Disclaimer : Resident Evil and all of their characters belong to Capcom, as does some dialogue in this chapter.

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Genre : Romance/slight Angst

Spanish Castle Magic

Everything about Salazar's castle reeked of uncertainty. Everywhere that Leon seemed to turn, there were more and more Plagas infected monks attacking him. Most wore black, but there were a few special priests wearing ceremonial red robes. Some even donned metal helmets, making a head shot impossible. Needless to say, the night was getting worse for the blonde government agent. He had successfully found the President's daughter in the church that was in the village, but Ashley had fallen into one of the castle's traps. Leon was now frantically searching for the platinum blonde-haired girl, even though he had no idea where she was. Hell, he didn't even have his mission contact, Ingrid Hunnigan anymore. The line was disrupted, and all he could get was the cackling figure of the demented man who lived in this crazy place. However, as much as he hated the castle, at this moment, Leon couldn't have been more happy to enter it. Anything was better than the hell that he had just gone through. Another one of Salazar's sick little games, which included a hedge maze filled with psychotic, Plagas infected wolves. Leon was certainly happy to be out of that labyrinth, and he was now in a large room, that appeared to lead to another small room. There was also a very formal bed, and a door to the far right. He was no longer in the hedge maze, but in a different sort of maze. The agent began to explore the room, as he was expertly trained to do, but stopped dead in his tracks when he felt cold metal pressed into the small of his back.

"Put your hands where I can see them." ordered a sultry female voice. A voice that somehow reminded Leon of his past.

"Sorry, but following a lady's lead just isn't my style." he retorted, deciding to test the strange woman. She didn't seem to be in the mood for games, as she readjusted the positioning of her gun, planting it firmly into the agent's spine.

"Put them up now." the woman demanded, a little firmer this time, but still keeping a composed tone. In a flash, Leon's government training kicked in, and he quickly spun around, twisting the strange woman's arm in the process. She was taken off guard by his actions, and yelped sharply in response. The agent found his opening, and grabbed the Blacktail that was embedded into his back moments ago. However, the dark-haired woman saw this, and flipped her body into a spectacular one-armed hand spring, kicking the gun out of both of their grasps in the process. It was a move that only gymnasts could pull off perfectly. Before allowing the strange woman in red to have the upper hand, Leon quickly grabbed the knife that was resting comfortably in his shoulder harness, and ran forward to confront the woman, who was still in mid-flip. Time seemed to move slowly, as Leon continued to rush toward the dark-haired woman, who was attempting to regain control of the situation. Finally, the woman completed her stunning acrobatic move, and caught her gun. She then spun around to aim at the blonde man, but was met with the cold steel of a tactical knife against her throat.

"Bit of advise, try using knives next time. Works better for close encounters." Leon informed, plucking the Blacktail from the hands of the beautiful female. He easily pulled out the magazine, and tossed the gun and clip in opposite directions. Now that the woman was disarmed, Leon took the time to study her. She was fairly tall, only a couple of inches shorter than himself, and donned an elaborate red dress, which was decorated with butterflies that were expertly placed in key locations on the crimson apparel. The beautiful dress also had a large slit up the right side, allowing the agent full view of the smooth skin on her gorgeous thigh. Her raven-colored hair was kept at a short length, not even touching the porcelain-like skin on her shoulders. It was actually at the perfect length, accenting her facial features beautifully. However, her most outstanding feature was her eyes, which, until moments ago were hidden behind a pair of light red sunglasses. They were the same jade-colored eyes of the woman that he held in his arms six years ago, as she lingered on the brink of death.

"Leon...long time no see." the familiar voice pointed out, holding the sunglasses between her thumb and index finger.

"Ada. So it is true." Leon stated, looking deeply into the assassin's eyes.

"True? About what?" Ada purred innocently, wearing a smirk. The agent looked at the ground before responding. It was hard to face the woman that he fell in love with in Raccoon City. It didn't help that he had recently found out that she was alive, and never bothered to contact him. Now, Ada Wong was standing before him, pretending as if that night had never occurred. Pretending as if she hadn't "died" in his arms after sharing the most intense kiss that Leon had ever experienced. And she didn't even appear to care.

