Notes: I hope for this to be a realistic, mature, touching and possibly erotic continuation between Ashley and Leon. I hope you enjoy my plot as well as my original characters. There are slight changes to the story from the original, mainly the change in time frame during the game from 1 day to a couple of weeks. I hope that the characters can evolve naturally and that everyone finds entertainment and joy in my story. 1-3-15

Thanks: I want to take this time to personally thank all of the people who reviewed for this story before I actually tried to make something out of it. All of your kind, wonderful comments motivated me to work on this story and you were never forgotten over the years when it lay dormant. Because of you I saw potential in my own writing and gained tons of self-confidence.

Dedication: I dedicate this to all my wonderful readers, you are amazing, and also to my beloved husband, Mark, for your collaboration, discussion, encouragement and all of the love you have given me over the years since I first started this story. Thank you for bringing joy and stability to my life. I also thank the good Lord who gives me strength through all my trials. Without further ado, if you made it this far:

-Luky

…

Chapter One:

…

Prelude to Misery

…

…

…

Ashley Graham had been through a war.

When her feet touched sand she thought for sure she would melt out into a puddle like a bubbling mass of chocolate, scorched by the sun. She'd been riding on that bumpy machine all day and was numb from her butt down. When she heard Leon say that he saw land, she felt relief wash over her like the ceaseless current of the ocean. She hadn't liked the beach since she was child but after her ordeal it was a welcome change of scenery.

Her head was buried against Leon's back and she swayed with him, too weak to hold her head up against the slamming of the jetski against the water. Weeks of running and hiding in the misty Spanish terrain and now this Jet Ski ride had taken its toll on her body, not to mention her mind. Her body was wracked with the toll of hunger and malnutrition she suffered while on the run. The lack of a sustained diet made her waistline shrink and her clothing hung on her like rags whipped ragged by the spraying water. She was pooling her last reserves of strength and energy to make it home.

She kept her eyes closed, welcoming the maroon wash of light against her eye lids as they got closer. She had been covering her face from the sun as much as possible but now that they were near land she wanted to get them accustomed to the light. She peeked a look and felt the radiant light blind her with its intensity. She shuddered, pain searing her eyes as she looked out across the sparkling water.

Thoughts of her impending freedom made her tremble with exhaustion and she chided herself for her weakness. It was only a little further—Leon was reassuring her of that.

She shifted, trying to relieve the pressure on her bum, and felt her weak grip slip from around Leon's torso. Not wanting to fall of the Jet Ski again, she quickly slid her hands around him, her fingers sliding over the material and feeling the moisture clinging to his muscles and skin. They had been stuck in this position for so long that she had forgotten how close they were at the moment.

She shuddered, maybe just from exhaustion, but also from embarrassment at the thought of how she was able to hold onto him. She didn't get the chance to touch him often because he was a little distant towards her for whatever reason. He seemed uncomfortable even after everything they had been through and never tolerated her touch for long.

'But none of that will matter,' she thought, 'soon we will be back in the United States and we'll go our separate ways…' Despite herself, the thought of leaving his side made her insides clench unbearably from anxiety and fear.

But she was too weak from lack of food and hunger, not to mention dehydration from being on this Jet Ski for hours, to really make any protests. How was it possible that they would be extracted from the beach—that they would know the location of their arrival without any of Leon's equipment being salvaged from the mission? He briefly explained to her that it was through an embassy that he'd been deployed to that island by boat and then driven by car to go looking for her. Spain was completely unaware of their presence.

As they crashed into wave after wave of water she began to faintly consider her future when they escaped from this hell. It was almost impossible to imagine a destination anywhere but the nothingness of the pounding ocean. While in the heat she began to feel delirious and told him so. He simply told her to "hold on" and that they'd be at land as soon as possible. Thank God the fabled moment was soon to arrive.

Having spent weeks without a real shower had made her very being ache for clean clothing and a warm, sudsy bath. Her once brilliant blond hair was thick with congealed blood and salt water and had dried in huge clumps around her face. What remaining water she had retained had long since poured out of her on the start of their journey on the sea. It clung to her face and despite the high winds created from moving it lay in moist clumps against her forehead and cheeks. She resisted the urge to let go of Leon with one hand to wipe the offending clumps away from her scalp but she couldn't muster the will power or the strength to do it.

