Fix You

Finally, after a month I'm able to update. I sincerely and deeply apologize for my lack of posting, I spent my time catching up in my classes. What happened was, I had started a new semester in school but with my unfortunate luck, sometime during the month, I caught the deadly flu that had been going around my hometown. It took me down for two weeks. Two long horrible weeks. And if that wasn't enough I got behind in ALL of my classes, so I spent the rest of the month catching up. Fortunately, I started spring break, so I took a whole day finishing up this chapter so I apologize if it's boring or just not good. I made sure to make it longer than what I've usually been posting so hopefully that will make up for any disappointments.

El Yunque Mountain, Puerto Rico

"Ahh!" Helena winced from the sharp pain erupting from her sides, cursing at how much it stung and ached. "Sorry" Leon said softly as he withdrew his fingers. "You've definitely got some broken ribs." Looking upon her, his face dropped in sadness at the sight of the raw god awful cuts and bruises adorning throughout her face and once flawless skin.

Carefully he slid the tight white blouse, stained with her blood, back down over her body. Moving back, he then released a deep heavy sigh. "I should have protected you. I'm sorry." He ran his large bloodied hands through his hair in frustration. What now?

Sitting up against a large boulder, Helena panted. The sounds of wildlife sounded, filling the moist humid atmosphere. "Don't be." She groaned for each word she spoke sent a pang of pain through her. "This is my fault. It's all because of me."

Leon looked upon her, his expression blatant and shook his head. He stood from his kneeled position, his eyes scanning the area where he saw nothing but trees and shrub. "We need to get out here." The grip on the blade he had taken from a soldier was tight in his hand. The brunette's pants continued. "Then you're best bet is to leave me." Leon whipped around in quick action, his expression changing to that of disbelief and shock from her audacity to say such things. "Helena-"

"Don't" she interjected firmly. Her gaze hardened. "We both know I'm only slowing you down. We barely managed to escape-" she choked back her words as pain flowed. Once it passed she breathed out. "Leon, I'll never forgive myself if you die because of me. I won't go through that again." She shook her head. "I won't. You need to leave me-"

At the sound of a twig snapping and two distant voices, Leon swept up behind Helena and pulled her close, placing his hand over her mouth, muffling her voice. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sudden action. The blond clutched her close to his body and pressed up against the large rock, standing quiet as the voices grew louder.

"Man, this job sucks." A sigh sounded, followed by a chuckle.

"Yeah, but at least the pay doesn't. Though I am a little jealous we don't get to join in the fun back at the states."

The chuckling voice scoffed at the sentence. "Tch, I'd rather be here in this godforsaken jungle and still have my will of mind than under Lexington's control. At least I can say I still have my humanity." The softer yet still firm voice chuckled. "You have a point. By the way, it's a rainforest not a jungle."

"Yeah, well I was never good at geometry."

"It's geography."

An annoyed sigh sounded. "I'm going to shoot you if you don't shut the fuck up."

Another chuckle followed, "Somebody's sensitive."

Coursing through the stretch of thick forest were two men, both a part of Lexington's hired platoon. Each wore a full dark colored body suit completed with armor and equipped with a visor helmet and vest. In either set of hands were standard issue AK 47's and M-16's.

The two sets of footsteps on the dirt came to an end as the soldiers stopped. Mere moments of silence followed before an impatient sigh sounded. "I understand Lexington has a hard on for this woman but how are we supposed to find her? There's no telling she's even alive. We aren't the worst thing out here."

"Oh she's alive," Was the response. "The man she's with, he's trained for combat. You should have seen him. Fucker took out five of our men while he and the woman were escaping the base."

"You're kidding."

"No, no, I'm serious. He was fast-"

The soldier telling of Leon's escapade released a sudden gasp followed by a gurgle as a blade pierced through from the back of his throat and sliced all the way through the front. At the sight, his comrade jumped back, "What the fuck?!" Underneath his helmet his eyes widened as he witnessed his fallen comrades demise. The body fell with a hard thud.

"Ray!"

Before having time to retort or react, a blade pierced through the still standing soldier's chest, he too releasing a startled gurgle as blood spewed from his mouth much like his deceased companion. As the blade retracted he released a pained grunt. More pain was added to the sound as the blade struck a second time through the throat.

As the body fell, a sigh was heard. "I told you to stay put."

Groaning, Helena leaned forward as she held her sides; the bloody blade she had taken from Paxton was clutched tightly in her hand. "You were taking too long." Her balance was suddenly lost as she tumbled forward, caught by a pair of strong arms. "Come on" Leon spoke softly. "We should keep moving." He glanced back to the corpses. They could use the weapons and ammo. He looked to the brunette. They could definitely use some supplies.

