A/N: Thanks to all my readers, following this story. Special thanks to reviewers Shirahane Aikawa, Mercenary Nemesis and Deep Shadowz for taking out time to review, telling me how they found the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil or any of its characters; they all are property of Capcom.

Chapter 10

(Kate's POV)

I woke up when Shadow licked my face, "Good Morning Shadow", I mumbled, then stretched, yawned and looked around a bit. I closed my eyes again, took a deep breath and pulled my hands out of the blanket reaching for my watch which was on the side table and looked at the time. It was a little over 7:10 AM, "Time to get up", I muttered and sat up and looked around Leon was nowhere. I mean I thought he would at least get up after me. I got off the bed and knocked at the bathroom, "Leon are you in there?", I asked and when no answer came I slowly pushed open the door but there was no one in the bathroom, "Where'd he go so early in the morning?", I mumbled sitting back on the bed and I noticed that both the blankets were on me last night. I looked where Leon was sleeping there were pillows there but no blanket. It meant he put the blanket on me sometime in my sleep, 'but it was impossible I am a light sleeper', I thought, 'when did he wake up', I grabbed my watch again to confirm the time and there was a note under Leon's cell phone.

I picked it up and read it:

Kate

I am going to work and leaving my phone to you. I know you would want to call your family. I can't say when I'll be back, so don't expect me to show up soon. If you want to call me well you can't do that since my cell phone is with you. Feel free to order anything and eat I'll add it to the money I am asking your brother to look after you.

The smart and handsome

Leon.

"Jerk", I muttered and picked up the pen lying close by the note and childishly struck off 'and' and added a couple of insulting adjective with 'smart and handsome' and went off to have a shower.

After having a shower I called Claire and seemed like they all were waiting for my call only. I told them that Leon had left me alone in the hotel and they all were quite mad about him leaving me alone but then again he can't take me with himself on a professional meeting can he? Claire asked me for Leon's number which we hadn't exchanged in past two calls and since he was an Agent he had private number and it didn't showed on caller ID of a cell phone. We still couldn't exchange it now since he was away and I never asked or bothered to know his number. After talking to them for an hour which they had extended because their talks just won't end with me and well they had too much love to give it to me but I had to call Matt too so I told them I'll call them later and give them Leon's new number.

And then I called Matt and told him I was safe and sound and he told me that he was missing me and was lonely. He kept repeating this thing and he wanted to come and get me, being an Agent he could do that unlike an idiot agent who has left me alone here but since I was trying to make Leon show up on Claire's Wedding it cannot happen so I declined his offer and made up a lie that Chris would know if he came to meet me and then we both will be dead. I talked 15 minutes or so with him and then it was all over.

I had been left alone many times but this time was different, since I was like a princess who was locked up in a room. I couldn't go anywhere since my clothes were drying and I was currently literally naked, well not exactly I was wearing a bathrobe but I cannot go anywhere wearing bathrobe, if I wanted not to be in LA's news. I let myself drop on the bed and stared at the ceiling and Shadow jumped up on the bed and sat near me and kept his head on my stomach. It reminded me that I was hungry too but you see I can't call room service to see me like this. I stroked Shadow and he just yawned and it tickled me and I laughed and said, "Your master is so bad he left both of us alone here to die."

Shadow lifted his head and barked, "See you know better he always leaves you alone", I said and he shook his head as if he understood me and I was surprised, "Are you understanding me?", I asked and he nodded, "My God what did Agent Kennedy gave you?", I said and it barked and I laughed, "Let's sleep we don't have anything to do", I said to him and he got down from bed and headed for the door and started whining and scratching the floor and I just couldn't seemed to understand what was happening. He barked and whined loudly wagging its tail and just then the door opened and Leon appeared.

"Hey boy had a nice day with Kate?", he asked getting in the room closing the door behind him and looked at me and the fact hit me that I was in just a loosely tied bathrobe and he was staring at my chest and I screamed and we both panicked and he turned to go out again while I ran for the bathroom door. As I opened the bathroom door Leon bumped against the main door and fell to the ground and I couldn't decide whether I should put on clothes first or go to his aid.

