Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil...and I've just lost two seconds of my life saying it.

Authoress' Note: (Please READ) Thank you dear readers for reading this fic and your lovely reviews! As I have mentioned in the summary, this was inspired by 1wingangel's fic: Resident Evil 4: Real Life Edition! Truly an amazing fic and you should read it before reading mine. Savin' Me is done by Nickleback and Hero is done by Chad Kroeger. Man, I love these songs! They fit, right? I apologize for leaving out the fanboys of Leon, sorry! Oh, and I'll be adding Holding Out For A Hero by Bonnie Tyler once I have the song. I've already have the lyrics but need the music of it to actually know when to shove this little beauty in the fic.

1wingangel and Nicole this fic is for you!

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Resident Evil 4: A Fangirl's Dream Come True!

Chapter Eight: A Nightmare and Song

We both staggered to our feet and looked up at the drawn up bridge. We're safe from danger... for now. I sighed in relief and glanced at my hero, blinking back some sleep. Leon was thrilled... at least he would be if he weren't so fucking tired. He smiled tiredly at me, "Let's lay low in here 'til the other chopper arrives." Ahh... that's right. Saddler shot down the first one, stranding us at the cabin. Damn you Saddler!

I faked a smile for his sake. I wasn't going to tell him that the other chopper won't be showing up 'til he gets his ass over to Saddler's island...Wait... To get to the island... AW MAN! I'm going to be kidnapped again! WAHH! Wait, after that is.. ARGH! I'm gonna have to do the ritual! Eww..! I don't want Salazar touching me! Or that Plaga monster thing! Curse you Ashley for being stupid!

"Yeah, I think that'll be wise." I replied and felt a stab of guilt hit me. I'm sorry for lying to you Leon, but this castle isn't the safest place in the world. "But first I think we should raid the place and see the merchant."

Leon looked confused. "The merchant? He's on the other side of this bridge and I'm having a feeling that the villagers are camping out in front of the castle."

I grinned and pointed out behind him, at which he turned and saw the merchant's eerie but comforting blue torch. I have yet to figure out how the merchant can appear everywhere ahead of us whenever we need him the most. Caleb barked out in joy at the sight of robed figure, he knew that it meant a better chance of surviving.

The agent blinked at the merchant's shop and sighed. "I'm not going to even ask how he got here before us."

I grinned, "Great! He'll probably not answer your question anyway. Let's get to raiding'!"

Leon gave me a weird look, "You're enjoying looting their stuff aren't you?"

"Tch. Yeah! What better way to piss them off for putting us through all that than to jack their stuff, sell it, and buy stuff to take them down?"

"Touché, Rally."

We ran around the immediate area, slicing each box twice and grabbing what we could stuff into Leon's attache case. I blinked at it and noticed that it was still the same attache case he started off. Okay, we need to upgrade quickly because this place sucks up ammo as much as it gives 'em out. There will be no way Leon could handle himself if he ran out of ammo because he didn't have room to cram in every box he came across.

We entered the shed and the merchant greeted us normally. But before Leon and the merchant could do business, I stepped in and pointed at the agent's case. "Hold it right there, guys! Leon, before you buy anything else, you need to buy a bigger attache case!"

Leon blinked at me in confusion, "What?"

The merchant looked at the case and nodded in agreement. "Aye, the lass is right, stranger. That little case won't handle the job any longer."

Leon stared at us both. "Why would I need to get a bigger one? Whomever owns this place can help us lie low for a bit 'til the chopper arrives."

I crossed my arms over my chest, leaned on one leg and sighed sadly. "Or decide to kill us for whatever reason he may have." The agent still gave me a confused look. I sighed again and gave him a sad expression. "Leon, I'm sorry but I've been getting bad vibes from this place. Ask yourself this...What if Saddler's plagas infected the castle like it did the village? We're going to need to think ahead to survive beyond today."

"Aye, she's right on that, stranger. I've seen some the people here acting a little strange. It's best to think of the future and buy a bigger case." the merchant added quietly and the agent sighed in defeat.

"Hate to say it but you may be right. We can't take anymore chances in an unknown area." Leon muttered, blue gaze downcast and I mentally kicked myself at his expression. Oh, fucking great! I just made him feel like an idiot! He just now realized that he led me to a more hostile environment instead of a safe haven. I can see the headlines now! "Leonardo Scott Kennedy, government agent, seeks therapy! A twenty year old girl seeks anger management for accidentally pointing out the agent's mistakes in his first mission!" Yeah, I just know the rest of the Leon fangirls are going to kick my ass if Leon snaps under pressure and is thrown in the loony bin.

