This one-shot was written for a friend of mine on Deviant Art, and I thought I would post it up here. Nothing fancy, just a simple one-shot for the Billy and Rebecca pairing. Amazingly, I actually LIKE this story...
Disclaimer: Capcom owns these characters, NOT ME.
Rebecca Chambers had never been so tired in her life. Her body was sore and aching, her muscles screaming for rest as she trudged through the training facility, trying desperately to keep up with the man in front of her. But, it was difficult; more difficult than it should have been. They'd escaped the clutches of zombies, rotting dogs, and freakish, human-like leeches. And only half an hour ago (though it felt like centuries), she had just escaped the clutches of the Centurion.
What a great first mission , she thought bitterly, fighting back tears as she stopped walking.
"Billy…" she said quietly, hating how weak her voice sounded. "Can…can we rest?" The ex-marine stopped walking and looked over his shoulder, his rugged features showing concern. The handcuffs around his wrist made a soft clinking noise as he turned to face her.
"You alright?" He asked, looking over her small form critically. Sure, she had told him she was fine earlier, but the reality of the matter was that she had just been flung around like a child's doll by a forty foot long centipede. No one would be fine after that. Despite the tough and determined face she put on, she was still just a fragile eighteen year old.
She looked up at him, bags under her pretty blue eyes. It was like the weight of the world was on her thin shoulders. "I'm tired," she murmured, averting her eyes. "I know it's not safe…but...can we please take a break?" Both knew it wasn't a good idea. There was no telling what other monsters lurked in this place, but seeing Rebecca in such obvious distress caused all thoughts of the unknown to flee to the back of Billy's mind.
He smiled slightly at her, reassuringly. "Sure," he answered. "According to this map, there should be some kind of executive lounge nearby. We'll go relax there, get a second wind." She returned his smile though it took some effort.
At least she's not looking at me with distrust anymore , he thought as they walked on with a moderate pace. Looks like…she's finally starting to trust me . This tidbit of knowledge didn't bother Billy in the least. If they were going to make it out of this place alive, they had to trust each other. No trust meant no survival. And Billy, for one, really wanted to live to see another day.
Besides, Rebecca was an attractive and competent (albeit naïve) officer. She wanted to get out of this situation as much as he did.
"Wait here for a sec," he said suddenly when they came to a door, the hairs on the back of his neck raising a little. They hadn't been through this door yet…Nothing about it was familiar. According to the map, though, it led to where they wanted to go. Still, it made Billy nervous, and his instincts had never steered him wrong before.
Rebecca's eyes flashed fear, and she grabbed his wrist when he started to walk away. "Let me come with you--," she started to insist but was silenced when Billy actually put a finger on her lips with a wink.
"I have a radio," the con reminded her. "If I run into any trouble, I'll just call you. Besides." His voice softened. "You're hurt. You keep grabbing your side." A blush tinged the teen's cheeks, confirming his suspicions. He was right; she'd been hurt and had had been trying to hide it, not wanting to be a burden.
"…Take the shotgun, then," she murmured, and he nodded as they switched weapons- Her shotgun for his handgun. With this, he didn't feel the need to ask for the Molotov cocktails. " Please be careful, Billy." Billy just smiled as he opened the door and slipped through quickly and quietly, leaving Rebecca alone.
Upon entering, nothing seemed out of place; there were no sounds to give away the presence of something hostile. Still, something just didn't seem right. The weight of the shotgun in his hands was a comfort as he walked carefully and turned a corner. Again, nothing, though the lights were out in the farther parts of the hallway, so it did make it a little hard to see…
And that was when he heard the chillingly familiar sound of slimy bodies almost being sucked together. To his horror, at the end of the hallway, a leech monster, body undulating and slimy, was coming out of the doorway. It turned its head and seemed to stare piercingly into the convict as its body became fully formed.
"Shit!" Billy shouted, acting upon instinct as he brought the shotgun up and started firing. The shots came too late, though, and the mutation was racing toward him, swinging an elongated arm. When it slammed into him, it momentarily stunned the man. With an unearthly shriek, the creature took advantage of his weakness and surged forward into his chest. Billy shouted in pain as hundreds of leeches began biting his torso mercilessly.