I hurriedly put my clothes and ran to him finally kneeling down next to him, "Oh my god are you alright?", I asked as saw him holding his head.
"Where am I?", he said with a blank stare.
"Stop Joking", I scolded.
"Stop asking stupid Questions then, do I look like I am okay", he said turning to look at ceiling, "I think I broke my nose."
"Let me have a look", I said helping him sit, "Its fine I think you bumped too hard."
"Yes I bumped too hard. I know and it's all because of you", he said putting the blame on me.
"Me? Don't you know how to knock", I asked.
"You're the one roaming in the loose bathrobe", he argued.
"I wasn't, my clothes they were wet and they still are", I told him, "and its itchy too."
"But they look dry", he said it on purpose.
"I am not talking about these clothes you idiot", I growled at him.
"So which clothes are you talking about?", he asked stroking Shadow grinning mischievously and acting dumb.
"You idiot", I grabbed him by collar and pulled him close to my face.

(Leon's POV)

Her sudden movement caught me off guard and we were currently so close that I was having that feeling all over again. We stared at each other and I took in her every detail, her eyes as blue as oceans, her lips red like a rose, I could see every line or curve on her face, we were that close. She was doing the same, I know, I somehow knew. She left my collar and her hand moved to my face and I wanted to lean myself into it, wanted to give myself to the warmth that radiated off her but instead I grabbed her hand and pulled it away and said, "Let's get you some clothes", I got up but she didn't; she just stared at the floor.

(Kate's POV)

'I… why can't I stop myself, doing stupid things always making him mad', I thought helplessly. When I pulled him closer, I again read the same feeling of pain in his eyes and I just wanted to ease some of it and I just couldn't stop myself and wanted to comfort him. My hand it moved on its own to a faint scar on his cheek and he just pulled my hand away and got up, which clearly told me he didn't like it.

"Kate, What happened? Let's move", Leon said opening the door.
"Yeah", I replied getting up and following him out of the room. We walked out of the hotel and waited till the valet brought Leon's car, we got in and he drove somewhere.

(Leon's POV)

"This is a good place to buy whatever you like", I told Kate as I took her to the famous shopping district of LA.
"I only need two pairs of clothes", she replied bluntly.
"Here take this and buy whatever you like", I said giving her my credit card.
"You aren't coming?", she asked I couldn't seem to answer that, "its okay", she said taking the card from me and getting out of the car and Shadow got out with her too. This was the first time he did that, leave me alone like this.
"Do me favor take Shadow with you", I said and she nodded, "When you're done Shadow will find me", I told her and she walked away. I watched her till she disappeared in the crowd, "Take care of my love Shadow", I muttered resting my head on the back of the seat and closed my eyes, and let the pain take over me.

It didn't took me long to realize that I loved her. But I can't tell her this, of all the people she was the last whom I wanted to get hurt because of me. I cannot give her time and love that she deserves, plus she didn't love me. I could see she was concerned about me but she didn't love me. Nobody did, nobody can love a man with a heart of rock, can they. But in actually in that shell of hard rock there was the crumpled pieces of my broken heart that I never let anyone see, not even mom.

But Kate somehow saw that, she looked through all that I knew, she knew but she didn't understand. She wanted to comfort me always but I had lots of people to do that for me but I actually needed someone to mend my broken heart; someone who was able to piece together each and every part of my heart with love. My heart always tends to heal a bit in her presence and then shattered a million pieces when she was away. It wanted and needed her, I know but I cannot give someone, so much delicate as Kate to my heart. She would get hurt trying to piece together the glass heart I had and I cannot let that happen, I'll die before letting that happen. I won't let her love me, I won't ever.

I don't have anything but pain in my miserable life and I cannot give her anything but that, I don't deserve something that's so delicate and she don't deserve something twisted as me and I am thinking I won't let her love me maybe she won't even consider me for that. But it really hurts when I just let her go like that, it really hurts not be with her and it kills me thinking she don't love me and I can't love her.

(Kate's POV)

I got out of the shop after getting myself some lingerie. I decided to buy that first why I don't know. Leon wasn't with me and I was not feeling good. I for some reason wanted him to be with me. It was not the matter of loneliness or something but it seemed he needed my presence more than I did his.

