Wow, you guys! I had no idea that this story would be taken to so well within the first chapter. Thank you all so much to my lovely reviewers: Rowe Mason, AgeofLoneliness, Xaori, sxmmertime and a lovely shoutout for Breellis09, one of the best friends a girl could ask for, for reading and reviewing this story, just because I asked her to.

Anyways, so last chapter was to tell the story of before. Now that we're going to be getting into the main part of the story, I must advise that mature themes are ahead. I doubt it will get to the point where I have to change the rating of the story, but you never know where the muses will take you!

Also, keep in mind that is not what I have in mind for what should be canon. This is specifically an AU.

I own nothing.

Roxanne- Chapter Two: Addictions

January 19, 2017

Four years have passed since the events of Tall Oaks and China. Four years. A lot can happen in that time. Leon Kennedy had been, safe to say it, emotionally and physically scarred from these events, just as the others were. He kept a close tab on his friends, just to make sure they were still breathing. The only one that seemed to still have a sane mind was Sherry. She never resorted to anything to take away the pain. Not like Chris or himself, for that matter. Of course, given the age gap between the three and the amount of experience involved in bioterrorism, it really isn't a wonder why the two men found themselves hitting rock bottom. Chris Redfield had found himself at the bottom of the bottle again; when he had a mission, he would do everything in his power to sober up and become the leader that the B.S.A.A. needed. In his free time, though, all bets were off. It was just how he dealt with it all. Leon, on the other hand, he had an entirely different approach of how to blow off steam.

He wasn't a sex addict, per se, but it helped him get by. Leon had to focus on something that wouldn't bring his mind back to what had already poisoned it for the last nineteen years now. He wasn't necessarily proud of the fact that he sought out prostitutes, when he couldn't find a decent woman to bring home with him while out with his friends. They all voiced their disapproval, but did they even have any room to talk? Every one of them had their own ways of coping, no matter if it was frowned upon by society or not. Leon was careful to say the least. At the end of the day, all that mattered was that he was simply trying to survive the hell that resided in the back of his mind. Had Helena stayed around… maybe things would have turned out different.

Helena.

That was a name he tried to use lightly, for it brought nothing but pain. When she moved away, she didn't bother telling him where she was going. As a matter of fact, he hadn't heard from her since he first learned she was resigning in the Secret Service. Sherry was the only one Helena still stayed in contact with over the years. At the very least, he knew that she was doing alright. Agent Birkin never released her location; Leon figured that Helena just didn't want to be found. She had taken her sister's death far too hard and it had all but destroyed her. He could see it in her eyes in the months before she left. If only he could have convinced her to stay. If only he could have had the chance to tell her how he felt about her. Leon hadn't realized it, but he had let himself fall in love with Helena Harper.

It wasn't until those moments after they were no longer fighting for their lives that he had realized it. When the two of them had time to be just as they were: friends. Those light-hearted moments that they would stay together 'til two in the morning, laughing at fond memories of their past. One of them would almost always crash at the other's place, for they were too tired to make the drive back home. It was a nice change of pace. Leon thought that he really got to know Helena over those months. And, in those months, he had forgotten all about Ada. Even now, she was furthermost from his mind. They never were in contact before until they just happened to stumble across each other. She had been his obsession for years, but once he realized that he had feelings for Helena, Leon let Ada go from his mind. If he were to see her again, things would be different. Everything would come flooding back; it would be up to him whether he wanted to pay attention to it, or let it all go once more.

Leon had been trying to call Helena every now and then for the past four years. It stung that she just left him hanging on. But he had to tell himself that there must be a reason. She'd come around eventually.

Fortunately, that day came rather soon.

o—o—o

Leon, engrossed with paperwork, jolted slightly at the sound of his phone that set on his desk. He was damn glad for the distraction. Running a hand through his blond hair, he used the other to pick up his phone. Blue eyes began to narrow at the name that popped up on his phone. It was a text from Helena.

[Text from: Helena

"I'm so sorry that I didn't reach out to you sooner. I've just been dealing with everything in my own way. Hope you understand." ]

He let a world-weary sigh escape his lips, the hand that was in his hair now running across his aging face. He wanted to talk to her, but a part of him wanted to ignore her like she had him. Leon didn't know why, but he felt a bit of anger bubbling in his gut. But what if he did ignore it? He might lose her forever if he did.

The blond took his phone in both hands now, deciding to reply after all. His anger subsided as soon as he remembered how distraught she had been before she left. Hallucinations. Nightmares. Depression. It had been a miracle that he got her to laugh at all. Those brown eyes of hers had become void of emotions. Which was why he tried twice as hard to make her smile.

Large fingers touched the keypad to type out a reply to her.

[Text to: Helena

"Just glad to hear from you. Are you hanging in there alright?"]

