Prologue

If the glass container of poison across the wooden table could have feelings, it may have expressed discomfort at being on the receiving end of the thousand-yard stare.

That gaze of vague anger, mixed with disgust and resentment at how the tainted amber had ruined him from time to time, was being wielded like lightning by the eyes of Leon S. Kennedy. The man himself had fought through undead recipients of a biological agent that had transformed them into those zombies, a parasite that granted control to a single master at the cost of free will, the combination of those two - the parasite controlling the virus like an owner to its pet - and another infection that mimicked the first virus' effects, but with worse and more dangerous mutations.

By all accounts, it should've been easy for Leon to banish the alcohol on the table from his life. That's just what anyone else would say. The problem was, he'd seen it as a virus that had personally infected him.

After all the incidents that he'd survived through, as a way to deal with the horrors that toyed with his mind.

After the rage and tears that followed his bad breakups.

After losing a squad of military members under his leadership to another virus mutation.

In short, he had no one else to blame with what the drink had done for him but himself. But that didn't mean he had to take it lying down. Nor should he have had to in any way, shape, or form.

So why was it so hard to shake off of his back now?

Leon already knew the answer to that - old habits died hard, especially if they were in danger of becoming addictions, which he felt his affiliation with alcohol may have been at this point. Oh, who was he kidding? He knew that was what it'd been. And all because it was just there. It had constantly been there as an outlet to express all the horrible feelings that had gone through his brain at every negative turn his path of life had taken.

And he realized, slowly but surely, that the drink had never been an outlet for his frustration, merely an ocean of poison to temporarily drown it and strengthen it at the same time. And now that he looked back at those past instances with 20/20 hindsight, he found himself rather ashamed and repulsed by how much he'd let it affect him and his sanity.

What made it even worse was that he'd been planning on using it to drown out the latent dark feelings that lingered in his thoughts after a nightmare he'd had earlier. It was always the same - dangling over the edge of the building on which the monstrous form of his boss was prepared to kick him off of, the flames and smoke billowing up toward the heavens around him...

But before he'd even unscrewed the lid of the bourbon bottle, something had stopped him, some inner instinct that turned his insides around, telling him that this was a bad idea to go through with. Thus, instead of letting he bourbon flow, he let it remain contained in the glass bottle instead.

For the last few hours.

His train of thought over all of this was brought to a rather abrupt halt by the smooth, teasing voice of the woman who'd come up to stand just beside his seated position.

"You know, you're not gonna win that staring contest. And last I checked, you're supposed to drink the bourbon."

An involuntary chuckle left Leon's throat at the words spoken by the lovely Asian American woman who'd joined him. For all the thing Ada Wong once was, the one thing she didn't lack was a sly sense of humor.

"I'm just trying to convince myself that I don't need it, Ada. But..." He trailed off, leaving the most obvious words unspoken.

"But it's what you're used to for dealing with the tougher times, Leon. I get it", Ada responded, her voice turning softer and sympathetic. "And I don't blame you for it - on the contrary, I think it's brave that you're trying to do this."

For the first time that morning, Leon turned to look into the almond eyes of his wife, able to discern the growing light in them through the shadows of her night-black hair and the first growing morning shadows outside their apartment. "Help me", he half-asked, half-stated, as if unsure how to go about saying that he needed it.

Ada definitely noticed the tone, her lips spreading in a playful smirk. "Like always", she whispered teasingly.

Then her voice grew more serious, yet supportive and bluntly honest. "Well, getting over something like this - it won't be easy, to say the least. It's a rough ride, and it's going to throw a few punches at you. There's going to be times where you'll feel like you're begging to get back to it because it's easier than staying away. But what you need to do is remember that you're better off without this" - pointing a finger at the bourbon- "in your life, especially in the capacity it is now. Plus, when that time's over, you'll come out better than you used to be. Just remember - you're not alone, Leon. And you're no less of a person than I see you as because of the drink. You need to work on letting the need for it go, one day at a time. And I'll always be here to help with that, however and whenever you need me to. I promise."

