AN: HI. Flashbacks and dreams are in italics .

-I-

"Don't get me wrong, we're grateful for what you did back there. But the people; they're scared."

Alice turned away from the sympathetic look Claire Redfield was sending her way. She did not want nor need anyone's sympathy or pity. "I don't blame them." She said dejectedly. How long had it been since she'd had some real human contact? Months? Years? She wasn't one to get emotional but… "People have a habit of dying around me." Matt. Kaplan. Rayne. Hell, even Spencer. Angie. They were all dead.

Claire's resolve faltered as she examined the woman resting against her jeep. She was rough around the edges, cold. But she could easily see the pain and the fear in her baby blue eyes. Her own heart broke a little. "Trust me, you're not the only one." The sand crunched under her feet as she marched away to find Carlos.

Alice waited a few seconds before turning to watch Claire go. A little smirk pulled at her lips. She reminded her of Jill in some ways-they were both blunt and to the point. When they'd first met the ex STARS agent was less than friendly but she'd warmed up to her eventually. There was one key difference between these two women however. Jill was cold, calculated, and couldn't be bothered to care too much about someone she'd just met. Claire had a soft spot. Kmart was proof of that. These people were proof of that.

"Your name," The redhead hesitated, eyes ticking between the vast expanse of ocean beneath them and the itchy, irritating rope binding her wrists, "is Alice… right?"

Alice's lips twitched but her expression remained as somber as ever. "She speaks."

Despite everything, found she was slightly amused by the entire situation… That is until her hazel eyes caught sight of the all the damage beneath them. She couldn't remember a damn thing. Not even her name. She hardly remembered waking up to find herself bound to a plane with this Alice person watching over her. "Look, I'm sorry about back there. I don't know what happened." She sighed. For a while after the effects of the drugs wore off she'd managed to convince herself to remain calm about the fact that she might as well be zombie herself. But now, not knowing anything at all? It was terrifying. "I don't even know what my name is."

Alice grimaced. She hadn't known Claire for very long before they were separated. But in those short three days they had bonded in a way not even she and Carlos had. Not even Jill. A pang in her chest made her realize she felt a lot more than just protective of the redhead. "Your name is Claire. Claire Redfield."

"Claire…" Claire tested the name. It felt right somehow, but she couldn't be sure. Then again, why would someone give her a fake name? It's not like it mattered anyways. Zombies didn't much care for proper introductions as far as she was concerned.

Alice glanced at the controls, decided they were flying high enough and far enough from anything that might jeapordize them. She glanced over her shoulder, a frown on pouty lips. "Sound familiar?"

"Not really."

The ex umbrella agent turned. "You'll get used to it." She failed to mention whether she was referring to the name or the amnesia.

"Perhaps you can cut me lose?" Claire ventured, adding a tinge of hope to her voice. She added a pleasant, white smile for effect but it was lost on the pilot's seat.

A little amused scoff was her response. "I think we should get to know each other a little better first."

Claire slumped against her seat, defeated. She shook her head and stared out the window. She wasn't too disappointed seeing as she hadn't really expected Alice to cut her lose right off the bat. She bit her tongue and kept quiet, holding back something along the lines of 'Shouldn't you get to know people before you get kinky with the rope?'

"…There's no sign of life here either. I have a strange feeling and I can't pinpoint it." Her eyes softened when she spotted Claire sitting on a log kicking rocks into the ocean. The redhead didn't look pleased about the fact that she was still bound. "Claire seems to be getting better. Whatever that thing was, the effects weren't permanent. She mentioned something about Arcadia a few hours ago. Her memory is coming back slowly." With a final sigh at the camera, she reached over and shut it off, taking her own seat atop a boulder on the shoreline.

Arcadia wasn't what it was supposed to be. The transmissions claimed they offered safety, security, shelter, food, and water. They claimed there was no infection. Where were THEY then? Where was the isolated little Alaskan town that was supposed to be the people's haven? She didn't understand. What she found was nothing more than a plane grave yard, nothing more than a beach and a fifteen mile strip of frozen land.

Frustrated, the ex bodyguard scratched at her head. Maybe she went to the wrong place? But what were the chances that Claire had landed in the exact same place? Of course she was in right place! There must have been at least fifty planes or more parked. Plus, someone had to have been there to drug Claire.

