Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil...and I've just lost two seconds of my life saying it.

Authoress' Note: (Please READ) Thank you dear readers for reading this fic and your lovely reviews! As I have mentioned in the summary, this was inspired by 1wingangel's fic: Resident Evil 4: Real Life Edition! Truly an amazing fic and you should read it before reading mine. Savin' Me is done by Nickleback and Hero is done by Chad Kroeger. Man, I love these songs! They fit, right? I apologize for leaving out the fanboys of Leon, sorry! Oh, and I'll be adding Holding Out For A Hero by Bonnie Tyler once I figure out where to put this little song on. The reason why I placed all the songs you'v read so far in the fic, is because it's my personality. I usually think of songs and sing them in my head when I get nervous or something. It just helps me calm down.

Final Note: Over 30 reviews! Hell yeah! I would love to thank all my readers for your lovely reviews and suggestions for this fic!

Everyone gets a Leon bottlecap that says: (pokes button) "I knew you'd be fine if you landed on your butt."

RESIDENT EVIL AND LEON FOREVER!!!!

1wingangel and Nicole this fic is for you!

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Resident Evil 4: A Fangirl's Dream Come True!

Chapter Ten: Ramon Salazar and the Garrador Fight!

We stood in front of the inner castle gate with the Castle Gate Key in hand. And it was a bitch to get. Goddamn shield wielding zealots! It was hard for Leon to protect me from the grabby cultists while trying to fend off the shield holders. One of them had the nerve to smack Leon with a mace! A MACE! NO ONE BITCH SLAPS LEON WITH A MACE AND GETS AWAY WITH IT ALIVE!! So I helped him by tossing out an Incendiary grenade and watched them burn to a crisp. Then I tended to a wounded agent by having him drink a special medicine that I made up. I soaked some of the leaves of the plants in water, heated it up and made... Green/Red/Yellow Herb Tea! It works just like the powdered version only it handles internal injuries. And that's what Leon got from that hit, a few cracked ribs and a punctured lung.

I blushed at the memory of how I took care of him on my own. Because he had a punctured lung, Leon couldn't breathe right and I had to force his lungs to spew out the blood. And I had to force air into...his...lungs...well, at least enough for him to drink the tea and heal his insides. I shook my head furiously as the agent unlocked the door to the castle. Don't think about it... I'm not Ashley! Don't think about it... I'm not Ashley! Not a kiss! Not a kiss! GAH! IT'S NOT WORKING!!!

"Come on, Rally. Let's see where this leads to." Leon called toward me, breaking my thoughts. Thank you, Leon! The agent pushed open the door and we entered a large, beautifully decorated foyer. Nice. Someone paid a pretty peseta to get this done. Too bad this all going to waste. We took a few steps forward when a hysterical giggle filled the air. Oh, great...him.

"Mmm-hee-hee-hee-hee-ha..!"

Leon paused, looked around the room carefully, then walk on. I followed him closer toward the torch lit balcony.

"Hee-hee-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

Oh, god...he sounded like a broken squeaky toy. Can't you get a different laugh?! We walked on after the agent scanned the area once more and scowled. I don't blame you, Leon. I hate this laugh too. It sounded cuter in the game.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Eee-hee-hee-hee-ha-ha-haaa!"

Argh! Stop laughing! It's horrible! Now it sounds like a strangled turkey that puked all over itself and died by a bullet to the throat!

A small man decked out in medieval attire stepped out from the shadows of the balcony above us, and was about a foot and a half taller than the railing. Wow, that's short. On either side of him were two tall, powerful looking guards in red and black cloaks; they studied us with red eyes that shone brightly from the shadow depths of their hoods. We couldn't see their faces... not that we wanted to anyway... but we could see Salazar's. And man, he needs to step out of this place and bathe in the light of what we, normal humans, call 'the sun'. Whoever did his CGI design in the game must've had some pretty good skills to cover up all that ugliness. Ugh. My eyes! I'm BLIND!!

