Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil or anything else in this chapter that isn't mine.

A/N: Ok, so I'm super nervous about posting this chapter; it's pretty long which I know you guys like but I really hope you like the chapter itself too. I thought about splitting it into two chapters but there wasn't a natural break that felt right so you get this monster update instead.

A/N2: I'll leave it up to you on the chapter title. Did I take it from Queen, Jefferson Airplane, or Justin Bieber? Hmmm...

A/N3: I also cannot thank you guys enough for reading and leaving reviews. I dedicate this ridicously long update to all of you!


It had been almost two weeks since the 'incident' as Claire was now calling it. K-Mart had surprisingly been able to shrug off the events relatively quickly which was a huge relief to the redhead. Her own lip had healed after a few days and except for the daily reminder of Alice's still bandaged arm it was like it never happened, and for that Claire was grateful.

During the week Alice would come to the diner and help K-Mart with her studies and Claire was seeing a noticeable improvement in her sister. Just yesterday K-Mart had come skipping into the diner and proceeded to talk Claire's ear off about how well she thought she had done on her history test that day.

Upon hearing the bell above door jingle Claire looked up from the table she had been wiping clean and was more than a little surprised to see Carlos enter the diner. She hadn't seen him since the night of the art show and even though Alice had assured her that he was now over his little crush, Claire still felt a uncomfortable in his presence. He offered a friendly smile when he spotted her and Claire was glad when he stopped and stood a reasonable enough distance away.

"Hi Claire, are you busy? I wanted to talk to you about something." He asked.

She looked around the restaurant, it was just after the lunch rush so the diner was relatively empty. She nodded and gestured for him to sit across from her at the table she had just been cleaning. "I can spare a couple of minutes, what's up?"

"I was wondering if you were free tomorrow night, it's Alice's birthday so I'm taking her out to celebrate." Alice hadn't mentioned it was her birthday this week but that didn't really surprise the redhead, the blonde never talked about herself unless asked a direct question. When Claire didn't answer right away Carlos added; "I know it's last minute but I think Alice would really like it if you showed up."

She didn't know if that were really true or if Carlos was just saying that so she would go but in the end she decided it didn't matter. "Where and what time?"

Carlos smiled, genuinely excited that she had agreed. "Ten o'clock at the Hive, it's a bar. Have you been there before?" Claire shook her head and Carlos seemed to become even more excited. "Excellent." He stood up from the table. "Oh, and where we're going is a surprise so don't mention anything to Alice when you see her, ok?" Claire mock saluted her agreement. "And one more thing, Alice has a strict 'no presents' policy so don't feel obligated to bring her something."

The redhead rolled her eyes with a smile, wondering how many weird quirks this women could possibly have. "Ok Carlos, I got it. See you tomorrow night."

The man waved as he left the diner and Claire stood up from the booth and returned to work.


Claire almost got back into the taxi when she read the sign outside saying it was karaoke night at the Hive. But the vehicle had already sped away so she opted to maybe smack Carlos later for purposely leaving out this important detail in the invitation. The bar was crowded and Claire squeezed her way through bodies looking for a familiar face. She'd barely made it ten steps and had already had to turn down three men offering to buy her a drink.

She spun around when she felt someone lay a hand on her shoulder and came face to face with Betty. The other woman smiled in greeting and gestured for Claire to follow her through the crowded bar. She led the redhead over to a circular table near the stage where a man Claire didn't recognize was sitting. Betty sat next to the man and motioned for Claire to take the seat next to her.

"Carlos told me you were coming, nice to see you could make it." Betty said sincerely and then laid a hand on the arm of her companion. "This is my man L.J; L.J this is Alice's friend Claire." She introduced them and Claire shook his hand.

"Betty told me about you, nice to meet you Claire." Claire glanced over at Betty wondering what the nurse had told him about her but the woman was purposely avoiding her gaze so Claire decided not to comment on it.

"So why did Carlos pick this place to celebrate Alice's birthday? I'm not going to have to sing am I?" Claire was a terrible singer and she really didn't want to embarrass herself in front of people she barely knew, especially Alice. She looked up at the stage, where an obviously intoxicated man was belting out Journey's 'Don't Stop Believing' although it was difficult to hear because he was singing into the wrong end of the microphone.

"Carlos must be a really bad singer if he told us to come here." Betty answered.

"I don't get it."

Noticing her confusion L.J explained further. "Carlos and Alice don't give each other gifts. Instead they embarrass themselves on the others birthday." He chuckled and Claire suspected he had been witness to a number of these events. "One year for Alice's birthday he took her to a fashion show at the mall where he volunteered to be one of the models. I still get a good laugh at some of the pictures she took."

"You've known Alice and Carlos a while?"

He nodded. "Since highschool." He then wrapped an arm around Betty. "Betty and I actually met at Alice's birthday two years ago, so these things aren't all bad." His attention then went to something behind Claire's head and when he waved she turned around to see Carlos and Alice making their way through the crowds and over to them.

Arriving at the table Carlos shook hands with L.J before taking the chair next to him, leaving Alice to take the remaining seat between himself and the redhead. Alice looked a little surprised to see her, obviously not expecting Claire to be there but gave her a lazy grin in greeting.

"Happy birthday Alice!" Betty's excitement overflowed now that everyone had arrived. She stood up from the table. "I'm going to go sign everyone up for a song! Be right back." And before Claire could stop her Betty took off for the stage and Claire resigned herself to her fate of having to sing at least one song.

To distract herself Claire turned back to Alice. "How is your arm?" She almost winced at her lame attempt to start a conversation, but she also really wanted to know the answer since Alice hadn't been able to tutor K-Mart that afternoon because she'd been at the hospital having the stitches removed.

The blonde rolled up her sleeve so the redhead could see the signs of the scab forming where the injury had taken place. "They say it'll probably scar but other than that it's fine."

"Sorry about the scar."

"Don't be, scars are there to remind us of the important things." Alice then leaned in closer to the redhead and whispered conspiratorially. "Besides, scars are sexy right?"

Claire immediately felt the burning sensation in her cheeks and prayed that the shitty lighting of the bar would be bad enough to hide it as she stuttered out a reply. "Definitely." Alice grinned at her response and Claire was certain the blonde was flirting with her. It took her a moment to recover from that lazy smile Alice always seemed to be giving her but eventually Claire was able to find her voice again. "Betty and L.J told me about these birthday traditions you and Carlos have. How did that start?"

