Disclaimer: I still own nothing...wtf is up with that?

I'd like to thank ToryV for her help and encouragement. Get ready for some awww :D moments - they've been a long time in coming I think (especially after the darkness in that last chapter).

Chapter 5: Daylight Saving

They pulled off the road an hour before dark. Tomorrow they'd likely make it to Montana, spend another day traveling through the state; then they would be in Canada and a third of their journey would be done. Before they could make it to Montana however, they needed to refuel. They'd almost completely cleaned out Claire's extra supply. The vehicle had a few miles left in it, just enough to make it to the gas station down the road.

Claire wanted to wait until morning, however, to set out for it. It was now that Alice really wished she'd had her bike. She could've easily driven to the station and back carting fuel with her. But no, Alice complained as the two survivors began to eat dinner. I had to leave it behind…

"You're sure you don't need anything?" Claire asked again.

Alice looked up from cleaning one of her pistols and answered, "I'm sure. I don't work the same way you do." The blonde put more oil on the orange cloth and ran it down the barrel once more.

Claire shifted a little to get more comfortable on the rocky ground, and then leaned her back against the hummer. K-mart was beside her, voraciously devouring her food like the teen she was. Alice began to reassemble the weapon and when it was put together, placed it on the boulder she was sitting on.

"What do you mean?"

Claire's question made Alice sigh. She knew the inquires would come, it had only been a matter of time. She went for the most generic answer she could give.

"My blood has bonded with the T-virus."

Suddenly K-mart stopped eating; she slowly put down her camping set dinnerware.

That's right little girl, Alice thought as she looked at the teen's downturned head. You've tried so hard to keep the monsters only in your dreams but didn't realize there was one ten times worse you'd have to face when you woke.

"You're infected!" Claire condemned her, and reflexively placed a hand on the pistol attached to her belt.

"No, I'll never be one of those things."

"Then how – what…?

Alice couldn't really avoid details now, and it was high time Claire knew what she was dealing with.

"I am Umbrella's most prized possession. Right before the virus was released upon the world, they took me; injected me with it to see what would happen. I surpassed their wildest dreams. My reflexes, agility, speed, and strength is far beyond that of a normal human, and then there's my mental proficiency."

Claire was hooked and Alice realized that she was enjoying telling this particular tale.

"What happened?"

"The outbreak. The lab where I was kept was abandoned. Mind you – I didn't like being a lab rat. I broke out and they tried to find me. They did everything they could to bring me back….but I got my revenge."

A memory of Angie's face entered the blonde's mind until Claire spoke and the image faded as quickly as it had come.

"Revenge?" Claire asked rhetorically, and with remarkable insight added, "it sounds to me like you're thankful for what they did to you."

Thankful? Maybe…Alice had been caught off guard; she didn't know what to say.

The redhead finished eating but K-mart didn't touch her food again as Alice cleaned her other gun.

The blonde couldn't sleep that night. She fidgeted restlessly in the leather seat as Claire and K-mart's even breathing assaulted her ears. Around 4 in the morning she opened the SUV door and should've known the noise would be enough to rouse Claire.

"What is it?" the redhead asked removing the ball cap that was covering her face. She wrapped a hand around the gun on her waist in preparation.

"Nothing," Alice responded. "Go back to sleep."

The blonde could tell that Claire wanted to know what she was up to, but she held her tongue.

Alice slipped out of the vehicle and into the waiting night. There was only the light of the stars to guide her, but it was more than sufficient. The blonde walked the three miles to the gas station, not entirely sure why she did so. She made the excuse that it was to make sure the place had fuel, and maybe she would get lucky and run into a few undead on the way.

There was indeed gas at the truck stop, but no infected. Alice leaned up against one of the dust-covered pumps and looked at her watch. 4:58:00. Her mind drifted and she let it.

She replayed what she thought had been Claire offering herself. What were her words…'Whatever you want – it's yours.' It certainly sounded like a proposal. Alice was having a hard time dealing with the rejection; she was angry, but not sure why.

Maybe she could still seduce her though. She would just have to take it slow. Take the time to get a feel for Claire; to find out what she liked and play the part long enough to get what she wanted.

Alice imagined for a moment what would happen if Claire had followed her here. She had no idea why Claire would, but the thought was soothing just the same.

The redhead would approach her, maybe tilt her head to the side just like she'd done before, but what would she say? Would concern fall from her lips; pity perhaps? Maybe she would regret asking Alice to stay.

Can't say I'd blame her, the blonde thought.