Claire…

The tough, spunky, witty redhead was not looking very well at the moment. Sure she was as lively as ever with her extensive, quite colorful vocabulary, and she'd threatened to beat her down more than once if she didn't untie her. But she looked thinner the last time she saw her, thinner and pale. The fire in her eyes that gave her goose bumps 18 months ago was fading.

Claire grumbled under her breath. She was starting to feel childish for complaining so much but could she blame her? For the past 18 months she was drugged and so far out of her mind she might as well have been dead. Her body was running simply on survival instincts. 18 months of fighting and struggling tend to make an already guarded girl just that much more… guarded. Her mind told her to keep an eye on Alice but something else -something she couldn't identify- told her Alice would never harm her. Still… being tied down was not her idea of a party.

"You know, I could slip out of this when you're asleep."

Alice raised a brow at her. A part of her wanted to knock her lights out because chances were she probably could slip out. A bigger part of her however was concerned.

"When's the last time you ate?" She asked, ignoring her previous comment. She stood up from her long and dusted her pants, checked her magnums, and casually made her way to the log Claire was occupying. She sat slowly, her eyes on the never ending ocean in front of her, but her senses were on high alert. Letting yourself become distracted in this world was asking to get killed. Even when there was no one around; it was dangerous.

As Claire made to protest, her body betrayed her. The very thought of food made her stomach growl and her head hurt simultaneously. Her face felt hot as she adverted her gaze from Alice's sparkling eyes.

She was beautiful; did she know? Her skin was fair, naturally pale and looked soft and supple. Her face was perfectly crafted to fit her slender nose and full lips. But more than anything- did she know how disturbing her eyes were? Claire shivered at the very thought of them. Alice was beautiful. And disturbing in her intensity.

"I-I don't remember."

"Here."

Claire's own brows lifted at the candy bar being waved in front of her. She chuckled as she shook her head. "I'd kill for a smoke though."

Alice set the bar in Claire's lap. It wasn't anything fancy but it was something. She could easily hunt down an animal. If there were any left. Where had she seen the last deer herd?… "Smoking is bad for you."

In Alaska the sun came and went in a fleeting moment. The heat it offered was something like a luxury that should be treated with the utmost gratitude. Alice recalled wishing there was a bit more shade in the day, but now the temperature was beginning to drop incredibly fast. She herself had a large coat to help keep her warm when she slept inside the cockpit but Claire was wearing a thin muscle shirt with a cut off tee. She had to wonder, how had she survived all this time in that wardrobe? Had the drugs made her oblivious to hunger, pain, and cold? That seemed to be the case.

"What were you before… before all of this happened?" Claire asked suddenly. The silence was beginning to make her nervous and uncomfortable. It had never bothered her before. Of course, that was before the world came to an end. She couldn't remember the last time she slept alone or in an open space.

Kmart. Was she alright? Was she even alive anymore? 18 months is a really long time and in this world (or what's left of it) anything can happen in the blink of an eye. The only reason she knew of Kmart was because Alice had informed her of their little blonde haired angel.

"I was a security guard at a high tech facility called The Hive." Alice answered after a while. Her tone said it wasn't a happy story. Hazel and blue watched the crackling, popping fire showing signs of dying down. The brunette sighed and threw some twigs into the flames, keeping it going for another ten minutes or so. "That life was so long ago it doesn't even feel like its mine anymore… The Hive was an underground research facility for Umbrella-"

Claire's eyes widened in shock "You-you worked for-"

"Umbrella." Alice's brows furrowed, "Yeah. I was head of security, well, Spencer and I were heads of security at a mansion. We had a fake marriage and everything. The mansion was a cover up for a secret passage that led to subway tunnel, which in turn led to The Hive." she watched the redhead from the corner of her eye. Claire looked very intrigued. And cold. "Here." She took her jacket and draped it over her pale arms. She looked as if she were about to protest then thought better about it.

"Thanks."

"Hmm."

"So what happened? With you I mean."

