Disclaimer: Don't own Resident Evil, or that sexy boy toy, Leon. However, I do own Anya – she's my own creation.

Okay, everyone. Just a quick synopsis: This is a novelization of the Resident Evil game. I know there are only about twenty of those right now, so I'm glad you've given mine a chance. Anya is a character that I've put in - I felt Leon needed a partner and I'm tired of men getting all the fun. Time to send in a woman to kick some ass.

A/N: means thought

The village was a small one, so small it could barely even be called a "town". The village was spread across a few miles of land, but the neighbors' houses were so spread apart from one another, to borrow a cup of sugar or milk meant a fifteen minute walk.

The village was quiet most days. The residents mostly worked; milking the cows, minding the fields, and collecting the eggs and vegetables. Though they enjoyed their peaceful way of life, they knew when it was appropriate to have fun: a marriage, a birth or birthday. Don Juan, one of the village elders, owned his very own guitar, and would sometime sit out on his front porch and have sing-a-longs with young villagers' children.

Yes, it was a very peaceful place. Perfect, almost. They did not have the luxury of electrical appliances, but if they are not exposed to such things, then they cannot wish for them. Only a few families have left the village through the several generations since the Rodigo family first set up their home, almost two centuries ago.

The people who live in the pueblo enjoy their lives. They are not envious, they are not vain, and they are not hateful. But while they are none of these things, they are most definitely one thing: ignorant.

It is the perfect village.

That bratty President's daughter was somewhere in Europe, and Special Agent Anya Jovovich was not enthused. She'd rather that little snotbag stay missing.

Of course, it was her job. It was what she was trained to do. Nobody said being in the Secret Service was always desirable. In fact, at times it sucked.

She would give her life to save President Graham - she loved her country that much, and loved what he stood for. He was the best President this country had seen in quite a while.

But Anya did not like having to go rescue a conceited little college student, even if she was the President's daughter.

Ashley Graham was abducted about a week ago. She was on her way home from her university in Massachusetts when some unknown party simply whisked her up in broad daylight, and no one had heard from her since. There was no ransom note, no death threats, no clues. No one knew that she was missing until the pilot sent to pick her up at the airport radioed the White House to declare that neither Ashley nor her bodyguards were anywhere to be found. After checking surveillance cameras, it turned out the group had not even made it to the airport.

Not wanting to upset the U.S. with news of Ashley's abduction, President Graham quietly called together his council to go over possible strategies. Though her captors had not bothered to get in touch with the President, he knew that there was a different motive behind her attack: fame? Probably. Money? More than likely. It was with this reasoning that President Graham knew that his daughter was still alive somewhere, but he had yet to discover the true motive.

Keeping this whole ordeal under wraps was going to prove difficult. The news media would have loved nothing more than to get their sticky hands on this story: PRESIDENT'S DAUGHTER ABDUCTED: What the gov't plans to save her. This would only upset the public into thinking this was another planned terrorist attack, and President Graham could not bear to deal with the ridiculous questions at the next press conference: "How do you feel about your daughter being abducted, President Graham?" Yes, he was the President, but he was also a father. This tribulation was affecting him as it would any other parent.

During his conference with his council, the secret service announced that they would immediately send in one of their own to investigate this mess. Deep down, President Graham wanted nothing more than to launch the entire U.S. Navy after his daughter, but common sense told him that sending in an agent was the best thing to do. Running a frustrated hand through his hair for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day, President Graham nodded and agreed.

Anya's home phone went off that night at exactly five o'clock. Pulling herself away from the television, she went into the kitchen and glimpsed at the caller I.D. When the image "White House" (no number listed) flashed on the screen, Anya practically dove for the phone. Something had happened. When she hit the TALK button, she opened her mouth to say something, but her supervisor's gruff voice beat her to it: "Get down to HQ immediately. We have a situation. Suit up and pack something." Then he hung up.

Suit up. That meant that she was going on an assignment. Wicked.

Fifteen minutes later, Anya was driving through HQ's gates. And five minutes after that, she was jogging toward her supervisor's office. She did knock on the door, but did so while simply barging in. "Boss, I'm here."

She saw the older man sitting in his chair behind his desk. He was wearing his usual suit, but his coat was off, his tie was undone, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up. He looked up at her, his glasses on the bridge of his nose. He simply said, "Sit down."

Anya tried not to look too anxious as she shut the door behind her and sat down in one of the seats.

Boss said, "We have a problem. Ashley wasn't at the airport today."

It took Anya a moment for that to sink in. Then she realized that this was the day that Ashley was to come home from college. It hit her suddenly that she hadn't seen Ashley at all, or the little princess's usual mob of irritating, giggly friends hitting on the younger White House workers. The prissy snob wasn't even there that day.

"Did you hear me, Agent?" Boss snapped.

He called me "agent". Ooh, it's a sure guarantee now – I'm on assignment.

"Yes, sir. Just thinking, sir," Anya quickly replied.