Alice leaned back in the chair, thinking it over. "If I recall this whole thing started on Carlos' thirteenth birthday. Our parents gave us some money and told us to go have fun and somehow we ended up at the batting cages. I'm terrible at sports so I spent the afternoon dodging the baseballs rather than trying to hit them. Needless to say Carlos found the whole thing hilarious and made fun of me for a week." The blonde glanced over at her brother but he was still engaged in conversation with L.J. "So a few months later for my birthday I dragged him to the roller rink and spent the evening watching him fall on his ass." She laughed at the memory and Claire joined in. "After that it just became a thing and escalated into these twisted displays of humiliating ourselves. Every year on the other person's birthday you find a new way to embarrass yourself, it can't be something you've already done or it would defeat the purpose. L.J and Betty are the only people who have ever been to one of these and come back for more. And I'm guessing Carlos didn't tell you what to expect when he invited you." She said, locking eyes with the redhead.

"No he didn't. I would have definitely thought twice about saying yes if I had known we were going to a karaoke bar."

Alice rubbed her arm apologetically and Claire felt a slight tingling at the touch. "If it were up to me I wouldn't make you sing, but I know Betty won't be appeased until we all belt one out."

"It's fine, I'll do it. I'm just going to warn you now, I'm a terrible singer, so don't hold it against me."

"Wouldn't dream of it. Besides I doubt you'll be as bad as this one." Alice then clapped her best friend on the back, hard.

Carlos looked to be anything but excited and he sighed. "I'm going to need some serious liquor in me before I get on that stage." He started waving a hand trying to flag down a waitress. "First round's on me, what are you having Claire?"

"Oh, I don't drink." Claire hadn't touched alcohol since the night her parents had been killed in the car crash by a drunk driver. It just didn't feel right to take pleasure from something that had caused her so much pain.

Carlos did not seem put off by her admission. "Soda then?" She nodded and he finally stopped waving when a girl wearing a black apron stopped at their table. She was fairly attractive with long dark hair and Claire noticed Carlos eyeing the girl intently but she wasn't even acknowledging his presence as her eyes were fixated on Alice.

"Welcome to the Hive, my name is Crystal. What can I get you tonight?" She spoke only to Alice and Claire became twice as annoyed when she heard the woman's accent. She was glad to see though that if Alice was aware of the girl's attention she didn't show it, which allowed Carlos to swoop back in.

As he was relaying the drink orders Betty reappeared at the table, sliding gracefully back into her chair. "I wouldn't worry about that girl." She whispered into Claire's ear and the redhead wondered how Betty even knew what was going on without being present. "Alice gets hit on all the time but she almost never reciprocates."

Claire frowned at that. Did that mean she didn't have a chance with the blonde? She had been sure Alice was flirting with her before but now Claire wasn't as certain. She watched the waitress walk away and waited for Alice to engage in conversation with Carlos before speaking in a low voice to Betty. "Then why did you tell everyone at the hospital that I was her girlfriend if Alice doesn't date?"

Betty jumped down from her chair again. "Claire and I are going to the bathroom," she announced to the table and dragged Claire by the arm out of her seat. "I need to look my best for when I get on that stage and rock it." And not waiting for a reply she pulled the redhead behind her through the crowds and into the ladies room. There was only one other woman in the room and Betty waited until they were alone before she spoke.

"Listen Claire, I'm sorry about that. Alice already gave me an earful about making you super uncomfortable that night. But don't you see? That's exactly why I did it!"

Claire did not see what Betty was getting at. "I don't understand."

"Alice treats you differently Claire!" She said it as if it should have been obvious and that frustrated the redhead. How was she suppose to know how Alice treated other women? But her train of thought was lost as Betty kept talking. "I tease Alice all the time about girls and she's never reamed me out for it before. She never gives any woman the time of day, but that night you come barging into the ER all 'my-friend's-been-stabbed' in charge and she just let you. You know the moment I took her to get stitched up she was all up on me to get you checked on."

"She was just concerned. I had been attacked by two rather large men." Claire countered.

"Yeah, but it's the way she said it. As if it mattered, as if you mattered. And she used your name constantly, 'Claire this, and Claire that,' it was all just so out of character for her." Betty than smirked. "And don't forget, I saw the way you were looking at each other when I came in to give her that needle."

Claire remembered that moment well, it was her most vivid memory of that night. It was the moment she had seen just how selfless Alice really was, and she recalled how well their hands seemed to fit together. She shook herself out of the memory. "Ok, so she cares about me. That doesn't mean she has romantic feelings for me." She had no idea why she was trying to talk Betty out of it when in reality this is exactly what she had wanted for weeks."

"Maybe not, but that's why I made those comments to people. I've planted the seed in her mind so if she hadn't thought about you in that way before she certainly does now." Betty stated, thoroughly pleased with herself. She then turned to examine herself in the mirror as the redhead mulled it over. "Look Claire, you didn't hear it from me but Alice is really guarded. I think she's had her heart broken and that's why she doesn't date. Sure she hooks up with girls now and then," Claire felt jealousy spike within her "but she doesn't do the relationship thing, ever." Betty turned so her back was to the mirror. "I think it's high time she got back in the game and I can tell you're someone who doesn't get out much."

"I have a 15 year old to take care of!" Claire objected but Betty waved it off.

"But I can also see how much you and Alice have taken to each other. It's cute actually. You two would be good for one another but if you don't want to take my advice that's fine."

"And what exactly is your advice?"

"Alice won't make a move unless she's sure you're interested. You are interested aren't you?" She looked at the redhead expectantly.

Claire looked away and thought about everything that had happened since Alice had stepped into the diner that very first day. "Yes," she murmured, finally conceding aloud what she'd been thinking about for weeks.

Betty clapped. "Great!" She wrapped Claire in a quick hug. "Now that we have that all sorted, it's time to sing!" Claire groaned but still allowed Betty to drag her from the bathroom and back to their table. "We're back!" She announced and happily fell into conversation with Carlos and L.J leaving Claire and Alice with an awkward silence.

