. He gave a little snarl when she yanked her hand away from him and jammed it in her pocket. He'd drawn blood. That was good. 
"Captain..." She skidded to a halt when she saw Wesker, not sure if she was supposed to salute him or not. Instead she stood where she was and chewed on her lower lip while Chris followed Jill. 

"You okay?" Chris asked, more than a little glad to be away from the old man. "Was that guy...weird or what?"

“At ease, rookie.” Wesker told Rebecca calmly. “You will be to assisting me in getting Doctor Spencer back to his transport.” He was well aware how off putting the old man could be, but he also knew Spencer would want Rebecca with them as much as possible.

Jill jumped slightly, having been so lost in thought she hadn’t even heard Chris approach her. Though he hadn’t had enough time to really get to know her yet, it would become known that Jill’s anxious tick was picking at the skin on her lower lip. Something she was doing then. Spencer had certainly left her with a troubling feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Oh, weird doesn’t even cover it. You think I was wrong to leave Rebecca alone with the crypt keeper and captain passive aggressive?”

Immediately Rebecca began chewing on her lower lip in worry. She certainly didn't want to argue with the Captain but the old man made her skin crawl. She nodded, glancing back at Doctor Spencer who seemed to be sucking on his thumb nail for some reason. Not far down the hall, the Chief was waddling toward them, shouting for Chris and Jill to join him and get out of the dark corners. 

Chris laughed, cringing when he heard Chief Irons shouting their names. "Not at all. I just think we didn't get far enough." He snorted. "What are you doing tonight? Want to go out for a drink with me?" He asked, surprised at himself for being so bold with her.

Wesker had been careful to make it an order, and not a request. He didn’t want his fascination with Rebecca getting in the way of their work relationship. He smiled slightly, imagining a slight little thing such as her trying to survive old man Marcus’ training facility. “Very good. I shall soon be looking for a liaison for our benefactors at Umbrella, if today goes well, that could be you.”

Jill didn’t think his request bold, only because she had likely misinterpreted it as simply colleagues enjoying downtime after work, which would make her response all the more comical. “Oh god yes!” She gushed, needing several strong drinks after the day she had already had. “Wesker has been riding my ass harder than usual.” she added, reaching up to tuck some of her dark hair behind her ear.

Rebecca dived into her liaison job in the months that followed. She kept herself busy and was everything Spencer had hoped for. The problem was, she was beginning to get suspicious.
However, that evening she was not worried about Umbrella. That night she was meeting Wesker in a nearby town. He had asked her if she would be his partner at an Umbrella function. 
She had dressed in her best little black dress and met him in the parking lot of the Rpd. When she stepped out she offered him a bright smile. "Well, Captain? What do you think?"

Chris was sure he was about fight someone. There was a man who kept trying to put his hands on Jill. He knew she could handle herself but he'd had a terrible day at work and he was drunk. Someone was getting hurt.
The last few months had been nothing but he'll for him and Jill. Wesker was always on their case. They could breathe or cough and he was ordering them to do something else. 
Lucky for Chris though it had brought him closer to Jill. Unfortunately not as close as taking her home but close enough...
Right now the man who was trying to steal his spot was going to learn a lesson. The first and second punch Chris threw were proof of that.

Wesker took a moment to make it seem like he was genuinely appraising Rebecca, holding his chin in his fingers as his cool blue gaze swept over her before finally gesturing she spin around. It was all a tease of course, he was very pleased with everything he saw. “I may be in trouble, officer Chambers.” He finally mused. “If the Umbrella CEO sees you in this, he will sweep you away.” He chuckled. The months working with Rebecca had been a surprising delight for Wesker too. He had enjoyed working so closely with Rebecca, whilst also not needing to hide as much of Umbrella’s comings and goings as he did around the rest of the team. To her it was all part of her new role. 

The months had been a torturous mixture of giddy bliss and crushing despair for Jill. Despite telling herself nothing could happen with anyone she worked so closely with, she had found herself looking for any and all excuse to spend time alone with Chris, which was sometimes aided by their Captain’s apparent hatred of her. He would bark orders at Jill in one breath, then assign Chris to aid her in the next. Their nights were often spent in their favourite bar, getting drunk and plotting ways they would maim their commander if given the chance. It bonded the two of them in a way the rest of the team simply weren’t. It was almost as though Wesker had planned it from the start. 
“Red!” Jill barked her pet name for him, big blue eyes wide when she had been unable to do anything prevent the quick one two attack Chris had launched on the man who had been attempting to pick her up. “Holy shit… That’s a lot of blood…” She was barely containing her sudden desire to both grin like a fool and jump into Chris’ arms right there in the bar. No one had ever defended her the way he just had. Time had seemed to stand still and she was oblivious to the fact the injured man wasn’t most certainly not unconscious, and clearly wanting some revenge.

