You know what I realized as I was writing this chapter ? That I forgot to mention Simmons' MOTIVE in setting an ambush for Leon and Ashley in the last one. Grrr. I'm too lazy to go back and do it, so I'll just explain it here; basically it's Simmons' way of getting what he wants since Ashley didn't come, revenge and a test to see how far her powers go if she received a mortal wound. Given his ultimate goal (still a secret :P), he was pretty pleased with the result, to say the least.

Chapter 19. It's Time

"Remind me of the plan." Leon demanded as Ashley finished her breakfast of salad and sandwich from the nearby gas station, wiping her mouth.

"I'm not going to forget," She replied in answer, but he only stared at her – not budging. "Fine," She conceded. "We're gonna go to the lab like nothing happened, and do whatever trials Simmons has planned. For a bit, anyway. I'll then pretend to hurt you, so you'll have to go to the infirmary with Emily. Actually, do we really have to do that part ? Can't you just…act sick ?"

"It has to be realistic."

"Because feeling unwell is unrealistic ?" She gave him an accusing look. "Actually, I've never seen you catch a cold."

He huffed in amusement. "I'm rarely sick. But even if I was – I was trained to endure it. You don't get to be sick in my line of work."

"Right…guess we'll have to stick to the plan, then." She said sullenly.

"Hey. I know what you're afraid of, but you don't have to be. If you happen to use too much strength – well, I can take it. Besides…" She frowned in suspicion as his lips slowly stretched into a smile. "It can't be worse than getting stabbed in the hand." He drawled, looking at her smugly. He was baiting her, the jerk. And it worked.

She scoffed. How dare he bring that up and make a joke out of it ? "What kind of smartass tries to catch a blade with their hands, anyway ?"

"Hey, maybe that smartass was just trying to impress a pretty girl." He shrugged, as if he hadn't just called her pretty.

She gave him a sardonic look. "A bleeding hand for a pretty girl ? Not sure it's a fair trade."

"I'd say it was worth it." He retorted with a knowing smile.

"You're being awfully flirtatious," She poked at his chest with a playful finger. During their little back-and-forth banter, they'd gradually rotated towards one another, until they were almost face to face in their stools now. "Didn't know you had it in you."

"Neither did I." He shrugged again. "What can I say, some experiences can change a person."

"And what did you learn ?" She asked, eager for some insight into Leon S. Kennedy's brain.

"That you should live life to the fullest instead of wasting time by dwelling on what-ifs, and enjoy it while it lasts." Because for a moment he had lost her, and Ashley had lost her life, along with all her dreams for the future, and a potential one with him. They'd both learned their lessons.

Ashley leaned forward, looking up through half-lidded eyes. "And that starts with being flirtatious ?"

He too leaned over, until their noses were just a couple inches apart. "I don't see you complaining."

She kissed him instead of answering. He opened his mouth slightly to accommodate hers, and their lips molded to each other's individual shapes. Her hand gripped his knee and traveled up his muscled leg…Leon pulled back, catching her wrist before her fingers could touch any sensitive parts. "Don't tempt me, Ashley." He breathed.

She pouted at him. "What happened to living life to the fullest ?"

The hint of a grin teased mouth. "How about we do that after we deal with Simmons ?"

She sighed regretfully. "Why do you always have to be the voice of reason ?" She joked as she turned on the stool and hopped off.

"Is that rhetorical ?" He replied as he followed in her footsteps.

"Shut up." She chuckled, nudging his ribs lightly. Together, they walked out the door. It was time to end this.

…

He could see she was getting more nervous the closer they got to the lab, so he grabbed her hand and squeezed it. She smiled at him. He would never get used to it, this thing they had going on between them. Sometimes it felt as natural as flowing water, and sometimes the draw was so intense – Leon couldn't do anything but follow the pull, or fight a losing battle against it. And he was done pretending his feelings weren't there, or denying them, or hiding from them. Fuck everything that once held him back. Because nothing mattered more than this moment, with Ashley and him together. Nothing mattered more than the present. Not his position as her bodyguard, or the fact that his boss was the president – and her father. Not the paparazzi who stalked her footsteps like a shadow, the threat of the media, or the D.S.O and the life they'd forced on him as an agent. Certainly not Simmons.

"You're staring at me," Ashley whispered after a while, a look of curiosity on her face. She was beautiful. Had he ever told her that ? Of course not. As her bodyguard it wasn't appropriate to make comments like that, but he'd long crossed that line. He was no longer just her bodyguard – or a friend, for that matter, and she was no longer just his charge. No, she was much more than that. They'd kissed again and again, and just a day ago, they'd been having sex. "Hello ?" She waved her hand in front of his face.