She had no illusions about how she had been during their journey, she had been a pest during the best of times. She didn't recognize her ability to maintain her composure at points during their battles. If she were honest with herself, she had endured some of the most horrific things a person could see, let alone someone who had been sheltered from the evils of the world by the wealth and power of her family, and she deserved some credit for that. She was by no means perfect but at some point during the trauma she had buckled down and done what Leon needed her to do to survive.

If it wasn't for Leon she would never have made it out alive.

Somewhere as they maneuvered around the island together she grew to become so dependent on him for his support and kindness, not just his expertise. He was a reassurance in her darkest moments and a comfort when she felt hysteria threatening to overwhelm her. She had needed him to be her hero, to know the right call and to be there to make it and he had been. The consuming fear and anxiety that tightened its grip around her heart when they were separated made it hard for her to hold onto the feeble strength she had mustered to keep her composure. He was an unusual man that had an unnatural tenacity and endurance that made it so they could escape.

If he had been a normal man would they have made it out alive? It was hard to imagine getting out alive with any of the guardians she had growing up. Someone of Leon's age, dedication and training seemed very unlike the caliber of men that had protected her in the past. Leon was special, would always be, but were her feelings she had towards him simply because he was her rescuer? Would she feel the same if it had been any other man who had come to save her? Would she have fallen so hard or so fast for anyone who managed to save her from that hell?

There was some kind of fierce determination she sensed in him that was more than just self-preservation or duty, something so much more than the eagerness to accomplish a mission. He seemed to genuinely care about whether or not they were going to make it off the island alive. The fate of both Ashley and Leon were so desperately fused with each other that it seemed natural that he be devoted to her safety. He was the only man she had ever met who had ever willingly put themselves through this kind of danger against insurmountable odds and all for the sake of a single girl.

They had been strangers but yet they had gotten so close from their time in Spain. Clinging to him now, she felt the distance between them stretching further and further until she could never hope to reach across the gap. And the closer and closer they got to the shoreline, the more that distance seemed to grow between them. She was touching him, sure- and she could feel the skin of his muscular arms, yes- but it felt just like the warmth on her skin. She could feel the suns heat but it was miles and miles away.

When they had been separated she had felt so lonely, so cold and distant. She'd contemplated death as a better alternative to becoming a weapon against her family yet she tried to be as strong as she could. She knew Leon was out there and that he would find her. Somehow she just knew that he wouldn't ever give up until they were both safe. She held onto that thought to keep her going.

He seemed consumed with her safety. In her wildest nightmares she would never have imagined zombies with exploding heads and squiggly monsters bursting from their necks- not to mention having one growing inside of her own body. If only she knew back then what real horrors were- then maybe she might not have been so happy to have her father run for president. Despite the glaring sun heating her skin she shivered, attempting to block out the memory. There were so many horrible experiences that she simply wanted to forget. She would forget. She wasn't going to remember that. She wouldn't. She wouldn't!

Leon had been kind and supportive to her but fierce that she accept reality despite all of its horrors. She had cried sometimes, mostly from relief, but also from horror and despair. At first she thought him callous with the way that he just let her cry at times, not even acknowledging her tears or saying something gruff about staying focused. Over time she realized that he was just awkward and when he did try to comfort her she found that she actually did have some relief. He rarely let down his barriers or his guard enough to give time to her emotional state but because of how strong he was she felt she could be strong too. She realized that he was not as callous as he made himself out to be and that his strength was the greatest comfort he could offer her.

Leon was the strangest bodyguard she had for her entire life. First there was the obvious thing of his age. He couldn't be much older than 30 and he spoke to her as if they were normal people from time to time. She had never had a bodyguard that had allowed such personal conversations or one that she felt comfortable confiding in and talking to. The situation they were in was always so tense and on edge that it seemed impossible that he could keep his cool but he did. She didn't know if any of her other guardians would be like Leon if they'd been in the same position but she was grateful that she had one remarkable man to help her.

She felt the urge to scratch at her face but resisted it. There was black, goopy residue that consisted of blood and dirt caked under the broken remains of her once beautifully tailored nails so she resisted the urge. Her slender hands were bruised and ached from the effort of holding onto Leon's broad chest. Other than the general feeling of discomfort from her disgusting state she didn't care much about how she looked. She hadn't cared while on the run and despite broken nails, cuts, bruises and scratches she felt she had done well. The few times she had spotted an image of herself in the mirror she hadn't recognized herself.

