Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil...and I've just lost two seconds of my life that I'll never get back. Now leave alone you mind-sucking perfectionists!

Authoress' Note: (Please READ) I am SO sorry for taking so damn long with this chappy! You see... I got the new Smash Bros. Brawl game for the Wii and it overtook my time. That and I had trouble (writer's block) concerning what to write for this chappy. So I had to take time off and play Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles for inspiration. So again, I apologize for taking long! I hope you enjoy this chappy and furture ones!

Final Note: Over 112 reviews! Wow, that's a lot for just a fic with 21 chappies. blush I didn't know that I'm becoming an idol to some of you. smile Thank you, you guys are my idols for being there to read my fic. I would love to thank all of you for your lovely reviews and suggestions for this fic!

Everyone gets a Rally bottlecap that says: (pokes button) (Combat Rally w/ shotgun) "Don't worry, Leon! I'm coming for ya!"

RESIDENT EVIL AND LEON FOREVER!! WESKER TOO!

1wingangel and Nicole this fic is for you!


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

Chapter Twenty-One: Dream Or Premonition?

- Mezzanine Hall

"Leon!" I cried out in joy as I ran through the thrown open door. After through all those nightmares, changing who I was, and losing my innocence... I was finally reunited with the blonde agent and our faithful companion at long last. Man, it felt good to know that Leon was there, waiting for me. And it was great to see him again after what felt like a lifetime since I last saw him. I wanted to tell him all that I been through in my adventures alone, skipping a few details that I rather not repeat, but I think it'll be best to wait.

Leon turned at the sound of my cry and at first there was a look of surprise on his face that quickly switched to relief as he saw me. I grinned as I dropped both my handgun and attache case, freeing my hands as I ran toward him. Caleb perked his ears at me then wagged his tail excitedly at the sight of my return and I knew he was worried for me as well as the agent.

"Rally!" Leon breathed out in relief as he smiled. And as much as I don't like acting like Ashley, I just couldn't help myself. I pulled off one her moves and less-than-gracefully ran into Leon, encircling my arms around him in a fierce hug. Caleb jumped around us as we hugged, barking happily that the three of us were together again. I buried my face into Leon's chest, which was a bad idea since I still had Wesker's shades on my face. Ow. The agent gave me a final squeeze before he gently pulled me away by my shoulders. "You came through, Rally, you came through. And I see you collected some supplies for us."

I noticed his gaze had shifted over to my attache case and I nodded with a smile. "Yeah and an important item that we need to get out of here." I sighed happily then smiled sadly at Leon. "Sorry for taking so long. I got lost in a maze," That wasn't supposed to be there. "for the second time and ran into some trouble."

The agent's smile waned a little. "At this point in my life, I'll believe in anything horror related. But don't worry about it, though. I'm just glad and relieved to know that you're here alive and well." He rubbed my head little and he grinned as Caleb whined for some attention. As I knelt down to give our loyal friend a good scratch behind the ears and neck, Leon went to retrieve my case and weapon. He returned and began to pack away whatever I had in the case, except for the box of handgun ammo. Either he had run out of space in that attache case or he was finally realzing that I could handle a gun all on my own. I hope its the latter.

Leon stood after arranging his stuff and grinned at me as I put away my attache case then gave him another hug. He smiled at me slightly. "Alright, let's move on."

But before we had a chance to move or allow me to remember to tell my blonde hero about the Broken Butterfly, the agent's transmitter went off. I automatically scowled and glared at the spot where the agent kept the device.

Little bastard.

Leon looked confused as he fished around for the little radio, obviously not knowing who was able to call through if the line was dead. I decided to provide him the answer as he picked up the radio.

"It's Salazar." I growled angrily, "That's why Hunngian was cut off at the entrance of the castle, Saddler's men were able to jack the line."

The agent looked at me in surprise, "They jacked the line?!"

I nodded grimly, "Yeah, we can't call out but they can call us in." I scowled at the device, "And the little bastard's been calling ever since I left to find you. He wanted to toy with our minds, the psycho."

Leon lifted a brow in reference to my last sentence, "Our?"

I smiled slightly, "I tricked him into thinking that we were still together when I was actually alone by being your "answering machine". I didn't want him to have that knowledge and use it against us." I grinned, "I can't believe he actually fell for it. Anyway, just pretend that you already knew about this and he'll be none the wiser."

Leon smirked as the transmitter continued to beep impaitently. Wait your fucking turn, Sal. Leon's talking to me! The agent grinned wider and shook his head in amusement. "Aren't you the clever fox?" he mused as he answered the call. I merely smiled at his statement.

The medieval midget's image fuzzed into the little screen with a sneaky smirk on his face. "Aw... What a touching moment we have here." he sneered, voice dripping in fake sweetness. Yeah, all because you can't have any.

Agent Kennedy glared at him annoyingly. "All spoiled thanks to your interruption." he shot back, "Why don't you do us all a favor and leave before the audience gets pissed off?"

Salazar sniffed in disdain. "Hmph. You're nothing but an extra in my script, so don't get too carried away. Your biggest scene is over."

I pratically glowed as I watched Leon cock his head to one side, raised a brow and snorted at the midget's words. Ooh! Leon's gettin' cocky! Yes! Man, he is such a cool guy to hang around with! It's like he knows how to get under his enemy's skin just for them to slip up! ...Just like me! Coolness!

"I don't ever remember being a part of your crappy script."

Whomever created all of the agent's dialogue... insert a tear and a sniffle Thank you!

The castellan frowned at Leon's attitude. I'm guessing lil' Salazar is upset that blonde hero insulted his precious script. Not that I care, his mind is whacked. Again, Ramon Salazar sniffed in disdain. "Well then, why don't you show me what a first-class script is like;" he purred, "Through your own actions."

I leaned into the screen and grinned at it. "Okay! Wanna see my first action?" I asked in mock sweetness, batting my eyes for good measure. I leaned away, extended the middle finger of my right fist and thrusted that in front of the screen. I had it in a way so it was all Salazar could see. I wiggled it at him. "This the first step to a world-class script! Enjoy."

