Another time, another job, again they'd found themselves woven together on the same path; attached by means of fate, inseparable. The C-Virus refused to face extinction. Ada found Leon through the sights of a scope, once more he played the hero by helping handfuls of civilians escape the hordes that pursued in their tracks. Agent had disappeared again, long gone from her presence the moment she laid eyes on the figure through the view of her weapon.

He'd return eventually, he always did.

Ada in turn played the eye in the sky above with a nimble finger that tugged it's hold over the trigger, the gun was nothing more but a resounding echo from the rooftop. His eyes had begun to search almost frantically the moment the infected had dropped, up until he found what he was after the moment they met with her own. Her lips curled slightly, a small curve shaped at their corners as she hopped away with the grappling gun in hand, she felt his gaze on her all the while even after she disappeared from sight. Always after something he wasn't ready to have, even after all the long years that had passed. It was cute in it's own way.

The moment her heels touched another rooftop, she'd heard a shuffle from behind her. A quick glance revealed Agent to be back at her side, his head tipped forward in a short nod.

Back with you.

She almost felt a layer of comfort fold over her shoulders the moment she saw him again. Instead, she turned her attention to the far side of the building and descended the small stairway that led down into the pits of the structure, a second pair of footsteps that only she could hear followed behind in a pace that matched her own. With an unspoken bond and an understanding that delved beyond words, they proceeded forward through various floors of flesh eating monstrosities that threw themselves in their direction. Agent remained with her all throughout, nine-oh-nine held out and at the ready to fend off from the incoming attacks.

One after the next, the creatures had become little more than dissipating corpses that melted away into stains on the floor. As leather heels clicked over the dirtied ground, the only bullets that were left behind had been from her own Ammo Box 50 machine pistol, not a single strip of metal from the barrel of the handgun Agent grasped between his fingertips; even as she'd witnessed him fire, as she saw amidst the chaos the bodies that had hit the floor. She could almost feel the tiniest of smiles from under the mask he had replaced over his features long ago.

Beautiful.

Her silent guardian, the falsified image she built around herself to cope with all the times she ran away. A perfect portrait of how she secretly wanted things to be. She had come to terms with him now, the cryptic savior that only she could see. His presence had become a welcome thing.

As it always had been, the more they advanced forward, the more times she found herself in the same field as Leon and each time was just like the last; Agent would disappear from sight like little more than a ghost of the past. He would fade into memory at the sight of the real thing in front of her eyes, laying in wait for the time she found herself alone again before he would make his way back to her from the shadows of her mind.

One particular reunion she had with Leon nearly cost both their lives; it was enough for her heart to tighten in her chest despite her calm demeanor, he had a way of bringing out parts of her that she never intended for people to see. The C-Virus was as ruthless as always, and it's mutations were extreme. Their bodies worked in tune together with reflexes that matched perfectly in unison, but even then it had only barely been enough and the end result had left them both winded.

Ada turned on her heel to make the same leave she always had, until a hand on her arm slowed her movements to a halt. She saw a look in his eyes that spoke a thousand words, all of them darted toward her to pierce holes into her heart.

You never wait.

Why won't you let me follow you?

You have to stop running, one day.

He didn't have to say anything, but he did. "Ada, wait." It was a familiar line Leon had found himself repeating after every encounter they shared, and each time it still tore into her even worse than the one before - even if she was still as unwilling as ever to admit it. The stakes were too high, the consequences were too large. "We both have a job to complete, Leon." The slightest movement of her arm slipped it from his grasp as she turned again, still aware of his figure as it edged closer and hovered just over her shoulder.

"You know, you can't keep playing hard to get." Her breath halted briefly, unnoticeable by him the moment he spoke the words. As much as it pained her to admit; it was still a truth that was well known to her. Leon had made his mark, integrated himself into her very soul. The mysterious Agent who came and went just as often as she was evidence enough of that.

Ada remained strong, "I don't think you're ready for something more." Neither one of them was, and yet they simultaneously were. It was a complicated dance that carried on for years of fighting, of running, and yet the result was always the same in the end; a continuous, agonizing loophole. But just like that, he had circled around to her front, face barely inches away from her own. Her heart uncharacteristically increased it's rhythm at the sensation of him being so close, so near, just as the visions of desire that plagued her non-stop.

Leon gave the slightest shake of his head, intense blue eyes fell lower until they rested at her glossy lips. One hand rose up to stroke a gentle tracing across her cheek before it settled at the back of her head, tangled softly into her hair. "And I think we've both waited long enough." His body took a step closer to her own, the heat from him slid off to her in waves as he leaned in with lips that hovered just over her own, so close but not touching. They shared the same air with every taken breath, and every exhale left a ghosted breeze to drift across each other's tiers.

Ada allowed her eyes to drift shut, everything in her pleading to stay still in the moment. "...Sorry, Leon." Her strong will won over as she raised an arm to the side, the grappling gun shot off into the distance and pulled her free from his grasp before their lips could fully connect. She didn't allow herself to look back, to bare witness to those perfect features of his that twisted with longing and hurt. The heart could only take so many cracks until it shattered itself to pieces; even Ada was well aware of the nature that fact bore. She paused the moment her feet set onto ground again, every feeling in her body edged at her to go back, to stop her little games and take what they both wanted with a passion.

The moment her eyes reopened, Agent stood before her as an instant reminder that made all her decisions give weight to a much more crushing force over her shoulders.

You can't always run away.

She watched him in silence for some time as her emotions waged a battle inside of her. She gave no motion to the chaos tearing through her from within, her features as always bore their sense of calm for all to see. The ghost before her knew better, the shake of his head was the only further reply he'd give as time passed on. He brushed against her to make way for the door, her own feet trailed behind his in that instance until he waited for her beside the frame. Her hand reached forward to grasp the handle, until an arm from behind encircled her and digits wove themselves around her own. "Not this time, Ada." A voice breathed in her ear as she found herself being turned around.

Somehow, Leon had managed to catch up to her. She stared at him from under thick lashes with hidden surprise as she felt his arm at her waist, held there to effectively pin her from an escape while he pulled her close. He didn't wait this time and dived in, lips placed gently over top her own until she wavered underneath him, all of her willfulness dissipated into mush as she allowed herself to give in and return the gesture. It was slow but sweet at first, a test to the waters that they had both been waiting to drown themselves in for so long. There was a pause when he finally pulled back to allow them air, where he'd instead placed his forehead to hers much like she'd always imagined.

Leon kept his eyes closed as he focused on the shared moment, but Ada found hers opening to rest on a sight over his shoulder. For the first time, Agent had allowed himself to be shown with Leon nearby. She could feel the smile roll off of him from under the helmet, a perfect reflection of the one that danced across Leon's features as none of them said a word. Agent gave a last raise of his hand, thumb pointed toward the ceiling with a nod of approval at the new string of events, before his image faded away from view.

Don't be afraid.

Something inside told her that it would be the last time she'd see him... But even with all they'd been through together, as her arms raised to wrap around Leon's neck and rejoin their lips in a delicate kiss, she was at ease with his disappearance. For in place of him, she now had the real thing.