Chapter 15: The Swim
How long as it been since I could just collapse into someone arms, unafraid and unashamed? Alice sighed. Never. I don't think I've ever been able to do that, she thought.
The two women were back at the beach house after the redhead convinced Alice to stay another night. The taller woman caved easily to Claire's request; she was finding it harder and harder to deny the younger woman anything, but secretly she was thankful the redhead asked. The ex-project almost never spent more than one night in the same place, but Alice needed some time to recover from the trauma of the airport; a little rest to put back up the defenses, to rebuild her steady resolve, and to just breathe. If that also meant spending more time in a beautiful place with the younger woman – well then, Alice was ok with that.
The building no longer haunted her like before; Spence was a part of the past, but Claire was her 'here and now,' and if she let herself she could almost imagine that this house was just a piece of their life together. She could see them sitting down to dinner every night at the table, both laughing at some ridiculous comment the redhead had just made. She could picture herself coming home from work with Claire waiting restlessly for her to walk through the door so she could tackle the brunette, because they'd been apart for too long. Why am I assuming that Claire would want to be a stay at home…stay at home wife? The words 'Claire' and 'wife' made Alice smile. Maybe she'd run a shelter for homeless teenagers, or be a teacher, Alice struggled to visualize the redhead having enough patience to deal with rowdy children. She could be a stripper for all I care, she thought and laughed quietly to herself, but Claire overheard anyways.
"What are you laughing at? And why are you looking at me while you do it?" Claire jibbed, catching the older woman's infectiously-good mood.
"No reason," Alice was not about to tell the redhead that she'd just imagined her in a more than skimpy outfit, and dancing in a more than provocative way.
"Right, like I'm supposed to believe that." The younger woman spoke sarcastically.
The brunette watched Claire's face go from curious to joyful and she couldn't help but question if the redhead had ever wondered the same thing she was. What would it be like to have a life with you Claire? Then she realized that they'll never have their dream jobs, or dream house, or dream life, but they could still be together. If she'd have me.
In typical Claire fashion, the redhead rose from the dark leather couch in a fluid motion, and then proceeded to throw Alice for a loop.
"Well I'm going to go for a swim," the younger woman said as she strutted to the front door.
"What? Where?" Alice asked and in her rush to catch up to Claire, got up from the couch less then elegantly.
"In the ocean, where else?" Claire turned her head and perked an eyebrow.
"That water's freezing!" Alice stated in disbelief.
"Oh, I think I can handle it," the redhead said arrogantly. "The question is – can you?"
The brunette wasn't so sure if she liked the younger woman turning the tables on her by provoking her into a challenge. Not to mention going for a swim wasn't entirely safe. The taller woman looked into her companion's superior stare; Alice's pride rarely made an appearance, but for the redhead she would make an exception.
"I don't have a change of clothes, considering someone is wearing my other set," Alice referenced the redheads current outfit, but she just shrugged noncommittally.
"So swim naked," the younger woman said with complete seriousness as the taller woman's jaw dropped slightly open. The redhead followed up by opening and walking through the front door without giving Alice a second glance.
She thinks there's no way in Hell I'll do it, the brunette thought as she quickly recovered from her surprised response with a vengeance; her brow furrowed in resolution, well she'll see. Alice took off after the redhead, and was hot on her heels all the way to the sandy beach, where the cold waters swirled eagerly.
Claire pulled off her boots in a flurry of motion and made for the water like a fish, without trepidation or restraint.
Alice watched all this activity while undressing; she meticulously pulled off each armguard, her gun holsters and vest, and set them ceremoniously into the sand. Next to do was unlace and remove her boots, by now the redhead had reached the point in her swim where she felt it necessary to see what Alice was doing. Claire's eyes widened. She really hadn't thought the taller woman would do it, but there she was front to Claire, pulling the shirt of her back.
The ex-project didn't like the idea of being anywhere totally unarmed, so she held on to her combat knife, still sheathed and ready to fasten on when she was prepared to do so. She noticed Claire treading water about fifteen yards out, a stiffness to her motions more than likely from the chill of the water. For a second the brunette reconsidered, not because swimming in the cold ocean was dangerous, but because she was anxious of how Claire would react to her scarred back. The firey crash with Wesker into the hillside had left its mark. Specifically, a pink abrasion that at its widest was two inches and ran all the way down from her right shoulder, past the center of her spine, and continued until it reached around to the side of her left hip. She won't care, Alice tried to convince herself and put on a brave face.
Completely naked save for one lonely sheath, knife in place, secured around her upper thigh by a worn leather strap, Alice approached the water with the grace of a cat and Claire licked her lips involuntarily, tasting more than salt. The taller woman's nipples were already erect, but the second she placed a toe in the water her skin broke out into goose-bumps. My god, that woman is insane, Alice thought in reaction to the icy liquid, making me do this. Well here goes nothing. When she was deep enough into the water Alice dove beneath the breaking waves and swam her way to the redhead.
The brunette surfaced next to the shorter woman, an accomplished smirk on her face.
"I ca-can't believe you ac-actually did it!" Claire exclaimed, her teeth chattering. "We c-can go in now," the younger woman began to ease her way to shore seeing if the taller woman would follow.
"What? But I just got out here!" Alice laughed at the redhead's eagerness to depart the water, but she was just as happy to be leaving.
They swam in and Alice was careful to keep Claire's lead generous. She was delaying the inevitable, but she wasn't quite ready for the redhead to see her ugly scar.
As they stepped onto the beach the redhead said in astonishment, "You didn't bring any towels?"
"You didn't either," Alice replied with a chuckle.
The shivering and drenched younger woman didn't take the time to put on her boots; she just scooped them up in one hand and walked swiftly to the beach house. Alice was still smiling behind her and dressing in just the basics, before running to catch up with the shorter woman. Her clothes would be a little damp and she'd be a little cold, but that wasn't anything sitting beside Claire in front of a roaring fire couldn't fix, and that was exactly what Alice planned on doing the second they got inside.