Authors Note: On to the next phase, over the next few chapters you can expect some fluff, expect some evolution and quite a lot of passage of time, it wont be as 'Resident Evilly' as some of you may like for a little while. You might not even like Leon as a normal, coping guy. But I hope you stick around, I have so.. so many plans. Oh.. and smut alert. Hope you enjoy!

P.S. I took a small creative liberty here. I've seen it mentioned in comics that Leon's birthday is May 24th. Making him a Gemini. Which.. I have 3 in my family alone. From what we've seen in the games/movies he isn't one even slightly. I moved his b'day date back a handful of days. Making him a Taurus. Not a huge detail, doubt half of you care about astrology but I thought I better mention why I did it for the fact checkers out there!

Daylight has found me here again
You can ask me anything, but where I've been
Things that used to matter seem so small
When you're looking for a soft place to fall

- Allison Moorer

He didn't know why but the moment he gathers her up in his arms he feels like he's home, and suddenly it's safe for everything to come crashing down. He couldn't stop it, he usually had such a strong grip on himself. Was able to measure and control his reactions. But in Alaska, locked in that closet with the hoard of infected that wanted to rip him apart, he'd lost it. For a terrifying, uncontrollable moment, almost twenty years of stress and tension and pure fucking adrenaline that came with surviving almost certain death over and over and over again had crashed down on his head. It had broken him, for just a moment, then that survival instinct had kicked in and he'd gathered himself together and battled on.

As her arms gently encased him it all fell apart. His knees went weak, the shock of it all settled in, and he was undone.

At least in the middle of nowhere there was nobody to see. Nobody but her, and she'd already nursed him through sickness and fought his demons with him. She knew. He barely knew her, but she knew. She was safe and she didn't judge and she even understood. He hadn't expected to fall apart when he saw her, but as he crept up on his 41st birthday, Leon Kennedy had finally reached breaking point.

Only so much horror one mind could handle.

For Ana's part.. she'd caught him when he fell from the sky, she catches him again when he falls to his knees. Wrapping his much larger form up in her arms and just holding him. Stroking his muddy blonde hair, it looked lighter in the sunshine. It had seemed darker when he'd left on a cloudy day. One of the many mysteries of this man that landed in her field three weeks ago.

"I'm sorry," he groans a while later as they sit at her kitchen table, "I wasn't intending on arriving on your doorstep and having a fucking nervous breakdown."

Her smile is gentle and she idly runs her fingers around the rim of her mug of tea, her other hand propping up her chin as she gazes at him. "It's okay. Sometimes you have to let things fall apart, so you can start picking all the pieces up again." She reassures.

He lifts his coffee to his lips, she'd made him some and she'd even added a good splash of whiskey. She might not be a big drinking supporter, but she hadn't said a word. It was exactly what he needed. "Guess that's what I have to do now." He says thoughtfully after swallowing down a mouthful.

She quirks an eyebrow, that gentle smile never leaving her face. "So what made you come out here?"

"What do you think?" He replies immediately, taking another sip.

Her cheeks flush rosy pink and she looks down in to her mug, then shifts in her seat and lifts it to her mouth, looking at him over the rim. "You'll give a girl an ego."

He laughs softly, nodding. "Work gave me two months off." He explains. "I couldn't think of anywhere else I'd rather spend it."

"Now you're just trying to get in my knickers." She pouts. That makes him laugh louder, it was good to see him smile.

"Do you think they'd suit me? I don't know if I have the hips for em." He quips. It's her turn to laugh out loud. "Dunno how they'd keep all my junk in place in a warzone either."

"You're the worst."

"People keep telling me that." He looks mystified, drumming his fingers against the side of the coffee mug.

She rolls her eyes and shakes her head, her hair bouncing with the movement. He could watch her do that all day.

"Compliments, jokes, Mr Kennedy are you trying to seduce me?" She purrs.

"Maybe.. maybe. Is it working?"

"You're batting a good average." She purses her lips and gives him a little nod.

"So I just need to keep working on my swing?"

"Something like that." She grins over her mug.

He nods, it was duly noted. Then he draws in a deep breath. "Actually the vacation isn't the whole truth."

"Oh?" Her brow furrows a little, gazing at him. The deep navy blue button down shirt under his black leather jacket brought out those gunmetal eyes and she was a little hypnotized. She was also kinda fascinated by the way his hair looked so much darker indoors than it did outside. Speaking of his hair, it seemed longer now than it had been when he'd left, tickling his cheeks. And he wore a few days worth of stubble really well.

