Chapter 9: Before The Storm

Over the course of the night, their two pets roamed between both rooms, wondering why their owners were not sharing the same bed. Cobalt chose to settle down next to Ada while Ebony curled up beside Leon. It was as if the cats knew something was wrong and this was the only way to comfort their humans.

Leon spent the night dreaming, and in his dreams, his memories began to come back to him. There was their wedding day, the honeymoon, and their whole first year of marriage. The visions all came swirling back into his mind, and in his subconscious, Leon wondered how he could ever forget this.

The blonde stirred, and felt a warmth next to his head. He expected to find Ada beside him, but instead found Ebony, nestled happily. "Good kitty," Leon petted the black cat as he carefully sat up. Ebony purred and chirped back at him. It was now that Leon realised how much he remembered again, and he took a moment to process. He could remember their first whole year of marriage and the time leading up to it, but nothing after. His amnesia had not fully worn off yet.

Still, Leon decided that this was a good sign. He got out of bed and headed for the kitchen. It seemed that Ada was not yet awake, and so he decided he could surprise her with breakfast. Wasting no time, Leon got out the eggs and bacon and started cooking. Somehow, he had a cartoon image in his mind where Ada was floating down the stairs with her eyes closed as her nose led her forward to the delicious smell.

Meanwhile, Ada's dreams were fraught with mystery, making no sense at all. One moment she was running, and the next she was having a meal. Scenes of different, disjointed events filled her mind.

She woke up confused and a meow from her side caught her attention. Cobalt then licked her hand and she reached down instinctively to give the ginger feline a scratch behind the ears. He purred approvingly.

The scent of bacon wafted through the house and Ada was pleasantly surprised. Leon might have amnesia but he definitely knew how to cook since his days of being single.

Cobalt sniffed the air and hopped off the bed, eager to find the source of the delicious smell. Ada could only shake her head at her pet's antics.

Pulling a robe over her sleepwear, she freshened up in the bathroom before heading to the kitchen. The felines were lingering outside the gate. Ada threw a toy towards the cat room to distract them and they fell for it, leaving her path into the kitchen unobstructed.

Leon was in front of the stove, frying up bacon and eggs. He had a look of concentration on his face and she liked seeing him like this.

"Good morning," she said as she prepared to set the table. "Are those for the both of us?"

Leon turned to see Ada, and smiled warmly at her. "Morning, beautiful." He said as he slid the first batch of eggs onto a plate next to him. He turned the heat down and walked over to his wife, giving her a hug.

Ada's heart nearly stopped when Leon addressed her as 'beautiful.' It was his pet name for her ever since they got married. A compliment to 'handsome.' Could she dare hope that all his memories had returned? She stood still as he sauntered up and enveloped her in an embrace.

"Ada, I can remember our wedding," The blonde spoke excitedly. "And our whole first year of marriage together." Leon leaned in for a kiss, aiming for her lips. The bacon sizzled on the skillet, slowly cooking while Leon attempted to show his wife some much-needed affection.

Her beloved Leon broke the good news to her even though his memories were partially restored. "That's… wonderful," she said and returned the hug.

The blonde leaned in closer and his scent was intoxicating. Then she remembered how he left her abruptly before he acquired amnesia. No, she couldn't indulge in this until they could talk it out.

She turned her head to the side and Leon's lips grazed her cheek. The ex-spy raised a hand to her mouth soon after and she coughed.

"Sorry, handsome. I might be a little under the weather," she lied easily before peering over his shoulder.

"Should you leave your cooking unattended, dear?" Ada teased him.

"Oh," Leon replied disappointed. He was looking forward to being more intimate with Ada now that he remembered all the good times they had in their first year. The blond figured that it was fine for now, and went back to the stove.

"I thought about sausages too, but it doesn't look like we had any," Leon said and flipped the eggs and bacon. There was a ding and some toast popped out of the toaster next to him. "And I'm making toast too. How about we have some orange juice to make this a nicer breakfast?"

"I'll be sure to get some sausages during our next grocery run," Ada said and pulled out two glasses from the cupboard. She took out the carton from the fridge and poured till both cups were almost full to the brim.

"Did you sleep well?"

"I slept alright," Leon replied. He slid the rest of the eggs and bacon onto the plate and brought it along with the plate of toast to the table. The agent got the butter and jam from the fridge, and breakfast was finally ready to be served, "How about you? How did you sleep?" Leon asked as he began to butter his toast. He hoped that Ada would be okay and would not get sick from a bad night's sleep. Leon just wanted things back to normal, or what he thought was normal.