Claire was mentally exhausted by her bathroom excursion with Betty but what was even worse was that now she didn't know how to behave around the blonde. Betty had told her to let Alice know she was interested but she didn't want to throw herself at the other woman. And Alice seemed content to just sit there in silence which agitated the redhead further. Did Alice find her boring and that's why she wasn't saying anything? Claire was ready to start banging her head against the table when Crystal the slutty barmaid returned with their drinks.

She set all their drinks in the middle of the table and then placed an extra one in front of Alice. "This one's on me." She flirted with a wink before returning to the bar.

Expressionless, Alice automatically slid the beverage to the left in front of Carlos and the man quickly chugged it down before picking up his own drink. Claire stirred her regular coke absently with the straw as she watched the exchange.

"You don't want it?"

Alice smiled. "You're not the only one who doesn't drink." The blonde then took a sip from her own drink and Claire noticed it was identical to what she was having. "Alcoholism runs in my family so I never touch the stuff. What about you?"

"The car accident that killed my parents, they were hit by a drunk driver. The joy of alcohol kind of loses its luster after it causes you so much pain."

"Yeah." Alice agreed and rested her hand on Claire's arm. "Sorry about your parents."

She smiled at the blonde. "Thanks." The moment between them was short lived but it lasted long enough for Claire to identify it as such.

Soon Betty was jumping down from her chair again, announcing that she would be first up to sing. Claire shuffled her own chair around so she could see and watched her new friend confidently step onto the stage and grab the microphone. Before singing she addressed the crowded bar. "What's up people of the Hive!" She yelled and the bar cheered. "My name is Betty and I want to dedicate this song to my man L.J and anyone else who is in love." The song then started and Claire didn't recognize it but listened intently as Betty began to sing.

Head down

As I watch my feet take turns hitting the ground

Eyes shut

I find myself in love racing the Earth

And I'm soaked in your love

And love was right in my path, in my grasp

And me and you belong

I wanna run (run)

Smash into you

I wanna run (run)

And smash into you

Ears closed

What I hear no one else has to know

Cause' I know

That what we have is worth first place in gold

And I'm soaked in your love

And love is right in my path, in my grasp

And me and you belong, oh...

I wanna run (run)

Smash into you

I wanna run (run)

Smash into you

Smash into you

Head down

As I watch my feet take turns hitting the ground

Eyes shut

I'm in love and I'm racing the Earth

And I'm soaked in your love

And love is right in my path, in my grasp

And me and you belong

Oh...I wanna run

Smash into you

I'm willing to run (run)

Smash into you

I'm willing to run, run, run, run, ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

I'm willing to run, run, run, run, ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

I wanna run, run

Smash into you

I'm willing to run (run)

Smash into you

It was easy to see why Betty had been so confident earlier, she was a very good singer. Claire decided that if Betty were to ever give up being a nurse and go into the music business she could be a very respectable B-level pop star. When the final note faded the bar cheered again and Betty waved as she jumped down from the stage and returned to the table. L.J kissed her and the pair spoke in low voices and Claire admired their relationship. After a moment Betty spoke to the rest of the table. "Who's next?"

"As if anyone wants to go after the show you just put on." Carlos said sarcastically before downing the last of his drink. "I'm not nearly drunk enough yet." He stood up from his chair and shuffled off to the bar to get another drink, still sober enough to know better than to call the waitress back to their table.

"I guess I'll get my turn over with." L.J said and left the table. A minute later he was up on the stage singing terribly and off beat to Foo Fighters 'Everlong.' Carlos returned to the table halfway through the song with two drinks.

Even with her back to the table and LJ's voice in the microphone Claire could still hear Alice and Carlos talking.

"Why do you have two drinks?"

"Your new friend at the bar said it was for you, and I'm not going to refuse a free drink."

"Well tell her to stop it if she does it again." Alice actually sounded annoyed and Claire felt elated that the blonde was not impressed by the waitress's flirtations.

When L.J finished his song their table was one of the few that clapped, and even though he was terrible Betty was overjoyed at his effort. "Who's next?" She exclaimed excitedly, eyeing the redhead and Claire tried to make herself disappear.

"Go on Claire!" Carlos jeered, the alcohol starting to show it's effects.

Claire sighed but stood up. She felt a hand on her arm and turned to see Alice smile encouragingly. "Pick a popular song," she advised. "Even if you don't sing it well the crowd will love it." Claire nodded and disappeared into the crowd, making her way to the stage.

The man running the thing looked bored and Claire didn't envy him for having to listen to drunks butcher music every week. "Pick a song" he instructed and Claire scrolled through her choices. She stopped when she spotted one that she knew all the words to thanks to K-Mart blasting it from her room everyday, and while it would be embarrassing to sing it might just distract from how terrible she was. Making a split second decision she selected the song and took the microphone from the man and stepped onto the stage.

In the few seconds before the beat started she spotted her friends in the midst of the crowd. Betty gave her a thumbs up and Alice was giving her that lazy grin she loved more and more everyday. Claire took a deep breath and decided to just go for it, humiliation be damned.

Oh, Ohhh

For you I'd write a symphony,

I'd tell the violin,

It's time to sink or swim,

Watch them play for ya,

For you I'd be, (whoa oh)

Running a thousand miles,

Just to get to where you are.

Step to the beat of my heart,

I don't need a whole lot,

But for you I admit I,

I'd rather give you the world,

Or we can share mine,

I know I won't be the first one,

giving you all this attention,

Baby listen,

I just need somebody to love,

I don't need too much, just somebody to love,

Somebody to love.

I don't need nothing else,

I promise girl I swear,

I just need somebody to love.

I need somebody, I need somebody,

I need somebody, I need somebody

The bar had become almost silent, whether it was at her song choice or her terrible singing Claire was unsure. But she somehow managed to block out the stares she was getting and kept on singing.

Every day,

I bring the sun around,

I sweep away the clouds,

Smile for me.

I would take,

Every second, every single time,

Spend it like my last dime.

Step to the beat of my heart,

I don't need a whole lot,

But for you I admit I,

I'd rather give you the world,

Or we can share mine,

I know I won't be the first one,

Givin' you all this attention,

Baby listen,

I just need somebody to love,

I don't need too much, just somebody to love,

Somebody to love.

I don't need nothing else,

I promise girl I swear,

I just need somebody to love.

I need somebody, I need somebody,

I need somebody, I need somebody

Somebody to love.

