Chapter 13: No Time to Say Goodbye

"ALICE!" Claire was panicking and pounding her fists on the door. Finally she remembered Alice kicking it in, and took a step back following the taller woman's motions to the letter. The wooden door broke at the lock and before it could smack against the other side of the wall Claire was in the room. She was instantly struck with the smell of copper and gunpowder, but she didn't care about smell she needed to see – needed to see that Alice was still alive.

Before the redhead, were three bodies that rested exactly as they had fallen. A few feet away stood Alice back turned to her, pistol still in hand and head down, but she didn't seem to be breathing. The redhead was quickly at her side, taking the gun from Alice's practically limp hand and replacing it with her own. She squeezed the icy hand tightly while trying to get the older woman's attention.

"Alice, look at me – come on," Claire begged.

Alice didn't even register that her pistol was gone, and it wasn't until she felt a hand on her face that she realized her eyes were still closed. At first she thought the touch was from the young boy, but that was impossible. She opened her eyes to see Claire's worried face, and Alice finally took a breath.

At the sight of the redhead's smile of unreserved relief Alice broke out into a fit of nonsense words, "The boy… You said goodbye – I wasn't given… You said… No time – I wanted-"

"Alice stop, you're not making any sense." The taller woman was in shock and it was obvious to Claire that she needed to get out of this grisly room, like the redhead had needed to get out of that garage. Claire took hold of Alice's hand again and led her easily to the door, but she put up resistance before going any further.

"We can't just leave them…behind," Alice argued.

"We aren't going to," the redhead responded and it was good enough for Alice, so again they made their way out.

When they emerged into the shining sunlight, Alice titled her face to warmth and her knees buckled. Claire dropped the gun in the grass to catch the falling woman; the redhead didn't try to keep Alice standing, only to keep her from falling completely. Claire cradled Alice and was surprised to find that the woman wasn't broken before her. She'd expected Alice to cry, to scream, to do…something; her complete non-reaction was troubling.

"It's ok to cry, Alice."

Alice lightly shook her head, and spoke in near monotone with not an ounce of feeling to her words, "No, no it's not. I don't deserve to be comforted, I don't deserve to be alive…I don't deserve you. All of this is my fault, don't you see?" Even her question sounded like a statement.

Claire wasn't sure how to get thought to her, so she did what she does best, she got angry. "I don't believe you. You didn't create the T-virus, and you didn't release it either!" The redhead looked into Alice's eyes. "What about me, huh? I care about you, more than you know…" Claire's furious expression went back to somber. "What if you had killed yourself, just then?" Even though she was still holding Alice, Claire began to quiver. "What would I have done?" The redhead's throat was too dry, she couldn't continue, so instead she tried to quell her shaking and instill some kind of composure.

"I-I'm sorry," Alice looked away from the redhead as tears formed in her eyes, they burned and stung causing her eyes to water even more. Her throat constricted as the tears cooled a path down her hot face, falling steadily off her chin. Alice struggled to take a breath; she coiled her hands into fists and her nails dug into her palms; the pain it caused enabled her to breathe while her body heaved and trembled with sobs.

Here was the reaction Claire was looking for; she only hoped that she was a strong enough rock for Alice as wave after wave of brutal emotion ripped through her.

Alice reached her arms around Claire's body fiercely holding her against her, afraid to let go and the redhead returned the grip just as forcefully. It seemed like an eternity had passed by the time Alice's crying mellowed out enough to get her thoughts in order.

I don't care what you say – I still don't deserve you. You are so perfect, Claire, Alice thought as she slowly lessoned her grip on the younger woman.

With Alice's lightening hold, Claire reasoned that it was ok for her to do so as well. She brought one arm up to run her fingers through the woman's brown hair, as Alice sighed emotionally exhausted. The taller woman wanted nothing more than to fall asleep exactly as she was, with Claire there to watch over her, but the ex-project's instincts for survival awoke from their previous dormancy. It wasn't safe to sleep out here in the open, especially considering this airport's history.

There were things that needed to be done; the family needed to be buried, the plane needed to be refueled, but the only thing Alice cared about doing – that needed to be done right now before all else – was kissing Claire. Alice placed one hand on Claire's shoulder, the other on the back of her neck and brought their lips together in a kiss full of hunger and need. Claire needed to show Alice that she was cared about, and Alice hungered know it.