Foreword: I was given this idea by my good friend Lara (better known as yamiishot on fan fic) over at Project Moirae. I promised her that I'd write a story about it. So, without further ado, here is a tale of Claire Redfield in an alternate setting in the realm of Resident Evil.

Chapter 1

Claire's boots crunched down on the gravel of the abandoned quarry. Both of her legs ached, even though they'd only been walking for a short time. The previous, sleepless night was the main source of her fatigue. Now that it was finally over, she was on the biggest adrenaline crash of her life.

The cool, dusty breeze felt good through her thin, tattered black shirt and her bare legs. The air was dry, smelling of rock and dust, not blood and filth. There was almost no sound, other than the whisper of wind, no frustrated cries of hunger or hisses of monsters. The sun was halfway above the horizon, just after dawn and casting long shadows over every little thing. Behind them rose a geyser of smoke; the remainder of the secret lab, and nothing more than a bad memory.

It was a nice vacation until things kicked back up, which, as Leon put it, inevitably would.

After all, it's just like he said: it's up to us to take out Umbrella.

Well, not just them. As soon as Claire found her brother and his friends, they would have help. There was no way they were going to get away with what just happened. No way in hell. But they had a lot to do before they could start making corporate heads roll. Step one: find someone besides the three of them alive.

Then a bathroom, a shower, a five course meal, and a jacuzzi.

As much as Claire didn't want to break the peaceful silence, she felt she had to. She was more or less following Leon's lead, and the rookie cop hadn't said a word for the last mile. He just marched along her left side, shotgun slung over his back, brooding in his own little world. She didn't know the details, but she did know one thing: Leon had lost someone close. All Claire knew was that her name was Ada.

Another reason why Claire didn't want to start up the conversation was because of the third person of their little group. Little Sherry Birkin, her small hand clasped firmly yet gently in Claire's gloved right hand. She might be able to coax the girl into not listening to their "grown-up talk", but Sherry was too smart for that.

The 12 year old hadn't complained about their walk once, even though she was probably more tired than Claire. She still wore Claire's pink vest over her school uniform. The garment was mostly unscathed, being that Claire gave it to her before the shit really hit the fan. It might stink a bit from their romp in the sewers, but that was it. The bomb-holding angel with the 'Made in Heaven' crest was still plainly visible.

Claire sighed. May as well go ahead with it.

"Leon, what are we going to do when we reach civilization?"

The cop jerked from his thinking. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what are we going to say about Umbrella? We don't have any evidence. I chucked that pendant back in the lab, and the whole place went up in flames. Who do we even go to?"

It was Leon's turn to sigh. "They have the whole city as evidence. There has to be something in there. The only problem is it will be tough to get it, and no doubt Umbrella will try to cover it up. There's the three of us, too. They can't ignore three unrelated people with the same story. Plus, from what we read in your brother's diary, there's him and the rest of S.T.A.R.S as well."

He'd only answered half of her question. "Who do we go to?" she repeated.

"I dunno, the government?" Leon asked her tiredly. "Let's just take things one step at a time and find help first." He sounded cross.

"One step at a time," Claire repeated softly. "Gotcha." She turned her attention to Sherry, who had been listening intently to their little exchange. "How are you doing, sweetie?"

The little girl yawned. "I'm tired."

Claire smiled. "I know, I am too. We'll stop real soon, okay?"

"Okay," she said with another yawn.

'Soon' turned out to be stretching the truth, as Claire found out. The rail tracks didn't meet up with the highway for a few hours. They stopped for a breather once they did, just as the sun was beginning to reach the top of it's lopsided arc.

Raccoon was a fairly isolated city, just at the foot of the Arklay mountains. Those mountains weren't even visible from their current position. Even though the sign they sat under indicated that the city was 13 miles away, there was no sign of anyone else; no other survivors, no military or police forces. They were all alone.

"We must still be too close to the city," remarked Leon. "The more we head out, the more likely we're going to run into someone."

"Like a road block?" asked Claire as she gently stroked Sherry's blond hair. The child was snoozing lightly with her head in her lap. "But if there are roadblocks, shouldn't they have prevented us from getting into the city?"

