#clairece

If Alice woke up because of the strong sunlight on her face or because of Claire's voice calling her, she isn't sure. The last thing she remembers is releasing the antivirus and watching all the infected people dying before her, then she blacked out.

Now she found herself sitting on a rock, reflecting on what the Red Queen had told her. Claire was sitting beside her in silence, and for the first time, Alice couldn't read her expression.

"I think the best course of action is for me to head down to NY and then go to the other nearby cities to see the effect of the antivirus. I also need to find out where the other survivors are that the Red Queen mentioned," Alice said as she stood up, turning to look at the redhead beside her.

"Great. Now we just need a vehicle," Claire replied, looking at her for a moment. "Let's go before the day ends and we're stuck here."

"We?" Alice questioned.

"Yes, I'm going with you."

"No, Claire. Here is the safest place for you right now. It's the epicenter of where the antivirus came from, so there's zero infection here," Alice said, taking a step toward her.

"I'm not letting you go out there alone. You almost died!"

"But I didn't die."

"Alice, I'm going with you. There's nothing for me to do here. I'm not staying here alone."

"Claire, please. I need to make sure you're safe," the blonde's voice almost came out as a plea.

"Alice, I..." Claire closed her eyes and took a deep breath a few times before continuing. "I almost lost you less than twenty-four hours ago. There's no way I'm letting you go out there alone to check the world. What if you don't come back? What if I never see you again?"

"Claire, I know it must be terrifying to be alone again, but I can't risk taking you with me. I need to make sure you're safe."

"I know I'll be safe with you, Alice."

"When did you become so stubborn?" The blonde turned away, trying to sound irritated, but there was fear in her voice.

"Since the moment I thought you were dead," Claire took a step towards her and gently touched her shoulders. "Alice, ever since you reappeared a few hours ago and told me what needed to be done, I was against it. The idea of losing you forever, even if it meant saving humanity, was unthinkable to me, but by some miracle or whatever else you want to call it, you survived. I didn't..."

"If I hadn't done it, you would be dead now, and there would be nothing we could do to change that."

"Alice, I came with you even though I was against your sacrifice, I stayed by your side. Why can't you do the same for me and let me go with you?"

"Everyone who came with me at some point is dead. I can't risk the same happening to you," Alice closed her eyes for a moment as if searching for the right words.

"Remember when I put you, K-mart, and the others in that helicopter and you flew to Alaska? After that, I spent a year and a half without news from you, and there wasn't a day when I didn't wonder if you had made it, if you were okay, if you were safe. So I flew there and found out that you were alone there all that time. Claire, you could have died! And it would have been my fault. I sent you there!"

"Alice, you-"

"Let me finish, please," the blonde gently bit her lip and looked back at her. Her eyes were lighter because of the tears she held back.

"Then, when we finally found Arcadia, I thought we would be safe, that we could move on collecting survivors around the world, but then Umbrella came and blew up the ship, and when I woke up, I was in one of the corporation's headquarters and had no idea what had happened to you or Chris or K-mart, and that terrified me, but for some reason, when I thought of you, my fear became more intense. And here we are. Even after everything we've been through, you're alive. I need to know that it will stay that way."

"You tell me to stay here, that it's the safest place, that you need to make sure I stay alive, but how do you think I felt in all those situations you mentioned? How do you think I felt when Umbrella blew up that ship and I woke up on a part of the beach without you or anyone else around? I didn't know if you were alive, if you were okay. I didn't know where Chris or K-mart were. Everyone I know is dead too, Alice. That's not an excuse to leave me here!"

"No, it's not an excuse! Damn it, Claire," the blonde shook her head negatively, stepping back from her a little. "I need to know that you're safe. Why can't you let me go alone?"

"Because I couldn't bear the thought of not knowing if you're alive or not again. When the Hive exploded beneath us, the Red Queen found a way to keep me safe and get me out of there as quickly as possible, and when I reached the surface and saw all those bodies scattered around, I prayed that you, somehow, had survived. For the first time in years, I prayed for real, Alice," Claire walked over to where she was sitting and knelt before her.

She closed her eyes and remained silent for long seconds, and when she looked at her again, her eyes were brimming with tears. "I love you, Alice. That's why I can't let you go alone. That's why the idea of losing you once and for all terrifies me so much."

"You... love me?" Alice's eyes seemed to shine greener than ever.

"Since we met."

"No, you can't. I'm just a clone, I couldn't..."

"Alice, no," Claire rested her hands on her knees and stood up, gently tilting her chin so that the blonde would look at her. "You're much more than a clone. You may have been created from Alicia, but you're not just a clone. You care about the people around you, you make sure they're okay, you feel, you hurt. You're human."

"The Red Queen said..."

"She said you're much more than they ever thought you could be. She also said you've become more human than any of them," Claire slid her thumbs across the other's face, wiping away her tears mingling with dust. "Because do you need to know that I'll be safe?

"You're the only real part of my life. Everything else has been a lie. My work for Umbrella, my marriage, who I am... Everyone I cared about is dead. Rain, Carlos, Matt, and I don't know about K-mart, Jill, or Chris," Alice leaned her forehead against Claire's and closed her eyes for a moment. "I... I love you, Claire. That's why I need to make sure you'll be safe."

Claire smiled. Their gazes met, and before Alice could say anything, she felt the redhead's lips against hers. A soft kiss, just a gentle brushing of lips, but it sent a shiver down her spine and made her tremble softly before deepening the kiss.

Claire moaned softly as she felt Alice's tongue sliding against hers. She could hardly believe this was really happening after longing for this moment for so long.

She pulled Alice in a hug, deepening the kiss even more, feeling their bodies collide against a rock behind them, and a moan—she wasn't sure if it was pain or pleasure—escaped her lips.

"Sorry, I didn't..."

"It's okay. I didn't hurt myself," Alice smiled against the redhead's lips. "I just... I feel alive like never before."

"Do you think we can stay here for one more day and rest before we venture out into the world to find survivors?" Claire looked at her hopefully. "Besides, we need to take care of your hand."