Part I: Love

One life, one love. Live. - City of Angels

Leon Kennedy could hear the miniature explosion of gunfire through his ear-covers. Some of them even emanated from the Beretta he held in his braced hands.

He felt a soft, strong hand tap him on the shoulder, and Leon turned to look into the smiling face of Ada Wong before she pointed down the range of the room at her target. Looking down at it, Leon could see a ragged hole near the bullseye where she'd been firing her own gun.

They were the only two at the targeting range that afternoon, everyone else either having gone home or working, and Leon had found himself there to give himself something to do on his day off from working at the DSO - even when he was supposed to be relaxing, he couldn't quite manage not actively doing something.

Then, earlier, he noticed Ada come in to the booth right next to his, his request of why she was there answered with her trademark snark: "Same as you, handsome. Plus, let's be honest, this is just our way of meeting up nowadays."

Leon only found it in himself to nod and shrug in reply, properly stymied - his instincts told him that he wasn't in any danger, and she wasn't bringing any to him. So here they'd been, right up until Ada bragged about her shooting.

"Hey, you wanna make this interesting?" Ada wondered after signaling for them both to take their ear-covers off.

"What are you thinking?" Leon asked in reply.

"Loser buys us dinner?"

Now that was new - up until this point, there'd only been Raccoon City, Spain, and that night in Paris that they'd met up with each other, and even up until this last time, it had been during times of high danger. But on some level, maybe this was the most dangerous point of all.

Yet Leon wanted it. He wanted to be with her.

"You're on", he finally answered gamely.

At that, Ada smirked winningly. "Great, but you forgot one thing..."

"Which is?"

"This", Ada replied before pulling her ear-covers on, drawing her weapon and firing away, all while keeping her eyes locked on him. Leon, having just managed to pull his on, looked down at the target.

Perfect bullseye.

Two can play at that game, he thought, and Leon drew all of his focus to the target, keeping his stance solid and arms braced as he fired shot after shot, adrenaline quickening his finger. He almost lost track of the shots he fired, even through the dull din of Ada's gunshots emanating with his.

Then he felt the dry click of the gun, the magazine completely empty, and he slowly lowered his pistol to look at his target - all of his shots had been close to the absolute center, but he saw that that part was still hanging to the main body of the target by a hair-thin shred of paper.

Still not bad, all things considered.

Then he saw Ada's - the middle circle of the bullseye was completely gone.

"Damn it", Leon muttered, setting the gun down on the platform in front of him along with his ear-covers.

Ada could only let out a chuckle as she led him out of the firing area and outside to the street, the sun having set a while ago.

"So, anywhere you wanted to go? If not, I know a great place just a few blocks away. Bit expensive, but it's worth it", Ada said, taking his arm. "If you're alright with me covering you this once."

"Wait...I thought I was paying?"

Ada turned to look at him, smiling coquettishly. "Well, you got me in a generous mood today, Leon. Besides, if you're as good with dating as you are at shooting, then tonight will be perfect for us both, won't it?" she fired back with a sly wink and a mischievous smirk.

"That and, to be honest, I saw that you were planning to, and that's good enough for me."

Leon's eyes widened with surprise at her words. "Oh...well, uhm...thanks, Ada."

"Just goes to show even the small stuff matters", Ada replied. "You'll get me next time though, right?" she asked.

Leon let out another chuckle of surprise - if being involved with Ada Wong meant surprises at every corner, he'd just have to be prepared for them.

He wouldn't want it anyway else. "Of course I will", he answered.

"One last thing though", she said, drawing her close to him, her lips inching toward his...

"You're driving. And I'm not leaving for a good long while." And he could hear the unconcealed affection in her voice, even as she teased him. It was much different from Raccoon City, but the meaning behind even those words came from the same place as the words from then...

I'm just a woman who fell in love with you...nothing more.

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. - Lao Tzu