Salazar smiled at us as he focused his yellowish eyes on Leon. Okay, that smile and the way he's staring at the agent makes me wonder.. is he interested in Leon? EW! I sure as hell hope he's not. Ugh, great. Nightmares. I'm going to have nightmares about this thought for a long, long time.

"I was starting to wonder when you might notice us." the midget purred polietly. Yeah, he's gay.

"I'm wondering how anyone cannot notice you whenever you laugh like a dying hyena." I muttered mostly to myself. I guess he heard me because he shot me a glare as soon as I was done making the remark. I glanced at the agent and saw that he kept a straight face as he watched the three of them for any sudden movements. Wait... I narrowed my eyes a little and smiled inwardly. The corners of the agent's lips had curved slightly upward when I made my comment. Sweet! I made Leon smile!

Leon narrowed his blue eyes at the little spanish midget. "Who are you?"

The little midget gestured elegantly as he answered polietly. "Me llamo Ramon Salazar, the eighth Castellan of this magnificent architecture. I have been honored with the protigius power from the great Lord Saddler. I've been expecting you my brethrens."

Leon scoffed at the answer, "No thanks, bro."

I rolled my eyes at Salazar, "Sorry, but the "bro" position has already been filled by my little brother. Too bad."

Salazar shook his head as he paced above us on the balcony while his bodyguards continued to watch us. "My, my. We've got some fiesty ones." He turned his gaze to me. "If you care for your own well being, I suggest that you surrender yourself and simply... become our hostage."

"Oh, go fuck yourself, you sick ass bastard!" I snapped, giving the little castellan the finger. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Leon look surprised then grinned slightly at my answer to the midget's offer. I made him smile again! Salazar narrowed his eyes at me in annoyance before turning to Leon.

"Or Mr.Scott, you can give us the girl since you're not worth a penny I'm afraid." the little man sneered, "You can die."

Leon shrugged it off, "I feel so disappointed in hearing that from you."

Salazar sniffed in disdain and turned to leave. I watched him walk away but couldn't help myself. "Hey! Short, fat and stupid!" The midget paused. "I thought you use pesetas in this country, not pennies!" I saw him go rigid for a few seconds before relaxing and walking off.

I grinned and looked at Leon. "Hey, you think I pissed him off?"

The agent chuckled, "My guess would be a 'hell yes' but then I'm not too sure. He's a weirdo with an interesting taste in clothes. But hey, it's Spain." I smiled at his comment.

We walked forward a few steps before the floor quaked beneath us and a wall shot up from the marble floor, cutting us off from the door ahead that led deeper into the castle. Great. A beautiful blue mural adored the wall and we noticed the Chimera's picture was missing. Double great. One of the longest sidequests in the game has started and I have no idea what the game had in store for us in the castle. I hate collecting those pieces! It's a pain in the ass to deal with!

Leon scowled at the wall, "Well, that sucks." He turned right and headed for the door there, "Let's head this way and see where it leads to." I followed him as he kicked open the door and entered the corridor. Let's see... Narrow hall, prison to the left and a lone lamp hanging from the ceiling... Ugh, this part. I really hate this part because it scares me every time I go through it. Leon noticed the prison and headed over there. He gazed through the open window as I walked around the immedate area, collecting ammo for him.

"There's someone in there." the agent murmured as he switched to the Semi-auto rifle and zoomed in on the cell. A Garrador was bound to the wall of the cell with thick chains. At least, that's what I think he's seeing. "He's covered in chains...and wearing some really weird armor. Probably Salazar's knight or something."

"Then he's not the friendly-type." I said out loud, slapping Saddler's portrait aside. Secret stash! I reached in and gathered up the gold bars, then dropped them into Leon's attache case. Score! We're five thousand pesetas richer! A few more bars and we could upgrade the weapons pretty well!

