Chapter Text
“Whoa, pulling overtime alone?”
Jill shakes from her desk, Frost pulling her from the reports scattered around her. It looks like he just stepped in to grab his jacket from the back of his chair, he must’ve forgotten it.
The office was empty and dim, the only light coming from Jill’s lamp and computer screen.
She involuntarily looked over to her partner’s desk. Chris Redfield usually sat there with his messy work process and distracting music. It’s more distracting now that it’s not there at all. Jill sighed and stretched her arms and neck, she was due one since about five different joints popped.
“Yeah, the devil never sleeps.”
Frost let out a breath and shook his head. “You ought to get some rest. You know you do all this work when things are quiet and then when shit hits the fan you’re too gassed to give it your all.”
Jill scoffed before she could stop herself. His heart was in the right place, but these murder cases hanging in limbo keep her up reguardless.
Frost shrugged and nodded back to Redfield’s desk, “maybe you are better off working without Chris hanging over your shoulder.”
Jill chuckled and leaned back in her chair thinking about it, she did like when he stood over her, one arm propped on her desk as he leaned down to check what she’d been doing to compare notes. Chris wasn’t a sit back and watch kind of guy, he had been very proactive in these cases that were given up on. That’s why he was normally with her, keeping late hours at the office to catch any sort of lead no matter how thin they were.
Frost rubbed his jaw, “huh, had that date tonight didn’t he? The barista girl from Sigourny’s, Haley right?”
“Yeah.” And maybe Jill’s voice was a little too low when she answered.
Chris was free to date and he did sometimes. It wasn’t often, but on the odd weekend he was noticeably absent from their late night investigations. Haley was a sweet little waitress that had served them coffee when they chose to have a change of scenery or even just handing over the morning coffee pick up for the office.
Chris must go there often because he got her number when Jill wasn’t around.
She remembers Haley’s sweet smile and soft voice. She seemed very kind and always had a smitten smile when she would walk up and take Chris’ order.
It was okay that Chris was dating. He’s a single man and it wasn’t like he was out every weekend, but thinking about him with Haley at this late hour lulled Jill into a somber mood.
She almost asked Frost if he thought the date was still going on. Jill had no idea if Chris slept with all of his dates, her stomach twisted into knots realizing she could actually picture him sleeping with Haley.
There wasn’t a thing wrong with her, she was beautiful and carried herself gracefully. Jill could see her as a nice wife and an even better mother.
Chris would be a great father. He’s firm but has a goofy side and the guy just cares about people. He’s a protector.
Yeah, Jill could see him and Haley really hitting it off. She could be the girl that sticks around and eventually she’ll have a ring on her finger and Chris will have to leave work to take her to the hospital to deliver their baby and he’ll be watching the clock tick for the moment his shift ends to return to his home with his loving wife and smart kids just like Barry does.
Jill sat with a heavy feeling in her stomach after Frost left with a quip about how she shouldn’t work herself to death.
Jill looked at the frame of her desk, her sister’s dog. She rescued him from some meth head’s hideout from a drug bust, but she wasn’t home enough to take care of him. Thankfully her sister had a welcoming heart and took him in. Jill gets to see him and play with him every now and then, but he doesn’t belong to her. She can’t provide for him.
Jill chews on the eraser of her pencil, a nasty habit. Suddenly her job felt less than fulfilling and her life empty and void of meaning.
She wished she wasn’t alone so these thoughts wouldn’t even have come to her.
As if there was someone watching her inner turmoil, the STARS office door quietly clicked open.
Chris slides in and he’s wearing his leather jacket and a smile eases on his face when he sees her. “Thought you would’ve left by now.” His voice is quiet and low. Calming.
Jill looks at the clock, it’s nearing 1 AM and her mouth gapes a little. Frost came by for his jacket at 10. She’d been here too long and made no progress, only sitting on her ass feeling sorry for herself.
“Fuck,” she mumbles and rubs her stale eyes. She looks up to Chris, there’s a faint hint of cigarette smoke on him. “What are you doing here?”
“Came to grab some papers.” He’s whispering and his eyes are big and brown and soft. Not focused and sharp like during office hours.
He’s being so gentle it’s disarming. Jill flinches because her deceitful mind goes straight to ‘Chris is in such a mood because he had sex and is basking in postcoital endorphins’.
Jill shakes her head and he’s closer now, concern etched in his face as he murmurs, “You need a lift home?”
Jill bites her lip and ignores her better judgment. “How was your date?”
A bit of confusion twists his features at the change of subject and Jill couldn’t care less about being subtle. She wants to know. “Good.” He says and takes his seat beside her. He leans back so he’s comfortable and turns in his chair so he can see her. “Made any headway over here?”
The scattered files mock Jill as she stares at them. “No.” She doesn’t hide the bitterness in her voice. Her foul mood hangs heavy in the quiet office. The only sound is the low hum of her computer.
“I’m not a fan of it either, but it’s time to walk away from it for tonight.”
“I know.” Jill slams her pencil down and is a little too forceful when picking up the files and reports on her desk. Some papers crinkle from the rough handling. She can feel Chris’ staring at her and it just makes her angrier. “Any reason why you’re hanging around? Grab what you need and go, I’ll be fine.”
Chris’ chair squeaks as he sits up and reaches for a Manila envelope in a file organizer on his desk. “Sick of me already?”
“I’m sick of everything, don’t take it personal.”
Chris isn’t satisfied with that remark, she can feel him lean close and his cavalier attitude dissolves into something serious and it makes Jill’s chest tighten. “Everything alright?”
