Resident Evil Series Fan Fiction ❯ Uncontrolled Exposure ❯ Chapter 4

Slights & Introductions pI

Jill Valentine was not a judgmental person by any stretch of the imagination. She herself had come up from less-than-perfect circumstances and managed to overcome them. Which is part of the reason why she, Chris and Bastian all got along so well. They were all in the same quintessential boat at one point or another. . . Though honestly Bastian and Chris had more in common with the whole raising a sibling deal. But as she watched what she could only guess was Bastian's brother cross the huge porch quickly to sweep Claire off her feet and into an almost bone crushing hug, she could admit she wondered-however briefly- if the boy was as great as she'd been leading them to believe he was.

Mikhail stood about two inches shorter than Bastian and his dark hair was cut almost haphazardly, falling oddly around his face and neck. He was just as toned as his brother-a point emphasized by his jeans and the dark gray T Shirt- and had a slightly darker complexion and the same light blue eyes . . . factors that on most people but the Shaw family would make total assholes. But amazingly Mikhail seemed just as mellow as Bastian. The way he spun Claire had Chris already glaring and Bastian groaning . . . but Mikhail's smile immediately set Jill at ease with everything that could ever possibly happen between the two of them. He smiled so warmly to Claire that it was impossible for him to do anything but adore her.

Which was not going to go over well with Chris at all.

The clearing of a throat brought all their attention-even Claire and Mikhail who were talking excitedly as though no one else were present- to the girl leaning against the ivy and lavender covered porch banister. Jill raised a brow. This was Bastian's baby sister? The way he spoke of her always put Jill in the mind set of an almost overly innocent girl in her late teens like Claire . . . but she was wrong. Her hair was a light blonde, almost white with slightly darker streaks intermingled and pulled into a loose knot at the base of her skull, allowing most of her slender neck to be seen. And by the way she was looking at her brother -with one of her blonde brows raised as she took in Claire skeptically- Jill could easily recognize the brutal intelligence shining there in her light blue-green eyes. She pushed off from the railing and descended the steps in quickly but quietly.

Jill shook her head, looking at the sheer difference in the girl and the rest of her family. She was petite- barely coming to her brothers' chins- with a curving soft figure and long legs while her heart-shaped face sported full, pouty lips, large expressive eyes framed by thick sooty lashes that brushed her high cheekbones. Jill turned, glancing at the others. Claire had stilled and was a step further away from Mikhail than she had been while Chris and Forest were eying the newcomer with unveiled interest. But Wesker is the one that surprised her. Her Captain hadn't turned his sun glassed gaze from her since she'd stepped closer.

Bastian stepped forward, grabbing Mikhail by the back of his shirt and dragging him over to their sister, throwing his arm over her shoulders and dipping to kiss her cheek. She hugged him back, her eyes lighting up as she smiled brightly before reaching out and cuffing Mikhail in the back of the head. Hard.

Claire and Chris both flinched at the sound of impact while Forest stood staring at them slack jawed. Bastian however stepped between them and, moving quickly, blocked the next knock to his brother's skull while maneuvering his sister out of the reach of said brother's sloppy and wild retaliating swing. Which left both of them undefended and unprepared for her counter measure. Grabbing each by an ear, she pulled them to her level. Forcing them to bend at the waist so she could speak to them without looking up.

She spoke so softly that Jill doubted anyone but herself and Wesker who were the closest to the trio could hear her soft lilting voice as she reprimanded them.

“Bastian, I am working on my Dissertation- not running a social event. You and Mikhail were supposed to be the only two here . . . with the addition of your friend. So would you like to explain why there are four extra people and four more distractions? And speaking of distractions, Mikhail are you out of your damned mind? What would possess you to practically maul that poor girl without even introducing her to us?”

Both boys winced, Bastian speaking first as Jill tried to fight the laughter bubbling in her throat at the subdued expression on his face. He didn't even look that disheartened when Wesker had assigned the whole team an extra seven hours of clean-up duty after Brad and Forest's trashcan bomb demonstration caused half of the office to burn. Wesker was smirking beside her, something that she knew he was probably unaware he was doing. And something that showed just how relaxed he'd gotten now that they were out of the city limits.

Apparently the man riding up with Bastian hadn't been a bad thing after all . . . because she doubted he would be in such good spirits if he'd been one of Chris's passengers.

“Sorry Chaos. But they're actually just going up further into the mountains tomorrow so it will just be the four of us.”

She nodded, releasing him as she jerked Mikhail's ear harder. Claire's gasp caused her to look up and cock a brow at the worried expression on the younger girl's face before rolling her eyes and turning back to her brother.

“Well? What about you?”

He blushed, still wincing.

“I met Claire at school a few months ago. She needed some work done on her bike and Steve told her to bring it to me. I did the work and she's just kind of been with us ever since. We're friends.”

Jill watched as the girl's look darkened before she shook her head and jerked on his ear again, causing him to squawk and Bastian to wince as he stepped back and to Wesker, shaking his head as he rubbed his sore and red ear as their sister tore into her brother.

“Friends? After that little spectacle brother I am so not falling for the whole `friends' line of bullshit. Now either tell me the truth or sleep outside in a tent. I'm blonde not stupid.”

The boy blushed even darker, muttering to his sister as she released him and shook her head, crossing her arms as Claire moved closer to them. Jill watched the way she eyed Claire, obviously weighing whether or not she was worthy of whatever role she'd started occupying in Mikhail's life.

“She's my girlfriend, all right? I had no clue she was coming up here until a few minutes ago. I came up here to tell you and Bastian that we were dating. And to meet her brother on our way back to school.”

Chris growled, turning to Claire as Bastian groaned and slapped Khail on the back of the head hard. Both however said the same to both of their siblings.

“You are so fucking dead when we get home.”

And Jill couldn't do anything but laugh. This was definitely going to be an odd outing.

She just hoped they could survive it . . .

_________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________