SPECIAL FEATURES
Author: Welcome to the special features chapter! ^_^
Leon: Why you're always making a big deal out of everything?
Author: * annoyed * Because I CAN! Now…
In case you haven't noticed yet, I'm a disguised scriptwriter. I love dialogue, and 'scenes' that would actually work better for a movie, but since it's kinda hard to make a movie without a lot of money, I turned to fiction writing. All you need is a computer and your imagination and some talent for writing…well, that's the hardest part, but I'm working on it. I put a lot of thought and personal experience into my stories, well, I'm trying anyway. I also love details, double meanings, hints and for-shadowing. There will always be something in my stories that, if you read them closely, might hint at either what's going to happen later in the story or in a different story (like I said in my bio, they are all connected somehow). My biggest hope, wish, dream, goal, whatever is that one day I'll be able to write stories you can read over and over again cause you can always find a little something you missed the first time and since I can hardly ever shut up
Leon: *sighs * Yeah, I know.
Author: *angry * Hey! You had your story! Now it's MY turn, so shut up!
Leon * backs away*
So, where was I? Oh yeah,.. since I can hardly ever shut up, I thought I'll give you a little background on this one.
Author's CommentsHow did the story come around?
I was actually working on a different story, that takes place ten years later, when Leon's trying to come clean with the fact that he had to leave Claire and his son and is thinking about telling them the truth. Two thirds through the story, I got stuck. I decided to go back in time, explore the reason why he had to leave them in the first place and Boom! I had a totally new story going on. *sighs * It's always like that…I'm still working on that story though.
POVSince the 'sequel' was all Leon's point of view, I had planned on writing this one from Claire's point of view, to have a different perspective on the matter. She wasn't supposed to know that he was still alive, so when I had finished her part, I realised that would be really lame. Somehow it had to be clear that he was still alive, but how? Suddenly I recalled a story I was 'forced' to read a few years ago and ended up liking a lot. 'Rashomon' It's about a guy being killed and three people telling the story: the murderer, the victim's wife, who was a witness and the victim himself. In the end you had three totally different versions of the crime. And there was the solution to my problem…
Leon & ClaireI have to admit that I'm actually not a fan of pairing the main RE characters with each other. I love to read about it in other people's stories, but wasn't gonna do it in my own stories.
Leon: WHAT?!
Author: You got what you wanted, didn't ya? So calm down.
However, in this story it was somehow inevitable, a given and in the end I got to like the idea. As a matter of fact, I got to like it so much that I've already decided to write a story about how they become a couple. Not sure yet whether it will be Leon's or Claire's POV. * shrugs * Maybe we'll try something entirely different this time…
Claire's StoryI figured, the worst thing for her would be to lose someone she truly loves. So her version of the story was going to be all emotional. I love to put my characters in bad situations and see what they are going to do…
Leon: Tell me about it.
Author: * grits teeth * Not your turn, got it?!
Leon: * backs off slowly * Ooookay.
'Never again…' That's the personal part. For me the worst thing about somebody dying is that you never get to see this person again, that you will start missing those little things they did and you start regretting taking them for granted.
Chris's StoryIn the beginning he was only supposed to give a different, more objective point of view about the whole matter. But, like so many times, during the course of the story, his character took over and I realised, that he wouldn't just sit around and watch, now would he? If he wouldn't leave Umbrella alone, he wouldn't leave this thing alone and voila, it turned into a suspense kinda thing. So why does he stop in the end? I had to make him stop or the story wouldn't have turned out the way I wanted it to be. I just had to give him a good reason, so I let him shift his priorities to what is most important to him: his sister. Why does it stop where it stops? It's a short story and I had to stop it somewhere. I forced myself to limit it to one single day and that day ended at 23.59, no matter what. Nobody says he didn't go on searching after that, we just don't get to know. Is he ever gonna find out the truth? I didn't plan on letting him find out, but who knows, maybe one day I'll change my mind…
'I hate funerals…' When I was seventeen and attended the funeral of a close friend of mine, who had committed suicide at the age of twenty-one, I decided I hated funerals. For the reasons I put in the story and a few others. I thought I'd have Chris share my opinion and take the chance to have two totally different perspectives on funerals in general.
Leon's StoryNow, it was clear from the very beginning that he wasn't really dead. Hell, he's my favourite RE character. I couldn't kill him even if I wanted to.
Leon: You better not!
Author: * gives him the evil look * If you don't stop interrupting me, I might just do it after all!
