A/N: First of all I'd like to apologize for the delay in updating this chapter, it took me 3 years but a lot of things came in the way but now it won't happen again. Before you start reading, I just wanna thank my readers, who kept me going till now and the reviewers Shirahane Aikawa, LoneWolfOfForgottenForest, Tealz and KimKitty for reviewing the last chapter. I am also grateful to my friends Mercenary Nemesis and Shirahane Aikawa for their constant help and support.
Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil or any of the characters appearing in the story. They all are property of Capcom.
Chapter 28
(Leon's POV)
I tried to reach out to my phone which was ringing so loudly and disturbing my sleep but I just couldn't get my hands on it. At last I had to sacrifice my sleep to get my phone, "Hello?", I answered with a bit annoyance in my tone.
"That's no way to talk to your mother", it was my mom.
"Mom, its…", I searched for my watch with a glance but couldn't find it, "… its early in the morning."
"It's already 7:00 in the morning", she scolded me, "such a careless husband you are… do you know where Kate is?"
"Yes Mom", I replied yawning.
"No you don't", she snapped, "I've been calling her for a while and she is not picking up her phone, she picks up my call in the first ring not like you who picks up my 5th call at the last ring."
"Mom", I kind of whined like a teenager, "She's on a mission, she doesn't have her phone, "I'll make her call you once we get back and mission ends."
"You are going?", my mom said getting a bit melodramatic.
"No mom, don't cry now", I said to her trying to reason with her.
"After seven years you come back to hometown that too because you had work here and you are leaving without even saying goodbye…", my mum started crying on the phone.
"Mum listen to me; hello?!", I tried to speak but she kept on saying how much she was disappointed with me.
"… When you get home I'll ask your Dad to give you a good beating", she said to me.
"Mom I am 27 not 7", I reminded her.
"So what you're still our child and a wise man once said spare the rod spoil the child", she began teaching me on the phone, drawbacks of having a School teacher as your mother.
I called the reception desk while my mother scolded me on the phone, "Hello can I speak to the manager, I am with President", I said to guy at the reception.
"Yes Sir one moment", he replied and I held my phone against my ear in which my mom was saying something.
"Joseph", she yelled loudly on the phone, "Look what Leon is saying…"
"At least hold the speaker away while you talk to some other person, ma", I said casually.
"My gosh Leon you…", I pulled it away again when I heard someone on the receiver of hotel phone.
"Hello?", the confused voice said from the phone.
"This is Leon S. Kennedy, the one from the President's security", I was saying.
"Yes, Sir any problems", he asked getting nervous.
"Well I needed to speak with the lady Manager, Miss Jones", I said remembering Kate's alias.
"Yes Sir wait a bit", he said and I heard static noises.
"Let me talk to him", I heard dad's voice as I held my phone back to my ear, "Leon, how dare you talk to your mom like this."
"Look Dad I just told her what was the truth that I can't come and she got all melodramatic and you are not doing a good job encouraging her, you know", I told him.
"I also worked in the same field and I always took out time for your mum and you, so don't you tell me it's impossible", he began his lecturer.
I held the hotel phone against my other ear but there were only static noises and then there was knock on the door, "Great!", I said sarcastically.
"What's so great about you not coming to see your parents", Dad scolded me.
"I didn't say that to you Dad", I said to him opening the door, "Kate is here talk to her", I said slamming the phone in her hands.
"Hello?", Kate answered confused, "Dad, how are you and mom doing?", she walked inside the room and I closed the door as she sat on the bed listening to Dad for a while and looked at me, "Okay I'll talk to him and you know how he can be in the morning. Yeah, yeah I know he doesn't sleep well and eat properly but I am making sure he eats", she laughed a bit, "yeah I reached safely", she paused listening to maybe mom, "yeah, in fact two cops did chase us, Dad", okay I am wrong she's talking to Dad, "Yeah he took me for breakfast, lunch and even dinner too, Mom", wait wasn't she talking to Dad, "He can be problematic sometimes but I know how to deal with him, you know him better after all you're his father", I thought mom just switched over, "No, I am afraid we can't visit you before leaving since we'll be leaving with the President himself and we have a lot to arrange for his security, but don't worry I'll be calling you regularly, can't say anything about him", she said looking at me, "Yeah you too take care both of you, yeah I'll call when we reach home, okay I'll ask Leon to call when we take off, bye, bye", she disconnected and handed me back the phone.