Leon bursted out in laughter at my action as Caleb howled along. The childlike castellan yelled angrily for me to get my finger out of his royal face. But, I said that I couldn't because it wasn't in his face; it was in front of his face. There was a difference. Agent Kennedy laughed harder at my answer as our midget host snarled at the correction. The agent continued to laugh through the whole thing as I threw out insults while Salazar fumed from the other end of the transmission.

While all that was going on, I was thinking about Salazar's last statement. He wants Leon to show him what a first-class script is like? Through his own actions? EWW! Okay, that is just gross! So wrong on so many levels! Not that I have a problem with those who love their own gender and such. Hey, if you like it then more power to ya! Whatever floats your boat. It's just the thought of Salazar and Leon... you know what? I'm not gonna explain it. Use your own imagination to figure out what I was thinking about. I shuddered and pushed the thoughts aside.

"I'M NOT GAY!!" Salazar exploded from the little radio, his left eye twitching madly. Both Leon and I stared at him then at each other as he glowered at us from his own transmitter. He ranted about how we had the nerve to think that he was. All while the agent and I stared at each other then we casted him a glance and bursted out in laughter again. The castellan hissed angrily, wanting to know why we were laughing.

I grinned at him and supressed a few giggles. "That's easy, you assumed that I said you were gay. I was thinking it but I said nothing of the sort."

Leon smirked since it was the first time he heard of this, "You embarrassed yourself."

"WHAT!?" Salazar snarled and directed his gaze toward me, yellow eyes flashing in rage. "How dare you trick me!"

I grinned and switched to my air-head attitude I usually saved for annoying certain people. "Like, because I can - duh."

The midget's body quivered in barely contained fury as he basically tried to burn a hole in my head by glaring. "How dare you...!"

I continued my charade. "Like, chill out, mister. Your anger is, like, messing up my karma." I pointed my index fingers toward my face, having the tips of the digits touch my cheeks. I angled my eyes so that it looked as though I was thinking in the valley girl way to complete my air-head act. "Like, you know what? We have to, like, leave because we have a lot a places to go but, like, so little time." I smiled the valley girl smile. "Soooo, like, we have to cut our talkies super short for now. But, like, we'll instant message each other, like, later. Okay, Sal?"

"IT'S SALAZAR!!" the castellan shrieked madly, practically foaming at the mouth from my attitude toward him. Phbbt! Like I care?

"Okay, Sally! Love you, buh-bye!" I said brightly in the same valley girl tone. I waved to him cheerfully as he screamed out in fury and I quickly turned off the radio to cut the little guy's insane shriek short. To tell the truth, I've never seen a vein pop out like that in my whole life. Man, I must've really pushed his buttons... but can you blame me? I like messing around with him. He's so much fun to piss off! I snickered to myself as Leon put away the transmitter.

Then I turned and saw familar lean body sprawled on the marble floor, no more than five feet away. Blood had pooled all around him and still inched its way across the floor.

Just like that, all the mirth and laughter I had moments before was gone.

Luis.

I hesitantly approached his crumpled form as if unsure if I should be near him, as Leon checked over his weaponary. I decided that I had to approach him to give my respects. Or, as my mother often said, the dead will not rest unless given respect. I didn't want Luis to suffer anymore than he already had and I wanted to thank him again... for all that he had done for me and Leon.

Just walking toward his lifeless form brought tears to my eyes once more. Both sad and angry tears. Sad that he was gone, ripped from a life he could have had. And angry for the heartless bastard that killed him and smirked at his suffering, all for a fucking test tube parasite egg. Sure, Luis was nothing more than an acquaintance to me in life but, playing the game a few times and then re"living" it... made me feel as though I lost a close friend.

I mean, no real acquaintance would have bothered to help Leon protect me or even give clues to where I was held. That was enough proof to me that he wanted to be our friend. And believe me, I just know we would have been close friends.

I was barely aware of the faint footsteps as I knelt beside Luis. I wiped away the tears that had fallen without my knowledge and gazed sadly at him. The ragged hole in his chest was actually bigger than it should be and... I can't really compare it to the game because the designers had the hole covered with his shirt. And it ain't covered here. I'm sure I'll be able to see the floor through his chest if it weren't blocked by all the shredded issue, organs and blood.

I lifted my gaze from his wound and kept my vision on his face. Even though he looked as if he was only asleep, there was no peace or tranquilitly on his features, just a slight show of pain. My vision blurred as tears started up again as I placed my hand on his own and closed my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Luis, that you suffered and died because of me but... I thank you. I thank you for all the help you gave to Leon to aid in his mission. For helping him to protect me in the cabin. For helping us survive all the way up to this point." I whispered, "Thank you, Luis... our friend..."

I was startled by sudden touch of Leon's hand on my right shoulder but didn't make a sound. "Rally... are you going to be okay?" the agent asked softly as Caleb sat next to me and gazed at Luis sadly, ears drooping to match his mood.

I only nodded my answer.

"Listen... Luis... died a hero. He died protecting you. I promised him that I'll make Saddler pay for his murder and reclaim the Sample that was stolen. Luis' death wouldn't be for nothing."

Again, I nodded, knowing fully well that he did promise that. I quickly took out a piece of paper from my mini-notepad

and scribbled something on it on both sides. I tucked it into Luis's hand as I remade my own promise from earlier and sang out softly two lines from a song.

(A/N: Song Moonlight Shadow by Green Coverage)

"I stay, I pray, I see you in heaven far away. I stay, I pray, I see you in heaven one day..."

I stood, told Leon about the Broken Butterfly and the three of us went back to go get it. As we left I glanced at Luis and smiled sadly before following Leon out.

On the piece of paper:

Friend,

Ally,

Hero

Luis Sera

Rest in Peace...

On the back:

(a sketch of the four of them in action poses. From left to right: Leon with the Riot Gun, Luis with his Red 9, Rally with the Blacktail, and Caleb in battlestance on the front.)