He frowns too, raising the mug again to his mouth and taking a longer drink, then looking back to her. "I kinda quit."

Her mouth falls open. "Are you serious?"

"I was deadly serious." He nods. "Alaska was a special type of hell, I almost got a good friend and co-worker killed. I.. went to some pretty dark places to get through it." He admits, then glances toward the door with a weary sigh. "I mean, you got the idea out there. It was rough."

She looks at him sadly, the things these men went through to protect people that had no idea they were even doing it. She'd always had wild admiration for people in the armed forces. Not only did she have an Uncle that had served, but several people she knew had been effected in one way or another. But Bio Terrorism units? She couldn't even begin to imagine the extra horror they saw.

"Wanna tell me about it?" she asks quietly.

He pauses, mug hovering near to his mouth, then he shakes his head and takes a drink.

She nods, "so what did they say?"

"Well.. they're giving me some time off. They think two months of not putting my life or other peoples lives on the line might help me cool off. They also suggested I could take on a different position in the Division. I don't think they want to lose me."

"Well why would they want to lose one of their best?" She shrugs.

"Now you're trying to get in my pants." He teases and it brings the laughter back.

"Is it working?"

"You're batting a good average," he winks.

"So do you think you'd do that? Take on a different role?" She asks, cupping her mug with both hands.

"Maybe. I don't see myself at a desk. But maybe I can train younger recruits or.. whatever." He looks thoughtful, "I mean the wild world of Bio Terrorism isn't getting any smaller, they need all the hands they can get. But those of us that were there at the start of this shit? We're starting to feel it. All of us." He sighs heavily, "in Alaska.. that friend and co-worker I mentioned? Her names Jill Valentine. She's been fighting this fight for over half of her life and as of right now, this moment, she's in a hospital bed recovering from heart surgery because she took point leaving a building instead of me."

Ana's eyes widen. "Jesus."

"Yeah. If she comes back from it, back to active duty? I'll be amazed. We can't do this forever, none of us. But our knowledge and experience going to waste?" He shrugs, "I dunno. I guess we'll see. They got two months to figure out what they wanna do with me."

She nods. "So what do you wanna do with your two months of freedom?"

He smiles. "Well, I thought you could teach me to ride a horse." He suggests. Her eyebrows jump up and she sits a little straighter.

"You've never ridden before?"

"I sat on a pony when I was 10.." he thinks back, "it was at this kids party. This clown giving pony rides, led us round in a circle for a few minutes. I didn't like clowns and I panicked and fell off."

She laughs, "you don't like clowns?"

"I've never liked clowns, fuck clowns." He shudders.

"Ha! And you looked at me like I was crazy for not liking spiders!" She points at him triumphantly.

"Spiders are useful, Clowns are just the fucking devil."

She laughs and gets to her feet, picking up her empty mug and taking it over to the sink to rinse out. He gets up too, draining the last of his and bringing it over. He draws up behind her and gently places the mug on the counter.

"Thankyou," she says quietly.

"Thankyou" he murmurs in return.

She feels the warm bulk of him brush up against her, he was like a sturdy, comforting wall. A protector. And God did he smell good, whatever that cologne was that he wore now it was really working for him. As she rinses out their mugs, his hands settle on her hips and she finds herself leaning back in to him. She gently places an upturned mug on the rack to dry while the fingers of her other hand tighten around the edge of the sink.

When she leans against him, her hair brushes against his chin. She fit there, his perfect puzzle piece. Tucking under his chin, moulding against his body. He leaves one hand on her hip but his other drifts up along her arm and gently tucks her hair aside, making her tilt her head.

"This okay?" He asks quietly.

"Uh huh." It's the only response she can muster in her already giddy brain. Everything about him was intoxicating, the way he touched her, he could probably ask for anything he wanted and get it.

He breathes her in and brushes a kiss just under her ear. He knew it was a bit rude, just turn up at a girls house unannounced, have a nervous breakdown in her front yard then go inside and get handsy. But a few days ago he'd looked death in the eye and his last thought had been that he wouldn't get to see this woman again. And here he was. Wasting moments almost seemed like a crime.

Leon kisses along her shoulder and as he does the slight scratch of his stubble against her sends a shiver of anticipation racing through her. He carefully tucks the strap of her bra and tank top aside, revealing more of that sun warmed skin. The perfect remedy to the cold of ice and death, the warmth of her body. With that thought in mind, he suddenly ramps the intensity up several notches. Bringing his fingertips to her chin he gently coaxes her to turn her head and lean back enough for him to kiss her. Its a wanting, hungry thing and as they melt in to it she arches her arm up to tangle her hand in his hair.