"Mm, a little disruptive, I'm afraid," Ada replied as she took a slice of toast and started to spread some jam on it. She knew her husband would be worried sick about her and she added, "It's nothing to be concerned about, handsome. I'll be fine."

"Alright, if you say so," Leon replied. He did not want to press the issue and focused on breakfast instead.

Ada ate her food quietly as the cats mewed for attention outside the gate. "Silly rascals," she shook her head and buttered her remaining slice of toast before piling it with bacon and eggs.

She folded the bread in half and took a bite, relishing how rich and savoury the combination was.

The blonde watched as Ada improvised a sandwich, and decided to copy her. He had to admit, it did taste even better all combined together.

"Is making breakfast into a sandwich what we usually do?" Leon asked Ada between bites. "I don't remember ever doing it, now that I think of it."

"Not really, it's something I improvised on the spot," Ada said between bites and wiped her fingers with a napkin before washing down the sandwich with OJ.

"How much do you remember? If it's the first year, I guess you won't know how we got Ebony."

Leon took a bite of the makeshift breakfast sandwich and pondered her question, "Mmm, I think I remember the whole first year, but nothing after. I can't remember how we got Ebony. I wish I did, she was curled up beside me when I woke up."

"What can you remember, exactly? How you proposed, got married, where we had our honeymoon? And how we got Cobalt?" Ada asked, encouraging him to describe the details to ensure that his memories were accurate. "Do you want to do anything else today? Stay at home or go out to get some fresh air?"

The cats meowed again and Ada relented, going up to unlatch the gate. The feline duo sprinted to the dining table and rubbed their legs affectionately.

"The bruising on my face will scare off people, I think I should stay home and recuperate some more…" Leon answered the last question first before he recounted his memories.

"I remember we consummated our relationship around Thanksgiving, then we got Cobalt a while after you moved in. You accepted a biowarfare consultant position in the BSAA a few months later," He began, thinking over and going through what he knew. "I proposed to you in May and we got married in Vegas in June. You met my parents in the fall, and then we had a Christmas honeymoon in the Swiss Alps… does that sound right?

Leon believed that was all of the major events of their first year. He hoped he did not forget anything. The blond reached down to pet Cobalt as the orange cat rubbed his leg and purred.

Ada listened carefully and she nodded at each point that Leon listed correctly. Ebony was still begging for food but Ada only rewarded the cat with more scratches on the head, hoping that it would calm the young feline.

"I suppose we can call for grocery and food deliveries today while you rest."

Leon liked the sound of that.

The Kennedy couple spent the rest of the morning doing light chores as Leon got further acquainted with the house. In the back of his mind, he thought that once he got some of his memories, Ada would be more intimate with him.

Instead, it felt like his wife was holding herself back. She was still showing concern for him but also avoiding being in close proximity with him at any opportunity. He tried to help her out with chores and she simply redirected him to other parts of their home. The best thing about it was Cobalt and Ebony were never too far behind, they were following him wherever he went. At least he wasn't so lonely.

The blonde was in the midst of putting the laundry away when he heard the doorbell ring.

"I'll get it," Ada called out and went to the door to receive their deliveries for lunch and groceries. Leon came down to help her with the food and he laid out the cutlery while she placed their groceries away. If she gave any indication that she was uncomfortable with his presence, she did not show it. Instead, she seemed quite appreciative of his help.

His heart clenched at her presence. Why was marriage so complicated?

"What would you like to drink?" Leon asked his wife as he unbagged their delivery, pleasantly surprised to see burgers within.

"Just water would be good."

Leon nodded and poured glasses of water for both himself and Ada. He transferred their food onto plates when his wife joined him at the table with small bowls of fruit.

He dug into his burger, slightly greasy, covered in ketchup and melted cheese, with plenty of onions, tomato and lettuce to give it a nice crunchy bite to it. It was not gourmet, but Leon could not help but have a fondness for fast food.

Cobalt and Ebony hung around the couple and curled up at the bottom of the dining table. Ada allowed their cats to stay as they were not begging for food at the moment. They ate in silence for a few moments, before Leon took a sip of water and cleared his throat.

"So, what do you want to do later?" He asked her, trying to make some sort of small talk. "Do some training? I guess I should recover a little more before I do any sparring."

"I don't think you want to open your wounds with something strenuous. Light walks on the treadmill would be best," Ada said after she was halfway through her small but filling cheeseburger.

She took a sip of water before biting into her apple with a loud crunch, chewing the slice of fruit carefully with every bite. Things were definitely still awkward between them. They usually fed each other little bits of food on their plates and they were still being overly cordial.