He bought a bigger attache case and stuffed his items in it, smiling at all the free space still in it. He glanced at his watch and his eyes widen in surprise. "Whoa, it's midnight. You've been up for a bit too long." He looked up at me with a thoughtful look. "Hey, this place is secure and safe. Why don't you get some sleep?"

I bit back a yawn and scowled at him. "I'm not sleeping until you sleep first."

Leon sighed, "I'm fine."

"The hell you are!"

"What?!"

"You're exhausted!"

"Am not."

"Your stance is slouched, your running had slowed down, your eyes are dull and unfocused. Plus, your reflexes are slow!"

"You noticed those?"

My scowl worsened as I threw up my hands toward the dark sky, pissed at the agent. "Hell yeah! True, you're government agent who underwent training to do missions with little sleep but that shit isn't gonna work out here!"

Agent Kennedy crossed his arms over his chest and scowled back at me. "And why not? I can get us through this without sleep."

"We'll both die if you fall asleep during a fight!"

"No, I won't!"

"Yes you will!"

"Why are you telling me what to do!?"

"Why are you being such a stubborn dumbass!?"

"What did you call me?!"

"A dumbass! You're a stubborn, idiotic, half-wit, retarded arrogant dumbass, who thinks he's fucking invincible because he knows how to handle jobs without sleep!"

I could literally see the rage building within Leon as he glared at me with cold eyes. His body was shaking with such fury that I thought he was going to go berserk. I glared back at him, silently daring him to slap me or something and I was half hoping he would. Maybe the pain and shock will knock us both out of our rage. Our faces were so close to each other as we were glaring at each other, that I realized that his blue eyes were in fact an electric blue.

BAM!

"OW!" Leon and I both yelled out in pain as we pressed the palm of our hands to our foreheads. The merchant glowered at us both from the shadows of his hood as he dropped his arms and crossed them over his robed chest. "What was that for!?"

"For actin' like idiots. Lack of sleep irritates people easily." he snapped and jerked his head to the shed's back wall. "Now shut up, get inside, and sleep!" He focused his harden gaze at Leon. "As for yeh, stranger...that's no way to speak to the one yer supposed to save! She's only concerned for yer well being besides her own. She has the right to do so, she's can't survive this without yer help and ya'll fail yer mission if ya end up fallin' asleep during battle!"

The merchant turned to me with the same cold gaze, "And lass, yeh need to lay off on the stranger! He's doin' his best to protect ya but he can't do that if ya go chargin' off with some wild idea to help. He'll fold under the pressure ya give him if ya keep it up."

We blinked in surprise at his seriousness about this. Did he really care about us that much? He gave us both his best glare. "The way I see it, is that either the two of ya work together to get through this or you can fold under the pressure and surrender to the enemy." he growled, "So what it'll be, stranger and lass? If it's workin' together, apologize to each other and go to sleep. If it's not that then keep bitchin' at each other then die at the castle grounds. Pickin' the latter of the two then I'll be cutting off ties with yeh and see just how far ya'll can go while still mad at one another."

We stared at him, glanced at each other, scowled and turned our noses up. The merchant narrowed his pale blue eyes and growled angrily. We sighed and rolled our eyes. "Fine." we muttered together and glanced at each other again, "Sorry."

The merchant smiled a litttle, "Good choice. Now go to sleep, I'll keep watch. I've got more than enough weapons to take out anythin' that's tryin' to get to ya here."

Oh great, now I feel like a total moron for yelling at Leon again. And I know Leon feels the same way for yelling at me. We both gave each other the "can-you-forgive-me-for-being-an-idiot" look. We headed for the backwall and picked out spots for us to sleep. Leon sat against the backwall, facing the entrance and cradled the shotgun on his lap. Ooh, swordman style. I sat next to the table that held the typewriter and leaned against the wall. I stretched my legs out with a yawn and watched the merchant bring out a weapon to tinker on. Hey, that's the Chicago Typewriter! Oh, it's so shiny!

Leon murmured something to me but as I turned to ask what he said, he was already asleep. His chin resting on his chest, that rose and fell in rhythm with his soft breathing. I smiled at him as I watched him sleep. He's so cute when he's sleeping! It makes me want to reach out and give him a big hug! I sighed in remembrance to the fight we had earlier. I had no right to put pressure on him like that... hell, I didn't have the right to call him a dumbass. I rubbed my temples. I have to remember that he's a hero... and being a hero is never easy.

"Lass, yeh need to sort out yer feelings fast." the merchant said suddenly that I looked up at him in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"It's obvious that yer havin' trouble tryin' to decide what to do."