"You...working with Wesker." the agent clarified, unable to help the flash of hurt that appeared in his cerulean eyes.

"I see you've been doing your homework." the raven-haired spy quipped, letting the sunglasses slip inconspicuously between her fingers.

"Why Ada?" Leon asked, hurt etched in his tone. The woman in red simply scoffed, and looked towards the window, apparently bored with the conversation.

"What's it to you?" Ada replied, sounding a little harsher than she had intended. She quickly glanced down at the sunglasses, anxiously awaiting for the distraction to take place. Unfortunately for the Eurasian beauty, Leon's eyes expertly noticed her when she shifted her gaze. He quickly took a step forward, and brought his size 12 boot down hard on the glasses, causing them to shatter. Ada closed her eyes and sighed, clearly annoyed that her plan had been discovered. She finally locked eyes with the agent again, and could see a storm brewing within his deep blue eyes.

"What's it to me?! You're unbelievable, you know that?" Leon accused, taking a step back. The words penetrated through Ada's thick emotional barriers easily, and she couldn't help but regret her words. She forced herself to regain her composure quickly, as she still had a job to do. No matter how she felt for the blonde agent, she couldn't allow any distractions to deter her from her main goal.

"How so?" the woman in red questioned, searching every inch of the room for an escape route. The best choice was the window, but Leon was blocking that exit.

"Stop Ada...please..." the blonde man trailed off, looking at the floor once again.

"Am I bothering you handsome?" Ada inquired, smiling devilishly. The agent slowly raised his head, pain laced into his features.

"Just stop!" Leon thundered, unable to control the emotions that were boiling over in his mind. Ada lightly jumped in response, but the blonde man wasn't sorry.

"What's happened to you? Why are you acting like this?" the agent asked bitterly, brushing a rogue strand of his ash locks out of his face. The spy wasn't sure to what to make of Leon's sudden outburst. She understood why he was reacting in his sorrowful manner, but she wasn't sure how to respond. Ashamed to look at the man that she loved, she turned her gaze to the floor.

"It's my job Leon." Ada answered quietly, feeling her eyes begin to burn. It was a feeling that she had grown quite accustomed to over the past six years, but she had never broken down in front of another person. Leon's tone and words mirrored the emotional pain that he had been feeling, and she had only made it worse with her nonchalant attitude. It wasn't Ada's intention to hurt him in any way, physically, and especially mentally, but she wasn't lying when she said that her job was at fault.

"It's your job to hurt the people that care about you?" Leon spat, still guarding the window, and entrance to the room. He wasn't going to allow her to leave until he got some honest answers. He knew that some of those answers could be potentially painful, but he needed some closure, at the very least. Ada's heart fluttered at Leon's words, and she realized that he still harbored feelings for her. Ada secretly hoped that it was the same love that she felt for him, but thought that it wasn't likely. The fact that Leon still had feelings for her, made her feel even worse about the words that she had said earlier, which caused her emotions to get the better of her again. A large lump nestled itself into Ada's throat, but she was determined not to cry. Not in front of Leon anyway.

"In a way, yes." Ada responded, finally building the courage to look into the blue eyes of the man that she had fallen in love with six years ago.

"Why didn't you try to contact me Ada?" Leon questioned, calming down a bit.

"I...you know that I..." the woman in red trailed off, unable to think of a good excuse. Truth was, she didn't have one.

"What Ada? Please enlighten me." the agent stated, folding his arms over his chest. It was the Eurasian woman's turn to get angry. She didn't like the interrogation that she was receiving, and hated the fact that she was being backed into a corner.

"What do you want me to say Leon? What do you want from me?!" Ada implored angrily, startling the blonde man, who took a second to think about her question.

"The truth. I want to know if you still love me. I want to know if you ever truly loved me." Leon replied calmly, his indignation subsiding as he awaited an answer. Leon's request hit Ada like a ton of bricks. It was definitely not what she was expecting the agent to say, and the question caught her off guard. Ada really wasn't sure if she should tell him the truth or not. She knew what would be the best answer for her mission, but she wasn't sure if the mission was what was important at this time. Usually the mission always came first, no matter what, but Leon continuously caused her to break the rules. Rules that she put in place to ensure everything during her assignment ran smoothly. She broke the rules six years ago too, and she had almost died as a result. Now, she faced a similar dilemma. The truth, or more lies? The young spy brought her eyes to the blonde man, and prepared herself to answer. Just as Ada opened her mouth to speak, she noticed Leon's gaze shift to the left. He quickly drew the Punisher that was in his holster, and pointed the weapon suspiciously at the room behind her. She spun to see what he did, and soon a shadowy figure stepped out.