"Wait...I see a switch next him. I wonder what that's for?" Leon said as I walked up to him with a box handgun clips. He turned to me, ejected his current clip, reached into the box for a fresh one and popped it into the Blacktail. I mentally hissed at the thought of the switch as I stored the other clips away in his utilty belt. Ah, the infamous "place-a-'must hit'-switch-next-to-a-tough-opponent" trick. How original. Oh, no! You got us, Salazar! Whatever shall we do? Oh, that's right...we hit the stupid thing! I glanced at Leon as he did a thorough check of his weapons before turning my glare at the prison door. But to hit that switch, Leon has to go toe to toe with the Garrador or else we can't go on. This sucks big time. I don't want Leon to go in there, get the crap beaten out of him so he could hit a lousy a switch! How can I help him with this little problem? I could follow him in there and distract the Garrador...no, I can't do that. Leon isn't going to have me follow him in there. So there goes that plan...

"Are you thinking about how you are going to help me with that guy?" Leon asked suddenly, scaring me out of my thoughts. Geez! How did he know!?

I blinked in surprise and turned to him, "How did you know?"

The agent grinned slightly, "I saw how you were looking at me and glaring at the prison door. It doesn't take a genius to know that you seriously don't want me to go in there without some kind of help from you. Am I right?"

I blinked, lowered my eyes and nodded in embarrassment. Well, I just know that he's figuring out about how I feel. Damn you Japan and making sexy character heroes! Why do you torture us, fangirls, so?! It's not fair! He suddenly ruffled my hair and smiled, causing me to look up.

"Well, don't worry about it. The door to the prison is locked, so I can't go in. Besides, the switch may not do anything."

"You're going in there regardless if that's true or not, aren't you?"

Leon sighed, "Well, yeah..."

"Even though it could be booby trapped?"

"Booby trapped? Why would-?"

I sighed, walked over to the prison door and rapped on it. "Leon, it's a prison cell. This is a castle where the crazed midget owner is stuck in the dark ages. Back then, castellans booby trapped their prison cells so that none of the prisoners could escape and kill the guy." I replied dryly, "This door is made from three inches of reinforced steel. There is no way you can blast through this if the switch turns out to be a trigger for a falling ceiling or something. I am not going to stand by and watch you die for my sake."

"I'm going to have to take that chance. Besides, who are you to talk about standing by? You run off to help me and nearly get killed doing so." Leon growled back. I bobbed my head in understanding.

"Okay, then I won't do that anymore, but answer me this. What do you want me to do if the door to this thing slams shut, locking you in and a bunch of crazy monks come in to cart me off into shadows of the castle?

Leon remained silent at the question as I looked at him with a deadpan expression. I wasn't going to let him charge off on his own and I'm not going to do the same. I've learned that neither of those methods were going to help us survive. The stakes had changed and the game may decide to be an ass and come up with deadly random shit for its own amusement. I'm willing to obey to whatever Leon says if I know that nothing is going to change for the worse. But if I so much as think something is off, I'm sticking by his side, help him fight off enemies. A song popped into my head that seemed perfect for this moment and maybe help Leon decide.

(A/N: Growl Power! Yes, its the Cheetah Girls song Cinderella! I love this song, the group too...a little. But I like the song more.)

"When I was just a little girl, my mama used to tuck me into bed and she'd read me a story. It always was about a princess in distress and how a guy would save her and end up with the glory. I'd lie in bed and think about the person that I wanted to be. Then one day I realized that the fairy tale life wasn't for me." I sang out, "I don't wanna be like Cinderella, sitting in the dark, cold, dusty cellar; waiting for somebody to come and set me free. I don't wanna be like someone waiting for a handsome prince to come and save me. Oh no will to survive unless someone's on my side. Don't wanna be no no no one else, I'd rather rescue myself."

Leon blinked at me in surprise as I continued the song.

"Someday I'm gonna find someone that wants me for my soul, heart and mind, who's not afraid to show that he loves me. Somebody who will understand I'm happy just the way I am. Don't need nobody taking care of me. I will be there for him just as strong as he will be there for me; when I give myself then it has got to be an equal thing." I sang out as I closed my eyes, "I don't wanna be like Cinderella, sitting in the dark, cold, dusty cellar; waiting for somebody to come and set me free. I don't wanna be like someone waiting for a handsome prince to come and save me. Oh no will to survive unless someone's on my side. Don't wanna be no no no one else, I'd rather rescue myself."

