Well. This chapter my be slightly weird and does, in fact, possibly bend the rules of reality. I seriously doubt what happens here would be permitted in the real would, but what the hell. This isn't real so I can do what I want with it! This is more of a filler chapter, but it shall make sense in the next one. All this stuff happens for a reason. Trust me, it do. When I get around to posting the next chappy, it will all make sense. Just be patient.

And seriously. Give me some feedback. I really want to know how you guys think of my writing! Please take the time to do so. Please?

She just couldn't bring herself to read the damn thing.

Ada sat in her luxurious hotel room, stiff and blank. The folder she had received lay unopened and untouched on the coffee table before her. After the events that had transpired earlier that day, that was all the woman could think of.

Leon certainly had a strong hold on her heart.

The image of him screaming and punching the ground haunted her thoughts to no end. Ada had no idea how long she had been sitting there like that. An hour? A few hours? It didn't matter. Her beloved Leon, her knight in shining armor, was in so much pain just because she tucked tail and ran from him. She could not be seen with him.

The raven haired woman longed to tell him just why she could not, but was too dangerous to be around him. If she was seen consulting with the enemy, she would have to kill him. Or he would be killed by some other goon. And she would probably be killed, too.

She didn't want that.

The poor agent just didn't understand the severity of them being seen together. It was dangerous enough going into his apartment to retrieve her sidearm. The spy sighed sullenly. The situation was just not a good one at all.

Ada took in a long, lingering breath, remembering the euphoric feeling she had gotten when they had kissed in Spain. She let it out slowly, feeling the ghost of his lips upon hers. Her thoughts drifted again.

What had been more painful to watch? Leon die, or Leon crying her name, pleading her to come to him. Pleading her to fulfill her promise.

"We'll meet again…"

Her own words echoed through her head, taunting her. The last words she had said to him, months ago. Her palms made their way to cup her face, sighing again. She had lost count of how many times she had sighed while sitting there, but that was about all she could think to do at the moment. Peeking through her fingers, her jade eyes laid on the folder for the hundredth time.

Might as well open the stupid thing.

She hesitated. Ada was too focused on the tormenting images running wild in her mind. With yet another heavy sigh, she opened it. As soon as it opened, however, she wished she hadn't. Her blood ran cold as she stared at the picture attached to the assignment sheet.

"Oh you have GOT to be shitting me."

Leon tenderly cradled his broken hand. He was now regretting punching to concrete more than he was willing to admit.

Ashley sat quietly beside his hospital bed. Shortly after the scene in the cemetery, the standing by agents escorted them back to the White house. Not that she minded very much. The occasion had been a painful one for the both of them. Leon seeing the woman he loved run from him, and her seeing the man she loved break down because of it.

And the realization that he would never feel the same way toward her was smacking her in the face.

So she sat there, immersed in her own thoughts. Silently begging herself to muster up the courage to ask him everything about Ada. However, she didn't want to bring up more painful memories for him. If he wouldn't love her, she at least wanted to know more about him. Another thing smacking her delicate face. She knew nothing about him, but he knew everything about her. She had been quite selfish not bothering to ask him anything about his life or what he has endured. Just her, her, her. Ashley Graham this, Ashley Graham that. Never Leon S. Kennedy.

Leon shifted uncomfortably, redirecting her attention. The First Daughter stared at the back of his head, swarming with questions she could not ask.

"She is an interesting woman, Ada is." He said quietly, immediately catching her attention. "I barely know her… but I love her. I know I do. Its just…" he took a small breath, steadying his thoughts. Ashley silently thanked whatever God there was that she didn't have to ask him. "Its just… well. She's amazing. I've saved her life and she's saved mine. A few times. I met her in Raccoon City." He gave out a tired and forced laugh. Realization dawned again upon the young woman.

That's why he had chosen his profession.

"It was my first day on the job as a rookie cop. I don't know how I wandered into that place and made it back out alive. I wouldn't have if it weren't for Ada. I gave everything I could to keep her safe and promised her we would make it out alive together. I even took a bullet for her." His last sentence came out as a whisper. Ashley visibly jolted in surprise.

