Disclaimer: Resident Evil is property of CAPCOM.

1

Blue eyes remain awake in the night -restless, staring up into the darkness that filled the room. The silver gaze of the moon peaked into the curtained window, acting as the only source of light. It cast an unpretentious pearl glow onto the flat surface of the mattress. The bedspread acted as the canvas; shadows of the panes and thick tree branches from the outside cascaded onto the beautiful designs of the crocheted fabric.

Ill at ease… Jill Valentine lay still, next to her husband- the beloved Chris Redfield. Her eyes traced the angles of his face as he continued his slumber.

Dammit. she thought to herself, looking away.

Insomnia's a bitch. She continued.

Jill turned over onto her side, her eyes glaring at the clock that sat next to her on the night table.

'3:01 am' was displayed in bright red laser like characters.

"Shit." She said to herself while turning her body out of the bed. Her legs hung over the frame in a childlike manner due to its distance from the floor.

"Mmm what's the matter babe?" Chris' voice didn't sound as robust as it normally did instead it was masked by the scratchy sound of exhaustion.

"Can't sleep." She said behind a frustrated sigh. She lifted her body from the bed and began walking towards the master bathroom.

"That's too bad." He said, between a yawn. She smiled faintly.

"Where are you going?" Chris asked; his face slightly buried into the pillow.

"To take a leak…if that's alright with you." She said behind a clever laugh- the type that one would give a comedian who was far from comical.

"Nice…" he said before closing his eyes.

She showed the habitual interest of joking around like she always did whenever he acted with sarcasm. However tonight it was merely a mask of how she truly felt. As bad as she wanted to lash out…she held it in.

After she took care of her personal duties Jill exited the room, walking the invisible path that lead down to the rest of the massive house.

She looked around at the familiar setting that she had grown to love; her eyes instinctively studying each painting on the wall- looking at them as if this had been her first time seeing them all. She then looked into the empty guest room that sat adjacent to the master bedroom she and Chris shared.

She entered the room; her eyes met the window that sat high above the queen bed on the eastern wall of the room. The bed sheets had been untouched- they held a stiffness that made it evident of its deprivation of human contact. She ran her hand along the softness of the covers, finally stopping at the pillows that sat at the head. There were three in total: two big ones and one smaller one. The rest of the room was quite simple- it had a bookshelf, desk, and a loveseat. What she liked most about the room was the window that was perched next to the desk; it was the only one in the entire house to have a ledge large enough to sit in. It overlooked the backyard and swimming hole that Chris so feverishly made possible for the family to enjoy on the warm summer days they often had.

She often used the room as a personal study; a place she felt was the most quiet and away from the chaos of the society. Many of her best articles, she believed, where either thought up or written here. It was the second room in the house Jill paid great attention to.

She exited.

She made a soft right towards the long carpeted staircase that lead to the ground level of the house, suddenly she paused once she reached the bottom- her eyes glaring up at the beautiful stained glass window that set elegantly above the front door. The image always caught her attention each time she had crossed it. It illustrated cherry blossoms through a soft glow of pastel pinks, whites, greens, browns, and soft oranges. One of the many aspects she adored.

Jill continued on her trek through the living room passing the bedroom of Lauren- the nine-year-old daughter to the Redfield union. She peaked into the purple paradise and watched as the girl slept, wrapped tightly under the covers. She walked into the room nodding her head in minor disappointment at the mess she scolded the girl about earlier that evening.

Jill fixed the covers before kissing her on the cheek.

"Sleep tight sweetheart." She whispered into the child's ear.

She entered the kitchen. The sight of stacked dirty dishes stopped her dead in her tracks; quite frankly it was a sight that always aggravated her.

"Dammit Chris!" she thought to herself.

She began to manually wash the dishes; the chore she hated to do but always appreciated after she had finished. She hated the fact that it was only she who ever thought to care about the cleanliness of the house. She hoped for more help from the fellow occupants, especially her husband but had to accept the fact that it would never happen.

She finally completed the task.