She couldn't imagine what things would have been like if Leon had met her before she had kidnapped in the first place. He was supposed to be her personal bodyguard which carried a degree of professionalism that would border on dull, like the rest of them had been. Would he have considered her differently if she had been smelling of light perfume and clean bath soaps—hair neatly brushed and combed to tidy perfection? What would he have thought of her if she been freshly manicured and healthy? It wasn't something she had obsessed over by any means, but it had contributed to her emotional state for sure.

Would he have looked at her differently then? Would she have even tried to strike up a conversation with the new, nameless and mindless professional bodyguard even if he was incredibly handsome, and young? She'd grown so accustomed to having at least one following her everywhere she went, even before her father had become the president. She'd grown up with funny guards, supper serious guards and stoic guards with little to no personality. After all of that time meeting someone like Leon who had inevitably let his personality slip through his façade of professionalism was a welcome relief.

Deciding to peak out a little bit, she opened her squinted eyes ever so slightly and let the light wash in, bathing the water in brilliant sparkles as her eyes tried in vain to reconfigure themselves to work properly. She turned her cheek which was resting on Leon's back to peer over his shoulder at the beach line where a beautiful array of blinking colors splashed on the sand. She felt the intense sunlight make her eyes burn as she forced them to focus. The time spent in Spain had been mostly dark and gloomy- that sun hadn't come out until they'd gotten a good few miles away from the dust from the explosion too- which hadn't helped.

She felt like weeping and she fought to control herself. It was bad enough to have her pride wounded as it was, and her body sore at every inch. Crying wasn't going to make her feel better- it would make her feel worse and the last thing she needed right now was Leon's no nonsense attitude to make her feel like a big kid. He didn't outright belittle her for her tears but at this moment she didn't feel like exposing how weak and torn up she felt inside.

Even though he had been kind about her crying through their time in Spain… it didn't mean that she was willing to show him anymore weakness. If anything, she needed to retain as much of her strength as possible if she was going to have to say goodbye. He'd already made his intentions adamantly clear and her pride had taken the full force of his rejection straight to her heart.

'So uh, after you take me back to my place, how about we do some… uh… overtime…?'

She inwardly cringed as the memory resurfaced despite her better attempt to effectively suffocate it. His scoff seemed to echo in her head and the monotone, "sorry" seemed so cold and detached to her ears that she had almost wished she could die right on the spot. Where had that even come from?! She was sure that there must have been something, anything that made him like her- she was sure of it. The mission couldn't have been the only thing on his mind the whole time they'd been there because of what had happened between them. What about all those times he'd... gotten so close with her...?

'Mission COMPLETE!' she had yelled happily, unable to control the happiness that washed over her weary body. He had responded that he still had to get her home, so calmly and it was almost like a smack in the face at the change of his tone of voice. Had to get her home? She was alive and so was he and they'd survived so much together… he'd helped her so much… there had to be more then that! Didn't that make them grow closer and closer still having survived something so horrific- together?

'Was I really just a mission objective to him this whole time?' she thought morbidly as she remembered the way he froze when she hugged him after he had removed the parasite from within her. She was so relieved and she ached for him to wrap his arms around her like he had before… When she had run away from him, unwilling to accept the blood she'd seen smeared on her hand-the sign that the parasite was getting stronger—she hadn't been thinking. She was so terrified, so completely consumed with fear that she'd run away from it all. If she could have denied the truth she saw so evidently on her hand then she would have. She had felt so stupid afterwards but seeing him after escaping all that madness was such a sweet victory that-

A jostle as the Jet Ski hit a surprising wave startled her thoughts and Leon jerked the wheel to maintain control, sending a geyser of water spraying out in the opposite direction. She felt specks of sea foam drizzle onto her skin and felt her fingers slip a little as she grappled with her hold of Leon's sturdy back. She was so eager for the feel of land, so eager for safety at last that she would just jump off right there and swam for land if she had the strength.

The closer they got the more anxious she felt and the easier it was for her to finally be able to make out some of the faces on the beach. Despite herself she stiffed, instantly apprehensive that she may face danger on that sand shore. But as she came to the realization and accepted that she may actually be safe at last she felt an extreme sense of exhaustion pulling at her body. Her haunted eyes shown a glimmer of brightness at the thought that the people on the beach were in fact, normal human beings- people who weren't trying to kill her, but who were trying to see what was going on because of curiosity and concern.

Besides, she needn't fear as long as Leon was by her side.

