Hello readers, new and old ! This fanfiction, as the title says, is the remake of My Silver-lining, AKA the clean(er) version with a few changes. I didn't know what the hell I was doing when I first started writing this story, only that I wanted a romance to unfold between Leon and Ashley, but now that the first draft is almost completed (almost being the key word here) and I see the bigger picture, I can now start working on improving it. So here goes !

Feel free to check out the original version, though !

Chapter 1. Bodyguard

Ashley should've been paying attention to what her teacher was explaining, but she couldn't help glancing at her bodyguard – the same man who'd rescued her from the evil clutches of a madman and his followers, at the same time saving the rest of the world from their plan to infect everyone via her body. He stood by the classroom's door, hands clasped at his back with an expression of dutiful stoicism, a look she'd grown accustomed to seeing in the last two months since their return from hell.

You know…I could ask my dad to assign you to my personal detail, if you want.

...I'd like that.

She hadn't actually expected him to say yes, but he had, and they'd been inseparable since then. He followed her everywhere she went, even had a room next to hers in case anything happened.

She hadn't been coping as well as everyone wanted to believe. Her friends, her mother, her absentee dad, and the public eye all expected Ashley Graham, the president's daughter to bounce back from her traumatic experience in the blink of an eye – for their sakes more than hers, pretending everything was normal as if that would force things back to the way they were. It only made Ashley feel alienated by her peers.

Leon was the only one who really saw her struggles, her panic attacks and nightmares, the way she jumped at the slightest noise or looked over her shoulder as if expecting someone – or something to kidnap her again. Even peeking around the corner was a challenge, sometimes.

The bell rang and she sighed. Had she gotten any work done ? Ashley used to be one of the top students with perfect grades, always on her best behavior. Now, she couldn't even concentrate long enough to write notes – and no, it didn't have anything to do with the fact she had a major crush on her hot bodyguard, who was totally her type.

Who could blame her, though ? He'd saved her life more than once, he was attractive, kind, and though it was hidden behind a mask of impassiveness, he had a sense of humor bordering on sarcasm – something she appreciated more than she let on. He was real with her, while everyone else wasn't. That was enough to give a girl ideas…but she kept it professional to a minimum, even if she did want to jump his bones. What she didn't want was for him to get in trouble and be sent back to his original job, even if that was bound to happen at some point. But right now, she needed him to stay where he was, if only so she wouldn't confuse the shadows at night for monsters.

Someone slid into the seat next to her, and she looked away from Leon to see it was one of her friends. Well, 'friends' was a strong word for the people who'd tucked tail and ran. Ashley Graham had stopped being fun the moment she had to see a therapist to sort out her traumatized brain. Instead she'd become someone to be avoided, labeled 'the girl who got kidnapped and came back'.

So what did she want ? "Hey Ash." She grinned.

"Hey Becky. What's up ?"

"The girls and I," On cue, the lot of them waved at Ashley from a few seats away, smiling like the hypocrites they were. "Wanted to know if you'd like to come to our party. Your bodyguard can tag along," She heard the way her voice lingered suggestively on the word 'bodyguard', how her eyes raked his body.

She almost rolled her eyes. It was so obvious they were only inviting her because they wanted to put their grubby paws on Leon. "Sorry, I can't. I have an appointment with my therapist." And it was true.

Becky's pretty face twisted uncertainly, unsure whether to smile or grimace in sympathy. "Oh…right. Well, maybe you guys could swing by after ?"

"Maybe," She replied, lips pursed. She glanced at the other girls, who were sneaking looks at her and whispering among themselves. She couldn't believe she'd ever been friends with them.

Leon walked up to Ashley then, saving her from prolonged awkwardness. "You ready to leave ?"

"Yeah, just a sec." She quickly stashed her things in her backpack and stood up.

"Aren't you going to introduce me ?" Said Becky, fluttering her long lashes at Leon. Ugh.

"Um, sure. Leon, this is Becky Halloway, my…friend. And Becky, this is Leon S. Kennedy, my bodyguard."

"Nice to meet you," She grinned, holding out her hand.

He took it, smiling politely. "Likewise."

"Okay, you've been introduced. Now we really have to go." Ashley said curtly, making to move away.

"Ash, wait ! You still have the same number, right ?"

She paused. "Yeah, why ?"

"Cool, I'll text you the party's address later. Seriously, come by after your…appointment. We'll be waiting." Becky promised, looking at the man in front of her hopefully.