"Me?" The ex guard scoffed, her eyes boring into the fire. Her face was expressionless as shadows danced across it. "I was trying to bring Umbrella down. They were experimenting with viral weaponry. An environmentalist was looking to expose Umbrella and I agreed to help her. But on the day I was supposed to smuggle the sample, Spencer beat me to it. He broke a vial of the T-virus inside the facility. The Hive's primary defenses activated and everyone was killed… but you see, the T-virus didn't let them stay dead for long."

"Son of a bitch… that's how it all started, isn't it? This?" Claire bit her lip and fought back a shiver. She couldn't remember exactly where she was the day the world took a spiral down into hell but her brain kept forming a word. A name.

Jesse…

"A team of military agents came to the mansion and took me with them down into the Hive. Their objective was to find out what happened." Alice could recall every single detail of the nightmare that had been the Hive. If she'd known then what she knew now she would have been all too happy to die down there with Rayne or Kaplan. "They found out alright. The entire team of agents was killed save for two, Rayne and Kaplan. They were my friends but I couldn't save them."

An image of a bloodied, motionless young blonde boy flashed across Claire's mind. "We can't save everyone."

Had it been anyone else, Alice would have waved off her attempt to comfort her. But this was Claire. Her words and emotions were those of one who knew first hand. "In the end only I escaped, myself and this man named Matt. He was the brother of the woman I was helping. When we reached the mansion, we were ceased by Umbrella agents. They took Matt away and they sedated me."

The way Alice's voice faded, Claire guessed there was more to it. She waited patiently for her to continue.

"I don't know for how long they experimented on me with the T-virus. They injected me with the virus, then with anti virus, then with the virus again. It was a never ending cycle. They-"

Before she could stop herself, Claire had scooted over to Alice's side and taken her hand despite certain limitations. She squeezed the cold, petite hands in her own. She felt comforted by the fact that she was making some kind of contact with a human again. She'd almost been afraid this was all dream, that she'd wake up and find herself still trapped by the device, still alone.

"what did they do to you?' She whispered, as if someone could actually hear them.

Alice's hands trembled as she recalled everything she had been through. Before she was human again, these memories wouldn't have made her flinch. Now she felt all these emotions bubbling to the surface, threatening to break her. She was human alright, there was no other explanation for why she felt so vulnerable and weak.

"Isaacs managed to stop my heart a few times. After the third or fourth time it wasn't as bad. But I remember the first time it felt like… it felt like my body was being torn apart from the inside out. My heart stopped then my lungs felt like they were on fire. I gasped but no breath would come to me. I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe. All I could was watch. And feel." A moment passed. Claire got the feeling Alice was not used to showing herself like this. She didn't push it. She was sure if she could remember her own life, it would be something tragic, but nothing would come near to what Alice had suffered through. "When I finally came to my senses, the entire clinic was abandoned. I broke out of the lab and found the world had come to an end. There were crashed cars, abandoned, bloody, on fire. Everything was chaotic. I had no idea what was happening until I went for a little walk." She smirked sardonically at this. "It turns out the Umbrella Corporation felt the need to explore the Hive. They weren't planning on the levels of infections they encountered and the virus escaped out into Raccoon City. You know the rest."

Claire gave a nod of affirmation, then sighed. "Well, I used to know."

Alice gave her an apologetic look. "You should sleep. You need it."

Suddenly Claire felt very exhausted. Her lids were growing heavy and with the last remnants of the drugs in her system clearing she was beginning to feel every ache and pain, every little cut and break and bruise. Her arm automatically wrapped itself around her midsection, her side felt particularly tight and tender. She had noticed before, but it was slightly uncomfortable to breathe, maybe even painful.

"You're right." She stared at the ground. It looked hard and cold.

Alice, having followed her eyes, chuckled quietly. "I'll be right back." She said, jogging to the plane. She quickly dug through it and found what she sought. When she came back, she held a thick fur blanket and what looked like a sleeping bag in her arms. Kicking rocks and twigs away from a spot she deemed worthy, she laid out the sleeping bag then spread the blanket over it. "There you go."

Claire, who had watched Alice go about fixing her a bed for the night, felt very conscious. "Aren't you going to sleep?"

"Someone has to keep a lookout. Get in."

