A/N: when I finished my third Criminal Minds story I really had no intention of writing any more fanfic. Then a Saturday night hockey game came along and, being the fool I am, I bet on the Leafs. Hardly a surprise when the Leafs lost. To honour that debt, a story in a genre I love but have never written was requested of me. This is my take on the RE universe with a femslash slant and has an alternate ending to the first movie and moves on from there. This is for my friend, and Red Wings fan, rain1657.

Waiting for the End

Chapter 1: Better Off

"I don't want to be one of those things walking around without a soul." Even to her own ears her voice sounds weak, strained.

The conviction and simple need is not lost on Alice. Rain can see her gulp before she answers with a tortured, "You won't."

It's not enough; Rain has to know, has to believe she won't let it happen. "When the time comes, you'll take care of it," she doesn't want it to be a question; wants it to be a statement of fact but she can't help the slight inflection of a question that creeps into her voice.

Alice's blue eyes show true pain before she steels herself. "Hey, no one else is gonna die down here, OK?"

For a long time the gentle touch on her chin is all Rain can feel. It almost becomes the last thing she feels yet that seems so fitting, so natural even. Just her and Alice at the end…

The mood is broken when Rain takes a sharp breath in and looks up at Alice.

"I'm not dead yet." When she opens her eyes she sees the woman in front of her is holding a pistol – her Colt – cocked and ready, aimed right between her eyes and Rain can't help feel a jab of annoyance. "I think I'll have that back." When their fingers touch as she takes the weapon, Rain feels her irritation dissipate.

Alice's face breaks into a wide, shit-eating grin.

"I could kiss you, you bitch!" Alice says and Rain spares a thought that she has never heard anyone say such a sexy thing to her - ever. Despite the pain, the virus, she wonders if her face will betray her and communicate to Alice just how much she would like that to happen.

"Let's save that for later and get outta here first," Rain replies pushing her usual bravado ahead of anything else, "OK?"

Alice's eyes seem to twinkle with amusement and something else in the half light of the moving train. Rain has no time to reflect on this as the car is rocked and she falls to her side the Colt slipping from her hand.

The sound of screeching metal and cries of terror fill her ears …

The voice is her own; the cry hers.

All around her is dark, confined and smelling slightly of gasoline and more of sweat. There is a drumming sound like water on metal that is audible over her harsh breathing. Her hand goes to her chest, fingers sliding in the moisture between her breasts. She closes her hand into a fist and her throat tightens into a sob.

"Rain, Rain, I'm here, right here," the gentle concerned voice is close in the dark.

Rain feels a hand on her bare shoulder, shrugs to throw it off. The hand is persistent, the fingers moving in a caress that goes from her shoulder across her back as Alice moves closer.

Rain hears a click and a dull light pushes at the gloom inside the truck. Her breathing slows as her memory returns. No monster here, no apparent, imminent danger just the same hopelessness as every day since they escaped The Hive, the mansion and the long grasp of Umbrella.

A rustle of sleeping bag and Alice extends her arms around Rain, pulling her closer. Rain doesn't resist this time, lets Alice draw her in, her head against Alice's chest, tucked under Alice's chin. In the light of the little battery powered lantern, Rain watches Alice's long fingers move along her arm. Closing her eyes she lets the touch calm her, feels her heart slow and begin to match rhythm with the strong beat she can feel against her cheek.

"Another nightmare?"

Rain doesn't answer; she's beginning to feel normal again as the dream fades and normal means 'not weak'. She wants to pull away from Alice, hide her face and the weakness she's sure is showing, but her body won't let her. There's too much comfort here.

"I've got you, you know." Alice smoothes Rain's hair away from her face her touch lingering, and to Rain, somewhat suggestive.

Rain pushes away suddenly turning from Alice and drawing her knees to her chest her sleeping bag unzipped and loose around her. "I'm alright."

From the corner of her eye Rain can see Alice extend her hand, then as if changing her mind draw it back slowly.

Raindrops are beating on the roof of the truck almost loud enough to drown out Alice's sigh.

"Why don't you… I wish you'd…" Alice says softly and the word 'stay' remains unspoken.

Rain looks up at the roof above her before letting her head drop to her knees. She wants to say something, to try to explain how she feels, but it seems so hard to give voice to the hopelessness inside her.

Alice reaches out again and brushes Rain's arm. "It's going to be alright, Rain," she says. "Really, it'll be OK."

Rain huffs, "You really think so?" Her voice is stronger, deeper, more like her usual gruff self. "There's nothing we can do to stop the virus spreading," she turns to look at Alice. "It's been three weeks and we haven't found anyone uninfected," her tone on the last word is cold.

Alice shifts in the tight space they had been sleeping in and Rain finds herself torn between wanting the other woman's arms around her again and the need to move even farther away. It has been like this for her for a while now and stronger since they found the military Humvee and began sleeping next to each other in the back.

When she's awake, before the nightmares come, Rain lays still listening to Alice breathe and wishing she could let her guard down, let Alice see the other side of her. The side she has always kept stifled. The side she feels has no place in the dead, hopeless state the world has become. Yet Alice's gentle concern has been wearing her down.

"I was raised to believe in God," Rain says after several silent minutes. "I need to believe God has a plan, but I can't accept that this," Rain's voice rises and grows cold again, "this mess is it, you know."

Alice sighs again. "I know."

"Atheist," Rain says softly as if it's an insult but Alice hears the humour in her voice.

"Why do I find it hilarious thinking of you showing up at my front door asking me if I've accepted Jesus as my savior and would I like to buy a bible," Alice smiles and the tension goes out of the two of them.

"With a Glock stuck in the back of my Sunday dress."

Alice laughs outright at the word 'dress'. "I know for a fact you've never worn a dress in your life!" Crossing her legs, Alice sits facing Rain watching as the younger woman turns her head so their eyes meet.

There is amusement in Rain's eyes as she replies, "True story."

The two women stare at each other for a long moment until Rain's eyes grow troubled again. Stretching her legs out, she lies back turning on her side away from Alice.

Alice waits a bit before flicking off the light and laying down beside Rain. Carefully she moves close pulling the two open sleeping bags over both of their bodies. Alice holds her breath expecting Rain to shift away from her. Rain just sighs.

"Maybe I would've been better off," Rain says softly into the dark, "if I had stayed at home and just got married and had kids like my mother wanted me to. Maybe none of this would've happened and we all would be better off."

"Not your fault," Alice lays her hand softly, carefully on Rain's hip. "No one's fault but those fuckers Umbrella and we'd all be better off if the lot of them had never been born."