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Chapter 2: 'Tis the Season
"Alice…Alice…Alice, wake up."
The brunette's eyes shot open. Everything was dark, and Claire was gripping her shoulder. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears and she was panting, but there was no danger. The redhead released her shoulder but rubbed her fingers gently up and down Alice's naked arm.
"Are you ok?"
The brunette swallowed as she tried to instill some manner of calm back into her system. She didn't answer Claire; she almost never did after waking from a nightmare. Sometimes she wouldn't speak for days. Alice was traumatized by her time on the Arcadia. Being tortured by a sadist for the pursuit of science drove her to vivid nightmares, uncontrollable flashbacks that brought about rage, and silence.
She couldn't let any of that happen to her now. Claire would never let her leave if she seemed anything other than fine.
Alice smiled falsely. "I'm alright."
Even in the low light, Alice could see Claire's auburn eyebrows come together in uncertainty, but when she remained firm with her reassurance, Claire gave in with a true smile of her own.
The redhead kissed the corner of her mouth and started to rise from the bed. It was still dark out, but Alice pulled her watch from the nightstand next to the bed. The device read 7:23 AM.
"I'm making breakfast," Claire said; then added firmly, "and you're eating this time."
The brunette smirked at her stubbornness. "Yes ma'am."
Claire turned away to get dressed, and Alice looked down in shame. She hated lying to Claire, but it was for her benefit.
Breakfast was a simple affair of preserves and though Alice still had no appetite, she ate every bite with more enthusiasm than usual. K was happy to see everyone in such a good mood. The teen often forced herself between Claire and Alice as a kind of buffer. It was like she took it on herself to fix their every problem, and Alice would've sworn the teen knew they were fighting before she did. It would be no simple task to convince the girl to leave so the brunette could talk to Claire.
"Hey K-mart," Alice called.
"Yeah?"
"I'd like you to check the traps by yourself today."
Normally Alice and K-mart would scout the line together. They usually didn't get much, just the occasional rabbit or other small creature, but it was always just enough to keep red meat in their diet.
The teen's eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion, but she surrendered just the same.
"Sure thing, Alice."
K-mart left with Paco not long after, and Alice walked into the living room to find Claire sitting on the floor sewing up a hole in one of her shirts. The brunette took a breath and brought forward her resolve, but the redhead spoke before she had the chance to.
"What's up?"
"I'm leaving tomorrow."
Claire set down her project.
"What?"
Alice tilted her chin up. "I have to."
The woman shook her head in disbelief. "What? Where are you going? Why?"
The brunette dropped her gaze; she was already feeling the pressure of Claire's pain.
"I can't live like this anymore," Alice said honestly. "I know there are still survivors out there, and I have to help them."
Claire rose from her spot on the floor and walked up to Alice.
"You can't just leave," Claire said. Alice could see she was trying not to get angry, but she wasn't entirely successful. "It's the middle of winter for fuck's sake." The redhead kept up her disagreement, and her fury grew still. "You're not invincible anymore, Alice. What do you think you can do, hu? You have no powers-"
"I aim to fix that," Alice interrupted.
Claire laughed with astonishment. "So, that's what this is about. You just want your powers back."
Alice hadn't thought of it that way, but that didn't stop the ounce of truth from existing in Claire's words.
The redhead crossed her arms over her chest. "And how are you going to fix that?"
"I just have to find something infected-"
Suddenly K-mart appeared in the room. She was every bit as upset as Claire.
"Alice, you can't just go and let yourself get bit. That's insane!"
"Oh, like you can talk!" Claire interjected.
"I can talk, thank you very much!" K shot back.
As amused as Alice was by the angry banter it wasn't very productive. She intervened before Claire could provide another argument.
"For all I know it may not even work," she said, and Claire met her eyes. The green was tempered with rage and resolution.
"The answer is no."
"I wasn't asking for permission," the brunette replied steadily.
The teen walked straight to Alice, putting herself between the brunette and Claire.
"Alice, listen to me," she pleaded calmly. "I think I understand why you feel like you have to try and help, but you don't."
Alice gave the girl her confession. "You don't understand. Neither of you could possibly understand. I owe the world this."
K backed off when Claire placed a hand on her shoulder. Now Alice was face to face with the redhead. She was much more relaxed, but her eyes still spoke of her determination.