Too many times I had looked inside the empty shell people called his heart and all I found was a broken heart. And whenever I tried to mend it a little bit he would stop me even before I could touch those pieces which were actually his heart. He wasn't cold; I knew I had felt his warmth, his protectiveness. He was no more different than rest of us just that he had pretty twisted way to show he cared and twisted mind who even after knowing what he needed made him run away from the very thing, even after knowing what he feared made him go after that thing. I mean he should stop doing that to himself and the people around him, especially me. I don't know what sort of people he met before, what happened to him and why he's like that but I wanted to change that.

Only if somehow I knew what he wanted, I would love to give it all he wanted, 'I promise to myself Leon S. Kennedy I'll mend that broken heart even if you don't want me to, I'll myself go and get the only thing you want in the whole world', I thought looking at Shadow. Then all of sudden his ear perked up and he ran away in the crowd, "Shadow", I called as I hurried after him, 'What am I gonna tell Leon if something happens to him, hell how am I suppose to find Leon to tell him anything', I thought again. Looking and searching in the crowd for Shadow and then I felt his warmth, Leon's warmth right behind me and turned and he was standing there with Shadow at his feet.

"Thought you might need help carrying shopping bags", he said smiling.
"You called him didn't you?", I asked him.
"How exactly am I suppose to find you without him", he replied with a smirk on his face.
"You weren't this cocky a moment ago", I said as we started walking.
"So what did you got yourself", he said eyeing the shopping bags.
"Nothing that concerns you", I replied hoping he would understand.
"Come on tell me", he asked getting what I meant.
"Shut up", I snapped at him.
"Only if you show me how you would look in those", he said pointing at the shopping bags.
"Kennedy, I am gonna beat the hell outta of you", I said glaring at him.
"Oh someone is desperate", he said teasingly.
"Yeah that I can see", I said referring to him.

(Leon's POV)

"I was just kidding", I said to Kate. Why was I walking here with her when I decided to run? Well the explanation was simple she was my responsibility. Also because it was hard to teach anything to this stupid heart, which was madly in love with her.
"Really if I was someone else they would have yelled and called for police", she said furiously.
"So will you show me then?", I asked getting really close to her and just then somebody pushed me from behind our lips met in a clumsy kiss and we fell to the ground with me on top of Kate, it was little before that we hit the ground that I put my hand behind Kate's head so that she won't get hurt.
"Young people these days", I heard a elderly woman say who was passing by and we both pulled away at the same time.
"Yuck", we both said at the same time, even though the kiss was brief and was the most fantastic kiss of my life I still said, "Yuck, now I have to wash my mouth."
"Eeeeeeww… it feels so bad, yuck brr….", Kate said as if she had eaten something very distasteful, "It was horrible."

"Like you're the one to say that", I said getting up and dusting off myself, "Need help", I said giving my hand to Kate. She took it and I pulled her without too much effort.
"Thanks", she said dusting off herself.
"Where to?", I asked.
"Umm…", she looked around, "That place seems good", she said pointing at a store and we got there and she bought a night dress and two dresses with a little help from me, "Now all I need to do is get out of these wet clothes", she said as I paid for the clothes.
"Back to hotel?", I asked.
"No I'll just use a dressing room here", she replied.
"I'll get my car", I told her.
"As you wish", she said moving towards the dressing rooms.

I got back to my car and drove it back to the front of the shop and waited for her. Then I heard a tap at the side seat window and looked and it was Kate, she asked me to open the door and I did and she got in, "Wow", the word just slipped out of my mouth as I admired her in pretty light yellow and white colored dress which went down till her knees.

"Thank you", she said smiling closing the door, "Where to now?"
"Anywhere you'd like to go", I said starting the engine.
"San Francisco", she replied.
"You know I can't take you there", I told her, "Well not now."
"I know but it wouldn't hurt to ask", she said smiling.

"Did you get yourself sandals?", I asked as I spotted a footwear store.
"No", she replied and I pulled in front of the store, "You don't…"
"It's my money", I said and got out of the car.
"Leon these are just fine, I can live with them a few more days", she said getting out too.
"You are getting a pair of sandals now", I said pulling her by her hand into the shop. After too much persuasion she bought herself a pair of stilettos.

