I've been playing Resident Evil 4 for the first time, and let me just say...I LOVE the whole "strong guy protects girl" trope, and I had to make use of that in a fanfiction. So yeah, hope you guys enjoy !

Chapter 1. Bodyguard

Turns out, this job was exactly what Leon had needed. After rescuing Ashley Graham, the president didn't feel comfortable leaving his daughter with just anyone – even his best bodyguards and a troop of soldiers guarding their home 24/7. They hadn't prevented her kidnapping before, and if something like this happened again, it's doubtful they would prevent it this time; and so Leon was hired as Ashley's full-time bodyguard.

Despite the president's concern, the man was kind enough to make the request to Leon as opposed to outright ordering him – a simple courtesy for saving his daughter's life, but he hadn't needed to. Leon was glad to take up the job, to his own surprise.

He'd always been a loyal, hardworking soldier, and yet…he was also human. Even though he never showed it, sometimes the fear got to him. Consumed him from the inside out. But somehow, Ashley made him forget the horrors playing on repeat in his mind, made the fear go away with her sunny countenance…and distracted him from the feelings he couldn't let go of.

And – another surprise, he realized he'd needed a break from his main job, which involved a lot of undead, monsters, and always gore. He'd seen enough of it to have nightmares for a lifetime. Yeah, Ashley Graham was a welcome breeze.

Speaking of the devil…

Ashley couldn't concentrate. She'd tried again and again, but there was no use; she slapped her pen down and sighed…then glanced at the classroom's door once more; Leon was on the other side.

It had been a few weeks since her kidnapping, and still Ashley hadn't gotten used to her new bodyguard's presence – and how could she ? After everything they'd gone through together, she'd developed quite a crush on him.

Ashley knew he had no feelings for her, however, and that was okay. She was happy he was still near – and shocked too, considering she never thought she'd see him again, especially not as her personal bodyguard. But wonders never ceased, it seemed.

She sighed as the doorbell rang, closing her eyes in exasperation. Had she gotten any work done ? Ashley used to be one of the top students – with perfect grades, tons of friends, always on her best behavior…but all of that had changed since she'd gotten kidnapped. Focusing was a lot harder – and it wasn't just because of Leon. Most of the time she zoned out, and thirty minutes could pass before she even realized what was happening. But that wasn't the worst by a mile.

No, the worst was when she couldn't breathe. Or when, out of nowhere, her heart would start beating so hard and fast, she thought she was going to vomit right then and there. But thankfully, that stuff didn't happen often – and Ashley would rather die than have an episode in front of Leon. Well, maybe not die given the fact she actually almost had on multiple occasions, but still. However, Leon wasn't stupid, and she knew he suspected.

"Hey, Ashley !" She gasped as someone suddenly called her name, flinching.

One of Ashley's few remaining friends, Amy, was standing on the other side of the table, holding a notebook. Surprise flashed across the girl's face before her expression turned apologetic. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

Ashley waved it off, playing it casual. "You didn't, I was just distracted. What's up ?"

"Well, the girls and I were going to share notes. We were wondering if you wanted to come with ?" Amy asked sweetly.

Ashley's hand tightened on her empty notebook. Suddenly she felt very embarrassed – one moment she was one of the best students of her university, and the next she couldn't even do something as basic as taking notes. "Sorry, I have an appointment today."

Just then, the door opened and Leon stepped into the classroom. He was wearing casual clothes, but he still had the countenance of a soldier. People who were expecting him now turned to gawk at him, girls and boys alike – and who could blame them ? He was hot.

"He's kind of hot, isn't he ?" Said Amy as she stared like everyone else, voicing Ashley's thought.

His blue eyes locked on her and he made a beeline to her. "Ready to leave ?" He asked.

"Um, yeah, just a sec." She quickly stashed her things back inside her backpack, and stood up.

"Wait, Ashley. We're really not going to see you today ?"

She smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I don't think so. My dad probably wouldn't want me to anyways – he's, uh, pretty protective, since…"

Ashley's 'friends' didn't really know what had happened, except that she'd been kidnapped, and they didn't want to know any more – nor did they care to, and were happy to keep it that way.

"Yeah, I totally understand." Amy replied, quickly dispersing the awkwardness. "Next time, then."

Ashley smiled and said nothing, grateful to leave with Leon. "How was class ?" He asked, making small talk.

