Author's Note: My sincere thanks to all who have reviewed and sent e-mails! They mean a lot to me, it's satisfying to know that other people are just as interested in Leon and Mathilda as I am. Isn't fan fiction fabulous?!

Chapter Nine

D.E.A. Building

26 Federal Plaza

Walking down the hall towards Jimmy's office, John glanced idly at the photos lining the walls. Previous head honchos and those lost in the line of duty. He came to a full stop in front of the one of Norman Stansfield. Jimmy turned to see what was keeping him and met Simon's eyes. Simon shrugged and was about to push John along when Jimmy shook his head.

John knew that face . . .

A young girl with dark hair dangling her legs off the stair landing, a conversation about cigarettes and secrets...the man in the picture exiting the girls' apartment, arguing with her father about drugs and money...

The same girl with a bloody nose...

"Is life always like this or just when you're a kid?"

"Always like this," he answers with brutal honesty.

Shotgun blasts and gun shots fill the air as the girls' family is massacred. Her desperate tear stained face as she knocks on his door, begging to be let in...

That night he puts a gun to the girls' head as she sleeps and almost pulls the trigger...

He trains her in the art of cleaning, proud of her natural ability and skill...

She wants him to kill the men who murdered her family, but he refuses, so she decides to do the job herself...in this building.

He rescues her, but Stansfield comes after them, surrounding the hotel and making escape impossible. He forces her to leave him...

"I don't wanna lose you," she cries, not budging any further down the air shaft.

"You're not gonna lose me. You've given me a taste for life. I wanna be happy, sleep in a bed, have roots. You'll never be alone again. Go now, go. See you at Tony's. I'm gonna clean them all. Tony's in an hour."

But he hadn't made it to Tony's. Stansfield found him first.

"Stansfield?"

"At your service."

"This is from Mathilda." And the world had gone black.

"Stansfield," Leon said under his breath.

"I guess you can remember something after all, Mr. Clark," Jimmy said. The look that Leon turned on him sent chills down his spine and his hand to his gun holster. But Leon was faster. He twisted around, grabbing Simon and putting him between himself and Jimmy. He took the knife from his backpack and held it to Simon's neck.

"Why did you bring me here?" he asked Jimmy calmly. Jimmy swallowed and raised both hands in the air.

"Like I told you, I just wanted to know what you remembered."

"I remember a lot, what do you want to know?" Jimmy pursed his lips and didn't answer. He and Leon simply stared at one another, engaged in a silent battle of the wills. Jimmy made a quick move for his gun, but Leon shook his head.

"Mistake," he said, running his knife lightly along Simon's neck, a thin stream of blood flowing from the cut. Simon gasped and went rigid. Jimmy held up his hands again.

"Okay, okay, take it easy... you realize there's no way outta here."

"There's always a way out. One guard downstairs, you two here, I like those odds," Leon responded, eyeing his surroundings for an escape route.

Mathilda reached the fourth floor landing and put her ear to the door, listening. She heard male voices speaking, but couldn't understand what they were saying. Using Gerald's keys, she unlocked the door and opened it slightly. She found herself looking down a long hallway with three men towards the end. She recognized all three – Jimmy Pace, Simon Toretti...and Leon. They seemed to be in some kind of standoff, Leon holding Simon at knifepoint with Jimmy looking on.

Mathilda didn't know whether to help him or not. Would he even remember her? Would he recognize her? He knew her name, but was there anything more than that? Six years had passed, she wasn't a scrawny 12 year old anymore. She finally decided to watch and wait. If it looked as if Leon needed help, she'd step in. Otherwise, revealing her presence might just agitate him. Even though he had amnesia, 20 years worth of skills didn't just disappear. He would be fine.

Leon wasn't completely in possession of his full memories yet, but they were returning quickly. So quickly, his head was beginning to hurt.

Mathilda. Where was she? Had she escaped from the hotel before the explosion? Did she make it to Tony's? He'd been in the hospital for 6 years, anything could've happened to her in that time.

These men had found him. What if they had found her as well?

"The girl," Leon stated. "Where is she?" Jimmy frowned.

"Who?" he asked.

"Mathilda," Leon clarified. Jimmy didn't know what the fuck this guy was talking about, but he needed an advantage, so he'd play along.

"She's safe," Jimmy assured him, relaxing a bit. "Why don't you let Simon go and we'll talk about it."

"Where is she?" Leon asked again.

"She's safe," Jimmy repeated. Leon thought this over and then gestured to Jimmy's shoulder holster.

"Take your gun out." Jimmy started to reach for it with his right hand.

"No," Leon told him, "the other hand." Jimmy awkwardly unbuckled and removed the gun with his left hand. "Put it on the floor and kick it over here." Jimmy complied. Leon tightened his grip on Simon and told him to pick the gun up by the barrel. When he had, Leon grabbed the gun with his free hand and slid it into the waistband of his pants. "Take me to her. Now." Jimmy thought it over and shrugged.

"We'll have to take a little trip."

Mathilda was frustrated. As much as she strained her ears, she couldn't make out what they were saying. Eventually they seemed to come to some sort of agreement and headed back towards the elevator. She stayed just long enough to ascertain that the elevator was descending, then ran down the stairs, skipping 3 or 4 at a time.

Even if their destination wasn't the ground floor, she could track them on the security cameras at the front desk. As she jumped the last set of steps, she grabbed her bag from underneath the stairwell and silently cracked the door. Just as she did so, the elevator dinged and opened.

In the elevator, Leon had exchanged the gun for the knife. Gun in hand, he lowered it into his jacket pocket, muzzle aimed at Simon's back. Luckily, Simon was wearing a turtleneck and, with a bit of adjusting, the wound on his neck was covered. Leon assured Jimmy that is any attempt was made to alert the security guard, Simon would pay the price. When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Leon gestured for the men to precede him out.

Mathilda watched as the trio exited the elevator and walked away from her towards the lobby. As soon as they turned the corner, she opened the door and stepped out, letting it close softly behind her.

As they approached the front desk, Jimmy came to a stop and looked around.

"Gerald!" he called out.

"Hey!" Leon warned him.

"The guard has to sign us out and lock the front door. It's procedure, he'll wonder what's up if we don't." Jimmy checked the bathroom by the front door with no luck. "Maybe he's doing rounds, I'll call him on the radio." He walked around the desk and came to an abrupt stop. "Holy shit," he said, looking at something on the ground.

Leon took the gun out of his pocket and aimed in Jimmy's direction. "What is it?" he asked. Jimmy held a hand out to Leon.

"Gerald, the guard, is on the floor. I'm just gonna reach down and check his pulse," Jimmy told him, bending down behind the desk. He rose a moment later. "His pulse is strong. There are burn marks on his neck, looks like someone used a taser on him and his hands are tied behind his back." He looked furtively around the lobby. "There's someone else in this building."