A/N: Hello? Anybody out there? For those who are still interested… Took me a while, but hell, I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!
1. Uncontrolled
It was hot.
It was oh so very hot, and that wouldn't be weird at all if they were still setting camp somewhere erased from the map, or crossing Nevada, or even trapped inside a human sized oven.
But it was Alaska.
It was goddamn Alaska, and even though there was snow covering the mountain tops, an almost tropical summer just hit them unexpectedly.
She watched him from the porch with narrowed eyes. He should look ordinary with cargo pants and a smudged singlet that had seen better days. He wore those all the fucking time, and yet they looked hot.
K-Mart was sweating profusely. Chris Redfield had been nailing stupid boards on that stupid house for months, when she thought he should be nailing something else.
Almost as if she possessed that awkward gift of inappropriate, parental mind reading, Claire stopped next to her, arms folded, watching her brother with the exact squint K-Mart displayed, only for different reasons.
"There's a bit of drool on your chin. And around your feet," Claire declared unceremoniously.
"Leave it alone, Claire," K-Mart grunted, feeling uncomfortably hot on the face.
"What, we're not best friends anymore?" the redhead sounded genuinely hurt now. "We used to talk about everything!"
"Yeah, when Alice wasn't my second mom and Chris was just your stupid brother," she retorted, unsticking blonde hair from her sweaty forehead. "What the hell is he doing anyway?"
Claire looked at her in awe. "You didn't ask? You?"
"Ha ha. Very funny," the blonde scowled. "I did, but he won't say a word about it. What a terrible, stubborn bloodline-"
"Hey!"
"What's a bloodline?"
Both women looked around and found Becky gently leaning on the wooden rail, watching them with an innocent frown.
"Bloodline's what I'll leave on the ground if he doesn't stop showing off," Alice snarled, startling the three of them as she came outside completely unannounced and quickly went down the stairs and marched towards the scaffolds.
"Oh God, that can't be good…"
"Serves him right," K-Mart grunted. Sometimes she loved being Alice's kid, even though she'd rather die than admit it. "Asshole."
"You'd think you'd be less cranky now he gives you the attention of the day," Claire said, following her inside, Becky right behind them.
"Mom, what's a bloodline?"
"Attention of the day?" K-Mart scoffed, looking indignant as she slumped down the couch. "What, were you raised in the twenties? He's such a prude!"
"K-Mart!"
"Well, he is!" she shrugged. "He treats me like I'm a china doll and I'll break at the slightest-"
"Okay, I get your point of not talking about him with me. It's weird," Claire interrupted her with a minimum cringe. "But as your declared parent, I'm glad he's not being anything other than a gentleman to you."
"Oh my God, did you actually say it?" K-Mart jumped off the couch, just as if Claire repelled her, and made her way to her bedroom. "My ears are bleeding. And I may vomit."
"Is K-Mart being a hormonal brat?"
Claire let out a chuckle at her kid reciting Ocampo without a single imperfection. She looked at Becky and couldn't help a tired smile as she ran her fingers through her wild hair.
"Please, don't grow up so fast."
XXX
"What the hell-" Chris frowned slightly when one of the boards simply fell off its place and hit the ground. He had attached it strongly, but now that he looked closer, it seemed like an invisible force had removed every single nail-
"What was that for?" he asked nonchalantly as he turned around and found Alice staring at him. As she remained silent, he collected the board and climbed up the scaffold. Several other boards fell around him, but he only lost his cool when a hammer hit his head. "Okay, what the actual fuck?"
"This is disturbing."
"What, exactly, is annoying you, now?" he rolled his eyes. She had been watching him so murderously over the past few months that he was not surprised she finally approached his construction site with that attitude.
"You are showing off."
"What?"
"Your… arms. Muscles everywhere! My kid's all distracted because of it!"
"Unless you're talking about a new child… The kid you are referring to is K-Mart? Who also happens to be my girlfriend?"
"She's a kid nonetheless, and you're depriving me of some peace of mind!"
Chris took a deep breath as he hooked the hammer back into his belt. "Look, if you keep doing this" he pointed the fallen boards "it's gonna take longer to finish."
