To all the readers: Thank you for the comments! Sorry it's taken so ridiculously long to get the next chapter up, but here's a little update just in time for the holidays.

CHAPTER 6

Alice lay completely still in the dark SUV, wide awake and alert but relaxed, calm at the same time. Her head was propped up on her elbow and her other arm remained draped over Claire's midsection, hugging the slumbering woman to her in a gentle yet firm cradle.

The redhead sighed softly in her sleep, turning over on her side to face Alice with closed eyes. Alice smiled, brushing angel soft hair out of Claire's face and pulling the blanket up over her shoulder as a shiver rustled through Claire's delicate body.

It was strange, Alice thought, how quickly she had come to care for the younger woman. The first few days after saving the group of survivors from the horde of crows, Alice had found it fun to pick at Claire's self righteous and plan-focused ways. Now she realized that she actually liked the woman. She liked finding new ways to get under Claire's skin, anything to make her scoff or roll her eyes. Angry, annoyed Claire was cute.

A rough wind rocked the car they were in slightly, enough to shake the sleeping woman, and she rolled in closer to Alice, moaning sleepily and opening her eyes reluctantly. Her groggy gaze fixed on the blonde and a small smile appeared on her face.

"Hey," Alice said.

"Hey back," Claire yawned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and scratching at the back of her neck. "What time is it?"

"Early. Probably about five."

Claire's eyes bulged. "In the a.m.? I'm going back to sleep!" She rolled over and yanked the blanket over her head. "Wake me when it's actually morning."

Alice rolled her eyes and flung the blanket back from Claire's face. "It is morning, dummy."

"Not to normal peopleee," Claire whined. "Why do I have to get up?"

"Because I'm bored and don't want to listen to your snoring anymore."

Claire narrowed her eyes. "I do NOT snore."

"Oh yes you do. Loudly. At odd intervals. In between the giggle fits."

"Shut the fuck up!" The redhead smacked Alice on the arm, who lowered her head to hide her escaping laugh.

"Hey, I speak only the truth." Alice protested, holding her hands up in the air, palms out flat, in surrender. "If you don't like it, get some help. There are a number of wonderful programs available to you for just the low price of nineteen ninety-nine, void where prohibited."

"You speak lies!" Claire narrowed her eyes playfully.

"At least I don't snore…" Alice mumbled, raising her eyebrows and lowering her eyes to the floor.

"You shut up!"

Alice's eyes creased with a smirk.

"Or you'll make me?" She gave a wink.

Claire crossed her arms, pretending not to be amused. "Yes."

"What're you going to do, bat your eyes at me until I pass out from cuteness overload?"

The red head put on a thoughtful face, contemplating, then fluttered her eyelids at the other with the most adorable face she could muster up.

Alice clutched her heart, falling backwards.

"Can't… take… cuteness! Too… much…. Going dark…" She let out one last gasp, sitting forward quickly with an outstretched hand, then mock-dying.

Claire resisted a giggle fit, instead climbing on top of the blonde in a straddle.

"You're ridiculous," She said, still grinning.

Alice opened one eye slightly in a squint.

"Quick, revive me!" She whispered, and then promptly shut her eye again.

Claire rolled her eyes, slapping at the itch on her neck again, and then leaned forward to gently press her lips against the blondes'. Alice's head rose up to continue to the kiss as Claire began to pull away, and the blonde sat up fully, leaning the other back into her arms smoothly, strong muscles holding Claire securely suspended in the lean. Claire's arms found their way around Alice's neck to pull them closer, melting into the feel of the younger woman's soft skin against hers, and now Alice was over top of Claire.

She threaded her fingers through impossibly silky smooth strawberry hair, pushing strands away from Claire's neck and replacing them with her own lips. She was surprised at how warm the younger girl's skin felt under the mouth, and she grinned inwardly at the thought of Claire's flushed face. The blonde looked over at her and was pleased to see a light pink blush across Claire's cheeks.

Slowly pushing the fabric of the red heads' shirt up, her hands slipped under to feel the soft skin of her stomach, feeling the tight muscles underneath contract as her hands moved the shirt higher.

Alice placed two gently kisses above her navel, then paused, noticing how much cooler Claire's stomach was compared to her neck. She pulled away from the other woman, who opened her eyes, confused.