I need somebody, I need somebody,

I need somebody, I need somebody

I just need somebody to love.

And you can have it all,

Anything you want,

I can bring; give you the finer things, yeah

But what I really want,

I can't find cause,

Money can't find me,

Somebody to love (oh, oh)

Find me somebody to love (whoah ohh)

I need somebody to love,

I don't need too much, just somebody to love,

Somebody to love.

I don't need nothing else,

I promise girl I swear,

I just need somebody to love.

I need somebody, I need somebody,

I need somebody, I need somebody

Somebody to love.

I need somebody, I need somebody,

I need somebody, I need somebody

I just need somebody to love.

I need somebody, I need somebody,

I need somebody, I need somebody

Is she out there?

Is she out there?

Is she out there?

Is she out there?

I just need somebody to love.

There was one excruciating moment that felt like an eternity but in reality was probably less than three seconds in which there was total silence before the bar erupted in cheers. Claire couldn't believe it but smiled awkwardly as she scrambled off the stage and the crowds parted for her as she returned to the table. The others were all out of their chairs and clapping enthusiastically and she felt her cheeks burn at the attention. She slid into her chair and the others followed suit though Betty was still cheering.

"Wow Claire, you gave the crowd Bieber fever!" Betty squealed with excitement. "You should sing another one!"

Claire's eyes widened. "No, no, no. I've hit my quota of embarrassing moments for tonight. Speaking of which, I think the reason we came here is because someone else was suppose to humiliate themselves." She spoke pointedly to Carlos and the man glared at her.

"Fine. I'll go next, I hope you all are ready for a show!" He shot back another drink and stumbled toward the stage.

When he was gone the redhead gave Alice a grateful smile. "Thanks for the advice."

"You were very entertaining. I don't think you even looked at the words. Are you a fan of the Biebs?"

"K-Mart is secretly his biggest fan but she'll kill me if she found out I told anyone so you'd better not mention it to her." Claire warned.

Alice's grin turned mischievous. "Hmm, I don't know about that, but maybe you can buy my silence."

Claire was going to ask what the price would be but Carlos's voice drew their attention back to the stage.

"Hey everyone!" He slurred and Claire wondered how many drinks he'd had so far. "I'm here to embarrass myself for my best friend slash sister. Happy birthday Alice! This one is for you."

"Oh my god." Claire muttered when a familiar baseline started. Apparently when he was drunk Carlos thought he was Vanilla Ice and enthusiastically rapped 'Ice Ice Baby'. He moved around the stage and even did a little dancing and the redhead was fairly certain that in terms of embarrassment her performance held no comparison to the train wreck taking place in front of her. They all laughed hysterically when he finished and stumbled back to their table.

Throwing himself into his chair he clapped Alice on the back. "It's your turn birthday girl."

"You know what they say, save the best for last." She joked and Betty scoffed.

Claire was very interested to hear what Alice sounded like as she hadn't shown any signs of discomfort at the prospect of singing, but the redhead had also never seen her look uncomfortable about anything. The music started and Alice sang Bon Jovi's 'It's My Life.' In comparison to what she and Carlos had done it was a safe song choice but Alice sang really well and the crowd was loving it. The blonde wasn't as good as Betty but Claire knew she would never have been nervous about singing if she had Alice's voice.

Claire stared openly at the blonde and she was pretty sure she was the one Alice was smiling at whenever she glanced at their table. She felt a nudge on her arm and tore her gaze away to see Betty smirking at her with a knowing expression. "Shut up." Claire whispered so no one else would hear and turned back towards the stage to watch Alice sing. When the song finished people once again cheered and Claire was disconcerted to see the slutty barmaid stop Alice on her way back to the table.

Claire turned back to the table, knowing she couldn't watch Alice get hit on again without wanting to punch that girl in the face. As a distraction she threw herself into conversation. "So, L.J what do you do for a living?"

"I run a used car dealership, it's not glamourous but it pays the bills."

"I love cars, I was doing my apprenticeship to be a mechanic but had to drop out of the program to take care of my sister."

"If you want a job you should go see my guy Chase. He owns a shop and is looking for some help. Here," L.J pulled a business card out of his wallet and Betty passed him a pen from her purse. He scribbled something on the back and passed it across the table. "That's his number and the name of his shop. You tell him I sent you and he'll give you a fair shake."

"That would be awesome, thanks L.J." Claire had missed working on cars so much the last three years. And while she made enough to scrape by at the diner, something like this would be a much better fit.

"No sweat, anything for a friend of Alice's."

At the mention of the blonde Claire noticed that Alice had yet to return to the table. Against her better judgement she turned around and spotted her still talking to Crystal in the middle of the room. As if she could feel the redhead's eyes Alice looked her way and instead of the smile she normally received the blonde's expression was pleading, looking like an animal trapped in a cage.

"You should go rescue her." Betty said, noticing the blonde's predicament. "Alice is too polite sometimes and I don't think that girl is going to take no for an answer.

"Uh, ok." Claire felt herself nodding and slid from her chair. She saw Alice's expression change to one of relief as she approached and feeling bold, Claire slid an arm around the blonde when she reached the pair. Ignoring the waitress altogether Claire kissed Alice on the cheek and nuzzled into her neck. "Hey baby, everyone's waiting for you." She couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth but in her peripheral vision she noticed Crystal take a step backwards so at least it was working.

Easily picking up on the charade she felt Alice relax into her embrace and a hand began working up along her back in a soothing pattern. "Sorry, I just got caught up here."

Pretending to notice the other woman for the first time Claire put on a fake cheerful smile. "Oh, hi there. I'm Alice's girlfriend Claire, who are you?"

The waitress took another step back. "Uh, no one. I was just telling Alice what a nice voice she has. Nice to meet you both." She then scurried back toward the bar, and even though she was gone Claire led Alice by the hand back to the others and only let go when they were both seated again, instantly missing the contact.

"Girl, you put on a show." Betty enthused, and the redhead was somewhat embarrassed that they had all been watching.

"Thanks for the rescue." Alice whispered in her ear.

Trying her best not to shiver at the warm breath tickling her ear Claire managed to squeak out a reply. "Anytime."

Forgetting they weren't alone the redhead jumped when L.J spoke. "You were great Alice, I almost forgot how well you can sing."

The blonde shrugged. "It's been a long time since highschool."

