K-Mart tried her best to keep her eyes focused on the dry desert road as Claire Redfield sat at the wheel of their reinforced, yellow Hummer. Claire wore nothing but a grimy tank top, olive army pants, and an adorable matching army hat covering her fiery red hair (K-Mart couldn't help but notice). The dusky sunlight reflected off of the thin coat of sweat on Claire's well-toned arms as she lazily wrapped them around the steering wheel. K-Mart caught herself staring at the beautiful woman beside her and quickly tore her eyes away as discreetly as possible.

Claire noticed the sudden swivel of K-Mart's blonde hair and tried her best to get K-Mart in her sights without taking her eyes entirely off the road.

"Is something the matter K-Mart?" Claire asked, truly worried about the young blonde's strange behavior lately.

K-Mart felt her throat becoming dry from being suddenly put on the spot. What should I say! K-Mart panicked. K-Mart rubbed her right arm uncomfortably - her mind grasping for any available excuse.

"I-I'm just a bit thirsty, that's all," K-Mart lamely lied.

Claire gave her an incredulous look, "Is that all? Why didn't you just say so," Claire huffed before she reached a long arm out to the backseat of the Hummer. Her arm came back with a bottle of water in her hand. She handed the bottled water over to K-Mart. "Here," she simply said and then turned her focus back onto to the barren road.

K-Mart reluctantly took the bottle of water and murmured, "Thanks," as she twisted the cap off the bottle and took a small sip.

"I thought you were thirsty," Claire's voice suddenly rang out after a few moments in silence, causing K-Mart to jump and spill a little bit of the water.

K-Mart quickly brushed the water off of her lap as Claire glanced her way repeatedly.

"Are you sure you're okay K-Mart?" Claire repeated her question.

K-Mart nodded quickly. "Yes," she said as convincingly as possible. "I'm okay. What were you saying before?"

"I said, I thought you were thirsty," Claire reiterated.

"I am."

"Then why did you only take a dainty sip from your water bottle?" Claire prodded.

K-Mart felt her cheeks becoming flush with embarrassment. "I'm afraid to drink too much water because the bumpy road might make me puke," she quickly covered up, but she wasn't so sure if her lie could fool anybody - especially somebody as clever as Claire.

Claire only nodded her head back in forth in amusement and chuckled lightly at K-Mart's childish ways. "You're such a child sometimes," Claire stated.

K-Mart's heart dropped at Claire's comment - out of all things, she didn't want Claire to see her as a child. "And why is that?" K-Mart huffed, slightly angry with Claire.

"Hey, calm down kid," Claire said raising her hands in defense, but putting them quickly back on the wheel. "I was just joking."

Kid? She did not just call me a kid! K-Mart fumed. "Hey, I'm not a kid!" K-Mart shouted out louder than she intended to.

Claire quickly turned her head towards K-Mart - surprised at her sudden hostility. "Hey, alright. I'm sorry," Claire tried to reconcile. "You're not a kid or a child," Claire sincerely stated.

They sat in the confines of the humid Hummer for a few minutes in complete silence. With each passing minute, K-Mart felt herself becoming more and more embarrassed at her sudden lash of anger towards Claire.

"Claire?" K-Mart finally said, breaking the awkward silence between the two of them.

"Yeah?"

"I-I'm sorry about getting so mad," K-Mart confessed.

Claire turned her gaze towards K-Mart, "Nothing to be sorry about old lady," Claire joked.

K-Mart playfully punched Claire's arm and laughed - Claire always found a way to make a heavy situation light, which is why K-Mart loved her so much.

Just as the sun was about to set over the desert's horizon, Claire radioed the rest of the convoy to get ready to set up camp. Claire drove off the main road and onto the desert terrain and parked the Hummer. She turned to K-Mart to give her a pat on the shoulder. K-Mart jumped from the sudden contact - Claire's touch made her body warm and fuzzy all over.

"We're going to set up camp here for the night," Claire said. "Come on, let's get the tents pitched."

Before K-Mart could respond, Claire had already exited the vehicle to get the equipment needed to set up camp for the night.

While Claire and Carlos set up the tents and barricades, K-Mart was busy trying to light the camp's fire. She wasn't trying to ignite the logs on fire with any intricate method - she was simply trying to work a lighter. Click after click, the lighter only came up dry with no flame. K-Mart was really becoming frustrated.

Clair noticed K-Mart struggling and made her way over to her.

K-Mart was groaning at her own pathetic attempts at using a lighter - she didn't notice Claire hovering above her stifling a laugh. Claire kicked up some dirt as she sat down beside K-Mart - finally diverting K-Mart's attention from the lighter.

"Having some trouble?" Claire said as she tried her best not to laugh out loud.

K-Mart felt her cheeks becoming red from humiliation. Thank goodness it was dark out, or else Claire would have seen her face become tomato-red. "I-I'm just trying to light a fire."

