Don't Stop the Rain
A/N: Sorry for the huge gap in updates, am free for the summer now so updates galore! This story is set before RE2, and explains a little bit why Leon… well, hopefully you will see by the end. Slightly A/U if you can call it that… enjoy!
Crimson xx
The digital alarm clock blinked 12:00, casting a neon green glow over the room.
Damn thing, I still haven't fixed that.
Leon rolled onto his back and lowered the covers a little bit to let his hot and sweaty skin mix with the cool air. He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. Leon had been trying to sleep for several hours now, and though he had no idea what time it was, he could tell it was approaching dawn because of the tiny rays of weak sunlight breaking through the drawn shades.
He glanced over at the woman next to him and sighed. She was sleeping peacefully; her chest motioning a gentle rise and fall, her lips slightly parted, her cheek resting on her hand as she lay motionless on her side, facing him, eyes closed but lashes fluttering. Leon could barely see in the dim light of the room, the almost opaque blanket of dark shielded his eyes from any further detail.
It's not right.
Leon sighed again, slowly, not wanting to disturb her sleep. All he could hear was the sound of her gentle breathing, barely even above a whisper in volume, but echoing loud as a church bell in his ears. Each breath the same as the last, the higher pitched inward breath as it entered her nose just as quiet as the low sounding breath she let out.
It's just not right.
Leon sat up in bed and rubbed his face with his hands. He was tired, but knew there wasn't a chance in hell of him getting any sleep. Not now that she was on his mind. The night he had spent with her was wonderful, they had met for a few drinks, went to a basketball game, went for a meal and finally decided to call it a night. It hadn't ended there though, after some more flirting and a few glasses of wine too many, he had invited her back to his place for a fresh bottle of wine and a romantic film of her choice. Of course, they ended up missing the second half of the movie entirely as things moved into the bedroom. He was glad for the experience of course, but deep down Leon knew he wasn't trying his best.
Because it's just not the same, she's just not her.
He glanced at the woman in his bed once more, a total stranger to him. He knew her from a friend at work he goes drinking with; she sometimes came out for a couple if there were quite a few of the guys for company. Although he knew her name, a few of her hobbies, and her birthday, he had no idea who she was. To him, she was nothing more than a hot girl. She seemed very sweet and caring, she was funny and appreciated a good joke; she liked the same kind of music as him and even played video games every now and then. She had a normal childhood and a good, loving family and a tight circle of friends. There was absolutely no reason for him not to like her, hell she was practically perfect for him.
I don't love her. There's something missing here.
Leon got out of bed and put on some loose shorts. He grabbed the alarm clock from the bedside table and wandered over to the kitchen. He placed the clock on the counter and fumbled for the light switch. Shielding his eyes from the bright light, he allowed them a few moments to adjust to the sudden glare from the naked bulb. Finally able to see without squinting, Leon flicked the switch on the coffee maker and grabbed a small mug from the sink. He hated coffee, he usually drank tea as it had a more relaxing taste and quality, but he knew he needed the caffeine… it was going to be a long night. He ran a tea towel over the mug before filing it with the piping hot liquid. He stood holding the warm ceramic mug, cupping his hands tightly around it, feeling the heat seeping through the pottery. He didn't take a single sip; he merely stared into the dark brown settling liquid, watching the slowly dying ripples of motion as his reflection on its surface became clearer.
He had once heard a saying; when searching for an answer, your mind is like an ocean, its waters agitated and never settled. Sometimes, we have to wait for things to settle for the answer to become clear. He couldn't remember who had imparted this wisdom on him, although he recalled it being many years ago. Those very words rang in Leon's head, loud as a church bell, yet no voices told him what to do next.
Leon put the hot mug down on the counter and began to unscrew the back of the alarm clock. The source of the problem was a loose wire, which he soon taped back into its proper place and screwed the back cover back on. He went into the drawer behind him and dug out a pair of fresh batteries, the device blinking to life in an instant. He set the time according to his watch; 04:48. He wandered back into his bedroom, placing the alarm clock back in its proper place. He stood over the bed for several moments, gazing at the stranger in his bed. She hadn't moved. Her fingertips twitched in their relaxed state and her mouth was curved into the slightest of frowns.
It's still wrong. I need to fix it because it's wrong, she's wrong and I don't know why. I need to make things right again or I may never sleep another night in my life.
He looked out the small window to his left; the blinds were still open.
Did I even close them before I came to bed? I could have sworn… I must be cracking up.
