A/N: I'd like thank my reviewers Shirahane Aikawa and Mercenary Nemesis, as well as all the readers for their support.

Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil or any of its characters appearing in this story. They are property of Capcom.

Chapter 5

(Leon's POV)

I woke up it was already dark and I was still a little sleepy. Sounds of soft breaths told me Zach was sleeping by me. I turned to my other side and switched on my bedside lamp so that the room was a little brighter. I turned back again and saw Kate was lying there too; she had her arm around the little boy, who was holding it snuggled close to her.

"You've been up all this time", I asked her.
"Shh…", she hushed me, "I slept too after you two fell asleep but yeah I've been up for a while and since he's holding me."
"He's really tired", I said keeping my hand on his shoulder and just then he stirred and woke up.
"Good morning", he mumbled rubbing his eyes.
"Had a nice sleep?", Kate asked him but before he could answer somebody banged the door violently and he clung to Kate.
"Monster", he said burying his head Kate's chest.

"It's not monster honey", Kate said, "Leon, go see who it is?"
I did as I was told and opened the door to find my sister, "Leon, mom and Dad lost Zach", she said worried and I could hear Jeremy shouting at my parents.
"He's with us", I told her.
"Jerry, he's with Leon and Kate", she yelled and he came out running followed by Mum and Dad.

Liana moved inside the room and walked to the end of the bed, "Come to mum sweetie", she spread her arms and Zach ran to her.
"Leon at least you guys should have told us before keeping our kid, I was blaming mom and dad for no reason", Jerry said as Liana walked to him.
"Yeah you gave us a scare", she said, "Anyways it happens sometimes, so we forgive you. Kate you have milk?"
"In the refrigerator", she answered.
"That mad dog is not there, is it?", Jeremy asked holding Liana's arm stopping her and Shadow growled at him as if replying and they hurried out.

(Kate's POV)

"I am sorry mom and dad", Leon apologized and I didn't know the reason.
"No problem son, you know how Jeremy is", his dad said smiling at him.
"Kathleen darling, if it isn't a bother can you bring dinner in the room, you see climbing and descending stairs is not sporting anymore", his mother said but I knew it was not the reason.
"Yeah sure, I'll bring it upstairs, any special demands", I asked her.
"No honey, whatever you cook is fine, c'mon Joseph lets go to the room", she said and the old couple headed inside the room.

"I hate Jeremy, it was better if he hadn't come", Leon said and I very well knew the reason, the guy got on my nerves too.
"What does your parents prefer in dinner?", I asked him.
"I think tuna", he told me.
"We don't have tuna", I said, "Would Pasta do?"
"That's Dad's favorite", he said and I glared at him, "You know I am not good at remembering things."
"I know", I said and walked down to make tonight's supper and found Liana's family enjoying something on TV.

(Leon's POV)

I joined my sister's family trying to keep my distance from Kate to avoid any argument that would usually happen if we stayed with each other for too long. But as time passed by I kept glancing at kitchen, "why don't you go and help Kate", I literally slipped off the couch when Liana whispered this to me, "I know you love her too much that you can't leave her for a sec."
"No! Who told you that?", I questioned rising from my seat.
"Just help her out okay", Liana said backing away.
"Okay, its because you are saying", I said it more to myself than to her, walking to the kitchen.
"Love you little bro", she yelled while her husband asked what it was.
"Yeah, yeah", I only replied.
"You need something?", Kate asked without looking at me, as if she had some sensor telling her that I stepped in the kitchen.

(Kate's POV)

"Want some help?", Leon asked and I literally spun around to make sure it was Leon, "I am not kidding."
"You're not?", I asked confused.
"No, I am not", he said a bit frustrated, "You want my help or not?"
"Okay, okay let's cut the argument", I said making a time out sign with my hands, "How about you set the table? Does that sound good?", I asked him.
"Fine", he said roughly, "Where's the cutlery?"
"In there", I pointed to a drawer

I watched Leon open the drawer and take out knives, forks and spoons, "What?", he snapped looking at me.
"Nothing", I replied smiling.
"That thing is burning", he said trying to hold everything in his hand but he kept dropping them to floor and then he had to wash them to get rid of germs, which was getting him more annoyed.
"Keep them in this okay", I said putting all the cutlery in an empty bread basket.