With the words:

Heroes, allies and friends forever

((A/N: Dedicated to Luis Sera, a charming fellow who will not be forgotten by the fans of Resident Evil 4.))


- Cage Match Room

Leon growled angrily as we pushed our way through the ambush our "ever-so-annoying" enemies had set up for us. I squeezed off a few shots to keep the zealots occupied as Caleb darted among them, attacking who he could. The agent fired his TMP into the crowd that was blocking the door to the Last Supper Corridor. There were definetly a lot more cultists showing up than in the game but that wasn't going to stop us from getting the magnum.

"Jesus Christ, how many are there?!" Leon griped as another group of mad monks swarmed into the room. I growled and fired off a few shots from both the Punisher and Handgun.

"It's a castle, Leon. There's bound to be thousands of these freaks!" I griped back as I fired on the crossbowmen that took aim at the government agent. Hell, at this point I was happy to see more cultists. To me, it was a good way to vent out my anger and sadness about Luis' death. I knew that if I kept those feeling bottled up, I was going to screw up somewhere and get either me, Leon or both of us killed because my negative emotions clouded my judgement. So, in a way, the cultists were helping me feel better and think more clearly.

Thank you, dying monks!

Bodies danced under Leon's rapid-fire and I whistled Caleb back after he took down a crossbow wielding enemy. Once the white dog was safely at our side, I chucked a Incendiary grenade amidst the cult group. A few of them screamed and ran about while in flames, others danced around and a very few attempted to rush us while being barbaqued. Needless to say, Leon shot those that tried to run at us and we waited for them to disintergrate into the floor before moving on.

- Last Supper Corridor

Wow! Something that goes with the game for once! Two weaponless monks were in front of us, next to the blown table and three hiding in that tiny hall that lead to the External Wall Area. The very place where the agent's future best friend, the Broken Butterfly, lies asleep. I took on the twin weaponless idiots while Leon and Caleb went after the trio of morons playing 'Hide-n-Go-Seek' in the hall.

The twin cultists giggled madly as they ran at me. I lowered the Handgun and shot the first one in the leg and watched him toppled over in pain. I raised the Punisher to the second monk, but he covered his face with his arms and continued to approach me. Just like I was hoping he would do. I scurried over to him and grinned as I pulled my hand to the side. As soon the monk lowered his arms, he noticed I was in front of him.

My grin widen. "Hey, tell me if this hurts!" I hissed and struck the zealot's head, raking my nails across his face. The monk cried out and clutched his face in pain. I bent my knees and rammed my fist into the cultist's gut, forcing him to double over then followed up with an uppercut. The cultist fell back from the blows as the first staggered back up. I quickly grabbed a chair and swung it, twisting my body to put more force into it. The legs of the chair smacked it across the head and I saw him spin in the air from the blow. Coolness. Then I shot them both while they were still on the ground to end the fight.

Afterwards, Leon and Caleb reentered the dinning hall after taking out their targets. The agent looked around the room, noticing the badly damaged walls that were splattered with blood and guts. Then his gaze settled on the wreckage that used to be the first dinning table, noting the scorched table cloth. It only took him about a second to know what happened here.

"Rally, you used grenades in here, didn't you?" he asked as he reloaded the TMP yet again. I laughed nervously and nodded. "That many enemies, huh?"

I laughed again, "Y-yeah. I kinda walked in on them having a meal."

Leon grinned, "Can't say that I blame you." He glanced at the second table and saw the meal that lay there. It was all still perfectly clean and untouched. He saw the two plates of roasted chicken and smiled a little. "Well, now I know where you got the food. I guess you were careful in this room, right?"

"Yeah, I saw the food there and thought of you and Caleb and Luis..." I lowered my eyes briefly at the Spanaird's name but I shook out of it, "So I decided to get them to come to me and fight them off that way, so I can save at least one table of food."

"Smart thinking."

"Thanks."

Caleb leaped onto the table and pounced on one plate of chicken. Leon and I laughed as the white dog chewed slowly as if savoring the taste of the meat. We laughed until my stomach growled for more food. I placed a hand on my tummy and blushed as the agent gave me an amused grin when it growled once more. I mumbled something incoherent and sat at the table, snatching up a piece of chicken from the other plate.

insert embarassing stomach growl

I blushed again at the sound but stopped when I realized it wasn't my stomach growling. I looked at Caleb, thinking it was him and saw him blink at me with a drumstick in his jaws. Apparently, he thought it was me. We both stared at each other and heard the stomach growl again. Realizing it was neither of us, we both looked at Leon and at that point, I wished the merchant was with us to take the agent's photo now. Leon was blusing and looking at his stomach, while wrapping an arm around his waist as if that would keep the growls quiet.

It didn't.

I laughed as the agent's cheeks deepened in color as he stomach demanded to be satsified. I grinned at him as Caleb seemed to smirk at the agent as Leon's face burned from our staring. The dog became bored after a second and went back to dinning on chicken. I silently motioned my guardian to sit and eat, but Agent Kennedy refused to move from his spot in the room. I frowned slightly at his stubborn nature.

"Leon, you might as well sit and eat. Your body is going to give out on you if you stay hungry." I said wisely, "You can't work on an empty stomach."

The agent raised a brow at my statement, his way of objecting to that. Then I remembered Resident Evil 2, Leon had arrived at the city and didn't get a chance to eat at all before running from the infected dead. I sighed.

"Okay, so you can." I amended with a shrug, "But this isn't Raccoon City. Zombies can't think, Las plagas can. Unlike zombies, these guys can out think us if we're not careful and can set up traps. But like the undead, they can also take advantage of us if we're weakened."

At first, I thought Leon just tuned me out but I saw that he was thinking it over. It was only after his stomach insisted once more to listen, that the agent finally gave up and sat at the table. He reached over for a piece of chicken and popped it into his mouth. I smiled and bit into some bread. The food was cold but it was better than nothing and man, it was good to eat some kind of meal after what felt like a lifetime ago that either of us ate anything.

