After All These Years
Unaware of the alluring gazes imposed on him, Leon Scott Kennedy speedily strolled down the office corridor towards his cubicle. His day was packed with meetings and since the current hot topic was biowarfare, the blonde government agent was highly sought after for his expertise. While he was more than happy to share, it was starting to wear him down. He thought this issue ended when Raccoon City was annihilated. Oh, how naive he was. Bioweapons were popping up like weeds in various continents. On top of that, he had assessments to study for which would aid him in progressing higher up the ranks. It was a miracle that he had not collapsed from exhaustion.
To no surprise, there was a folder that was not there this morning on his desk. It was a common occurrence. Leon chose to ignore it for the moment.
Unbuttoning his suit jacket, he removed it from his torso in a split second and draped it on the back of his chair. Some of the females in the shared office space swooned dreamily, imagining the well-toned muscles underneath the white long sleeved shirt Leon was garbed in. Everyone here knew the story of the rookie cop from Raccoon City. Not only was he a capable and formidable agent so far, his handsome good looks and manners completed the package. It was a pity he was so unaware of his attractiveness and was always buried in work.
The blonde took a swig from his flask of coffee and winced at the bitterness. It worked to wake him up from the mind numbing back-to-back meetings. Alcohol would have been his first preference but it was unprofessional to drink on the job. The blonde could not remember if he had lunch. Did the agency cater food that day? Glancing at his watch, he saw he had a couple of hours left before the end of work. There was still time to kill.
Looking down at the folder, Leon took a seat and read the short note affixed to the cover.
Agent Kennedy, if you have any new information pertaining to the subject, please feel free to contribute.
Opening the first page, the title was a report on Albert Wesker. He was not familiar with the man but knew the Redfield siblings had close encounters with him. Wesker had dealings with Umbrella which was tied to Raccoon City and it inevitably led back to Leon who was one of the few survivors of the outbreak.
Perusing the first few pages, it detailed Wesker's known history so far and sightings over the past few years. The ex-scientist was elusive and dangerous so any intel they had on him was precious.
The next few pages documented known associates of Wesker. The names listed failed to kindle any interest in him.
The higher ups are clearly wasting their time. They should be approaching the BSAA instead. A couple of their members knew Wesker personally.
Leon thought to himself. He could have been using his time to do something more productive. Still, he continued to read the report out of courtesy.
Rumoured to be in Wesker's inner circle, Ada Wong has been-
The blonde stopped and felt his heart skip a beat. He held his breath as he re-read the sentence again.
Ada Wong.
She was alive?! Was it the same woman that gripped his heart years ago? He quickly flipped to the next page to find the last seen photo. It was a tad grainy but there was no question on the shape of her face and hair style. That was definitely her.
Relief flooded his veins. So, she did escape the wretched city. She did not die after giving him the rocket launcher. His fingers unconsciously traced the outline of her face as he grinned to himself.
Ada still looked as beautiful as ever. Leon could see that she had a small smile in the photo. The way her lips curved up slightly made her appear so coy and mysterious. He briefly wondered how she was doing. Was she eating and sleeping well? Did she fully recuperate from the injury the tyrant gave her? Oh, how he longed to see her again.
Then, Leon snapped out of his senses. What was he thinking?! Ada was working with Wesker, of all people.
It somehow made sense now. How a supposed civilian like her was able to handle a gun with ease and be cool under fire when the city was going to hell. Was she using him that night in Raccoon? Is that why she had not contacted him at all? Because she was concerned about her own objective and had never cared for him.
But, Ada did help him out. Professed her feelings for him after the tyrant hurt her. It could not have been a complete farce...
Eyebrows furrowed as he continued to read her profile. She was mostly involved in thefts of bioweapons. No matter how much Leon tried to spin it in her favour, Ada did not appear to be innocent.
Feeling curious, he fired up his work issued encrypted laptop, determined to get more answers within the database. The report was streamlined but the database held a lot more. He eagerly absorbed every bit of information they had about her.
His phone rang and he answered it without looking at the display, "Kennedy here."
A female voice replied him, "Leon... I've been waiting for forty-five minutes."
Alarmed, Leon glanced at his watch and realised work had ended quite a while ago. He was so engrossed with Ada that he lost track of time and failed to notice it was dark outside. The weekend had already begun too.
"I'm so sorry, I'll leave right now."
His date sighed. "It's the second time this week that you forgot about our date. This isn't working out between us. Clearly, you're prioritising work."
The call ended before Leon had a chance to reply and he felt so ashamed of himself. His parents raised him to be better than this.