After placing Helena up against the boulder, making sure she stood firmly on her feet, Leon returned back to the soldiers where he bent down toward the body of the first soldier and stripped him free of any holsters, ammo, weapon, or blade he had on him; tucking them all in their rightful place inside the holsters he had strapped onto his body.

Once done, he approached the brunette, taking her hand in his. "Let's go." He moved forward. Helena held back, yanking her hand from his grip. "Wait" she said, stepping back and away. Her voice sounded unsure, indecisive, as if she were struggling to say what was on her mind.

Leon stood, confused. What could possibly be going through her head that would have her act this way all of a sudden? With reluctance Helena looked up to the male and spoke, "Maybe we should just turn ourselves in." The blonde's face dropped in pure and utter disbelief. Had he imagined her saying those words? Had it been a cruel trick of the mind? To make sure, he questioned his insecurity, "What?"

"You heard me" she replied. She could not mean what she had just said, could she? The male shook his head slightly, still unsure on whether to believe her or not, "You're serious?"

The brunette put on a straight face, all hesitance and doubt gone, and nodded. "I know how it sounds but, come on, Leon we have to think rationally. There's no other way to get out of this alive. What are we going to do?"

"What are we-" Leon uncharacteristically shook his head, releasing a scoff. "What are you saying? Do you even hear yourself? We're going to fight back" he said in a callous voice as he stepped close, placing his hands over her shoulders. "You and I; just like Tall Oaks and China. We're going to get out of this-"

"No!" She pushed him back and panted, her sudden outburst leaving her breathless. "This isn't like that." She looked to the ground. "We had support back then. We had weapons." She shook her head, looking up at him. "Out here we have nothing. We don't even know where we are. We're sitting ducks. Our best bet is to give ourselves up and be taken back to the base-"

"If we go back we'll be killed no matter what!" Leon shouted, his voice wavering. He swallowed, taking deep breaths. It was never his intention to shout. It had been a spur of the moment for her words had been unsettling. Helena stood in stunned silence. Once calm, Leon shook his head in a firm manner, his gaze stern, intense. He made sure to lower his voice as he spoke. "We're not going back. I admit, realistically, we have no chance going up against a legion of armed men and with the limited amount of rounds and the two blades we have, its pure suicidal to even try, but we have to."

Yet again, the brunette shook her head, breathing heavily. "No, no. It's too risky."

"Helena-" Leon reached for her.

Helena pushed him back once again, "No!" He grunted softly as he stumbled back in response. Why was she acting like this? It didn't seem to make sense. She sniffled. "You don't get it." She looked off, shaking her head, her arms coiling around herself.

Leon narrowed his eyes. What was going on? This wasn't like Helena at all. In the past months he'd come to know her, it had been well enough for him to know that she would never stand down from a fight. "You're right." He interjected, voice firm. "I don't. This isn't like you. Where's the Helena I met in Tall Oaks? Where is the woman who fought like hell, driven to survive?"

Helena bit her lower lip to keep it from quivering. She had to stay strong, hard. "She's been gone a long time. This is who I am now." Leon shook his head, refusing to accept that answer. It was pure utter bullshit. "No. I refuse to believe to that. There's something else. Something you're not saying."

The brunette shook her head, backing away as the blond stepped close. "There's nothing. I just want you to leave me behind. You'll have a better chance without me." She released a breath. Her walls were falling, diminishing. She wrapped her arms tighter around her quavering form. "Helena, just say it" Leon said. Best to just tell the truth, there was no point in keeping it.

Taking a breath, Helena's voice trembled slightly as she spoke. "Everyone I've cared for or loved has died because of me; it's always been my fault. One way or another I caused their death. And I-" her voice caught in her throat as the tears she had been forcing back escaped. There wasn't much sense in holding back anymore. She sniffled yet again, shaking her head more. "I won't have that with you. I won't-no- I refuse to be the cause of your death. I've lost too many people in my life Leon. I refuse to add you to that list. So just go, please."

So that was it. She was terrified. He understood the fear she felt and her reason for wanting to stay, it was to save him. But he simply wasn't having it. Her heart may have been in the right place but her head wasn't.

"So that's your plan then?" Leon questioned in a derisive manner. He was angry. In losing another loved one, he knew the pain would be to overwhelming and it would more than likely destroy her but what Helena failed to realize was in her being left behind, it too would destroy him and for her to choose the easy way out, simply giving up, she may as well have killed him herself.