"Oh, I sense a story!" Betty said. "Come on, let's hear it."

"Ugh, I'd rather not be reminded of highschool." Carlos then muttered something about needing another drink and left the table.

L.J laughed as his friend walked away. "It wasn't that bad. The three of us had a band." He explained to Betty and Claire. "And we were the best funk band in this city!"

The two women burst out laughing. "Funk? I would have liked to see that!" The redhead stated. "Maybe you guys could do a reunion show."

"I would totally be up for it," L.J insisted. "But Carlos would never agree to it, even though the band was his idea. He thought it would be a great way to meet chicks."

"I'm guessing it didn't work out for him?" asked Claire.

"We met a lot of girls alright, but nobody wanted him. Girls never want the bass player they want the front man." He explained. "Or in this case, the front woman."

Betty was almost falling out of her chair. "Wait up! Let me get this all straight. The three of you had a funk band, and Alice, this Alice sitting right here was the front person?" L.J nodded. "And what on earth did you guys call yourselves?"

"'Informal Situation.'" Alice answered, "it was L.J's idea," she explained when the other women looked at her curiously.

Carlos chose that moment to return to the table. "What's so funny?"

Betty calmed herself down enough to answer. "We were just hearing about 'Informal Situation', the best funk band in Raccoon City!" She then doubled over in laughter again.

Carlos rolled his eyes. "You know, there's an important lesson to be learned from that. Never be in a band with your hot sister. Alice got more play in senior year than I did in all four years of high school." He huffed.

The fun continued for another few hours. Everyone but Claire sang a few more songs and it was almost two o'clock in the morning when Alice deemed that Carlos was far too drunk and it was time to go home. Claire and Alice watched L.J and Betty leave in a taxi while Carlos was propped against the wall, humming to himself and Claire was pretty sure the tune was 'Ice Ice Baby' again.

Alice also heard the humming and shook her head at his behaviour. "Do you think you could help me take him home? Last time he passed out on the way and I had to leave him in the car because I couldn't carry him into the house by myself."

"Sure." Claire instantly agreed to the request, but admittedly it was for selfish reasons. She was quite curious to see what the blonde's home looked like and this was the perfect opportunity. And if she were completely honest with herself she wasn't ready to part ways with the other woman yet.

"Great." Alice walked over to her brother and held out her hand. "Keys." Instead he gave her a high five. "Carlos! Car keys." This time he reached into his pocket and with some difficulty was able to retrieve his keys after which Alice grabbed them from his hand. "Come on, we're going home." She then pulled him away from the wall and proceeded to push him along, her brother laughing at every step. Claire gladly trailed behind, watching the whole thing take place. Alice stopped in front of a silver sedan and the redhead figured this was Carlos' vehicle. The man automatically tried to get into the driver's seat but Alice hadn't yet unlocked the door. "You're riding in the back Carlos," she said gently and like a well trained dog he happily obeyed. Once he was situated the two women climbed into the front seats. Almost as soon as Alice turned on the ignition Carlos was out cold. They drove in silence for a while, with the man whimpering in his sleep every now and then.

"Was it a good birthday?" Claire asked, genuinely interested in the answer.

"Best one in a while. Thanks for coming."

"I had fun, you're friends are really cool."

"Betty really likes you, and trust me she's not easy to please."

Claire chuckled lightly. "I like her too. She apologized for the hospital thing; said you reamed her out."

"She can get carried away sometimes, but she's harmless."

The rest of the ride was in silence and by the time Alice pulled into the driveway next to her truck Carlos was still unconscious. Alice looked at him over her seat. "Guess we will have to carry him." They got out of the car and Claire joined Alice on the driver's side and helped the blonde pull the sleeping man out of the back seat.

"It doesn't bother you that he drank so much?" Claire asked as she and Alice each wrapped one of Carlos' arms over their shoulders, letting his feet drag as they carried him towards the front door.

Alice shook her head. "No, it's not a regular thing and I'm not going to tell him how to live. Besides, even when he gets like this" she gestured at her sleeping brother "he doesn't remind me of my mother so it really doesn't bother me."

So Alice's mother had been an alcoholic? Claire was still a little confused about how Alice and Carlos were related when they were different ethnicities and different last names. Was Alice adopted? It didn't seem like the appropriate time to ask, but the question alone reinforced how little she actually knew about the blonde.

It took Alice a little longer than normal to unlock the door and they had to walk sideways to get through but eventually they made it inside. "This way," Alice led them through the house and kicked open the door to Carlos's bedroom. The room was a mess of clothing and items scattered everywhere and Alice swept her hand over the bed to knock various items to the floor. Then carefully manoeuvring the unconscious man the pair managed to get him settled on the bed on his side. "I'm going to grab him some asprin and water for when he wakes up." Alice left the room and while she was gone Claire made quick work of removing Carlos' shoes, dropping them carelessly to the floor. The blonde returned and laid things out on the nightstand and Claire didn't envy the hangover Carlos was going to have when he awoke.

"Will he be alright?" The redhead asked as Alice shut the bedroom door behind them as they left the room.

"Yeah, once he sleeps it off he'll be fine. He doesn't do this very often." Claire wasn't sure if that justified his behaviour but if Alice wasn't bothered by it than she had no reason to be.

They ended up sitting on opposite ends of the couch in the living room. Claire noticed that with the exception of Carlos' room the rest of the house was impeccably clean and attributed it to the blonde. The furniture was all mismatched and the built in bookcase surrounding the television was overflowing with DVDs and CDs. The room was decorated with pictures of Alice and Carlos as children with an older couple who Claire assumed was their parents. And in the picture closest to her she could see that they were obviously Carlos' biological parents, confirming her suspicions that Alice must be adopted. There were also a few paintings hung up along the walls and Claire guessed they probably were the work of the blonde.

"Are all of these paintings yours?"

"Yep. These are the rejects that could not be sold at the art shows."

"I like them." Claire replied automatically. She'd grown rather fond of the painting hanging in her own living room that seeing others like it was genuinely interesting. "And if these are the only ones you haven't sold then you've done well for yourself."

"Oh, these are just a few. I have a lot more in the basement. Do you want to see?"

