N/A: So, here I am, under pressure and all, trying my best not to screw up the whole idea that's been floating around Clairice Aberfield shippers' minds... I'm only doing this because I really want to see that unrolling like all of you. Suggestions/comments are always welcome and appreciated (=
Disclaimer:I don't own Resident Evil, Claire, Alice, Jill or neither of those amazing people from the movies. If I did, I'd be with them instead of writing about their awesomeness…
Blue jeans
1. Dust and smokes
It was hot, goddamned hot as Alice Abernathy jumped off the truck. Her jackboots stomped hard against the creaked asphalt, and she could almost feel the heat coming up her legs. She raised her green eyes, using one hand to shade them so she could stare at the driver.
She saluted him, slammed the door shut and gave it a soft pat as she turned on her heels and walked away. She heard the vehicle's engine spring back to life and her previous ride leave her, taking its original course on the highway towards Las Vegas.
Squinting, the tall blonde found her way among the modest streets of Raccoon City, walking past its shy inhabitants. Some actually smiled at her. Maybe they felt safe in what seemed to be the only place left to live in the country, or it was her who looked too scary with a gun poking out of her jeans. Either way she didn't know what was there to smile about. The blonde acquiesced as she found the recruiting office that she heard about a few destroyed cities away.
The iron door was sealed shut with chains and a padlock as most things were these days. The virus had devastated almost everything, including people's trust on each other. A large red and white insignia covered the not so ruined wall, and for a moment she wondered why a red cross like the Pope's would be doing there. Then she read the name of the office right underneath the symbol, and she gathered it.
Umbrella was a weird name for a security company, but she had been unemployed for far too long to start being picky now. She had lived on the road for the past three years since the outbreak, sleeping on abandoned cars' back seats, desert motel rooms and even on clean beds. The last was the most unusual scenario; Alice usually avoided human contact, but sometimes it was too hard to refuse a hot meal and bedsheets in exchange of protection.
She had met many people on her journey through the country. Some unprepared families tried to 'adopt' her, wanting her to stay permanently. She gruffly dismissed every invitation, hating the intimacy almost as much as she hated those who had tried to kill her. Others simply accepted her accidental and elusive transition through their lives, such as Carlos and Matt, and let her go.
And now here she was, taking another step into this dusty end-of-the-world town, hoping she didn't have to stay long. The plan was to work that summer and then head north. Not that she needed the money, but Alice definitively was starting to feel worn out. Her intention didn't go further than having a place to stay and the chance to grab a few supplies before she kicked off again, and she knew she'd have to work for it.
She tugged on her hat's brim to avoid the sun on her face as she rested her aching back against the wall. Alice fished for a crumpled pack of Marlboros on her back pocket and lit it with a match. Cigarettes were easier to find than food now. She usually broke into convenience stores at gas stations, and once she had even run into a distribution plant, but she decided to cherish the half pack she still had on her. God only knew when she'd hit the road again to find more.
The sun seemed to be frying her brains, and maybe that's why she almost gave up on that endless wait bullshit. A yellow Hummer came into view, turning the corner and slowly parking in front of the office, its tires ungracefully crashing the gravel. Alice imagined that the son of a bitch of her employer had finally made it, when she spotted a long mane of strawberry blonde hair under a ball cap.
She lowered her eyes and hung her head, expecting that the hat's brim would keep her face hidden. As the driver strolled softly towards her, she decided it was probably another one who'd require information or even ask if she could take a look at her car engine. Her dirty outfit and short hair usually gave the idea that she was a guy at distance.
"Excuse me?" asked a cautious voice. It seemed to ring well to Alice's ears, because she looked up right away. Her eyes met soft, blue ones. The redhead hooked her aviators on the collar of her dusty top and removed the ball cap.
"I don't fix cars," Alice gruffly said, throwing her cigarette away on a dry bush.
"Like I'd need you for that," the redhead scoffed. At the blonde's silence, she shifted her weight to her left leg. "I'm looking for a job."
"Guy's not here yet."
"Oh, so you're applying too?"
Alice only nodded; she thought it was obvious since no one was stupid enough to purposely melt under that scalding sun.
"I'm Claire Redfield," the redhead offered a hand. Alice took it, realizing how softer and smaller it was compared to hers.
"Alice."
Claire stared at her and then lowered her head, watching the tips of her boots with little interest. She had an inquisitive expression when she looked up again, and Alice knew that, like everyone else, Claire had expected to hear her last name too. She was just about to accept that all humans were the same, when the redhead surprised her.
"Do you have any smokes?" she asked instead.
"It was my last," Alice lied.
"Oh."
Claire seemed disappointed, but Alice was not bothered by that. Claire had a ride, she might as well find her own cigarettes. If the redhead could be just a little less… invasive… then maybe Alice could have liked her.
Just as if she could read Alice's unreadable face, Claire shut her mouth for the remaining half hour that the asshole from Umbrella took to finally arrive. He was tall and had a broad chest, plastered blond hair and eyes concealed behind sunglasses. Despite the sun, he wore dark clothes that didn't seem to fit in with all the dust and abandon of the city.