Claire surprised herself. Instead of protesting, she obediently crawled to the sleeping bag and unceremoniously dropped herself on top of it. Instantly her body recognized this as something she hadn't felt in years and relaxed to the point of rendering her unconscious. Her eyes fluttered shut even as she fought to remain awake. "My god this feels good."

"Tomorrow we'll hit the stores. We need to find you something to eat." Alice spoke quietly, she knew Claire was just about ready to drop dead with exhaustion. She felt for her. She must be at least six years younger than her. "How do you feel?"

"Tired," she yawned, curling into a ball on her side out of instinct. She had the feeling she was the type of girl who didn't like to expose or show her weakness, had the feeling she was trying to make up for something be trying to be strong all the time. She shrugged at herself, there was no one here she had to be strong for. "Dizzy," she admitted, "freezing."

Alice watched her for a few minutes. She'd set the bag up near the fire, close enough to give her warmth but not close enough for her toll over and into the flames in her sleep. A little smile snuck onto her lips as Claire turned her back towards her and scooted closer towards the fire. She was lying in the fetal position, her head tucked to her chest, arms wrapped around herself. Snoring. It was a rather sophisticated sound really, barely hearable over the groaning of the fire. It was now Alice noticed how much of a kid Claire really was. No, not a kid. But young. Youthful. Something in her chest lurched catching sight of her trembling beneath the blanket.

"Claire?…" Nothing. "Claire?" She whispered softly in her ear, shaking her shoulder gently. She was out like a light. A genuine smile crossed her features. Lifting a corner of the blanket, she slipped into the sleeping bag as carefully as she could. Once she was settled, she cautiously wrapped her arm around the younger woman's waist and laid beside her. Almost at once the shaking stopped. Figures. She'd looked so comfortable and in command in the desert. Alice guessed Claire Redfield wasn't a girl of the cold. Truth be told, neither was she. Resting her head on her shoulder, she grabbed her gun with her free hand and laid on top of her hip. She'd meant what she said, someone had to keep watch, and that is exactly what she intended to do. "Rest easy, Claire. I'll take care of you."

Claire smiled to herself when she heard Alice's declaration. She felt safe in this woman's arms and she didn't know why. Why should she trust anyone when she couldn't even trust herself? But Alice… she's so warm.

Claire Redfield sauntered into her anatomy classroom fifteen minutes late that morning. Her hair, which she usually kept in a ponytail, was loose and wind tousled from the motorcycle ride to the university. Her usual attire of a black hooded sweat short and jeans were replaced by a pair of black leather pants and a form fitting red underamor shirt beneath a denim motorcycle jacket. Her boots clunked heavily on the tiles as she smiled sweetly at her professor and made her way to her desk.

"Wow.." The guy sitting next to her checked her out unabashedly. "Looking good, Redfield."

Claire KNEW she looked good, even with a bruise on her jaw and a cut in her eyebrow. "Too bad I can't say the same for you." She said in a flippant manner.

"Ms. Redfield," her professor cleared his throat, wiping his glasses madly with a cloth. "Why, do tell, were you late to my class?"

Damn… Think fast. It would be easy enough to lie to the professor, say she was hung-over or something cool like that. Truth was, she had spent the night following a lead. Apparently one of Chris's ex teammates was in town and she was hoping to speak with him. She'd spent half the night looking for this guy and when she finally found him, he gave her the run around. She winced just thinking about how close she'd been to getting hit by a train. A second later and she would have been splattered on the road like a coat of paint. She wasn't all that lucky however. The train had clipped her tire and sent her tail spinning. She'd been wearing her helmet and armored jacket but she was still injured. She spent the better part of her morning getting stitched up by her less than friendly, elusive roommate.

"Well you see, Professor Slater I-"

"Hold that thought." Professor Slater held a finger to his lips as he reached into his coat pocket for his cell phone.

Claire sighed in relief. Her excuse would have gotten her suspended for such. Throwing herself into her seat, she only slightly hissed when a jolt of pain shot through her back. Nothing like a little road burn for breakfast. It didn't matter, she was a motorcycle junkie and something like this only made her crave it more.

"Claire Redfield?"