"It was okay." Ashley shrugged. She didn't let anything on – or at least tried not to. She wasn't sure she was doing a good job at keeping her condition a secret from Leon. Everyone else was easy, but him ? He had the perception of an eagle.

Like always, a limo was waiting for them at the school gates. The drive back home was silent – too silent for Ashley, and Leon knew it. "You're quiet today. Something wrong ?"

Evade, evade. "What do you mean ? Do I blabber so much that me being silent is weird ?" She joked.

Leon pursed his lips, but she caught the humor glinting in his eyes. "Yes."

Ashley scoffed, pretending to be offended and playfully shoved him. As she did, Leon's face broke out into a full-on grin, a sight that warmed her heart. She'd been so startled the first time she'd seen him smile like that, Ashley had forgiven him for laughing so hard because she'd tripped and taken a spectacular nose-dive; honestly, the bleeding nose had been worth his reaction, even though her ego was still a little bruised.

Suddenly her worries weren't so important, fading in the background, and she genuinely smiled at him. "I was just distracted."

"That's what you said to your friend." Whoops. Of course he'd heard. "What's distracting you ?"

"Oh, you know…just getting back on my feet." Dealing with PTSD from nearly being killed by zombies, horrific monsters, and cult leaders. No biggie.

"You know you can talk to me, right ? Believe it or not, I know a thing or two about that." The humor was back, faintly tugging the corners of his lips.

Ashley was too startled to pay attention to that, though. Leon had always been duty first and nothing else – even after becoming her bodyguard. Especially after becoming her bodyguard. And it didn't help he was stoic as fuck.

But he was starting to loosen up, she'd noticed. He was opening up – to her. The thought made her heart flutter. "Ashley, are you feverish ? Your face is red." Leon placed a hand on his forehead and then another one on hers. "You're a little warm."

She laughed, quickly turning away. "Maybe ! That's probably why I'm a little out of it."

This seemed like a believable excuse to Leon, because he relaxed back into his seat. "Well, you better take care of it when you get home, before it gets nasty."

"Uh-uh. Will do." Could he hear the wavering in her voice ?

Ashley was glad when they reached the gates that surrounded her father's estate…partially. She groaned as the reporters waiting in front of her home surrounded their car like a bunch of irritating flies, shouting questions at her.

"Can I have a word with you, Ms. Graham ?"

"Where were you in the month you disappeared ?"

"Is it true that you've been kidnapped ?"

"Who kidnapped you, and why ?"

"Why is the president covering it up ?"

"Who's the man sitting next to you ?"

"Why is he always with you ?"

"Is he your boyfriend ?"

"Is he involved with your mysterious disappearance ?"

The questions weren't stopping, and their voices mixed together until they were incomprehensible. Ashley grimaced at the unappealing sound, covering both ears with her hands; Leon just looked annoyed, as he often was when dealing with pesky reporters or paparazzi. The first time he'd told her to just ignore them, which – soon enough, they both realized was impossible to do. So now they just waited for security to clear them out so that the limo could pass.

"You would think they'd show some respect," Ashley grumbled as she eventually stepped out of the car.

"Ha ! That'd be a miracle." Said Leon, who had opened the door for her. Apparently, being a bodyguard included being a gentleman. "Come on, let's get you inside."

She eyed him openly as they walked to the entrance, and once more he opened the door. Noticing her gaze and arched brow, he paused. "What ?"

"Isn't this boring to you ?"

He frowned, confused. "What's 'this' exactly ?"

"You know…walking me to class. Walking me back home. Standing guard for hours. I mean, you're an agent." Surely you have better things to do.

She expected him to say it's my duty or something like that, but instead he said, "I find it…peaceful."

They blinked at each other in the ensuing silence. He'd only said four words, but after everything…Ashley felt like she could understand a little. He was always so composed, she couldn't imagine him ever breaking down like she did with her episodes – but after everything he'd gone through, the stuff even before he'd met her…she could see why the simple tasks of daily life were peaceful…and why he might need them, too. Maybe, him being here was as good for him as his presence was good for her.

"Huh." Ashley breathed, looking at Leon with a new understanding.

"Come on." He merely said, and they stepped inside.

Leon stared at Ashley's back as she walked ahead of him in the hallway. She'd been…weird, these last few weeks. He didn't know her all that well, but in the short time they'd spent together, he'd learned to discern what was normal for Ashley Graham and what wasn't.

