Author Note: Some of the timeline will be off for this one, but I was not planning on following the script of the Resident Evil movies, but instead using the characters you all love to create my own story line. Please, enjoy, be courteous, & review (I do take constructive criticism!)
Disclaimer: I do not own the Characters, but a girl can dream right?
Without further adieu…here comes Chapter Fourteen
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Update Dec-01-2015: As I prepare to add more to Calm Before the Storm I figured I should go back and look over what I posted almost two years ago to the story that started it all. This way I can make some editorial changes while also refreshing my memory on what things I left off with in the end.
Update Aug-19-2020: MAJOR UPDATES! I haven't created any FF in awhile, and would like to get back into it, specifically with some RE stuff. To do so, I figured I would edit some old work to try and get some ideas percolating in my head before starting anything new!
- 14 -
- The Arcadia -
The ship rumbled like a growling stomach. Those sequestered to the bottom felt it the strongest, reminding them of the attacks from Umbrella. Luther was dozing off at the bridge when he heard the explosion. Startled, he switched on the floodlights to the main deck, sensing that something had happened to Alice and Claire.
Jill and Chris scrambled to their feet, quickly redressing themselves as the bright floodlights bathed them in a white light. Jill watched Luther rush down the steps outside the bridge and disappear towards the stern. A knot started to twist in the pit of her stomach as she looked at Chris, noticing the confusion and fear in his eyes.
"I-I have to go." Jill stuttered.
"Jill!" Chris called, but she didn't stop, his cries falling on deaf ears.
K-Mart could feel Angela pulling her to her feet from behind the bulkhead, "We need to go, now!" she hissed, dragging K-Mart to her feet.
K-Mart eyed a confused Chris, trying to make sense of Jill's abrupt departure. The poor man had no idea what his sister and Alice were doing, and probably thinking the worst about the explosion he just heard.
When Jill made it to the ladder, she saw Luther already down on the platform, readying the second lifeboat.
"Wait for me!" She called, sliding down the ladder, landing on the platform with a thud.
Luther started the engine as Jill untied the mooring lines before jumping in the boat. Luther opened up the engine and took off in the direction of the flaming wreckage, hoping Alice and Claire were still alive.
"You were supposed to be watching them!" Luther barked.
"I know! But Chris-" Jill stopped, not ready to share her own exploits of the evening.
"Just focus the light on the water so I don't run them over,"
Jill did as she was told, focusing the flashlight in her hand on the water, keeping her eyes peeled for two heads bobbing in the water. As they approached the wreckage, Luther slowed the boat to a crawl.
"Alice! Claire!" Jill yelled, still using the flashlight as her guide along the water. She caught a flicker of movement up ahead, "There! Straight ahead!" Jill snapped as Luther slowly moved forward.
Jill could make out Alice's hand waving wildly in the air, her other one clutching a piece of wood from the obliterated boat. A few feet to her left was Claire, her red hair so dark it looked like a large bloodstain atop her head. They were both alive, which may not be the case once they get back to the Arcadia. It would take a miracle to keep this from Chris now.
Jill dropped the flashlight, extending out her arm to Alice and Claire who swam towards the boat. Luther cut the engine, leaned over beside Jill, each of them grabbing one of the women's outstretched arms and pulling them up into the boat.
"What the hell happened?" Jill asked.
Both women were soaked, their dresses transparent pieces of fabric stuck to their bodies. They didn't have any blankets, so could only hope that some would be awaiting them when they arrive back at the ship. Luther jumped back behind the wheel, revving the engine and going full speed back toward the mooring dock.
"T-the lantern, f-fire," Claire stuttered, her lips trembling from the cold. Alice and her huddle close for warmth, the sea breeze chilling them further.
Jill rubbed their shoulders to try and keep them warm. "Shh, it's okay, we're just glad you both are okay." she soothed, looking to the Arcadia seeing a small crowd had started to form on deck. So much for discretion.
- Angela & K-Mart -
The girls ran to the stern, reaching the ladder just as Luther and Jill were pulling away in the other boat. It would be only a matter of time before a crowd was going to take shape. Angela could hear running foot steps coming down the boat deck. Chris was approaching, his shirt half buttoned and belt still undone.
"What happened!" He asked, "And where is everyone?"
"Uh, well-" Angela stuttered, not exactly sure what to say.
"Jill and Luther went to go check the explosion out on the water." K-Mart replied, noticing a small crowd of terrified survivors piling out the deck entrance.
"Where are Alice and Claire?"
K-mart just shrugged, pointing at the crowd, "We should probably tell them it's nothing to worry about,"
Chris turned, seeing the scared faces of dozens of survivors, "I'll deal with crowd control. K-Mart, go down to the mooring platform and await Jill and Luther's return and assist as needed. Angela, go and find Alice and Claire."