The agent closed his eyes in thought as he listened to the song.

"I can slay my own dragons. I can dream my own dreams. My knight in shining armor is me. So I'm gonna set me free." I sang softly then raised my voice to normal pitch. I sang the chorus verse once more before coming to the last one, "I don't wanna be like Cinderella, sitting in the dark, cold, dusty cellar; waiting for somebody to come and set me free. I don't wanna be like someone waiting for a handsome prince to come and save me. Oh no will to survive unless someone's on my side. Don't wanna be no no no one else, I'd rather rescue myself."

Agent Kennedy smiled and opened his eyes, "I understand. If the prison is a trap and monks come after you, then you can do what you told me and rescue me, okay?"

I smiled and nodded, promising him to be more helpful than just a headache. He laughed and we headed out of the room to the other corridor. The agent took the Prison Key from the painting from a former castellan, Salazar's grandfather perhaps? As I snatched up a Green Herb, Leon inspected the horse statues. I turned around just as he was about to walk between them. Oh, shit! LEON! I dropped the herb in favor to keeping my hands free. I ran over to him, leaned out, wrapped my arms around his waist and jerked him back just as the horse statues spewed out a blast of flames at the spot he was before. Whew...just in time.

"Holy shit!" Leon gasped as we both fell to the floor and watched the flames continue to pour out. I let him go, crawled from underneath him and sat up while the agent sat up. "Holy shit..." he breathed softly as he stared at the wall of flames. I panted next to him and he cast a glance to me. "Thank you."

"No problem." I wheezed trying to get regain my breath. Note to self...don't stand directly behind your hero, unless you want him to land on your chest and force the air out of your lungs. File. Saved. Got it. The agent stood and hissed at the statues in anger before he helped me up.

"Fucking crazy assed Illuminados and their goddamn traps! They can't bother with putting up a sign saying 'You're going the wrong way!' They need to kill you in order for you to get that point!" Leon snarled as I watched his blue eyes blaze in fury. If I didn't know any better I'd say that his eyes glowed that time. Probably just a trick of the light.

I sighed, "Yeah, clever yet crazy...but hey, it's Spain."

(A/N: For my comment on this part please look at the bottom of the page after the chapter is done. Thank you.)

The agent blew out his breath and calmed down a little, smiling slightly. "True, the bunch of crazies."

I shrugged, "Anyway, we got the Prison Key, might as well flip that switch and see what that does."

"I bet the switch next to the chained guy turns the statues off." Leon growled, "Damn it, I hate set ups. There's always a catch."

We headed back the way we came and stood before the metal door. The agent gripped his handgun and the key tightly in his hands. Was he nervous? He looked over his shoulder at me. "Wait here, okay? And if you can..." He jestered to my loaded down sidepack and belt loops, "...give me some back up firepower."

I swallowed and nodded. I hate the mini fight here, I can go through this a whole bunch of times and still be scared of it. "Okay, just be careful. I don't know if you noticed but there are two bells in the room. Maybe those can help you." Yeah, they will. They've helped me all the time.

"Okay, thanks for the info." He rubbed my head and walked through the doorway, the door closing with a soft, dull click! I headed for the open window and watched Leon descend the staircase and walk toward the cell. I rubbed my hands and shifted from one leg to another in worry as the agent inspected the rusty bar door. I hate this...I hate this...I hate this...

BAM!

The door slammed to the floor under Leon's kick. I hate this...I hate this... I watched as the agent stepped into the cell hesitantly. He kept his eyes on the Garrador as he reached for the switch. Not close enough, Leon. You're not close enough to the switch and...

"GARRGH!"

CRASH!