"How do you know that?"

"Yer heart is broken in two. Ya want his friendship but at the same time ya want his love but know ya can't have both." he muttered as he picked up two pieces of metal and inspected them carefully. I sighed as I glanced at the sleeping agent while bring up my knees. I rested my chin on them and blew out my breath.

"You're right. I want his friendship really badly because I don't have many friends at home and he's nice to hang out with. But.." I mumbled.

"But yer emotions are gettin' the best of yeh and makin' things hard for yeh." he finished for me and grinned, "Ahh, young love."

"Shut up." I muttered bitterly, blushing deeply.

The merchant chuckled softly, "Yer still a teenager at heart even though yer goin' into yer early twenties. Its a part of yeh that ya don't want to lose."

"Hormones suck." I griped softly as I leaned back against the stone wall, "Why do girls have it bad?"

"Don't know." the merchant replied, "Either way yeh need to choose. One or the other?"

My eyes began to close as my body commanded me to sleep in order to recharge itself. "One or the other...which is more important to me...?" I mumbled sleepily as my head dropped to my chest. Now I'm not sure if it was just me or something when I heard the merchant whisper something else to me.

"Have yeh considered that Leon maybe having the same problem as yeh?"

(A/N: No, I'm not turning this into romance. I'm just teasing you into thinking that I am but sorry, that's not happening. Okay, maybe I can have Leon like me for being me but he's already got Ada on his mind. So yeah, tough luck. Ohh! Nightmare time!! YAY!)

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The streets of San Antonio. Buildings soared high above, reaching for the heavens, curving far and away into the distance. People walked down the sidewalks on their daily routine passed by, oblivious to their rituals. But something was wrong with them. I peered closer at them as they continued to pass me by like I wasn't there. Their eyes... They were burning red! What the hell?!

"Leon!" I called out, "Leon, where are you? Saddler got to San Antonio! Las Plagas have already hit the States!"

"Such a lovely sight, isn't it?"

I whirled around and stared in horror at the voice behind me. Saddler stood there and smiled, gazing out to the streets. "Los Illuminados, thank you, Rally. Without you, we could not spread our religion to the world."

The world?

"What do you mean?!" I hissed angrily, "I don't remember agreeing to be your fucking puppet!"

Saddler frowned slightly, "You don't remember? You were the one who brought the gift of our religion to America."

"Bullshit!" I snapped, "Where's Leon!? What the hell did you do to him?!"

"Ah, so you don't remember that either."

"Remember what?"

The priest moved aside and waved toward the back with his Plaga staff. I peered around him and shrieked in terror. There, crumpled on the floor...was Leon, his back to me. Oh god, he's bleeding all over the Riverwalk! I raced past the priest and reached the agent, turning him over carefully. My hand flew up my mouth and I burst into tears. Embedded in his chest was a dagger... a gold hilted dagger that bore the Los Illuminados insignia on it.

Oh...my...god...!

"What the hell did you do!?" I screamed angrily, glaring up at the priest, who raised his hands up with a smirk.

"I didn't kill him, if that is what you are thinking."

"Krauser..." I hissed.

"No... not him either, though he was disappointed about it."

"Sa-Salazar?"

"No."

I looked down at Leon then back up at Saddler. This didn't make any sense. Who killed Leon? If it wasn't Saddler, Krauser, or Salazar then who? It couldn't be Mendez since the fucker was already dead...

"Your cultists?"

"Wrong again."

"Then-?" I stared down at the agent again before realization hit me. There was no way Leon would allow any crazed Spaniard near him with a dagger. The merchant? No, he doesn't leave his shops and he prefers guns over knives so that left...

"You." Saddler purred darkly, "You were the one who killed him."

"What...?!"

"I'm impressed really. Claiming that you loved him was enough for him to drop his guard. And while he hugged you... you drove the dagger into his chest." the priest replied, "He didn't see it coming from you. Good work."

"You're lying! I would never kill Leon for you!" I snapped at him, a sheen of tears in my eyes, "If I felt the plaga was trying to take me over, I would have killed myself! I would never allow that thing to harm Leon!"

Saddler grinned toothily, "That's the beauty of it... the plaga didn't overtake your body. You did it out of your own free will."

"Wh-whah?"

"You were tired of running away from us, tired that Leon would not listen to you, tired of your American government. You were sick of it all enough for you to seek me out while you were separated from the agent. I gave you the dagger and you killed him with it."

"No..." I shook the agent, "Leon! Leon, wake up and tell me that this is just a ruse to make him drop his guard! Come on please! This is a lie, right?!"