He slides his other hand from her hip down between her legs, jean covered or not, she moans in to that kiss and his need for her swiftly builds. It becomes urgent, an outpouring of everything that had happened since the morning he woke up next to her and had to pretend he was just fine with leaving. Having to tell her he had to pretend she didn't exist. She turns in his arms and he lifts her on to the counter easily. She pushes his hair back from his face and draws him back in to the kiss as he drops his hands to the clasp of her jeans and makes short work of the fastenings.

With a lift of her hips and a bite of her lip, Leon draws her jeans and those panties he'd threatened to get in to down along her legs, throwing them aside. Running her hand over his chest once they're gone, she sits forward and pushes his jacket back off of his shoulders and wraps her legs around his waist, drawing him close. His leather jacket hits the ground with a heavy thud and its his turn to tangle his hands in her hair, pulling her demandingly back in to a kiss.

That kiss is deep and intense and as they lose themselves in it Ana manages to loosen a few more buttons on his navy shirt, the top two already undone. Lips parting to catch a breath he drops his hand, teasing her with a wicked smile and seeking out that inviting wet warmth between her legs. A soft moan escapes her throat when he touches her and she responds by leaning in to gently bite his neck, then soothes it with a kiss. She drags her hands over the hard muscle of his chest and what skin she'd managed to uncover. This man was inside her head, everything about him.

No more teasing.

Undoing his belt she draws back to look him in the eye and unclasps the fastenings, then slips her hand inside his black jeans. The look in his eyes as she takes hold of him - dangerous and lust filled - but in the best way possible. He needed this.. hell, so did she. Leon grabs her hips and draws Ana to him, and with her hand to guide the way, he braces one of his against the surface of the counter and buries himself inside her.

Her cry is loud and in response he lets out a low rumbling growl of relief, then turns his head slightly to kiss her neck, making his way back to her lips. He wanted all of her.

It borders on rough, the coffee mugs knocked from their drying rack. Its a taking. A release. A fucking exorcism of sorts. When its done it leaves them panting and shaking and sated completely. Ana's legs tremble with the thrill of her release. His barely keep him upright as he takes all his tension and fear and desperation and pours it into her. When those last moments of pure bliss ebb away, he drops his forehead to her shoulder. Bracing his hands on either side of her on the counter and fighting for his breath.

Their hearts pounded a similar beat and she strokes his back. Eyes closed and recovering, her legs remain hooked around his hips.

He was always a little dumb after he came, like many men. It was like blowing his brains out inside her. He needed some time to reclaim the braincells he lost. So naturally he says the dumbest thing he could. He thanks her.

But it makes her laugh. Giggling against his skin and dotting little kisses here and there against the exposed parts of his chest. "You're welcome." She gently nibbles just below his ear. It makes him shiver in the best way possible. It's gravity doing its thing that forces them to move, sex was the most fun two people could have but it was also a messy pain in the backside. The unglamorous parts they never showed on TV shows or movies. But they manage, and when all that reality is dealt with and they're zipped back up in their clothes, he starts laughing.

"What?" she grins, getting a jug of juice from the fridge and two glasses.

"Just glad you didn't kick my ass."

"Why would I do that?"

"For thanking you."

She shrugs, "well it was literally my pleasure so I don't see a problem."

"Well that's good. I get a bit dumb after.."

"Most men are dumb all the time, so you're ahead of the curve there." She winks at him and hands him a glass. He takes it and drains the drink in one long gulp.

"I always did score high in tests."

"Where did you come from, Leon Kennedy?" she asks with an amused smile.

"My car." He thumbs in the direction of where that rented SUV sat and she laughs.

"Is that really your car?"

"No."

"Do you own a car?"

"Yes."

"Where.. where do you own a car?"

"You mean where do I live? You getting all personal?"

"God forbid we get personal!" she laughs, her eyes sparkling. She was more full of life than anybody he'd ever met. Like she hadn't seen all the terrible things in the world, even though she actually had seen some of them, so she'd told him. "Do you have a house? An apartment? Where?"

He leans against the counter they just fucked on and gives her a casual shrug. "I actually have two."

Her eyebrows jump. "Oh!"