Not to mention she said she would help, and so far all she did was glare.
"That's the idea," Alice grunted, turning around to leave. "Put on some clothes, I'm gonna have nightmares for the rest of my life."
She stormed past her house, aware that Claire would want to talk-about-it. Instead, Alice headed to the warehouses. It was her favorite place in the world when she was pissed at the rest of it.
The blonde slumped down an old chair, pretty much the same way K-Mart would have, and as cute as their similarities were at first, the undeclared war between them was starting to look ugly.
Claire had tried – unsuccessfully – to interfere, but after a while, she decided to leave them to fight all they wanted. There was a lot of silence and angry glares between them, and it didn't take the redhead long to understand.
With Alice patrolling and sniffing K-Mart like an overprotective mother rhino, Chris would never lay a finger on their young rebel.
Alice knew Claire was relieved at some point, but she was sure her wife would never understand the true nature of her anger.
Alice was like an animal, now, and instincts spoke louder than reason most of the time. She wanted to rip off Chris's throat. She wanted to kill him, and the mere thought of his hands on her kid just made her want to-
"I'm really not in the mood, so I recommend you leave," she barked upon hearing soft footsteps.
"Excuse me?"
Alice was surprised. It was not the voice she had expected to hear, and least of all the tone of genuine indignation.
"I could've sworn you were Jill-" Alice's voice trailed off.
"Well I'm not," Claire said, folding her arms as she approached the blonde. She leaned on the radio panel and stared down at her. "This gotta stop."
"No, it doesn't!"
"You gave him permission!"
"Doesn't mean I can't take it back!"
Claire smiled in spite of herself. Alice could look like a child when she had mixed feelings, and she secretly adored that pout.
"Honey, you do realize it's a little too late for that, right? And like it or not, they will eventually be alone in that house, or anywhere else, and they're gonna do it… I'm not saying I like it," she added when Alice looked up with her eyes bulging. "I'm just saying you should make it easier for them. K-Mart will start doing things behind our back, and that I don't like."
"She can be as sneaky as she wants, but your brother knows I'm watching," she grunted. "I can play this game for a long time."
"Well, how long you think you'll be ahead on the competition?" Claire sighed. "Listen, my brother is not the douche you're painting inside your head, and K actually loves him."
"Yeah, but he's her first love!" Alice spluttered. "And he's gonna be her first at so many other things I don't like to think about, and one way or another, he's gonna hurt her, and I can't even-" Alice let out a frustrated growl when Claire held both of her hands.
Several objects were suspended midair, and they collapsed noisily when Alice relaxed.
"Sorry."
"Let's go home, c'mon."
Alice accepted the hand Claire offered, but she was not really convinced she actually wanted to be around people. Lately the t-virus was pulling stunts on her, aggravating the mood swings and destabilizing her telekinesis. Not to mention that she had failed miserably at recognizing Claire by the sound of her walk, and even confused her scent with Jill's.
She had never made that mistake.
If Claire noticed, she didn't let it show. She just dragged the reluctant blonde with her towards their house, hoping she would calm down a little.
However, Claire had noticed every single change in Alice.
She just didn't know what to do.
Becky was distracted on the floor of their living room, dressing over and over a creepy doll Crystal found in the middle of debris almost two years ago.
Claire checked on her and pulled Alice towards the staircase, guiding her to their bedroom.
"You wanna fuck now?" Alice asked.
"Sit," Claire said, ignoring her.
Alice sat down on the bed and waited for Claire to accommodate in the armchair in front of her. She blinked several times, adjusting her now pale red hair behind her ears before she started.
Alice still looked juvenile, while everyone else in Arcadia had started to show precocious expression lines, including herself.
"I'm worried about you."
The blonde winced internally. She hated that look, and she hated the way Claire's blue eyes scrutinized her, unpeeling every layer of her thick façade. So she knew something was wrong, too.
Alice was not exactly looking forward to talk about it, but she didn't even bother pretending to ignore what Claire meant. That never worked with the leader anyway.
"I'm under a lot of stress."
"I am too," Claire deadpanned.