She tried to focus on the land and not on her upcoming separation from Leon as the Jet Ski came to a lurching stop in the water as he cut the engine. In an instant he swung one long, well muscled leg over the side, easily jumping off and landing in the crystal blue water with a splash as if the past few weeks had not affected him in the least. The idea of getting into the water was a little less then appealing but she had no choice as she lost her balance and began to tip forward into the water with a surprised protest slipping from her lips.

A strong arm reached out to brace her and she felt relief flow through her entire body at the warm touch, sending thrills of electricity up to her numb limbs. She felt the sturdiness and strength of his arms radiating through his gloves into her skin. She looked down at his hand for a moment and felt a twist in her heart as tears instantly popped into her eyes. She made an effort to avoid his gaze as he helped her slide the rest of the way off of the Jet Ski to splash into the surprisingly cool water. Her legs shook like a new born calf's as she struggled to stay upright with her shoes sinking into the soft sand.

"Let's just say she's a part of me that I can't let go…"

She bit her lip as the memory of Leon shooting her down flooded her mind. There was something so painful in the words he spoke then and she felt an irrational sense of inadequacy flash through her. She had already admitted there was jealousy there too especially since after all their time together he hadn't spoken of her save a few words. She felt irrational for wanting to be a part of Leon too and chided herself for being so cchildish about it.

It was such an ugly feeling that she tried stuffing the memory away but unlike other thoughts this one wouldn't go. She had been doing that a lot over the past couple of weeks—stuffing things away into her mind in hopes to never think of it again—just so she could function. She didn't want to remember a lot of things from her time there. She would block it out, she told herself, she would forget. She could do that to almost all of it if she tried hard enough.

But not Leon. She couldn't forget Leon… or her embarrassment.

She had been desperately trying to get close to him, yet he had always found some reason to push her away… what was so special about the women in the red dress? Who was she? Why was she important to him? She didn't look like a very nice person, that's for damn sure. And she had tried to hurt us both but why? Leon was so stable and clear headed except for this one perplexing part of him. She felt like she understood his drive and direction except with this one person.

That woman had even tried to kill him and he still had feelings for her?

'What part of her can he not let go of? Does he really care about that woman?' she wondered with sadness, and was suddenly startled by her thoughts standing there in the gentle current.

The sneaky thought slipped in and asked without warning, 'Could it be that Leon was in love with that woman?'

She felt the power of his gaze draw her eyes up to graze first upon his collar bone, his chin, along his lips and finally to his careful looking eyes. She felt her own well with tears of relief and something else she was afraid to name. Her entire body quivered with sadness as she felt her heart flutter like a bird against its cage, desperate to be free and recognized but for what? She dared not think it again, better to forget. It was always better to forget if you could.

'But can I forget him…?' she thought, gazing into his eyes- his expression was guarded, so unlike the friendly gaze he'd held while in Spain when they were partners if not companions. Pain echoed through her very being and she felt shame wash over her at having stooped to such a level as to offer herself to him and be denied. What had she been thinking? What was it she wanted from him and what did she expect he could give her in return? Her body had yearned for his comforting touch when she was frightened but it was also something else she hadn't wanted to name. Despite it all he would never just hold her close as she wanted him to.

She had longed for him to find some moment of comfort where they could be at ease with each other. Yet they always needing to move, always struggling to get out of a bad situation—it was silly to yearn for more than just their short times of peace. But she did yearn. She yearned to share more than just a will to live. She hated how she said it, but couldn't she share her feelings with him too? Why did she have to say something so stupid about her body?!

It was obvious that there was something between him and the other woman after the way he rebuffed her affections after just seeing her. It was hard to accept that she had meant so little to him. It was just so surprising that he had so much devotion towards making sure she was okay but that everything stopped at just friendship. It was hard to image that. It hurt to imagine it.

If only she hadn't misread the energy between them. It was humiliating to remember how he scoffed at her sad attempt to try to invite him into her bed. It was unlike her and it was so abrupt, it practically slipped out of her. Thinking about the whole thing made her feel sick inside or maybe it was just from exhaustion and heat.

She weakly swatted his hand away when he offered it to her and stepped towards him in the water, the waves sweeping at her weak legs as she fought to control her rising hurt and anger. She shivered despite the warmth of the sun and placed her relinquished hand against her chest trying to stop the fierce beating of her heart. She swayed with the current.