"Who did you talk to?", I asked Kate.
"Your Parents, didn't you know before handing me the phone", she replied a little confused.
"You talked to Mom then you talked to Dad, how am I supposed to know", I said frustrated.
"Oh well to avoid the conflict who gets to talk to me first they talk to me alternatively keeping the phone on loudspeaker so both can hear me, but how are you supposed to know, you hardly call them", she said raising her brow, "Anyways why you called me?"
"Mom called me asking about you. When I told her that she won't be able reach you by your personal number, she asked me to show up there with you and since we are leaving today I told her that it's impossible. So then, she tried emotionally blackmailing me. When I told her not to get dramatic about it, she began scolding me on the phone like I was a teenager, not only that she called Dad and then they both began giving me lecture. You tell me yourself I am 27 year old not five. They were not listening to me so I had to call you", I told her the whole situation.
Kate looked at me for a while, until now she was listening to me with her arms crossed, "So you called the reception, so you could talk to me instead of walking a couple of steps to my room… you're definitely a five-year-old", she said finally, conclusively.
"What?!", I said surprised.
"Look we have to get to the airport in next two hours, so why don't we cut the argument and keep it for later", she said getting up and walking out of the room but I grabbed her hand and stopped her, "Now what", she asked without looking back at me.
I pulled her to myself and she gasped at the sudden action, "Promise me one thing", I said seriously to her.
"What?", she asked doubtfully.
"You'll sit by my side", I said to her.
"In your dreams", she said and jerked off her hand from me and walked out.
I rubbed the back of my head, teasing and flirting with her was more fun as compared to annoy her but even though I loved it when she was annoyed. I loved to see the liveliness in her face not the dullness that came with her keeping her mouth shut. And teasing her or flirting with her instead of arguing with her brought more color to her beautiful face, which no amount of argument can bring.
My phone rang again and it was Hunnigan telling me that she has everything ready at the DC and gave me a brief about security there, after which I headed for shower. Then threw all my clothes in the bag I had with me and then headed downstairs and had breakfast where I was joined by Ashley.
At 10:00 I escorted President to airport where a Private Plane will be taking us all back to DC. But just before we left and as the Hotel Staff was seeing all of us off, the President himself casually told Kate that she had been an excellent manager with amazing organization skills and asked her if she'd like to work at White House as an assistant. Kate pretended to be surprised and honored, and accepted the offer all as a part of a predetermined act, so she could leave the job without going through normal procedures. And then as her last duty as Hospitality Manager she saw us off.
While we went through the formalities at the airport, Kate caught up with us after quitting her job, so she could head home with us. And when I saw her hurrying towards us with her luggage, my heart jumped with joy for some reason. She was the last person among all the agents to undergo all the security checks at the airport before we boarded the private jet that was especially meant for the President.
We got on the plane and everybody sat in their seat, Ashley sat with her father and I sat with Kate, "I must be dreaming since you listened to me", I teased Kate once again.
"I actually didn't notice when taking this seat", she replied being indifferent to it.
"I'll buy that lie", I said to her as she opened up a fashion magazine to read.
"You", she said pulling her hair together and tying a ponytail but still since it was rough ponytail, some of her hair fell on her face. Kate asked for a blanket and pillow from the flight attendant and pretended to sleep and about an hour in the flight, "Stop staring at me", she said annoyed.
"I thought you were sleeping", I commented smiling.
"I would have been if you didn't keep looking at me. Your gaze makes me uncomfortable", she replied opening her eyes to glare at me, "I am not gonna sit with you", she looked around and spotted an empty seat, "Move I have to get out", Kate said to me since she was sitting on a window side seat and I was sitting a seat by the common way.
"Like I would", I said to her smiling smugly, if I am not gonna move how can she gonna move to that empty seat.
"Okay have it your way then", she said but she stood up and tried to move out through small space between the seat and my legs but I adjusted my legs such a way that she won't get out.
"Leon let me move out", she said furiously.
"No", I replied to her and then really unexpected thing happened as her 5-inch heel dug deep into my foot and I screamed in agony and she quickly sat down.
"What happened Kennedy?", she asked being totally clueless about it and I just cursed under my breath.
"What happened Agent Kennedy?", it was President who asked me.