"You've been shot before?" she gasped, exasperated. Leon glanced at her sidelong and gave a small smile. He gestured her to come in front of him. The woman obliged, rising quietly and moving before him.

"Pull up my left sleeve if you want to see it," he rose is bandaged hand, "I would do it myself…" he gave a hoarse laugh. Ashley stared at the hem of his sleeve, hesitantly pulling the short material up over his muscled shoulder.

"Wow how do you wear these? I can barely get it up your arm!" she earned an earnest laugh from the agent and smiled herself. It was good to hear him truthfully laugh. She fumbled with the tight spandex further, attempting in vain to pull it far enough to see his scar. "Do you wear these like all the time? You were wearing one of these in Spain, too." Leon met her gaze as she looked at him. He shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess I do. I like them." The agent looked back down, figuring it would be easier just to lift his shirt. With his in-tact left hand, he hiked his shirt up as far as it would go. Ashley gasped at the multitude of scars that riddled the man's body. However, shaking her shock away, she helped him to uncover the scar she wanted to see.

With slight difficulty, the pair was able to move to offending clothing to reveal the white scar tissue. The First Daughter absent mindedly ran a finger delicately over the hardened tissue.

"Does it hurt?" she whispered softly. Leon shrugged.

"Sometimes, but not very much. At least I didn't have to remove the bullet." Ashley gave him a puzzled look. He cleared his throat. "Well, it was a clean entry and exit," a look of understanding crossed her face as she gave the old wound on last glance. She carefully pulled his shirt back down to its proper position.

Ashley returned to her seat beside the bed. Leon, still perched on the end of the bed, sensed her eagerness to hear more.

"Well, while we were in that damned place… I lost her," his voice cracked with emotion. After a few deep breaths, he steadied himself. "She claimed to be the girlfriend of one of the employees of Umbrella… oh, what was his name…" Leon looked at the ceiling in thought for a moment. "John. She never told me his last name. But anyway, Annette Birkin tried to tell me she was a spy. I wouldn't listen, of course. But, as we were escaping, she pulled a gun on me." Leon looked down, a few tears rolling down his face.

"She told me to give her the G-Virus sample. Of course, I didn't. Just as she lowered her gun… Annette shot her. We were standing on a catwalk stories above any visible floor, and she fell over the railing…" Leon choked on his words at the memory. Ashley waited patiently for him to continue. He sniffed a few times and wiped away his tears, sighing. "I caught her hand and tried to pull her up but… my arm was too weak from the bullet wound. She fell.

"I couldn't believe it and I threw the damn sample down the hole too, in hopes no one would find it again. But somehow, she survived, and I guess she took the sample with her… so yeah. Then well, Spain. She saved my ass there a few times, and she was the one that told me how to get rid of our Plagas." Leon looked at the ceiling, gathering his thoughts for a moment. "I've had nightmares about that night in Raccoon City for years, almost every night. I've tried everything I could to make them stop. Therapy, alcohol… other things…" he trailed off, not wanting to divulge the information to her. Ashley stood once more, placing a hand tenderly on his shoulder.

"Why don't you find her?" she asked softly. The agent bit his lip slightly.

"I have. She's untraceable. Ada Wong is her real name but… she has no records. No background, no relatives, nothing. I guess Wesker does a pretty good job of making sure she is no one." He glanced at her once more, offering a pathetic smile. "I just have to wait for her to come to me, that's how we've always met. One her accord, not mine."

Leon grew silent. Ashley rubbed his shoulder in compassion for a moment, then returned to her seat. It was certainly a lot of information for the First Daughter to take in. This Wesker guy and the virus business was a little more than she could understand. She began to wonder how she had been so heartless towards Leon. She only treated him like her bodyguard, not a friend or someone she hoped to love her like she loved him or someone that had saved her life.

The revelation was certainly not pleasant.

So, as she sat there, Ashley attempted to change her thoughts. The doctor had told them Leon could leave at any time he wanted and hour ago, and insisted he took leave until his hand healed. Leon, whom had just taken an involuntary two month leave a few months ago, refused profusely. The woman though of what Leon might be interested in doing to help ease his mind.