He walked over to the window, the grey light of the approaching morning cast over his face through the vertical slats. The lines of shadow across his face seeming to make him look older than his twenty-one years. The lack of sleep was getting to him lately; he was forgetting where he left things and had trouble remembering the simplest of things. The other day he left his Keys stuck in the front of his door and the door unlocked. He came back several hours later thankful that his neighbours were either very honest, or very unobservant. Something had been bothering him for weeks, even months, and Leon was beginning to question whether his life was heading in the direction he wanted. More and more, he got the feeling that with every passing day, something was missing in his life; his purpose becoming lost in a sea of options. Leon was always a strong believer in fate, yet he felt as if he was being abandoned, that he must find his own way for fate to guide him.
It was raining outside. A beautiful orange glow highlighted the sky as the first rays of dawn graced the big apple. Silhouettes of buildings, hospitals and shopping centres cast long deformed shadows over the usually bustling sidewalks. It would soon become busy with life so close to the centre of the city, and Leon hated rush hour traffic.
"I think I'll go for a drive" Leon said to nobody at all.
The weather began to worsen as raindrops like needles splashed against the glass of his windscreen, trying to penetrate the save haven of his warm dry vehicle. The old Land Rover jeep had served him for several years without too much trouble, its large sturdy engine always soldiering on in the roughest of terrains and weather conditions. Yet the harsh rain seemed to be taking its toll on the old girl; there was a steady tapping noise under the hood and his oil pressure seemed to be rocketing. He had driven for over an hour, making his way out to the quieter roads leading outside of the city. The solid concert terrain was becoming softer and muddier as he turned deeper into off-road territory. Leon thought about the stranger in his bed; had done the entire drive out here. He was beginning to feel pangs of guilt for leaving in such a hurry. He had scribbled a note and left it on the bedside table. She would probably be mad at him if she woke up in the middle of the night to find him gone, but anger he could live with for the night.
The noise under his hood turned from an irritating tap to a loud clank, and Leon decided to pull over and check it out.
Probably just the radiator overheating or something.
Leon popped the hood, only to have a small explosion of smoke and steam erupt in his face. Leon stood in the pouring rain, coughing and spluttering, and frantically waving his hands in front of his face.
Great… juussst great, typical. I don't even have my cell with me. Nobody's gonna pass by here for hours… I bet there isn't an emergency phone round here, id have to walk all the way back onto the main highway.
Leon leaned against the passenger door of his car, no longer caring that it was raining. He turned his face up to the sky, allowing the heavy rain drops to pound against his skin, soaking his clothes through. He closed his eyes and thought of being in his warm bed, thought of the 'stranger' waiting there to greet him.
Should never have left the house… What was I thinking anyway? Leaving in the middle of the night? I shouldn't have even driven out this far… I must be crazy.
"Excuse me, you lost stranger?"
Leon looked around for the source of the soft feminine voice, craning his neck around to peer over the raised bonnet of his jeep. A woman stood not five feet behind him, soaked to the bone in a red dress that was now turning see-through.
"Uh… no, I mean, sort of, I uh, well I live in the city, but my car…"
"Are you okay stranger? Did I startle ju or somethin'?"
Startled might be a loose term to use, but yeah…
The woman had a northern American accent, with a slight Mexican twinge, she must have spent some time south of the border at some point, even her skin had a slightly sun kissed glow. Leon figured if spending some time in Mexico can make you look like that he was overdue for a trip…
"No, I'm ok, just I didn't hear you come up behind me… aren't you cold in this rain?"
"I'm perfectly fine, a little water never hurt anybody, besides, I haven't washed in days"
Leon laughed at the joke, she smiled at him and her bright gleaming smile warmed his heart.
How can she be so happy in weather like this? We're out In the middle of nowhere and…
"Excuse me for asking, not that I'm not glad to see you but, what the hell are you doing out here?"
"I told ju, I'm washing myself"
Leon didn't quite know what to say… his confusion must have shown on his face as the woman simply chuckled and smiled again, a smile that looked as if it couldn't be wiped away by a hurricane.
"I'm washing myself of my past. My husband and I had a slight disagreement, so I decided to take a nice little walk in the rain, and ju know what… I'm not goin' back."
"Gee, I'm, I'm sorry to hear that, what exactly happened for you to… take a walk in this?"