"Leaving you behind, leaving you to die, where does that leave me, huh? I've lost people too Helena, but it's just like I told you before, we move on-"

"So then move on!" Helena shouted. Leon gave a small gasp, eyes widening, before regaining his composure quickly. He could not believe she had said that. How could she? Did she believe she meant so little to him? Despite his fuming, he kept a cool calm demeanor. "Just like that huh? You think it's that easy?" Leon gave a deep heavy sigh as he pulled her close to him, embracing her tightly. His anger melted upon touching her, feeling her, turning instead to sorrow. "Do you really think I'd be able to live with myself if I lost you?"

Helena buried her face in his chest, sobbing as Leon continued. "I'm not gonna lose you Helena. I'm not going to leaving you behind. I'm not letting you go." He placed his chin above her head, much like he had done long ago in the cabin when he had consoled her after she had awoken from a nightmare, and scoffed at how ludicrous the mere thought of him leaving and living without her was. Did she really expect it from him? Did she think he had it in him to do such a thing?

Voicing his thoughts he said, "How can you even consider the thought? It isn't in me to leave someone behind. Especially someone I care deeply for. Someone I love." He stepped back, his form looming over her. He placed his arms over hers, holding her in place as he moved his face to be inches from hers, choosing instead to touch his forehead with hers much like he had done so as he said his goodbyes before leaving for the Arizona Mission. "I know you're scared." He spoke softly. "I am too but you and I are both going to get out of this, okay? It's you and me, just us. Do you understand me?"

Helena looked into his eyes, holding his sincere compassionate gaze. The ocean blue orbs spoke the truth and held nothing but determination with a hint of fear mixed in. It was in that moment, the brunette came to realize he was never going to leave her. No matter what she tried, how much she fussed or kicked or screamed he would not leave her. He feared the same as she, to lose a loved one.

In an instant, the brunette threw herself onto the blond. She pressed her lips against his in the fiery passion she never once stopped feeling. The flame still burned and it burned something vigorously fierce. Holding her close, the blond returned the kiss with a fire of his own. The feel of each other's lips pressed against one another hurt, a pain they both welcomed.

The not so distant sound of an engine roaring caused both the blond and brunette to stir, breaking them apart. Following the roar were shouts and whistles of exhilaration. The two looked at one another, the same thought crossing their minds. More soldiers were on the way.

"Shit!" Leon cursed with a hiss. "We need to move!" Taking hold of Helena's hand, he pulled her into a run, taking off into the forest just as the cavalry arrived in a large armored Humvee. "There they go!" a voice shouted.

The two panted as they ran, Helena more from pain than anything else; the infuriating pain that refused to leave her. What was this pain? It was too great, too strong, to bare. Helena could not withstand against it any longer. It was just too much.

She panted, heavily. It was becoming difficult to receive any air into her lungs. Her chest and scraped legs burned. Her line of vision was blurring. Before she knew what was occurring, she felt her legs give out. Helena toppled to the ground, dragging Leon down along with her.

The fall caused the two lovers to roll about in the dirt rather crudely and grotesquely, before coming to a complete stop. Mere seconds of silence followed after before broken by a groan from Leon. He blinked away the pain as best he could.

Before even given the chance to fully recover, an engine roared. Raucous laughter and whistling followed; the cavalry. Leon lifted his head. The Humvee was speeding its way through the forest and down the path. "Shit!" the male cursed again.

On instinct and quick act, he moved toward Helena, who lay beside him, and shoved her. The brunette gave a grunt as she rolled downhill. Just as the Humvee closed in, Leon threw himself aside, grunting as he too rolled downhill behind her.

The vehicle skidded to a stop. The soldier resting with the large machine gun mounted a top aimed the weapon as he searched for their targets. Two more stepped from the vehicle, guns aimed as well as they preceded a foot pursuit. "Down here! Move!" a voice called.

Colliding with great force against a log caused Helena to groan out loud in agony. Tears of pain formed but never dropped. With another groan, the brunette rolled to her side. The voices above her had her cursing her misfortune. Where was Leon?

What Leon hadn't counted on was the tree in the middle of his path. His eyes widened as he came upon it and grunted as he struck the trunk head on with full force. Had it not been for the years of training and experience, Leon would never have gained a high resistance to such blows and would more than likely have passed out from the impact. Fortunately, all the impact had really done was thrown him off course. Spotting Helena up ahead, the male stood, groaning in pain and staggered towards her. A sudden rush to the head had the male falling to the ground, slipping downhill a few feet more.

"There she is!" a second voice shouted.

Oh no. No, no, no. Please, no! Gunshots were fired and screams were heard. No! Forcing himself up to his feet, Leon rushed forward. Helena! Oh god, please! Please let her be alright! He couldn't lose her. He just couldn't.

