She could have stayed in his arms forever, warm and strong and loving. He swayed her gently and she felt the tears in her eyes threatening to fall. What she wouldn't give to stay like this forever, no umbrella, no T-virus, just her and Carlos.

But something felt wrong, breaking her from her happy state of bliss. She drew back quickly, and she saw a look of hurt pass over Carlos's face.

"Damn." She grabbed the satellite watch hanging from her belt. She had lifted it from the Umbrella facility years ago, the little device helping her in her quest to stay off of the grid. According to her watch, she still was. "What time is it?"

"Chase! What time is it?" Carlos called up to the man sitting atop the oil truck.

"Well, Carlos, it is 12:14. Why, you got somewhere to be?" His sarcastic reply along with Carlos's reassuring smile made her feel a little silly.

"I guess I'm just being paranoid." She forced a smile.

"Better safe than sorry I guess." He held out his arm to gesture her forward, but was surprised as Alice crashed back into him, continuing the walk with her face buried securely in his shoulder and his arms wrapped around her. Carlos leaned in and took a deep breath, his head resting on top of her hair. God he had missed her.

"So how's LJ?"

"Oh you know, being a pain in the ass as always." He smiled again, pulling her closer. He was surprised when he felt her arms tighten around his torso, as if she was trying to burrow into him. Carlos certainly didn't mind, but it was so un-Alice like that he grew concerned. He glanced down at her head, her face still hidden in his shirt. "Alice, are you okay?" He stopped walking and brought her face up with a knuckle under her chin, so he could look into her ice blue eyes.

"Fine. Just a bit of a headache left over from yesterday's adventures." She gave him a crocked smile before hiding her face again. "The light doesn't really help." Her voice was muffled by his shirt.

"Well why didn't you say so? I know the perfect solution." His arm tightened around her again and he headed in the direction of his van.

Once they were in the dark confines of the van, Alice collapsed onto the sofa, her eyes glued shut.

"I just wish I had slept it off, that's usually the only way I can get rid of them."

"This happens often?" Carlos took her hand and pulled her into a sitting position on the couch, settling beside her.

"Usually only when I use… whatever I used yesterday. It happens more often than you would think, but normally it's an accident…"

"Care to explain how something like that could happen by accident?" He had stripped off his weapons and bulletproof vest, and was now working to remove the scarf covering her head.

"I've been having nightmares…"

"Umbrella?" Her silence told him he was right, so he dropped that line of inquiry and focused on making her headache go away, leaning her forward to that she was lying facedown on the couch with her legs thrown out to the side.

"You said mostly. What else causes them?" He gently slid his hands from her neck to her lower back and back up. He was surprised by how many knots he found. Starting at the base of her skull, he began working out the tension, his warm hands soothing and relaxing the tense muscles. She melted deeper into the couch.

"Mm… Sometimes I get them when I haven't found food in a couple of days. Other times when I haven't been sleeping well." His hands found a particularly tender soft and she hissed. He eased the pressure and continued working the area.

"Alice, you need to take better care of yourself." He said it in a whisper that sent shivers down her spine. Filled with a sudden surge of love for the woman under his hands, Carlos leaned forward and kissed the back of her head. "We may not have a lot, but we make sure everyone is taken care of. Claire is a good leader. You should stay Alice." He braced waiting for the firm, terror filled no, but was surprised when he got no response at all. "Alice?" He paused his ministrations and leaned forward to get a look at her face.

She was sound asleep, her lips curved into a content smile.

Carlos sat up straight and finished working out the knots in Alice's back, happy to have her close, even if it was just for a short while. Once done, he carefully maneuvered them into a laying position, her perched comfortably on top of his broad chest with his arms wrapped securely around her. As he swung his legs up under hers, she stirred briefly, nuzzling herself closer and turning into him.

He was asleep within minutes, a content smile on his haggard face.