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Claire hated the night.

Lying in bed at night, she was utterly alone. It wasn't like the convoy, when everyone slept two or more to a vehicle with only maybe a seat of separation. It wasn't until the repairs on their cabin were complete, and Claire and K-mart moved into their separate rooms, that Claire realized how accustomed she was to having at least one other person never farther than an arm's length away.

With K-mart in her own room and without Alice curled beside her, the nights were longer, more uneasy.

Claire would lie awake at night listening to her own breathing, the thrum of her own heart. The only rustle of noise was when she adjusted her position under the blankets. The space beside her in bed where Alice should have been was just empty. There was no weight on the mattress beside her, no warmth of a body pressed against her back, no gentle snores, no one to steal the covers.

It was total isolation. It was more than simply being alone. Back in the desert, it was easy to lie in the back of the Hummer and imagine they were the only ones left alive. It was easy to pretend that they were completely alone in the world, the sole survivors of a madness that even the Earth had fallen victim to, while the Infection conspired to rob them of what little remained.

Even then, Claire had not felt alone.

But in her bed in the cabin, the reality was devastating. She was alone. She had the other survivors, but they were no comfort to her. As close as they all were, Claire was still their leader and therefore separate. She had to be aloof, strong. There was no one for her to confide in, no one that could hold her, and no one that she could trust with all of herself. The only person who could fill that role for her was Alice.

And without Alice, she was truly alone. It was more devastating than if she were the last person alive in the world. There was comfort to be had, but she could not have it. She had tasted what it was like to not be alone, to have solace and love in another person, and it had been taken away. The loneliness was so intense it was a knot that sat on her diaphragm as she lay in bed every night.

The only thing worse than the nights and going to sleep without Alice was waking up in the morning without her.

Claire had come to dread the mornings. Because every morning she woke expecting Alice to be next to her, and she wasn't. Every morning she woke with the sickening realization that her lover was gone forever. Every morning she work up and felt a jab of terror in her chest, a heavy swell of nausea in her stomach as it sunk in that she was alone. No matter how much she thought she knew to expect it, it still caught her off guard every morning.

There was no mitigating the feeling.

It was a dread in the pit of her stomach as soon as her eyes fluttered open in the morning. It was a mixture of apprehension and anger, fear and anguish. Whatever respite her dreams may have offered were ephemeral, because every morning she awoke to the same fucked up reality where she was alone. A reality from which there was no escape. And finding herself in that reality every morning was the same solid blow of devastation that never relented.

So when Claire opened her eyes that morning, she was surprised to feel safe.

Until she realized that was not all she felt. The mattress caved just slightly behind her, and the warmth of Alice's front pressed against her back. Claire could feel the steady pace of her lover's heart, the protection of her arms wrapped around her. She could feel Alice's breath on the back of her neck with each rhythmic exhalation.

Claire felt nothing but security and comfort and love wrapped in Alice's arms, and she did not feel alone. A small smile played upon her lips and she gingerly rolled over in her lover's embrace so that they were facing one another.

"I didn't mean to wake you." Claire whispered when she found cool blue eyes already watching her.

Alice shook her head. "You didn't. I've been awake since the sun started coming up." She looked pointedly at the small bedroom window and the streams of light that found their way in around the t-shirt curtain.

"Christ!" Claire blinked in disbelief. "What time is it?"

"Why?" Alice smirked and arched a delicate eyebrow. "You got somewhere to be?" She asked, echoing a voice from the past?

"No," Claire said slowly, smiling a bit wistfully. "But I'm just not used to sleeping in." Her smile broadened as she realized that Alice was teasing her. "Just because we're safe from getting eaten by zombies at every damn turn, doesn't mean we can be lazy."

Still smirking, Alice silenced her with a kiss, and Claire melted into it without protest. She reveled in the softness of her lips, the slight, pleasurable tickle as Alice flicked her tongue over her lips. Claire parted her lips slightly, inviting her lover to kiss her more deeply more passionately, and Alice obliged, reaching up with one hand to rest her fingertips delicately along Claire's jawline.

They kissed for hours, minutes, Claire could not be sure. The only thing she was certain of is that she never wanted it to end, and even if it never ended, she was convinced it would never be enough.

Finally though, they parted, but just enough so the two of them could breathe and gaze into each other's eyes.

Alice's breath hitched. "I love you, Claire Redfield."

Claire grinned broadly. She had waited so long to hear that again. "I love you too, Alice Abernathy."

They were silent for several long moments. They did not need words. Claire had everything she needed lying next to her, but part of her marveled at the reality of it. This was not a dream; this was not some cruel trick her subconscious was playing on her. She would not wake up alone again.

Alice was really here next to her, kissing her, loving her. The world was right once again. It might not be perfect, but at least this was right.

"So what do we do now?" Alice whispered and craned her neck up to place a gentle kiss on Claire's forehead.

Shutting her eyes, Claire smiled. "Well, I could show you around, give you the tour." When Claire opened her eyes, she was rewarded by one of Alice's rare, genuine smiles.

"Great," Alice said dryly, still smiling. "I hear you can see Russia from here."