She always looked distracted, nowadays – and it wasn't because of her light fever. She looked especially dazed after class, though sometimes she seemed off in the morning too. He suspected the latter was because of her nightmares; being her bodyguard, he'd been assigned to a room next to hers so that even though he was getting some shuteye, he could still hear if anything happened. While it wasn't too often, Ashley's distressed voice would travel through the thin wall and wake him up.

Maybe that's what was bothering her…but Leon didn't fully believe that. Sure enough, it was related to her traumatic experience – of course, how could it not be ? She was so young, just a normal girl who wasn't prepared for the things she'd seen. But what was occupying so much of her mind all the time, specifically ?

And why did Leon want to know ? He shook his head. He was here to do one thing, and one thing only – and that was protecting her. That was his current job, and that's what he would do until the next one…so why couldn't he stop being concerned ? "Fuck," He whispered to no one in particular.

He knew why he cared. He'd saved her life – anyone who didn't feel something after an experience like that was a robot He could think of a few who fit that bill. But he had to stop wondering about it – it was part of the job description, and frankly it was distracting him more than anything else. You know you can talk to me, right ? He'd told her. He groaned inwardly at his unprofessional behavior.

Why had he said that ? He'd meant it, but…now wasn't the time or the place. Forcing the thoughts out of his head, he continued scanning their surroundings. The house was big and any thing could be lurking in the shadows, or jump out from around the corner. It was unlikely – but then again, no one had expected the president's daughter to be kidnapped by an undead cult leader, so you never knew.

"Oh darling, you're home !" The president's wife and Ashley's mother, Joanne, exclaimed with a big smile. "I hope those reporters didn't give you too much trouble."

Ashley sighed as she received a hug from her mother; the two really did look alike, with their identical blonde hair. "Isn't there a way to make them go away ?"

"I don't think so, but I can ask your dad anyway."

Another sigh. "No, it's okay. He's busy enough as it is. I think I'll just go to bed."

"Already ?" But you haven't had dinner yet !"

Ashley opened her mouth to probably retort that she wasn't hungry anyways, but Leon interrupted with, "Actually, I think you're forgetting something, Ms. Graham. We were just supposed to drop off your bag, remember ?" Even though they were close enough to be on the first name basis, Leon always called Ashley by her last name when her parents were in the room.

She turned to look at him with her baby face scrunched up in confusion – until her eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh, the appointment ! I totally forgot."

"Ashley, you need to be more attentive to your schedule – you were always such a scatterbrain. Are you sure you don't want me to handle it for you ?"

Ashley threw her hands up at this. "No no no, I'm fine, really ! I promise I'll pay better attention – anyways, gonna be late, see you later !" Suddenly full of energy, she zoomed off before Joanne could put a single word in. Leon tried to keep a straight face as he followed hot on her heels.

"What was that about ?" He asked as they reached her room.

"Oh, you don't know my mom, Leon. Let's just say I saved us from a crisis and leave it at that." She looked at him with meaningful eyes as she dropped the bag on her bed, making him chuckle.

But his amusement faded when he saw her freeze. Her expression had gone from playful to…scared ? "Ashley ? What's wrong ?" Leon asked, taking a step closer – as if he could protect her from whatever she was worried about. He half expected some monstrosity to pop out right then and there.

"Do we really have to go, Leon ?" She asked, looking up at him with fearful eyes. He'd noticed her getting these looks once in a while, but they'd just been glimpses of fear that had disappeared as soon as Leon had noticed anything amiss – which had caused him to question whether he was paranoid more than once, but there was no denying it now; something really was wrong.

"You know the D.O.S won't force you to see their therapist if you don't want to." He paused. "But for what it's worth, I think you should keep going – he's one of the best, trained specifically for agents on the field."

"…okay." She nodded. "I'll go." She hadn't answered his question, though. Mr. Bancroft was a nice man – surely, she wasn't afraid of him. So what was it that was troubling her so ? As they left the house once more, Leon felt himself get increasingly worried, and there was nothing he could do about it.

To be continued…

Sorry if this chapter was long, and sorry if it kiiiiind of ended without much of a plot. I don't really know where I'm going with this yet, but it'll get clearer !

P.S the reason why Ashley "forgets" her appointment, is actually because I forgot I mentioned it before, and since I didn't want to erase what I'd already written (her and Leon arriving at the estate) I just pretended Ashley was the one who forgot and they were just dropping off her backpack xD. Gotta do what you gotta do, lol.