Breaking free from its chains, the Garrador charged at the agent with seven inch claws fully extended. Leon leaped back in shock and hurled himself to one side as the Garrador swiped at the space he was at a second ago. The claws slashed through the wooden pillar and ripped out a chunk of it. That wouldn't be pretty if it got to Leon. Agent Kennedy scrambled to his feet and pressed himself to the wall as the blind warrior scanned the area, listening carefully for him. Oh, shit, the scare the Garrador gave Leon made him forget about the bells.

"The bells!" I hissed toward the agent, who looked up at me in confusion.

"Yeeeaargh!" The Garrador barreled toward my direction and clawed the wall below. Sparks flew and a high pitched whine of metal on stone screeched throughout the room. The warrior looked up at me with crudely sewn eyes and snarled. Now's my chance.

"Look at his back! And don't forget the bells!" I called out and the agent nodded, indicating that he got the message. He raised his gun, aimed, pulled the hammer back...Oh, no...

click!

The Garrador whirled around at the sound, rushed over and swung wildly. The claws nailed Leon across his left side and sent him flying to the other side of the room. The Blacktail skittered across the floor, well out of Leon's reach as the blind creature continued to claw the air where the agent formerly stood. The agent supressed a moan of pain and stood quietly, looking around for his weapon since he couldn't switch weapons without the Garrador knowing where he was. The Garrador paused, retracted his claws and stepped around cautiously, listening for anything. I popped the pin of a grenade and threw it in hoping to distract it as well as damage it.

Unfortunately, the warrior had turned around before the grenade went off and the blast hit him in the face. The creature howled in pain and clawed the air in front it wildly. Without really thinking and desperate to save Leon, I opened the prison door, which made no sound, and poked my head in. I saw Leon leaning heavily against one wall, sidling along it to his gun. Once he had it, I waved my arm to catch his attention and motioned him to head this way, so he could kill it from out here.

Leon nodded in understanding and stepped carefully in time with the Garrador's own steps as he made his way to the staircase. I pulled back and waited for Leon to come up so I could heal him. The agent ascended the steps but before he could come even close to the door another steel wall dropped down locked itself in front of Leon. Oh, NO!

"YEAARGH!" The Garrador wheeled around at the sound and charged toward the staircase. Oh, shit! There's no way past it on the staircase, unless... The Garrador raced up the steps and the agent threw himself off the staircase. Ahh! What are you doing?! The blind berserker slashed at the door, creating a high pitched scream of metal. The agent tucked himself into a ball, forced his body to roll and flatten out his body in mid air. Oh, he's doing a flip to soften his landing! Suddenly, he gripped his left side and stopped his flip. I freaked out. No! Nonononono! Don't stop! The pain seemed to paralyze his movement and because of that he couldn't complete his flip and slammed back-first on the floor. He cried out in pain and curled on the floor as the waves of pain crashed through him.

The Garrador snapped his head upon hearing Leon's cry, whirled around and headed back down the stairs. Oh, shit! I looked around and broke a vase, there sat a small chest of pesetas. Great, how will that help Leon? Wait...my slingshot! I snatched up my childhood toy and weapon and loaded in the first gold coin. I aimed at the bell farthest from Leon (the only one I could see) and fired.

DING!

The gold coin pinged off the bell, catching the Garrador's attention before he was down the stairs. Eager to get to the sound, the Garrador charged toward the ringing bell while still on the steps. And that caused him to trip over and fall down the steps, smacking face first against the wall. I readied another coin as the Garrador stood up dizzily and staggered about drunkenly, obviously seeing stars. I couldn't help but smile. This was the first time that I've seen a dizzy Garrador and now I feel kinda bad for it...kind of. It staggered over to where Leon was, okay, that's a little too close. I fired off another coin.

DING!

The Garrador snapped out of it and charged the bell. It raced up to the brass bell and thrusted its claws at it. Ah, shit! The bell shattered under the power of the blind warrior's attack and the Garrador ended up stuck to the wall for doing so. Serves you right! The berserker grunted in frustration as it tried to pry its claws from the wall. Oh, great. It broke the only bell I could hit and I don't have anything to damage the damn plaga on its back. Well, except for the grenades but I'm down to my last four Hand grenades and the area after this I need those to help Leon... But...Leon needs my help now. Hope this works, Flash grenades are a major no-no, the Incendiary ones suck so that meant I had to use a Hand grenade. You suck Garrador!