"Sweet Jesus!" Jill screamed while her hand landed quickly over her chest as if her heart had called it there.

"Did I scare ya?" Chris asked in a husky voice, his hand firmly pressed against her stomach.

"Yeah you did!"

"Are you ok?" He asked while gently patting her bottom. She didn't respond verbally, instead with the sound of water washing over the plate she held in her hand.

"Why are you up at 3:30 washing dishes when you can be in bed with me?" He asked directly into her ear with his arms still wrapped around her.

She continued to wash.

"You know how…excited I am right now?" his voice felt like one hundred tiny little needles sticking into her spine.

"I told you…I couldn't sleep." She said while staring down at the mirror image of the both of them as it reflected off of the surface of the water through the visible paths between the dishes.

"God your skin's so soft." He said while running his hand up her arms and then up to her shoulders where he moved them back down her arms.

"Chris…" she said in an orgasmic whisper.

The sheer feeling of his touch made her thoughts wonder about. He ignored her entirely and continued running his hands over the places he had missed most. His hands found their way to her torso; the warm hand followed the trail on her stomach until it reached the barrier that was her pants.

"Chris…"

He said nothing instead he continued running his hand along her inner thighs hoping to meet her arousal.

"I miss it Jill…I miss how it feels to be inside of you." he whispered into her ear once more.

She hung her head low at the disparate feelings that had already began to eat away at her weakening conscience, causing her to fall victim to the wondering thoughts of suspicion. Betrayal was a feeling Jill had hoped to never experience again yet unbeknownst to her, she began to become susceptible to it. Prior to the evening, it had been almost a solid 5 months that Chris had been away; she would easily admit to the morbid depression she often felt from missing her husband each night. It was something that Jill didn't find easy, that is admitting defeat- in any way.

She closed her eyes as Chris began to plant soft kisses onto the elegant curve at the back of her neck. His hand cupped the left round of her breast beneath the black lace bra squeezing it gently, catching the orgasmic gasp that expanded her chest.

Suddenly that hidden feeling of anger briefly went away and she began to give in to his touch. A touch she had longed to feel again.

She could feel his hard body pressed against her with his arms wrapped firmly around her tired frame- she had become use to feeling it. Now she felt as though it was the first time he had done it- as if he were merely a stranger doing it.

Jill hated to admit it but she was beginning to feel as though she didn't recognize him, as if she truly didn't know him.

She even told herself that he was a person she would never care about again.

And to her, that was the most shameful feeling she could ever think to feel towards him, she felt it more tonight than she had three months ago, when she said it.

She closed her eyes at the unpleasant feeling of her heart breaking all over again- a feeling she loathed ever since the day she convinced herself he wasn't coming back. It was as if all the love she had for him had been drained out of it at that moment.

Instead its absence had been replaced by anger, exhaustion, and grief.

"You're so tense…" Chris said while placing his masculine hands back onto her tight shoulders. The muscles felt tougher than leather- they were really stiff and hard to loosen up. He moved his thumbs and fingers in small circular motions on the tense spots, grabbing and pinching the flesh in a relaxing manner. Jill adjusted her neck and shoulders to the calming sensation although she was far from relaxed.

It was that touch that used to make her go weak at the knees and other places far and between now it only fed to the confusion.

She questioned her marriage more this evening than she had any other night while Chris was away- not of where he left or when…but mostly why? Secrets were something that they had vowed to eliminate both from their subconscious and their relationship- but along with everything else, things could easily change- or maybe it was that they never did. The part of her that wanted to hate him wouldn't let her bypass the underlying want and need she had for him. She had the hardest time admitting that to herself.

That's when it hit her.

She felt his lips brush the warm skin at the side of her neck once again. This time attacking the spot that he grew to love after discovering the reaction he'd get from her.

The slightest touch to it almost always made her quiver.

"Come back to bed with me Valentine…" he whispered into her ear- the remote authority in his voice caught her off guard yet it innately made her respond.

