Chapter 3. Unfurling Nightmare

"Those bitches !" Ashley spat. Cursing had never been her thing – her parents had made sure of that, but now it seemed appropriate as she stared at the photo of Leon and her, intimately close, all over the tabloids in explosive headlines. Someone at the party, definitely one of the girls, must've taken the picture and leaked it to the press as a form of revenge. It just seemed like the type of thing they would do. It's not like Leon and her were even doing anything inappropriate. They were just…facing each other in the car…looking like they were about to kiss. She groaned.

"I'll take responsibility for this." Leon said. She turned around to find he had taken a step closer in her direction, resolve making his expression firm and determined.

She took a quick breath, forcing herself to calm down. "No, you won't." She replied gently. "None of this is your fault. Besides, the worst thing that can happen now is –"

And there it was; her mother, slamming the door open. "Ashley, what is the meaning of this ?!" She shoved a magazine under her daughter's nose. The front cover showed that same photo, but enlarged and highlighted by gossipy commentary in flashy colors.

"We were just going home. It's not what it looks like."

" It's not what it looks like ?" She repeated scathingly. "How many times have I told you your reputation reflects on your father's reputation ? How many more times do I have to explain before you understand what the weight your actions has on all of us ?"

"I do understand !" Ashley protested. Of course she did. It had been drilled into her for years. Everything she had done was always for her father's reputation – his image, his life, his career. Even the major she was taking in college – it was all to maintain that perfect image of the president's daughter. Except for that vacation which she'd taken for herself, where ironically, was where she'd gotten herself kidnapped . She had seen horrific and unimaginable things, and almost died on multiple occasions – as well as the man who had fought so hard to bring her home.

A fact people seemed eager to forget , which was just about to be proven by her mother. " You are fired." She pointed to Leon with a glare.

"What ?" Ashley gasped. This was a new low.

"To be fair, ma'am, the president is my employer, and as such he is the only one privy to that choice." Her bodyguard responded coolly.

But the woman's nostrils flared in defiance. "That could change with a phone call."

Was she serious right now ? "Mom, nothing happened ! We were just talking."

"It doesn't matter what you were doing, Ashley ! The point is that you made yourself a target by acting carelessly." Sitting in a car was acting carelessly ?

Ashley was going to blow. She had enough of this. "Whatever I do, it's never good enough for you ! All you've ever wanted was to mold me into your image of the perfect daughter – but have you ever stopped to ask what I wanted ? How I feel ? Mom, I was kidnapped, and you don't even seem to care ! You're just like the rest of them."

"Darling, I –" But she refused to listen and stormed out of the room. She didn't know where she was going, only that she needed to get as far away as possible from her mother, from everything. And then the doorbell rang. A distraction.

She wiped her tear-stained cheeks, and reached for the double-doors. She heard Leon's voice calling from a distance, but she didn't wait for him to arrive.

Two men in crisp, black suits were standing outside. Ashley briefly recalled the 'men in black' movies, which she had enjoyed watching with her dad when he hadn't been such a busy man. "Can I help you ?"

"Are you Ms. Ashley Graham ?" The one on the left asked. At the same time, Leon trotted to her side.

"I am." She replied.

The man on the right looked her in the eyes. He was slightly bulkier than the first speaker. "We were sent by the Department of Security Operations to take you in, miss." To prove his point, he took out a badge from the inside of his suit and showed it to her. Of course, they couldn't have passed through the gates without it.

"What do you mean, take her in ?" Leon repeated in a deep scowl. "This is news to me."

"You weren't informed." The same man sneered.

"And I'm saying I would've been. I work directly under the President's orders – he would've told me if…wait, is Ashley in some kind of trouble ? Is she in danger ?" He scanned the area as if enemies were going to pop out of the neatly-trimmed bushes any second.

"No, she's not in danger – but we are not at liberty to divulge further information. It's a need to know situation."

"Need to know ? The president – your boss, is my father. What would he need to hide from me ?" Two months ago, that would've been a lot of things. But only after her return from Spain, Ashley had been informed on the existence of the Department of Security Operations – the D.S.O and it's purpose, and her dad's involvement with them, along with a great deal of things, like the monsters that prowled this world.

Again, the men exchanged looks. "It would be best for everyone involved if you cooperate…before a regrettable accident occurs."

Leon side-stepped in front of Ashley, partially hiding her behind his shoulder. He cupped the gun in its upholster. "Is that a threat ?"