I loaded the grenade in my slingshot, pulled the pin and fired it at the Garrador's exposed back. Score! Major damage! The Garrador ripped its claws out of the wall as it flailed wildly in pain. It slashed the air madly, heading back toward the injuried agent. I fired another coin in a hurry and it pinged off the bars of the cell as I loaded another coin. It whipped around and charged toward the sound, thrust its arm forward and slashed downward. The slash hit the switch and flipped it down. Oh, shit... that was bad.

"Ahí están!"

Yeah, that's bad.

I turned my head in surprise as zealots rushed down from the other half of the corridor toward me. I instinctively fired a coin at the lamp hanging above them. It dropped and created a wall of fire and setting those who were first to move ablaze. I quickly grabbed three herbs, tied the stems together and dropped it near Leon, hoping he was well enough to be able to heal himself. The cultists waited for the flames to die down and I turned my attention back to the rampaging Garrador. I fired another coin and reloaded before it hit the bottom step of the staircase. Now, if I could keep him there until Leon recovered, we'll have an easier time killing him. The blind berserker went for it and slashed the wall, making sparks fly.

I aimed for the wall again, but was grabbed from behind. Startled, I released the coin and it ricocheted off the metal door that led into the prison. The Garrdor heard it and charged the door and thrusted its arm forward. The claws punctured through the metal and got stuck. Well, that should hold him for a while until Leon recovered. Now for the asshole who had the nerve to grab me. I twisted around and like Leon taught me, slammed my elbow against the zealot's face, breaking his nose. He released me as he staggered back from the hit. I stepped forward and lashed out with a roundhouse kick, breaking his neck. Whoo hoo! Not that I could do that again with thirteen guys advancing on me at the same time.

A few rushed forward and I weaved between them toward the support pillar and threw a Incendiary grenade behind me, creating a wall of fire, the zealots backed away and went around the other side. Great. I picked up Saddler's portrait and threw it at them when they gathered at the open space. This sucks. I'm being chased by these guys and the only weapons I have are grenades, which I really need to save for the coming battle and whatever I can grab. I snatched up a chair when they tossed the picture aside and walked forward menacingly. These guys freak me out more than the zombies in the games, they act exactly like them but creepier. I chucked the chair at them and knocked them over. I grabbed another chair and kept the pillar between me and them.

"Can't you guys just leave me the hell alone?! I don't want go with you! What part of that don't you get!?" I yelled angrily, lifting the chair over my shoulder.

SCREE!!!!

The Garrador' claws scraped at the door again, he wanted out badly. I whacked a cultist with the chair and barreled past the others with it as a shield. Oh, god, I should've grabbed the spear when I had the chance at the sword switch security room. I circled the pillar again and jabbed the chair into another zealot's gut and kneed him in the face.

SCREEEE!!!

"No dejes que se escape!" one of them rasped as they tried to corner me. I pushed past them but one of them grabbed the chair from me and another grabbed me from behind. I screamed out in anger flailed wildly, punching and kicking like crazy to break the hold.

"Let me GO!"

SCREE!!

CRASH!

The metal door collasped and the Garrador escaped the room. Oh, shit! I twisted around and stamped my heel on the cultist's foot, forcing him to release me. I darted away just as the Garrador's claws speared through the zealot's gut, that said cultist was then ripped in half as the Garrador pulled his claws apart in excitement. Eww... The other zealots didn't give a shit and still came after me. I darted by them, thankful for the plush carpet that silenced my steps. I stood behind a larger cluster and grinned at an idea that came to mind. If I couldn't take these guys out on my own then why don't I get their creation to do it for me? Short and to the point, I like it. Now for some noise. I kept the cluster between me and the Garrador, cupped my hands over my mouth and...