Claire chuckled as she reached out for the lighter- her hand grazing over K-Mart's as she grabbed the lighter.

K-Mart felt her body shiver again from the contact.

"Do it like this," Claire said as she flicked the lighter in one swift movement. Immediately, a flame erupted from the lighter - casting a light over Claire's beautiful face. K-Mart felt her hear skip a beat from the beauty before her.

"I could have done that," K-Mart lamely said.

Claire chuckled and lit a piece of paper from her pocket before placing the enflamed parchment on top of the logs. Before K-Mart could blink, the piled mass of logs roared with dancing flames.

"See," Claire said. "Easy." She gave K-Mart a wink before she got up to return assisting Carlos.

K-Mart felt her brain fizzle from Claire's super cute wink - she thought she was about to faint.

After they had finished setting up camp, K-Mart sat alone in her tent with a lantern dimly lit. She was laying on her sleeping bag, trying her best to fall asleep, but the image of Claire winking at her made her restless.

After tossing and turning for about an hour, K-Mart decided that maybe some fresh air would clear her head some.

Pulling the flaps of her tent back, K-Mart immediately spotted Claire tending to the fire and smoking a cigarette. K-Mart gulped loudly- she wasn't expecting Claire to still be awake. As if on auto-drive, K-Mart's legs walked over to where Claire sat.

As K-Mart approached Claire's back, the sound of her footsteps made Claire jump slightly.

"I-I'm sorry!" K-Mart squeaked. "I-I didn't mean to scare you!"

Claire only sighed a breath of relief and patted the ground beside her - signaling K-Mart to sit down.

K-Mart noticed Claire getting ready to extinguish out her cigarette and stopped her. "You don't have to do that Claire," she reassured her. "It's okay to smoke in front of me."

Claire held the cigarette in between her fingers while staring at K-Mart in bewilderment.

"I thought you didn't like the smell of cigarettes?"

"It's okay…" K-Mart trailed off, "if you're the one smoking it," she finished softly. I did not just say that! K-Mart thought incredulously. The smell of tobacco must be making me more foolish.

K-Mart moved her gaze to her shoes - scared to see Claire's expression from her comment. She could only hear Claire inhaling and exhaling the cigarette in the silence.

After a few more moments in silence, K-Mart said, "Mind if I try?"

Claire coughed from the absurd suggestion. "No way! You're too young."

K-mart was getting sick and tired from being put down by Claire for her age. She edged closer towards Claire. "Please, Claire," she begged. "Just one puff - I just want to see what it's like." She put on her best puppy-dog eyes.

Claire remained resolute in her decision. "Sorry, K-Mart, but I'm not going to be responsible for turning you into a smoker."

K-Mart crossed her arms angrily. "Fine! I thought you were cool Claire," she baited her.

Claire sighed a breath of exasperation. "Fine," she surrendered. "Just one small puff." Claire handed the half-used cigarette to K-Mart.

K-Mart's heart leapt. She couldn't believe she was about to "technically" kiss Claire by sharing a cigarette with her. K-mart eagerly took the lit cigarette and placed it before her lips.

Claire was watching her with a guilty look on her face - regretting her decision to give in to K-Mart so easily.

K-Mart put the cigarette in her mouth and felt the wetness from Claire's saliva on the butt, and nearly fainted from the sensation. She was getting dizzy from the cigarette fumes and from her own happiness. K-Mart inhaled quickly and felt the burn of the smoke fill up her lungs - making her cough violently automatically.

Claire took the cigarette from her hands and threw it to the ground. Claire patted and soothed K-Mart's back.

A few more failed attempts at trying to calm K-Mart's coughing down, Claire handed her a bottle of water.

K-Mart swiftly drank the water and immediately felt better.

Claire sighed a breath of relief. "Feeling better?" she asked trying to gauge K-mart's expression.

K-Mart could only nod - her throat still burning a bit.

Claire had a sad look on her face. "I knew I shouldn't have let you tried."

K-Mart didn't want Claire to feel guilty for something she practically made her do. "It's not your fault, Claire. I'm the one who wanted to try it in the first place."

"Yeah, well, now you know how bad it is for you," Claire remarked.

"Then why do you smoke, Claire?"

"It's just a habit. Keeps me from being bored, but please, don't smoke K-Mart," Claire said seriously.

K-Mart nodded in response and shivered as a chilly wind swept over them.

"You cold?" Claire asked K-Mart while pulling her army jacket off of her own body and offered it to K-Mart.

K-Mart froze in awe at Claire's offer - she couldn't believe Claire was giving her jacket for her to wear.

Claire remained holding out the jacket out to K-Mart, waiting for a response.

"Um, y-yeah," K-Mart stuttered.

Claire swept the jacket around K-Mart's shoulders. "There," Claire simply said.

K-Mart could smell Claire's strawberry scent on the jacket as she inhaled deeply - wanting the aroma to intoxicate her and take over all her senses.