" We are not the threat here, but we've come to contain it."

Contain it ? Ashley swallowed, suddenly feeling queasy. "…is something wrong with me ?" There was a lengthy pause. The men nodded.

"What's that supposed to mean ? You can't just come here and –"

"Leon, it's okay. I'll go with them."

"What ? Ashley, none of this makes sense." He protested, gesturing at the men standing on the marble porch.

But it did, at least to her. Even if it was crazy. She kept seeing her nightmare in her head, replaying like a DVD put on loop, showing the version of her with red eyes and a cold smile as she inflicted pain and death on innocent people, doing horrible things to them. Maybe it was just fear, paranoia, but the thought of risking it…it was more than she could bear.

Just then, Mrs. Graham came down the stairs, relief relaxing her features when she saw Ashley, until she spotted the two men on her doorstep. "Who are you ?" They showed their badge and repeated what they had previously said. "What ? You can't just treat my daughter like…like some criminal !" She threw her hands in the air, vehement.

"Mom, I'll be fine. It's just a visit." The former said in a placating smile.

"But…"

"Leon will come with me, like always. Right ?" The men were about to protest, but Leon gave them a look that said they had better not.

"Of course."

"Oh…then be careful, Ashley."

And with that said, Ashley retreated into their car, followed by Leon. Clearly it hadn't been part of the plan for her bodyguard to tag along, if the men's uncomfortable postures were anything to go by, but to her his being here was a huge comfort. Anxiety roiling inside her, she watched as her mother stood in the doorway of their home, the corners of her mouth turned downwards as she watched her daughter being whisked away.

…

What's going on ? Leon wondered as he sat in the backseat with Ashley. He was almost a 100% sure the president would have informed him if there had been any changes, which could only imply the D.S.O was taking matters into their own hands. But what did that mean ? It couldn't bode well if it involved Ashley – because what did they need her for, besides checkups at the doctor and consultations with Mr. Bancroft ? Unless there had been a change, one that even the president hadn't been made aware of…something urgent that needed to be addressed immediately. " …before a regrettable accident occurs." The guy had said.

At first it had sounded like a threat, but now…it sounded like time was running out. But why ? He glanced at Ashley from the corner of his eyes. She was doing that thing she always did when she was nervous, playing with her hands – squeezing and twisting. For a second, he almost reached out and held one, but he remembered they weren't alone. The guys on the front kept looking back, as if…as if they expected her to do something. Like they were wary of her. The ominous feeling only continued to grow in Leon's gut.

They arrived at the facility like he and Ashley normally would have on a normal day, except that the man at the wheel drove them to the underground parking lot instead of the outside one. Everyone got out, and the former two were led inside a cramped elevator…where, instead of pushing any of the buttons for the upper levels, one of the men inserted a card into the slit – which, Leon knew, led to the lab. He'd never seen it himself as only authorized personnel were allowed, and none of the agents had clearance.

When the elevator opened again, they were greeted by dark, metallic walls and a windowed counter. The person behind them, a redheaded man in glasses, almost jumped at the sight of Ashley. He pressed a button, unlocking the mechanism for the door.

"You're staying here," Said the escort, looking at Leon.

"The hell I am." He retorted. Ashley was frightened. There was no fucking way he was leaving her alone.

The second man pulled out his gun, but Leon was just as quick. They stood face to face, finger on the trigger as they waited for a reason to shoot. "Wait, I'll go, I'll go !" Ashley intervened, stepping next to Leon with her hands raised. "You can just wait for me here, okay ?" She tried to smile at him, but her voice was as wobbly as her expression.

"No way. I'm coming with you."

"I'll be fine." She insisted. "This is the D.S.O. They wouldn't harm me. So whatever's waiting for me in there…I'll be okay."

She didn't sound remotely confident saying this…but Leon conceded. "Fine. But if you're not back in an hour, I'm coming to get you. Got it ?" He said sternly.

The corners of her mouth lifted into something more genuine. "Roger that, Condor One." She saluted him casually, and he almost smiled. And then he watched her turn around, disappearing behind big metal walls. He sat down opposite of the door, and waited.

To be Continued…

Again, this chapter will be different (and shorter), but also slightly truer to the original. There were some things that didn't make sense in the first draft – like why wouldn't Leon follow Ashley ? My excuse at the time was that she'd freaked out on him, forcing them to separate and meet up at a later interval, but now that I'm saving the freak-out scenes for later, it makes more sense he'd go with her.