Authors Note: Thankyou for the kind words. We're just getting started. More veils lifted - more to come.

There's nothing left to prove
There's nothing I won't do
There's nothing like the pain
I feel for you

Nothing left to hide
Nothing left to fear
I am always here

When they say
You're not that strong
You're not that weak
It's not your fault
And when you climb up to your hill
Up to your place
I hope you're well

- Our Lady Peace

Jill cried herself to sleep. She couldn't begin to explain what had happened – and the look on Leon's face. The poor guy, she'd probably traumatized him for the rest of his life. Everything had just overwhelmed her. She felt like she was hanging by a thread in the wake of Chris' death, searching for something, anything to feel alive again. To cling to.

She wasn't lying, she did miss sex. Back in her heyday she'd been quite the little temptress. You wouldn't know it about her though, unless you knew it. She was picky about her partners almost to a fault, always very aware of her standing in the world. Of how it could look for a female agent in a male dominated world if she just satisfied every whim and urge that happened upon her. A fine line to walk – she supposed it was for all women navigating worlds traditionally populated by majority men. Women had had to fight for their right to fight for a long damn time, sadly, stigma held. Protecting your reputation became a priority for many ladies that chose some form of military as a career.

Jill played her cards close to her chest, always. You were a lucky man if you made it in to her bedroom – but if you did? You were in for a good time. She was as red blooded as any male on any squad out there. Knew herself, knew her body, knew what she liked and how to get it.

Now it felt like it had been so long since anyone touched her she'd forgotten how to do it at all. Chris had always been her safe place, her home, her friend and confidant. They'd been lovers, they'd soothed the nightmares, been what each other needed when they needed it. But a full on relationship was never to be. They'd talked about it, they even wanted it. But Nadia was willing to do one thing that Jill would not – settle down. Jill hadn't wanted to give up the fight, although Chris wouldn't have asked it of her.

Actually, that wasn't it at all. Maybe she just resented Nadia a little bit for stepping in and making him happy. Giving him the other thing that Jill could not. Chris had wanted a family. Nadia gave him that. Sad that he didn't get to enjoy it for more than a handful of years, sad that he spent most of it fiercely protecting them as the world descended in to madness. Sad – that Jill hadn't been able to save him.

Maybe Nadia could have. She was positive that was what she read in the other woman's eyes at Chris' funeral. 'I could have saved him, I was always better than you.'

She was probably right.

Sometimes pain and pleasure went hand in hand, and as the relief of that physical release washed over her, some kind of dam had broken. She'd just burst in to tears. Love and loss, an ache inside, a temporary bliss. Did a part of her feel bad for feeling good? Maybe she did. Maybe she felt like she didn't deserve it. What she did deserve was to suffer for letting those children down, for not saving their Dad. For not keeping Chris here, where he belonged.

It should have been her.

She wakes in Leon's arms. He'd stayed, as he promised he would. He'd guarded her through the night, loaned her the strength to get through it. He was a good man – he'd lost so much and yet he still clung to hope. She had no idea how he did it. How he faced each morning knowing that the love of his life and their unborn child had been taken so cruelly. A son he'd never get to know. Never got a chance. It was heartbreaking, if you thought about it too much. And Shiri, he'd loved her as long as Jill had known him. Having your soulmate torn from your arms.

Jill felt that pain on a feral, primeval level. It was impossible to come to terms with, wasn't it? So where did he push it all down to? Leon Kennedy was the kind of survivor Jill had always thought she was, but as it turned out, he was probably the best of them.

The best of the last of them. A dying breed. The ones that had seen this through since the start. The ones that still remembered Raccoon City as one of the worst days of their lives. So many people had arrived in the world and grown up since then, hearing about it only in history books and documentaries. If you really want to feel old, talk to a 16 year old now and tell them you survived Raccoon City. Likelihood was they'd look at you and go 'what?'

She lifts her hand and rubs her sore eyes, they felt gritty. Full of sand. She hated crying. Loathed it with a passion. She never used to cry much, these past weeks she felt like it was all she could do.

Was he awake?

She tilts her head back a little, trying to see him. He doesn't move. She listens and his breathing still seemed deep, the lightest breath of a snore. A little smile drifts over her face. Chris snored like a trooper. Sleeping with Leon must be peaceful.

He'd covered them both with her sheets at some point, but as she lifts them slightly she realizes they're both still naked as they day they were born. She bites her lip, feeling guilty. She'd brought him in here, gotten him all wound up and then he'd had to nurse her through a breakdown. She winces, lifting her hand to her face in embarrassment and guilt. She didn't regret the plan, they were both consenting adults and sex could just be sex. But she regretted her behavior.

