She had enough of this. Ever since Jill Valentine returned to duty after several months of rehabilitation and tests, she had enough of something: Chris Redfield avoiding her.

She wanted Chris to make the first move to talk to her but to no avail. It seemed as though he didn't even acknowledge her presence. Jill didn't recall a time in which she did something wrong to Chris. Why was Chris acting like this? Why did Chris Redfield, her long-time partner, avoid her like she was a ghost?

Chris wanted to have her back for so long, Jill knew, and he had her back. But why? Why was he treating her like this?

She wanted answers and she wanted them now. She had the perfect idea to corner Chris.

Chris was in his apartment alone, sleeping soundly. He was awoken by his pager that went off. He pulled himself awake to answer the pager. "Hello?" He said groggily.

Barry answered. "Hello, Captain Chris. Did I interrupt your beauty sleep?" He said rather jestingly.

Chris could only guess it was him, with that tone. "Not really." He said, trying to sound like he wasn't affected. "What's up?"

"Someone needs your help. They need you over in the B.S.A.A office pronto." Barry said rather urgently.

Chris felt curious about this sudden call. "Why me? I'm supposed to be off-duty today."

Barry sighed over the other line. "It is very urgent. That's all I can say. Get over here, ASAP." With that being said, Barry hung up on the phone.

Chris stared at his pager for a while after the call ended.

Meanwhile, Barry had just gotten off the pager while someone had the gun pointed to his head. He turned to the woman holding her hostage. "He's on his way, Jill."

Jill nodded. "Good. I want answers and I want them now."

Barry nervously nodded while tipping his cap to her. "You'll get them soon enough." Barry gulped. "Am...I free to go?"

Jill lowered the gun from his head. "Yeah, you are. This is between him and me. If I find out about you telling anyone about this, I'll have you torn a new one." Jill emphasized her anger.

"Duly noted..." Barry acknowledged as he slowly exited the room they were in. "No matter how scary she can be...there's just something about a lover's quarrel that just cracks me up...even if they say they're not."

One hour later...

Chris finally arrived in the B.S.A.A's meeting room. He noticed the room was empty. In fact, since he arrived on the higher floors, he noticed anyone was barely in sight. They couldn't be in a meeting, seeing as though this was the main conference room. As a precaution, he took out his hand pistol just to protect himself.

"...Hey...I'm here..." Chris murmured slowly as he carefully slides himself into the room step by step while holding his gun.

The sound of the door closing could be heard behind Chris. He turned around to see an angry brunette-haired woman with her arms crossed. Chris's face nearly went white as he recognized her almost immediately. It was Jill Valentine, the woman he had been avoiding for her own good. He was too stunned to move or say anything.

"Put the gun away, Chris." Jill commanded. Chris obeyed without thinking. Jill commenced talking as she shook her head toward him. "Chris Redfield. We need to talk. Just you and I. Ever since I returned to duty, I noticed that you were making an active effort to get away from me. As your partner and friend, I demand to know why."

Chris glanced at the floor, desperate to break eye-contact with her glare. Jill was certainly frightening with her current posture. "...I don't remember being your partner when you came back. I'm...I'm just busy."

Jill scoffed at Chris. "Redfield, I know you. I know when you're acting abnormal. Could you BE any more obvious with your act? I'll leave you alone if you just tell me what's up. After that, you can have all the space you want from me." Her chest weighted heavily as she said those words from Chris. To not be able to see him again was something she thought she couldn't handle.

Chris sighed in defeat, knowing the jig was up. He was forced to tell her the truth. "Jill...I don't hate you...and you didn't do anything, if that's what you were thinking. I did this to myself."

Jill's frustration at the situation started to mix with her confusion. "Yourself? What do you mean yourself? Tell me!"

Chris still made a conscious effort to avoid eye-contact with her. "...Jill..." Chris exhaled all the air he could before reciting his confession. "...I am directly responsible for all the hell you've been through. Being Wesker's puppet, not hesitating to give your life for me, and going through so many nightmares; it was all because of my ineptitude at that time."

Jill's frustration started to become replaced with more confusion.

Chris continued to talk. "...Jill...you deserve a better partner than me. Anybody...is better than me. If something like that ever happened to you again because of me, I don't think I'll be able to handle it. I'm not taking another chance of putting you in danger because of what I have to do."

Jill clenched her teeth and fists as she looked down on the floor. Her confusion soon turned into pure anger at Chris.

Chris looked away fully from Jill's being. "...So now I'm making every effort I can to make you forget about me. Just...you don't need me in your life. I can't bear to see you like that under someone like Wesker's control again, or fighting you. Jill Valentine...I speak for your greater good when I say...forget Chris Redfield even existed."