We ate quickly and I led Leon and Caleb through the tiny hall that led to the External Wall Area. I pushed open the wooden door into the southern mess hall and walked in. I felt a shiver run up my spine as Leon and Caleb entered the room cautiously. But I didn't see anything that resembled trouble. Was something wrong? I placed a hand to my temple as I tried to recall what was supposed to happen here.

Suddenly, I was crushed to the floor as something fast and heavy slammed onto me from above. Claws ticked on my body excitedly and I remembered those claws. Invisbility and having a habit of ramming into people; it was the fucking Novistadors, I remember now. Leon turned around in shock and raised his Blacktail at it and fired several times. The bug jerked from the impact of the rounds but wasn't going to let me up.

I grappled its arms and held them back to keep those deadly claws away from my face as Leon aimed for its head. Caleb leaped into the fray to save me when the agent didn't fire his gun. Confused, I looked toward him as he stood there, his weapon lowering. Leon twitched and I stared in shock as he suddenly whirled around in a spin kick and nailed another invisible Novistador that was hidding behind him.

I blinked in surprise at my hero while he shot it with the black handgun. True, that there were two Novistadors hidding in the room but he didn't know about them. Hell, I had forgotten about them and they made no sound to announce their presence. The bugs only lose their invisibility once they move and that one didn't move. Wait, no, they still retain it when they move but their eyes glow as they do. That Novistador's eyes didn't glow. So, how did Leon know about that one?

I shook my head and grinned as I returned to my task of making sure ugly here couldn't take a bite out of me. How could I forgotten? Leon's no longer human. He's a human BOW like Wesker and his BOW senses had alerted him about the enemy. Does the blonde government agent realize what he has become? I doubt it and I'm guessing he's only thinking it was his sixth sense telling him to kick out behind him. Hell, if I were in his shoes, I'll would think the same thing. Becoming infected with the T-Virus would be the last thing on our minds at this point had the virus been here.

"Caleb! Off!" Leon barked and the white dog obeyed after giving the Novistador on me one final bite on the shoulder. The bug screeched angrily as it twisted around to slash at the dog but Caleb had already bounded away from its reach. Leon had switched weapons, ran up to the monsterous bug and slammed the butt of the Riot-Gun against its head. The Novistador staggered off of me and hissed angrily at the agent for disturbing it while it tried to chow down on me. Caleb trotted over to me to look me over for injuries as Leon stood between me and the bug, barring its path.

Other than having the searing pain of my back and right leg, plus the bruise that thing gave me, I had no serious injuries that would make my friends worry. Caleb licked my face and growled at the giant bug that glowered at the agent. Leon reloaded the shotgun as he watched the Novistador carefully. The bug screeched in fury and charged toward my hero, figuring that if it wanted to eat, might as well eat the blonde guy first. Wrong! A smart monster would know to not go after the one that has guns that can blow you a brand new hole to breathe out of. But then again, monsters aren't really smart to begin with.

"Ah, screeched it to someone who cares." Leon snapped and rammed the barrel of the Riot-Gun into the Novistador's mouth and pulled the trigger, blowing the tiny brain the bug had to bits.

After watching the insect crumple to the floor with the back of its head missing, the agent turned his attention to me and helped me up, asking if I was okay. I told him that I was fine but knew better than to lie to Leon. He tapped his foot a little in irritation as his gaze flickered over to my right leg.

"Fine, right. Mind telling me why you haven't healed your right leg?" he asked dryly and I flinched at his words. He knew about that? I opened my mouth to ask but he was ahead of me. "I knew when I noticed that you were careful when walking on that leg and you shift your weight on your left one while you were standing still."

Memo to me...work on hiding injuries. I sighed and rubbed the back of my head in embarrassment. "Uh, yeah...about that... You see, I was being attacked while looking for you and I..." I lowered my voice at the part and raised my voice to normal, "And the merchant ran out of First Aid Sprays at that time, so I couldn't heal it and forgot about it until now."

Leon raised a brow, "Can you run that by me again? You mumbled." I frowned and repeated it again, making sure that I lowered my voice on how I got injuried until the agent glared at me. "You're doing it again." he growled, "How did you get your leg injured?"

I sighed, "I got shot with an arrow, are ya happy?"

"An arrow?!"

"Yeah, I was being attacked by one of those Colmillos and I was firing at it. One crossbow wielding monk got a shot in and nailed me in the leg."

The agent inclined his head as he thought it about and frowned slightly. "Let me guess...you were hit by that wolf's lash attack, right?"

I blinked in surprise "How did you know?"

He grinned boyishly. Don't do that Leon, you remind me of Wesker when he's doing his evil smirk. Makes want to tackle you both to the ground. "Well, I was hit with it while I was approaching the chruch. I took out two wolves with an Incendiary grenade but one managed to avoid it and hit me with the tentacles on its back."

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, that attack is used to disable you from retaliating and leave you open to an attack by some other enemy." Leon explained, "And that's what the wolf did to you. It left you open to attack and that monk took it, hitting you with the arrow."

I scowled at the information but kept that in mind. "Great. See? These guys are thinking! And it's pissing me off!"

"It's pissing me off too, but we got to deal with it. Anyway, I know you have a gash on your back and that's from hugging you." Leon held up a can of healing mist. "Well, since we got the sprays might as well heal you up so you don't have trouble running when we have to run."

I sighed, "All right." I blushed and turned around. "You're going to have to get the wound on my back." I sighed again as I started to lift the back of my shirt and heard Leon shift uneasily behind me. "Leon, you're not being a pervert now, you're healing. And you're only looking at my back, for god sakes."

"That's not it..." he said as he sprayed my back lightly with the medicine. "You've got a problem."

I hissed a little as it fizzled, "And...what problem is that?"

"Strap."