Why couldn't she just get it together? Why did this still hurt so fucking much?

Poor guy.

God he looked good, though. She frowns a little, allowing herself to perv just a bit. How old was he now? 45? 46? Something like that. Who had abs like that at their age? She felt like hers had gone to mush no matter how hard she worked out. Everything was starting to age and give up. As if it wasn't hard enough to feel sexy when parts of your body looked like they'd been in a one on one brawl with a cheese grater. Now stuff was sagging.

Leon though? He still looked like someone had freshly carved him from a rock. With a nice amount of chest fuzz and a whole lot going on down south. Jeesh, she knew why he was talk of half the bases she ever ended up on now.

She blushes for thinking it.

Maybe she should finish what she started?

Biting down on her lip, she carefully turns under the weight of his muscled arm and that does it, he wakes, his eyes sliding blearily open and taking a moment to focus on her, facing him now.

"Hey," she whispers. She wasn't sure why she was whispering, it seemed appropriate.

"Hey.." he answers, lifting a hand and scratching his nose – a frown fleets across his brow. "How are you feeling?"

"Bit better. I'm sorry I kinda.. had a meltdown."

Leon smiles gently at her, offering a small shake of his head. "Don't worry about it. Got through the night, that's what matters."

Jill studies him for a moment. "You're always so selfless. I've noticed that about you."

"Am I?" he chuckles a little, shifting on to his back and scratching his chest. He liked to scratch. It was a man thing.

"You are."

"Prefer to think of it as just.. doing what feels right."

"Hm." Jill considers this. "You deserve to be selfish sometimes, though. Everyone does."

He hitches a shoulder against the mattress. "Sometimes, I guess. I've been known to make some pretty personal decisions. I'm no saint."

"Just do what feels right.." she repeats in a murmur.

"My philosophy." He laughs under his breath. He should put some pants on, get up. Get out of his friends bed.

But then her hand lightly rests on his chest and his eyes drift from the ceiling to her.

"I should probably ge.."

"Shhh." She shakes her head almost imperceptibly. Then lifts herself a little, moving closer.

"What are you doing?" he asks in a quiet rumble.

"What feels right." She answers, carefully straddling his thighs. He lifts his head, watching her as she runs her palms over the tops of his legs and along his stomach, fingers tracing the valleys of his abs.

"Jill.. I.."

She lifts one of those hands to her lips, silencing him, sitting there entirely naked on him. He couldn't hide the response his body was having. It makes her smile. A glimmer of the old Jill. The Jill she knew, returns. Her hand closes around him and she watches his expression change. From curiosity and apprehension to giving in to pleasure.

Good. She owed him one.

She brings her mouth in to play and she returns the favor.

The relief of his release doesn't reduce him to tears, but goddamn does it feel good. She climbs off of him once he's done, telling him she'd make them coffee.

"You're welcome to recover as long as you like." She winks, grabbing her robe and slipping it on as he lay there in a daze, panting.

"Thanks." He manages. It makes her laugh. He actually was kind of adorable, she could sort of see it, maybe. That ridiculous hair, though.

She heads out of her bedroom feeling a little more like herself. Like she'd taken something back in there, by giving to him. A part of herself, a confident, stronger Jill. She was still in there – somewhere. Maybe she could be brought out of hiding in time. And that was what everyone said, wasn't it, time. Time and patience. Time heals everything. Time destroys everything. It was always time.

She sets the coffee machine and makes a pit stop in the bathroom. When she returns, he's up. Looking a tiny bit awkward. Jeans on, beltless, they hung on his hips and revealed that delicious V shape toned men always sported. She'd lick her lips if it wasn't entirely too obvious. He needed to stop looking like that.

For Leon's part, he was in a daze. His mind gone to mush. It's one thing to, uh, handle it yourself. It's a whole other when a gorgeous woman does wonderful things. He'd almost forgotten what it was like. Almost.

"Are you okay?" she asks him, amused by the look on his face as he wanders over.

"Yeah. I'm good.." he nods, studying her, then laughing a little. "Surprisingly."

"Uh huh." She gets two mugs. "Are you one of those men that's stupid for about an hour after he comes?"

He blinks, leaning against her counter. "Um. I might be now." He drums his fingers on the counter.

She smirks, pouring them both some wake up juice and asking him what he wanted in his.

"Nothing. Black." He was easy to please and takes the cup as it's handed to him. She adds some sugar and cream to hers.

"That's such a man coffee." She comments.