The redhead nodded rapidly. "Of course! K-Mart will be so jealous when she finds out." Alice chuckled at the comment and motioned for Claire to follow her. She had been expecting an unfinished basement for some reason but that wasn't the case at all. The entire space looked to be converted into a studio set up on one side and bedroom on the other, with the bedroom being an obvious afterthought as it contained only a bed and dresser. On the far wall between the two spaces were bookcases lined neatly with colourful paperbacks and hard covers. "This is your room?" Claire asked stupidly as the answer was obvious.

"Yeah," Alice rubbed the back of her neck as she spoke. "There's another bedroom upstairs but I like having my stuff and my art all in one place. So if I have an awesome dream that inspires me, I can just roll out of bed and get something on canvas while the thought is still fresh."

"Makes sense." Claire wandered over to where completed canvases were leaning against another wall, taking each one in carefully. "These are great Alice." When she finished looking at the art she circled the rest of the room, too curious not to try and figure out more about her crush, but still trying not to look nosey. She scanned the first bookshelf she came to and quickly noticed a theme. "You really are a history geek aren't you?" Claire turned around and smirked at the blonde, but Alice nodded proudly.

"You can probably tell that American history is my favourite, specifically the presidents. Which leads me to a very important question."

"Shoot." Claire replied, slightly nervous.

"Are you sure? Your answer will determine the entire future of our friendship." The blonde winked to let Claire know she was kidding but the redhead decided to play along.

"I think I can handle it. What's the question?"

Alice took a few steps forward, separating the distance between them and said in a completely serious tone: "Who is your favourite president?"

Claire scoffed aloud. "That's the question determining the future of our friendship?" Claire honestly couldn't give a shit about the presidents but it was obviously important to Alice and thus she really didn't want to answer incorrectly even though it was an opinion question. She scanned her brain for memories of history class as Alice waited patiently for an answer, and suddenly it became obvious to the redhead. "Theodore Roosevelt." She stated confidently.

"And is there a reason he's your favourite?"

The redhead smiled widely. "Cause he was a total badass! He got shot during a speech once and that mother fucker got back up and finished his speech before going to the hospital. He reminds me of you."

Alice nodded. "Excellent answer, you win the grand prize."

"Oh, what did I win?" Her response half excited, half sarcastic.

"How about the best pizza in Raccoon City at three o'clock in the morning?" The blonde suggested.

Claire's grin widened. She never expected the night to turn out like this when she'd hopped out of a cab hours ago and groaned at the prospect of karaoke. And now it was almost like she and Alice were on a date, if dates included drunk brothers and presidential trivia. "Pizza sounds awesome."

The redhead had insisted on paying for the pizza on the argument that technically they were still celebrating Alice's birthday, and now they sat across from each other at the only pizza place opened 24/7 eating the most amazing pizza Claire had ever tasted.

"You were right, this is by far the best pizza in the city." Claire sighed, sitting back in her chair, unable to eat another bite. The place was empty aside from the two bored looking teenagers behind the counter who disappeared into the back kitchen every few minutes where the redhead was certain the faint smell of weed was emanating from.

"So," Alice drawled, sitting back in her chair as well. "I'm assuming the waitress thing a temporary gig, is there something else you'd rather be doing?"

Claire nodded. "I've been working at the diner for about a year, it's good because I can get as many hours as I want and can work while K is at school. The first two years we lived here I worked a bunch of odd jobs around the city but nothing really stuck. Before I became K-Mart's full time guardian I was working my mechanic's apprenticeship, which I unfortunately had to give it up when our parents died. But L.J told me he knows a guy with a shop who's looking for some help, so hopefully my time at Umbrella Co. Dining will soon be up."

"That's great! L.J makes really good connections with his business, Carlos and I rent the house from someone L.J set us up with."

"You know, I can't think of very many people who would still want to be living with their brother."

"Carlos and I were friends before we became siblings, and it's really only when he gets crazy overprotective that I actually think of him as my brother. We had been neighbours since we were born and we've been best friends for as long as I can remember. He was an only child so his parents didn't mind that I spent more time at their house than I did at my own and when my parents split they took me in without hesitation."

Claire couldn't imagine why Alice's parents would take off but she didn't want to push too much too soon.

"So his parents adopted you?"

"Yep. The state couldn't track down any of my relatives who could take me in. I was actually kind of happy for that, I wanted to stay with Carlos and his parents rather than move in with people I don't even know. And if it wasn't for the Oliveras I would have ended up in foster care. They're really great people, I owe them so much."

"And you've never tried to track down your real parents?"

"My real parents still live in the same house out in the suburbs, well at least my mother still does, our father died a couple of years ago. As for my biological parents, I really couldn't care less about what happened to them. They've never tried to contact me either so I assume the sentiment works both ways." Alice didn't sound angry, rather she spoke as if she were talking about the weather, as if it were just some fact to be stated and they weren't talking about the people who were supposed to have loved Alice unconditionally and protected and cared for her like most other parents did. The redhead didn't speak for fear that anything she said would sound like pity and suspecting that Alice wouldn't welcome that sort of response.

The blonde seemed to recognize the awkward turn the conversation had taken and offered a small smile. "I don't hate them for what they did, not anymore at least. It all worked out really well for me in the end, I got parents who actually care and the best brother and best friend in the world."

At that Claire cracked a smile. "I'm glad, everyone deserves a loving family."

Alice nodded her agreement. "What about you? It's just you and K-Mart at home?"

"Yeah, our older brother Chris is in the military so he's not around much, but since the accident it's just been me and K. We use to live in Nevada actually, but after we lost our parents she needed a fresh start so we moved here. She took their death pretty hard and couldn't stand to be in that house so we agreed that starting over somewhere else might be a good idea, and K-Mart really likes it here so I'm glad we did it."

"It couldn't have been easy though, just picking up and moving across the country? I mean, I only had to move next door after my parents split, and even then not much of my life changed since I spent so much time at Carlos' house anyway. I can't imagine having to just start over somewhere else."

"Chris took care of all the moving arrangements while he was on leave for the funeral. I think he feels a little guilty about leaving us alone for so long but I don't resent what he's chosen to do with his life. We miss him but K-Mart and I have been fine on our own."

She'd never really thought about it before but it was true. She and K-Mart had done just fine for themselves these last three years. It had been really hard in the beginning, K-Mart had only been 12 at the time and adjusting to a new school in a new city had taken some time but that was to be expected. The large age gap between them had always kept them from being really close before, with Claire being almost a decade older she'd never had much in common with K-Mart, but now the redhead could not imagine her life without the daily presence of her younger sister.