Leaning towards her ear, he whispered so their third wheel – the driver, couldn't overhear him. "I was just thinking you look beautiful." He heard her sharp intake of breath. If she was so surprised by them all the time, it meant he didn't say them nearly as much as he ought to. He'd have to correct that.

"You're quite dashing, yourself. But stop making me want to kiss you," She whispered back and pushed him away, which caused him to snicker despite himself. He saw the driver glance in the rear-view mirror.

Okay, focus. You're not out of the woods yet.

They didn't say another word as they drove into the parking lot, an air of anticipation fizzling between them. This could very well be the last day they ever saw Simmons. Ashley was right – the man had caused enough infractions to earn himself multiple years in prison, not to mention have his license revoked; he would be ruined. But would that be enough to stop his friends from intervening ? It depended on the crime he'd committed, and Simmons certainly had plenty. It would have to be enough.

But one step at a time.

"Ms. Graham, Mr. Kennedy." Shepherd said upon their arrival. Leon resisted the impulse to glance at Ashley. Emily hadn't been the one to greet them, which meant something was wrong. Their entire plan was going to sink if she wasn't here. "I see you've recovered. Mr. Simmons will be glad to see it." Definitely not out of relief for her wellbeing, Leon thought sardonically.

"I'm sure. So, are we doing this or what ?" She replied, sounding nothing but cold and unpleasant. He tried very hard not to smirk, but something in Shepherd's expression sparked annoyance as he glanced at Leon.

"Follow me." He responded in an equally curt tone, and spun away to lead them through the lab's corridors. They arrived in the same room as last time, the one with the platform and parkour obstacles. The only difference now is that it was packed with a dozen more men, all looking like they wanted to beat them to a pulp, and Simmons was standing in front of them. Emily was also there – to his relief, but something was obviously wrong. Her knuckles were white as she held her hands too tightly, and her lips were pressed into a straight line.

Simmons' eyes lit up as he saw Ashley, who was confidently walking towards the man. Leon didn't miss the way his gaze dropped to her abdomen where she'd been shot, before glancing back up. He seemed all too pleased with himself, like he'd grown cockier overnight. "Ms. Graham." He said as ways of greeting. "You weren't doing so we'll the last time I saw you. I'm elated to see you've recovered so fast."

No thanks to you. "I heard from my bodyguard Mr. Shepherd and you gave some very insightful knowledge on my condition, yesterday; I'd like to ask some questions about that later, if you don't mind." She answered primly.

"Of course." He drawled. "But for now, why don't I introduce you to the participants in today's trial," He waved to the dozen of scarred men, suited up in white uniforms. "Their task will be to fight you as you search for a way to overcome them."

She gaped. "Wait, what ?"

Was he serious right now ? Leon placed a hand on her shoulder. "You can't be serious. She doesn't stand a chance against them. No offense," He quickly added, glancing at her.

She smiled weakly. "None taken. He's right, I've never even taken self-defense classes."

"Ah, but your bodyguard will take part in the trial, of course. He will be fighting alongside you – or for you, whichever you prefer to ensure your survival." Ashley's jaw clenched. He was egging her on.

"Fine." She snapped, and then turned to Leon.

He spoke before she could say anything. "You won't need to hurt me, after all." He murmured low enough so that the rest of them couldn't hear.

She blinked, taken off guard. "What ?"

"Let them do it. I'll try to keep them from coming after you – but even I can't stop ten guys at the same time, so you'll have to make a run for it."

She sighed. "Like old times ?"

He smiled. "Like old times."

"But Leon, what if they go too far ? You're not like me – you won't heal."

"Then I'll trust you to come to my rescue." He winked, and she stared at him in surprise before laughing. He added, "I have faith in you, so have faith in yourself."

Ashley's hands clenched into determined fists as she turned back to Simmons. "Okay. Let's start."

Everyone positioned themselves, even Emily who hadn't said anything up to this point. She held a whistle in her hand; seems like she was going to play the referee. Meanwhile, Leon and Ashley stood together at the center of the obstacles, as the thugs made a barrier in the shape of a crescent moon in front of them. Emily blew the whistle, and they lunged.

They would've charged at them like bulldozers if they could have, but the obstacles forced them to slow down, forcing them to climb, jump, and take turns. Leon readied himself as the first guy arrived, swinging a heavy fist at his face. But here's the thing; people who were as bulky as his opponent may be strong – capable of breaking your jaw in one hit, but they weren't fast.

He ducked under the incoming attack and landed a punch of his own, plunging his knuckles into the man's solar plexus. There was a crunch, but there was no time for a break – Leon turned his attention on the next enemies, doing a roundhouse kick on one and an elbow stab to the stomach for the second. "Run !" He yelled at Ashley.

"Okay !" He heard her say before her footsteps distanced themselves from him.