The young girls went to their assignments without issue, not wanting to be anywhere close to Chris once he realizes Jill and Luther will be returning with Alice and Claire. Chris could hear the boat beginning to return as he approached the growing crowd, arms raised.
"People! There is nothing to worry about, this is not an attack. Please, return to your quarters below." Chris's authoritative voice bellowed.
Most of the survivors listened, trusting one of their leaders, and returning to the inside of the ship.
- Luther & Jill -
As they approached the dock, Jill could see K-Mart was awaiting their arrival. Luther cut the engine, gliding the boat into it's spot as K-Mart quickly tied the mooring lines to hold it in place.
"Where's Chris?" Jill asked.
"Dealing with crowd control. Angela went to go get some blankets." K-Mart replied, helping a shivering Alice step over the threshold and onto the platform.
"Does he know anything?" Luther asked.
K-Mart shook her head, "No, he thinks it was a rescue mission for survivors."
Jill helped Claire next, her hands like ice and lips turning blue. The four women stayed on the small dock, not sure of what to do next.
"I'll go first, see if I can get Chris to leave before you go up the ladder." Luther suggested.
"N-No," Claire snapped, looking to Alice and then everyone else, "L-let's just g-get this o-over with,"
Claire let go of Jill's hand and reached for the ladder, slowly making her way back up towards the boat deck. Alice went next, her fingers and toes beginning to go numb, unable to feel the metal rungs of the ladder as she climbed.
- Chris -
When the last of the survivors had vacated the boat deck, he noticed Angela was returning without Claire and Alice. Instead she had a pile of blankets in her arms. Confused, Chris was about to ask where his sister and Alice were, when Claire's head popped up from the side of the boat deck.
"Claire!" Chris exclaimed, grabbing his sister's arm and helping her over the side. She was bone chilling cold. Angela quickly wrapped a blanket around her shoulders to try to warm her body.
Still confused, Chris stepped back when Alice suddenly appeared both waterlogged and blue like Claire. Angela went to Alice next, tossing another blanket around the blonde's shoulders, rubbing the fabric to warm her skin.
"T-thank you," Alice replied, smiling at the young woman.
"What the hell happened!" Chris demanded, looking from one person to the next.
K-Mart, Jill and finally Luther ascended the ladder, trying to gage the situation. Now in the bright light, Alice noticed Jill's misbuttoned shirt. Her eyes moved from Chris's reddened face to the belt that was undone around his waist. It appeared Alice and Claire were not the only ones hooking up tonight.
"We can yell at each other later. Right now we need to get them out of these wet clothes and into bed with hot tea, now." Angela snapped.
"Angie's right, they may have mild hypothermia." Jill replied.
Chris was beyond furious, but his sister's health was a higher priority than discovering what happened here tonight. He followed Jill and Alice, ushering Claire in silence towards the crews quarters.
"I'm going to go back to the bridge, why don't you two keep me company?" Luther stated, nudging Angie and K-Mart to follow. Their entertainment for the evening was over.
- Crew Quarters -
Jill pushed opened the door to Claire's cabin, leading Alice into the room. Chris bit back the urge to remark on his disapproval of the two women together in a single room. If there was one thing The Arcadia is not short on, it was space.
"We need to get you out of these wet clothes," Jill stated eyeing Chris, "And I'm sure that would be more comfortable without you here." she added with a glare.
Instead of starting an argument, Chris huffed and stomped off like a child, slamming the cabin door shut behind him.
"Well, that went better than expected," Jill muttered, moving towards the door, "You can tell us what happened tomorrow." she added, avoiding Alice's 'I know what you did' look.
After Jill closed the door behind her, Alice turned her attention to a shivering Claire. She discarded her damp blanket, her body temperature beginning to return to normal. She did not have the patience to undo K-Mart's dress properly, so instead she ripped the fabric from the bottom, following the seam up the side to the point where the fabric just fell off her body. Alice tossed on some clothes, approaching Claire who seemed to be in an almost catatonic state.
"Let's get you into something warm," Alice soothed, helping her undress.
"D-did something h-happened between Jill and my b-brother?" she muttered, stepping out of what was once a sundress and into the pants Alice was holding.
Alice smiled, "I think we weren't the only ones who had excitement tonight."
- The Next Day -
They slept in as many layers as they could, cocooned in blankets and huddled close for warmth. Alice opened her eyes first, thankful that no one had come to wrangle them out of bed. Not yet at least. Claire was still asleep, colour returning to her cheeks, her red hair a tangled mess of knotted strands. Alice gently brushed her fingers across Claire's lips, allowing a gentle moan to escape between her lips before opening her tired eyes.
"Sleep well?" Alice asked, stretching her cramped muscles.
