Chapter Text
Jill was at her desk filling out reports while listening to the rest of her colleagues laughing and chatting. A slight headache had been bothering her since she arrived at the S.T.A.R.S office in the early hours of the morning, when Chris urgently called her to attend an armed robbery at the city bank. Her bad mood hit her when she had to leave a sleeping Claire at home to catch some criminals.
Now she was almost done with her task and the sound of the younger recruits' conversation was irritating her more than usual. She was tired, hungry, and recovering from a graze wound on her left arm.
When the clock on the display showed 6:00 am, Jill stretched in her chair, feeling her arm throb in the process. The recruits had finished their shift and were gradually leaving, making Jill silently grateful.
"Where is my favorite badass cop who happened to get shot and SHOULD NOT be working here right now?"
Rebecca entered the office ready to start her shift, Chris was by her side carrying some folders containing documents. Jill sighed loudly, she really just wanted to finish her report in peace.
"I told her to go home as soon as the action was over and the criminals were caught, do you think she listened to me?" Chris dropped his things on his own desk and went back to Rebecca, who was standing in front of Jill, who was still trying to concentrate on her task.
"I'm almost done, and a nurse took care of me, I'm fine."
Jill didn't realize the ammunition she was giving to her two friends, they were smiling at each other.
"A nurse, huh? Well, I heard there's a motorcycle parked outside and an angry redhead passing through reception. Just wait until she finds out about your personal nurse." Rebecca shrugged as she tried to hide her laughter with a coughing fit. Chris stepped back, smiling, waiting for the next scene.
"Claire is here...?" Jill suddenly realized that she hadn't told the woman that she had left during the night, in fact, she had forgotten her phone at home. And to make matters worse, she had been injured in the field. Despair took over her face, she could really be in trouble now.
"Good luck, sis-in-law." On the other side of the room, Chris laughed openly as he pointed to Jill. The brunette took a deep breath and simply threw the unfinished report to Rebecca.
From the hallway, hurried and heavy footsteps due to boots sounded through the silence of the shift change, and Jill knew exactly to whom these footsteps belonged. It wasn't the first time she had heard them in that precinct. The brunette's heart raced, and she felt her hands start to sweat.
When the door opened, Jill lost her breath for the second time that day (the first was when she heard the gunshot and felt the pain). Claire was standing there, with her hair down, tight and ripped jeans, and her favorite red jacket. The brunette felt her heart skip a beat.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't my favorite Redfield!" Rebecca smiled at the redhead, who looked serious and as if she had just woken up.
"I swear to God, Valentine, if you go on another suicidal mission without your damn phone and come back, you can sleep on the couch in this office!" Claire fixed her eyes on the short-haired brunette who seemed about to collapse from exhaustion and... and was injured?! "YOU GOT SHOT?"
In the same second, Claire dropped her helmet on the ground and ran to Jill, her eyes filled with pure concern.
"Love, I'm fine, it's nothing, I swear!" Jill whispered, keeping her voice low so as not to draw more attention from the other agents and police officers who were arriving.
"You swear?! Jill, you left me sleeping and went to get shot, damn it!"
The brunette felt her cheeks turn red with embarrassment. There were a lot of people watching that scene. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chris hide his face behind one of the folders to laugh. Beside her, Rebecca pretended that nothing was happening.
"Claire..." Now the redhead was standing next to her, checking the wound herself, pulling back the bandage and lightly touching the spot. "It was just a graze, nothing serious..."
Anticipating the worst timing possible, Carlos entered the office without realizing all the commotion that was happening. The brunette widened her eyes; he could never keep his gossiping mouth shut.
"Hey, Valentine! I heard you threw yourself in front of a hostage to protect him and got shot! You really are awesome..." noticing the silence, Carlos looked around, his eyes widened when he noticed what was happening. "Oh, hello, our Master of Unlocking's girlfriend!"
Claire was boiling inside and Jill outside, every second she hoped a hole would open up under her feet and swallow her.
"Claire, lower your tone, you're disrupting the start of the shift." Chris intervened to help his best friend, but his sister didn't seem to like it. "Jill is one of our best agents and needs to finish a report before leaving, she's even taking the day off."
Claire just stared at her brother in disbelief, unable to believe he was defending Jill again.
"This is the third time in two months she's come back with a bullet wound, Christopher. I'm going out to the parking lot to wait, but know that you'll still hear from me for keeping my girl on the front lines, got it?" The office watched the scene in silence, surprised by the embarrassed silence of the woman who kept them all in line day after day. "And as for you, Valentine." Claire approached the woman, staring at her with electric eyes. Jill thought she was going to fight again. "I love you. I'll be waiting for you in the parking lot, don't be late."
Surprised, Jill received a kiss on the cheek and watched Claire walk away to retrieve her fallen helmet and slowly exit through the door.
"Alright, all of you back to work. Let's go!" Chris clapped to get the attention of everyone else who was still standing there watching.
Gradually, things returned to normal and Jill took a deep breath.
"It's really funny how you're completely wrapped around Claire's finger. You're tough and annoying all day until the younger Redfield shows up and takes you out of orbit." Rebecca smiled lightly at the brunette as she put on her lab coat and headed for the forensics floor. "See you later!"
Rebecca left in quick steps before Jill could respond. The embarrassment was leaving her body and the comments were happening. Looking around the office, she saw looks in her direction. She needed to assert herself again.
"It's no use, now everyone knows you're a softie for my sister." Chris was beside her, offering a comforting smile. "I'll finish your report, go home and calm your beast, okay?"
"I really need to improve on this relationship thing. I've been alone for too long to remember that I need to let her know when I'm out working at night or when I take a bullet. I can't imagine Claire's desperation." Jill was watching the news on one of the TVs and the scene of her being shot was on the headline. "I left her alone in bed and she woke up with my picture in the newspaper."
Chris put his arm around his friend's shoulder and began to guide her out.
"We end up relativizing our profession, but those on the outside suffer from it. So just go home and calm her down. I don't want to see you here until Monday, Valentine. Got it?" Jill agreed without complaining. Spending the weekend with her girlfriend was all she wanted.
Walking to the parking lot, she found Claire leaning against her motorcycle. She looked exhausted and it made the brunette feel guilty. When the redhead saw her, she smiled slightly, calling her in for a hug.
"Can we go home now?" Claire asked, hiding her face in Jill's neck, feeling her scent and finally calming down.