"You're not going anywhere !" He snapped as someone tried to run after her. He tackled one – knocking him unconscious, but stopping them all was impossible. Two more men ran past him, and he tried to chase after them – but in doing so Leon had made a mistake. He'd turned his back on the guys behind him.

The breath was knocked out of him as he was kicked in the back and sent sprawling on the ground. He rolled onto his side just as a foot stomped where he'd landed, but another guy was waiting for him on the other side, striking him in the ribs. Pain lanced through his body, but he pushed through it and grabbed the leg as it came down a second time – yanking him down. The man yelled in his surprise, and then he choked as Leon attacked his carotid.

He jumped to his feet before someone else could exploit his vulnerable position, evading the next punch by a hair. It was obvious these men didn't know how to fight – not really, not beyond street-fighting. But that was more than enough, when there were five against one. He'd downed exactly five, three of which were either unconscious or groaning on the floor, but the other had climbed to their and joined the remaining ones.

Leon could've run, found a way around the obstacles and defeated them one by one…but that wasn't the point of the exercise. It wasn't what Simmons wanted, and it wasn't part of his plan with Ashley. And he had to play his part. So he avoided one attack, a second one, but he let the third one hit it's mark – nearly causing him to trip as knuckles collided into his cheekbone with all the force of a bear. "That's for messing with me, asshole," Said his attacker. Leon laughed.

"Is that all you got ?"

The thug's face reddened and he punched again. This time he did fall, slamming against the ground, and more joined in as he was downed. He braced himself for the kicks, expecting a few cracked ribs at least – maybe more…but they didn't come. Instead, he heard the sound of bone crunching, and it wasn't his.

…

The man shrieked in pain as she bent his arm all the way back, twisting it at the elbow. He would never be using that arm again. He collapsed to the floor in a pathetic heap, sobbing over his broken limb – at the inexplicable pain he was probably feeling. Good. Ashley had seen their faces as they came down on Leon. They enjoyed it – enjoyed beating him, hurting him. They would've killed him.

They would be crippled for the rest of their lives, once she was done with them.

She had an inkling of how fast she was by the way the world blurred every time she moved, by how slow everyone else seemed in comparison. Like they were struggling in water...and she was the shark coming for blood. Someone swung a hit at her; stopping it was child's play, and someone else screamed. More of them came, more bones crunched, more people collapsed. The smart ones ran, but there was no use – she was faster, stronger, and the cold fury that had taken over her would not relent, not until they had all been punished. "Please…please, I'm sorry." Begged one of the men.

Was he sorry when he kicked Leon while he was helpless – unable to defend himself ? Was he sorry when he aimed a kick at his head, smiling ? Was he sorry then ? She grabbed the hem of his shirt and threw him on the floor, sending him rolling a few feet. He tried to crawl and get up, to run away, but her foot was on his back before he could. His breath wheezed out of him as she nearly crushed him. Just a little more. Just a little more, and the pressure of her foot pressing downwards would snap his spine, rendering him paralyzed for the rest of his life. He deserved it. He deserved to suffer.

"Ashley," Someone said behind her. Leon's voice. "It's over."

"It's not over until they pay," She replied.

He hobbled into view, hunching in the periphery of her vision. "Ashley. You don't want to do this, trust me."

"But I do." He hobbled closer, and her hackles raised like a dog ready to attack. "Get away from me."

"No. Not until you look at me." But she didn't want to. Didn't want to avert her gaze from the man seconds away from having his life ruined.

Fingers wrapped around her arm, and she whirled around at their owner. "Don't touch me !" She snarled, raising her hand.

She froze as she met dark blue eyes. Eyes that she knew, eyes that belonged to a face she adored, and the face to a man she loved. The man she'd almost raised her hand on – the man who she'd just tortured people for. She swallowed, but her throat was dry. Oh God, what have I done ? She wanted to throw up.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

He smiled, though it turned into a wince halfway up. "What are you sorry for ? Pretty sure you just saved me." And almost attacked him .

She took in the collapsed men around her. One day your true nature is going to show itself. The words played again from the deep recesses of her mind, a horrible reminder. The other Ashley had been right. She'd been right all along, and it was happening. And when that happens, someone's going to die. Probably Leon.

She glanced at the man in question. He was badly wounded, and parts of his face was already swelling. He needed to go to the infirmary, plan or no plan. Freaking out could wait until after.

But before she could get the words out of her mouth, Simmons clapped as if he was a spectator watching a circus show. "That was fantastic !" He started rambling about her physical prowess, her abilities and blah blah blah, but frankly she wasn't listening. Too much was on her mind.

She'd just disabled ten men. She'd almost turned on Leon, too. He was hurt. She wasn't sure if she was even human, anymore. How long would it take before she turned into an actual monster ? And why was it that the more monster-like she became, the happier Simmons seemed to be ?