Without a word he set out for the dining area to set the table. Usually I do that but when our families are around he helps does all the things and no matter how our thinking differs but we always work together when dealing with our family, it was like some of our missions, which needed both his skills and mine. And although he gets a bit late but he always shows to help me in this matter, if I didn't know him better, I could say it was the cutest thing ever.

(Leon's POV)

"You going somewhere Leon?", Liana asked from the table as she had her breakfast.
"Work", I replied joining everybody. Kate came from the kitchen and set a plate of pancakes in front of me, "Pancakes?"
"Little devil wanted it", Mom said.
"No, no, no don't eat with your hands; gosh Kate you shouldn't have made these", Liana said frustrated a little but one could make out she was happy that she was having pancakes cause it was her favorite breakfast, "He won't let me eat my breakfast."
"I'll feed him", Kate replied, "Come sweetie" she pulled him by hand, "Let's wash your hands first", she took him to kitchen and Shadow followed her back and sat as she helped Zach with his breakfast.
"Doggy eat pancakes", Zach said out loud.
"Doggy don't eat pancakes", Kate told him, "Now go watch TV", she set him down and he ran away and Shadow kept his fore feet on her lap.
"He's feeling jealous", I told her smiling and she laughed and patted Shadow.
"Don't be jealous", she kissed his forehead and he got off her, "Come it's time for your meal too", she took him away.

When I was finished I took my plate back to the kitchen as Kate washed her hands, "I'll try to come early, you sure you can manage them on your own?", I asked her.
"I think I can", she replied.

(Kate's POV)

Leon whistled and Shadow looked up from between his meal, "Take care of house buddy and you're free to repeat what you did last time with Jeremy if he acts like a fool."
"No you're not", I snapped glaring at Leon.
"Yes you're", he said smiling washing his hands.
"No", I said to Shadow but it was more to Leon.
"Yes", he said pressing on and Shadow started barking, "good boy", he said and walked out, "Just don't put your mistress in trouble… that's my job", with these last words he left… me smiling.

(Leon's POV)

The last thing you wanna hear after a day hard work are people shouting, when you get back home, "I told you, not to run down the stairs, why don't you listen to me, now cry", Jeremy yelled at his 4 year old.
"Hey easy there, why are you yelling at him", I said and the crying four year old ran to me and I picked him up in my arms. This man, how in the hell Liana fell in love with him.
"The brat won't listen, he fell down the stairs luckily he didn't got hurt…", he said shouting at me too as if I had encouraged Zach to run down the stairs.
"He didn't get hurt that's that… why are you making a fuss", I said to him moving in the house, "Don't cry here have this", I said to Zach giving him a bar of chocolate that I bought for him, "Where's Aunt Kate now?", I asked him and he pointed at the kitchen.

As I stepped in kitchen Shadow greeted me and I saw Kate chopping onions like a professional chef real fast and one could hear her sobs a bit due the onion, one could clearly see she was really angry at something. I looked at mom, who was sitting at the small table in the kitchen and asked what happened and she just shrugged, "I can see somebody is in bad mood today", I commented and she gave me a look. She didn't say anything and put oil in the pan and followed by her chopped onions and it made a violent hissing sound, "Did Jeremy say something to you?", I asked again.
"No", she replied taking some bell peppers and dicing them next.
"So why are you angry?", I asked her looking at mom.
"I am not angry", she said monotonously.
"Okay", I said setting the little boy on the counter, "Now Zach, tell me what happened today?"

"I fell down the stairs", he said and at this Kate turned to him.
"What? When? Did you got hurt?", she asked him concerned.
"I hurt my knee", he told her showing his bleeding knee.
"Leon get the first aid kit from lower cabinets", she said urgently.
"Yeah", I said reaching to it before she asked me. Jeremy said he wasn't hurt, maybe he didn't tell him because he was yelling at him for that.
"There you go, okay?", she smiled putting a band aid on his knee and he nodded and gave his chocolate to her, "For me?", she said and kissed him, "Have it sweetheart. Now I have to work, okay", she said returning back to cook the dinner, definitely more calm then before.