"She was taken on her way home from college. We checked over records and surveillance cameras, but it turns out she didn't even make it to the extraction point. She must have been abducted sometime between leaving her dorm and traveling to the airport," Boss said in his gruff voice and reaching over his desk to pick up a cigar from the elegant box. "The President had a conference and we all agreed that it would be best if we kept this little… snag under wraps."

Anya nodded. The reporters would have a field day.

"So, we're going to be discreet about this and send in only our best to sort this problem out. There aren't that many leads," he handed her a file labeled TOP SECRET, "but we've managed to pinpoint the country she's in."

He lit up his cigar while Anya flipped over the file cover and saw Ashley's picture staring back at her.

Anya looked up at Boss. "Sir, can I ask you a question?"

"You just did."

Anya was used to Boss's dry humor. "Why did you pick me for this mission?"

Boss blew out a ring of smoke through his mouth. He thought for a moment, and then looked over at Anya. "Looking for a compliment, agent?"

"No, sir," Anya said quickly. "Just curious."

"Your skills surpass everyone else's in the department," Boss said, his gaze boring into hers. "Your decoding abilities are near perfection, and you're the best damn computer hacker I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. Still curious?"

Anya felt the blush rise in her cheeks. "No, sir."

There was a knock at the door. Anya quickly closed the file.

"Who is it?" Boss called.

"Leon Kennedy, sir."

Leon Kennedy? Anya thought, her mind whirring. The hell was he doing here?

"Come on in, kid."

The door opened and Leon Kennedy stepped in. Anya noticed with disappointment that Kennedy was suited up as well, his handgun holster strapped to his thigh.

"Close the door and sit down."

Kennedy did as he was told. When he sat down in the chair next to Anya, Anya had to look away.

She hoped this didn't mean what she thought it did.

Boss took another puff on his cigar and leaned back in his leather chair. "Jovovich, you have a partner."

Anya fought the urge to curse aloud. "Sir, I think it would be best if I did this assignment alone."

Out of the corner of her eye, Anya saw Leon turn his head toward her, no doubt giving her a puzzled look.

Boss's eyebrow went up, intrigued (it was usually hard to surprise a veteran like him). "Really? Why's that?"

"Don't you think it would be odd if the two of us were to travel to her university and start asking questions about Ashley? I think it would raise suspicions."

"That's the best accuse you could think of? It would raise suspicions if one of you started asking questions. He's your backup, kid," Boss growled. "You watch his back, he watches yours. Besides, you're not going to Ashley's university. You're heading over to Europe. Give Kennedy the file."

Anya handed over the file without looking at Leon. Her new "partner" took it and began to leaf through it.

"Go get your equipment and then proceed to the helipad. From there, you'll be taken to the airport. The rest is in the file."

The two young agents stood up and went for the door.

Boss narrowed his eyes. "Kennedy?"

Kennedy turned back around. "Yes, sir?"

"You may be partners in this, but Jovovich is first agent. You will follow her orders, understand?"

Kennedy nodded. He opened the door and walked out.

Anya was about to follow when she heard Boss's stern voice from behind. "Happy, Jovovich?"

Anya turned and looked at Boss. She cleared her throat and answered "Yes, sir", even though it was clear that she was far from glad.

"Go on, then. Get out of my office," Boss replied.

Anya shut the door behind her.

Surprisingly, Kennedy had waited for her out in the hall. She thought it had been because he was merely being a gentleman, but it turned out for a different reason: "Judging by your reaction back there, I take it that you weren't expecting help on this mission?"

Anya walked toward weapon recovery. "No."

Kennedy walked beside her. "Well, we're stuck together."

"I suppose."

Of course, Anya did know Leon. They had been friends in the months that they had known one another. But that didn't change her feelings about having a partner during this mission.

"Jesus Christ, Anya," Leon said, keeping his voice dangerously low, "The hell is your problem? I thought you'd appreciate having some extra help."

"Leon, I don't mind being partnered up, I just don't like having you as my partner."

Leon was silent.

"No – that came out wrong," Anya said. Anya finally looked at Leon, and came to a halt in the middle of the corridor. Workers passed them, oblivious to the quiet argument. Anya folded her arms across her chest and took a deep, shaky breath. "Three assignments ago, I had a partner whom I grew attached to. We were almost home free until he got gunned down. I had to leave him there to die while I ran for my life to the extraction point," Anya said softly, her eyes locking on Leon's. "That's why I like working alone."

Leon stared at her until she turned on her heel and continued down the corridor. He ran up to her and said softly, "I'm sorry. I never knew."

"Well, now you do," Anya sighed.