Suddenly Alice heard gravel shift, like it did so beneath a footstep. Claire?

The blonde stood up straight and looked towards the noise. A dark figure emerged from around a dying pine tree about twenty yards from the gas station. It wasn't undead because Alice's blood was calm and the person moved too gracefully.

It wasn't Claire though either, the figure was too small. After another step Alice realized it was K-mart.

Now, that's a surprise.

She let the teen get within speaking distance before she confronted her.

"What are you doing here?" Alice asked but she didn't expect answer. K-mart drew nearer still, her eyes never left the blonde's and she opened her mouth to speak.

"I-I heard you leave." The older woman saw the effort it took for the teen to voice her thoughts, but she responded harshly.

"Are you stupid, girl?" Alice barked as she looked the teen over for a weapon, she had none.

K-mart flinched. "I'm s-sorry."

"Does Claire even know where you are?" The teen shook her head as tears began to roll down her cheeks. The blonde took a heavy breath and tried again, this time she was calm. "Why did you follow me?"

K-mart wiped the tears away and looked up at the blonde. "I wanted to t-talk to you."

"Well, I'm here so speak." Alice's annoyance was coming back to the surface.

"I just wanted to s-say, that I'm ha-happy you're here. I don't think you like what Umbrella d-did to you. I th-think it hurts you to be different." Alice exhaled and tilted her chin up, almost as if she was trying to distance herself from the girl's sincere words. "I found the alcohol in your pack." The blonde's eyes narrowed at K-mart's snooping but the teen continued anyways. "Y-you t-try to drown the pain, you're cruel, y-you keep people a-away…but," K-mart paused to wet her throat. "But I don't think that's wh-who you are. Y-you could've let us die, but you didn't. You could leave an-anytime, but you haven't."

The speech stripped Alice bare, her eyes glazed over and her body was on the verge of trembling. The blonde fought the emotions; she won out and swallowed them back down as K-mart waited patiently for a response.

"You need to get back; Claire will be worried."

"Are y-you staying he-here?"

Alice thought about the redhead, she was probably awake now and frantic at the teen's absence.

The blonde smiled dimly at the teen, "and have Claire yell at me for not keeping an eye on you – I don't think so."

K-mart grinned and began to walk forward with Alice at her side.

The teen's small strides couldn't match Alice's normal pace, so it took them almost an hour to reach the hummer. Claire was nowhere to be seen, but as they neared the vehicle the redhead came out from around the back and stopped in her tracks at the sight of them. She fiddled with her hat in nervous relief and immediately approached K-mart. The redhead took the teen in her arms.

"Where the hell have you been, K? I was worried out of my mind!" Claire broke the hug, but kept her hands on the teen's shoulders as she tried to look in her eyes for the answer. Alice thought that K-mart would speak and tell her herself, but she didn't, she just looked over at Alice and then down at her feet.

Claire gave Alice a fierce gaze, accusation accented by the severity of her stare.

If looks could kill, Alice thought.

"Get back in the hummer, K. I want you to try and get a little more sleep."

The blonde knew it was bullshit and she wondered if K-mart did too. The girl complied and left Claire alone with Alice.

She felt the interrogation coming on, so Alice cut to the chase, "what?"

Claire pulled the hat of her head and folded the bill inwards a few times. "Did she…did she speak to you?" Her anger was gone, like it had never been there in the first place. Instead Claire just seemed hurt.

Alice nodded and wondered if Claire was going to ask what she said, but the redhead didn't. Instead she changed her demeanor by squaring her shoulders and then changed the subject.

"You said you are Umbrella's most prized possession. Are they still after you?"

"I've evaded them for almost three years, but I'm sure they're still hunting me."

"What will happen if they find you?"

"Nothing good."

Claire looked off in contemplation.

This is it, Alice thought. This is where I get sent away.

It shouldn't have mattered to her; she should've been happy to leave. It was what the blonde wanted from the beginning, but now…now, she didn't know what she wanted besides a stiff drink.

"Well, I doubt I'll be able to go back to sleep now," Claire said and she looked east. "The sun is coming up."

Alice's felt confusion appear on her face, but she looked on with the redhead anyways. The mountain horizon was changing from a deep blue to grey.

Soon the dull wash would be erased by warm colors. The stars would retreat as they gave way to daylight, and granite peaks would look like erupting volcanoes as the orange beams of the rising sun reflected off the crystal-covered rocks.

And Alice would get to watch it all with Claire at her side.