"You don't owe the world anything," she said to the brunette. "You owe me."
Alice's shoulders fell as the tension left her muscles in submission. Claire was right; she was indebted to her first and foremost.
"But I know you're not happy here," the redhead continued. "If saving the world is what you're driven to do…then I'm coming with."
K-mart shouted behind them with zeal. "Me too!"
The redhead still wasn't finished, so Alice listened.
"At least, give us this winter here. We can leave in spring."
One season of safety was all Claire was asking. While it would delay her plans, it was a request she could and even wanted to grant. Alice nodded, and Claire let out a defeated sigh. The redhead walked away, leaving Alice with K-mart as Paco ambled over to the teen.
When Claire was out of earshot K-mart voiced a question with slight apprehension.
"What about me?"
Alice raised an eyebrow. "You really think we'd leave you and Paco behind?"
The teen shook her head.
"Good. Now if I recall correctly someone was supposed to be checking the traps…"
K bent her head, but Alice just smiled at her shadow. She should've known the teen would not follow the order so easily. She should've known Claire would not go with her plan.
"Let's go," Alice said as she looked wistfully back to where the redhead had departed to.
Alice picked up her rifle from its spot leaning near the door after dressing for the cold. K was already set to go, and Paco wagged his tail listlessly as he waited. It didn't take the trio long to run the line, mostly because it was empty of prey. On their way back to the cabin the air was filled with silence and falling snow; the correlation between them both weighed on Alice. She could feel herself falling into guilt as her thoughts echoed into the quiet atmosphere around her.
I blew humanity's only chance for real survival into oblivion. How much of it was to keep two people safe? How much was it to get revenge?
Alice kept walking not really paying attention to where they were going; K-mart and Paco would not let them wander.
Just who was I getting revenge on? Again the word 'humanity' came to mind.
Abruptly Paco's ears perked and he jerked his head up to the left of them. Alice caught the dog's move and looked in the same direction as did K-mart. About fifty yards out and moving through a stand of trees was a deer. The brunette brought her rifle up to rest in the crook of her shoulder as she aimed. K-mart and Paco watched in absolute hush.
Alice looked through her sight at a magnified image of the doe. She considered briefly letting the animal continue on its way, but it wasn't every day they came upon so much meat. Their survival had to come first. She inhaled as she lined up the back dot with the space just behind the deer's foreleg. The creature was completely unaware that it was drawing in its final breath.
She exhaled and lightly squeezed the trigger. The first sense assaulted was her hearing as the noise of the shot crashed into her ears. The doe bolted, but only made it a few yards before collapsing into the snow. Alice lowered the gun and began to walk forward with intent. She couldn't say why, but somehow killing the animal played more deeply on her soul than any other time before. She understood the need to eat; to kill or be killed; to take or be taken from. The deer was just another piece to their survival, and yet it was more. They were connected.
Alice took out her knife quickly in case the animal was suffering. By the time she got there, it was already dead; hers was a shot through the heart.
The brunette field dressed the animal, removing the organs they wouldn't need and would only add weight to what had to be carried back. All told, Alice was looking to cart back about 100 pounds of meat. She could've cut it in pieces and made trips or had K help, but she was looking forward to some hard work. Dragging dead weight through a near foot of snow would be just that, but they weren't too far from the cabin.
By the end of it, Alice was sweating beneath all her heavy winter clothes. She was exhausted, but it was a pleasant kind of wear on her muscles. The teen helped her finish the job as they butchered the carcass into sizeable chunks and moved the meat to the underground ice chest to preserve it. It was bloody work, but it would feed them well for some time.
Days passed until they turned into weeks, but before a month could be counted K-mart approached Alice as the brunette shoveled a new path to the garage.
"Hey Alice," she called.
"What's up K?"
The brunette stopped shoveling and rested her hands on the handle of the shovel, then her chin on top of her hands in a relaxed pose.
"You know what tomorrow is, don't you?"
Alice pursed her eyebrows. Truthfully she had no idea. She wasn't even sure if she could tell K-mart the year.
"Saturday?" she guessed.
"No! It's Christmas Eve!"
Christmas?
"How do you even know that?" Alice asked, surprised.
The teen shrugged. "I just keep track."