"You're right. I'll stick to the treadmill." Leon replied to Ada. He remembered how they liked to feed each other, that was something they would normally be doing at home, and Leon wondered why they were not. He suspected it had something to do with what he did not remember.

"Okay, once we're done I'll get some exercise in and then relax a little more," Leon said after a few more bites. "We can work out together, right? I think I need to do some stretching. How about some yoga?"

"Don't work out too soon after you're done eating, handsome. You wouldn't want appendicitis," her tone was a little playful. "But some light exercise like yoga sounds doable," she replied and they ate the rest of their lunch. The couple cleaned up once more and rested a bit with the cats in the living room.

Now that the couple were out of the kitchen, both Ebony and Cobalt were especially attentive, or rather, clingy towards Leon. As if demanding the blonde to make up for the lost time that he had been away.

"They really do miss you," Ada said off-handedly as she threw a little ball of foil toward the felines.

"Mmm hmm," Leon murmured as he scratched Cobalt behind the ears, making the orange cat purr happily. Cobalt leaped away at the foil when Ada threw it, batting at it along with Ebony.

There she went again, being close and distant at the same time. Leon could not wait any longer and decided to take matters into his own hands.

"Ada, just how long was I gone?" Leon asked his wife. "Was it just a few days? I wish I could remember, but it feels like I must have been gone a lot longer." He reached out to touch Ada's hand, hoping to have some connection with her. "I know amnesia makes things awkward, but you're acting strange. What else is going on?"

Ada froze for just a second and looked away before returning her gaze to Leon. So, her government agent husband was still observant. She sighed, "You were away for a week."

There was more to that and Ada was reluctant to spill the beans. "It won't be fair to be angry at you for something you can't remember," she said softly as she closed her fist.

"One week?" Leon asked, shocked that he was away for so long. "Why was I gone for a week?" The agent stared intently at Ada, then looked away when she mentioned being angry.

"What do you mean be angry? What exactly happened? Did I do something?" Leon desperately wanted to know, and guilt began to crush his heart at the thought that he might have hurt Ada in some way.

Her face hardened at his first question, "Your job tends to take you away every now and then."

Even though he had been relegated to a desk-bound role months ago, Leon was still the best agent the DSO had and there were occasions when he was called in at the last minute to help.

Both of them might have spent most of their lives on the field but their dynamic had changed, they were married now. Ada knew Leon could take care of himself but there was always this nagging feeling at the back of her mind. And the most recent mission her husband was sent on came close to making her lose it.

"Do you remember the functions of your watch?" She asked, attempting to guide him to the answer.

Leon knew that his superiors did indeed send him on assignments occasionally. It was dirty work sometimes, but it needed to be done. The agent looked down at the watch, one half of the special gifts they had given each other.

"I know that there's a GPS tracker inside," Leon replied to her. "In case we get separated, we can find each other." He began wondering if that function had come in handy yet, if there was some incident where he had to use the watch to find Ada. It was then that Leon realized where he had found the watch; at home.

"I didn't have the watch with me when I left, did I?" Leon asked as it dawned on him why Ada might be upset. "I usually just leave my ring, so I won't lose it, but I left my watch this time too. You didn't know where I was…"

Ada watched her husband work out her cryptic question and she could see the gears clicking in his head. The raven haired woman nodded when he acquired the answer.

"Yes, and Hunnigan wasn't aware you were deployed either. She tried finding out where you went but kept hitting dead ends," she said as she gently removed her hand from his grasp. Everything was all very raw and painful right now.

She never expected that she would feel such an emotion again after three decades since her life turned upside down. The ex-spy thought she was confident, stable, and strong.

Leon was quiet for a moment. He did not know what he should say. Ada was withdrawing from him, over something he did not remember doing. If he went for a mission without telling her and left his watch, it had to have been for a good reason. He would not do something like this to Ada unless they were in extreme circumstances. Leon was not going to try to use that excuse though.

"I'm…sorry, Ada." Was all Leon could say to his wife. The blonde sighed as he quietly stood up and turned to head for the bedroom. Ada did not seem to want to spend time with him right now. He wondered if she would forgive him, and hoped when he did regain his memory that his reason for leaving justified what he had done.

Ada could only nod numbly as he left her alone with the cats in the living room. Feeling the pin pricks of tears threatening to well up in her eyes, she closed them with a sigh. She felt a nudge under her hand and the raven haired woman absentmindedly stroked her pet's fur.

Those who said cats were aloof creatures were wrong. Cobalt and Ebony were the most gentle and sensitive felines that she ever had.