She hated being left alone especially without notice of any kind. Something she had dealt with ever since she was a child. Her true feelings were hidden behind a look of pure ecstasy; hiding from him as well as others what truly was happening to her mind- pure punditry.

Chris slid his hand downward until he reached another barrier; he took no time in invading the space hidden beneath cotton lounge pants and satin panties. She could feel his arousal on her backside as he continued his exploration. Her head found it's place upon his shoulder, her lips found their place upon his, and the love that she almost let go of found itself back in its rightful place at that moment.

His hands groped the soft flesh below her stomach.

"I missed you…" he whispered once again.

Here eyes shot open at the words and her head lifted itself from its resting place. A simple question burned the back of her mind like a fresh coal to fire- the heat that already began to simmer flared back into her bloodstream.

'Then why did you leave?' The question was hot at the end of her tongue.

The moment was suddenly broken by the sound of labored coughing coming from the neighboring room.

"Chris…" Jill said while turning her head so that her eyes looked out of the kitchen door towards the sound. He ignored her and continued to cover the middle of her back with kisses.

"Chris…Lauren needs her medicine." She managed to break away from his strong embrace. She quickly walked into the small pantry that sat within the kitchen adjacent to the entrance; the shelves were all lined with various canned foods, boxed goods, and medication bottles.

"I'm coming sweetheart." She said while grabbing the small nebulizer.

"Calm down." Chris said as he settled his body onto the bed next to her. He lifted the child's small frame into his arms and held her close to his chest; his hand hovered over her rapidly beating heart. She tightly clenched the fabric on the leg of his sweat pants with a shaky hand.

"Breathe with daddy Lauren…just breathe."

Her nerves had already begun to calm down however her breathing was still staggered.

"O.k. here it is Lauren." Jill said while giving the girl the small device.

After about three seconds she began to breathe normally.

"Good girl." Jill said. The girl's body relaxed.

"Alright… I'm going back to bed now." Chris spoke behind a faint yawn.

He kissed his beloved daughter on her cheek and tucked her back into bed. "Goodnight ladybug- don't scare me like that…" he spoke softly yet his voice held masculinity that showed he meant it.

"Hey Mommy?" Lauren said while pulling on Jill's pajama pants from the comfortable perch of her bed.

"Yeah?"

"What took you guys so long?" she said behind an evil snicker.

"Good night scarlet." Jill said with a smile on her face. She walked out of the child's room with the same racing heartbeat she had when she entered. That horrid sense of reality hit her again- that is the undeniable truth that death could be around anyone's corner. She hated thinking about it.

"God Chris, it's getting worse…I know it." Jill said while the both of them stood at the bottom of the main foyer staircase.

His arms took no time in holding her exhausted body. She sighed into his shoulder before taking in his scent. His lips brushed the softness of her scalp beneath the follicles of her brown hair. The soft smell of Pear escaped from the silky strands that brushed the lower portion of his face.

"Yeah I know…but I'm sure she'll be fine. She has your courage and my strength." Chris said while squeezing her closer to his body. "And besides…we're aren't doctors." He continued.

Jill pushed her face hard into his chest, her arms wrapped tightly around him as if he were a post for support. In all he was- he had always been her support. He was always there to pick her up whenever others had let her down. And she the same for him.

She inhaled the stale conditioned air that filled the estate and her head rose to meet the eyes of her husband's.

"Yeah, I hope you're right."

"Jill, she's gonna be fine." He reassured.

She looked into his eyes and saw that they were full of indomitable hope- like they always were. It was apparent, although he had been gone for some time nothing about him had changed. He was still that symbol of strength and support for her; he was still the man she had grown to love and trust more than anything.

He placed his hand beneath her chin and lifted her head higher, Jill awaited the warm sensation of his lips pressed softly against her own.

His mouth settled onto hers in a soft clash of serenity. He held her close to him, tightly. Enveloping her with his warmth.

She looked into his eyes once again, still holding him in the previous embrace.

"Let's go back to bed…" Jill said while walking before him.