Her brows shot up into her hairline. The entire class along with her turned their heads towards the classroom entrance. Standing at the door was her roommate. Usually the girl had night classes and worked during the day. Or so she claimed. Claire had never actually seen her on campus nor had she ever told her where it was exactly that she worked at. Her brilliant grey eyes scanned the entire room before falling on her. Once they'd locked eyes, Claire knew something was awfully wrong.

"What are you doing here?"

By the time she spoke, her roommate had already made her way over to her desk. She gathered her freshly discarded bag, slung it over her shoulder, then grabbed her hand and pulled her out of her seat. "We have to get out of here."

Her roommate had pulled her all the way down to the door before her brain kicked in and she stepped on the brakes. Ripping her hand free from the frowning brunette, she took a step back and folded her arms across her chest. "What's the deal here?"

"Look," her roomie said, sounding exasperated, "I don't have time to explain it right now, Claire, just come with me."

Claire lifted a brow, not budging. Strange rumors had gone around the school about this girl before. She was just too mysterious, too quiet, and too beautiful. Or so she'd heard. "Look, whatever your name is, I'm sure you had a little too much to drink last night and I'm sure with a few Tylenol-"

"Class…"

Professor Slater's phone slipped from his hand. It clashed nosily to the ground, garnering the attention of all ninety seven students plus one. All eyes were on him as he reached for the remote on his table and slowly pointed it at the TV.

Claire's brows furrowed as she took glanced at the TV. "What in the hell…"

'Still no explanation for this wave of killing-' the screen showed a cop pointing a gun at a man's chest, squeezing the trigger. The bullet splattered blood on the road. The shot man looked down at his chest with a crooked, bloodied expression, then promptly growled and launched himself at the police officer as if the bullet had merely inconvenienced him. 'A deadly crime spree with no end.' Several more people mimicked the man and his actions. Right before the TV shot off, the camera man pointed at a woman tangling her hand into a little girl's long blonde hair, yanking it back, and digging her teeth into her exposed neck. The little girl shrieked the gurgled as the woman yanked her head back and pulled a chunk of flesh the size of her fist from the little girl's throat.

The entire classroom was silent. Then chaos erupted all around them. Students jumped from their seats and made to run down the stairs and to the door. A young girl tripped and accidentally pushed another girl down the stairs. She screamed as her fellow classmates ignored her and trampled her in their haste to reach the exit. Even Professor Slater rushed for the door in a frenzy, shoving both men and women alike out of his way. In the halls students and faculty alike were screaming and cursing, pushing and shoving in an attempt to get outside of the overcrowded building. It wasn't long before a misunderstanding had two males pitted against each other, throwing punches and wild swings at each other. Soon three more joined the fit and before long entire pits of students were fighting each other. The teachers didn't bother to stop the fighting. In fact, they joined in the violence, kicking and sucker punching whoever got in the way between them and the doors.

As all of this happened, Claire witnessed the mayhem from the safety of a hill several hundred yards away. Her roommate had managed to shove her out of the classroom and down the hall soon after she'd seen the first kill on TV. After seeing that man attack the officer she hadn't had it in her to fight the stronger brunette. Now they were standing at a hill far away from the main building of the university, watching as a horde of people tripped over each other in their haste to get away. If they came too close, the two of them would simply crawl back onto her roommates own Ducati and drive away.

"My god… what's going on…" She couldn't believe her eyes. Blood already stained the marble walkway that led to the doors. The sound of shattering glass made her jump. Someone had thrown a man through the glass doors.

"The end of the world." Her roommate said seriously, walking up to her side. Her jet black hair hung over her eyes, but Claire could see her scoping the area out like a hawk searching for prey. "Come on," she said after a moment, "we have to get back to the dorm. We'll be safe there."

Claire nodded slowly, forcing herself to look away from the scene unfolding behind her. It was like something out of a nightmare or a horror movie. "Thanks," she said quietly, numbly. She climbed onto the bike and wrapped her arms around the slender waist of her savior. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

The bike roared as she squeezed the gas pedal. They shot through the grass at high speeds, leaving all the commotion behind them. Soon the only thing that could be heard was the howling of the wind as they drove down the country road towards the dorms. Claire recognized it as the road she usally took. Being a speed junkie and all, this road was perfect for her because there was hardly any traffic. Or cops. The open road stretched out ahead of them with only the mountains in their view. The university was located towards the back of Raccoon City, while the dorms were smacked just on the edge of town.