It was a relief to get out of the classroom, after that. Once upon a time, Ashley had dabbled well in high school and college politics (the latter was barely different from the first honestly), the little tiffs and gossip between vain people, the barbed words masked with fake smiles. She had to, being the president's daughter – and even before her dad had become the president, he was still a politician, meaning everything that she did reflected back on him. But nowadays, she had no patience for that type of game. Almost dying multiple times will do that to you, she thought sarcastically.

"So, a party, huh ?" Said Leon, who'd been walking next to her in the hallway. "Should I expect a dress code ?" He smiled derisively.

"With them ? Oh, definitely. We'll show up in rags," She grinned at him.

He chuckled, to her delight. Because he smiled and laughed so sparingly, getting either one out of him had practically become a hobby of hers. "You don't seem to like her."

"You noticed that, huh ?" Of course he had. "And no, I don't. She doesn't actually care about me. None of them do. They only like the surface – Ashley Graham, the president's daughter, and all the advantages that come with her. But not me. I only realized that after I came back from…you know."

He nodded. "I guess it's…what's that saying ? Something about how real friends reveal themselves in dark times."

She snickered as they turned a corner and began walking down the spiraling stairs, towards the main entrance. "Are you actually trying to quote me an inspirational quote ?"

He nudged her lightly on the side. "Hey, I'm a man of many layers." He joked, and she laughed. Although he still took his job very seriously, there were moments like these when Leon would loosen up and joke around with her.

"And does one of those many layers include partying…?" She teased.

He raised a disbelieving brow at her. They were reaching the parking lot, now. "You're actually planning on going ?"

She shrugged. "Maybe I should. I used to enjoy a good party..." She mused. "What's the worst that could happen ?"

He looked like he had a great deal to say about that, but instead he settled with, "What about your parents ?"

She snorted. "My dad isn't here, and my mom…she's so eager to put my kidnapping behind her that she'll be thrilled to hear I'm going out, doing something normal." Acting normal.

"If that's what you want. Either way, I'll be accompanying you as usual."

She turned around and stood in his way, blocking the path with her hands on her hips. "No, no, no. If you're coming with me – which you are, it'll be as my plus one."

Leon narrowed his eyes at her. "What ?"

"You deserve a break too. I'm not saying you shouldn't still do your job," She quickly amended when she saw he was going to protest. "But…maybe you could try to have fun, at the same time ?"

He sighed. "I guess there's no stopping you from making this happen, huh ?"

Up until a moment ago, she was almost sure she definitely didn't want to go to a party with those girls, but if it was to get Leon out of his shell, and maybe also forget for a little while…Ashley grinned. "My mind's made up, and there's nothing you can do about it." She said cheerfully.

He smiled crookedly, walking around her to open the car's passenger door for her. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Because Leon was already her bodyguard and followed her everywhere, her parents thought – why not make him her driver, as well ? So they'd leant him one of their shiny cars for them to use, inconspicuous (more than a limo would've been) enough not to draw the media's attention if they went somewhere. Like right now.

The D.S.O, the secret organization led by her father, had several headquarters all over the country, employing other agents like Leon, and also people of different departments and skills, including her therapist Mr. Bancroft.

After the whole ordeal in Spain, Ashley couldn't exactly tell a regular therapist everything that she'd been through, and even less the horrible things she had seen. In fact, everything about her experience – aside from the fact that she'd been kidnapped, was confidential. No one could know, and so the D.S.O had provided one of their own, someone who was already in the know.

One of the smaller facilities – the one she went to, wasn't far from her father's estate. A twenty-minute drive, at the most. Although she hadn't seen much of the building's inside herself, Leon told her it had everything from a training to medical center all at once, and even an underground science laboratory. Pretty cool.

But unfortunately, the only place she had access to was her therapist's office, which was boringly like any other regular room. "I'll wait here." Leon said, waiting for her to go in before taking a seat. Like the gentleman he was.

"Okay." She said, and knocked on the door.

"Come in !" And with one last look at her bodyguard, she slipped inside. "Ashley, it's good to see you. Please, have a seat."

Mr. Bancroft had silver hair. Like, it was actually silver, not gray. According to him it wasn't a dye, but he hadn't elaborated further, and at the time she'd dropped the topic. "It's good to see you too."

"Is it ?" He smiled, lifting one brow as he gave her a knowing look. Even his brows were silver.

She flushed at the insinuation. "I mean…okay, maybe I don't always look forward to our appointments," She grinned sheepishly. "But that's not because of you." She meant it. She actually liked her therapist. Maybe because there was something different about his attitude, and he didn't sugarcoat his words.

He laughed. "Of course. So tell me everything, Ashley. How are you ?"