I stiffened and blushed as I knew exactly what he was talking about and I brought the back of my shirt back down in a hurry. I scowled as I remembered the stupid knight's attack. That fucking armored bastard sliced the main strap! Goddamnit! Great, just fucking great. I'm gonna be walking around for the rest of the adventure with a broken bra strap. Unless the merchant has some thread and a needle then I can fix it but I doubt it.

I turned back around and took the spray can from Leon. I then removed the bandages, lifted the part of my pants where the wound was, stuck the nozzle in the hole and sprayed the wound. I hissed as it stung but healed quickly. I tossed the empty can away as Caleb sniffed around for anything useful.

Leon broke the wooden boxes for items and stayed away from one as Caleb growled at it. I knew that it held the stupid snake in it and we looked at the padlock on the door. I opted that Leon should blast it open but we better save ammo. I guess Leon figured it too as he lifted his leg and gave the door a swift kick. To his surprise, the lock broke off as the door swung open in one kick. But I knew he just thought that the lock sucked.

I smiled secretly. No, Leon, it's not the lock. It's you. You're a BOW, you have more power in you than you realize. Perhaps enough power to stop Wesker from reviving Umbrella...

We left the mess hall and entered our destination.


- External Wall Area

(A/N: I'm only guessing Caleb's breed since they don't tell us in the player's guide or the game. And I know in the game it was still dark out when Ashley rejoins Leon but since I made Rally disappear for several hours, I made it daylight. It was past midnight when they arrived at the castle and it takes them at least a day to get out of there. So the castle area's time is whacked but I had to do it to keep the Island's time intacted. Sorry.)

I led my two friends through a couple of doors and headed for the locked door near the fountain. Caleb perked at the sounds of water and bounded up to it. He placed his front paws on the rim of the fountain and wagged his tail excitedly, glad to see water. He lapped up water as I motioned Leon over to the door. The agent looked at the door, barred window then at the high open window and knew what I was asking.

He knelt down and I climbed his back. He stood and I shifted myself onto his shoulders, making sure to keep my weight even so I wouldn't stress out Leon. The agent stretched up as far as he could and I stretched out myself until I felt my palms touch the ledge. I gripped the ledge and pulled myself up, planting my feet on the wall and scrambled to sit on the ledge. I breathed out a sigh of relief and jumped over, bending my knees to soften my landing.

I grinned as the shock that ran up my legs was not as bad as before. I quickly went over to the large chest and peeked inside and indeed, the magnum laid there, ready to be picked up by Leon. I closed the chest and grinned at the agent, giving him a thumb's up. My hero returned my smile with a dry one.

"Uh, yeah, Rally, I would love to pick that up, but you need to unlock the door before I can."

"Oh! Sorry!" I scurried over to the lock to open it when we all heard a deep, angry growl.

And it wasn't Caleb.

Leon whirled around to see what the growl was and I looked out the barred window to see as well. What I saw made gasp out in shock. Standing not too far from us was a blacked figure of a Colmillo. The burnt fur on it made its mad green eyes stand out even more as they glowed and the wolf growled in rage. I turned away from the window and focused on unlocking the door. One of the wolves actually survived that fire!? Jesus, how determined is that thing?! I jiggled the key that was still in the lock but it was stuck. I am cursed with turning things, damnit!

"Rally..." Leon called as the Colmillo lowered itself in preparation for a pounce. "I can't reload the shotgun in front of it, it's waiting for me to do that to get to me!"

I jiggled the key and lock even harder after hearing the agent's voice laced with fear even though Caleb stood protectively in front of him, fur standing on end in anger. Come on, come on!

"Rally..."

"I'm trying!"

"Come on, Rally..."

"It's stuck! The fucking key is stuck!" Ashley, you damn lucky bitch! I jiggled it harder as Leon pressed himself against the door. The wolf wasn't stupid, even though it was focused on the agent, it kept an eye on Caleb. I jiggled the key harder and...

SNAP!

I stared in horror as the key head snapped off from the rest and was still in the keyhole. Aw hell... My gaped at the broken key and still locked door. Why does shit like this always happen with me?!

"What was that!?" Leon called as the White German Shepherd leaped at the wolf to keep it away from the agent. The two fought savagely to overpower the other as I frantically tried to figure out a way to open the door and Leon to safety. I know there was another method but between the frustration, Leon's panicked calls and the two beasts fighting, it was hard to concerntrate.

"Fuck it!" I yelled angrily and opened fire on the lock at point blank. The Colmillo had thrown off Caleb and targeted Leon, almost grinning madly at its victory. The government agent yelped out in shock as the wolf threw itself at him, jaws opening wide to rip into his throat. I finally was able to "unlock" the door and it opened inwards, causing the agent, who was pressed against it, to fall into the room.

Caleb had recovered and slammed into the wolf in mid-air, making it veer off course. Leon sat up in surprise as I knelt next to him to see if he was alright. We both watched in astonishment as the two animals became nothing more than a whirlwind of snarling black and white. I've seen my share of dogfights as a kid and each one was brutal but those were nothing compared to what Leon and I were seeing now.

The two tore at each other with claws and snapping jaws. Caleb bit the wolf's ear and mauled it as the other yelped in pain then growled angrily before pulling its head away, ripping its own ear a little. The Colmillo, in turn, sank its teeth into the shepherd's back and yanked on it, causing Caleb to yelp out. Our furred friend threw himself against the wolf, knocking them both over and he rolled over the insane Lupine, forcing it to release him. They scrambled to their feet and leaped back from each other, Caleb standing protectively in front of us as the wolf landed next to the fountain.

Our White German Shepherd was now red and gray from blood and ashes of the wolf's burnt fur and had a bad limp. The Colmillo on the other hand, had part of his left flank ripped open and its paw was bitten open. The two began to circle each other, eying the other carefully. Leon held his arm protectively in front of me as the Colmillo neared the door, but the wolf ignored us. I'm only guessing that the infected Lupine was saving us for later once it took care of Caleb. Pfft. Like it can take down our dog?

