A/N: I highly grateful for the readers who are constantly reading and supporting this story, and I am much more grateful to Shirahane Aikawa and Mercenary Nemesis for always taking out time to leave their valuable reviews.

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

Chapter 10

(Leon's POV)

"I am back", I yelled so weakly that I doubted Kate would have heard it. As I had predicted, it was disastrous day. When Miller came to know that Ada was my current girlfriend, she didn't take it very well. She tried to seduce me but Ada acted a little too possessively for my expectation and then they both broke out quarreling with each other. Adding Ashley to the picture, she was the loudest among the three and tried to grab my attention talking loudly than usual, so she could make herself heard over the two.

All day today I just played the middle man trying to calm down my ex and current girlfriend to not pass comments to each other and act professional, while making sure that Ashley didn't feel neglected and now when I am back home, I feel like an actual survivor.

"Hey you alright?", Kate asked concerned the moment she laid her eyes on me, "Go up and have a shower and watch out for Cookie, I think she's still sleeping on our bed", she said helping me take off my jacket and taking my attaché case from me. I just nodded and headed towards the bedroom, "Leon wait", she called and I turned and she hugged me. It felt warm, comforting, soothing, relieving and above all it felt nice. I wrapped my arms around almost instinctively and we held each other for a couple of minutes in which she rubbed my back a bit. She pulled away and smiled warmly, "Thought you needed it", she said and walked away into the kitchen.

I stood there thinking how exactly she knew what I wanted and gave it to me in just a single hug. She satisfied me with a single hug which I was sure no other woman could do even with a kiss. I got up and showered and went to sleep being careful about Kate's cat since she was definitely on our bed.

I woke up when I felt Kate's hand on my forehead and she looked concerned, "What happened?', I asked groggily.
"I was checking for fever", she said backing away, "Dinner's ready", she said avoiding something and then again for a moment it felt like it was Kat not Kate.
"Yeah let's go", I said sitting up.

We walked to the dining table and Kate served me and we had our dinner in silence at least Kate knew when to keep her mouth shut. After dinner, I walked to my study while she cleaned up and washed the dishes. I just made a few calls to my superiors trying to convince them I was very much capable of handling Ashley on my own and I didn't need any support from Ada and Angela. It didn't took me much time to convince them since I had been looking after her alone before. And once I got off that call, my phone rang and the screen flashed Ada's name.

I pushed the call receive button and answered, "Hey what's up?", a bit weakly for some reason I don't know.
"Leon, come at my place right now", she said urgently and sounded a bit scared about something.
"What's the matter, what's the situation?", I asked getting worried thinking that she was in danger.
"I'll tell you once you get here please I need you please", she almost begged, "Just hurry up!"
"Okay, okay relax I'll be there in a few", I said and disconnected. I hurried out of the study, "Kate I'll be back in a few."

"Where are you going?", Kate asked as I pulled my shoes on.
"Work calls", I replied giving her a brief look.
"You are off duty now", she said concerned about something.
"But they can call me anytime", I said searching for my keys.
"You're not going", she almost commanded.
"I have to", I said still looking everywhere for my car keys.
"But you are not going!", she said emphatically crossing her arms.
"Kate don't be ridiculous where are my keys", I asked losing my calm. Ada needed me and here Kate was testing my patience.
"I said you're not going", she repeated.
"You hid them right, give me the keys", I asked for the keys angrily.
"No, you're not going", she said shaking her head in no.
"What?! Why?", I shouted at her.
"Because I said so", she yelled back.
"I am going whether you like it or not", I said resuming to find the keys by myself.
"Don't go", she said not budging from her decision.
"Forget about the keys, I'll go by cab", I said and moved towards the door. Just as I was about to open the door, Kate held me from behind.

"Don't go please don't go. I beg you please don't go I'll do anything, anything… just don't go please", she cried hugging me my back, holding me tight in her arms, "Please stay, please!"
"I have to go", I said pulling her hands off of me and hurried out of the house, leaving her on her own.

"Hello?", I answered my phone, as I got myself a cab. I had to reach to Ada's place and I was already late; first because of Kate and then because of the cab driver since he took so much time to get to the place I told him to. Nobody would believe me if I'd say that it took me one hour to get a cab, yes one hour; it seemed the phone lines to everywhere were busy and it only had to happen when I so desperately wanted to be somewhere.

"It's John, there's been one more murder", John informed, "Where are you two? I mean you are with Kate right?", he asked me hopefully.
"No", I almost cursed telling him that, "I haven't seen her for past one hour or so."
"Shit! Leon I thought at least this time we would be able to clear her name out of this but you have to ruin everything in the last moment", he said in a tone mixed with disappointment and frustration.
"Where are you?", I asked him wondering if I should visit Ada first or head to scene of crime.
"Near North Central Park ", he replied, "Where are you? And did you leave Kate alone? They said you left work already?"
"I was going to meet up with Ada, she seemed troubled. I'd pick her up and then get there", I told him deciding that I should see Ada first.
"Huh?", John said a little puzzled, "But she's here", he told me.
"Ada's there?", I asked in confirmation.
"Yes, apparently she was the one informing us about the murder, and she's again claiming it to be Kathleen. So, hurry up before both me and Claire, lose our nerves", he said a bit annoyed at Ada.
"Yeah I am coming", I said and told the driver to drive me there.