"Nothing sir I bumped my leg", I replied while Kate just buried her face in the magazine and laughed; the rest of the flight although Kate didn't sleep but she didn't talk to me either.
When we reached airport David welcomed the President with a bunch of Agents and once the President was at White house both me and Kate were relieved to get back home. The moment we reached home, I called up John who was looking after Shadow and asked him if he can bring Shadow or should I go and get him. And very unexpectedly he invited us over dinner and I agreed thinking that maybe Kate was tired from the trip and it would save her from making dinner.
I climbed up the stairs and saw Kate's teddies, one of each won by me and her respectively, sitting on the bed and our dirty clothes in the laundry basket and by the sounds she was in the bathroom having shower. I for no reason barged in again, "Stop doing that", she yelled at me.
(Kate's POV)
"Can't help it", Leon replied which I quite didn't get it.
"Meaning?", I asked him putting on clothes.
"John invited us on dinner and I said Yes", he told me changing the topic.
"Great that saves me the labor of making dinner today besides I think there wouldn't be anything to prepare dinner", I said stepping out and I found him shaving but what disturbed me was that the contents of bathroom cabinet. It was all around the bathroom floor and I glared at him.
"I know I look hot while shaving but staring won't help you", he commented smugly.
"Wow that is a really big misconception, that you're hot", I quipped back avoiding any arguments about the things that were on the floor. I picked them up and set them back in the cabinet.
"Now where the hell did you put my aftershave?", Leon asked me as I was about to step out of the bathroom and clattery sound told me that he again messed up the cabinet, "Nobody can find their things between your 256 things set here."
"Yeah maybe that's true but it doesn't apply to you, you can't find anything", I said to him.
"Finding my things among yours is like finding a pin in haystack", he commented rolling his eyes.
"It's not as difficult as you make it seem", I said picking up the things again as calmly as I could.
"I admit it that it's pretty easy finding things but you purposely make them difficult for me", he said as I put things in the cabinet, "You make everything difficult."
(Leon's POV)
"I do not", Kate said furiously, "I always make them easy, you have a habit of doing things that are complex. I knew you would use aftershave after you've shaved so I put it here by the sink", she picked up the aftershave bottle still sitting on the counter cabinet and showed me which I hadn't noticed before, "But no, you like to mess things up, it doesn't matter if it's a cabinet or our marriage", she slammed the bottle in my hands and moved out of the bathroom.
The part that hurts the most in an argument is when you realize you were wrong from the beginning, 'Well at least it's not the first time', I thought and I am quite used to the pain. I took a cold shower and when I walked out of the bathroom, Kate was not in the bedroom, it was not like I was hoping to see her there, was I?
Anyways I moved to get my clothes and blue shirt and black pants. I put on my shoulder holster and descended downstairs and Kate wasn't there either. I walked to kitchen to find her there but she was not there too, "Where'd she go?", I muttered to myself as I stared out in the backyard thinking she was there but it was deserted too and the kitchen backdoor was locked from inside. I walked back to living area just to double check but no she was not there, 'Balcony, maybe she's there'; I climbed the stairs two at a time. I opened the bedroom door that led to balcony, the flowing curtains told me that the balcony door was open and I calmed down a bit but the moment I looked in the Balcony my panic level reached its peak, Kate was not there.
"Kate", I yelled at top of my lungs hurrying downstairs again, "Kate", I yelled again.
"What?", she yelled coming from the kitchen and I cannot describe how much relieved I am seeing her standing in the centre of the living room looking furiously at me for some reason. She crossed her arms and waited for me to answer her question.
"I am ready, let's go", I said to her smiling.
"You are the weirdest person I've ever met", she said to me.
"It's because you can't walk up to yourself", I quipped back taking our coats off the hanger and giving hers to her.
"Please cut any unnecessary arguments", she said locking the front door.
"Okay, so where were you?", I asked her since when I checked the kitchen she was not there, I checked everyplace but she wasn't in the house.
"I was in the kitchen, didn't you see me coming from there?", she said in an obvious tone as we both got in the car.
"Before that", I tried to get the answer as casually as I could, starting the car and getting it off the driveway.
"Living Room", she replied confused.
"Much more before that", I asked her again.
"In the bedroom", she replied again with that obvious tone.
"After that", I asked her again and she shot an angry glare at me.