Distantly she was aware that she was acting immature and that she shouldn't be so angry at him or feel so betrayed. He had just saved her life! What more could she ask of the poor man? But despite her attempt to rationalize the situation she felt justified in her desire to protect her heart as much as her pride.

As she peered up at him his eyes had shown nothing. Not even coldness. She hated it, hated him in a way- she just wanted to get as far away as she could from him! It was irrational but she couldn't help it. How could she look into his face without hearing her words spoken again and again?

"I don't need your help anymore, Leon. I'll be fine from here on out." she said as steadily as she could despite the trembling she felt from being on the Jet Ski for so long. She was determined not to need him anymore. After all the humbling situations she'd been through she was still unwilling to let him see how wounded she was by his refusal to accept her, even just her body. She wanted so badly to turn into his arms and hug him that the thought only propelled her further away.

'I can't believe how much I want you.' she thought desperately even as she pushed his hand away, 'how much I need you..!'

She turned to try and walk away and found that her legs were like lumbering towers of Jell-O and before she knew it she was again falling, her gaze blurring uncontrollably as a wave of dizziness swarmed her vision. She vaguely heard him say something, and he sounded almost angry- a bit of his resolve weakening? She didn't care- she wanted to get away from him. Get away from the temptation to blubber out all her thoughts and emotions- her gratitude and so much more…

She felt her world careen as he reached out a gloved hand towards hers, pulling her back in his direction and wrapping one arm around her waist. He pulled her close and she distantly felt the strength of him seeping into her body by the almost... passionate way he gripped her. And for a wonderful, amazing instant she could almost imagine he was pulling her into an embrace—but how could he be when the mission was almost over. But still she felt it. Possessive. Protective. She felt the coolness of his skin against her and it caused a shudder to wrack through her body.

She was so unbearably hot that the cold was almost too cold and it was shocking her body to the touch. She hadn't realized it but she was swimming in heat and it was almost as if all the horror and the disappointment of the past few weeks had come to surface in her making her sick to her stomach and dizzy. All the exhaustion, stress and fear seemed to culminate in her just then and she felt like she was slowly sliding down along Leon's body as her own body gave way to oblivion.

Her eyes caught on his face again and despite her need to get away, she vaguely relished in the feel of his rough gloved hand against hers and the feel of him pressing her against him. 'I'm so glad it was you, I'm glad I had you in whatever way I could,' she thought feverishly. She knew that it would never be enough after what they'd been through together. She wanted the whole deal- anything and everything she could get from him. She wanted the fairy tale- the white picket fence and the knight in shining armor. She wanted it all but it wasn't meant to be. Fairytales were for little girls who could still dream.

'Thank you...' she thought as her eyes blurred on his face. "Is it real..?" she whispered up at him, feeling alive for just a moment as he shifted his arms around her, holding her closer to his body. Despite how cold he felt she promised herself she wasn't going to forget what it was like to be in his arms- could never forget- and she knew she'd remember everything he'd done for despite how they separated. She'd just forget everything else- she'd forget all the pain and horrible memories- everything but him…

Tears poured freely from her eyes as her vision darkened, and his face was above her, worry clearly etched in the lines around his face. It was a relief to see that unnatural mask lifted from his features. This was the face she loved- this was the one that made her heart glow with comfort when she saw it. Those eyes said so many things that neither of them could understand about each other, not yet anyway. Not now. Maybe not ever.

She felt her lips moving but she found couldn't hear any sounds other than the rising roar of the waves and the deafening silence was overwhelming to her senses. As tears slid down her sunken cheeks she tried to mumble something to him to try and tell him how she felt but her lips felt swollen and her throat thick. She wanted to thank him. She wanted to promise to never forget him or what he had done for her. How much she cared for him. So many things she wanted to say but her lips weren't responding to her.

She felt her head fall backwards, her body arching against his as she felt her entire form weakening and going limp as wave upon wave of heat washed over her body, making her vision swim and blur against the blue, blue sky and floating clouds above her. Her hair fell away from her face in clumps, catching in the wind as her vision turned into swirling tones of grey and black. And then-

Nothing.

…

…

…

REVIEW!

Edited: 7/3/2008

Edited: 5/21/2009

Edited: 1/4/2015

I am looking for a beta reader to help ease some of the burden of making sure everything is super, ultra polished which will encourage me to write. I'd love to hear from some fellow authors if they were interested. Please send me a message! Thank you!

-Luky