It has been requested that there be some kind of Happy New Year update and I am nothing if not agreeable (um...plus I already had this and the next chapter and a half written...maybe if you're all extra awesome with your reviews I'll be so kind as to post the next chapter next year...aka tomorrow) so here's the last chapter of the year.

Chapter 13: Space-Time Continuum

On the passenger side of the vehicle, Alice watched K-mart pull on Claire's arm like a lunatic.

"What, K? What?" Claire asked the teen with slight panic. K-mart stilled, looked directly into Claire's eyes as she cocked her head and tugged on Claire's sleeve once. The redhead's shoulders lost their tension as she realized that K-mart just wanted her to follow. "Ok, I'm coming."

K-mart brought Claire over to Alice and then demanded she follow her as well with a hand gesture. The teen led them to a small clearing off the side of the road, motioned for them to stay put, and then ran back to vehicle.

"What on Earth is your prodigy doing?" Claire asked Alice, but before the blonde could come up with a witty retort, K-mart was already shuffling back with a large blanket in hand.

"K," Claire confronted the teen, "I don't know what you're thinking, but it's way too cold to sleep out here – not to mention dangerous."

K-mart shook her head and then unrolled the wool blanket over the grass. She laid down on it on her back and crossed her arms under her head in a classic stargazing position. Alice followed the teen's stare and looked up.

For a moment, all the blonde saw was stars; the very celestial objects that mocked her immortal existence because they had about the same sense of time as she did. For them both – time was endless. Then a light flashed in the corner of her eye. It streaked across the sky; its tail grew bright aquamarine before it faded away completely.

Now Alice understood; K-mart hadn't been checking the time – she'd been checking the date. Somehow the teen knew tonight there would be a meteor shower.

"That was beautiful," Claire stated and proceeded to lie out next to the smiling teen. "Come on, Alice."

The blonde looked to the two survivors as Claire patted the space next to her. She surrendered to the request and although she wanted to be as close to the redhead as K-mart was, she kept her distance.

The three watched in peace for the next hour as meteors rained throughout the night-sky above them, sometimes at two or three a minute. Alice was just as happy to watch Claire and K-mart enjoy them, and often found herself missing meteors because of it. The last time she looked, the teen was close to falling asleep, so when Alice looked again she wasn't surprised to see her curled against Claire and out like a light.

Alice turned back to the sky and Claire sighed contentedly. The blonde was captivated by the splendor of the evening display and wanted to somehow get that across to the redhead beside her.

"Never would've seen this before."

"Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Perhaps, if we would've been more aware, more self-conscious of the beauty around us – we wouldn't have tried so hard to destroy it…"

"We?" Alice inquired.

"I know Umbrella was responsible for the virus, but people were responsible for Umbrella."

The blonde swallowed, suddenly nervous as the next question stumbled out of her lips before she could stop it.

"What if it was just one person? One person who could've stopped this before it all happened?"

"I don't really see how that's possible. Someone may have released the virus, but first someone had to create it, and before that there had to be a need for it to be created. Umbrella failed to contain the outbreak in Raccoon City and the world failed to stop it after that."

"But if it was one person…" Alice continued; she simply had to know. "What would you do to them – if you found them?"

Kill them execution style, torture them for all the pain they caused, make them suffer a thousand deaths – a million perhaps; those were just a few of the options running through the blonde's head and not the detailed ones.

"Nothing."

Alice exhaled sharply through her nose in displeasure and Claire continued.

"I figure if there was one person responsible, they'd already hurt way more than I'd ever be able to make them. Could you imagine the guilt they would feel?"

Alice shut her eyes against the words – her words. "No, no I can't." She knew Spence had felt no guilt, only greed.

"Spence?" Alice called but he didn't answer her. He seemed to be remembering something just like she had been doing since waking in the shower, but his eyes turned cold and Alice knew she had reason to be afraid. Alice glanced at the gun resting on the metal table next to Spence. She lunged for it, but he was closer.

Spence grabbed the pistol as she fell into the water that had flooded the laboratory. When she rose she distanced herself from the gunman, but he didn't keep the weapon aimed at her. He kept switching between her and Matt.

"We can still make it out if here," Spence said to the blonde. "Come with me. We can have everything we ever wanted. The money's just out there waiting – you wouldn't believe how much."

His plea did nothing for her. Yes, Alice had thought about the money – who wouldn't? But she had a larger goal in mind and Spence was dead wrong about it.

"Was that how you thought all my dreams were gonna come true?"

Before Alice could say more, Matt jumped the rail of the stair case he was on to charge Spence. He was nowhere near quick enough and Spence pointed the gun directly at his head causing Matt to halt.

"Please – I wouldn't want to shoot ya, might need the bullets." Spence explained, but Matt was still in his face. "Back off," he threatened and Matt finally moved away.

It was time for Alice to state her position so she did so. "I won't take any part in this."

"Ok. But you can't just wash your hands of everything." He smiled cruelly as he continued. "If it's half mine – it's half yours too, baby."

Alice snarled at the mock term of endearment and Spence continued.

"Don't forget that we're married to the same company. You knew what they did."

"I was trying to stop them."

"Oh?" Spence sounded surprised and continued to ridicule her. "You really think people like him," he looked at Matt, "will ever change anything? You're wrong. Nothing ever changes."

Rain broke into the conversation, the woman still leaning against the stair railing, her face becoming paler by the minute. "Where – where is the anti-virus?"