He slid to a sudden stop as he came to the sight of a single soldier standing in the midst of dead bodies. "Well" the soldier chuckled as he came to notice the male, "Looks like we got us a straggler." Leon glanced around, fear and panic running through him. Where was Helena? None of the corpses were her. She was gone.

His gaze turned onto the soldier. He clenched his teeth, staring daggers. "Where is Helena?" he demanded. His response was a mere laugh. Rage had Leon growling as he launched himself with a lunging grunt at the enemy knocking the gun out of hand and reach. The two toppled to the ground in a struggle, the blond gaining the upper hand as he settled himself over the soldier in a straddle. "Where is she you bastard?!" he demanded as he delivered punch after punch. Had he kept hold of the knife or even the gun during his tumble, the fight would have been long over. "Where is Helena?!"

Spotting the hilt of a blade hidden inside a holster strapped to the chest of the soldier, Leon reached and retrieved it. Yelling out his anger, he raised the knife high over his head. Murder gleamed in his eyes. If this man refused to talk then there was no longer a need for him to live. Before he could bring the knife down, the soldier underneath him spoke, in a calm voice nonetheless. "Relax hero, she's fine."

What, hero? Leon hindered his attack, taking a moment. Only one person he knew of called him that. But it couldn't be, could it? His voice had been the same. Hesitantly, he lowered the blade. "Jake?" The man underneath him released a grunt, "The one and only. Mind getting off of me?"

Taking a leap of faith, Leon removed himself and stood. "What are you doing here?" Sighing, the man removed his helmet. It was indeed Jake. "You forget" he spoke as he took Leon's outstretched hand. "I'm a mercenary. I'm being paid to be here."

That only meant one thing; he was working for the enemy. Leon narrowed his eyes. "You're working for Lexington, the man who's single handedly trying to destroy the world." Jake shrugged his shoulders, nonchalant, "Whatever pays best."

How could he only care for money? Human lives were at stake yet again, did that mean nothing to him? Leon watched as the younger male shook his head slightly as he reached at his side where a handgun rested. "I don't know how I'm going to explain this." He spoke as he retrieved it. "This really isn't going to sit well with Sherry."

Leon kept a firm grip on the hilt of the blade, ready to use it when necessary. "Where is Helena?" His voice was firm, having grown tired of games. He met the mercenaries gaze and held it, staring him down. Without breaking eye contact, Jake spoke, "Out cold in the truck. Don't worry, she's fine. My orders are to return her to the base, you on the other hand…"

The blond raised the knife protectively in front of him, ready to attack. "I don't want to have to kill you Jake." He warned. Jake chuckled but said nothing as he aimed the weapon. Tension raised as both males resumed the game of staring one another down, each trying to break the other down. Leon shook his head slightly; a movement missed had the mercenary blinked. "Don't do this Jake" he spoke. "Think about Sherry." Jake cocked the gun, "I am."

As if on cue, the shrub of plant life rustled behind Leon who instinctively turned to face the new culprit. He released a small gasp, "Sherry?" The petite female stopped, blue eyes blinking in surprise, "Leon?" She hadn't expected to find him this quickly. Confusion flowed through the male at the sight of her here, standing before him. What was she doing here? One could say it was China all over again, finding the last person he hadn't thought he would see in the one place he least expected.

"What are you doing here?" he questioned, turning back to face his previous opponent. Sherry took notice of his defensive stance and followed his gaze, eyes widening. "Jake, what are you doing?" A sly smirk crept onto Jake's lips, "What's it look like?"

"Jake! Stop it!"

The tension rose and rose like a rough wave during a wild storm in the sea. Would Jake fire? Would Leon throw the knife? Who would die first? In a sudden, surprising, unexpected act, Jake burst into mild laughter.

Leon raised a brow, confused now more than before. He looked back toward Sherry who seemed to have the same expression on her face. What the hell was going on? Jake gave a content sigh and lowered the gun in his hands, tucking it away into the holster at his side, "I'm just fucking with you hero."

Never had Leon wanted to beat the hell out of someone more than know. Damn kid and his sick sense of humor. Beside him, he heard Sherry growl in frustration. He watched as she approached Jake and punched his shoulder rather hard, "That's not funny!" Jake stopped his laughter and shook his head, "Can't believe you fell for that. I expected it from the hero, but you?" He gave one final chuckle. Sherry pushed him, "Jerk."

"What's going on?" Leon questioned, his voice reflecting his frustration at the current situation. The couple turned their gaze toward him. He still stood in his defensive stance. "You can relax hero" Jake said with a smirk.