"Easy strangers. Didn't mean to startle you." the strange merchant finished his sentence with a hearty laugh. Leon and Ada exchanged apprehensive glances, and the government agent shoved the handgun back into it's resting spot.

"I heard shouting is all. If ya don't mind strangers, I'd like to step outside for a bit of air." the merchant continued, and began walking for the castle's entrance.

"Uh...not at all." Leon politely responded to the weapons dealer that had helped him along. He stepped out of the way, and watched the nomad exit the room, all the while keeping one eye on Ada. Leon wasn't going to give her an inch, because he knew that she'd take a mile. Finally alone again, the blonde agent directed his attention to the raven-haired assassin, and waited for his answer. Her eyes were once again focused on the floor, and Leon could tell that she was more than a little reluctant to answer. He was about to walk over to her and tell her to forget it, when her head suddenly shot up. The agent couldn't help the look of confusion that formed on his face, as Ada's features changed from perplexed to fear in a matter of seconds. Also, the fact that she was looking towards the entrance was more cause for concern. Leon turned on his heel to see the reason for Ada's strange behavior. Before the agent could spin the full 180 degrees, he felt a familiar sensation. It was the sensation of hearing something odd and feeling something painful at the same time. The loud crack echoed through the nearly empty room, and burning lead tore through Leon's body in the fraction of a second. He never got to see his attacker before he lost consciousness, but the last thing he remembered was Ada rushing by his side.

"Forgive me Miss Wong. He didn't have the luxury of having an option. You do. Do you wish to die quickly or slowly?" came an all too familiar voice from behind the merchant's face wraps. It was no longer the voice of the kind weapons dealer, but the sinister growl of Ada's employer. The woman in red was bent over Leon's limp body, and the tears that she had been holding in since the agent's outburst began to spill out on her cheeks. She didn't even care that the stranger that had been helping Leon throughout his entire mission was now plucking small, flexible lenses from his eyes. The tiny, clear disks hit the hard floor, revealing the true eyes of the weapons dealer. They were bright yellow, with elongated pupils resembling a cat's. The hood was the next to be removed, followed closely by the purple garment that covered the lower part of the mysterious man's face. As expected, his blonde hair was slicked back as it always was, and the man known as Wesker was wearing a triumphant smirk. As Ada continued to sob in misery, Wesker began to approach her.

"You never answered my question Miss W-" another loud crack interrupted Wesker's sentence, and the malicious man's gaze dropped to his right leg, where blood was oozing out. There was no pain on Wesker's face; as a matter of fact, he looked quite entertained with the situation. The smoking barrel of Leon's Punisher rested in Ada's hands, whose sore eyes were now etched with pure fury. Wesker merely chuckled, and tore off his baggy costume, displaying the dark black tactical gear that he always seemed to wear when on a mission. He then reached into the breast pocket of his tactical vest, and extracted his signature pair of dark sunglasses, which hid his eyes from view when he put them on.

"It seems you've made your choice. Stay here and die with that government dog." Wesker spat, and turned to exit the room. Ada's rage instantly subsided in Wesker's absence, and she turned her attention to Leon. He was lucky. When he turned to face Wesker, the bullet hit him in a less vital area. It was a clean shot, that went right through the right side of his chest, in the meaty area next to his shoulder blade. It was going to be tough, and very reminiscent of Raccoon City, but Leon would survive. He always did, no matter how much the deck was stacked against him. However, Ada also knew that she had to play her part, by cleaning the wound as best as possible, just as she did six years ago. Gathering strength that she didn't know she possessed, Ada dragged the unconscious agent to the bed that was located in the room., and miraculously managed to pick him up and place him gently onto the soft mattress. Gasping for air, Ada delicately peeled the blood and sweat soaked shirt from Leon's torso, and placed it beside him.. She then searched through his storage packs, and found some medical supplies. They weren't the best, but they would do. Ada doused some gauze with alcohol, and went to work treating the wound. She was almost done, when Leon suddenly stirred, murmuring incoherently. The Eurasian beauty stopped what she was doing and instinctively began to stroke the agent's sweaty forehead with the back of her hand. Without opening his eyes, Leon clutched onto the spy's hand and moaned softly.