"I guess that might depend on a few things," Leon said, shrugging.

"Like what?"

"The extent of the outbreak, for one. If the military or part of the police set up anything to prevent people from getting in or out of the city, they'd make sure to do it along the main lines of transit. I took a back road into town."

"So did I," said Claire, seeing his point. Talk about bad luck.

They rested for a bit before moving again. By the time the found a place worth stopping, night had fallen again.

The gas station was void of life, both the normal kind and the undead.

"Anybody home?" Claire whispered to herself, receiving a rough grin from Leon.

"This close to the city, the people here might have been able to evacuate," he said. "I don't think any of the infected people could have made it this far, nor would they have a reason to. Besides, we didn't see anything on the way here. But just to be safe, we're going to sweep it top to bottom before we move in."

"Right."

Claire pulled the handgun tucked into the waist of her pink cutoffs. The breeze had been refreshing before, but now the temperature had dropped into the uncomfortably cold zone. The skimpy pink denim and short black spandex biking shorts did jack to keep her warm. At least Sherry would stay warm inside her vest.

"I'll go left, you go right," Leon said, readying his shotgun. "We meet up in the back before going in together."

Claire nodded, then gave a soft tug on Sherry's hand, indicating her to follow. She couldn't just leave her waiting, so she'd have to come with her.

"Stay close, baby."

Sherry made a face. "Don't call me baby."

Claire couldn't help but snicker. "Sorry Sherry. I totally forgot. I wasn't calling you a baby, it's just the way I talk. But still, stay close, and keep your eyes peeled. If you see something, anything, don't hesitate."

Leon had already begun to move around the gas pumps in front of the station. Claire went the other way, her gun out in front in one hand, the other securely with Sherry's. They moved around the building, looking for signs of movement. There were no obvious spots to hide, and when they circled it, they only found Leon waiting for them.

The front door was unlocked. Leon went in first. The lights were working, so they didn't have to grope around in the dark. Each of them went up the two short aisles of snack and junk food, then looked in the bathrooms and behind the counter. Nothing.

All three of them sighed in relief. They had a place to stay, out of the cold air. The goosebumps were already disappearing from Claire's scratched bare legs. Leon locked the door and joined in Claire and Sherry's raid of the food. They settled down and stuffed themselves. Claire forced Sherry to at least eat some semi-healthy food before digging in to candy and soda.

"But Claire!" she protested "I don't wanna!"

"Sherry, you're a growing girl," said Claire, "And I didn't learn to kick all those zombies' butts by eating junk food all the time."

"But you're in college," she countered. "It's not fair, no one tells you what to eat."

Touché

"Alright, but I better not hear you complaining of a stomach ache later..."

After their feast, Leon pawed around the store a bit and unearthed a moth eaten sweatshirt, which he gave to Claire.

"Here you go."

"Thanks," she said, and draped it around her shoulders, relieved that it wasn't splattered in blood. Sherry was once again snuggled up at Claire's side, her head in her lap, sleeping soundly. Leon quietly sat down next to Claire, letting out a long sigh. It sounded like he'd been pushing himself to stay alert. The bullet wound in his shoulder probably wasn't making it easy for him.

"About how much longer?" Claire whispered.

"Maybe a few hours walk," Leon whispered back. "If we're lucky, someone might find us first."

"Yeah, we could use a change in luck right about now."

"Yeah..."

Claire stole a glance at him. He was sitting staring at his knees. For a moment, she wanted to ask him about Ada, and how he was feeling. She quickly dismissed the idea; if Leon wanted to talk, he would, but he needed time first.

Instead, Claire leaned over and placed her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She felt his head turn, perhaps in surprise, but that was all. He didn't pull away, but he did put his arm around her shoulder. She hardly knew the cop, but there was a connection between them, one that was close. In just those two actions, they both got the message: she was there, and he knew it.

The fingers poking through her gloves found their way back to Sherry's hair, gently caressing the short blond locks. Leon's secure arm held her close, his shoulder surprisingly comfortable, despite being a bit damp. He even smelled nice.

The next thing she knew, it was morning.