Taking in a deep breath, Claire rested her head against the back of her savior's shoulder, her arms tightening around her as it hit her just what had transpired.

"W-what were those things?" She asked in a horrified whisper. Her heart was pounding fiercely in her chest, pumping adrenaline throw her body at a rate that made her feel slightly sick to her stomach.

"Jesse."

Claire frowned, her brows furrowing. "What?" She hollered over the wind. They came to a stop at the first red light district. Her roomie removed her helmet and shook out her dark glossy mane. Looking over her shoulder, she offered Claire a white, timid smile.

"My name," she gestured, a pink tint to her cheeks. "is Jesse. Jesse Valentine."

"Jesse Valentine?" Claire whispered to herself, it sounded familiar. "Valentine…"

Claire bolted upright breathing heavily. Sweat soaked her shirt and hair despite the freezing temperatures, and she felt like she was suffocating. She blinked then groaned and grabbed her head. A searing, white hot pain stabbed through her temples, making her feel nauseous, disoriented. Was that a dream? Memories?

"Claire?" Alice's concerned toned of voice snapped Claire out of her mind trip. She looked over her shoulder and found the brunette looking at her intently, a little trickle of what she would guess was fear in her clear blue eyes. "Are you alright?"

The redhead grimaced, grabbing her head. "Ow," she whimpered, settling back down into the sleeping bag. Her heart felt as if it would jump out of her chest any second now. Either that or it would break every single one of her ribs before it began to calm down. "What was that?" She thought out loud.

Alice couldn't decide how to react to Claire. "A dream?" she offered helpfully, laying down as well. She hadn't been sleeping, but had fallen into a medative state. The second Claire's peaceful breathing got erratic she shot upright and began shaking her awake.

"Yeah… I guess…" She wasn't so sure. "It's fucking freezing."

Instantly, Alice's arms wrapped around her again. Her own body sought Alice's warmth and moved of its own accord until she curled up into her side, her head resting on the older woman's chest. Alice's heart was beating a little faster than what would be considered normal but it was nothing compared to her own. Was it because of the cold? The dream? The memories? Was she getting sick? All of the above? Or was there an answer she just didn't want to think about?

"Thank you," she sighed, feeling herself begin to relax once more. She felt… less afraid knowing someone was there to make sure she was okay.

"Anytime…. Claire?"

A slight of hazel revealed itself to Alice. She'd never noticed before, but Claire's eyes were actually a very weird shade of green, not hazel. They were stunning, perfectly complimented her red hair and fair complexion.

"What is it?"

"Who's Jesse?" She meant to ask why she would mention 'Valentine' in her dreams. Did she know Jill? However, it still hurt to think the name, forget actually saying it out loud. That was an old wound that was still too easy to tear open again.

Claire scooted closer to Alice, seeking to steal as much warmth from her as possible. The headache was beginning to fade into a dull throb but her heart had yet to settle down enough for her to fall asleep. She didn't want to sleep. She HAD to sleep though. Her body was begging her to give it some much needed rest. She hadn't allowed herself to truly sleep in 18 months. When you're alone, you always sleep with one eye open.

"Jesse… I…. I have no idea." She said honestly, shutting her eyes. Her mind was racing, going a million miles an hours but the rest of her was so close to falling off the edge she could feel herself teetering, struggling to stay put. "I really have no clue."

-I-

AN: I've always thought Jill was the hottest thing alive and I still do. However, the more I watch RE the more I realize I like Claire a lot because her character just makes me want to hug her. And she's gorgeous too. So behold, I'm writing a Claire/Alice fic (cus there's nowhere near enough fanfics of this pair… come to think of it, there's a lack of RE fics in general.) with a lil Claire/Jesse and Alice/Jill. The story is this: Claire hasn't regained her memories and finds she relives them when she falls asleep. As more of her memories reveal themselves to her she realizes she has feelings for Alice. Some of this will follow the movie but I changed a few things to fit my story. Plz review, let me know what you think. Flames are, eh, not very fun but go ahead and leave them. Just don't freak out when I flame back at you. (and trust me I will.) Haters make me famous.

Cheers!