"Gotta balance out the girl hair." He winks at her, and it makes her laugh, which was wonderful to see.

Jill blows steam from the top of her mug. "So, on a scale of 1 to 'Jesus take me now'.. how awkward are we feeling?"

Leon considers this carefully. "I'm at about a 5."

"Really?" She lifts an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah."

"Why?"

"Well I definitely don't regret it.. but it's just.."

"A bit weird."

"It was kinda weird.. wasn't it?" He looks for confirmation.

"It was." She laughs. "But not bad weird. Just.. this is a transition, weird. And we didn't even have actual sex!"

"Ha, maybe we'd both be a few numbers higher if we had?" He muses.

"Who knows."

"What number are you at?"

"About a 3.. for the not sex. About an 'Earth open up and swallow me' for the breakdown." she covers her face with her free hand, shaking her head. "I'm so sorry."

He frowns again and sips from his mug. "Already told you, don't sweat it. All good."

She lowers her hand, smiling at him.

They're quiet for a little while, drinking their coffees, considering breakfast. She begins to examine what she has in the fridge, which isn't much. She'd barely been taking care of herself lately, getting groceries was the last thing on her mind.

"Wanna come down to my place?" he asks. "I got pancakes."

"Ooh." She swings her fridge shut. "I never turn down a pancake."

He nods. Finishing their coffees, they dress and on the way out of her apartment she pauses in the doorway, stopping him. He looks back at her curiously.

"We got through the holidays!" She exclaims.

He smiles. "We did."

"Thank God." She rolls her eyes and makes him laugh.

"C'mon, before I starve." He coaxes her on.

The ground fractures beneath them, the tower block they stood upon sways under the strain of the damage it's sustained. It was falling apart, it wouldn't be long before it collapsed. Leon looks to the sky, spotting the chopper not far off. If they could just hold out. If they could. He looks back to his wife, clutching her belly in a fiercely protective Mother Bear way. Despite their dire situation, it brings the tiniest smile to his lips.

A smile that's dashed away as the hammering to the rooftop door grows louder and the fracture in the rooftop cement suddenly splits open, the building was going to fall. It's slow motion for him, time ceases to really have any meaning. She realizes what's happening and looks toward him, he outstretches his hand and she grasps it. The ground gives beneath her and he doesn't let her fall, he catches both of her wrists as the side of the building falls away and threatens to swallow her whole. He growls under the strain, but he pulls her up. She climbs, she was a survivor, one of the strongest survivors he knew.

She gets to her feet and their eyes meet. That was close.

The chopper arrives above them. Jill Valentine yelling down – Chris Redfield the pilot. They came. They never let him down.

"Shiri, Go!" he wants her to safety first, "Jill will pull you in."

His wife nods, making for the ladder Jill throws down. Even heavily pregnant, Shiri moved like a gymnast. She took his breath away, always.

And then it happens.

His face falls. From the side of the building it rises like a phoenix drenched in blood, skeletal wings spreading, held together by tendrils of decaying meat and flimsy damaged skin. It screeches it's intent.

He can't do anything. She was hanging there on that ladder.

"SHIRI!" He yells her name.

Jill reaches down her hand but she's so far away.

The creature lunges from the side of the rooftop, its giant wing smashing in to the helicopter, knocking it in to a spiral Chris fights to get under control. And all Leon can do is watch. The angel of death rises above his wife as she draws her gun and fires at its razor beak. But it's the talon of it's claw that takes her. It wraps around her, it pierces straight through her chest. He sees the blood bubble up from her mouth, the fight leave her eyes, the gun slip from her fingers.

Once it was an Eagle. Majestic and proud. Now it was the thing Leon feared more than anything in the world. It plucks Shiri, lifeless, from the ladder – and flies away holding her and his unborn son in its claws.

And there's nothing he can do.

Gone.

Leon wakes with a jolt in his apartment, his face streaked with tears. He sucks in a breath, his chest hurt. He scrambles to his feet and to the bathroom where he promptly throws up. It leaves him gasping, struggling to regain his composure. It wasn't just a dream because it had really happened - now and then it was like his brain turned against him and decided it wanted him to relive it.

God he missed her.

He sits there on the cold tile floor of his bathroom, his wedding band clutched in his hand. It was all he had. All he had of their marriage. Of her. He'd had no body to bury, their home disintegrated along with the tower. He didn't even have a photograph. All he had of Shiri now was his memories. His memories and the ultrasound scan of their unborn child which he'd kept in the wallet he had in his pocket that day. That was it.

