A/N: I thank all the reader from the bottom of my heart and I highly grateful to Mercenary Nemesis and Shirahane Aikawa for their reviews.

Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil or any of its characters; they all belong to Capcom.

Chapter 7

(Leon's POV)

"Why are we gathered here for?", Chris asked a bit annoyed.
"I… well Ada have some important info on the case we're dealing with concerning Kathleen", I addressed everyone.
"Couldn't it wait till tomorrow? I mean we were having a party", Carlos taking it very casually.
"You party every single day", I almost snapped at him, losing my calm.
"What did you say?", he flared a bit.
"I wasn't lying", I said, I was on the cloud 9 of frustration.
"Well I am not the two-timer", he said it, just to tick me off.
"I am not two timing, I was told to take care of Kathleen and Ada is my official girlfriend", my voice raised a bit. And our argument heated up as we kept passing comments on each other.
"Quiet you two, bickering like kids", David yelled when it got out of control, "Leon, what did you want us to know?'

"Ada has something important to tell about Kathleen and… well Ada tell them", I said feeling a sudden tiredness.
Everybody looked at Ada and she began with a sigh, "Well Kathleen is the Bio-weapon we're looking for", she said and looked at everybody, "it's because I witnessed her being experimented on. I thought she would not be able to take it but unfortunately the experiments only rendered her without any memories. I don't know what experiments were conducted on her but as far as I know; the researchers work on their subjects until they die or they get what they want. If she's not dead then she's probably carrying a virus", she completed.

"How can you be so sure", Rebecca said, "She is negative for any kind of mutations and virus infections."
"How am I supposed to know I am not the scientist", she replied with a shake of her shoulders.
"If she was being experimented and tortured why didn't you save her?", Claire asked and I could tell she was angry at Ada for being inconsiderate.
"And risk my life just because of that smart ass bitch", Ada said smugly, "She's the one person I hate most. She's the only one for whom I won't risk my life."
"I don't buy this shit", John said coolly standing up, "So I'm leaving", he walked out boycotting the meet.
"Me neither", Claire followed him out.

"Do you have any proof?", David asked being the most practical person of the group.
"Why should I prove myself", Ada said acting a little arrogantly for the moment, "What I am saying is the truth, you'll know eventually, when she kills you all."
"I don't think this discussion is getting us anywhere but unnecessary arguments, so dismiss", David said standing up.

Everyone stood up talking among themselves but I remained seated and Ada gave me a displeased look, shaking her head a little. Everyone had reacted the way she had predicted them to. I could see the whole group divided into the one who believed Kate was a BOW and other who thought she wasn't. I rose from my seat to follow everyone out of the conference hall when David's phone rang and he asked everyone to stop. Everyone looked at him in concern, as he heard the caller on the other end with a serious.

David sighed as if preparing himself inwardly as he kept his phone back, "They've got another victim, we've to go and investigate", he gave us yet another shocking information and we all headed for the crime scene.

I didn't know whether to coincidence or what but the murder took place near the same cinema hall, where I took Kate for the movie. And the pervert, who was misbehaving with her in the dark, was now lying dead at my feet. I stooped down to confirm his identity and it was him alright. He had the same look of terror in his eyes, like the previous victim

"It's the same case as before", Rebecca said inspecting him, "I can just say by looking that the one who killed him was the one who killed the man at mall."
"Her name is Kathleen", Ada said crossing her arms and smiling victoriously.
"How can you be sure", Rebecca asked looking up at her.
"It's the same guy, who tried to feel her up", I told her standing up feeling a mix of emotions.

I couldn't handle this conflict anymore and I don't know what took over me, I rushed for my car as Ada and Rebecca argued about Kate's true identity. I couldn't live like this, I needed answers and there was only one who had those answers, Kathleen. I drove back home at an incredible, trying to control my temper. I got out of my car, once there and banged it close, rushing for my home. I literally kicked opened my front door and moved to living room, as Kate came running in from the kitchen, looking a little bewildered.

"Where were you?", I asked trying to keep my calm.
"In the kitchen", she replied looking back the kitchen.
"What's that blood doing our your clothes?", I asked noticing that were stains of blood on her clothes.
"I… I cut my finger", she said showing me her bandaged index finger.
I moved forward and grabbed her by shoulder, "Don't you lie to me", I yelled at her losing all of my patience, "Why did you kill those men? What are you planning? What do you want?"
"I… I don't know what are you saying?", she said stuttering.
"Don't give me this crap; I know you know everything, remember everything. Don't you remember meeting me in that facility, fighting with me, that you are multitalented sick woman", I yelled and tears were running down her face and they were burning my eyes.
"No, no, no I don't remember anything", she screamed shaking me off her, "All I know is you're my husband and…", she moved to grab my face looking directly in my eyes.
"I am not your husband", I yelled cutting her in between and pulling her hands off me, "How can I marry some BOW like you, who kills people just for their gain."
"I didn't kill anybody!", she screamed out loud, "I didn't kill anybody. I didn't kill… I didn't… I didn't…", she collapsed to the ground repeating those words finally becoming unconscious.

I stared at her limp body for a moment collapsing to my knees. My heart was beating tenfold, fearing the worse as I realized my mistake. I cursed myself for being so impulsive and raised a hand to reach out to Kate when I heard multiple footsteps and I froze there and then.