She had no idea and it bothered her. There was only one way to find out.

"Leon," she piped quietly after several minutes of silence and thought. The ex-cop looked back to her with a questioning look. She smiled sweetly at him, "What would you like to do?" He was thrown off the question, confusion apparent in his face. The woman laughed heartily. "What, have you never been asked that before?"

"No, I have but…" the agent fumbled for words. "It was just… so fucking random." He smiled a little to himself. Ashley waved her hand in front of herself, silently asking 'Well?'. Leon shrugged. "I don't really do anything in my spare time except take care of Grindel and get drunk… well used to. Ada showed up in my apartment a while ago and poured out all my booze. She doesn't like it apparently." He sighed. "I don't know how the hell she knew I did or where it was. Not like it matters." The First Daughter raised an eyebrow.

"Who's Grindel?"

"My dog."

She looked shocked. "Leon, you haven't been home in days! How do you know he.. Or she is ok?" She gasped, concerned. Leon shrugged again.

"My neighbor takes care of him. She's a good woman. She's from Cambodia though… so it's kind of hard to understand what she says." He let out a laugh.

"Don't you have like… Secret agent stuff in your apartment?" Ashley mused aloud. The agent shook his head. When he didn't reply, she made a daring suggestion. "You um, want to go to your place then?" Leon spun around, staring her in the eye with an exasperated look.

"Your father would not approve of that." He spoke seriously, prompting and devilish grin from the woman. She stuck up her pinky-finger.

"You see this?" He nodded slowly. "I've got him wrapped all around it. We can go wherever I please." She stood abruptly. Leon continued to stare at her. "So, lets go."

"I have no idea how you did that." Leon said in disbelief, good hand steady on the steering wheel of his Jeep. Ashley smiled proudly.

"I told you so." She chimed brightly, dancing in the seat to herself. The agent shook his head with a smile.

"You are unbelievable sometimes, you know that?" he chuckled. With some difficulty, he turned into the parking lot of his apartment complex.

"Yeah, I do." Ashley chirped. The Jeep jolted lightly as Leon parked with mild trouble. The pair glanced around to see agents standing around in civilian clothing. The woman had always marveled at how they could arrive to their destination so quickly and so nonchalantly.

Leon glanced down as his right hand, tenderly cradled in his lap and laden with plaster. He frowned. The agent was not skilled in the ways of the ambidextrous. With a bit of difficulty, he reached into the center console of the vehicle and retrieved the sling the doctor had given him. Fastening it around his neck and carefully placing his arm into it, he grumbled a few choice swear words under his breath in frustration. Somehow he had gotten away with only using Ada's temporary bandages in Spain and avoided a doctor after his return. He carefully felt his almost-completely-healed ribs in nostalgia.

A curt "A-hem" from Ashley drew the agent from his thoughts. Leon realized she was already out of the car and waiting for him. He promptly exited his Jeep and locked it on instinct, walking around it to escort the First Daughter to his humble abode. He fished around in his over-stuffed left pocket, unable to access his right one, for his door key. Successfully finding it, he led her inside the building, where she made a disgusted face.

"You live here?" Ashley groaned. Leon glared at her in response.

"I like to keep a low profile, thank you." His reply came through gritted teeth. The agent made his way to the stairs, fuming at the insult. Noticing her mistake, the woman mentally hit herself and chided her own actions. Not wanting to get lost in complex, she bustled after him. The building itself, by most peoples' standards, would be a very nice place to live. To Ashley, however, it was a dump.

But not everyone is raised in a house so big you never find the end.

She caught up with Leon on the stairs, who was climbing them with a stern look on his face. The woman grimaced; she hadn't meant to offend him. So they climb flight by flight in silence until Leon stopped at his floor, shouldering the stairwell door open. He held the door open as Ashley proceeded through, looking at the obnoxiously long hall.

"The lobby does look like shit, I'll give you that much." Leon grinned to her as the door slammed shut behind them. "The rest of the building is actually pretty nice. We've never had any rodent or insect problems and they keep everywhere else pretty tidy." He motioned at the hallway as they began to walk. Ashley glanced around. He was right.