Spence smirked at the irony as he answered. "It's on the train, where you found me. You couldn't have been standing more than three feet from it. I so nearly made it out. Didn't realize that bitch of a computer had defense systems outside the Hive."

Alice watched as one of the scientists rose from the water, her eyes a remarkable shade electric blue and her skin white as the lab coat around her shoulders. Get ready Spence, you're about to get what you deserve, Alice thought.

"In or out?" Spence questioned the blonde but she held back her answer, pretending to ignore him.

"In or out?" he asked again. This time Alice looked straight into his eyes as the infected woman drew nearer to Spence.

"I don't know what we had, but it's over."

Right at the conclusion of her statement the undead bit into Spence's neck. Alice rushed him as he shot into the undead's stomach then turned around to shoot it in the head. Matt joined Alice on her attempt to take the gun from Spence, and tried unsuccessfully to tackle him. Spence threw him into the water before and aimed the gun at Alice before she was close enough to help.

"Back!" he yelled. "Back the fuck off."

Alice didn't move, however. She could not be intimidated so easily.

Spence made his way to the door, the barrel of his gun never leaving the direction of Alice's chest. Right before he locked them in, he gave her a few parting words.

"I'm missing you already."

No, the guilt would have to be placed on someone else's shoulders – her shoulders.

As much as she tried to deny it, and for as long as she had succeeded – Alice lived an empty existence. She'd accepted long ago that she was at fault, but once she turned her back on the world – never got further than that. Remorse used to be a constant companion she fought hard to free herself from, and now that same sorrow and disgrace was close to knocking on her door again. A door Claire was close to opening. Too close.

Alice didn't want to watch the meteors anymore. She rose from the blanket and left. Claire called out to her but she ignored it, happy to know that redhead couldn't follow her without first waking K-mart and that would give her a head start.

What am I doing? Alice questioned herself as she got to the Hummer. What will happen if I leave this time? She desperately wanted space and she really wanted to kill something, but there was nothing around to maim and distance might come at a price she wasn't willing to pay.

Alice sighed as the two survivors came into view. Claire walked K-mart to the vehicle and told her to get some sleep before joining the blonde.

The redhead didn't say anything at first and Alice had hoped it would stay that way, but it wasn't to be.

"I was a little worried that maybe you'd left."

Alice ignored the comment; it was obvious that she didn't leave so she felt no desire to respond.

"Alice…what were you before – well, before all this?"

The question had the essence of being vague but Alice knew exactly what the redhead was asking.

"I worked for Umbrella."

"A lot of people worked for Umbrella, Alice."

Claire was digging, but the blonde was sure she wasn't ready for what she was about to uncover.

"I was Head of Security…in Raccoon City."

The redhead's eyebrows knitted together. "Then you were there when…"

"I wasn't just there."

"What are you saying?"

Alice had opened her big mouth and now it was time to finish what she started.

"I am directly responsible for the outbreak."

Claire was completely taken aback by the words and Alice let a wicked smile appear on her lips for her next statement.

"Ready to rethink that answer? The person responsible for the virus escaping, responsible for the death of billions – the death of all your friends and family – hell," Alice chuckled, "probably even your own eventual death and K-mart's is standing right here in front of you and you're really going to do nothing?"

Claire couldn't even meet her eyes.

"Tell me Claire, how many people have you lost?"

"My brother…"

"Your brother, hu? Well how do you think he feels? How do you think he'd feel knowing that you have a chance to set right so many wrongs, but you're just standing here – doing nothing? Nothing to avenge his meaningless death…"

Alice was being utterly ruthless; she wanted the redhead to hurt, she couldn't help it and she didn't want to.

"You're absolutely pathetic, Claire."

The other woman's head rose and Alice prepared herself for the rage she'd been hoping to face, but the look on Claire's face wasn't anger. It wasn't malicious at all and that caused Alice more pain then she could bear.

"I forgive you, Alice."

What? What did she just say? The blonde could hardly think straight. She was trembling and so dizzy that she was sure the slightest wind would knock her over, and all because she heard the words she never thought would be spoken to her.

Claire reached out to place her hand on Alice's cheek but the blonde snatched it before it could touch her. The redhead tried to pull back, upset that Alice wouldn't allow that kind of comfort but the blonde didn't let her go. Their joined hands fell to rest between them and Alice let Claire reposition hers so that their fingers were entwined.

Alice couldn't lift her eyes from looking at Claire's hand in hers. The hand that should've been putting a gun to her forehead, or maybe unsheathing the knife on the redhead's belt; Alice would've even preferred another slap to the mercy she was given instead.

"I don't understand you," Alice whispered, her voice softer than it had ever been before.

"And I don't always understand you," Claire replied honestly. "I don't see how one person could be at fault for all of this, but if you truly believe that then it's real enough to hurt you. You may not admit it, but you're in horrible pain and if forgiving you releases some of that pain then I'll do it every day. Every single day, Alice – until you're ready to finally forgive yourself."

This time when Claire reached out with her other hand Alice didn't stop her. The redhead's warm fingers found the tear that was falling down her cheek and gently wiped it away.

Now, it was Claire's turn to lead Alice to the Hummer and tell her to get some sleep. Alice prayed desperately that she would find oblivion as she rested in the leather seat, but the chances of that were about as good as her catching one of the falling stars.

Forgive me all you want Claire; I'll never forgive myself…

So hopefully some good 'ol fashioned angst was an ok way to end the year...Don't worry the next chapter will be much more bearable. Oh yes, much more ;)