But, just in case... I shook the agent's arm and motioned for him to reload the shotgun while the wolf was busy. Leon nodded and quietly reloaded his weapon as the two animals continued their circle. Suddenly, the two jumped at each other and turned into another tornado of snapping fur. Even Leon was horrorified as we watched the feral battle between the beasts.

Caleb probably realized that we were all pressed for time and decided to end the fight now. He leaped away from the wolf, darted around it, bit and yanked on the Colmillo's tail. The Lupine howled in pain, whirled around and glared at the White German Shepherd that grinned mischievously. Caleb turned around and wiggled his rear at the wolf, taunting it. I swear I could see the wolf's eye twitch in rage at the act. The Colmillo snarled angrily and Caleb took off with the wolf hot on his tail.

"Caleb!" I cried out in shock, getting up to go after them. Leon grabbed my arm and pulled me back, watching the two scamper away.

"He's leading it away from us, Rally."

I sighed as we stepped out and looked around the fountain. I spotted the two running for the...broken rail of the ledge! What the hell was Caleb thinking?! I watched in horror as Caleb ran at the ledge in full speed but I remembered that he had a bad limp and that meant his running wasn't in full stride. But the wolf was despite its injured paw. Leon and I watched in surprise as Caleb suddenly skidded to a stop, turned around and stood his ground as the blackened wolf charged toward him. As the wolf sprang forward with the intent of killing the dog on its mind as it flew toward our friend. And I swear to God that I saw Caleb smirk as he just stood there.

At the last possible second, Caleb dropped to the floor in a heap. The Colmillo, realizing what was happening, howled in fear as it overshot Caleb and launched itself off the ledge. We watched in shock as the White German Shepherd stood and looked behind himself as the wolf's agunished howl echoed through the daylight. The agent and I ran up to Caleb and watched as the wolf's flailing body disappeared beyond our sight. I blinked slowly, sad that the wolf had to die that way but I guess it was better than being burnt alive. Besides, the wolf can now go on in peace and without the plaga controlling it anymore.

We headed back to the fountain to claim Leon's new weapon. I stayed at the fountain to wash and heal Caleb as the agent headed into the room to grab the magnum and the other little treasures hidden there. Caleb wagged his tail happily as I washed away the blood and ash that matted his fur with my white bandana. He only winced a few times as I washed near his wounds. I quickly applied the spray on him as soon as he was clean then squeezed the dirty water from my bandana. I rinsed off my bandana and quickly hid in the room were Leon was, who was staring at his new weapon, as our White German Shepherd friend shook himself dry.

Leon and I came out of the room after Caleb finished shaking himself off and went back the way we came.


- Rail to the Dragon Room

I scowled as Leon boarded the square platfom that was attached to a rail, fixed above a small lake of molten lava. Why Salazar has a pool of lava in his castle, I don't know. Maybe he swims in it? Or he cooks his dinner with it. Maybe he's trying to impress me by showing this off? I can imagine him saying this to me: "Hey, honey! Look what I got! A lava lake!" Then I say, "Oh, yeah? Look what I can do with it!" And I can push him off the edge and watch him melt.

Or he's just a fucking crazy ass midget with faith and social issues. Who cares? All I do care is the fact that that stupid platform could be rigged as a booby trap! You know, like Leon gets half across and the platform decides to tip over and throw the agent into the lava? Okay, maybe it won't happen, but he's going to the Dragon Room alone. ALONE. I don't want him to go alone, I want to go with him to help. Yet, I knew he had to go alone, it was his turn to shine once more. But I had another reason for wanting to go with him.

I didn't want to be left alone.

Okay, so I won't be entirely alone since I've got Caleb for company and protection, plus my guns. And this area is pretty secure, hopefully it'll stay like that when the agent leaves. But we just rejoined and now we had to seperate again and anything could happen in that short amount of time. Like a shitload of cultists bursting in on me as soon as he closes the Dragon Room door behind him. Or Leon getting burned to a crisp in that room. Now, I know for certain that he's not stupid enough to stand there like an idiot and stare at the dragon machines; while screaming "Oh! A dragon ride!" during his trek through that room. But I was scared of what wasn't supposed to be in there that could very likely take the agent's life.

Not a good thing when I do depend on Leon being alive to get out of here in one piece.

I frowned slightly as my hero turned toward me after checking out a map he had swiped some time ago when we first entered the castle. He noticed my worried expression, reached over and ruffled my hair a bit with a slight smile. I placed a hand on my head and tried to straighten out my hair. Caleb sat next me, wagging his tail but still looked worried about the lava. Don't worry, Caleb, you ain't the only one.

"I don't know about this. Are you sure you don't want me to come along?" I asked worriedly, yet hoped that he would allow me to come.

Leon grinned. "I'm sure, Rally. You've done enough and you need a break."

I grinned back slightly. "Says the agent who tried to skip out on eating not too long ago."

Agent Kennedy rolled his eyes good naturely at me. "Anyway, this platform only has enough room for one of us and that one is me. I need to do my part in this mission and get in some of the action. Besides," He gestured toward Caleb, who had trotted over to the stairs and began his patrols of the room. "some one needs to be with Caleb. I'm sure he doesn't want to be lonely."

"I know..." I sighed, "Okay, you win."

Leon smiled. "Good. Wait here."

He stepped on a hidden switch on the platform and the big wheel that was attached to the rail began to move him forward to the other side of the pool. I watched him tensely as he moved across and let out a breath of relief as he reached the otherside and stepped off. I waved to him when he got to the door and smiled as he waved back, opened the door and entered the room. I glanced at the platform that sat paitently there for the agent's return.

Huh, a hidden switch. So, that's how he activates the platform in the game. Cool.

I turned and headed to Caleb as I stretched, loosening up a few tense muscles. I felt a few bones and joints pop to my action and automatic relief spread through me. Man, that felt good! I walked to one side, sat on the floor and leaned against the wall to wait for Leon. Again, man did it feel good to sit down. As I sat there, I realized that Leon was right, I do need a break. Faitgue had settled upon me like a weight and I grimanced at the fact that my body was somewhat too tired to move. My eyes drooped tiredly and I knew I was about to nod off but I guess it was okay. It might take Leon a while to get through that room; though, I knew he would let me still sleep if he happened to finish the room fast.