Chris awaited Jill's next words to come out of her mouth but instead he was greeted with a gargantuan slap on his right cheek that was turned away from Jill that caused his head to reflex itself to look ahead, directly at Jill, who was very close to him now.

Chris looked for a moment at Jill to see that her face was so red. And she had...tears in her eyes. "...Jill?" He slowly called out to her softly.

Jill points in his face, nearly touching his nose. "I didn't ask to be treated like some sort of dumbass princess, Redfield!" Jill felt herself getting emotional. "You think I can just forget about you like that? How could I ignore you?! You're one of the only men I've ever respected in this business! And now you're telling me that you're betraying me!"

Chris tried to reason with Jill calmly but she interrupted him. "Shut up and listen to me, Redfield. I'm not some little princess that needs rescuing, you know. I wasn't afraid of dying to protect you. Keeping themselves from their partners isn't what they do! Don't tell me you're the type that so easily becomes selfish and inconsiderate of the feelings to those he loves!"

Chris put his hands up in a "calm down" gesture. "Listen, Jill...please. I understand you're angry...but...I am just protecting you..."

Jill slapped Chris's right cheek again. Chris didn't resist. "Protecting me!? You think forcing me to forget you is considered protection?! Using what had happen three years ago when I gave my life for you as your reason is no excuse!" Hot tears streamed down Jill's face. "Chris, what about my feelings? Have you ever considered what I would feel if I'm the cause of what you're putting yourself through? Don't you like me?"

Chris was taken aback by Jill's sudden barrage of questions. He had absolutely no idea what to say to answer Jill.

Jill continued when she found out Chris couldn't answer. Tears continued to trail her cheeks. "C-Chris...if you...if you end up...being gone from my life...for good...I don't think I could go on."

Chris didn't think about it, anymore. He hated to see the woman he loved deep inside his heart break down like this because of what he did. With his extremely muscular arms, he gently wrapped Jill in an embrace that almost resembled a safeguard that protected her from everything. "...I'm sorry, Jill. I'm sorry for everything. I thought I was doing what was right but...you reminded me of what I was really doing. And it wasn't right of me to do that to you. And for that, I am sorry."

Jill felt warmth surrounded her. It felt so soothing. She slowly cuddled on Chris's body, almost trembling into him. "Chris...do you not like being with me anymore?"

Chris shook his head quickly as he held Jill in his arms. "No, Jill. That's not it. I was thinking you didn't like being with me anymore."

"Why would I not like that? I-" Jill hesitated for a moment.

"Shh..." Chris sounded quietly in Jill's ear. "If it's really what you want, I'll be your partner again...just like old times."

Jill looks up at Chris's face like a begging child. "Chris, never leave me again. Stay with me, always. Don't be anyone else's partner but mine."

Chris softly smiled and gracefully stroked Jill's forehead. "...Have my back just like old times, then."

The two gazed longingly at each other. Jill slowly started to learn her head in toward Chris. Chris at that point, knew what she wanted. He didn't complain about it because it's something he wanted two.

Their lips softly made contact. They remained touching for a few seconds before they parted.

Jill softly spoke as she softly pulled away from Chris. "Been a long time, Chris Redfield..."

Chris gasped. "Oh, Jill. I got you something." Chris quickly pulled something from out of his wallet and handed it to Jill."

When Jill looked at it, her jaw nearly dropped. "Chris! You kept that all this time?"

Chris nodded. "I was just hoping that this picture would lead me to the day to see you again. I never thought it would but it did."

Jill puts a hand on her forehead as she shook her head and sighed. "Damn, I was ugly with that beanie on."

Chris chuckled. "Nonsense. No matter how old you are and what you wear, you'll always be Jill Valentine, the woman I lost my heart to."

Jill's eyes widened as she heard Chris's indirect confession to him. But she sighed while shaking her head, once more. "...You sure have a way with words, Chris Redfield." Jill looked toward the closed door. "...We should get going."

"When do you get off?" Chris asked Jill.

"Around nine. Why?" Jill asked curiously.

Chris gave a smirk. "I don't suppose you'd mind moving in with me so we can keep a close eye on each other." He was almost certain that she wouldn't refuse.

Jill quickly stuck a tongue out at him then retracted it. "Not so fast, Chris Redfield. I'm going to need some help packing it in."

Chris gave a slight grin at Jill, happy this time. "That's what you keep me around for as your partner, right?"

Jill smiled. "Of course."