Eyes narrowed, the blond lowered the blade, keeping it at his side. "Are you both working for Lexington?" Sherry shook her head, "DSO sent us here. You've been missing for thirty six hours." Leon blinked, turning his gaze onto the woman. "What?"

A frown formed on the young woman's lips, eyes reflecting her sorrow. "That's not the worst of it. We're under attack Leon. It's bad. Lexington sent an army of infected to the states, they're attacking the capitol, even took over the white house."

Leon's eyes widened. "What?" he gasped. He shook his head in disbelief. "It can't be." It was then he recalled the conversation of the two soldiers he and Helena had taken out. They had spoken of their comrades being sent to the states. One had mentioned something of keeping their state of mind…

A ring brought the male from his thoughts. Following the sound, Leon watched as Sherry retrieved her phone from one of the many pockets on the vest she wore. It was then he took notice that she too wore the attire of a soldier. Piecing things together, he came to the conclusion of Sherry and Jake swapping clothes with the militias, smart move.

"Yes?" Sherry said as she took the call. Leon recognized the voice on the other end. "Sherry, tell me you've found them." Hunnigan? Sherry nodded. "Yes, Leon is right here." She handed the device to the male.

Leon looked on to the screen, "Hunnigan?" He was shocked to see the woman, who was usually tidy and clean, so dismantled and dirty. Her face had several small cuts and forming bruises accompanied with the glisten of sweat and… dirt? Truth be told, she looked as if she had been through hell. "What happened to you?"

"Leon" she sighed in relief as she saw his handsome face. "You're alive, good. Listen, we don't have much time. You need to go with Sherry back to the rendezvous point, there's a chopper waiting."

"Wait" Leon interjected, "What's going on over there?" Behind her, people seemed to run amok, much like they had done during Tall Oaks. "I'm sure Sherry filled you in already. We need you here. Reinforcements are doing all they can here but there are just too many." Hunnigan said.

Leon shook his head, "Too many what? How did you find me?" he questioned. Cassandra's face suddenly appeared on screen. "Leon, good to know you're alive. Look, I've figured it out. Lexington is behind it all. He's controlling everything, even the damn Chupacabra's."

Leon's eyes widened yet again at the news. "What? I thought we took them out."

"Guess not. There's not enough time to explain everything. Just get to the chopper and get the hell out of Puerto Rico-"

"Puerto Rico?" He took a moment, recalling his past conversation with the young woman. "You don't mean-"

"Yes, the same one. Only it wasn't entirely a lab, it was actually a secret military base owned by the U.S. You need to move fast." Leon shook his head yet again, "Hold on, are you two alright? Are you safe?" Typical Leon, even with the world going to hell, he still always managed to worry for others.

"We're fine for now. We're holding up in DSO headquarters, not sure for how long though. It's under attack. Just get here and we'll figure it out from there."

The call was suddenly lost as the screen blackened. Leon sighed deeply. The weight of the world was suddenly on his shoulders. Things had gone from bad to worse. What was he supposed to do? He was just one man. What could he possibly do? It was just like Helena had said; out here he had nothing, no support, little to no gear …

"Leon."

He looked up at the sudden intrusion. "We should get a move on" Sherry spoke. With a solemn look, he glanced from her to Jake and toward the truck. Lexington was here. If he was behind it all, wouldn't killing him end it? But what if it didn't end the attack? What if it managed to make it worse? Well one thing would be for sure, Lexington would be dead. And that seemed to outweigh all doubts and theories. Lexington needed to die.

Balling his hands into fists, Leon furrowed his brows and spoke. "No, we have to stop Lexington." He approached Jake. "Take me in." Jake blinked but otherwise kept a calm demeanor. "In case you failed to catch what I said earlier, I was only joking."

"I know that, but Lexington doesn't." Leon retorted. Sherry shook her head. "I don't know about this." Jake gave a nod, thinking over the hero's proposition. "It could work."

A sudden snarl had the three stirring, Sherry raising her machine gun in a flash. Several Chupacabras leaped out from the shrub of the forest. Leon gave an uneasy, angry grunt. It seems they had been found. He took to his knife, holding it at the ready in front of him as the once animals formed a tactical circle around them.

Jake gave a weary sigh, "I was wondering when they would show up. Take this time to think our plan through Sherry." He glanced toward Leon, admiring how brave the man was ready and willing to take on the creatures with a blade. "Hey hero" he spoke, catching the male's attention. He tossed him his handgun, reaching for the second one he had hidden in his boot, "Can't have you dying on me." Popping his loins and neck, he cocked his weapon. "Let's do this."

I'm kind of tired, so I'll just end it here. Feedback?