Leon didn't seem to want to move from his seated position, the only thing changing was the tautness of his posture - his whole body seeming to clench, his fists flexing.

Then he felt Ada's soft, warm hands gently grazing over the skin of his shoulders, and he felt the tension slowly start to melt away from his body as sure as she'd be feeling it through her slender fingers.

"You're still my hero, Leon Scott Kennedy. You wanting to do this only further confirms that for me. And you don't have to do this all alone - I'm always right here when you need me. Just remember that."

Then, without warning, Ada took Leon's hand and practically tugged him out of the chair, dragging him outside to the balcony, never breaking stride even as she grabbed the bourbon off of the table.

"You think you're ready to get started, hotshot?" Ada called over her shoulder as they grasped the railing of their balcony rail tightly, the city ablaze with lights alive meters below them. The city that never slept indeed.

"Because if you are, there's something I need you to do for me, Leon."

"What's that?" Leon asked heavily, his gaze expectant and piercing.

"Don't demand help from me, handsome. Ask me for it. Please."

At this, Leon's gaze traveled down to his clenched hands on the cold railing, picking up the beat of distant music - sounding energetic and inspiring. Of all things.

With a deep breath, he finally lifted his head up to look back up into Ada's almond eyes. "Will you help me, Ada? Please?" The last word left his lips, a hopeful whisper.

The smile that blazed onto her face at his words was all the answer he needed. Without another word, Ada pulled something out from behind her back and pressed it into Leon's palm, and he recognized the cold and silvery steel of his handgun, the added weight telling him that it was loaded and silenced. "But why...?"

He managed to take this in before she tossed the bourbon up into the air with a flourish, the glass container reflecting the city light's in random flashes. Reflexively, Leon raised the weapon and pulled back the trigger, a small pop emanating from his gun before the bottle shattered with a cracking and tinkling of glass, hearing the bourbon splatter distantly onto a parked car below them.

Reflexively, Leon looked down over the railing to see what damage had been done, but all that had happened was the glass of the bottle tinkling down onto the empty street, a dark stain on the pavement where the alcohol had splashed and hit the ground.

"Impressive", Ada commended with a small nod. "But that's only the first step. It's going to be difficult, but that's why you have me", she finished, flourishing her arms before chuckling brightly, sounding like a giddy schoolgirl. Leon couldn't help but join in, letting himself relax in the knowledge.

No, fighting an addiction was never easy. Sometimes it would hurt. But Leon knew that as long as he kept hard at working on it, with help from those he loved, the odds would ultimately be in his favor.

"Thank you...so very much, Ada." Leon managed to whisper out, overtaken with emotion and his thoughts.

"Like I said, that's what I'm here for", she replied gratefully yet still teasingly. "Besides...if you're ready and able to take it, we've got another case coming to us. That might be a good first step."

That made Leon perk up, his interest piqued as he rejoined his lovely partner inside - ever since they'd started their security and investigation firm, the word had spread over their extended area of expertise and their uncanny ability to deliver 110% to their job. They'd covered everything from simple arming of security cameras on homes to searching for lost and kidnapped children, even working alongside New York's finest cops in cases. Leon himself was surprised to know that some of them recognized him for his hand in preventing another widespread virus outbreak that had started in New York.

That was then, and it had helped bring him to now. "What kind of case?"

"Oh, you know...missing children, murder mystery in an equally sinister house - more than the usual, but still more interesting", Ada replied honestly, her eyes locking onto Leon's with a mixture of concern, attention, and care. "Are you gonna be alright on working this one with me, Leon?"

It only took him a moment's thought - no matter what he had, Leon knew that he could handle dark matters such as these and still come out smelling like roses. He wouldn't let any condition he had prevent him from that - he'd been through worse and made it.

"I will be, honey", he just as honestly replied, an eager smile spreading to his lips. "Let's do this."