I shook the agent again until he opened his eyes a crack. Saddler raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Oh, ho! He still lives!"

"Shut up, you religious maniac!" I barked out, "Leon! Thank god, you're not dead! Listen, Saddler's talking crazy and he's saying that-"

"You stabbed me..." the agent whispered.

"Huh?"

"You...stabbed me." Leon muttered, "You said you loved me and then you stabbed me with the dagger."

"What?! No! No no no! I wouldn't do that! It's got to be a trick!"

"You betrayed me..."

"No!"

"You betrayed the States..."

"No no!"

"You betrayed the world..."

"No no no!"

The agent gave me a bitter smile, "And to think...I...liked...you..."

"What?"

"Now...I know...better...than...to...l-let...my...em-motions...get...the...best...o-of...m-me..."

"Damn it Leon, I didn't stab you!"

He glared at me weakly, ignoring my words, "I...ha...te...y...ou..." he hissed weakly before his head dropped back to the sidewalk. His chest fell once more and did not rise again. I stared at him, clutching the front of my shirt as his last broken word sank into me. He hated me... for something I didn't do...

Did I?

"Leon?!" I cried, "LEON?! Don't hate me, please! I didn't do it!! LEON!!!!"

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I snapped awake from my nightmare and looked around quickly. Still in the shed at the entrance of the castle...good. Did I wake Leon up from my nightmare? I blinked in confusion as I felt something was wrong here. I took a closer look and noticed that the my scenery had changed a bit. I shifted a little and noticed that my head was pressed against something firm, yet soft... and warm. I pulled back and nearly freaked out. I used to be near the table and now I'm sitting next to Leon and using him like a pillow! I blushed fiercely at the act but smiled a little. Okay, so I enjoyed it. Nothing wrong with that...

Aw geez! If the merchant was up, I just know he was going to take another picture for his "payment" and I scowled. If he was taking pictures then I'm going to want a copy of one. For something to remember this adventure from. I looked around the dark room again and noticed that the merchant had fallen asleep in a chair and snored like... something very loud. I stretched out my body, careful not to nudge or wake Leon. I heard the soft popping of my back and shoulders. Stone walls as beds... not good. Ending up sleeping on Leon...good thing!

The moment was ruined as the fragments of my nightmare came back and I shook my head to get rid of them. God, that was scary... I never want to dream that again. I rubbed my arms as chills ran through me while I looked at Leon. Leon would never hate me if I did something against my will. I know he would understand that it was the plaga's fault. Damn parasite... Oh, great. Now I can't go back to sleep!

I gazed out of the entrance of the shed and saw that the moonlight was spilling across the stone floor outside and that meant it was a clear night. I shifted a little and quietly brought myself to my feet. I rose up so that I was walking on my toes and snuck outside, making sure to move in time with the merchant's snoring so not to wake him up. I walked out into the moon's light and gazed up. The stars twinkled beautifully and the moon seemed to glow at the sight of clear skies. I smiled as a shooting star passed by and took a deep breath, making a silent wish.

"Who said we are lost again in this lonely world? I say we can start again. We're on the same ship, it's called starship earth... It is not too late, it's our home, so don't say that it's fine. We must not give up to build our future on our dreams." I sang softly, "We will never lie down and die but we'll find a way to survive. We all have somebody we love. We know that's why we're here!"

I twirled about four times, remembering the beat to the song. "We battle for freedom! It is a battle against the dark! I have my dreams, you know I'm not afraid of bleeding; "It is the time!" I sang as I danced around the moonlight, "We battle for tomorrow! It is a battle against time and we can do miracles! So take my hand, we need to save this world!

"It was a hard time. So many tears, it's all not for nothing. To give up is not a choice, it's a fight we have to win. I cannot live without faith even if I am faced with death. We all have somebody we love. We know that's why we're here!" I twirled around another four times, "We battle for freedom! It is a battle against the dark! I have my dreams, you know I'm not afraid of bleeding; "It is the time!" We battle for tomorrow! It is a battle against time and we can do miracles! So take my hand, we need to save this world!"

"It was a hard time. So many tears, it's all not for nothing. To give up is not a choice, it's a fight we have to win! I cannot live without faith even if I am faced with death. We all have somebody we love. We know that's why we're here!" I twirled around four times again and raised my arms to the clear, starry sky. "We battle for freedom! It is a battle against the dark! We all have dreams and each of them is to be realized; "It is the time!" We battle for tomorrow! It is a battle against time! Too many tears have been shed by the same fear. We need to save this world!