He relaxed back into his seat, holding up the phone to his face. Mere moments later, he got another text from her, prompting a rare grin from ear to ear.

o—o—o

Helena had moved to LA, of all places. Four years ago, she was feigning for a change. Something that would make her forget about everything. Which was why she decided not to stay in touch with Leon. Besides, he didn't need to be around her like that. Hell, she didn't even want to be around herself most of the time. She stayed in contact with Sherry, mostly to keep tabs on everyone, but also because the blonde agent was her best friend. Helena hadn't exactly done anything profound to better herself. As a matter of fact, she was losing herself more and more as the days went on.

She tried working in every industry there was to offer, but she was let go due to her mood swings. She was deemed a hazard to the environment. Nobody believed that she was really just dealing with PTSD. They were all convince she was just some cold-hearted bitch with bipolar issues. The brunette had one friend here in LA. One. Said friend offered her a whole other world. Because what else did she have left to lose?

Helena started a downhill spiral into prostitution. Offering her body was a decent way to make money, though it wasn't something she would have agreed to if she were in her right state of mind. She still suffered from hallucinations. She still had an occasional nightmare when the hallucinations were bad enough. No one wanted to give her a job here and she couldn't afford to go anywhere else. Was she proud? Absolutely not. In fact, she was utterly disgusted with herself that she would stoop this low. But times were tough. She lost who she was in the big scheme of things, trying to make ends meet in this hell called life.

One early evening, after paying all of her bills for the month, she noticed that she had some extra money from one of her extra cringe-worthy, reoccurring 'clients'. (He was really into her, and in turn always paid her twice the amount anyone else did; it was kind of creepy. But hey, it was money.) Helena decided she wanted to take some time off. To get herself back on track. Maybe be able to leave this hellhole once and for all.

So, she decided to shoot Leon a text, hoping that he wouldn't hate her for blowing him off for the past four years. After all this time, she still felt happier when she thought of him and his attempts to make her smile. Helena often wondered what would have happened had she stayed there. Would they be together? Maybe have a family?

It took her by surprise when he texted her back so fast. So, at least he didn't hate her.

/ "Just glad to hear from you. Are you hanging in there alright?"/

The brunette read the text, at least twice over, before she could even respond. What could she say? That the hallucinations were worsening and she had resorted to selling her body for money? He could easily turn her in. But would he?

She rolled over in her bed, taking the phone off its charger so she could relax on her side. She set her phone down on her body pillow and began to type one-handedly.

[Text to: Leon

"I'm doing the best I can, I suppose. Hey, I'm thinking about coming for a visit soon. Are you free this weekend?"]

Now, here came the waiting again. Helena locked her phone, shoving it to the side and wrapped her arms around her body pillow, hugging it close to her. No sooner than she closed her eyes, she heard a knock on her door. Groggily, the brunette sat up to swing her legs over the bed. Once her feet hit the floor, she left the comfort of her bedroom and headed towards the door. Her apartment wasn't big and it wasn't lavish, either. Just a simple little place for her to live. Her brown eyes peered into the peep hole, groaning inwardly as she noticed who was standing there. It was her lovely reoccurring client.

Helena unlocked the door and opened it, scowling at the man before her. "You know what my business hours are. Who told you where I lived anyway? Gwen rat me out or something?" Gwen was her only friend here, the one who got her into this mess to begin with. She too was working within the taboo sex industry.

Her admirer stood at a gangly 6'2". Appearing to be no older than Helena, he had long, shaggy red hair and pale green eyes. He was also a mouth-breather and wasn't at all easy on the eyes. There was something threatening about him. Alarmingly so.

He closed the gap between them, shutting the door as he did so. His arms wrapped around her waist, sloppily placing his lips over hers.

Helena pushed him away, agitation growing by the second. "No means no, do you hear me? I don't work for free, nor do I work on non-business hours." When he came at her again, she punched him hard in the mouth.

He staggered back, wiping the blood away from his mouth. "You know I love you. I want you to be with me, and me only. You'll never have a want for anything in your life!" Kyle proceeded to come closer again, Helena's fist balling up at the ready.

"I will never love you. The things you have me do? It's sickening," her voice grew thick, hatred boring from her eyes now. "Get out of my sight. For good. And if you ever set foot on my hallway again, I'll put a bullet between your eyes so fast, you won't even know what hit you before your vision starts to fade away." Her words were sharp, poison laced with every syllable.

Kyle sent her a smirk in reply, eyes raking her up and down before he spun around to leave. What Helena didn't know was that he had been watching her for a long time now. And he wouldn't stop just because of some measly little threat.

Okay so this took a whole different twist then I planned it would. Anyways, sound off in a review and let me know what you thought!