"Rebecca!!" he practically screamed, somehow finding the strength to lift his shotgun despite the pain. Firing off one shot, it blew a hole into the creature, which gave a hellish shriek of pain. It backed away, still shrieking as it tried to reform itself as Billy fell to the floor, blood streaming from the hundreds of bites. Billy tried to catch his breath, but the pain was making him dizzy and sick, blurring his vision.
Just when he thought the humanoid leech was completely reformed and ready to kill him, it started to bellow in fury as it suddenly burst into flames. Small arms wrapped around his neck in a protective embrace and pulled him away from the writhing and burning mass. Billy looked up into Rebecca's youthful face and was so happy to see her that he nearly kissed her. Just as he was about to speak, the monstrosity exploded, splashing the couple with slime and dead leeches. Rebecca yelped, tightening her hold around the convict, and he let her, putting his own arms around her petite torso in an effort to avoid the noxious slime.
"God, you are an angel…" Billy murmured after a minute, speaking slightly into her neck. Normally, the medic would have blushed at the contact, but she was far too busy staring at his bloodied torso.
"I never should have let you come here alone, I should have stayed with you, Billy, I'm so sorry..!" she babbled, almost in tears until he managed to calm her down with soothing words. After wiping some dead leeches off their bodies, they stood and stumbled into the nearby lounge, leaning against each other.
Thankfully, nothing sinister was waiting for them besides a dusty old grand piano and a bar. Billy slumped into a chair heavily while Rebecca leaned against the bar. For a few minutes, the only sounds were of their breathing, both lost in their own thoughts for a time. Then, the medic moved over to Billy, face unnaturally serious.
"I have to tend to your wounds…" she muttered almost absently, and Billy nodded and straightened, pulling his dark tank top off. A small blush tinged Rebecca's cheeks. The ex-marine's chest was very toned and muscular, but the effect was ruined by the drying blood and bite marks from the leeches. Luckily, none were too deep; just numerous.
Silently, Rebecca started cleaning the blood off before moving onto the wounds. Billy watched her, eyes half-closed. He was tired, extremely tired. He probably would have dozed off if the little bites hadn't stung so much as the medic cleaned and put bandages over them. Plus, he was also studying her, surprised at how gentle but sure her hands were.
Sure, she was young but competent.
When she started to put the last of the bandages on him, he spoke. "Thank you, Rebecca," he said gently. "I probably would have died if you hadn't saved my ass…"
"You're welcome," she replied, voice holding a hint of pleasure at the praise. "Are you in much pain?" He shook his head, and she stood up, coughing a little. After a moment, the coughs became deeper and harsher as Rebecca clutched her side and covered her mouth. A frown crossed Billy's features as he also stood up.
"Your turn," he said, ignoring her when she shook her head, guiding her to a bar stool. The vest she wore covered her torso, and when Billy reached for the clasps, Rebecca gripped his wrists tightly; her body was trembling like a cornered rabbit's. When Billy spoke again, his tone was soft and soothing. "It's okay, Rebecca. I just want to help. Trust me, okay? I won't let anything happen to you."
The young medic looked back at Billy when he looked in her face, calming herself down. This was Billy, not some zombie or someone that wanted to rip her apart. All Billy wanted to do was help her out. Besides, she was tired and her side was aching so badly….
"I trust you," she murmured finally, and Billy smiled at her. They both removed her vest. Sure enough, there were dark patches of blood on her shirt, some of the patches still wet. That monstrous centipede had been holding onto her so tightly that its legs had cut into the flesh. There were a few slash marks, though, a parting gift from those hellish monkeys from earlier. Carefully, Billy pushed the forest green shirt up, exposing the puncture wounds and gashes. They weren't extremely deep but must have been painful since Rebecca flinched when they were exposed. Luckily, none seemed to need stitches.
"There's a first aid kit on the bar over there," Rebecca said suddenly, panting softly. "These…these herbs help but don't completely heal wounds." She shivered slightly. "I think one of those monkeys bit down on my shoulder…" Billy blinked and nodded in understanding.
"I'll check that later," he said vaguely as he grabbed the first aid kit and a surprisingly clean rag. He cleaned the wounds quickly but carefully, soothing Rebecca with quiet words when she made quiet whimpers and yelps of pain. In a sense, he was proud of her; no tears poured out of her pretty eyes. She wasn't going to cry. Not in front of him, at least.