"What were you still doing awake anyways?" K-Mart asked, rubbing her face against the sleeves of the jacket.

"Just couldn't sleep. What about you?"

"Same here."

They sat together in front of the fire in silence. K-Mart could feel herself getting sleepy as her head kept on nodding off to the side.

Claire noticed K-Mart dozing off and moved over to place K-Mart's head on her shoulder.

K-Mart felt something warm and soft beneath her head and realized her head was resting on Claire's shoulder. She looked up and saw Claire's profile alit by the light of the fire. Claire's blue eyes looked so brazen before the glow of the fire.

K-Mart felt her heart swell up with love for the older woman who always took care of her and protected her. She turned her head to the side to graze her lips on the red-haired woman's neck.

Claire flinched from the unexpected touch. She could feel K-Mart's soft lips brushing up against her neck - Claire assumed it was only by mistake that K-Mart's lips were now grazing against her neck.

Claire turned her head downwards to K-Mart and she could see that she was fully awake and aware at what she was doing. Claire's body immediately tensed up.

K-Mart felt herself becoming uninhibited as she moved her face upwards towards Claire's. She was only inches away from Claire's lips as Claire only sat still.

K-Mart closed the gap in between them and placed her lips on Claire's - kissing her softly.

Claire felt her body shake with realization as she finally snapped out of her dumbfounded daze. She could feel K-Mart's lips pressing on her own and her mind screamed for her to stop K-Mart now before it got too far.

Claire pulled her head back hastily - pulling her lips apart from K-Mart's.

K-Mart felt Claire pull back and opened her eyes to see a shocked expression on Claire's face. Her mind told her to stop her advances towards Claire, but her body yearned for more of Claire. K-Mart crawled closer towards Claire with lust hazing her eyes.

Claire saw the want in K-Mart's eyes and her body stiffened under her predatory stare - K-Mart always looked so innocent.

"K-Mart, this can't happen between the two of us," Claire stated, hoping K-Mart would listen to reason.

K-Mart only continued advancing closer towards Claire until their faces were only millimeters apart. "Why not?" K-Mart questioned while breathing hot breaths on Claire's lips. Claire felt a wave of desire wash over her. No! Her conscience screamed. She's still just a kid! Her conscience was right - K-Mart was still under-age and taking advantage of her at such a fragile age would be plainly wrong.

"You're too young," Claire informed K-Mart of her thoughts.

K-Mart scoffed, "Too young? I'm seventeen!"

Claire didn't see how that justified any of what Claire was trying to tell her. "Yeah, you're still under-age. Therefore, doing anything with you would make me feel terrible," Claire confessed.

K-Mart only smiled at Claire's strong moral compass. "Oh, yeah, once you sleep with me you'll land right in jail," K-Mart said sarcastically.

Claire rolled her eyes at K-Mart's sarcasm. "I know in this psychotic, zombie-infested world there's no such thing as the law any more, but I wouldn't feel good about myself personally."

K-Mart gazed into Claire's eyes with her own desire-filled ones as she said, "Come on Claire," K-Mart moaned into Claire's ear. "You know you want to." K-Mart traced her hand down past Claire's collar bone to the top of her chest.

Claire noticed she was breathing heavily and her head was becoming hazy from K-Mart's touch. She gulped audibly as she gathered up the will to firmly push K-Mart at a safe distance between them.

K-Mart pouted at this and resumed trying to kiss Claire.

"No, K-Mart. We can't," Claire said softly, but decisively.

K-Mart grinded her teeth as she felt herself becoming increasingly frustrated with Claire's annoyingly strong conscience. "Please, Claire. Just this once," K-mart pleaded using her same puppy-dog eyes tactic on her.

Claire wasn't having it this time. "K-Mart, it's not that I don't want to…" Claire whispered.

Upon hearing this, K-Mart became encouraged and moved a hand up and down Claire's upper thigh - inching closer and closer towards her inner thighs.

Claire felt her body tremble from the touch, but she quickly bucked up and grabbed for K-Mart's wandering hand and pulled it away before she could reach her desired destination. "But," Claire continued, "I just wouldn't feel right doing this."

K-Mart knew Claire wouldn't budge out of her self-righteous spot, so she sighed and said, "Fine, Claire. You win," she said dejectedly. She had started to get up to head towards her tent before she felt a firm grip pull her back to the ground.

Claire turned K-Mart to face her. "But that doesn't mean I don't love you," Claire whispered so softly, K-mart almost couldn't hear her. Claire looked unsure and confused at what she was saying - K-mart thought she looked absolutely adorable vulnerable.

K-Mart nuzzled her nose against Claire's neck and sighed. "I know," she said as she hugged Claire's stiff body tightly. "I love you too, Claire."

They lay wrapped in Claire's jacket in front of the campfire, entangled in each other's arms through the night.