"I have a little apartment in D.C but I don't use it much, not lately anyway. But it's near everything for work so.. here and there." He accepts another pouring of the juice. "I should probably sell it cause I got no desire to live in D.C anymore. Trying to get as far the fuck away as I can from everything that reminds me of shitty events." He sighs. "And I got a house in Colorado."

"Get out!" she exclaims, and he looks toward the door sadly. Putting his glass down and giving her a glum 'okay'. She throws her head back with a laugh and grabs his arm. "Not actually get out you goof! I just have an Uncle that lives there. Fort Collins."

He grins at her selling of the joke and then lifts an eyebrow at her admission. "Oh yeah? My place is in Castle Rock, little bit on the nose but less so than Rifle." He chuckles. "Almost chose that and decided I wasn't ready for that much irony."

"Well buying a house is enough adulting for anybody.." she shakes her head, "only so much irony you can take on board."

Her smile soothed something inside him, he could look at it all day. "I should probably stop by there some time, see if the potted plants have taken over." He looks thoughtful.

"You have potted plants too? You're an endless surprise, Mister Kennedy. I wouldn't have pictured you as the botanist type."

"I have some seriously green fingers." He nods.

"How green?"

"I can keep a cactus alive for a whole month. I'm that fucking good." He claims proudly.

"Oh! Well maybe you can help me with my sunflowers." She giggles as he tucks his hands around her hips and pulls her close again. She lifts her arms and drapes them around his shoulders, drinks forgotten.

"Where are your sunflowers?"

"In a packet in the barn, I've never been brave enough to try."

"Lets do it..." he kisses her, "what do we need to do with the seeds?"

"Put them in the ground, generally." She kisses him.

"I'm not sure about this, it sounds risky." He makes a face.

"Somehow we'll make it, where's your sense of adventure?" She teases.

"Over there somewhere.." he waves a hand off in a random direction, walking her backwards in to the living room.

"The barns that way." She points behind him.

"Fuck it." He mumbles against her lips as they kiss. Then topple down on to the couch.

It had been a long damn time since he behaved like a normal human being. But she soothed the battleworn man inside and made him feel alive. He wanted to hang on to this feeling for as long as he could. Forever if possible.

They make out like a couple of teenagers on their parents couch, enjoying one another thoroughly. Ending up a naked, sweaty heap with her draped over the length of his body. For Leon, she was a pleasant weight to bear. Her head rests on his slightly fuzzy chest and his fingers drift through her hair. She idly strokes her hand back and forth along his ribs. It was insane to feel this much for someone you really barely knew. She'd only just learned where he lived, she knew nothing else about him other than his job was ridiculously dangerous and left him traumatized. She also notices now that that shirt is off, that he has a large bandage around his forearm. She wanted to ask what had happened, but she assumed it was something to do with Alaska and she didn't want to press him on that.

She supposed he'd talk in his own time, or not. How people coped with things was down to them, but she knew pushing wasn't good.

Leon's lost in a whole other world of thoughts. After Alaska, they'd kept him at the facility in D.C for a day or two under medical observation, as was the norm for anybody returning from a mission like that. They needed to do tests, make sure you yourself hadn't picked up anything terrible. They made you speak to the psych staff and generally checked in on their agents well being. He couldn't really fault them there, they asked a lot of the men and women that put their lives on the line for the greater good. But they took care of them too.

Leon had an interesting medical history to say the least. They'd discovered early on he had a natural immunity to the dreaded T Virus. He was a one in a million lucky penny with that draw. He'd also played host to the dangerous Plaga parasite egg and apparently that had fucked up a little something in his body chemistry too. He'd been exposed to so many things, and handed so many vaccinations over the years that he rarely got sick anymore. It was strange, but they sure did like to take his blood and tell him he was special. Whatever doctors got their kicks out of he supposed.

The psych evaluation had been... interesting. He'd been fairly aggressive with the evaluator because he was pissed off and he just wanted to leave. He'd told Hunnigan he'd quit, that was it, he wanted to go. Yet he was practically held against his will. So yeah, he'd been a grade A Asshole to the kindly suit that wanted to ask him a lot of questions. But eventually he'd calmed down, and the very fact he'd asked to hand in his resignation told her pretty much all she needed to know about his mental state.

People were going to be discussing him in offices for the next few weeks, he was sure of that. What to do with Leon Kennedy. Let him go? Force him in to an office? Find something useful for him to do? He was willing to be part of the discussion, but for the next two months he didn't want a goddamn thing to do with any of them. He just wanted it all to go the fuck away. They'd promised him that would be the case, and here he was. Hiding in the mountains with the only person on earth that made him feel calm and normal. She saw a man, not a soldier or a 'hand of the President'. God being called that got tired, fast.