He got off a fancy BMW motorcycle and marched towards the sealed door, barely registering the women. He unlocked the pad and slid the rusty chains with precision. One strong pull and the door slid sideways. He entered the office and left it open.
Claire assumed that it was as much as she'd get for an invitation, so she walked to the door but stopped once she saw her path blocked by the back of a very smudged shirt. The tall woman, Alice, removed her hat to reveal unruly sand blond hair. It looked like she had cut it herself with some blunt blade – it was slightly different in length depending on the spot of her head.
Claire had a smirk on her lips when Alice gave a step back for her to go first.
"Nice hair," she purred. Alice rolled her eyes. That woman could stop talking at all?
"What are you two capable of besides looking dirty?" the blond man asked from a dark corner, sitting behind a metal desk. He had a distinct British accent and had not removed his sunglasses, and it felt creepy to be watched by him like that.
"I can fix most engines there are," Claire promptly said. "Mr… uh-"
"Albert Wesker," he offered with a wolfish grin that Alice didn't like. "But you can call me Chairman. You are?"
"Claire Redfield."
"Well, Claire Redfield, I think we could use some of your skills. What about you?" he tilted his head towards Alice. "Scare birds away with one look?"
Alice shifted uncomfortably on her spot, pursing her lips as she felt Claire's eyes on her. "I was in the Army," she huskily replied, looking past the redhead and straight at Wesker. "I'm good at killing, if that's what you mean."
She heard Claire gasp almost inaudibly a few steps away to her right. Wesker had a smirk that was displeasing her with each passing second.
"I could use you too," he said with a short nod. "Private-?"
"Alice," she said coldly, walking to the door to leave. But before she could do that, she looked at him one last time. "And I was Major."
"Good," Wesker snickered. "You start tomorrow at zero five hundred hours. Don't be late. Major."
Alice barely acknowledged the sarcasm and left. Military titles sounded absurdly ridiculous now, and she knew it. Once she was outside, she was hit again by a strong blow of hot breeze, and her forehead soon became moist under the hat.
Alice rolled up the sleeves of her shirt and rummaged for another cigarette. She still had to find somewhere to stay the night in that God forsaken town, and she was better do it before it got dark. Curfews were very common where small populations gathered, and she usually got in trouble for disrespecting it.
She dragged her cigarette slowly, closing her eyes as the boiling sun punished her skin. Beads of sweat rolled down her neck and spine, and she felt slightly hungry. It was ten past noon, and if she was counting right, she hadn't eaten anything in two days.
The purr of an engine drew closer. She kept walking even though she had an idea of what was about to happen.
"I thought you said that was your last cigarette," Claire's voice said behind her back.
Alice turned around and found the redhead looking defiantly at her. "Well, I lied," the blonde said simply.
Claire sighed and her expression changed. "Fine," the redhead gave in to her frustration, and Alice found it quite amusing. "What do you want?"
"I don't want anything."
"C'mon… a ride?"
Alice chuckled humorlessly. "I have nowhere to go to."
"A place to stay, then?"
"Forget it."
"Don't be such an asshole!" Claire exclaimed, getting out of the car and slamming the door in the process. She strode with determination towards Alice and stopped in front of the taller woman with her hands in her hips. "There must be something you want!"
Alice looked at Claire. Her green eyes took a full minute on the redhead, watching her intently, just expecting the moment she would falter and finally fail to challenge Alice like that. A shade of crimson erupted on Claire's cheeks, but she squinted with defiance at the blonde before spinning on her heels and marching back to the Hummer. "Idiot," she snarled under her breath.
Alice smiled. "At least you had the last word and won the discussion."
"Fuck you, Alice," Claire snarled, turning the keys and making the engines roar again.
"You could at least buy me a drink first," Alice said, turning her back to the Hummer and starting to walk away.
"Enjoy your night out, Major," Claire said with a poignant grin as she easily paired up with Alice.
"I will," Alice laughed; she produced the pack of Marlboro from her pocket and wobbled it playfully at her arm's length.
She heard Claire hiss something unpleasant; the redhead hit the gas pedal and disappeared in a cloud of dust. Alice shook her head and focused on the task she had ahead. She only needed to make it though one more night.
The blonde wandered the streets of Raccoon City and easily hid in the creepy shadows of a barn by the highway. The straw was softer than the earthy ground, at least. With both hands behind her head, she watched the sky getting darker and darker, no stars on the wide firmament. After curfew, it was a simple matter of slithering inside the local pub after unlocking the door with a hair pin.
Bathed by a pale moonlight she found it, hidden like a treasure in the back of the kitchen. She grabbed the bottle of whiskey and took a large gulp. Alcohol was not as easy to find as smokes, but it still was more fulfilling than food. It lasted long and helped her sleep, feeling no hunger or bitterness at all.