Over 20 years. But he remembered every second. Every fucking second. He'd never let go.

"I miss you." He whispers, clutching that ring.

He never got to say goodbye. But he hoped she knew how much she meant to him. He hoped he told her enough.

He closes his eyes, breathing deeply. Regaining control over his racing heart and the turmoil in his stomach. When he opens them, he hauls himself to his feet and goes to the sink, rinsing his mouth out and washing his face. He looks at his reflection in the mirror wearily. "Happy new year." He mutters to himself.

It was now the year 2023. He had never pictured 2023 looking quite like this. Back in 2018 he'd pictured just him and his wife, living peacefully somewhere, making babies, being retired. Maybe a farm, though he didn't suppose Shiri would take too kindly to being deprived of her creature comforts. She always had enjoyed the finer things, it was part of what made them such a perfect yin and yang. She tidied him up – he dressed her down. Balance.

She was always his balance.

Leon rubs his eyes and takes a shower, then pads half dressed in to his living room. Switching on his laptop, there's a handful of messages wishing him a good new year and all the usual stuff. Then one from his superiors. Yes, he still had them. He still worked for what was left of the government. Smaller now – isolated. Not much more than a collection of people still fighting the good fight. But it was something.

He sits down and rubs his face, then returns the call.

"Agent Kennedy, good morning."

"Hey." He answers casually. A lot of the pomp and pageantry of their old lives was gone. "You wanted to speak to me?"

"Yes, we've picked up a distress signal beyond the perimeter."

He lowers his hand. "How far out?"

"Around six miles, it's not moving. I think they must be pinned down."

Leon grimaces. "Well if its the undead then.. a small team of us can probably handle that and get them out."

"Suggest you approach with caution. We've had a lot of activity in the skies over the holidays."

"Great, just what I needed to hear." He grumbles. "Who's available?"

"Agent Birkin has already checked in. She's putting together a small team now."

Leon nods. "Alright, I'll be there in an hour."

"Very good."

Leon gives a little salute with two fingers to his head. It's a casual, lazy thing and means nothing. Then he signs off. Puffing his cheeks out and cracking his neck from side to side. Time to go kick somethings ass, and he hadn't even had breakfast.

He drags on black combat pants, a tactical shirt, holsters and his leather jacket for the coverage. Kevlar was a waste of time these days, not many people out there shooting guns. There were the odd packs of people that thought they were in Mad Max or something, but they were few and far between. He supposed he could understand going fucking crazy out there. Why not? Might as well cut loose.

He arms himself well, three different guns and two different knives. A couple of explosive charges for if things got really out of hand. Or he felt like blowing something up – which was always a possibility. It doesn't take long for him to get ready, and he's out of the door within thirty minutes. He pulls on his fingerless leather gloves as he walks and pops some gum in his mouth as he gets in the elevator.

He briefly wonders how Jill's doing. Since their Christmas rendezvous she seemed to be getting a little better. She wasn't back on active duty yet, she couldn't face it. But he felt like soon she'd be able to. She'd feel strong enough. It had taken him five months.

They'd seen each other since, of course. It wasn't awkward, which was a relief. It was just like this thing they'd done that had been good and now it was done. She had arrived at his place a couple of nights ago and asked if she could stay, but she'd just wanted the company. To not be alone. And he could completely understand that. They'd slept in the same bed together, clothed. It was nice. Nice to have someone there.

She'd admitted something to him that night that had struck a chord in him. He leans against the elevator wall and closes his eyes, remembering.

"I always kinda thought you and Chris were meant to be together."

"So did I. But, I guess we just wanted different things."

"How so?"

"Well, he wanted a family."

"And you didn't?"

"... I can't have one."

"What?"

"I can't have kids. It's.. a physical impossibility for me. After Africa, everything that was done to my body. I just.. can't. And he really wanted to be a Dad. So I guess.. Nadia could give him what I couldn't."

"Fuck, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Guess we weren't as meant to be as we thought."

The Elevator comes to a stop and makes that annoying ding sound. Leon opens his eyes, chewing his gum and sighing. Shitty things always happened to good people. It was the way of the world. Jill had all that shit done to her body and now she couldn't ever have a family. What a heap of shit Albert Wesker was. Death was too good for him.

Leon despised people that used others – for anything. But to turn another human being in to your own personal test subject. It made him angry in a way he couldn't define. If Wesker wasn't dead already, he'd hunt him down and kill him again.

Strange that such an evil piece of shit had produced such a good kid though. Jake Muller was an apple that couldn't have fallen any further away from it's tree if it tried. There weren't many people Leon would trust with Sherry, but Jake had proven himself time and again. He was one of the few Leon would trust with his own life and with others.

