Chapter 13: Daily Fix

The name on the cross read: Alice

Damn it AJ! Alice was angry, but it was fueled with sorrow. The brunette didn't know the explanation for this or even what it truly meant. She wasn't given enough time to understand the consequences because she heard the safest footfall behind her.

The brunette turned around, and their moment had finally come. Alice felt almost every piece of her heart return at the sight of Claire holding a delicate forget-me-not tightly to her chest.

Alice knew what was coming before she even saw the redhead's knees buckle. She ran and caught Claire before the woman could fall. Still, they were left on the grassy hillside, the redhead in Alice's arms as she kneeled on the ground.

She didn't feel like the hero she thought she would. Alice had come so far in her quest for redemption, but it didn't change a thing. She still felt guilty.

Their eyes locked in complete silence. The brunette made the effort to memorize every ounce of this moment. Claire's warm, weighted frame her in arms; the woman's crystal eyes a mix of jade and emerald staring into her own; her auburn red hair; her racing heartbeat – but not the rise and fall of her chest. Claire wasn't breathing.

"Breathe," Alice soothed desperately. "Breathe."

With Claire's first breath, she struggled out of Alice's arms. The brunette let her go; she'd never make the woman do anything against her will ever again. She couldn't figure it out; she had thought their reunion would make Claire happy. Instead Claire just seemed confused and miserable. Her eyes were empty, yet she could do nothing but stare at Alice as they both got back on their feet.

Like she's seen a ghost…Alice thought. Her head jerked slightly to the grave behind her. While Alice knew it was AJ, Claire did not. She looked back at the redhead and immediately rushed to explain.

"That's not me. Claire, it was a clone." The words had no visual effect so Alice took a step forward. "I'm not dead."

There was still no reaction from Claire. Alice was about to reach out to touch the woman a couple feet away from her, but suddenly they weren't alone on the hill. The footsteps were clumsy, rushed, and numerous.

Alice and Claire both turned their heads in the direction of the sound as K-mart and Paco clambered up the hill. Whatever piece of Alice's heart that had been missing – it was back now.

The teen seemed just as surprised to see her as Claire was and stopped right before colliding into Alice like she'd suddenly changed her mind. Alice had been so sure K was going to envelop her in the hug fit for an infected bear. The teen may have hesitated, but Paco did not.

The Saint Bernard was almost fully matured, and he barked at the sight of her. The deep rumble startled the group, but the dog's tail wagged furiously as he nuzzled his nose right into her palm. Alice chuckled once and kneeled to scratch behind his soft ear with purpose.

Of all the things she expected – Paco giving her more affection than Claire and K-mart combined was not among them.

The teen finally spoke up, her voice unsure but full of naive hope none the less. "Alice? Is that really you?"

Alice met K's hazel eyes and nodded before standing again. There was not even a hint of reluctance this time. K-mart engulfed Alice in a steady embrace as a tear found its way on the girl's cheek. The brunette returned the hug, but couldn't help looking at Claire while she did so. The woman was still rigid in her stance and watching with mistrust.

The teen spoke into Alice's shoulder, faith pouring from her lips like a fountain. "I knew it wasn't you! There was just no way!"

Alice rubbed her hands along the girl's back. The hug became tighter for a moment before the teen pulled away to talk in typical K-mart fashion, shooting question after question without giving Alice any time to answer.

"Did you say that was a clone? How did you get clones? What have you been doing all this time? Where-"

A light smile had broken out onto Alice's face, but then suddenly Claire left. The redhead's leaving cut K-mart off and it dropped the older woman's grin.

At Claire's absence Alice was overwhelmed. The woman she loved was alive; K-mart and Paco were both alive. She was unbelievably lucky and even though Claire was upset the brunette didn't care. Her life had potential for picking up where it left off before they'd deserted Alaska.

Of course things wouldn't be the same. They were no longer alone in the haven; the town was thriving and would continue to do so if AJ had in fact succeeded at delivering the serum. Alice was sure they could move back to the old cabin now. The brunette would do her best to provide for her small family. Claire would smile at her, because of her. K-mart would have renewed vigor in her antics. Everyone thing would be as it should…except it wasn't.

Upon answering some of K-mart's questions, the girl in turn told Alice of AJ's appearance. The clone had in fact kept her word, providing the people with the serum at all costs, but an accident caused her to die in Claire's arms. Alice couldn't imagine how that must've felt. If their places had been reversed and Claire was dying in her arms…she couldn't fathom the end result. Alice had no desire to, she just wanted to find and comfort the redhead.

Claire refused to see her. Alice was met instead with another angry Redfield, and she was certain that had K not been at her side the tense confrontation would've escalated into blows on someone's end. Chris was adamant that his sister wanted nothing to do with Alice. That the she-demon should just go back to the Hell she crawled out of. But if those were Claire's words or not was in question, especially by the teen.

