Soft Sounds and Hard Impacts

We're fighting without a reason
We're killing her softly day by day
We're guilty, we're all in treason
It's time to mend this great divide
- The Great Divide, In This Moment

Jill's eyes fluttered open slowly. First her thoughts were slow; it took her a few minutes to realize she was naked, another few to actually question why she was. Her knowledge of where she was came back last out of all. She tensed instantly, eyes shooting open. She swore lightly and sat up, pulling herself from his arms as she did so. Her hands went to her face, shock filling her.

"No," she murmured, holding a hand to her face. "Oh, no, no, no. We shouldn't have... I shouldn't have. Oh God, what have I done?"

Chris frowned and sat up. "Jill, I'm…" his hand hovered over her shoulder. He was almost afraid to touch her, to do something wrong that might invoke her departure or worse: the end of whatever relationship they did have. "I'm sorry."

Two days earlier

Jill sat in a café sipping a cup of tea and reading a book. It had been about a week since the trial and she had healed a decent amount. She would still have to go in often for checkups, but she felt much better. She especially liked that a simple ibuprofen worked to stop any pain, instead of the pain medication she had taken before.

She was alone, waiting for Claire. The redhead was only a few minutes late and Jill had plenty of patience. Jill was sure Claire would arrive before the coffee that had been ordered for her got cold. The two women had been meeting every once in a while in the past week and Jill already felt better. When she was with a friend, she could hide her issues. She was much happier with an actual friend again.

The café she was sitting in was nearly empty. It had been a while since she had visited it. Not far down was the strip, a long area with stalls set up on the sidewalk selling all variety of things from food to jewelry to clothing. She was more drawn to those areas when she was in other cities. Other cities had different variances on things. In Pittsburgh, a lot of the clothing was based on their sports teams, as well as quite a bit on the Irish part of the city. New York City was all based on itself. Well, not all perhaps, but a great deal.

"Jill!" Claire spoke as she rushed up to the table after entering the place.

Jill smiled at the sight of her friend. "Hey, Claire."

"Sorry I'm late. I got held up in traffic."

"It's fine. I ordered you a coffee." She gestured to the mug sitting on the other side of the table.

"Oh, thanks!" Claire sat down, took a sip of her drink and smiled. "That's good."

"How's your day been?" Jill asked casually as she set down her book.

Claire shrugged. "Pretty average, I'd say. What about you? How's your shoulder?"

Jill mirrored the shrug, but only on one side. "Okay, I suppose. I can get the bandage off in about a week. It'll be nice letting some air get at it."

"Letting air at it?" Claire snorted. "Gonna start wearing that old tube top of yours again? That's the only way you'll get any air to your shoulder." She chuckled. "That, or walk around topless." Jill rolled her eyes. "What? You can go to New York. It's legal there. Where ever a guy can go shirtless, so can a girl."

Jill laughed. "Claire, if that's what you were doing in New York last year, I'd avoid telling your brother."

The redhead grinned. "What happens in New York stays in New York."

"Oh God," Jill laughed a loud. "It sounds like you found that state much more exciting than I did."

"Where'd you go when you went?"

"A town in the Catskills. We were requested to provide assistance out there."

"See? You have to go to the cities. Rochester, Syracuse. And of course New York City." Claire nodded to agree with her own point. "There are some great clubs around New York!"

"Clubs you go shirtless in?"

Shock filled her face. "What? No!" She shook her head. "Uh-uh. In most clubs, girls are just an ass and a pair of tits to the guys. Exposing one or the other gets you grabbed."

"You don't even have to do that much. No matter what, if you have them, they get grabbed." Jill shrugged. "Trust me, I know."

"Oh yes, the well-endowed Jill Valentine knows all that happens when you've got an ass and chest like hers." Claire made a dramatic gesture, friendly mocking the woman she was with.

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Ha ha. So funny. You're just jealous."

Claire's tone went increasingly sarcastic. "Oh, completely. I want nearly every man at my work place fawning over me."

"Oh, the guys you work with want me too?" Jill joked, grinning.

Her friend rolled her eyes. "I'm sure they would if they saw you. Except Arnie. He wants the D."

Jill put a hand over her face in fake shame. "Oh my God, Claire."

"I'm only saying the truth." The redhead laughed and kept the smile on her face. "I understand where he's coming from with that too."

"Do you talk to your brother like this?" the other woman chuckled.

A head shake. "Please, if I did, I'd be locked away in some distant tower with an iron chastity belt on. Surrounding the tower would be a field of mines protected by a huge dragon that is protected by an even bigger dragon that was a chastity belt in a past life." The two women could only laugh at the statement for a long moment.

After talking some, the two got up and made their way down the strip. They spent the day walking around the city and talking. A little past noon, they stopped for lunch in a small diner. They continued to chat, catching up on any happenings they hadn't yet. Their attitudes towards each other had changed immensely since Chris had woken. Where they had been wary of each other during the expanse of Chris's coma, like two beasts circling each other. Now, they were suddenly friends again and were having almost sisterly chats. It was a pleasant change.

Eventually, they reached Jill's apartment. Jill had walked to the café from there that morning, as it wasn't too terribly far.

"You sure you don't want me to drive you to your car?" Jill asked.

Claire nodded. "I'm good. I've got mace in my purse and I know self-defense. Plus it's not that far away. A block or two maybe."

"Well, be careful." She paused. "Oh, and Claire?"

"Yeah?"

Jill stepped forward and hugged the redhead. "Thanks for being my friend again."

Claire was quick to hug back and smile. "No problem, Jill."