Rebecca laughed, holding out her and to him. "I feel so...Not Becky." His fingers were warm as they folded over hers. For once he wasn't wearing his gloves and she could feel his callused thumb as he rubbed it over the back over hand. "The woman at the store said I looked at least five years older..." She was rambling. She couldn't help herself. Now that she was close to him she could smell the bayberry and it was intoxicating.

Chris turned to Jill with a stupid grin on his face and nodded his head. "That's what the bastard gets. Never let them touch you like that. You deserve better." He said loudly. "You're Jill fucking Valentine. The most amazing woman with a gun and..." He paused looking like he was about to confess something else when the injured man's friends stepped in and he disappeared underneath a volley of fists.

Wesker seemed transfixed by the tiny hand in his own as he rubbed his thumb across the back of it. Her skin was so soft and smooth in comparison to his own, and he almost laughed at how much blood had figuratively ran through these fingers. He finally lifted his gaze to meet her’s and leaned in dangerously close. “Rebecca… Never be anything but what you are.” He breathed against her ear, smiling a little when he caught the scent of her violet scented shampoo.

Though Chris had declared his admiration of her skill with a gun, Jill was actually the better fighter than he was. Sure, Chris had his brute strength, but she had the speed. Jill didn’t hesitate to jump into the midst of everything, quickly gaining the upper hand with at least one attacker, now having him in a rather debilitating choke hold. “Come on now, boys, are you really going to make me kick all your asses?” She purred, kicking one of them back as he rushed her to try and free his friend.

Rebecca turned her head a moment too soon, her lips brushing Wesker's. She found herself closing her eyes when neither of them pulled away but deepened the kiss. 
Now his hand was slinding to the small of her back. Her front pressed against him. He was so warm on such a chilly evening. Her own hand slid around his waist as she allowed him to bring her in. She found herself hoping they never made it to the party.

Across town Chris was wondering if he'd ever truly lived before. Jill was everything to him. She was perfection. She understood him in a way no one else ever had. Or ever could. He wasn't sure he could ever let her her go. 
"Hey Valentine!" Chris shouted over anither man's head. "Be my girlfriend." It wasn't a request. 
They were suddenly alone in the middle of the crowd and he was facing her. He didn't care that he was bloody and gasping for breath. He grabbed her and kissed her wildly. He wanted her and that was all there was to it.

Wesker was admittedly surprised when Rebecca didn’t pull away. He had thought her morality would get the better of her, but was pleased it hadn’t. His hands had slid all the way down to her tiny waist and it was all he could do not to simply squeeze her pert behind tightly and ravish her right there in the street. Instead he turned her slightly, reaching behind her with one hand and opening the door to his sleek black car. He was more than tempted to blow off the event and taste this sweet young thing right there on the back seat. 

Jill had already been breathing heavily from the exertion the fight had caused, but Chris’ sudden declaration and the delicious joy of finally tasting the lips she had thought about for months only made it so much heavier. His rough hands had taken hold her of face when he kissed her, and Jill’s fingers curled tightly around his wrists. Not because she wished to pry him away, she simply never wanted him to let her go.

Rebecca fell into the seat, her eyes wide with surprise. It was then that her morality seemed to kick in and sheswung both legs into the car. "I'm sorry." She whispered, as she fought to smooth down her extremely short dress. 
How could she go back from this? She'd just thrown herself at the Captain like a whore. What would her mother have said?

"Hey!" Chris barely heard the sound of the bouncer as the man slapped him on the back of the head. His nose slammed hard into Jill's. "You two get the fuck out of this bar and don't come back!" 
"Screw you man! They started it!" Chris roared, furious that this man had ruined his first kiss with her. He took a swing at him and another bar fight began. But this was not one that he was going to win. 
Before he realized it, both he and Jill were being marched out in handcuffs. Although the situation looked bleak, he couldn't help but laugh.