Leon staggered beside her, and she circled a supportive arm around his back. "He needs to go to the infirmary." She said, interrupting whatever the scientist had been saying. Instead of waiting for his validation, she turned to Emily. "Can you bring him there ?"

"Why Emily specifically ?" Shepherd inquired, glancing between her and his coworker suspiciously.

"Because I need to talk to you both. I have questions, remember ?" She snapped, and then took a breath. She needed to get her act together before they started suspecting something was wrong.

"I'll be fine. I can stay." Leon insisted. It was part of the act. But then he groaned, clutching at his side – and she knew that was real.

Worry pierced through her anxiety, tenderness softening her voice. "No, you're not. Emily ?"

The woman hesitated, and then walked over to them. "Of course. Can you walk, Mr. Kennedy ?"

"Yeah." She lent him her shoulder either way, and the two stumbled out of the room together.

…

"We need to talk." He told her seriously. Emily had been standing as far away as possible while the nurse had treated Leon's wounds. Now the latter was gone, and he used that window of opportunity to board the topic.

She looked at him blankly. "Of what ?"

"Don't do that." He frowned at her disapprovingly. "You know what. You were going to tell me something yesterday, before we were interrupted."

Her eyes switched from his face to the floor, cast downwards. "You must be mistaken. I wasn't going to say anything."

He bit back an impatient sigh. Ashley wouldn't be able to distract Simmons forever, meaning time was running out fast, and their plan's success purely rested on Emily agreeing to help them. So far it wasn't looking good.

"Listen to me. Whatever he has on you, the D.S.O can protect you – but you need to come forward as a witness against Simmons." A high-pitched sound burst out of her, breaking her stiff countenance, and the sound was so hysterical it took him a moment to realize it was laughter.

"Protection ?" She shortened the distance between them in clipped strides and whispered, "Were you protected when those men broke into your apartment and killed Ashley ?" Where had the Emily with the fake smiles gone to ?

Leon clenched his teeth, trying to keep his temper under control. He couldn't let his anger get to him. He counted to three before speaking. "Stay at one of the facilities until we're sure he's been stopped. Until then, Simmons can send as many goons as he wants – they'll never reach you there. It'd be bold for him to even try."

She turned around, pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "It's not just that."

"What else is there ? I know you wanted to help – so what's stopping you from doing it ?"

"I already have protection, Mr. Kennedy." She sighed in answer, as if that cleared everything.

But it did – in part, at least. Leon stared at the scientist with a growing frown as the meaning behind her words came to him. "…who do you work for ?"

For a moment, the only sound in the room was that of a faucet dripping. The nurse still hadn't returned. "The same person as you do." She finally said. Mr. Thompson ? The president ?

She started pacing in front of him. "My role was to help you indirectly and gather as much information as I could while Ashley kept Simmons occupied – but I'm still no closer to finding out what his real objective is ! And every day, he comes up with new, horrible ways to torture her…" The words spilled out of her.

"Then help us stop this."

"But the mission –"

"The government can take care of itself. So can the D.S.O. Once Simmons has been arrested, they can dig up all the information they want – and after all the things he's done, even his little friends won't be able to intervene. We've done our part, Emily. What matters is that he won't be able to hurt Ashley or anyone else ever again."

"…you're right." She relented, to his relief. "I can't stand that man anymore. I'll make the call."

He nodded. "Good."

The two parted ways, and Leon made his way back to Ashley. When he arrived, her head swiveled in his direction and she skipped to his side without further ado. "What are you doing here ?" She scolded, and while her tone of voice was reprimanding, her expression – which neither Simmons or Shepherd could see, was saying something completely different. Did you do it ?

"The nurse treated me. I'm fine," He insisted, pretending to apply pressure on his side. She glanced at his hand just as he lifted two fingers.

She exhaled, and then said, "No, you're not. You're badly injured, Leon. If you're not going to lie down – we're leaving." All part of the plan.

Simmons stepped forward, scowling. " What ? You've only done one test - you can't leave !" He said, his voice rising in volume. It was the first time he'd seen his cool façade begin to crack.

Ashley turned to face the scientist. "Isn't the point of the trials to see what I'm capable of ? Well, you saw what I did." She gestured to the heaps of men lying on the floor, all crippled in some way or the other. "Isn't that enough ? What else do you want from me ?!" She shouted.

"More than your stupid little brain could possibly fathom." He growled, before walking out the room – hastily followed by Shepherd.

To be Continued…

Sorry if the last scene was a little underwhelming, but I just couldn't find a way to make it interesting without skipping or changing the storyline. Guess things can't always go smoothly. Either way, I hope the chapter was still enjoyable, and this is by no means the end of our favorite couple's story – or Simmons', as a matter of fact. Still more fun and drama to come :P