He smooths his hand over Ana's lower back, the way her body curved and sloped was a miracle of human evolution. Her hand stroking over his ribs felt good, and after a while he tilts his chin to kiss the top of her head.

"I'm glad you came back," she whispers, "I never thought I was going to see you again."

"Truthfully, neither did I." He admits, "not that I didn't want to.. just.."

She closes her eyes, sliding her hand a little further around him in a small hug.

He suddenly breathes in, lifting his head with a slight sense of urgency. "Gonna seem like an odd time to bring this up but.. we haven't been using anything."

"Hm?" She frowns, lifting her head and resting her chin on his chest to look at him. His face says it all. "Oh!" She laughs, "I'm on a shot. It's all good. Its just habit from when I lived in the city."

Adulting. Adulting could be so serious sometimes.

"And my last boyfriend was like 4 years ago," she adds, "I know you were thinking it."

"I..." He trails off and looks a little guilty.

"Well, I said earlier we barely know anything about each other. I don't even know how old you are."

He pulls a face. "I'm 41 in a couple of months time." He admits, and it was truth. Some of his oldest friends didn't even know how old he was, thought he was still in his 30's.

She looks thoughtful, "that makes you a May baby." She smiles.

"19th," he answers, rubbing her back.

"Ooft, Taurus. That explains a LOT." She laughs and he chuckles with her.

"I have no idea what you mean."

"Taurus, the bull. Strong willed, stubborn, crashes in head first. Gets shit done."

"That does sound pretty accurate. What about you?"

"July 26th," she answers, "I'm a Leo. But not a typical one.. and I'm 35."

His eyebrows jump as he looks down at her. "Women and astrology. And they call me crazy."

She prods his ribs, the two of them dissolving in to laughter.

Lying there naked on her couch, they do what most did on a first date. They get to know each other. She tells him about her parents and growing up on the ranch, it's kinda fascinating to him that she'd played by the same fireplace they lay opposite now as a child. He liked the idea of roots. There was something comforting about it. He tells her about his parents, a pretty well off family out of Colorado. But a family that had been hit by tragedy when his older brother had been killed in a car accident when Leon was 15. His big brother, Michael, was just 18 when he died. The other driver in the accident had a revoked licence for drunk driving and was behind the wheel anyway.

It had turned an already rebellious teenager in to one with a cause. It had put him on his path toward becoming a Police officer. The rest, as they say, was history.

"My Dad passed away a couple of years ago actually," He sighs, "and I lost my Mom a few years after Michael. Cancer. Both of them."

"I'm sorry," she frowns. He already knew the status of her parents.

He shrugs, "it is what it is. Cant choose the shit that happens to us sometimes."

She smiles at him, that was so true she wasn't even sure he was aware quite how much.

"Hell I've been almost dying since I was 4.." he adds with a dry laugh.

"Oh?"

"Meningitis. I was really sick, in hospital for a longass time." He says thoughtfully, "I don't remember any of it. But I do wonder sometimes how many shots at cheating death I have left."

She draws in a breath and pushes herself up, sweeping her hair to one side and looking down at him. "Maybe you're like Bruce Willis in Unbreakable." She suggests.

"I'm definitely breakable." He laughs as their fingers lace together.

"But not to the point you're broken."

"Not yet..." he gazes at her.

She moves again, straddling him as they lift their hands and with one set of fingers linked, they press their palms flat against each other with the other. Her hand was so tiny against his. It was kinda adorable.

"Do we discuss exes?" She asks.

"How many do you have?"

She blushes, "six, but only two of them were serious. A year each. I never stayed in one place long enough to really make a go of anything. What about you?"

He chuckles, groaning deep in the back of his throat. Her eyes widen.

"Oh its one of THOSE answers."

"Yes and no. Relationships.. honestly.. I've never had the time for em. Dated a girl in high school but otherwise.. its rough. I saw another agent named Helena for a while, couple of years back." He says thoughtfully, "but that was more a reaction to the situation we'd been in. We were thrown together during an outbreak, it was messy." He closes his eyes, grumbling, "saw each other a few times after. Then she started getting weird, like when was I giving her a ring weird, and we'd known each other for a hiccup."

"Oh dear."

"People in my line of work don't do very well at relationships. Put it like that."