I settled back on the wall and let my head drop to my chest as my eyes closed.

And I fell asleep...


(A/N: Ooh, this part is very important. Pay close attention here because this is vital information here. So read this and keep this in mind as the story continues. Never forget this, if you do, reread it. It's very, very, very important that you remember this. Why? I can't tell you guys yet directly but if you need a hint, read the title of the chapter. Thank you.)

Darkness. That's all I saw no matter where I looked. It was above me, below me, everywhere. I was completely surrounded in the creepy void. It felt as though I was thrown into the world of Kingdom Hearts. Or Max Pane 2. Dear god, I hope not. Leon still needs me to get out of the castle and I don't want to deal with the annoying, endless cries of some dead baby.

Knowing that there was no point in just standing there, I picked a direction and walked. And walked. And walked. To me, I walked for endless miles for the same amount of endless hours. Just where in the hell am I? And why am I even here? I continued my walk in hopes of finding someone. Hell, I don't care if I find Saddler as long as I knew I wasn't alone out here.

"Leon!" I called out as I moved, hoping to find him. Come on, Leon. Where are you? Maybe, he got lost as well?

"Caleb!" I whistled loudly to see if the dog was around and no White German Shepherd bounded towards me. Okay... this is officially freaking me out. Where are those two? I pressed onward with my fading hopes to seeing anyone.

"Ada!"

Nothing.

"Wesker!"

Silence.

Seriously, where is everyone? I can't possibly be the only one here! There has to be someone else here! There just has to! I continued my quest of finding someone as I trudged through the inky blackness that seemed to be the only one there with me.

"Salazar!"

I froze as I listened to myself call out his name. I just know I'm getting desperate, and I mean really desperate, to finding someone if I'm trying to look for him. ...Not a good thing in my book. I shook off the thought as I kept going. Damnit, I shouldn't care if I find him as long as I find someone besides myself and this damn darkness.

As I continued my trek through seemingly nowhere, a soft glowing path suddenly appeared nearby. It was off to my left and as I looked around, noticed that it was the only path there was. Should I follow it? I blinked at it and shrugged. Like I said, it was the only one there and if it doesn't appease me, I could easily turn back and try to find another.

I stepped onto the path and started down on it, making sure to stick to the middle. I called out every name I could think that came from Resident Evil 4. And believe me there weren't that many names in the game. Hell, I even called for Ashley but still got nothing. For a long while I just walked, looking around to see if my suroundings changed. Which they haven't. Next, I sang three songs as I continued my pace.

One song was Savin' Me, hoping that if I sang it Leon would appear, singing the other verse.

Nothing.

Next was When I'm Gone by 3 Doors Down and hoped that would help me forget about the darkness that seemed to crowd around me.

It did...for a while.

Then I sang Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day, because that was what I was doing. Walking this "street" alone. That and I had hoped that it, too, would distract me from my loneliness. It did the exact opposite.

It made me aware of it.

Suddenly, the path I was on began to flicker madly, like someone was playing with a light switch. What the hell was going on?! Just then, the rest of the path before me faded away and in it's place three more intersected with what was left of mine. I blinked in surprise, looking at the three new choices as I tried to take in the sudden change of events.

Just what the fuck happened?

I blinked in shock as I suddenly discovered that I couldn't move. Not knowing what was happening or why, I peered down the paths and gasped. Each one had someone there and each one was looking back at me. Shivers went up and down my spine as I looked at each of them in confusion.

The first one I was looking at was the person that stood at "end" of the path in front me. She, at least I think its a she, was waving to me happily. Like she was waving to a normal everyday friend. I couldn't see her face nor could I see her body, just a outline of her, like a cutout or something. But I could tell she was happy from her eyes that strangely was stood out in the dark. And if I strained my ears enough, I could hear her theme. It was... Savin' Me?! Okay... weird.

I casted at glance over to the one on my left and saw that the person there, a girl too I guess, was gazing back at me sadly. I couldn't see her face either but I could see her eyes that stood out in the darkness that masked her face, too. She was wearing a blue leather jacket that reached her ankles, a white tank top, dark gray pants and black boots. She held a black handgun and I could hear her theme. Which was... When I'm Gone?! What the-?!

I looked over to my right and saw a girl there, too. She stood in a confident stance, her arms across her chest and giving me nasty smile. She wore a dark blue...turtle neck? And some dark royal blue pants and a pair of black boots. I think she was wearing something on her face. I can't tell because of all the black surrounding us. But her theme was Boulevard of Broken Dreams?! The fuck?!

As I looked at each one again in surprise and even more confused, they each held out their right hand to me. Like they wanted to help me across the path or something. I blinked at them as they walked slowly toward me, still keeping their hands out to me. As they walked toward me, they asked me this.

"What path will you take?"

Suddenly, my head was forced downward so that I was looking at the path. One hand came down to my eye level. I blinked at one of the girls' palm.

"Are you in control?" one of them asked.

Another hand appeared before me.

"Will you be melancholy?"

Then another.

"Do you become vengenful?"

What? I blinked in confusion at the questions they were asking me. What the hell are they talking about?

"What path will you take?" they asked me again.

I opened my mouth to answer...


I was startled awake as the rail above the lava pool began to move. I blinked in surprised and rubbed my neck at the weird dream that I had. Or was it a dream?

I shook away the thought and stood, ready to greet Leon as Caleb wagged his tail happily. Believe me, I was happy to see the agent return in one piece. Slightly burned from the looks of things and hurt, but still in one piece. I pulled out a First Aid Spray and a vial of Mixed Herbs and hurried over to the agent as he slightly stummbled off the platform.