"You didn't have to do that", she said once we got out.
"Don't worry I am gonna bill Chris for that", I joked and she just smiled.
"Oh my god", she gasped and almost ran to a boutique across the road and I followed, "this so pretty", she said looking at a pretty black cocktail dress on display, "2000$, its robbery. I don't want this crap. Let's go", she said and pulled me back to the car and we drove back to hotel.

(Kate's POV)

"For a change let me sleep on the couch today", I said as we got back to our room after having dinner at the hotel's Restaurant.
"I can sleep on the couch", Leon said as I went inside the bathroom to pull on my newly bought nightdress, which wasn't anything like I had, I just bought it keeping in mind that it was Leon's money plus I am staying with him.
"I said I am sleeping on the couch tonight", I yelled from inside the bathroom.
"I slept there yesterday and I'll sleep there tonight", he yelled back.
"You're the one paying for this room and I don't want too many favors so just sleep on the bed, get it?", I said getting out of the bathroom.
"It's no problem you see I am used to sleep on couch half the time when I am in home I fell asleep on the couch loads of time since I find it too tiring to walk all the way to bedroom", he told me pretty casually.
"If you won't sleep on the bed then I am sleeping on floor", I threatened him, "And I am not joking."
"Okay, okay", he said raising his hands in defeat, "I'll sleep on the bed."
"Yay", I said hugging him and then taking one of the blanket and pillows to the couch, "Goodnight", I said lying down on the couch to get some sleep.
"Goodnight", Leon said a bit softer than usual maybe he wasn't too much happy with this sleeping arrangement but he was already doing too much for me.

(Kate's POV)

'I… I can't sleep', I thought, 'it's too cold'; I pulled my legs to my body for warmth. It was freezing cold in here than there on the bed. I spent, I think past an hour or so trying to get warmth so I could sleep, but my condition was worse now. I was shivering head to toe and my body was getting numb. I couldn't help but wonder how Leon slept here last night. If I tried to sleep here then I would freeze to death. It was really so cold, it felt like I was buried in snow.

I tried to think about something warm but it didn't help, 'God its freezing', I thought again and then felt a bit warm and then I felt as if I was being lifted up and I opened my eyes and Leon was carrying me in his arms and it was his body heat I was getting now, "Leon what are you doing?", I asked afraid of his sudden action a bit.
"You don't belong here", he said shaking his head and he walked to the bed. He put me down on the bed, covered me with a second blanket and then he started to move back to where I don't know.
"Leon wait", I said grabbing hold of his arm.
"You need something", he asked looking back concerned.

"Don't go, its cold in there", I only said and I didn't know what I was suggesting. I mean if he doesn't go there he certainly can't sleep on the floor and he definitely can't sleep with me, can he? He looked at me and we both were speechless, there was nothing to say. I sat up as he too sat by me, I got close to him and wrapped my arms around him, "This bed its big enough for both of us, I won't tell anyone", I whispered in his ear and backed away and scooted to make enough space for him. He pushed the blankets aside, got in and we lie down together facing each other.

(Leon's POV)

"Are you scared?", I asked noticing she was shivering more than when she was on the couch. I couldn't see her like that if I had left her like that for little while she would not be talking to me right now.
"Yes", she replied stuttering and it was not because she was cold.
"Why?", I asked even though I knew why.
"You know Why", she answered smiling nervously.
"I won't do anything to you", I assured her.
"But still…", she said and kept her hand between us.
I took hold of her hand and she gasped as I kissed it, "Sleep soundly", I said, "I am going", I was about move away from her.
"Stop!", she stopped me by holding my hand, "I am not scared anymore", she was crying, tears streaming down her face.
I smiled, "Then why are you crying", I asked wiping her tears away and she cried more, "I am not going anywhere", I told her lying down again on the bed and she lied down too.

(Kate's POV)

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, neither did I want Leon to go nor I wasn't comfortable with the fact that we were sharing a same bed, under the same blanket; he was half naked and my body was still cold a bit. We were holding each others' hand, staring at each other's face looking deep into each other's eyes, exchanging so much without saying anything. I was still shivering head to toe not because I was cold; it was out of the fact that I was scared he might do something although he assured me he won't do anything and I knew he won't lay finger on me but I was scared. I didn't know how long this went on and when in between he fell asleep. His grip loosened on my hand and I finally let go off him drifting to sleep myself.

A/N: Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it. My apologies for any inconvenience you had whilst reading.