The brunette lifted herself off the shovel and scratched the back of her neck as she thought again. Christmas…what the fuck am I going to do knowing that?
"Thanks K," she said as she began to shovel the snow again.
Alice thought all day. Her chores were mostly kept to the backburner as she tried to make sense of what knowing it was about to be Christmas was supposed to mean. She wanted to do something for the survivors, but presents would be pointless. The brunette couldn't get them anything frivolous, and practicality was out of the question as well.
Claire didn't avoid Alice since their argument, but she didn't seek her out either. The redhead was taking their leaving hard, and the brunette knew it would take something special to get her mind off it.
It was Christmas Eve before Alice finally figured out what she was going to do. She told Claire and K that she was going ice fishing and probably wouldn't be back before nightfall. The survivors accepted her story without a single hitch.
The brunette walked to the garage where the Hummer was parked for winter and where their snowmobile was kept. She gathered some of the fishing gear and the snow shovel, and placed the items in the saddlebags on the back of the vehicle. Then she lifted her hood over her head as she sat on the leather seat. Alice started the vehicle with ease and drove towards the frozen lake. Once she was out of the sight of the cabin she turned to go towards town.
It took Alice rummaging through a few houses before she had what she needed. She was back on the snowmobile and driving to the lake not long after.
It was almost midnight when she finally returned to the cabin. Alice was tired but happy. She'd accomplished her task and tomorrow she'd wrestle Claire and K-mart out into the cold if need be. Like every night Claire beat her to bed, Alice stood in their doorway and leaned against the frame for a moment. The redhead was asleep, and she seemed so at peace. It made the brunette question her decision. She didn't want Claire and K to come for the simple fact that they could be hurt. Even with their immunity the world outside their haven in Alaska was a deadly place.
The brunette sighed as she walked up to the bed. She got in and laid down facing Claire. The redhead was still asleep. Alice kissed her lightly on the forehead, and then shut her cobalt blue eyes.
"You'll get them killed."
"I won't," Alice replied. She couldn't place the voice. It was familiar but not; like a shadow without a form to follow it. The brunette heard the voice again, this time behind her.
"I know you better."
She turned on her heel to stand face to face with a blonde version of herself. The clone had dark shadows hiding her eyes from the hood over her face. Suddenly Alice noticed where they were. The sinister stone walls housed a large bell and an uncovered window to the night air. Claire was standing on the windowsill looking down as the breeze blew her red hair back.
Her copy walked to the woman, and Claire turned her head to face the blonde.
"I'm scared Alice."
Alice tried to go to her as well, but she was frozen in place. The replica smiled up at Claire, her white teeth glistening in the dim light. She stepped up behind the redhead on the small perch and wrapped her arms around Claire's waist. Alice took a breath of relief. She'd been so afraid Claire would jump. The redhead placed her arms over the ones on her midsection and titled her head back to capture the blonde Alice's lips. Her copy was forceful in returning the affection, but it seemed to only turn Claire on even more.
Alice felt a ghost of the touch grace her own mouth. The blonde woman smirked again as she ended the kiss, and then spoke to the redhead.
"Do you believe in me, Claire?"
The brunette's stomach dropped when she heard those words. The version of herself holding Claire pushed her forward, and the redhead fell out of the church window screaming.
Alice woke with tears in her eyes to an empty bed. She sat up and wiped the liquid away quickly as the image of herself pushing Claire to her death replayed in her mind. Paco nudged the bedroom door open with his nose and walked over to her. He was finally large enough to get on the bed by himself, so he did so and rested his head in her lap. Alice looked into his chocolate colored eyes and only then did she notice the red bow around his neck. It caused her to smile.
"You poor thing. K must've done that to you."
The brunette scratched around the ribbon and Paco sighed in content. She'd forgotten it was Christmas, but now that she'd been reminded she tucked the dream away. The uneasy feeling in her gut stayed with her though the horrible vision was gone.
Alice dressed for the day and walked into the kitchen to find Claire fixing breakfast. She stood in the entrance thankful to see the redhead was just fine.
Claire reached across the counter for something and must've caught the brunette in the corner of her eye because she immediately turned around in shock. "Shit, Alice!"
"Morning," Alice greeted with an amused grin.
The redhead held up what she'd been reaching for. It was a large butcher knife. Alice swallowed as Claire spoke.