I let him lean on me for some support as I walked him over to a wall and have him sit down. I realized that he didn't lean on me because he was injured, he did it because he was dizzy from the heat in the Dragon Room. Uh, yeah, lava heat tends to make people pass out from heat stroke. Be glad he didn't pass out while fighting.

I quickly nursed his injuries while Leon sat there and drank from the canteen to keep himself hydrated. Caleb was doing guard duty, keeping his eyes and ears open for anymore unpleasant guests. Afterwards, I took the canteen away and helped the agent up since he was still a little dizzy and walked him to the stairs, decending the small flight of steps to the luxurious rail car. I sat him down on one of the crimson cushions, broke the vases there and grabbed whatever items were left.

Tossing the items into his attache case and taking note of the Lion Ornament (damn piece); I sat down and waited for Caleb to trot in before closing the door to the rail car. I sat down at the cushion across from Leon and just couldn't keep in a squeal of joy of sitting on something soft for the first time since forever. For the first time ever, I bless the one who designed and built this car after hours of standing and running. This is the best gift ever, thank you!

A small relaxed smile appeared on Leon's face as his eyes close, obviously agreeing to whatever I was thinking. The rail care suddenly lurched forward and picked up speed as it went down the track. In turn which caused the agent to bolt upright and nearly stepped on Caleb's tail, who thankfully moved his tail out of harm's way.

I grinned sleepily at his startled expression. "Relax, Leon, we're okay. Why not take a quick nap?" Take that Ashley! You'll never experinece this in your life!

Caleb gave Leon a semi-glare as the weary agent slumped back on his seat, placing his current weapon on his lap and closing his eyes again. The White German Shepherd curled up on my side and tucked his tail beneath his body to keep it safe. I was already drifting off to sleep from both the motions of the smooth ride and the cool air brushing past. Now this is relaxing.

"I don't know if I can fall asleep." Agent Kennedy mumbled, "I should stay awake and make sure nothing gets us..."

"Leon, nothing's going to jump at us now. Besides, you're already nodding off and this ride is about twenty-five minutes long. Do yourself a favor and take a nap." I smiled, "If it helps...I can sing you to sleep."

Leon grinned even though he still had his eyes closed. "You sing me to sleep?"

I grinned at his challenge. "Yup. If you don't believe me then sit there and listen to me sing. Then tell me if you're still awake."

"Okay," the agent agreed, "You're on."

(A/N: I'll promise to keep this one short. Hopefully. Sanctuary from Kingdom Hearts II. If you haven't played it, shame on you! J/K. No, Rally can't sing backwards so the lines that are played backwards in the actual song will be sung normally. Tough. Apologies to those who (may) hate me for what I'm about to do.)

"Hhaaa...Ahhhaahaa...I need more affection you know... In you and I, there's a new land. Angels in flight, I need more affection you know." I sang softly, "A sanctuary, my sanctuary, yeah. Where fears and lies melt away. Music inside, I need more affection you know."

I smiled slightly as Caleb's eyes closed completely. "What's left of me, what's left of me now..." I sang at was gently as I watched Leon closely, knowing fully well that he was falling asleep "I watch you fast asleep. All I fear means nothing...!"

I giggled lightly as the agent's head finally dropped to his chest, that rose and fell rhythmically. And he was asleep. Wow, that was fast. I smiled at him as he breathed softly in his sleep. Poor Leon, again stuck in a nightmare that has him running himself ragged to survive.

I continued the song. "In you and I, there's a new land. Angels in flight, I need more affection you know. A sanctuary, my sanctuary, yeah. Where fears and lies melt away!" I sang softly, "Music inside, I need more affection you know. What's left of me, what's left of me..."

I bobbed my head to the silent tune of the song. "So many ups and downs, my heart's a battleground." I sang referring to my emotions toward him. My gaze sleepily fell on his mouth and I blushed as a thought suddenly popped into my head. My gaze shot back up to his eyes. He was still asleep. Should I? I leaned forward to him slowly but paused a few inches away from my target. Seriously... should I?

Suddenly the next line of the song came to mind. "True emotions. I need more affection you know, I need true emotions."

Shook my head. No. It wouldn't be right. Leon...Leon doesn't have that same affection for me. Being his friend, that's my place and should be my only affection to him. Nothing more. Ada...she has his heart and I shouldn't interfere. I smiled a little. Lucky woman in red. Instead, I aimed a bit higher and brushed my lips softly on my new target, being careful to not wake the agent. I leaned back and smiled to myself as the agent shifted slightly and mumbled once again about Ada. I giggled softly at his action as I curled up on my seat and allowed slumber to overtake me once again.

I just gave Leon Scott Kennedy a friendly kiss and that was more than enough for me.

Sleep well, little agent. Things are gonna get tougher after this...


OMG! Rally just kissed Leon! (le gasp) Sorry, girls, it was only on the forehead. Friendly kisses are always there. Made you think she was actually going to steal a kiss? (laughs) Nah, Rally ain't that naughty, but you knew she wanted too. What other suprises await you in future chappies? I dunno, you tell me. If any of you have an idea or a suggestion on what I should for the next chapter either tell me on the review or drop me a line on my e-mail. Evilvixen05(at)gmail(dot)com.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chappy and thank you all for sticking by me and waiting for these slow updates.

Chat with ya later!

Wait... hold on. Don't go anywhere until you guys at least give me a review. A lot people read my fic but don't leave a review. I can't do a better job unless I know how you liked the chapter. I use reviews as a way to imporve my writing to keep you guys on the edge of your seats! I'm aiming to have at least ten reviews between chappies, that way I know that I still got fans out there!

See that little purple box that says "Submit Review"? It's on the bottom left hand corner of your screen. See it now? Good. Click "Go". Go on. Click it. Now type in what you like (or don't like) about the chapter and submit it. See? Wasn't that easy? Don't glare at me like that. You're not gonna break your fingers by typing in a few sentences, now are you? Besides, I always reply to my reviews!

Anyway, thanks for reviewing!

...Okay, you can go now.