"Look I know you love bothering me but can't you just let me live in peace for God's sake", she said frustrated.
"What I am asking is where you were? Right after you were in the bedroom and right before you were in the living room, in between that you see", I asked her explaining everything.
(Kate's POV)
I looked at Leon, his eyes were on the road but he was waiting for my answer. His mind was set on driving but his heart was set on knowing the answer. When I stepped back in the house I saw him rushing up the stairs as if he forgot something or was searching something, 'Was he looking for me?', I couldn't help but think, "I was out getting mail", I told him still trying to read him.
"So something I should know?", Leon asked but I was too much busy reading him. He was again acting weird, again I read those boyish features on his face as he smiled and said, "Hey I am trying to have a normal conversation with you and you are admiring me."
"I was reading", I sort of blurted out.
"Don't you get tired of reading me", he asked looking outside, "I mean I am really hard to read kinda guy, aren't I?"
"Sometimes", I replied honestly and then took a deep breath, "It's hard to read you when you don't wanna tell me anything and build this huge invisible wall between us. What are you so afraid of; I mean I won't hurt you ever."
"But I might hurt you right?", he replied seriously, "That's why you're afraid of me, because you don't trust me" , he looked at me as we stopped in front of John's House.
"I… I am… not afraid of you", I told him shaking my head. He smiled weakly and got out without even letting me complete my sentence.
Leon rounded off to my side and opened my side car door and I got out. He locked the car and we both walked towards John's house with him walking in front of me, his hands in his pockets and I followed him silently. The front door opened and Shadow rushed to us. We stroked, hugged and kissed him, since he was really excited to see both of us after so long.
Shadow whined more and more not wanting to move away from us maybe thinking we would leave him again, "Easy boy, easy we're here", Leon said to him and he wouldn't stop licking his face.
"We won't leave you", I said to him.
"He sure loves both of you", John said walking up to us, "He began clawing even before you came."
"He picks up Kate's scent pretty fast and even from a considerable large distance, he almost senses her with his sixth sense", Leon said rubbing Shadow behind his ears.
"That's pretty amazing, he doesn't know where his master is but he know where his wife is", John said.
"Isn't that a good attribute", Leon said and they both laughed for some sick reason, as far as I know only Leon understands John's jokes faster than anyone and same goes with John for Leon's jokes, to me when they are together they are a bunch of weirdoes.
Just then another car stopped in front of John's house and Redfields got out, "See I told you we're gonna be late", Claire said to her brother as they got out.
"But I did drive here fast", Chris said to her locking the car.
"She's not talking about your driving Chris Redfield, she's talking about the time you take to choose your clothes", Jill scolded him.
"Hey Kate how're you?", Claire said giving me a hug.
"I am terrific", I answered seeing her; it had been quite some time, since I had seen the Redfields.
"Leon's been treating you nice", Jill asked as she moved to hug me.
"Was that some kind of Joke", John replied instead of me.
"John", Claire warned as she moved to hug him after giving Leon a hug.
"Where is Rachel?", Jill asked.
"She's inside entertaining Billy, Rebecca and their kid", John replied.
"John, have you decided to keep them all outside", Rachel yelled from the door.
"If I bring them inside what would I get", he yelled back as we all moved to get in the house.
"Dinner", she replied and we all laughed.
After having dinner they talked a bit about this and that, hot topic being Men Vs Women and the likes while I played with Rebecca's Kid, he was around Zach's age. Then after having a small argument, everyone decided to drop the topic, "Leon got news for you", Chris said to him.
"What?", he asked casually.
"Someone called Angela Miller joined BSAA", Chris told him.
"So what I have to do with it?", he asked casually glancing briefly at me as I pulled the kid on my lap and paid attention to the conversation.
"She's the one from Harvardville, I told you about", Claire told me in a hushed voice.
"Oh", I said, I had heard of her from Claire only. Rebecca's kid pulled my attention to him by tugging on my hair, "Ouch."
"It's time for him to sleep", Rebecca said taking him off my lap and carried him away from noise.
"She asked him for diving", Claire told me with a laugh
"Diving?!", I repeated confused with raised brows.
(Leon's POV)
"The other day she asked me if I knew you", Chris said refilling his drink and I looked at Kate again, "Do you know her?"