"We really shouldn't surprise each other when there are sharp things around."
Alice laughed as she walked up to Claire and took the redhead in her arms to kiss her.
"How was fishing last night?"
"Good," Alice responded a little too quickly.
Claire raised a skeptic eyebrow. "Really? Then why isn't there any new fish in the ice box?"
The brunette froze as she tried to think of a suitable excuse. Luckily K came to her rescue when she entered the kitchen.
"Merry Christmas Alice!"
Alice smiled softly as she responded, "Merry Christmas K."
The brunette released Claire, and the redhead turned to continue preparing their meal. She decided that was a good time as any to voice her intentions.
"After breakfast I have a surprise for you both."
K was instantly overjoyed, but Claire rotated her head to give Alice a suspicious glance.
"You'll…like it?" Alice tried to cover, but really she had no idea if the redhead would. She wasn't too enthusiastic about things that took place in the cold.
A little less than an hour later, Alice had Claire and K-mart dress for their excursion. She walked out to the garage first and made sure everything was in place on the snowmobile. Alice drove it out front as Claire, K-mart, and Paco walked outside.
"Hop on," she directed.
Claire sat behind her and K behind the redhead. Paco would be forced to run alongside, but they'd made this trip countless times before. When everyone was settled Alice drove them at a leisurely pace to the lake so Paco wouldn't strain himself before the real fun began.
When they stopped and Claire saw their destination she scoffed.
"Fishing, Alice? We're going fishing?"
The brunette shook her head in amusement as she dismounted the vehicle. "Believe me, holes in the ice would not be good for what we're about to do."
Claire raised an eyebrow as K-mart and Paco walked to the edge of the lake. Alice grabbed the items from the saddlebags that she'd gotten the day before. With them in hand, she walked to Claire who was now staring out at the frozen water.
"Here," she tried to hand Claire a pair of white skates, but the redhead balked.
"Oh no, absolutely not."
"It'll be fun," she countered.
Claire continued to shake her head. "No, no, no, no."
Alice tried not to laugh as the teen walked back to them.
K's mouth fell open in joy. "Ice skates!"
She rushed Alice for her pair and the brunette smiled at her happiness. This was what Christmas was about.
"You ever skated before?" the brunette question the teen.
"No, but I've always wanted to try."
K walked back to the edge of the lake and sat in the snow as Alice gave her a direction.
"Tie them tight!"
"I will!" K called back.
Alice turned back to the redhead, but she still had a more than stubborn look on her face. Alice took Claire's gloved hand in hers.
"Come on," she said as she led the apprehensive woman to the ice.
The redhead sat next to K with her arms folded over her chest, but Alice was still just trying to hold her laughter back as she lovingly removed Claire's boots and began to fit her for the skates. Alice was just about to the tie the final one when K stood on her blades. The girl was a little wobbly on her feet as she walked onto the ice.
"You got it, K?" the brunette questioned.
She didn't say anything, but she held out her hand to let Alice know she was fine. The brunette turned back to finish getting Claire ready, and then put on her own hockey skates. She watched K-mart take a few unsteady strides forward as the blades caressed the top of the ice with ease. Alice should've known the teen would take to it like she did with her shooting. The girl was a natural.
Alice stood on her skates and held her gloved hand out to Claire. The redhead gave a forced sigh as she took hold of the brunette. Alice pulled her up and the redhead nearly fell into her arms.
"I can't do this Alice. We're not even on the ice yet."
Alice gave her a reassuring smile and the words she knew Claire couldn't resist. "Trust me."
Claire narrowed her eyes. "You would say that."
The brunette's grin grew tenfold in reaction, and then she led Claire out to the cleared ice. Instead of fishing the night before, she'd shoveled them a sizeable rink. K was already lapping it with a huge smile and Paco was running behind her trying to catch her. He wasn't having much luck; neither the nails nor pads of his big feet could get any traction.
Claire gripped her hand tighter when her first skate met the smooth ice. Alice stayed facing the redhead and took her other hand as she began her instruction.
"Alright, keep your knees bent and your balance forward. To skate just put your weight on one foot and push off with the other."
As the redhead listened she loosened her grip on Alice's hands. The brunette slipped out of Claire's hold before she could react.
"Alice!"