"What?" Claire asked, looking not a little disappointed.

Alice sat up and Claire followed. The blonde lightly placed the back of her hand on Claire's forehead, then neck.

"You have a fever," She said, a small crease appearing in her brow as she frowned. "Do you feel okay?"

Claire reciprocated the look.

"I feel fine," She said, shrugging and scratching her neck. "Except for this damn itch. Must have gotten bit by something last night."

Alice's frown grew. She reached over to pull back the curtain of red hair masking porcelain skin. She swallowed hard.

"Claire…"

"What? What?" Panicked.

Alice sighed, closing her eyes.

"What, exactly, bit you?"

Claire's eyes widened in horror. She scrambled over the back seats of the SUV to the driver's seat and practically yanked the rear view mirror off trying to angle it so she could get a look at her neck.

She felt herself deflate, every last bit of hope draining from her as she saw the bright red irritated rash stretching from the back of her neck around to the side of her ear. It itched like hell.

Flinging herself away from the mirror, she clawed at the rash, eyes wide with hysteria, writhing in the seat as if the irritation was alive and attacking her.

Alice watched helplessly from the back, unable to think. She watched Claire scratch her skin raw until blood began to seep from beneath her fingers. The red drops seemed to spur Alice into action, and she too clambered over the seats to the passenger's side. She grabbed Claire's now stained hands and ripped them away from her skin, clasping them firmly to her lap in an iron tight handcuff hold.

"Claire. Claire!" She called, until the red head finally stopped struggling and met her blue eyes. "Stop it."

It was more a plea then a command, and Alice's voice sounded unusually small in the quiet morning.

"I've got it, Alice." Claire moaned, her face contorting in a mask of fear, resignation, despair.

Alice swallowed. "How?"

"Last night," The younger woman shook her head, not able to meet the other's eye. "With that Umbrella mutant, giant, whatever. It got cut, and the blood hit me in the face. I thought I was fine, I wiped it clean immediately, and everyone else who got infected showed the first signs within a few hours, but I didn't. I didn't know! And now I-" Her voice broke.

Alice closed her eyes against the realization.

"It's not the normal T virus."

Claire's brow furrowed in confusion. "But when-"

"It's a different strand." The blonde didn't think it had been possible for Claire to look any more shaken. She was wrong. She sighed.

"The usual run of the mill zombies that we encounter? Part of the first initial spill of the T virus at the underground lab. But those other things; the lickers, the mutants, the tyrant… there are other strands of the virus. Like the G virus."

"Oh. Great." Sarcasm dripped from Claire's voice.

"You said you just got it in your eyes or mouth, right? You weren't injected with anything, or stabbed?"

"No. Not that it really matters, I'm still fucking infected!"

"Yeah, but this means that it's a form of one of the t virus strands. That's good news."

"How, exactly, is that good news?" Claire asked, exasperated. Her itching neck wasn't improving her mood now that it felt like liquid fire was shooting up and down her veins.

"If it was the G virus, I would be a lot more worried. With the G strand, infected never stop mutating. Not until they're killed. But that one is only transferred through injection, pure and simple. And the first symptom is chest pain, which you don't have, right?"

"Riiiight…" Claire said, not quite following the rapid stream of information.

"So, the t virus has an antidote. I've seen it, I've used it before. All we have to do it find an Umbrella lab and we're golden. Since you weren't bitten or scratched directly, the effects should take longer to show up with you. We more time this way. Just need to find a lab…"

Alice was already moving, back to the pile of blankets, and putting on the rest of her clothes and gear, quickly checking several guns to make sure they were loaded.

"Alice, slow down!" Claire practically yelled. The blonde stopped dead in her tracks, looking back in question. "I don't know what to do."

Alice reached her hand out to grasp Claire's helping her back over the seats to sit down. She wrapped her arms around the red head and pulled her close.

"Step one: breathe. Step two: hope that if I can't find the antidote, which I will, that you will get awesome super powers like me." She grinned as she heard Claire let out a small laugh.

Claire suddenly pushed away from Alice as a knock on the back door startled her.

"Claire, it's Carlos!" Came the familiar voice from outside. Claire glanced back at Alice quickly.

"Don't tell him." She begged, and relief flooded her system when she saw Alice nod once, although she didn't look happy about it. She mouthed a silent thank you.

Claire opened the door.