One of his neighbours lost a bet and had to set him up on a blind date with a friend. They did hit it off on the first date and it went fairly well. Alas, they never went on a second date as he kept forgetting about it... Maybe it was for the best that he did not enter into a relationship while he was working for the government.
Sighing, he shut down his laptop and locked it away in his desk along with the report. He picked up his jacket and headed for the parking lot to begin the commute home.
Leon shivered as he got out of the car in the basement of his apartment complex. It seemed winter was going to make an early appearance this year. He quickly hustled into the elevator which was thankfully empty. He did not want to engage in any awkward small talk on why he missed his date...
When the elevator reached his floor, the blonde peered around the corridor and stealthily padded to his unit. Careful to not make his keys jangle, he held onto the unused ones tightly in his palm and opened the door as quietly as he could.
The blonde could hear someone unlocking their door further down the corridor and he ducked into his apartment, shutting the door behind him with a click. Mission accomplished. He will entertain his neighbours some other time.
After a refreshing hot shower, Leon whipped up a bowl of instant ramen and sat by the counter as he watched the news on TV. The only thing of interest was a pharmaceutical truck having its shipment of medications stolen. Otherwise, the driver was unharmed.
Phone beeped and a message came in followed by a few more…
[txt] I din noe u r such a cad Kenndy!
[txt] I tot u were diff from other guys
[txt] Guess I m wrong
[txt] Thx 4 breaking her heart
Leon frowned and lost his appetite at the string of texts from his neighbour. In a moment of irritation, the phone was switched off and roughly slammed against the table. He had already felt awful about it and now others were dragged into the situation. There were already plans to make a proper apology once he had cooled off but now, he was reluctant to do so.
Raking a hand through his damp hair, he rummaged through the pantry and found a bottle of whiskey. Drinking always made him feel better.
He poured out shot after shot and downed them with practiced ease, feeling the warmth spread through his torso on this chilly night.
Women...
His thoughts lingered on his lacklustre love life. He knew from the beginning that the volatile nature of his job would make relationships difficult. Still, he wanted to try to have a semblance of a "normal" life. Alas, the past few years taught him it would be better off to stay single.
Other than Ada, no one else had come close to worming his way into his heart. Like it or not, Ada was someone Leon could not let go. His thoughts lingered on her once more before realising he had dropped his glass into his bowl of noodles.
Fishing out the now oily shot glass, he could smell the alcoholic scent wafting from the soup. Curiosity got the better of him and he took a sip. It was actually not bad!
Leon was hungry anyway and his appetite returned with a fervour as he ate his dinner. With his belly full and soul contented for now, he loaded his utensils into the dishwasher before lazing on the sofa. He lazily skimped through the channels on the screen...
While his eyes stared at the images, his mind drifted somewhere else. Back to the woman in red from Raccoon City. He could almost feel her warm, gentle touch again when she bandaged him. And he remembered her soft lips when they kissed each other goodbye that fateful day. He really did miss her after all these years.
It was hours later that he awoke with a start on his sofa. He had fallen asleep and it was long past midnight. Switching off the TV, he stretched his stiff muscles and headed to the bathroom to freshen up.
As Leon walked back to his bedroom to draw the curtains shut, he thought he saw a most peculiar sight outside his window. Right across from him was another apartment complex and he swore someone was on the roof staring straight at him. It lasted for a few seconds as he looked at the silhouette. He blinked and the figure was gone. Thinking that the alcohol was making him hallucinate, he drew the curtains and flopped down on the bed.
Sleep took him easily and he dreamt of the silhouette morphing into a familiar figure in red.
Head pounded a little from the hangover but Leon shrugged it off after downing a couple of glasses of water. He stared into his decently stocked fridge and decided that he did not feel like cooking breakfast today.
Donning an outfit appropriate for the chilly weather, he quietly made his way down the corridor to the elevator without incident. The coffee shop was nearby so he ignored his car and stepped out into the streets. The wind nipped the blonde's face and he shivered, wrapping the loose scarf around his neck a couple more rounds to keep out the cold.
Just a few more minutes... Leon thought to himself as he sped up his pace. The weather was probably keeping the crowd indoors as he spotted a handful of people in the streets. When he turned the corner, he felt a wave of relief wash over him as the shop was now in sight.
The blonde entered the welcoming warmth of the shop and immediately felt invigorated. He placed an order for a big steaming cup of joe and a breakfast plate before settling into a counter seat by the window.
The shop across the street had just opened for the day and while it was the coffee shop's "rival", it claimed to sell organic and environmentally conscious food items. The menu might not appeal to everyone but it had its own share of fans. In Leon's opinion, it tasted a little too "grass-y" to him and he did not go back after the first visit.
