Disclaimer: I do not own RE4, and the idea came from my little sister. This is dedicated to her.
The relationship is platonic.
The drive from Washington D.C. to California was going to take days. Leon would have been fine, but Ashley had insisted that he ride with her.
Now he wondered if it would take a week if he jumped out and walked.
"Come on, Leon, you have to play along."
"Si, amigo. Ashley has spotted something yellow."
Leon glared at Luis. Why was he driving again!?
"Not to be insensitive, but is it smart to let a dead man drive?"
Everybody groaned. When Leon had gotten back, he had been grilled, and when his story ran together with Luis' and Ada's, the FBI and CIA and whoever had been part of the mission let them go.
Luis had survived because Saddler had ripped his solar plexus. The dead Las Plagas had reconstructed his spine and closed the hole, after losing a lot of blood, meaning Ada had to literally ship him off the island from the castle. Leon wondered what had happened to the speed boat.
"I don't know." Ada shifted from Leon's right. "He has gone through recovery, and is more than ninety percent functional, even if he can't jump out second story windows anymore."
Leon rolled his eyes. How did they all get stuck together? Luis replicated the drug faster than they could have figured it out, and whatever group Ada worked for did not seem bent on world denomination. If anything, they had ordered Ada to succeed Leon, should the event arise. Now everyone was riding in the same car. Ada wore slacks with a cream tank top shirt. Leon was wearing his usual brown coat with black cargo pants and sneakers. Luis still looked like a cowboy in boots, jeans, and a red vest over a black poet shirt. Ashley wore a green sweater, brown sandals, and jeans as well.
Leon sighed.
"Is it the paint on the road?"
"Leon's turn!" Ashley chirped.
Ada was now driving, and Luis was giving her directions from the co-pilots seat. Leon had changed his seat to one in the back, and Ashley sat facing him.
"If you're bored, I know another game to play."
"Sure."
"It's a clapping game. There are many versions and several rhymes, so let's do 'Miss Mary Mack'. You start out with both hands on your thighs, then bring them up, clap them together, right hand out first, clap again, then the left hand, clap again, and put them down. Lather, rinse, repeat. Oh, and the game speeds up. We can test our reflexes."
Leon swore he saw Ada smirking in the rear view mirror. They weren't being video taped, were they?
"Alright, go."
Ashley sang.
"Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack
All dressed in black, black, black
With silver buttons, buttons, buttons
All down her back, back, back,"
they began to settle into the rhythm, before Leon noticed he was still wearing his gloves.
"Hold on a moment, let me take these off. And can you pocket your ring? I don't want you hurt."
Ashley nodded, and they started over.
"She asked her mother, mother, mother,
For fifty cents, cents, cents
To see the elephants, elephants, elephants
Jump over the fence, fence, fence,"
"Are you two hitting each other back there?" Ada definitely said that just to annoy them.
"It's a game we can play later if you're feeling left out." Ashley called back. Luis refrained from chuckling as Ada could still hit him, and instead said, "It is Leon's turn next, and I can stay up here. Try out more of my psychic powers." He turned back around to face the front.
Leon smiled. Leave it to Luis to smooth out any wrinkles in the group.
"Anyway. Let's finish.
They jumped so high, high, high
They touched the sky, sky, sky
And didn't come back, back, back
Till the Fourth of July, July, July."
"Here's the resting stop. Everyone back here in fifteen minutes." Ada called back, parking in the station. "I'll stick with Ashley."
Fourteen minutes and fifty-nine seconds later Leon was buckled in the front seat, pulling out of the parking lot and driving the way to California.
"Why are we going to California again?"
"Father isn't president anymore. He is something that warrants my going into hiding with three people charged with keeping me alive. Will someone please teach me self-defense?"
"Luis and I will be working full-time to support us. Ada is metaphorically glued to your hip. Ask her."
"Thanks Leon." Ada said with slight sarcasm.
"You're welcome." Leon floored the gas pedal to get up to speed. Everyone held onto their seat.
The end.