"Tu mama es un perro." I sneered out in spanish. (Your mom is a dog.)

That got the Garrador's attention, apparently he can still understand spanish. It roared in rage and charged toward me. I didn't move, the zealots came closer and...bam! The Garrador collided with the cluster of cultists first and proceed to rip them to shreds. The zealots screamed in terror and scattered from the pissed berserker, which excited it even more. A lot of noise meant a lot of targets to rip into. I crawled into the the little hole that I took the gold bars from and sat there as the Garrador chased down everyone. I kept quiet and flinched everytime a limb was torn off.

Ohh! There goes an arm!

Someone's hand!

A leg!

Face...eww...

Soon silence dominated the corridor and the Garrador gazed around, listening intently for anymore noise. If I'm lucky he'll walk away and go into the Water Hall first and take out the enemies there... Um...he's not moving. The Garrador stared out into space, his right side facing me. Okay, maybe he fell asleep from all that running around. No, he's not swaying on his feet. And his claws are still out. Maybe there's another cultist around here and he knows it. Or he's staring at them...creepy. The Garrador tilted his head slightly to the right and seemed to listen for something.

I tilted my head in confusion.

"YEEARGH!"

The Garrador suddenly whirled around toward me and charged. My body jumped in surprise. What the hell?! How in th world did he know where I was?! I didn't make a sound...unless...he didn't hear me but saw me? My eyes looked around and I finally took in now on how he was able to see me. The corridor was well lit, enough for him to see somewhat clearly. There was no time for me to get out of the little hole and run for it. I squeezed myself back, trying to put as much space between me and his claws. And time slowed to a crawl.

The Garrador continued his charge, his sewn eyes unwavering.

I pressed myself closer to the back wall of the hole, unable to do much else.

He was close enough for me to see his eyes behind the bloody film that gathered around his eyes.

He another running step forward.

My eyes widen, my entire field of vision focusing on him.

The Garrador pulled his arm back and let out a inhumane roar of bloodlust.

I clutched my head, ducked down and screamed out in terror...

Leon...I'm sorry!

This was it...

I was going to die a gruesome death...

Leon failed his mission...

All because of me...

Mom, Dad, everyone...

The Garrador thrusted his arm forward.

I'm sorry...

Cha-cha...BOOM!

The Garrador groaned in frustration and pain and fell to the floor. Its claws scraped the wall as it went down with a heavy thud!..at least that's what played out in my head.

I kept my head ducked down and my eyes shut, I knew that it was waiting for me to open my eyes before it kills me. My body quivered as I waited for the searing pain of metal claws on soft flesh but it never came. Oh, god, it's torturing me without touching me.

"Rally..."

I shook my head to shake out Leon's sad voice. Oh, god another nightmare. Leon is going to yell at me in my nightmare and blame me for failing his mission. And it's true, I mean I just cornered myself like an idiot and let some monster spear me like sausage.

"Rally..."

A hand brushed my own softly. I instinctively lashed out and slapped it away as I pressed my body closer to the back of the hole. Why won't it kill me already?! What, it wanted to torture me some more by playing nice and sound like Leon? Normally, a Garrador can't do that, it not part of its program and didn't make sense. But then so far none of this made sense, for all I know the Ashley that was suppose to be kidnapped wasn't a whiny ditz. Or maybe Saddler is Leon's grand daddy! Who cares! Nothing makes sense anymore! And will you hurry up and kill me already?!

"Rally...it's me. Leon."

I shook my head, refusing to believe it. Leon is bleeding on the floor at the prison cell, not here talking to me. It's a lie and I'm not going to fall for it! Fuck you Saddler and Salazar! There was a soft, sad sigh. Then...

"When you feel all alone and a loyal friend is hard to find... You're caught in a one way street with the monsters in your head...When hopes and dreams are far away and you feel like you can't face the day..." Leon's voice sang softly, "Let me be the one you call. If you jump, I'll break your fall. Lift you up and fly away with you into the night. If you need to fall apart, I can mend a broken heart. If you need to crash then crash and burn, you're not alone..."