"Leon! Leon! Are you okay? What did she do to you?", Ada came running from behind followed by others, she kept hugging me and asking me if I was alright.
"Oh my god, Kate, Kate", Claire ran to her and tried to shake her to consciousness.
"What did you do to her?", John asked me angrily as he tried to help Claire to wake Kate up.
"There is no time for that take her to hospital quick", Rebecca said and John at once carried her in his arms and took her to the nearest hospital.

"Is she Okay?', Claire asked Rebecca once she was out of Kate's room.
"Her condition is critical and she might slip into coma again", Rebecca replied and then moved towards me, "Do you know what that means, that means she's going to die for sure Leon! Congratulations you got your wish! I told you not to stress her out too much, I just asked you to keep her happy; you know the reason why I asked David to give her responsibility to you, it was because I thought you were a calm and level headed person, I never imagined you to act so recklessly. If that girl dies tonight then it's all your and your foul mouthed girlfriend's fault", she lectured me angrily and I have never seen her this angry, heck I have never ever seen her angry; guess I did something really bad. She glared at me for a bit and then moved back to Claire, who comforted her.

"Don't worry Leon, you didn't do anything bad. They will thank you when they'll find out the truth", Ada said hugging me, in her attempts to comfort me but it wasn't helping much because I already realized my fault.
"Can I see her?", I don't know what made me but I said it, maybe out of guilt.
"You want to choke her to death?", John said gritting his teeth, tapping his one foot against the floor furiously, "Don't worry Kid, if she gets out safely I'll take her my home and you could work on your relationship with Ada."
"Why are you blaming this on me?", I said pushing Ada away from me, even when I knew that it was all my fault and no one else's, not even Ada's.
"You yelled at her Kennedy! I heard, I saw how you mistreated her; how… how you blamed her for murdering two men when she didn't do it and all because she said it", Claire burst out shooting Ada with contemptuous glares.
"Shut up the hell up, Claire! Just because you hate Ada, you don't have to blame everything on her. It was...", I shouted back at her defending Ada out of my usual habit when somebody punched me, punched me hard, even before I could admit that it was my fault. I knew it was John, the only one with a strong hand as Chris Redfield was his.
"Just leave kid", John said with a weight in his voice and I could the hurt in his eyes, as he moved away to be with Claire and Rebecca.

I wanted to stay back and apologize to them but I decided to leave. But my body didn't listen to me and my feet didn't move. I looked at the three of them, standing in silence not talking to each other and not daring to look in my direction. Claire and Rebecca were silently crying and John had his back towards me and I couldn't help but feel that there was great rift between us. I felt alone on this side, when I felt a tug on my arm and I turned to look at Ada.

'Oh yeah she's with me', I couldn't help but think, 'but why I her presence seems so insignificant', I again turned to look at my friends.
"C'mon", Ada said pulling me, and we started walking and I didn't look back this time.

"Leon!", someone called, I turned around and saw John.
"You wanted us to leave right", Ada said arrogantly
"I still want you to leave", he said angrily to her, "Look Leon buddy, we know you're not like this…", he began turning to me.
"Why don't you just skip to the business", Ada said crossing her arms.
"Look Leon I am sorry, we are sorry… ", John apologized collectively for each one of them.
"Now you're talking", Ada again interrupted in between.

"Look I am not asking this for myself, if you have any of humanity left in you please come with me Kate needs you, Becky said she's continuously calling out your name and if you please… ", John said and broke into tears and maybe this was the first time I was seeing him cry, I have seen him happy, seen him sad, seen him angry but I had never seen him crying.
"Oh it's so pathetic but… ", Ada said mockingly.
"Yes I'll go", I said cutting her this time.
"What?", Ada said in disbelief.
"There are more important things in world than us", I told her and followed John.

We both didn't say anything to each other, it was as if I was stuck on this and he helped me out, without expecting anything in return. Ada yelled something behind me but I didn't really care about her at the moment. I was happy that my friends gave me another chance to stand on same ground as them. John held open the door for me and I feel hesitant to enter but he jerked his head, gesturing me to go ahead and be with Kate. I stepped inside the room and saw Kate on a bed, with different equipment monitoring her vitals and Claire sitting but her side.

"Oh Leon I knew you'd come", Claire said getting up by Kate's bedside and hugged me warmly with no trace of her anger anymore. I sat by Kate's bedside.
"Leon", Kate mumbled in her unconsciousness.
"I am here", I whispered to her holding her hand, my eyes burning to cry.
"Don't leave me", she said opening her eyes briefly, to look at me and her fingers curling around my hand limply holding on to it.
"I won't leave you, ever", I said kissing her hand and she smiled with her eyes closed. I felt everybody in the room, including me, smile out of relief. I didn't understand why I felt this pain, when I was the one, who hurt her in the first place and how could her smile make that pain subside and eradicate all signs of guilt within me. I wondered if she could heal everything with that smile and inwardly knew that she could because she had the brightest smile, the one for which I could do just about anything, "I am sorry Kate", I apologized kissing her hand once again.
"She's sleeping", Rebecca told me, "You can leave now."
"I'll stay", I told her, as again I got that inexplicable feeling that I got when I was with her older self.

A/N: Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the story. I apologize for any typos or mistakes in the context that might have caused an inconvenience. Feel free to share your views about the story.