She hates that the person she would talk to about anything is Chris, because what’s she supposed to do when it’s about him?
There’s a tingle in her nose and it feels like there’s something in her throat. Jill’s about to cry and she stuffs it down. Forces the fuzzy feeling to go away before she speaks a word so her voice doesn’t crack. “It’s this fucking Arklay case.”
Chris nods, sensing the bullshit a mile away. Still, he goes along with her answer. “Alright. I can take you home and we can work on it tomorrow if you want.”
“I don’t want that.”
Chris’ voice is still soft and quiet, like he’s afraid to wake someone up. “What is the problem, Jill? Whatever it is, I'm going to be here. I’ve got your back.”
Jill logged off her computer and collapsed back in her chair that slightly spins in his direction. That’s when she saw it, the flushed mark peeking over the collar of his jacket. “I really hope you had a good time on your date.”
She knew exactly what face she was going to get. Chris scowls and shrugs like he’s confused but he’s smarter than that. “What, you want me to stay here with you? Spend all my time on a cold case when new ones are coming in? I’m not like you, Jill. I’m human, I have to walk away sometimes.”
All she can do is glare at that hickey by his jaw. Picture Haley there, sucking on his neck and his eyes would be closed and his face slack with bliss. “I’m human.” She snarls. The rage of jealousy proves that much.
Chris keeps his voice level and some of the creases in his forehead smooth. He hits her with a look of remorse and it’s not making her feel better. “I didn’t mean it like- you’re fucking dedicated and I wish that was me, Jill. I wish I could be like you, but I’m not. I needed a damn break.”
It wasn’t easy for him to admit that, his eyes are plastered on her and Jill can’t look away from him either. She glanced at the hickey again and Chris picked up on it, his hand coming up to rub his neck.
“What?” He’s oblivious to what’s there. “Don’t tell me there’s a bug crawlin’ on me.”
Jill releases an amused breath and some tension leaves the room. “Probably just some waitress’ lip gloss and a bruise.”
Some color floods to his ears and Chris ducks sheepishly. “Oh.” He says, keeping his hand on his neck. Then his expression changes and he looks at Jill differently. His eyes are wide and innocent looking. It’s endearing and she knows she can’t stay mad when he looks so soft and open.
There’s not a deceitful bone in Redfield’s body. Everything he feels is right there on his sleeve. Jill gives him a small smile and the blush spreads to his cheeks. He looks so young it’s almost frightening.
And then he ruins it with an impish smirk. “You don’t like me going on dates.” He says like he's some sort of genius.
Jill shrugs because she will never admit it out loud. “Do what you want with your free time. I actually did pretty well without you here.”
Chris doesn’t buy her tough act and is soft enough for the both of them. “Maybe, if I knew certain things, I wouldn’t go on dates anymore. They always end the same anyway.”
“And how’s that?”
“Me wishing they were you.”
Jill bites the inside of her cheek hard to keep a smile away. Goddamn that was cheesy but her chest is tight and the beat of her head is slamming on the constricting walls.
It was exactly what she wanted to hear.
With anyone else it would be just flattery, someone kissing ass, but Chris means everything he says. He means it so purely and she can feel it on his gaze that never strays from her.
He looks a little nervous and for good reason because Jill isn’t sure herself how she’ll react. She looks at the hickey on his skin again. She wonders if he slept with her, if Jill knows him at all then he didn’t.
“Are you saying I ruin all your dates?”
Chris rolls his chair closer so her knees slot between his and his hand reaches for her own. The touch is caring and she locks her fingers with his. “Will you give me a chance to take you to a nicer place, not Jack’s or a coffee shop?”
Jill finally blushes. She’s never been romanced quite like this before. Maybe it’s because it’s Chris and she can’t think straight, but there’s something very appealing about getting dressed up for him and going someplace to talk about things that aren’t work.
And she wasn’t usually one for dressing up.
“Don’t you want to give Haley a shot? She’s a nice girl.”
“Not the one I’m waiting for.” He says and his hand squeezes hers tight. “I took her home and a goodnight kiss got carried away. That’s all that happened.”
Again, if this was any other man she wouldn’t believe it. Chris has her trust, it took time to build but it’s sturdy and she doesn’t hesitate at his explanation. “Did you wish you were at work?”
An amused hum sounds off and Jill can feel hot breath on her cheek. Chris is closer than she thought and she swallows at the revelation.
“I wish that God would throw us a bone and miraculously hand us a piece of key evidence for these Arklay murders.”
Jill throws her head back and groans, “I fantasize about that every night.”
Chris turns serious. “Irons has already been telling the newspapers it’s just animal attacks.”
“A slew of articles about hiking safety are flooding the local media, I know.”
“Such bullshit. These folks weren’t even hikers.”
“He didn’t say that in the press conference when the murders were announced.”
“The families know.”
“No one listens to them.”
Chris is exhausted at this time of night but he still tenses with anger. His hand curls into a fist. “We do.” He says definitively. The fire in his eyes land on Jill and it’s like he has all the faith in the world in her. “No one is getting off easy.”
Jill smirks at the raw determination in her partner. “Someone’s gotta pay.”
His hand rubs behind his neck as he looks at their desks and the papers on them. “Wanna go for a walk?”
“You had a long night, sure you don’t want to turn in?” She says knowing he won’t be able to sleep either.
“I’d just rather go for a walk.” He says kind of desperately. There isn’t much to argue, Jill nods and grabs her bag, their talk of going on a date purposely left on the back burner.