Claire stared at the woman across the table from her where Alice seemed to be contemplating eating another slice of pizza but ultimately decided against it, pushing the remaining food aside. Somehow in the last couple of weeks Alice had seamlessly infiltrated her and K-Mart's lives. Ever since becoming full time guardian of her younger sibling Claire had become especially wary of allowing people into their little world. But with one painting Alice had changed their lives completely. Alice had become K-Mart's idol overnight and within days of their meeting Claire had found herself starting to fall for the other woman. With anyone else Claire would have questioned her own sanity but things felt different with Alice, as if the rules didn't apply to her. Alice marched to the beat of her own drum and Claire was constantly trying to figure out the rhythm. The blonde went back and forth between flirty and reserved, and full of confidence and uncertainty. It kept the redhead guessing, which she would never admit but she secretly loved it.

And even more than that, Claire felt something with Alice that she could only describe as 'right.' Their touches at the hospital had been both reassuring and exhilarating, and even earlier tonight when the redhead had pretended to be Alice's girlfriend she couldn't deny how well they had seemed to fit together. The problem was that Claire didn't know if Alice felt the same way. Maybe the blonde didn't think they fit together at all, but Claire would never really know unless she asked. However, before she could think of anything to say her body let out an involuntary yawn.

"Sorry," she apologized, covering her mouth.

"It's alright," Alice replied with a crooked grin. "I sometimes forget other people aren't use to being up all night like I am." She checked the time on her watch. "It's almost four-thirty. Come on, I'll take you home."

Claire nodded and stood up from the table, tossing out their garbage on the way to the door and allowing Alice to drive her home. "It's a good thing I don't have to work today, I'd be dead on my feet."

"Sorry for keeping you out so late." Alice apologized as they drove through the deserted streets of the city. Claire could see why the blonde liked the night so much, with no one else around everything was more serene.

"I had a really good time tonight, but don't tell Betty or she'll drag us out to karaoke again."

Chuckling, Alice turned onto the redhead's street. "I promise I won't tell her."

"Good." Claire spotted her apartment building but still couldn't bring herself to leave Alice's presence. "Do you want to come inside?" Immediately she realized how suggestive it sounded, and while it wasn't an unpleasant thought she really didn't want her first time with the blonde to be at four-thirty in the morning when she was completely exhausted. "I mean, you showed me your place so it's only fair that you get to see mine."

"Ok," Alice decided after only a moment's hesitation and pulled into an available parking spot a little bit further down the street from the desired building. Both women jumped out of the vehicle and Alice followed Claire into the apartment building and up several flights of stairs. They stopped outside apartment 15, the last one at the end of the hall and the redhead produced a key and slowly unlocked the door. She silently prayed that the apartment wasn't too much of a mess and was relieved to see it hadn't looked like a bomb exploded when she opened the door and allowed Alice to step into her home.

Claire shut the door behind them once they were inside and motioned to a door adjacent to the living room. "I'm just going to check on K-Mart." She said and Alice nodded in understanding. Claire crossed the room and opened the teen's door as quietly as possible. K-Mart had fallen asleep with the light on again and Claire crept across the floor, adjusting her sister's blanket before turning off the light and leaving the room, making sure to silently close the door behind her again.

Alice was standing in front of the fireplace that didn't work, looking at the pictures of the Redfield clan that were set up along the mantle. The photograph in the centre had been their last family picture, taken after Chris' completion of basic training. He stood in the middle in full uniform with their parents on one side and his sisters on the other, all of them beaming at the camera. K-Mart was the spitting image of their mother with her long blonde hair while Chris and Claire retained more of their father's traits, Chris with his dark hair and Claire sharing his bright blue eyes.

"This is your family?" Alice asked in a low voice as to not wake the teenager when Claire stood next to her in front of fireplace.

"Yeah, that's Chris and those were my parents." It was a bit unnecessary to point them out but she did it anyway. She then pulled Alice by the arm over to the couch and the pair sat down. "So this is it, our humble abode. What do you think?" Claire knew her home was nothing impressive, but she also knew Alice would never say that and was curious to hear how the blonde would respond.

The blonde woman looked around the room silently for a moment before speaking. "Honestly? It's almost exactly like I pictured it."

"You've thought about it?" Claire couldn't help but tease causing Alice to flush a little.

"Well, I've seen the outside so many times I couldn't help wondering what the inside looked like."

"And it surpasses your expectations?" Alice nodded and the redhead laughed. "You must have had really low expectations."

"No, that's not it at all. It's just," she trailed off looking around the room again. "You can see the obvious differences in personality between you and K-Mart." Claire motioned for her to continue and Alice stood up and moved away from the couch. "You picked the colour of the walls, something bright but not distracting." She observed, touching a spot on the wall where the sea foam green hadn't been covered with decorations. "And I'm guessing it was K-Mart's idea to hang the painting in here but only because I suspect her walls are already overcrowded with posters." She looked to Claire for confirmation and the redhead nodded.

"Anything else?"

"You let K-Mart pick the furniture." Alice stated as she retook her place on the couch, running a hand over the brown suade. "It's not practical in the least but K-Mart probably liked it because it looks nice and is comfy."

Claire was in disbelief, Alice had been right on all accounts. Claire remembered how excited K-Mart had been at the discount furniture warehouse, testing each and every couch and chair until she declared that this is what they had to have in their apartment. Initially the redhead had hated it, but K-Mart had become so enamoured with the couch that she just couldn't say no to the blonde

"How do you do that?"

Alice shrugged. "K-Mart is all about expression, whereas you're more of a simplistic type. You like things that are understated and practical but K-Mart is all about the visual." She glanced around the room again. "Your place is a very nice balance between the two, I really like it."

"Thanks," Claire replied before another yawn escaped her mouth. A loose strand of red hair fell across her face and before she had a chance to tuck it back Alice had reached out and done it for her. As if realizing what she had done, the blonde snapped her hand back and averted her gaze.

Claire decided then and there that they had done enough dancing around each other and it was time to act. She scooted closer to Alice on the couch, effectively trapping the blonde between herself and the armrest. "I'm really glad we met Alice."