(Kate's POV)

"So what else happened today", Leon asked Zach but this question was indirectly meant for me, I knew.
"Grandma taught me a prayer, Aunt Kate played I-spy with me, doggy chased daddy from the kitchen", he said counting on his little fingers, "And just before I fell down the stairs Daddy said to mum he hates uncle Leon because he's a boss's pet and that's why he has so much money", that raised my temper again, that bastard didn't have any idea what we do and passing comments like that is intolerable. So many times Leon has escaped death and the nights he spent at a hospital deserve more money and much, much more respect than he gets now. Well he has a reputation but no amount of money could ever compensate what he has done for the Country as a loyal, dutiful Watchdog.
"Okay, so that's the reason Aunt Kate is mad because she heard him", he said leaning by my side looking at me.
"He also said Aunt Kate is boar", Zach said and it made me look at Leon, he was thinking, thinking fast.

(Leon's POV)

"Boar?", I repeated and then I got what Zach meant his father had called Kate a whore but since he's a child he didn't get that and thought he called her a boar, "That bastard", it was my turn to be angry. I walked out of the kitchen angrily.
"Leon listen to me", Kate said following.
"I've heard enough", I said to her angrily.
"You know how he is… so just let it be", she said to me softly.
"Look you can take those insults but I cannot and its time somebody beat sense into that moron", I told her cracking my knuckle.
"Leon, Zach is here for every boy his father is not less than a superhero, just don't shatter that image for him plus it would make a bad impression on him", she said and I looked over to the boy who was in my mother's arms staring at me.

(Kate's POV)

"Just this time, just because of him", Leon said to me gritting his teeth and then turned to head upstairs, "Just for you, I am leaving him but I won't be able to do it a second time."
"Thank you", I said to him as he began climbing up the stairs.
"What is going on, hey brother-in-law", Jeremy said appearing at the wrong time.
'Control it please control it', I said mentally as I watched Leon's hand curled in a fist, 'Don't do it please.'
"Nothing", Leon replied gritting his teeth holding back his anger and climbing up the stairs without looking at him.
"He's one strange guy I tell you", Jeremy said to Liana and they both laughed and descended down the stairs.

(Leon's POV)

I lied awake in the bed thinking about the evening, Kate's parents had joined us and mom and dad were really happy to be with their old friends but I was in foul mood whole evening and it was for Kate and only for Kate I kept my temper at bay, yeah at first I thought I shouldn't break little one's heart but something in the back of mind yelled out loudly that he needed to know truth about his father and I had to defend Kate. It was my duty as her husband to fight for her respect and dignity.

The dark room filled with light as Kate emerged from the bathroom and I looked at her, she kept her clothes in basket and switched off the bathroom light and rounded off to her side and without even a word lied down on the bed to sleep, "Kate", I called and she hmmed that she was listening, "What else did he call you?"

"Good night Leon", she said not wanting to discuss it.
"Good Night", I said and didn't speak anything but rather stared blankly at her back and closed my eyes.
"Leon", Kate said softly shaking me a bit.
"Hmm", I only said.
"There's something", she said and Shadow started barking and I switched on the light and we found Zach standing in the middle of the room. Shadow stopped barking and resumed his position. The boy looked at both of us, he was in his pajamas holding a teddy bear.

"Uncle Leon can I sleep here?", he asked and I looked at Kate and she looked at me at the same time, "Mummy and Daddy are making weird noises."
"Snores", we both said together.
"C'mon up", I said to him and we both patted Shadow, so he won't feel jealous of Zach.

Zach ran and jumped on the bed and lied down between us and I switched off the light. It took my eyes a while to adjust back to darkness and I saw Kate facing towards me and she kissed Zach forehead saying, "Good night and sweet dreams."

"Aunt Kate hum to me", Zach said snuggling close to her and she looked at me a bit worried about something, "Uncle Leon", he looked back at me and took my hand made me slung it over both him and Kate and now I understood why Kate was worried as she began humming the song she hummed the other day. My nephew was getting too much attached to both of us, something that his parent won't like, especially his father.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I apologize for any inconvenience you had whilst reading.