When I arrived there, they told me that the murder took place after I left home some 20 minutes later approximately. And I couldn't help but think if Ada was trying to save me and that maybe she had known that Kate might get violent and attack. But Kate was fine when I was leaving, she just wanted me to stay home and be with her. Then a sudden realization hit me that maybe she kills when I am not around or when I am ignoring her or when Ada and I try to be close. Thinking about all the possible reasons she kills was very confusing and it was all very vague, since if Kate was BOW designed to kill why doesn't she do it in one go? What is she waiting for? Is there are specific time? Are there some conditions to be met for her to kill?

'I should ask Ada, why she called me to meet her so urgently?', I thought, hoping it would throw some light on some matters, since there was still a possibility that Ada was hiding something as always.

I was thinking all this when among the crowd gathered there I saw a silhouette of a familiar figure. I couldn't say for sure but I thought saw someone, who seemed to be like Kate. It was like a flash, a momentary thing because maybe she noticed me spotting her and disappeared into the crowd. I pushed the people to get where I saw her and of course she was not there. I looked around and again spotted what I thought to be her. I took after her and just then my phone rang. I took it out whilst running as she started to run too.

It was John calling, "Spotted her", I said running.
"Who?", he asked bewildered.
"Kate, she's here. I am following her get here quick follow me by the tracer which we have in our PDAs", I told him even though I wasn't sure about it myself.
"Got it I am coming", John said and disconnected.

I ran faster as I saw her turn a corner. I turned the same corner and she was nowhere, as if she disappeared into thin air.
"Damn", I cursed looking in every direction for her.
"Leon, where's she?", John asked catching up to me in his car.
"Drive home fast, if she's not there then it's definitely her", I said getting in and John drove full speed towards my home. I almost banged open the door and we both withdrew our guns, "Kate", I yelled but no answer came and everything was completely dark, 'Damn! Damn! Damn!', I thought. I didn't want it all to end this way.
"You look for her upstairs and I'll check the lower levels", John said moving towards the kitchen.
"Okay", I said nodding as I climbed the stairs.

I quietly turned the door knob to my bedroom and opened the door. It felt like a déjà vu since it was very similar to the time I entered the room where Ashley was kept but unlike before nothing came flying at my face, but instead I felt as if the floor disappeared underneath my feet as I fell face forwards really hard that all the air was knocked out of me. I groaned in pain turning to see the attacker.

"Shit!", the woman cursed but I wasn't able to see her face, since it was too much dark to make out her facial features. She didn't think twice and hurried out of the room. I slowly lifted myself up and followed her out as fast as I could, still feeling the effects of her brilliant tackle down.
"Gotcha!", I heard John's voice exiting the room and then saw him being pushed down the stairs as the woman tackled him to escape.

"Leon?", Kate yelled from somewhere inside the bedroom as the woman looked at me.
"Stay where you are honey and lock the room", I yelled back to her, "Wait!", I yelled to the woman and again she began to hurry down the stairs.
"Okay", Kate replied over the commotion.

I stumbled in the dark after her and saw her jump over John, who was groaning in pain at the foot of the stairs, "Leon! John!", Claire suddenly appeared on the door, possibly she followed us.

Both the woman and Claire reacted fast as I yelled, "Claire, grab her!", from the top of the stairs. Claire threw her arms wide like a goalie to catch the infiltrator that was already running towards her but the female intruder took advantage of her speed and slid between Claire's legs, giving her the slip. It took Claire by surprise and she couldn't immediately follow the interloper. By the time both Claire and I ran out to follow the intruder, she had already disappeared in the dark.

"Where did... she go?", Claire said looking around as she stood in front of my house.
"I… don't know", I replied grabbing my head, which was still aching from falling hard on the floor, "Let's get back."
"Yeah", Claire said and we both walked back to the house, "Who was she?"
"Don't know, wasn't able to see her face", I told her shaking my head, "Were you able to see her?"
"No, I wasn't expecting it and it all happened really fast", she replied as we stepped on the porch.

"Are you alright?", I heard Kate's voice.
"I think I am", John groaned.
"Your head is bleeding, let me help you", she said as we opened the door, she was kneeling next to John and he was holding his head. The house was bright again, "Let me get you first aid", she tried to help him up but he was too heavy for her.
"Let us take it from here, you go get first aid", I said to her smiling but she didn't smile and headed straight up the stairs as both me and Claire helped John to the couch. A few minutes later Kate came down with a first aid box in her hand and she smiled at Claire but totally ignored me. I looked at Claire confused and she shrugged.