Claire grunted a yes before turning to her side, pulling the blankets over her head like a child. The wine was hitting her more than their dip in the ocean. Alice went to wrap her arms around Claire when she heard a light knock. The door creaked open, two heads belonging to Angela and K-Mart poking into the room.
"Can we help you?" Claire mumbled from under the covers.
"Chris would like to see you both at the bridge." K-Mart stated.
"Tell him we'll be there shortly." Alice replied as the girls disappeared just as quickly as they arrived.
Alice flopped onto her back, watching the sun rays dance across the ceiling in a mesmerizing pattern. It was the second beautiful thing she'd seen that morning. Alice kissed Claire's forehead, removing the blankets covering her body and slipping on her combat boots. She glanced at Claire, noticing she was back asleep. Alice ran her fingers through her short blonde hair, trying her best to get rid of the tangles before departing.
There was no need for both of them to explain what happened, and maybe if it came from Alice instead of Claire, Chris would be more level headed.
- The Bridge -
"What's taking them so long!" Chris boomed.
He was pacing in front of the ships control console, clenching and un-clenching his fists in an attempt to restrain his sudden urge to punch something. Jill was sitting in one of the chairs, her feet up on the controls, sipping the cup of tea Angela was so kind to bring her. Luther had taken Angela and K-Mart to the Mess Hall to get some breakfast knowing it was best to leave the grown ups to work this out themselves.
"Would you relax. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for what happened." Jill replied, eyeing him over the brim of her cup. Even angry he was cute.
Chris stopped pacing, his eyes narrowing in anger. "I will consider cutting them some slack when I know why they were out there to begin with."
"Yelling at them isn't going to get you answers."
Chris had had enough of Jill's cute remarks. He agreed for her to be here because she said she would help, not stir the pot. He grabbed her mug and threw it against the wall. It shattered next to the bridge door seconds before Alice appeared in the threshold.
"Asshole!" Jill yelled ready to punch him in the face.
Alice cleared her throat as they both turned, ending their lovers spat for the moment. The smell of earl grey tea filling the room.
"Where's my sister?" Chris snapped, backing away from Jill.
"Sleeping." Alice replied, closing the door behind her.
"I asked for you both."
Alice sat down at the chart table, putting her combat boots up and leaning back in the chair. "You don't need two people to tell you what happened."
Jill was beginning to get worried that Alice's cavalier attitude would make this worse than it had to be. Chris's head was one button push away from popping off his broad shoulders. They joined Alice at the table, Jill taking a seat while Chris decided to remain standing, his hands digging into the wood.
"I'm on my last straw Alice, don't push me." Chris warned.
"First of all, we're your friends, not your soldiers to command." Alice paused, looking to Jill, "It was a mistake, a bit of poor judgement, but a mistake."
"Why were you two out there to begin with?"
"Because we were on a date." Claire said from the bridge doorway, catching them all off guard.
Claire walked towards the table, standing behind Alice, placing a hand on her shoulder. Chris was awestruck by his sisters confession. With all the scenarios reeling through his head, not once did he think they were on a date.
"A date?" Chris asked, baffled.
"Yes. I was afraid of how you would react with your temper and all, and based on this shakedown, I was right to keep this a secret from you."
Chris's nostrils flared, but he kept quiet, careful to not make the situation worse.
"What happened out there?" Jill asked calmly.
"It was an accident. A wave hit the boat, the lamp we had fell and a fire broke out." Alice replied, no need to give them all the details.
"A wave?" Chris asked, skeptical.
"Yes Chris, a wave. You know, if we could be open about our relationship and have some privacy then we wouldn't have had to do this to begin with." Claire rebutted, unafraid of her brother's anger.
The room went silent, all four of them waiting for the next bomb to drop. Jill could feel the heat wafting off Chris's body, so she placed her hand on his wrist, to remind him to keep calm. Instead, Claire caught the small gesture, narrowing her eyes at them. Quickly, Jill removed her hand, but it was too late, the damage was done.
"You slept with her didn't you!" Claire yelled at Chris.
Chris rounded the table as Alice stood, ready to protect Claire. He was a hair width away from Alice, but Alice stood her ground. He would never take a swing at her, at least not with Claire in the room.
"I don't know what Claire see's in you, you're just a monster as far as I can see." Chris spat.
"And what about fucking the woman who tried to kill us a month ago?" Claire replied, throwing more shade at Jill.
Chris refused to react, for whatever he said was going to turn this Mexican Stand-off into the O.K. Coral.
Jill stood, pulling Chris back from Alice, "I think we're done here." she stated, looking to Claire to call off Alice.
Alice smiled, grabbing Claire's hand and heading for the door, "If you stay out of our relationship, we'll stay out of yours." she called over her shoulder.
"We're not done!" Chris barked.
"I think we are." Claire replied, slamming the bridge door shut behind her.
T.B.C.