The drive to the former police Station that now acted as a base of operations for the government and military forces here in Salt Lake City is thankfully a short one. Ice made the going – interesting. He trudges through it and into the building. Instantly spotting Sherry. He smiles at her.

"Hey kiddo."

"Leon! They said you were coming."

"Yep, been a while since we hit the bricks together." He chuckles. Reaching out and ruffling her hair, which she utterly hated. She swats him away and then gives him a shove. She really did remind him of his sister. Only even younger. "You have a good New Year?"

"Ugh, Jake and I got in a fight." She makes a face, "which is why he's not here."

"Where is he?" Leon frowns.

"Took off on his bike. You know how he gets."

"On his bike? It's black ice every ten feet out there."

Sherry rolls her eyes, nodding. "Yeah so I've been up worrying about him since he left. Thanks a lot."

"What did you fight about?" He asks curiously. It was unlike Jake to take off. In fact it was unlike Jake to even fight with her, as far as Leon knew.

"Oh it's.. not important." Sherry waves him off and their Superior arrives, handing them the details and a digital map of the rough area the signal was coming from. Leon's given a tracker that would let them know when they were on the right path and getting closer.

"Looks like it's just you and me then." Leon shrugs.

"I swear I'm going to kill him." She sighs.

"Don't worry about it. We'll stick to cover, take some bigger firepower. We'll be fine." He nods.

By bigger firepower, he means one of the armored trucks with a very large gun attached to it. Added bonus of it being as heavy as shit, it wouldn't skid around all over the place if they encountered more ice and snow out there.

Leon takes the drivers seat and Sherry sits at his side. He glances at her as he starts the truck up. She looked a little distant today. He supposed she was worrying about Jake.

"Sure you're good to go out there, kid?" he asks.

"Yes, absolutely. Lets do it." She gestures for him to drive.

"Jake's a tough guy, he'll be fine."

"I know. My minds on the job. I promise." She laughs a little.

He nods and gets them on their way. Their first stop? The gateway leading out of the perimeter. You could hear the electric sounding hum as you drew up to the shimmering shield that protected the city. It was like looking at the surface of a bubble. It allowed weather through, but nothing else. Guards were stationed all around it's substantial edge, to make sure no civilians accidentally walked in to it and toasted themselves. The technology hadn't been perfected a year and a half ago, things had still gotten through. The thing that killed his wife got through.. a settlement in Phoenix that was now in ruins. Fitting name for a dead city.

They show their ID's and the gateway is opened. His stomach always did a little flip flop as they drove out of their literal bubble and into the world. It was like a switch flipped in his head. Brain on. Time to get on your game, Agent Kennedy. Time to get eyes in the back of your head, become hyper vigilant, get shit done.

The roads were clear for a few miles, nothing but countryside. Utah was a wilderness. They keep an eye on the sky and Sherry monitors the radar like device, searching for life signs. So far it seemed luck was on their side. The birds tended to stick to either the mountains or the old towns. Where they might find prey, either people or other animals. Of course all of this had done wonders for nature – in a way. It had reclaimed a lot of the land. Trees and fields overgrew, herds of horses and cows and all manner of things expanded. They had predators in the sky of course, but for the most part – the wild plains of Utah were thriving.

It also meant that in the towns and ruined cities you didn't just have to look out for the undead – but bears, wolves, prey animals that no longer had any deterrents in place. It kept you on your toes, for sure.

They're nearing the town the beacon was coming from when it happens. Leon averts his eyes from the road for a second, tapping the screen of the digital map and expanding, looking for the best route once they hit the streets.

"LEON, LOOK OUT!"

He instantly looks up as Sherry screams. Expecting the giant wings of an aerial death machine to shroud them. Instead, a truck double their size slams in to the side of theirs, tipping them over. Shunting them along. Its a smash, and a crash, and a lights out.

The shadowy talons of unconsciousness dragging him down in to an abyss.

There, he finds Ada Wong. He finds memories. Seemed like his head was set to nostalgia for the new year. He remembered this. He remembered this place.

The first time he saw her after everything that happened in Lanshiang.

She explained it all. What had happened. Carla. Set his worrying mind at rest.

She told him she couldn't stop thinking about him, that she'd needed to let him know. That she wanted him to have the truth – after all these years.

"Are you ever going to tell me your real name?" Leon asks her over expensive sushi.

Ada smiles at him over the table, using her chopsticks to pick up some lobster tail.

"Shiri... its Shiri."