Title: The bitterness of life can taste quite sweet
Subtitle: Lost out in Spain
Chapter: 1
Summary: Leon is a big strong man, no nonsense guy. He is an expert in everything. Everything? Well… every man has this weakness for crying women… even Leon.
Pairing: LeonxAshley
Rating: R+++ just to be safe
Warnings: camouflaged concealed smuttieness up ahead? That's what the R+++ is for.
A/N: My current best knowledge is of what Ms. :devsloughingtyger: informed me about. Thank yous for beta-reading and informing me properly about RE4!
Yet this plotbunny keeps staring at me and knowing plotbunnies… resistance is futile. Ms. Cookiecat ? The plotbunny hunt shirt worked! *dances embarrassing little victory dance*
A/N2: Evil me brings Ashley and Leon together! Happy sappy fluffyness up ahead! Camouflaged smuttieness and… okay… I'll behave. .
A/N3: http : // www . youtube . com / watch?v = LHXyPTmliNs thank you Ms. Cookiecat: for this inspiration!
---
It had gone wrong.
Terribly wrong.
Leon wasn't the type of guy to fail.
Yet he had.
---
Ada died that night.
That one part of his past he couldn't let go.
Saddler had ordered Ganado to kill her and cornered Leon and Ashley a while later.
The island had exploded, with them on it, and believe it or not, that sissy little shrieking girl had managed to bring him to dry land.
That dry land had been… Spain.
---
He had woken up, dizzy and with the mother of all headaches from the blast, aching wounds tormented by the salt of the Atlantic and bruises all over.
Ashley sat before him, on her knees, shakily with her arms raised. The distinct plopping sound became louder and louder, as his brain managed to register the source of the sound.
Combined with his eyesight returning, he noticed what it was.
She was firing a gun.
He managed to get up, wobbly at first, steadying himself, as he grabbed the gun and blasted their foes to oblivion. Just a few, but enough to have killed them.
'Did you miss?' Afraid, she gazed up at him.
'DID YOU MISS!?' he yelled at her, shaking her vigorously by the shoulders.
'N-no… I did what you did…' she whispered.
'Darn girl, that means you missed.' Angrily he grabbed her hand. 'Where the heck are we on this god forsaken continent?!'
'S-Spain?'
He rolled his eyes, and shook his head for that matter, 'Great! Just what I needed.' He ran up the beach, dragging Ashley along to whatever place they would end up.
---
Oh, how terrible he thought it was. Again, he was slowed down by this bratty, snobby President's daughter, ambushed by Ganado. For a minute, he vented his anger on a tree, only to come to the conclusion that his knuckles were damaged and bleeding.
He had checked his cell phone, only to realize that it didn't survive the plunge into the salt water. Stripped away from any connections with the normal sane world and his CO, he felt alone. Alone he would survive, but with this girl, things would become a lot more difficult. She nearly got him killed, for her stupid idiotic screams distracted him. Couldn't she even try defending herself?
Than some idiotic realization hit him hard.
How the heck had they hit dry land? It couldn't be?
'Did you…'
Ashley looked up from where she sat. She was scared.
'Did you bring me to dry land?' It sounded as if he didn't believe that he actually was on dry land, that she had performed such an action.
With big eyes, she gave a small nod, 'Don't get angry with me for that… you were drowning and… I don't want you to get hurt.' Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she hid her head in hands. 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…'
'Sorry for what?' Women. Crazy beings who cried over nothing.
'That you nearly died and that I couldn't do anything… I'm sorry that I'm such a weakling and can't help you. I'm sorry.'
'Well then. We know that you're sorry. Pull yourself together, get up and get a move on.'
The least she had hoped for was an arm around her shoulders, a comforting word or even a single smile.
Leon hadn't smiled at all.
He hadn't placed an arm around her shoulder or said that she had done a good job.
He just moved throughout the landscape without saying one word, leaving Ashley alone with all sorts of thoughts and troubles. When a lone forgotten Ganado appeared and was blasted away by Leon, she didn't flinch. Who the hell cared for her, in this landscape? Leon was doing his job, without even a friendly word to her.
---
After some time, he noticed the awkward silence between them. She didn't speak a word, and as he had blasted that Ganado away, he hadn't even heard a single pipsqueak from her. There she stood, behind him, one arm around her back, holding her other elbow. Her gaze focused on her boots.
'Ashley?'
'Yes, Leon?' she replied without looking up to meet his gaze.