"So John did you see her face?", I asked him as Kate nursed him.
"No, the moment I grabbed her she pushed me down the stairs", John replied, "She pushed me hard man, it was like she was playing with us, she didn't hurt us… ow…"
"Sorry", Kate apologized.
"It's not your doing", John said as Kate applied antiseptic over his wound and then wrapped a bandage over his head.
"You alright?", Claire asked noticing that I was nursing my head.
"I hit my head hard on the floor", I told her rubbing my head, "but I am fine now", and then I turned to Kate, "Why did you turn off all the lights of the house?"]

"I didn't", Kate replied not looking at me still concentrating on wrapping the bandage on John's head.
"Who else would then?", I said a little annoyed at her denial.
"I said I didn't do it", Kate said shooting me a furious look.
"Why are you yelling at her?", Claire said before I could say anything else.
"I am not yelling", I told her, "I am just making a point, I mean if it wasn't dark then we would have seen the intruder's face at least."
"But it's not her fault", Claire defended Kate.
"Well she was the only one home, who else would turn off the lights", I said in an obvious tone.
"It's not her fault", John said and before I could say anything, "she was next to me when the lights came back on its own."
"Kate, do you know about what happened to the power?", Claire asked her.
"The neighbors were having some electric maintenance and since the power lines is the same, so they said they'd cut it off for 15 minutes or so", Kate answered her.
"So it was purely coincidental", I couldn't help but conclude, "the intruder got lucky."
"Yeah", John and Claire agreed.

We discussed the incident a little bit more trying to guess the motive of the woman, since nothing really seemed missing from this house, so it definitely wasn't burglary but we couldn't be really sure either because it was a possibility that we got here before the woman could get her hands on anything. We tried to look into it from different angles and couldn't help but silently agree that it's a strong possibility that whoever she was, she might have been after Kate. We didn't say it out loud in Kate's presence but each of us knew the other two were thinking the same. We decided to call David and inform him about it, finally giving the matter a rest.

"So, since we are here care to treat us", Claire asked Kate.
"Love to", Kate replied smiling and it wasn't long before, that we were sitting down on the dining table having dinner. Kate served Claire first, then John with a smile and then she almost dropped the bowl of rice in front of me and didn't serve me at all, "Come Shadow", she said picking up her cat.
"Am I thinking too much or is she mad at me?", I asked helping myself.
"She's mad at you", Claire and John said together.
"I didn't do anything", I said shrugging and we ate our dinner.

Kate joined us after a little bit and everything was normal after that. We said goodbye to my friends and then walked back inside the house. Kate didn't say a word and her expressions were unreadable; well I was never able to read women correctly. Not thinking about it much, I busied myself with TV while Kate moved to the kitchen to probably get her housework done.

Kate came back after sometime and straightway headed for the stairs, "Kate", I called and she again didn't listen, "Why are you behaving this way?", I asked losing my calm, "I mean I didn't do anything…"
"I don't want to talk to you", she finally spoke.
"What! Why?", I asked confused.
"Please don't talk to me", she said walking up the stairs and I followed.
"Will you tell me what happened?", I asked.
"No", she said monotonously.
"I am talking to you. Are you listening?", I asked. She didn't respond and took a pair of clothes and went in the bathroom, "Fine don't talk to me", I yelled after her, 'Drama queen, first thing in the morning I would have to hear her tales', I thought as I myself changed into something comfier to sleep in.

(3rd Person POV)

"She killed again?", Franchesked said going through her log files, "This seems odd, this can't be… according to my calculations she shouldn't kill, well for another 3 days."
"That's the case if she is to get enough attention as we expected", Wesker told her studying those charts as well, "Her intelligence instinct is getting over powered by her animal instinct, if this continues, she might end up killing people every day."
"At this rate she would blow up the cover and ruin the mission", Francheska pointed out.
"Not if we make some modifications in her", Wesker suggested, "We have keep her intelligence dominant otherwise it be a dead giveaway."

"But that would only complicate and prolong things", Francheska stated the fact, "Instead of targeting the primary subject she would first try to get past any threats."
"And that would make the game more interesting wouldn't it", Wesker said, "Besides she would do that only if the subject ignores her too much and anything else poses a threat, otherwise she would be fine."
Francheska sighed, "You two go get her", she commanded to the two BOWs.
"And while you're at it try to get your hands on the other one too, if we are able to get the second one then the threat will be minimal and chances of success will increase", Wesker said.
"Yes Sir", they both chorused and disappeared.

"I don't like the feel of it Wesker", Francheska said, "We are taking a huge risk. They might find out and increasing dosage might cause instability."
"There is no fun when you don't take the risks", he said intertwining his fingers, "And if we don't do anything her rival might actually win over all the odds."

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.