Leon indicated to the thick grey sky up ahead, squinting his eyes through the pounding heavy rain drops, water spilling from the tip of his nose and his bottom lip. His hair felt heavy and clung to his face and neck, running small rivers down the back of his shirt. The woman in the now transparent red dress simply looked up to the sky with a smile, then back at him, her lashes fluttering with the weight of the rain. He noticed that faint black streaks ran down her face, probably from the mascara she had worn… whether it was the rain or tears that had cleared her eyelashes of the make-up he didn't know.
"Let's just say my husband is a big guy, and he likes to feel big by taking things out on little people. People like me."
"You know, I've always hated muscle heads… you want a real man, find yourself an appropriately sized man."
The woman laughed at the very bad attempt of a chat up line, but still eyed him up all the same, standing back and placing her hands on her hips. She pretended to weigh her options before giving him a careful response.
"For an 'appropriately sized' guy, ju don't seem fazed by the fact that I've just told ju my husband is a big guy. No offense, but he could kick your bony ass"
"Hey, my ass is perfectly toned thank you, Leon mocked her, outwardly, showing her his soaking wet butt as evidence he was right, but inwardly was slightly hurt by the comment. She obviously had a thing for men with muscles on their biceps and biceps on their little fingers.
"Well, don't quote me on this, but I am training to be a cop, just saving up for graduation actually, I passed with honours, so I could give him a fair go… as long as I'm allowed firearms and a head start…"
She chuckled again, this time wholeheartedly at the image of her ill tempered husband chasing after the stranger that stood before her, like a weird game of cat and mouse.
"I like yoouuu stranger, ju make me laugh"
"You look like you don't need any help with that, how you manage to keep smiling in this weather is beyond me! I'm freezing my bony little ass off here!"
She seemed to blush at his remark, the pang of guilt for mocking his size sinking in, yet she still smiled brightly, fixing his eyes on him.
"I like to think of it this way. We can't have sun every day, so there's no use complaining when a bit of bad weather comes our way. Everybody has their share of grey clouds. It could be worse, a lot worse, so just be thankful the sun will come out when the clouds eventually blow over. And they always do."
Leon had forgotten about everything at that moment… forgotten about the rain, about his now flooded engine, about the woman, the 'stranger' waiting for him at home. He had become transfixed on the woman in the red dress standing in front of him, speaking not to him, but to her as well. He stared at her with admiration, her courage and positivity radiating off her, protecting her from the freezing weather like a warm blanket. As far as he was concerned, the rain wasn't touching her. She stared back at him with warm eyes, as if she could sense he was relating to her, trying to fix his pain like a mother would stop a baby from crying.
"Whatever it is jour worried about, whatever jour scared off happening, or not happening, just remember, rain is a scarcity in some countries. People pray for the sun to end, so they can have rain to grow things, clean things, wash things away. It is a sign of purification. Whatever ju do, don't ask for the rain to stop. Just wait for the sun to shine."
"I will, thank you."
The two smiled at each other, Leon feeling somewhat alleviated, like this mysterious woman, whose name he didn't even know had somehow lifted an invisible weight off his shoulders with the greatest of ease.
"Ju know, ju mentioned you were a cop? Ju looking for a job?"
"Maybe not here, somewhere quieter perhaps, somewhere I can start my life over. I never did like it in the big apple."
"I know somewhere nice and quiet, my husband's brother, he works in a police station, he just got promoted to chief of police. I heard he was looking for some fresh young faces. I'll be sure to mention ju."
"Thanks, if they're all as friendly as you down there I'll move tomorrow."
"Up there."
"Well, I think my car is okay now its stopped… smoking… do you want a lift into town? Or anywhere I can take you for that matter?"
"No thanks stranger. I'm waiting for my sunshine."
"Of course you are. Well can I at least ask your name?"
"Talli"
"Leon"
With a simple wave, the woman turned and started down the road, heading off into the now orange horizon.
"Goodbye Stranger"
Leon climbed into his Jeep, thankful that all his engine needed to recuperate was a bit of a cool down.
Looks like I have more than just a free shower to thank the rain for.
He started his engine, cruising into the road and heading back home. The woman in the red dress would be on his mind the whole journey home. Soon enough he started to reach civilisation, and the sky began to glow with promise of sun.
He reached home within a couple of hours, but he didn't go inside… Leon didn't ask for the rain to stop. He simply waited for the sun to shine.
A/N: hopefully this wasn't too cheesy for everybody just my usual revelations I have are hard to say otherwise. It just goes to show that a little positivity can go a long way in life, as leon now knows ^.^
Trivia: Tonantzin Tlalli is in ancient Mexican traditions the goddess of earth, our equivalent of mother Earth. I just shortened it to Talli :3
Crimson xx