"You can do it," she said as she followed her own directions and skated one stride backwards so Claire would have room.
The redhead stared down at her feet, and then tried. Claire slid forward, and then fell off balance. Alice caught her before she could actually fall.
Suddenly K-mart was skating past them. "Way to go, Claire! Maybe by next year you'll actually make it to the other side of the ice!"
Alice laughed at the jibe as Claire yelled at the teen.
"That's it! You're grounded!"
K came by for another pass and stayed just out of Claire's reach as she taunted her again.
"Ground me all you want – you still have to catch me first!"
The brunette shook her head in enjoyment. Claire might not be able to catch the teen by the end of the day, but she certainly could. And if that was what the redhead wanted, then she would do it with glee.
Alice released Claire again and this time skated a few more paces back. Claire, driven by K-mart's goading, took to the attempt with stubborn will. She was still a bit unstable, but she was improving. An hour later, Claire finally felt comfortable enough to skate on her own, albeit very slowly. She was nowhere near as confident as the teen, but Alice could tell by the look on her face that she was having fun.
The brunette skated with familiar ease. Not a single Michigan winter had gone by where she didn't spend some time on the ice, but that seemed like several lifetimes ago. It took her back to her time with her family. She could honestly admit that she didn't think of them often; not because it was too painful, but because that person who lived with them was dead. She died a long time ago. Alice had been a daughter, a sister, a niece, and an aunt. Now she didn't know what she was, but she had Claire and K-mart – and they had her.
Suddenly Alice stopped in front of Claire by sharply twisting her skates to the side. Her move sliced off the tiniest layer of ice, and the cold shavings sprayed outward. She'd never admit it, but she was enjoying showing off, especially after she beat K-mart in their race though the teen was given a head start and demanded that Alice skate backwards.
The brunette faced Claire again and grabbed her hands.
"How about a little speed, eh Red?"
"Oh no," Claire stated. "No, I'm good."
Alice shrugged playfully and pulled Claire anyway. The brunette skated backwards as Claire locked her legs. She slowly gained speed as the redhead's eyes got big.
"I swear to God, Alice – if you let me fall I'm going to kill you."
Once Claire had enough momentum to continue going for a ways, Alice let her go and turned around to skate beside her.
Claire was immediately panicked. "You never taught me how to stop!"
The brunette's face fell. Uh oh. They were nearing the end of the clean ice, and a large pile of cleared snow awaited the redhead at the end of her flight. But if Claire was going down so was Alice or she'd never hear the end of it. Now really wasn't the time to tell Claire to turn to stop or to point her skates inward because she'd likely just fall face first. Instead she grabbed Claire's hand again and used her own weight to slow them both. She twisted both her skates at the same angle to slow down with a turn, and it caused Claire to whip around just before she collided with the snow bank.
Alice caught the woman in her arms, but the redhead's momentum was still too much. She knocked into Alice, and the brunette fell on her ass with Claire on top of her. Alice met Claire's green eyes and they both broke out into laughter. K-mart could be heard laughing too as Paco ran towards them.
Alice and Claire both turned to see the Saint Bernard coming straight for them.
"Oh shit," the brunette cursed as she braced for the impact. Then Paco barreled into them, causing them to slide a little further across the slick ice. Laughter went into the air again as they all tried to recover.
The group didn't return to the cabin until night began to fall. Paco was dead tired so Alice had to keep the speed of the snowmobile low, but he wasn't the only one. Claire's head was resting on her back, and the redhead's arms were nearly slack around her waist. Alice rubbed her gloved hand over them in contentment as she drove. She silently congratulated herself on giving the two survivors such a good day.
Her mind traveled back to her dream as it started to snow. Alice didn't want to put either of them in danger. If she left tonight neither of them would be able to follow her tracks out. She could take the snowmobile and have at least a six hour start on them. Claire and K could easily walk to town and find another snowmobile to replace this one. But the chance that Claire and K would follow instead of stay was a great one. What if something happened to them and she wasn't around?
Suddenly Claire's arms tightened around her, and she gripped one of Claire's hands firmly in reflex. I can't leave them behind, Alice decided. I need them too much.
Poor Alice :( that girl is tortured. But hey! A Christmas chapter, how awesome is that? I know it's late, but I hope you guys liked it anyway.