A few moments later, Leon retrieved his order from the counter and tucked into his hearty breakfast. The greasy eggs and sausages settled into his stomach and he felt sated. Picking up his coffee, he took a sip of the warm liquid and looked out the window.
There was a very familiar figure in red seated outside the organic shop. She was all bundled up in her burgundy trenchcoat and a matching scarf. It looked very much like Ada.
Leon scoffed at himself. The hangover must have been super strong if he was seeing things again like last night. Trying out his strategy from yesterday, he blinked slowly, hoping that the mirage would go away. Instead, the red figure remained in his line of sight. He looked down at his breakfast instead. Maybe the illusion would disappear once he looked up.
The blonde sliced a bit of sausage and took a bite before glancing out the window once more. The figure was real. Intrigued, he scrutinised her closely and did a double take. It was definitely Ada Wong in the flesh. He could not believe his eyes.
Her body was angled slightly away from him as she too, was partaking in a warm beverage. She did not seem to notice him at all as Leon gaped at her with his meal forgotten on the table. The government agent knew he should be leaving his seat to arrest her but something compelled him to just continue to admire her from a distance. The picture in the report did not do her any justice, she was still as gorgeous as the day he met her. Maybe looking a little less harrowed since she was not being chased by monsters.
Ada's fingers were tapping the side of her cup rhythmically as she sipped her drink. Tap-tap-tap-tap, she paused followed by two more taps. Leon raised an eyebrow at this interesting quirk she was displaying. Was the drink too hot for her to hold?
More taps continued as it looked like she was draining her cup. Ada wiped her lips gracefully with a napkin and she turned her head in his direction. Hazel eyes appeared to meet his and it looked like she was giving him a smile too.
Then, a bus drove past, obscuring his view of her. When the vehicle pulled away, she was gone.
Leon's eyes widened as he gasped out loud, attracting the attention of the other patrons inside the shop. He gave them a sheepish wave of dismissal as he looked at his plate. He was not imagining things, right? Was he still hungover from last night? He did see Ada, didn't he?
Replaying the memory in his head, everything clicked as he recalled her tapping. The pauses and number of times included. She was sending him a message in Morse code! He quickly deciphered it and felt angry at himself for not doing anything.
Hi Leon
She knew he was there, after all!
There was nothing else he could do now except to finish his breakfast. Leon was hopeful though, that it was a sign he could see her again...
Unbeknownst to the blonde, Ada gave one last lingering look at Leon before walking off. She had finished her assignment the day before, intercepting a shipment of illicit compounds from a pharmaceutical truck for Wesker. She chose not to think about how she was stealing items from one "bad guy" for another "bad guy". As long as she got paid and got closer to her objective.
She finally rewarded herself by being near Leon's apartment since she was in the city. Ada had acquired his address and contact details a while ago but did not act on it, for fear that someone knew that he was her weakness.
Yesterday had been a long day and the glimpse of him was worth it when he stood at his bedroom window. The sight invigorated her soul. She could tell from his body language that he was puzzled why someone was on a roof though and she darted away as quickly as she saw the handsome man.
It was a stroke of luck that Leon was in the same vicinity as her this morning. She was due to catch a flight in a few hours and decided to grab a healthy bite when she saw Leon enter the coffee shop across the street. She formulated a plan right then and there to catch his attention.
Ada could feel Leon's eyes on her the whole time and she knew that he thought he was being discreet. Oh, how wrong he was. A well-trained spy would know when they were being watched and she let him look at her to his heart's content.
A pity that he did not notice the message she tapped with her fingers until it was too late. Maybe some other time. With that, she got into her rental car and headed straight for the airport.
"Agent Kennedy, please come into my office," his supervisor approached him about a month later. The older man wore a somewhat grave expression on his face and Leon was concerned if he was going to lose his job.
The blonde followed his supervisor into the room and was gestured to pick up a phone on the table. As Leon did so, he heard the caller address him on the other end, "Hello, Agent Kennedy."
It was familiar voice... one that had frequently been heard and seen on TV for the past four years. Leon straightened his back unconsciously. "How can I help, Mr. President?"
"I trust that you know what I'm about to say is confidential... My daughter has been kidnapped. I need your expertise."
Author's Note: Wow, it's been 2 years since I wrote any fan fiction. I got inspired to write this after seeing Leon in a suit in the trailer for the new RE CGI Movie "Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness".
This is set shortly before RE4. We always see Leon from an action man perspective but we really never see what he's like outside the field and I felt like writing more about this aspect of him. Plus, I tend to write more from Ada's POV so I'm trying my hand from Leon's POV this time. Hope you guys like this somewhat sweet (or bittersweet depending on your view) short fic.
I'm still doing okay and hope everyone else is during this crazy pandemic. Take care and stay healthy!