'…'
Tired, she did what she had done before the explosion on the island: preparing food and cleaning afterwards. It was the first basic principle he had taught her. Get your food, cook it or leave it and then clean up.
He reached out to touch her wrist, but she retracted all too soon. Indifferent eyes stared at his.
'Ashley… I…' Emotions! That's what girls are all about! Emotions! Say that you're sorry and that you'll treat her nicely again you bonehead! 'You did a good job.' bonehead.
'…Oh…' She looked away, this pained look of hers that somehow managed to shatter whatever heart he had left.
How the hell were they going to spend the night? Leon didn't know the answer to that. Merchant wasn't here at this time to supply him with whatever he needed. There were no abandoned homes with blankets and canned food. There was nothing here out in this open field. Even that fire should have been forbidden, but they needed to warm up.
Okay…
Ashley needed to warm up.
Or was that a weak excuse to get a blanket?
---
The next morning he was up early. Not to mention Ashley was up early too. Getting used to how he lived, she adapted to it. It was her only way of surviving.
He knew they were being followed. An occasional Ganado appeared from out of nowhere, only to be skillfully killed by Leon. Somehow these creatures had some sort of a mind and were able to think and do things.
His right hand burned; he shouldn't have punched that tree so vigorously. Besides, it was a good excuse to stop walking and find a safe spot, just for the night. He admitted that he was exhausted and feeling pretty warm. Which should have been completely ridiculous, because Ashley was shivering from cold. Was she ill?
Raising a not so delicate brow – no more epilating brows since she was kidnapped – she noticed Leon staring at her. Pale and staring wearily out of his eyes.
Afraid of raising another wave of anger, she stood there, waiting for him to decide what to do. Was he bitten the last time he battled a Ganado? Did the virus take him? Or was she losing her mind?
With a small shriek she jumped backwards as he suddenly crashed face forward into the ground. For a minute, she remained standing still, not knowing what to do. Than she proceeded forward and kneeled at his side.
Gently she touched his neck, searching for a pulse as he had done so many times with others. There was a pulse and radiating skin. Checking his forehead, she found out that he didn't have a fever.
What to do? What to do? What to do? Leon was the one handling the knifes, guns and whatever he could use as a weapon! The best she could do was scream at the top of her lungs: "Leon, help me!" and Leon would come to her rescue.
Now, if something were to happen, he would be an easy target and she an easier one.
Lifting just one of his arms, she found out that the guy was actually heavier than when being in the water. If she had trouble lifting just one arm, his weight would be bone crushing. Well, he saved her all this time, now apparently, it was her task to save him…
---
God, she hated exhaustion.
God, she hated exhausted men even more.
Okay, Ganado held a proud first place. If one could call it proud.
How she did it, she didn't know, but she was glad Leon was aware enough to cooperate before he slumped on the hard soil. A troubled moan left his throat as soon as his head collided with the soil, but he didn't seem to register, as he slipped back into this exhausted sleep.
He needed water, that was even more important than food, she remembered. But where to find water, and even more importantly, how to transport water to him?
Checking her large boots, she wondered… her boots were big, and held no zippers or laces. It would be disgusting, but could it work?
Equipped with one of his precious guns, she left – leaving the other gun in his right hand. Hopefully, if he was attacked, he could defend himself.
Water was easy to find. A small stream supplied enough water to fill her boots. Now came the biggest question: how to walk back? Well… just walk back? He couldn't possibly drink water stinking like her feet. Well, her boots smelled like her feet. Leon would have to put up with it.
That same small stream provided fish. Her boots would never be the same again, nor would she. Walking on nothing but bare feet back to the cave, she found out that Leon was already wide awake, staring at her with an intense look full of questions and emotions.
---
'Ehm… you crashed? Like in the middle of a road?'
'That doesn't explain your leave taking.'
'That doesn't explain you crashing in the middle of the road.'
Was he starting this argument with her again? First insulting and being a disgusting son of a bitch, before he realized that she helped him out – again. Was he this ungrateful?
He scratched the back of his head. 'Ehm… thank you.'
'I got you some water… and fish…' That's when he noticed that she was drenched. That it rained outside the small cave. That she was barefoot. And shivering.
He stripped off his shirt. 'Put this on or you might catch a cold.' Turning away from her, he heard the rustling of clothes. The sweater, as he noticed a little later, hung loosely around her small frame.
Then he took off his shoes and handed them to her. 'Smelly, but… it might warm your feet.'
That's when he noticed she left little trails of blood. 'Did someone hurt you?'