It was true – Leon Kennedy was one of the few friends that she had, one of the few people she even liked. After discovering that they had shared similar experiences with the Umbrella Corporation, she had spent a lot of time with him, whether by hanging out at his apartment on the weekend, or hitting the bars after an especially crappy day at work. He was unlike the other guys in her department: he was young like her and he had a sweet and righteous personality. At twenty seven years of age, Leon had that veteran's look in his eyes, but he wasn't arrogant in the slightest. Unbeknownst to him, Anya and a couple of other women she worked with had labeled him Leon, the Hottie Extraordinaire. Not only was Leon Kennedy just about the hottest guy in her department, but he knew his stuff. Though this was his first assignment, he knew about strategies and was the best weapons specialist she had ever met.

She knew some stuff about his family, since there were days when he wouldn't stop talking about them. He had a younger sister, an older brother, a mom and dad, but he hadn't seen any of them in a couple years. His job had kept him away from all the family gatherings, though he would have given anything to be there. Anya knew that Leon had been working his way through the ranks of the government for many years, ever since he got recruited when he was 21. Anya could definitely hold her own in a fight, but she knew that Leon was going to have her back when (and if) she needed it.

"Well, Anya, I must say, I'm touched," Leon spoke up. "You're scared for my life."

Anya sighed, but didn't say anything.

"This is my first assignment," Leon said.

"I know."

"And I couldn't imagine being paired with a better person."

Anya gave him a sideways glance, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Leon Scott Kennedy, you are the biggest suckup —"

"No, I'm serious," he interrupted, chuckling.

She was scared for him, but she was also scared for herself. She was in a dangerous line of work, putting her life on the line just to protect someone else's. Any person in her position would worry about themselves, of course, but they would also worry about their family's welfare.

But, Anya did not have a family. Not anymore. If she were to die, knowing that her family would not have to suffer the pain of losing a loved one, only made Anya's job easier. It's what kept her going every day.

Two hours later, she and Leon were settling down on the airplane, in the plush, leather seats that made up first class. Leon let her have aisle seat, after she informed him she gets airsick quickly and might have to bolt for the lavatory.

Anya took off her coat and stuffed it in the overhead compartment. Before she sat down, though, she looked at Leon. "Gonna take off your coat?"

Leon, who had been looking at Ashley's files, said absently, "Right."

Anya rolled her eyes. "Typical men." She reached over and put her hand flat on the pile. "Earth to Leon."

This time he snapped out of his daze. He looked up at his partner and said, "I'm sorry?"

Anya smiled softly. "Your coat, monsieur?"

"Oh, yeah." Leon shrugged out of his coat and handed it to Anya. "Thanks."

"No prob," she said, stuffing it in the compartment beside hers. "I hope you paid more attention than that at basic training."

Leon smiled. "How could I not, with Geoff shouting in my face every day?"

Anya grimaced at the thought of their self-defense trainer, Staff Sergeant Geoffrey Vamper (known as "Vampire" to his students). The short-tempered older man was obsessed with pain. His philosophy: the more pain, the harder you'll work. He nearly made Anya cry during her first class, but he learned to back off when Anya "accidentally" broke his nose that very same day. To this day, she's known as the only person who was able to cause physical injury the "always-prepared" Geoff.

"What an asshole," Anya breathed.

"That sucker punch was classic. That sure shut him up. I've never seen anyone throw a punch that fast."

Anya grinned proudly while she buckled herself into her seat. "He was harassing me because I was the only girl in that class. I wanted to put him in his place."

"You know, Darins was going to ask you out that day, but when he saw you take out Geoff, he changed his mind."

"What? Darins was going to ask me out?" Anya gasped. "It's not like I was going to hurt him while out on a date."

Leon chuckled, amused. "No, you probably would have. Let's just say Darins intentions weren't…honorable."

Anya shot Leon a look. "Typical man?"

"Typical man," Leon affirmed.

"Well, he was cute," Anya admitted, placing her tray down. "All right, fork it over. Let's see what we're getting ourselves into."

Leon spread the contents of the file over both their trays. For the next few hours, Anya and Leon didn't discover much of anything. There weren't many leads; no witnesses, no clues, no ransom notes. Anya didn't understand how Boss expected them to rescue Ashley with no information. It was going to be like finding a needle in a gargantuan haystack.

Two hours into it, Anya rubbed her eyes and said, "Let the priss stay missing. I don't give a flying hoot."

Leon reached up and turned on the light, fixing the scope to shine on the papers. "Anya —"

"What? You don't like her either, so shut up," Anya grumbled.

"I don't know her, how can I not like her?" Leon asked calmly.

"You sound like my mother."

"A wise woman, obviously."

"Yes," Anya sighed. "She was very, very wise."

Leon was silent. He didn't know what to say. He'd seen a lot of good people die in his day, but it'd never been anyone he had ever grown close to. Except for Ada.

He shook his head, trying to get her out of his head. He refused to think about her, especially when he needed to get work done.

"Well, this is going to be fun," Anya sighed, "I haven't been to Europe in a few years."

"We're not going there for a vacation, Anya."

She shot him another look, but of amusement. "Could we pretend it's a vacation?"