"Hey..." Leon mumbled weakly, finally garnering the strength to open his eyes. Ada had never been so happy in her life to see his deep blue eyes.

"Welcome back." the woman in red whispered, unable to stop the relieved smile that formed on her face. The blonde agent returned the smile, and allowed the assassin to resume caressing his head affectionately.

"Don't scare me like that again." Ada added, gazing in pure adoration at the man who was resting before her. She was so overwhelmed with relief and happiness, that she felt her eyes tear up again. She no longer cared about hiding her emotions, and allowed the tears to do as they saw fit. She could feel a warm trail of liquid slide down her cheek, and noticed the look of astonishment on Leon's face. After all, he had never seen her cry before.

"Hey, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." Leon assured, using his thumb to wipe away the warm tear, interrupting it's descent. Ada smiled in appreciation, and was quite surprised when the agent suddenly sat up.

"Leon, you really should rest." she informed, even though she knew that it would do no good. Once Leon had his mind set, nothing could deter him.

"Don't have the time. I still gotta find Ashley." the agent replied, grabbing the gauze. He attempted to finish wrapping the wound, but to no avail. Ada gently grabbed the cotton fabric, and began to bandage the injury. Leon smiled in thanks as she completed her final rotation, using medical tape to hold the bindings. When Ada was done, she delicately placed her hand over the wound, eyeing it wearily. Her touch was soft on Leon's chest, and he soon found his own hand enclosed over her's. She looked up in confusion, and was startled when he leaned closer, not stopping until their lips made contact. She quickly accepted the kiss, and moved her free hand to the back of the agent's head. The kiss was not as desperate as either of them figured it would be after six long years. Instead, it was rather slow and deliberate; full of emotion. Leon pulled back, and admired the dazed look on the Eurasian woman's face.

"What was that for?" Ada asked dreamily, licking her lips to savor the taste of the blonde man. Leon lightly laughed, and slowly pulled his shirt back on. As much as he wanted to just throw the bloody cloth away, he needed something to protect him from the harsh November temperatures. Leon slowly stood up, gauging how sturdy he was, and took a couple of steps. He seemed to be walking fine, so he turned towards the spy.

"I kissed you because you've been on my mind for six years. And to apologize for being a jerk earlier...you didn't deserve that." Leon admitted.

"Maybe I did deserve it. But, it's okay either way. Right now, we have to find Ashley." Ada stated, walking towards the door that would lead them to the next part of Salazar's castle.

"We?" the agent asked with a small grin. The woman in red stopped at the door, and turned around with a sly smile.

"You didn't honestly think that I was going to let you wander this place alone and injured, did you?" Ada purred, motioning him to follow. Leon shook his head, and with a laugh, joined the female assassin.

"Well I'm glad that you've decided to stay with me." he confessed, as Ada reached for the door knob. She turned to look at Leon's blue eyes one last time, and the thought of kissing him again entered her mind.

"Just like old times, huh?" Ada quipped, and with a wink flung the door open.

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Apparently, I'm not allowed to do angst/tragedy anymore. My friends won't let me. Oh well, I hope this "what could have been" was decent enough. It's my longest oneshot to date, so that's interesting, right?

Oh yeah, I don't know if the whole Merchant=Wesker thing has ever been done before, but I hope it hasn't. I know that Separate Ways disproves this theory many, many times, but I thought it would be an interesting twist. The red eyes had me suspicious the entire time...I swear.

I also tried to bring it back to Raccoon City again, what with Leon getting shot, and Ada cleaning, and bandaging the wound. Also, the title is named after the song "Spanish Castle Magic" by Jimi Hendrix...I thought it fit.

Please, tell what you think...do you like...do you hate? Do you not care? (XD) All reviews are welcome!