'It was a steep climb.' He gestured for her to sit across from him, and began inspecting the soles of her feet, occasionally pulling something out of the skin.
Quite obvious of course. He would have done the same for any other soldier. Besides, she couldn't walk on sore feet, thus slowing him more down then before.
Right?
Yes!
Okay… perhaps not… not any other soldier would have gotten him water in her boots, or brought him fish on bare feet. Besides, she relaxed a little. That was good. He couldn't run far with a target that was too consumed by emotions.
'Look, Ashley…' He didn't know how to continue. 'That stream has to end somewhere, so my best guess is that there's a pool nearby. If I stand watch, you can get yourself cleaned up. I promise not to look.'
'Oh…'
---
Luis had been right. She had these big awful ears like Dumbo, but quite some ballistics. Even a little further away from him, he could still see the outline of her breasts.
Ah, man! Pull yourself together! He shook his head to get the filthy images out. Okay, he was a man. Men have needs. Women too, for that matter. So if women could contain their needs, he certainly could too.
He hoped.
Screwing the President's daughter on the job wasn't the brightest of ideas that had entered his mind.
Okay, she was this stupid silly girl, screaming all the time whenever she noticed a Ganado or was taken prisoner by some idiot. It was his job to retrieve her. Yet it wasn't his job to get all angry over the fact that someone took her away from him. That anger only left when she was back, safely within his reach.
---
Closing her eyes, she let her mind wander.
There was this warm Jacuzzi, with warm water, and a man to hold her… Warm and fluffy images drifted into her mind. Oh, how much she longed for a long, hot bath in that Jacuzzi, with that particular man just holding her…
Her mind wandered back to reality. This water was cold as ice. She felt like an ice popsicle at the Antarctic, probably the only Ganado-free place left in the world. No… that would have Ganado-penguins.
A single tear plummeted to the water. Followed by another, and soon a whole stream of tears rained upon the surface. Shaking, she tried to prevent the burning tears from falling.
With a little yelp she jumped as a pair of arms worked themselves around her waist, pulling her close to a warm chest. Lips pressed to her neck left a little kiss. She could smell him, that distinct "Leon"-scent, mingled with blood, gore and salt.
This daydream of hers became a little too real, yet she was wide awake. '…Leon?'
'Hmm…?'
She turned in his arms, buried her face against his chest and cried and cried and cried…
---
'How did this happen?' Muscles tensed as her fingertips brushed the scars on his chest.
His hands fell gently onto the water, droplets being send into the air, landing on the water's surface again.
As he let his head fall back, he exhaled, secretly enjoying her touch.
'Was it Raccoon City?' She traced that one scar all the way up to his collarbone. A small soft hand, a hand that had never seen rough labor or held weaponry, moved over his neck and down again, to his shoulders. Heat flushed him. If he didn't stop her now, whatever resistance he had against "lovely wanton targets" would be flushed down the drain.
'I don't want you to get any more scars… because of me,' she whispered, as her hands came to rest on his shoulders.
Bruised, because of her. He had caught her when she fell, and he landed flat on his back with her in his arms. It had left him grunting in pain and a black and blue back.
Soft warm hands kneaded his sore muscles.
For a second, Ada's memory whimpered within his soul, banging the mental door he had shut when he had checked her dead body. Pushing her aside, he went back to the young woman in front of him. She was alive, had a warm body and everything he needed right now.
Gently he tilted her head, lowering his head for a small kiss. Just to check if she… wanted – not the best choice of words, he mused – it too.
Yep.
His last restraint went down the drain as she kissed him back…
---
Later that day, Leon sat content on the river bed, enjoying a well deserved grilled fish. Above the fire their clothes hung to dry. Most likely they would smell like smoked oak and pine wood, but it was worth it. At least they would have dry warm clothes for the night, without blankets.
Ashley sat close to him, her head resting on his shoulder.
Even though they were on this god forsaken continent, they could still recreate that little heaven.
---
Analyzing feelings was his weakest point. Analyzing battlefields and situations, followed by actions, that was his strongest point.
Wandering with Ashley through the godforsaken wilds of Spain, his mind wandered to the guns. He had fallen twice – one time on the demolished island and the second time from exhaustion. What if he would fall a third time, and Ganado would be there to take away Ashley, or kill them both?
'Would you…' She tilted her head slightly to the side. '…learn how to fire a gun?' It was the stupidest question: bullets were a golden treasure he had to protect, not to share with inexperienced targets he had to rescue.