"Well, you lost weight," Alice shrugged. "I lost control of the t-virus a bit."
"A bit? You're lashing out on people like –"
"A monster?" Alice spat.
"Stop attacking me like I'm your enemy!" Claire finally yelled. "I'm enduring this for weeks now, and I can't stand it anymore! I can't help you if you won't let me!"
"What, wanna divorce?" Alice scoffed, regretting saying it the second the words left her lips. "Fuck, I didn't mean that-"
"You're worried about my brother? You're the only asshole I see here!"
It was almost as if Alice's body caught fire.
"It's not entirely my fault!" she hollered, jumping off the bed and advancing on Claire. "I don't know if you remember, but I was injected with this shit!"
"You LET THEM!"
Alice's face contorted in rage.
There it was. The moment Claire rubbed to her face how this was all her fault.
Alice was an inch from her face, her breath shaky and uneven against her skin.
Claire didn't move a muscle. She was terrified, but she was also too mad to back off.
"Fuck you," Alice hissed.
The redhead blinked, letting out a heavy breath. "Fuck you?" she arched one eyebrow. "Is that all you got?"
Alice shrugged like a grumpy teenager. "What did you expect?"
"I don't know, murder?" Claire grunted.
"I don't want to kill you."
"Well, that makes one of us."
"What the fuck is happening here?" K-Mart burst into the room. "Did you know Becky's ear thing actually works and she can hear what you say to each other?"
"Did she?" Alice asked, all the fury suddenly disappearing.
"No, I turned the volume down when you closed the door," K-mart spat, receiving an eye roll from Alice, which she ignored. "You trash the shower room to fuck but you can't get out of the house to fight?"
"K-Mart!" Claire hissed.
"Oh don't give me that bullshit-"
"Don't talk to her like that!" Alice snarled.
"You're such a hypocrite," K-Mart snapped and left the room, slamming the door behind her.
They heard her taking Becky outside and telling her something about finding a cooler toy. Alice spied through the curtains and spun on her heels when they were out of sight.
"Are you happy now?"
"I'm not the one scaring people," Claire grunted with a shrug.
They remained quiet for a while, sitting side by side on their bed. Alice hated it when Claire gave her the silent treatment. She waited, though; she was not just going to give in.
About twenty minutes later, Claire decided she would eventually break her resolve, and she wasn't in the mood to let Alice win. The redhead stood up and headed to the door, when a strong hand grabbed her around the waist and pinned her to the wall.
"Am I scaring you?" Alice whispered, a flash of red crossing her eyes. She looked more predatory than menacing.
"No," Claire said squinting defiantly.
"Am I turning you on?"
That fucking smirk. Claire groaned in her mind.
"No," she snarled.
Alice slid her hand down Claire's jeans and rested her long fingers between her legs. "You sure?"
Claire was throbbing. "Yes."
"Then how come you're so-?"
"REDFIELD!"
Alice rolled her eyes; she hated interruptions. Claire let out a deep, shaky breath, and got rid of the blonde, walking fast towards the window. It was Ernie, the front of his clothes covered in blood.
"Oh Jesus…"
Claire hurried downstairs, Alice grunting on her heels, and by the time they met the man outside, other people had gathered around their house, everyone talking at the same time.
"Shut up!" Claire yelled. "I have one brain, people! Who's going to talk? Ernie, you were the first to get here. Go."
"It's Bennett," he said, breathless. "People are lynching him at the central square," he pointed behind his shoulder with his thumb. "He… huh… tried to assault-"
Claire silenced him with her hand and turned to Alice. "Run," she muttered.
Alice merely nodded, and within a second, she was out of sight.
"Why did you send her?" Ernie asked as though Claire had lost her mind.
"She's faster than any of us, and I need her to hold everyone back before they kill that scumbag. I need to interrogate him before locking him up."
"Well, you better hurry, then, darling," a woman said. "It was K-Mart. Your beloved killing machine will do it before you get there."
"For the love of God," Claire hissed and set to a frenetic run, everyone on her heels like the old times. Her chest constricted with what she would find; the possibilities scared her shitless.