Leon: * pouts * What ever.
It was time to clear it all up and give him a reason for what he did. So, there you go.
One thing I like a lot about him is his sarcasm at the end of RE 2 when Birkin comes back for the tenth time (especially in Claire's scenario. "Just what I felt like. Persistent, aren't you? Well come and get it!"). So I decided to give him a good bucket full of sarcasm and make him a little rebellious to show he didn't exactly volunteer for the job.
Leon: By the way, thanks a lot!
Author: All right, I've had it with you. No more happy life for you! Ha!
Leon: * puppy eye look * Aww come on… please.
Author: * sighs * I'll think about it.
'The Basketball competition' One of my best friends reminds me a lot of Leon, looks wise anyway. He has a passion for Basketball and I love watching him play. So I decided I'd give Leon a little special talent…
The KeyYeah I know, it's going on and on about the key… I asked myself if I shouldn't cut it short, but then I realised that the key is actually the key to the story. It's a 'what if…' kinda thing. Ever asked yourself how a single minute could change your whole life?
What if…Leon hadn't left his keys? He would have walked straight to the car, never stopped in the driveway, never met Claire there, never….
What if…Leon had decided to go back inside, instead of asking Chris to toss the keys? He would have gone back into the hall, maybe met Claire there, then left with her, then …
So, no key, no story. You see? Plus, it kinda links all of the stories together…
The BabyYeah, it makes it a lot more dramatic, but that's not the main reason. For one, it's part of Leon's motivation to accept the deal and second, it'll play a big role in the story I mentioned earlier. Why a boy and not a girl? That's also somewhat important for the other story, so I figured I'd already set it up in this one.
By the way, two things are 'borrowed' from the 8th season of Friends. Those of you who love the show as much as I do, might have noticed. ^_^
Deleted scenes / Alternative endingsDeleted Scene: The Autopsy
Leon: I liked that one. You should have kept it.
Author: Na, it would have unnecessarily dragged out the story.
Leon: But you're gonna show them, right?
Author: * nods * Of course.
--- in the morgue ---
"What about the autopsy?" I asked, wondering how they were going to explain that there was no corpse. After all I had been 'murdered' so there would definitely be an autopsy.
"Not you're problem." The agent said. "Just leave it up to us."
"How you're gonna bury me without a corpse, huh?" I pressed on.
"Well," he said, slightly annoyed as he got up and walked over to the wall of cooling compartments. "If you MUST know." He yanked open one of the compartments. The steel table rolled out easily, clicking into place once it had come out all the way. The body was hidden underneath a white sheet, much like the one I had been covered with when I woke up from my nightmare. The agent threw it back, revealing a corpse with a gaping hole in his chest. I was shocked. It couldn't be… I slid off the autopsy table and walked on shaky legs. I had to see this closer. There was a young man laying on that table, about my age, maybe a couple of years older, roughly the same height and weight. His hair was almost the exact same colour as mine, only longer, reaching all the way down to his shoulders, but if they cut it, it would be perfect. Although his eyes were closed, I was pretty sure they would be blue. What amazed me the most was, that he actually did look a lot like me and it gave me the creeps, big time. However, there was undeniably one distinguishing mark. Subconsciously I touched my shoulder, feeling for the spot where the scare would be. He didn't have one.
"Now you're wondering how we're gonna get away with it." The agent said, casually propping his arm up onto the compartment door. He was reading my mind. I stared at him, waiting for an explanation.
"The pathologist doesn't know what you look like Leon. He'll see the nametag…" he reached across the dead body and held the tag attached to the corpses toe out to me. I felt the hair on the back of my neck raising as I read it; 'Leon Kennedy'.
"…and put it in his report. Without a doubt, this guy was shot in the chest with a shotgun." He pointed at the bloody whole, as if it was a city on the map. "And that's what he will write in his report. There is no reason for a DNA analysis. You've already been identified."
He rounded the table, stopping beside me and put his arm around my shoulder. I couldn't stop staring at the corpse. How could they find somebody who looked so much like me? An idea dawned on me and I craned my neck to look at the agent, searching his face for a clue. Had they… I slapped his arm off my shoulder.
"YOU killed him!" I screamed. "You murdered an innocent man just to have a corpse, didn't you?" I grabbed both his shoulders, pushing him backwards until he hit the wall. He obviously hadn't expected me to attack him, however his face remained emotionless, aggravating me even more.