"It's understandable." She nods. "What about your other A names? Ada and Angela?"

He closes his hand around hers and draws her down to him again. "Another A.. Ancient history."

"Fair enough," she grins.

They share a lingering kiss and it's finally time to move. Getting up and getting dressed, he gets his things in from the car now that it was decided he would stay for a while. Tomorrow, she'd teach him how to ride a horse. Of all the dangerous things he'd done in his life. Of all the weapons he knew how to use, martial arts he knew how to execute. Languages he knew how to speak. He had a feeling learning to work with an animal rather than fight it might be one of the biggest challenges he'd ever faced. And he was all about new challenges.

She cooks dinner and from his bags he drags out his laptop and they watch a movie. He taunts her about not having a television and he threatens her with getting her one. He had government connections, he could get her cable in the mountains. She calls him ridiculous.

This time when they go to bed, he shares hers. There to protect her from the spiders, a true hero.

At 3am he wakes up bathed in sweat and shaking as Pandora bathed him in fire. The nightmares didn't want to give him a break, there was no escaping them. Nowhere far enough for him to run. And since Alaska, he had a whole new set to contend with. New memories, new burdens, her imagery burned in to his soul. He eases out of bed without disturbing her, an expert at moving in shadow and silence. Heading downstairs, he splashes water on his face at the sink then rummages in one of his holdall bags. Producing a bottle of strong whiskey and wrapping himself in a dark hoodie to protect from the cold, he heads out on to the porch to drink the nightmares away.

That silver moon. It bathed everything in a gentle, soothing light. Yet in Alaska it had been so cold. Haunting.

Hard to believe it was the same yet so far away.

The whiskey burns and centers him, drowning the demons. Enough that he can eventually return to bed. She stirs when he does, turning to cuddle up to him, he tucks her gladly under his arm. She says nothing about the strong smell of whiskey on his breath.

She doesn't mention it in the morning either, just goes about her business and it's business he decides to help her with. He wanted to learn about the ranch, so he gives her a hand feeding the horses and turning them out for a graze. Watching him lead Domino to the field makes her smile, the smallest of her three horses but Domino still gave him some shit. Leon takes it in his stride though.

"He likes you." She comments as he turns the animal loose and Domino loiters for a moment longer, nudging his pockets in search of treats.

"Coulda fooled me." He chuckles, smiling at her from under his hoodie. It framed his face, his hair wisping out from under it at the sides.

"No really, he hates everybody but me. Usually he'd be kicking up dust right now." Domino turns his attention to her and nibbles her pocket in search of carrots, then decides the humans aren't going to help him out with snacks at all. He sighs and turns around, plodding off up the field.

For a while they lean against the gate and watch the horse as he finds a good spot to roll, then picks somewhere to graze. Tail swishing back and forth. She finds her attention more on Leon though. He was distant today, somewhere far away in his head and in his eyes. But that was okay, she didn't expect for him to be a barrel of sunshine and wonder all the time. She'd gotten the impression still waters ran deep with this one, as dry and as focused and pretty damn funny as he could be, she was pretty sure under the surface there was a lot going on that maybe nobody else had ever seen. That was the kind of territory you ventured in to with the utmost care, people that kept the hard parts under lock and key didn't respond well to that lock being rattled a lot of the time. So she lets him have his time, they finish up the rest of the ranch chores and as they're putting feed buckets away it begins to rain. They retreat to the shelter of the house, peeling off the damp outer layers.

Its unlike any day she'd spent with him so far. He was quiet and locked away, dealing with whatever demons were chomping away at him. It's only toward the later evening that the Leon she knew makes his return, like he'd emerged from some long darkness somewhere. She ends up curled up in his lap, gently smoothing his long hair back and framing his quite handsome face. She gives him a gentle smile.

"Where did you go today?" She asks in a whisper.

Thunder rumbles overhead signifying the start of a storm, just like the night they met.

"It doesn't matter," he murmurs in return, stroking his hand along her thigh. "I'll always come back."

She smiles, studying his eyes as lightning lights up the fire lit room. The comforting sound of heavy rain hitting the windows makes them feel like they're in a protected bubble. He makes her the first of what would be many promises.

Nights like these would always be theirs.

Authors 2nd Note: Lost a chunk of this thanks to a weird error and couldn't retrieve it. Boo. Re-writes are never as good as the first time you pour it all out, which sucks. But there we go, next phase underway! I'm not as good at the sweet stuff, so hopefully it works.