There would be no one now to recue them. His cell phone was dead so presumably his CO believed that he had died too, along with Ashley. And if he would fall, for good, Ashley would be out there on her own, without knowing what to do. If she could fire a gun, she might even stand a small chance of survival.
She thought it over for a few seconds. 'You really believe I can learn to fire one?' Without missing, that is?
'Hey… I wouldn't have asked if I'd say you couldn't.' Was that a compliment? Leon? What is this? Developing feelings after making out with her?
'If you think I can…' She shrugged and waited for him to react.
'Well, why not get started right away?' He gestured to movement he had noticed not too long ago. 'Moving targets are the best for practice. The hardest, but the best.'
With eyes wide she watched him grab a gun and lock and load it. Did he expect her to actually hit a Ganado?
He swirled her around on her feet, making her take a proper firing position – bad Leon, bad! His mind screamed as he felt her body close to his again – and handed her the gun.
'Okay… you stand like this, your legs a bit apart and in one line, for balance. Raise your arms to the same level as your shoulders, but don't lock the elbows. Keep it in a tight grip and focus on where you want the bullet to end.' With one arm wrapped around her waist and one to hold her hands in place, he guided her, 'now gently squeeze the trigger, no pulling, but squeezing…'
Guided by Leon, she fired. Or more likely, he used her body as an extension as he fired. The rebound caused her to fall back to him, crashing into his chest. An occasional yelp escaped her throat.
Once the Ganado came too close, he released his grip around her waist and hefted with his free hand another gun. Firing alongside her, he destroyed more Ganado than she did. In the end, the Ganado had fallen and the couple stood there with smoking guns on the field of victory.
'For a beginner, Ashley, you did a good job.' For the first time in days since their return to Spain, he was actually proud of her.
Most of his targets were afraid of guns, but she, though equally afraid, had accepted the gun and fired. Okay, she missed half the time in what was a complete waste of bullets, but there was this little smile on her face every time she had hit the target in the head. Not exactly between the eyes as he wanted it, but it was a start.
She let out a small giggle he had somehow began to appreciate. 'You think?'
'Yeah. Or else I wouldn't have said that.' Repacking the guns, he grabbed her hand. 'Better get out, why?'
'Or else we will be swarmed with more Ganado, and that is bad.'
'Good. You're a smart girl, next time you can replace me on the field of battle.' He gave her a quick hug before they set out again, running to whatever end there was.
---
In the following weeks Leon began to find it nice to teach her the basic principles of surviving and handling guns. It took his mind off the situation and gave her something useful to do. If they had to stay here for a darn long time, he'd better make the best of it.
Since the coast was a no-go area – swarmed with Ganado – he figured that traveling around would be better. Some places seemed to be safe, others they literally had to run for their lives from. On one occasion they found a car, and lots of gasoline, at an abandoned gas station. It would help to travel fast from place to place, and with Ashley's driving skills (she couldn't drive normal at all, but that didn't matter) they got pretty far inland.
Finding out the next big issue. Smuttiness after Ganado killing was his way of getting rid of the aggression buildup inside his mind.
Yet it led to something he DEFENITELY wasn't ready for.
'Leon?'
'Yes?'
'I haven't had my period for at least one and a half months…' She sounded very guilty.
'That means?'
'That I'm pregnant.'
'What? Wait? How!?'
'Ehm… want me to put it blunt, or to give it a sugar coating?'
'I prefer blunt.'
'You ejaculated inside me, so your semen combined with my egg cell resulting in a baby growing in my womb?'
'I should have gone for the sugar coating,' he muttered.
'That means that… well… we're going to be parents…'
He wanted to say that babies and war zones weren't a smart idea. He wanted to say that he was not ready to father the baby. He wanted to say there was no "we" at all. He wanted to say a lot of things.
'And… I'm sorry for getting pregnant… should have known better.'
He snorted, 'It takes two to tango. It happened, okay? We'll figure out what to do.' It wasn't the best answer he could give. He would deal with it, survive and go on with life.
And after the survival part, he wouldn't know what to do.
---
For another three months they traveled through the Spanish landscape, hunted down like rabbits by Ganado, until they found this little abandoned compound…
---
A/N4: you really, really, really believe that I would even consider invading that part of what is left of their privacy? Let the couple be… Besides, Leon would kill me for that. *yelps and runs*
There's enough smut on the internet. (aka: I'm the most terrible smut writer there is, so I'm not going to bother you with that)