The green carpet was very well kept and the smell of lavender was strong. The pasty crème colored walls were spotless. In between every door was a wall-lamp with decorative shades that fit nicely with the décor. She smiled.

"Yeah, it's nice up here." She replied honestly. Her response regained Leon's smile.

"Glad you approve, your Highness." She playfully punched his shoulder which made him laugh in response. "What are you a woman or something? I barely felt that!" He laughed harder and she joined him.

At least she got him back in a good mood.

They finally reached their destination, and Leon gladly unlocked the door and opened it, glancing at a pair of agents down the hall. He gave a nod, and they nodded in return.

As the door shut, Ashley froze to the deep growling emanating from the dark apartment. Leon flicked the lights on.

"Grindel…" the agent growled at the dog, and the beast stopped. Immediately, the wolf-dog was upon Ashley, wagging his tail and jumping to greet her. The large dog hopped up and slammed his large paws on her shoulders, effectively knocking her down and licked her face. Leon simply laughed.

"Leon! Help!" She gasped from her assault. He donned a surprised look.

"It's been a while since you said that!" He laughed even harder.

"Leon! Please! Get this dog off of me!" She screamed, helpless. Leon sobered his laughter, letting out a quick and sharp whistle. Grindel ceased immediately, looking up at his master as wagging his tail. He backed away from Ashley as she sat up, sitting down at her feet. "Well. Lively dog." She groaned, wiping the slobber off of her face. Leon offered her a hand.

"He's a good dog if you ask me." He replied, pulling her to her feet. Wiping the remaining drool from her, the First Daughter began to observe his little apartment.

After the short tour, Ashley planted herself on the black leather couch against the wall, while Leon and Grindel sat on the adjacent one. He placed two sodas he had grabbed onto the coffee table before him. Ashley grabbed the Mountain Dew gratefully, taking a hefty chug. Leon smirked, taking a sip of his Coca-Cola. Fumbling with his over-stuffed pocket, he fished out his pack of cigarettes and lighter. Though slightly crushed from the bulk of things he carried, they were all still in tact. Pulling one out and tossing the pack on the table, he stuffed it in his lips. As the agent lit it and sighed out the first drag, he noticed Ashley looking at him in something short of horror.

"What?" Leon raised an eyebrow at her stare. Ashley cleared her throat.

"Well, I wasn't under the impression that you smoked." Leon picked up the pack and shoved it at her with a grin. To his surprise, she appeared to hesitate in taking one.

"You don't have to, it was a joke. But if you do, go for it." He murmured before removing his smoke form his lips. Breathing out the smoke, he was surprised even further as she picked the pack from his hand and removed one delicately.

"You better not tell my father." She snapped as she examined the object as if were a knife. Leon burst out in laughter, prompting a small blush to creep over her cheeks.

"Oh, like I would. You should know me by know." The agent propped his elbow on his knee, careful to snuggle his right arm safely in his lap. His eyebrow slowly rose again as she continued to stare at the cigarette. "You've never smoked before have you?"

Ashley's blush deepened and she met his gaze. Shoving his own cigarette back into his mouth, he motioned her to sit next to him. She obliged.

"Want me to show you how? 'No' won't hurt my feelings." He joked, effectively washing away her embarrassment. She nodded curtly. "Alright well, put it between your lips. When you hold the flame to the end, inhale as if you're breathing," he demonstrated with his own cigarette. "Like so. Then just breathe out and repeat." Leon pointed to the ashtray on the table. "If you don't like it, put it there and don't get me in trouble. If you do well, flick the ash every once and a while so it doesn't get on my carpet." The First Daughter laughed at his joking manner. He was never like this while at the White house. She relaxed considerably and felt quite at home.

It made her wonder why he was such a loner.

Leon was a great person to keep in company. He was so much more light-hearted in his own environment than while around his co-workers.

So, Ashley followed his instructions. The first puff made her cough slightly, but she tried again, this time the smoke filling her lungs much more smoothly. To her surprise, it was relaxing and soothed nerves she didn't even know were tense.