"Me too, you and K-Mart are great."

The redhead had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at how clueless Alice was sometimes. Instead she took a deep breath and decided for an even more direct approach. "I don't want to talk about K-Mart, I want to talk about you and me. I really like you Alice, and I want to know if you feel the same." She held her breath as Alice's eyes widened at the admission and Claire was seriously hoping that Betty had been right about this or she was going to send her to the hospital for a reason other than working.

After what felt like an eternity Alice finally spoke. "I'm not someone you want to get involved with Claire."

This time Claire did roll her eyes. "You're not answering my question Alice. Just tell me the truth and afterwards I promise to listen to all your excuses. Do you like me? Yes, or no?" The redhead got an answer almost immediately with Alice nodding her head. "Great. Ok, now you can tell me all the reasons why we shouldn't date. Go."

"It's just not a good idea Claire, I would be a terrible girlfriend. I'm kind of a mess."

"I don't believe that for one second. You know exactly who you are Alice, it's actually what I like most about you. You know what you like and what you want from life, and you don't judge others because of the things they like and want. I get that you don't exactly have the picture perfect past but I don't think you're a mess Alice. I think you're kind, intelligent, brave, considerate, and not to mention undeniably beautiful. I'm only asking for one date Alice, not a commitment ceremony."

The blonde became flustered at all the compliments and quickly spluttered out another potential excuse. "What about K-Mart? Don't you need to consider her in all of this?"

The redhead tried not to chuckle. "K-Mart practically worships the ground you walk on. Sometimes I think she has her own little crush on you." Claire teased before becoming serious again. "I would never even think about dating someone without thinking about their affect on K-Mart. We both know how much she likes you and I suspect even you know how ecstatic she would be if we were together."

Alice looked to be coming up with another reason but the redhead had heard enough and silenced the other woman by placing a finger over the blonde's lips. "I don't know why you're trying so hard to fight this Alice but I will make you a deal alright?" She then moved her hand away so she could hear the other woman's answer.

"What's the deal?"

"I'm going to kiss you." Claire said with a lot more confidence then she felt. "And if you don't feel anything then no hard feelings and we can stick to being just friends." She slowly began to lean toward the blonde and lowered her voice an octave. "But if you do feel something..." Claire trailed off and hoped Alice would both understand and accept her challenge. She stopped less than an inch away from the other woman's lips, cupping the back of Alice's neck as gently as humanly possible and whispered. "Do we have a deal?"

"Yes," Alice breathed and that was all the confirmation Claire needed before closing the almost imperceptible gap between them.

At first it was a shock to the system, Alice's lips were the softest the redhead had ever kissed. And the weight of finally having kissed the blonde mixed with the feeling itself exhilarated Claire to no end. But she had been kissing Alice for a few seconds now and the blonde had remained immobile. She had hoped physical contact would break down the barriers and allow Alice to accept what Claire was beginning to realize was an obvious connection between them. The point of the challenge was to get Alice to kiss her back and prove that the blonde felt it as well. Briefly she considered the possibility that Alice was purposely holding back, if only to prove her own point but Claire would have none of it. She started to kiss Alice more insistently and after a moment her attempts to deepen the kiss were finally rewarded when she felt the blonde's lips twitch against hers. Feeling the smallest amount of smug satisfaction she couldn't help but grin into the kiss and the movement seemed to spur Alice into action.

The next thing Claire knew she felt hands on her where there hadn't been any before. One had instantly become tangled in her long red locks and the other was slowly inching its way up her back, and with each passing second working to pull the redhead closer to the warm body that only moments ago had been completely unresponsive. In the course of less than three seconds kissing Alice had gone from exhilarating to mind blowing. Every spark the redhead had felt in each of their previous innocent touches had been outdone by the burning desire now coursing through her veins. She pulled back to take a deep breath only to have Alice reinitiate the kiss moments later.

With Alice now a willing participant, Claire didn't have to try as hard and was free to relax into the kiss and allow the blonde to take control. She felt a tongue swipe across her bottom lip in a tentative request for entrance and immediately she granted access. Claire let her hand that had been cupping the blonde's neck travel higher and tried to pull Alice impossibly closer while her other hand maintained a firm grip on the edge of the couch to keep them from falling to the floor. At the first touch of Alice's tongue against her own Claire couldn't stop the moan trying to escape the back of her throat and let herself collapse completely on top of the blonde, forcing them both deeper into the plush cushioning of the couch. The redhead could faintly taste the pizza they had eaten less than an hour ago but it was overwhelmed by something sweet and intoxicating, and uniquely Alice. Claire couldn't think of a better way to describe it at the moment but was finding it difficult to think about much of anything when she had what she was certain was the woman of her dreams trapped firmly beneath her.

It was only when the issue of oxygen could no longer be ignored that Claire forced herself to slowly pull away. She didn't move from her position over the blonde and opened her eyes to gaze down at the other woman, hoping her eyes wouldn't completely give away how much she'd enjoyed the kiss. They were both breathing deeply and Claire felt a surge of pride as she took in the sight of Alice's swollen lips and tangled hair.

"So," the redhead breathed slowly, still trying to catch her breath. "I'm going to take that as a yes, because you honestly can't kiss me like that and then not go out with me." Her stomach then flipped uncontrollably when Alice responded with a lazy grin.

"I think it works both ways. You can't kiss me like that and then not take me out on a date."

"Good, then we're in agreement. I'm taking you out on a date next week."

Alice stared up at her and tucked another errant strand of red hair behind Claire's ear. Claire didn't recognize the look on the blonde's face, it appeared to be a strange mix of happiness and resignation which she thought was a weird combination. But it vanished almost immediately, replaced with a smirk that Claire would look forward to from that moment on. "Deal." Alice agreed, and with that Claire felt herself being pulled back in for another deep kiss.


Ok, I've mentally prepared myself for any criticism about the karaoke thing. So let me have it! But seriously I hope you enjoyed the long update, the next chapter isn't finished yet so I don't know how long before it will be posted.

Congratulations to those who picked Claire to make the first move, you guessed correctly!

Also, for anyone who's interested, the song Betty sang was Beyonce's 'Smash into You' which some people may recognize from the end credits of the movie Obsessed but I won't blame you if you didn't see it...

Anyway, thanks for reading and I love me some reviews!