"Calm down, Leon." Not a trace of uneasiness in his voice.
"No! NO!" I slammed him into the wall again, screaming. "You killed him. You son of a bitch killed him!"
I was losing my cool and I knew it wouldn't do me any good, but this was wrong. That man had nothing to do with our deal. He didn't deserve to die, not for me, not because he looked like me! I painfully snapped out of it, as the agent hit me in my already bruised ribs. I didn't see it coming, not until I felt the stabbing pain. Eyes watering, I went down on my knees, clutching my chest. Breathing shallowly I steady myself against the cold floor with my other hand. When I looked up at him, towering over me with locked arms and a wicked grin on his face, I had only one thing on my mind: hatred. I hated him more than ever and I wanted to break this deal off. I wanted to run away, to be with Claire. I wanted her to hold me and tell me this was a dream, just another nightmare.
"I didn't kill anyone." He said calmly, looking down on me "They found him this morning, somewhere in an alley. He's just a bum, a drug addict, a nobody. BUT… he's perfect. Don't you think?"
I knew it was a rhetorical question and even if it wasn't I didn't want to answer it. How was I supposed to be working for somebody who had no respect for life, no matter what kind of life it had been? The agent went back to the corpse, covering it with the sheet.
"To be honest," He said "He is so perfect, he is the main reason why we had to kill you today. You don't get a lot of chances to find a matching corpse."
I wasn't sure if I should believe they didn't kill anyone, but if I didn't want to feel guilty for the rest of my life, I had to believe it.
------
Author: You're right, it wasn't a bad scene. But, you weren't supposed to be freaking out like this.
Leon: * shrugs * I couldn't help it. He is such an asshole.
Author: He is SUPPOSED to be an asshole. Don't you get it?
Leon: Hmmm. Maybe if we edit it a little…
Author: I don't know. It doesn't quiet fit in.
Leon: Hey, I got an idea. Why don't you ask them? * turns to readers * What do you think? Should we change it a little and put it back in?
There were a few other scenes I thought I might leave out, then decided against it. Like the one in the entrance hall of the police station, when first Leon and then Claire talk to Mike. But it served its purpose in the end. It's the one minute thing again, how they missed each other by minutes. Among other things. The other one was the dream. That was a hard one, but I didn't wanna go from being drugged to waking up to being drugged to waking up. * shrugs * I don't know.
Alternative ending: There are two. One: I thought about simply stopping after Leon finds out the agency used him from the very beginning. Two: First I wanted to have Leon find out that Claire was in the hospital too and have him secretly check on her (without her knowing of course), then somehow changed my mind… If you want an alternative ending, I'm always open for suggestions.
I'm not big on Hollywood the-ugly-girl-gets-the-football star-and –everyone's-happy endings. I like to leave it open somehow, make you think about it. That doesn't mean I don't have stories with happy endings, it's just… life doesn't always have a happy ending and neither do my stories.
SoundtrackOne of my biggest inspirations is music. (I guess I'm not the only one here, right? ^_^) I listen to a song and suddenly a scene pops into my head…so here are the songs that helped with this story:
The Lover's Story:
Groove Coverage – Moonlight Shadow
The last that ever she saw him, carried away by a moonlight shadow
He passed on worried and warning…
Lost in the riddle last Saturday night, far away on the other side
He was caught in the middle of a desperate fight and she couldn't find how to push through
The trees that whisper in the evening,…
Sing the song of sorrow and grieving,…
All she saw was the silhouette of a gun, far away on the other side,
He was shot six times by a man on the run…
Novaspace – Guardian Angel
The Friend's StoryWolfsheim – Kein Zurück
The Victim's StoryHIM – The Funeral of Hearts
Dedications and Thank You'sThis story is dedicated to a friend of mine who went through a year of heaven and hell in Japan with me. She's the one who always believed in me and encouraged me to finally write those damn stories down instead of just talking about doing it! Thanx! ^_^
And last but not least. A big big THANX to all of you who reviewed this story.
* bows down * You guys are the best! Hope you'll stick around for the next one…
Leon: * yawns * Okay, seriously, this is getting boring. Can we go now?
Author: Yup. I'm finished.
Leon: Thank god.
Author: * waves good-bye* See you all soon!…I hope.
Leon: * grins * Yeah, see you…
Author: Why do you ALWAYS have to have the last word, huh? It's MY goddamn story and I ….
* start arguing again as they walk off into the sunset *
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