"There you go," he said when he was done spraying some of the precious first-aid medicine on her. Again, they looked each other, eyes locking briefly before Billy stood up. Instantly, Rebecca knew what he was going to do, her cheeks a bright red from embarrassment. He looked at her apologetically. "…I would say that you don't have to do it, but the last thing we need in this little slice of hell is for your wounds to get infected…" He then turned around like a gentleman, giving her some privacy.
"T-thank you," Rebecca murmured in a painfully shy tone, blush deepening. She could safely say that she had never been in this sort of situation before and certainly not with a twenty-six year old convict. Nervously, she glanced at him, relieved that his back was still turned and that he seemed to be staring straight ahead. Satisfied, she quickly pulled her shirt off and hugged it to her chest, shivering.
Her shoulder was hurting, burning and throbbing painfully from the wound inflicted by the lab monkeys. Some of the material from her shirt had stuck to the wound, and, gritting her teeth, Rebecca pulled it off and let out a soft moan of pain. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Billy stirring restlessly. Still, he didn't move, as if he was waiting for permission.
I have to trust him, she thought, taking a deep breath. … I do trust him…
"Okay, Billy," she whispered softly. "You…you can look now." Billy turned, unable to help himself from staring at her pale skin. The ugly wound, though, stole his gaze, and he walked over, gently touching her arm. He felt her jump and tremble at his touch and squeezed slightly.
"I am not going to hurt you," Billy told her in a firm voice, turning her face to his. To his shock, tears were in her eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks. The medic bit down on her bottom lip, trying to hold back the wave of tears that yearned to overtake her. The tactic failed, though; as soon as Billy put his arms around her in an effort to give comfort, she buried her face into his neck, crying out softly.
At first, the convict froze. How long had it been since he'd had contact with any sort of female? Three months? Four? A year? Even then, he rarely talked to, let alone comforted, anyone of Rebecca's age. Yet, Rebecca was obviously very different. She had the face of an angel and the resolve that was rock hard. Throughout this whole ordeal, she'd kept a level head, had helped him, had i saved /i him, damn it. Most grown men would have broken down a long time ago.
Slowly, his grip around her tightened as he whispered softly, kissing away her tears, even stroking her short hair. She had been strong long enough; who was he to forbid one tiny moment of weakness? He had no right, none at all. Nor did he even plan to stop her. Had his heart been a little softer, hell, he would have cried right along with her.
Rebecca wasn't crying just because her shoulder hurt a little or because she was scared to death (And she most definitely was.) She was crying for Dewey, she was crying for the people in the train, she was crying for everyone that died, was dying, that couldn't cry for themselves, out of sheer frustration at their current situation, out of pure hatred at whoever the hell was causing all of this. Her lamenting tears just couldn't seem to dry, falling onto Billy's face as he attempted to soothe her.
It was when her tear-stained face, so full of anguish, hurt, and defiance gazed into his patient and understanding one did the tears finally start to slow. Especially since Billy leaned forward and kissed Rebecca's lips. The kiss was gentle enough, and while the young medic resisted at first, she gradually relaxed and accepted it, even deepening the kiss herself.
For almost five minutes, the pair kissed gently, almost shyly, exploring each other's mouths before pulling back, both panting softly, faces slightly flushed. Billy still had his arms around her but she didn't mind, sniffling softly as he cupped her cheek. "Do you feel better now?" he asked with a soft smile. She returned the smile and nodded, rubbing at her eyes. "How about I fix your shoulder now?" Again, she nodded, sitting quietly and still as he quickly cleaned and bandaged the wound.
After that, they lapses into silence, though it was a comforting one. Lying in one of the booths in the lounge, Billy dozed off, one arm wrapped around Rebecca's waist protectively. The medic had her back against his chest, her head resting on one of his shoulders. She watched him sleep, knowing he had earned the ten minutes of rest he was experiencing. Her lips were still tingling a little at the memory of the kiss, and that was when Rebecca realized that she wasn't going to be able to turn Billy in if she had to. Even if it meant defying S.T.A.R.S and Enrico, there was no way she could let him go. Not now.
Rebecca had finally found the one thing she needed in this necropolis in Billy: A sanctuary.