"Yes", I gave a short reply refilling my drink too, "But why are you telling me all this."
"Well they say she joined the force because of you", Jill answered instead of Chris.
"I didn't ask her to join that", I replied a bit offensively, now that Kate was listening.
"Yeah we know, but rumors has it she tried to get in the Agency on the basis of Harvardville Incident but you know it isn't enough to be in the Agency so she tried to get in BSAA", Chris went on with the flow.
"But what does Havardville Incident has to do with BSAA, if I remember well Leon was sent on that Mission alone", the thing I didn't want was happening as Kate was the one asking this question, "Wasn't it the mob because they believed that WilPharma was conducting human experimentation and because of that the company met its doom. As far as I know BSAA wasn't involved in stopping the mob or riots; army, military and SRT were, weren't they?", she asked again.
(Kate's POV)
"Well yeah initially BSAA had nothing to do with the incident because TerraSave's claims were not proved plus they backed out on that guy, What was his name?", Chris said turning to Claire.
"Curtis Miller", Claire helped him.
"Is that Miller woman related to him?" Chris asked him.
"Brother", she answered.
"So allegations made by Miller guy was true and plus Claire even found that T…", Chris was saying when sound of shattering glass broke him off and we all turned in the direction of sound.
"Oh my god, Leon", Claire exclaimed but I was already moving next to him. I don't really know but it seemed he gripped the glass too tight that it shattered under his grip.
"I'll get first aid", Rachel said as I grabbed Leon's hand, there was a huge glass pieces dug into his palm and few other small ones.
"I'd get Rebecca, she'd fix that in no time", Claire said as I looked up to Leon, his face was all sweaty as if he had seen a ghost.
I looked back at his hand; blood was already making a pool on the floor. I pulled out the glass pieces careful not to hurt him because he did a pretty good job himself. When I was pulling out a small last piece Rebecca came, "Kate, be careful", she said and the last piece cut my finger. Even before I could register the pain, Leon had already put my finger in his mouth.
"I'll take it from here", Rebecca said, "and you should put a band-aid on that cut."
Once Leon's hand was bandaged everyone decided to head home. No one quite understood what really happened and how did the glass break, they thought Leon must have gripped it too tight. But I knew the moment I grabbed his hand that he had experienced something close to his worst fears because that's the face he has when he wakes up from the nightmares every time. I couldn't help but think that Havardville had definitely something to do with Leon's nightmares and if it's something about his nightmares then it's something Leon doesn't want me to know. I sighed as I watched the empty street pass by as Leon drove us home.
"I am sorry", Leon said and I turned to look at him.
"What for?", I asked him.
"For…", he briefly looked at my hand, referring to the cut.
"It's nothing much", I told him and my eyes involuntarily drifted to his bandaged hand, "Why you did that?"
"Did what?", he asked monotonously.
"Hurt yourself?", I said and he didn't answer but concentrated on road ahead. His cell phone rang and he put on his earpiece.
"Yeah Chris", Leon answered his phone, "Yeah I am coming, I am halfway to home." He sighed pulling off his ear piece, the rest of the drive was silent and insignificant but Leon kept thinking something over and over again. Many would say he is just keeping his mouth shut but I knew he was in deep thought. He pulled the car to a stop in front of the house but not on the driveway and I looked at him a little puzzled, "I have to go some… something came up", he replied not looking at me.
'Hiding something again', I couldn't help but think. When he told Chris he was coming I thought he was accepting any Mission to go with him but he literally meant he was going now. I didn't ask him anything, he wouldn't tell me anyway plus I don't mean anything to him, so my asking him anything is just a waste of my breath.
(Leon's POV)
Kate didn't ask me anything, opened the car door and stepped out. For the first time in our married life she didn't ask me where I was going, guess we drew further apart. Even though I wouldn't tell her and almost hated it when I was confronted by her but her not asking me today made me realize that I actually liked that
Kate walked away from the car towards the house and my heart kept aching as she moved further and further away, "Shadow keep her company", I said to him because he stayed back this time. He whined in an answer that he is not liking how things are going as I opened the door for him and he jumped out and looked back at me, "Don't let her feel lonely", these were my last words to my dog before I started the car engine and he ran away to Kate who was almost at the door.
A/N: Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it and that this super long chapter compensated my absence. I apologize for any mistakes in the text, which might have caused inconvenience.