"We will never lie down and die but we'll find a way to survive. We all have somebody we love. We know that's why we're here!" I twirled around again, keeping my voice as soft as possible. "We battle for freedom! It is a battle against the dark! I have my dreams, you know I'm not afraid of bleeding; "It is the time!" We battle for tomorrow! It is a battle against time and we can do miracles! So take my hand, we need to save this world!"

(A/N: Save This World performed by Kelli Sae. From Phanstasy Star Universe on the PS2! Yes, I do like to sing, if only to help me calm down or to pass the time.)

I twirled once more and bowed, then looked up at the moon and smiled. That felt good, now I think I can go back to sleep without fear of that creepy nightmare. There was the sound of clapping and I lowered my gaze and blushed furiously as Leon stood by, leaning against the door frame. He grinned at me as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Can't sleep?" he asked, his blue gaze almost glowing from the moonlight reflecting off of them. I blushed again, that glow made him all the more attractive. No, can't think that... but can't help it. Want his friendship but at the same time something more... Gah! This sucks! Curse you romance novels!

I shook my head, "No. Um, did I wake you?"

He shook his head, his smile never leaving. "Nope... to tell the truth, I couldn't sleep as well."

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough. Why? You embarrassed?"

"Sort of. Normally, I prefer to be alone when I'm doing this."

"Oh, so I'm intruding?"

"Ah, well no. It's-" I sighed and looked up at the starry sky, "I get neverous easily and I usually sing to calm myself down. Mostly to snap myself out of "live" nightmare."

" "Live" nightmare?"

"You know, those times you see yourself doing something you wouldn't do in your right mind but can't seem to control yourself?"

"Ah, I'll keep that in mind. It'll prove useful."

"Maybe." I smiled at him, "You know, of all the songs I've heard my most favorite are Savin' Me by Nickleback and Holding Out For A Hero by Bonnie Tyler."

"Really? Why's that?" Leon asked as he tilted his head in interest.

I shrugged out of habit, "Don't know. I just like them the most." Yeah, because they remind me of you, Leon. Hormones suck. They suck even more while listening to those two songs and reading romance books. Rule one when I get home. No reading romance books while listening to those two songs!

" 'ey, are two done talkin'?" the merchant's voice asked from within the shed. We both turned to him and saw that he held two powerful handguns and givin' us an irritated glare, "It's only been three hours since yeh sat down. That ain't enough to get through here. At least get another two hours of sleep before the two of yeh go runnin' off."

Leon frowned and sighed, "All right, all right! We're going!" I snickered at the blush creeping up around the agent's face. Why he was blushing I would never know. Maybe from how I acted, it may have made him remember Ada. Oh, well. It's cute to see him blush. He headed back and I looked back up the night sky and grinned. I hope my wish comes true... now to get some sleep. Because in two hours, Leon and I are going to run around the castle with who knows how many cultists gunning after me.

I still hate this place and I still hate you Salazar.

Next up...the run through the castle gates and dodging flaming boulders. Oh what fun... Okay, okay, Caleb, I hear you! Maybe when we run across Luis, I can convince him to stay with us... wait no... he has to get those pills in order for Leon to suppress the growth of the plaga...oh crap... what am I going to do?!

Luis... can I save you...or will the game prevent me from saving you from your horrible fate...?

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Whew! Another chappy done! Ooh, is this foreshadowing? (grin) Maybe... will the dream come to pass if I decide to tell Leon how I feel...? Makes you want to wonder doesn't it? If the dream scared you out of your wits then that means I'm doing a good job!

Okay, I know what you're thinking. This is getting too close to the romance deal even though I said I won't do that... I can't help it. Argh! I hate this! I'm confusing myself! Do I want to place romance in this...half of me yells "YES!" the other half says..."HELL NO! NO ROMANCE BETWEEN AUTHORESS AND CUTE GAME HERO GUY!"

I honestly don't know what I'm doing anymore. Maybe I can add a little romance to this... or just have a rewrite of this that does have the romance in a separate fic.

For those who are wondering when I'm supposed to post up the next chapter for The Resurrection of the Nightmare... suck it up and wait. I'm stuck on a writer's block for it... and that is preventing me from writing the chapter (yes, I haven't started that chapter yet) I've run into a bit of a snag. How am I going to have Wesker join them for his sake without him recognizing Leon or vice versa with Leon. That and I haven't figured out how to do the whole boss battle deal yet. This sucks...

Until the writer's block is lifted, I'm stuck writing for RE4: AFGDCT only. So...sorry. Nothing I can do about it.