I gasped slightly and froze. That..that song. That verse is from Crash and Burn by Savage Garden. I told Leon that the song reminded me of him and I only told him that while we were getting the Castle Gate Key. I told him that just before the fight that gave him the cracked ribs and punctured lung... There was no way that the game could've known that.

I hesitated for a second before I opened my eyes and slowly lifted my gaze. Leon was searching my gaze with concern filling his blue eyes and his image wavered a bit. I realized that I was crying from both fear and relief. He reached for my hand and brushed it lightly. Reflexively, I pulled back in fear and stared at him with wide eyes. Apparently, I was acting like a scared and cornered animal because he merely let his hand settle on the floor of the hole and went still. I looked between him and his hand as if expecting for this to be lie and the Garrador to pop back up and spear me in the face.

It took a lot of self coaxing before I even managed to move my hand toward his and squeeze it. He gave it a gentle tug and I followed the movement, even then it took him a while to coax me out of the hole I was hiding in. I crawled out of the hole and as soon as my feet hit the marble floor, Leon pulled me into a hug and rested his chin on my head. I took that as my cue to cry, to let my fear and relief go.

I quivered in his hug, buried my face against his chest and sobbed. Oh, thank god he's alive! We're both alive and okay. But my god, it was the scariest thing I've ever experienced besides the cabin nightmare.

"It's okay, eveything's fine..." Leon murmured, "We're both alive and fine. Nothing to worry about."

"But-" I protested softly, my voice muffled from his shirt.

"Listen, we both took a risk and almost paid dearly for it but everything turned out fine." he said, "Granted that we're totally freaked out and banged up some but we're fine."

I smiled against his shirt and nodded. "True." I pulled back from his hug and rubbed at my eyes to dry the tears. He stepped back and let his gaze settle on the Garrador's body.

"But man, that definitely scared the life out of me."

"What did?" I already knew his answer.

"What that thing was about to do to you. I healed myself with the herbs near by and staggered out of the prison. When I got to the top, I saw that this thing was already rushing something. I took a step to the side and saw that it had targeted you and you were huddled up in that hole."

I blinked in surprise. I didn't even see Leon there.

"I...I didn't want to believe what was happening until I heard you scream. At the sound of you screaming I didn't think, just reacted. I saw he was about to strike and fired the Riot-gun just before he finished thrusting his arm fully forward. That shot completely popped the plaga on its back and killed it. I walked over to where you were and saw you curled up like an abused kitten. Looking at you being like that broke my heart."

I nodded solemnly and pushd the mental image aside before it took root. "Well, I'm fine and you're fine, so it's all good."

Leon gazed at me sadly, "Are you sure that you're okay?"

I nodded, "Yeah, let's just grab what we can and move on before..." I trailed off, not wanting to finish it. The agent understood.

"Yeah,"

We collected what we could manage and headed for the horse statues. I slowed down and gasped slightly. The next room was the Water Hall...

Oh, shit...

Double trouble...

Damn you Salazar...

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Whew another long chappy! I made it long to make up for making you guys wait so long for the chapters. It was emotional wasn't it? Or was it a little over the top... (checks Garrador fight) Oh, great, I made another romantic moment... I need to stop doing that..(whimpers) but I can't help it! Sorry, for that but it just came out like that without me knowing.

Well, about the part where Leon's eyes glow... well, I think that Resident Evil Gaiden is part of the time line and fits pretty well as to why Leon's plaga formed so quickly than Ashley's even though he was injected last. Maybe he did get infected while on the Starlight cruise ship. Until I get some good info, I'll be mentioning his eyes glowing every once in a while. Besides, it makes all the more exciting!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! And I like to give my thanks to all of you who review and return for of my fic, thank you so much. Without you guys, it wouldn't be much a fic, now would it?

I hoped you enjoy reading this piece as much as I did writing it!

Chat with ya guys later!

Pikpixie03