"I'm not too bad."

"But not too great ?"

She shrugged. "I deal, mostly."

"Last week you mentioned nightmares. Are they still occurring ?"

Reluctantly, she nodded. "Yes. But I only had two, this time."

"And what were they about ?"

"Always the same thing."

"Could you elaborate ?"

She grimaced at the thought. "Do I have to ?"

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to, but it's healthy to talk about these things so you can move forward from them."

She sighed. "I see myself in third-person, as if I'm not in my body. I have red eyes, and I'm…one of them."

He scribbled in his notepad. "One of who ?"

"Them. The Ganados, but…something more, too. I'm stronger, more powerful…evil." She breathed, the last word coming out in a breath. "And I'm…"

"Yes ?"

"I'm hurting people. Most of the time the people are strangers, but sometimes it's…it's…" It's her mom. Her dad. The staff in her house. Her ex-friends…Leon.

"Ashley, look at me." She released the elbows she had been gripping, lifting her gaze from the floor. "I know it's not your own safety you're concerned with, but the things you see – the things you dream about, they're figments of your mind, a mind that's been deeply traumatized, I might add, but they're nothing that can harm you or your loved ones in the physical world."

She played with the hem of her sweater, pulling and wringing. It was a new habit she'd developed when she was nervous or scared. "Right." Ashley answered. She knew that…but did she believe it, subconsciously ? "So, how do I make it stop ? The nightmares ?"

"You have to let yourself heal. And perhaps, that starts with finding a silver-lining," Mr. Bancroft suggested, leaning back in his chair as if to contemplate his own idea.

But the girl merely frowned at his words. "A silver-lining ?"

"That's right. Something positive in the things that happened to you."

" Positive ?" She repeated incredulously. "I was kidnapped !"

The man held up his palms in an appeasing manner. "I know, I know…but think about it this way; something pushed you to move forward, didn't it ? A feeling of hope, of what could be. A dream of tomorrow, something that drove you to survive. Try to think about that, and let me know what you find at our next appointment."

Her shoulders drooped as she leaned back in her chair. "Wouldn't it be easier to just…forget ? Let time do it's thing, like they say, and forget everything ?"

A smile touched his lips then, but it was tinged with sadness. "But that's just the thing, isn't it ? No one can forget, Ashley. That's why you're here, that's why agents come to me. And that's why you need to face your fear."

…

"Interesting reading material you have there," Ashley said as she stepped back into the waiting room, eyeing the magazine in Leon's hands. "Did Jenny cheat on Mike again, or was it the other way around ?"

He smiled at her playful attitude. "Don't get me wrong; there was nothing else to do." He put the magazine back with the other ones and stood up.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." She winked and patted his shoulder. Leon was relieved. She always looked so dejected every time she came out of Mr. Bancroft's office, but she seemed at ease today. Maybe they'd made some progress ? He didn't ask.

As they drove back to the president's estate, Ashley was looking out the window and humming this week's most popular song on the radio. She seemed cheerful enough…but he couldn't help wondering if it wasn't all an act. He knew she struggled – of course she did, with everything that had happened…he'd seen it. And he'd also seen the people around her were less than helpful, not exactly supportive of her re-introduction to normal life. In fact, they seemed happier to bury the past than help her adjust to the present.

It's not your problem, a voice said in his head. The two of them were friendly enough, but it wasn't his job to meddle in Ashley's business.

And yet, he glanced at her face as soon as her phone made a little 'ding' sound, studying her expression for any signs of distress as she looked at the screen. Instead, she exclaimed, "Aha ! Becky just sent me the address for the party."

Oh. That. He'd forgotten all about it. "So we're really going ?"

"Not if you're going to sound that enthusiastic about it," She teased.

He chuckled. "I'm not really much of a party guy, but I don't mind them once in a while."

"Then it's settled !"

"Do your friends have security in place ?"

She seemed to cringe at something he said, but it was gone faster than he could blink. "Yup. Gotta keep the creeps and paparazzi away."

"Then should we just head over right now ? You have the address."

She gasped, feigning indignation. "Leon ! How could you say such a thing ? We can't show up like this," She gestured to her fancy clothes, which were all from some high-quality brand that probably cost a small fortune. And then she chuckled at her own dramatics.

He snorted. "What happened to showing up in rags ?"

"As tempting as that sounds, if we're going to do this then let's do it right." In the moment, Leon hadn't realized the implications that 'we' had. People often used 'we' as a figure of speech, a way to generalize, but he was soon going to find out that Ashley meant it literally.

To be Continued…