She could never admit it to them, but she actually hoped Alice had already skinned him alive by the time she arrived.
XXX
"HEY!"
The commotion stopped immediately. Everyone recognized that mighty, booming voice. One by one, they stood up and made way for Alice. In the middle of the square, one eye swollen and supporting a bleeding lip, Bennett coiled like a scared animal at the sight of her.
She was sure she heard a whimper, and that made her despise the coward even more. Then she saw, with the corner of her eye, the ripped fabric of K-Mart's t-shirt.
Her cheeks were pink, and suddenly she looked so young… Her eyes held defiance, anger, shame and something else Alice could not quite place.
They locked eyes for a moment before K-Mart averted her scrutiny. Alice's rational mind stopped working the second it clicked, and then hell broke loose.
She was on top of Bennett in a whim, fingers clasped around his throat without any conscious command. All the noise and voices faded away, and all she could hear was the pulse on her head and a primal growl that, she noticed, was coming from within her.
"STOP!"
It wasn't Claire, even though the arms around her neck felt as soft. She had no idea why that voice had any power over her, but it did. When she came back to her senses, Alice realized she was breathing hard against K-Mart's torn t-shirt.
XXX
When Claire arrived, her eyes travelled fast looking for three specific people, and somehow the sight of K-Mart tackling Alice soothed her in a strange way. Her heart was about to skip a beat when she located Becky secured behind Crystal.
Rain came trotting to her, and the blood on her knuckles made Claire groan.
"Please, tell me you didn't incite it-"
"Pardon the pun, but I saw red," the brunette grunted, breathing with difficulty. "When I heard K scream, I lost it-"
Claire stopped listening. She was worried that people would kill him, but he touched her kid.
He dared to touch her kid.
She wanted to aim for his jugular, and finish the job, but the nagging sense of duty prevented her a second before she followed her maternal instincts. When she turned around, Chris was fighting against several pairs of hands to get to Bennett.
"I'm gonna kill you!" he hollered, completely out of his mind. "You're gonna regret being born, you sick pervert-"
"Shut up!"
It was probably out of surprise that Jill reacted like that. She had never seen Chris Redfield so shaky. He blinked, baffled by the snap. The brunette came to a halt in front of him, and silently gestured for the others to let him go.
"Keep your shit together, this is not The Holy Inquisition!" she hissed through gritted teeth, looking straight into his furious eyes. "You, take Bennett to the warehouse," she said to Carlos and Luther. "I'm asking questions and we'll decide later what to do with him. Like humans. Alright?"
There was a general murmur of agreement and embarrassment, even though a few people didn't look sorry in the slightest. Once the mess of people dissipated and everyone went back to their tasks, K-Mart let go of Alice with a painful grunt.
"You're damn strong!"
"I wasn't even moving, kid."
"Don't call me kid!"
"Are you alright?"
K-Mart paused at the expression on Alice's face and the fear on her raspy tone. She seemed to be in pain, and so mad that it reminded her of her real, long lost mother. She suddenly felt like it was time to give a rain check on their silent war.
"Yes, mom," she tried to smile, nudging the tall blonde in the ribs. "Rain told me once she taught you all you know about kicking ass, and well, she was really impressive when she…" her voice trailed off for a moment, but it didn't take long for her to go back to herself. "But don't tell her I said that, I'll never hear the end of it if she does."
"I was the one who taught her," Alice grunted.
"That fucking liar," K-Mart chuckled, faking indignation. There was silence and then both stared at each other. "I don't want my mom to be a murderer. Punish him all you want, but not like this."
Alice turned away to avoid her look, but not because she was upset. She was ashamed. She was supposed to set an example to that girl. She was supposed to be her hero, even if she grew up and didn't believe in heroes anymore.
"Promise?"
Alice looked back at K's brown eyes. She sighed. "I promise, kid."
K-Mart kissed her cheek on her way up towards Chris's arms. The older Redfield engulfed her girl in an overprotective hug, and well, she would have to drop the childish attitude towards him. She could kill him in her mind all she wanted, but there was no way she would break another promise she made to K-Mart.