K-mart promised to talk to Claire for the brunette and suggested that Alice stay at the cabin until things were a little less heated. Alice agreed with despondence and found herself back home…alone.

Days passed until they turned into weeks, Alice spent the time appropriating into town life whether it was to pull a watch shift or hunt or help build though she was never actually scheduled to do any of those things. Whenever she saw Claire the redhead ignored her completely. Alice felt like she was walking on eggshells except her feet were bare, the shells were actually glass, and the glass was already broken. Each step got her no closer to or further from her goal – they just hurt.

Chris on the other hand almost seemed to make up reasons to pass her by with suspicious and hateful glances. Alice could feel his resentment from a mile away.

None of the townspeople really knew about her, but the brunette found many of them coming to thank her for telling them about the town. They were all grateful for the hope and their words made her mute. No one ever commented on 'her' unique talent depending on the clone they met. The origin of the serum was unknown, and they seemed to accept that without question. Alice was glad she didn't have savior status. If anyone did it was Claire. She was the real hero in this town of over 2000 people. Alice was just another survivor who happened to know of the haven, albeit a very physically able survivor, but alone without the people she loved none the less. Just like everybody else.

Her situation was like a divorce. Yes, she had gotten the house, but Claire had K-mart. The brunette found the teen trying to evenly split her time among the two and was incredibly thankful for K's company whenever the girl was around; Paco never very far behind. Still, K-mart returned to her place with Claire before the evening was over.

Nights found the brunette pacing and checking her watch, barely getting more than three hours of sleep. Food had always been lackluster since the world ended, but now that kind of energy was avoided and replaced with a vial of infected blood.

The shots were administered daily even though Alice's infection didn't always need to be reset. She just didn't want to wait, to feel the fire and suffer for it. The brunette didn't have a lot of stock left, and she was actually looking forward to taking a break from her new, empty life. At least the infected would not ignore her. They would do quite the opposite – they'd seek her out desperate to be near her even if was only to take advantage of her flesh.

No one knew about Alice's addiction or it was suffice to say that K-mart didn't know, and therefore Claire didn't either. K talked a lot and Alice was always content to listen. She seldom asked about Claire though she was desperate to.

Alice was certain that if not for the teen's visits, her daily fix would've been a nightcap.

The brunette was sitting at the kitchen table, lining up quarters. They fit neatly, one next to the other until she had the correct amount of change. She carefully rolled them up in an old piece of paper and folded the ends down.

There was no knock on the cabin door, but Alice knew she was about to be joined by K-mart. The girl called out to the brunette as she stepped into the cabin.

"Alice?"

"In here," she responded.

The teen emerged into the room with Paco on her heels. The dog walked to Alice for his customary greeting. The brunette turned her attention away from her project and gave it to the Saint Bernard instead.

K-mart smiled and sat across from Alice. The girls hands instantly found their way to the coins as she compulsively put them into separate piles.

Their conversation started small and with ease like it always did. But Alice had something to say to the girl, something that would not be well received.

"K," she started, "I'm going to be leaving for a few days."

K-mart stopped trying to flick the quarter that she held steady on the tabletop with her index finger into a controlled spin. She met Alice's eyes as she question the woman.

"Why? When are you leaving?"

Alice answered the questions out of order. "Tomorrow, and I just have to find something." She knew K wasn't fooled by her ambiguity.

"What is it you could you possibly need that we don't have here?" K-mart looked off, and Alice saw the light spark behind her hazel eyes. The teen held Alice's gaze again and seemed to recite someone else's words. "Something infected…" K-mart began to shake her head. "You don't need that, Alice."

Alice went back to taking freeing gunpowder from the small golden bullets next to her pile of coins. "I do."

It wasn't really like K-mart to give up, but that was exactly what happened. The line of conversation was dropped with the teen's absent response. Like the spark, Alice could see the wheels turning in K-mart's head, but there was more to it. The brunette hadn't seen this look on K's face – ever.

She's…Alice began the thought but had difficulty finding the words to describe the expression she saw. It was like looking into a mirror. She's feeling…guilty.

At the discovery, Alice's heart sank. She went back to preparing more of the quarter-filled slugs, trying to convince herself that she shouldn't ask and that she wouldn't say the right thing. Truly, Alice was just afraid of what she'd hear.

K-mart and Paco left a little earlier than usual, but it was late by the time the brunette turned off her battery-powered lamp after putting away her coin collection. She walked back to the bedroom; the silent walls seemed to shrink upon her with judgment.

Alice stood in the door frame and rotated her wrist to catch the dim light coming in through the bedroom windows so she could read the numbers displayed by her watch.

23:59:59