"Wow," she breathed. "That's not as bad as I thought it was going to be!" Leon chuckled at her amazement.

"I didn't do it if this becomes a habit for you." He teased, pointing a finger and wagging it at her mockingly. She nodded in agreement. The pair sat in relative silence, smoking their respective cigarettes. As Leon extinguished the life of his own and giving the Wolf-do to is right a small pat, he looked to Ashley.

"So… this is about all I do here." He sighed, looking around his own home. The woman shrugged.

"It's a lot simpler than I'm used to, but I like it." She looked to him with a small smile curling at her lips. Leon looked away with a thoughtful expression donning his face.

"How old are you now Ashley?" She looked slightly offended.

"I just turned twenty-one Leon. You were there!" The woman playfully punched his shoulder again. The ex-cop thought for a moment. He had forgotten that it was already 2005.

"Well, let's see if I can peer-pressure you further then."

A heated phone call, several agents standing by, and a trip to the liquor store later, Leon and Ashley lay slumped on his couches. Leon had migrated to the couch against the wall, Ashley on the other.

To say the least, they were drunk.

The President was less than happy to hear his daughter asking his permission to drink with his favorite agent. But somehow, his daughter had convinced him she was is more than capable hands, and weaseled her way into getting what she wanted yet again.

Right now, however, Leon was worried about losing his job and or getting thrown in jail. This was a bad idea. He mused to himself. He spared a glance at Ashley, who was twirling her arm in the air with the biggest grin on her face. He frowned.

Really bad idea. I'm so fucking screwed.

The agent stared at the bottle on the table uneasily. It held a few more shots of vodka. He sat up slowly, careful not to upset his stomach. Wiping the sweat threatening to trickle down his cheeks and removing his hair plastered to his forehead, he poured himself another shot. With as much alcohol as he had already consumed, the foul liquid simply tasted of water. He instinctively clicked his tongue in disgust and grabbed his soda to keep himself hydrated. He downed almost half of the drink before slamming it back down onto the abused wooden surface.

Leon stood abruptly, gaining a dazed stare from Ashley. "Wehere…wuh…" she looked at her arm, still swirling in the air while struggling for words. "Where… are… yu goin?" the intoxicated woman began giggling to herself. The agent, however, made his way past her.

"Piss." Was his only reply. Reaching the bathroom, as if zipping his fly with one hand was hard, doing so with one hand and drunk was much more difficult. But somehow, the blond managed to do his business without stumbling or missing. As he finished, an alarming sound crept into his ears.

His cell phone.

He fumbled in his pocket and retrieved it, desperately attempting to read the number. When he realized who it was, Leon could have died in fear.

It was Ashley's father.

Clearing his throat profusely and sobering himself the best he could, he flipped open the device.

"Leon Kennedy." He answered professionally, patting himself on the back for sounding sober.

"Ah, Leon my boy!" The President chimed. The agent hoped his tone would stay that way. "How's my girl doing? Not drank herself to death has she?" He let out a hearty laugh and Leon joined, praying he would not catch on to his own intoxication.

"No sir, she's doing perfectly fine! I told you wouldn't let her get out of hand sir, you know me. I let her have a few glasses of wine with dinner and I've got her occupied with watching a movie." Leon spoke as confidently and clearly as he possibly could. The President seemed to buy it.

"Now that's my boy! I knew I could count on you to keep her save Leon. I swear son, you are by far my most trustworthy agent!" He boasted loudly. The agent held the phone a good distance from his ear to avoid the man's booming voice. "I trust you'll have her home bright and early in the morning?"

"Yes sir! I'll have her back before sunrise!" Leon chirped. Ashley's father was definitely known for his contagious attitudes, and thankfully, it was a good one.

"Alright then boy! I expect to see you before I see those first rays!" The man taunted, earning another laugh from drunken agent.

"You have my word sir!" and with that, the conversation came to an end. Flipping the phone shut, he let out a huge sigh of relief, nearly falling over at the successful conversation with possibly the only man he feared.

Leon looked down, unable to hold his sober posture any longer. His fly was still down.

"Oh God damn it."