After a few moments, Ada had calmed down and she opened her eyes to find Cobalt curled up under her touch, fast asleep. She gave the ginger cat one last scratch on the head before heading up to the guest room to change into her workout clothes.

Exercising always took her mind off present worries and she headed to the backyard gym to train.

Leon entered the master bedroom and closed the door with a sigh. With nothing else to do, he plugged his cellphone into an outlet and felt some relief when he saw the charging icon on the screen.

After his device was done booting up, the blonde sank onto the bed, and began to read the unread messages in his inbox. To his surprise, the majority were from Hunnigan where she was worried over his disappearance and chiding him for leaving Ada in the dark.

His wife only sent him one text which merely said: Please be safe…

Leon sent a quick reply to his handler.

[txt] Thank you for having my back and I'm sorry for worrying you.

He heard a door downstairs open and close, and went to the window to see Ada going out to the gym in workout attire. He contemplated exercising too before his phone buzzed in his palm.

[txt] You're welcome. And shouldn't you be resting? You better not be reading work emails.

Leon let out a chuckle.

[txt] Just wanted to see if my phone was still functional.

There was another quick reply from Ingrid.

[txt] Are you available for a call?

The blonde typed his response with a 'Sure'.

His phone rang soon after and Hunnigan spoke, "How are you feeling so far, Leon?"

Raking his fingers through his hair, he exhaled a sigh. "I remembered the first one and half years of my life after Lanshiang with Ada but nothing more."

"That sounds like progress," Ingrid said encouragingly.

"Not quick enough for my liking though. I just want to know what happened."

There was a rustling over the phone, "I came across an article about a facility up north that exploded recently. I have an inkling you had a hand in it."

"So that's what the director meant by the mission being successful." Leon whispered to himself. Sabotaging wasn't his speciality though…

There was surprise in Ingrid's voice, "You spoke with Director Martin?"

"Yeah, he told me to lay low and focus on recuperating."

"I still don't approve of him going behind my back and sending you away."

The blonde could imagine Hunnigan's brows furrowing as she made that statement.

"It's not like I could say no to the director."

"Not with this policy that I'm drafting," her voice was firm and steadfast. "It'll protect all agents from being deployed onto the field if they don't have field ready status. I'll send it to you once it's ready."

"I appreciate that."

"You're welcome. Now put down your phone and get more rest," her tone changed into something that reminded him of his own mother when she wanted him to acquiesce. "I hope the next time I see you, you're back to one hundred percent."

Leon smiled heartily, "I wouldn't want it any other way. Bye, Hunnigan."

Glancing out the window where their backyard gym was, he felt motivated to exercise too. He changed out of his clothes into looser, more casual wear. The blonde was not sure if he should bother his wife by joining her. It seemed she needed some alone time, so Leon decided he might do some easy callisthenics inside instead. He needed to be careful not to hurt himself after all.

Ada started with the treadmill, warming up her body before heading to the punching bags where she unleashed all the pent up frustrations within her. The gym echoed with her screams and grunts every now and then. Thank goodness it was sound proof.

Finally, she unwound on the balance beam and gymnastic rings near the back of the room. It was the first sport she was introduced to and excelled in as a child. Performing the routines always brought her to a zone where she was calm and focused.

After more than an hour, Ada exited the gym and went back into the house, soaked with perspiration. Ebony ran up to her with a meow, rubbing her legs. The black cat seemed confused when its fur was wet and ruffled with its owner's sweat.

Ada chuckled and gave the feline a pet on the head. "Go ahead and clean yourself, silly one," she said and left for a long shower in the guest bathroom.

Leon warmed himself up with some light stretching, flexing, bending, and extending his limbs until they felt supple and loose. He was still a tad stiff from laying in the hospital bed for so long. Once the stretching was done, he did a routine of pushups, situps, and some jumping jacks.

Leon wanted to use the equipment outside, but he really did not want to bump into Ada and make things awkward. He was feeling better than he had been, and thought to himself he probably was not at as much risk of hurting himself as he thought. The government agent had learned he could live through a lot worse things. Still, he could not deny he could not act like a young man forever. Eventually his body would quit on him.

These thoughts were interrupted when Cobalt slipped out from under the bed and meowed at Leon to open the bedroom door. The orange cat had slipped inside the bedroom without Leon noticing.

"Alright, alright, hang on," Leon said to Cobalt as he opened the bedroom door for him. "Sorry for shutting you in, Cobalt."

Ada took her own sweet time getting cleaned up, lathering her skin to rinse off the dirt and grime that accumulated during her exercise session. She turned up the heat, feeling her muscles relax after being tensed up for an hour. Now the ex-spy felt refreshed and rejuvenated.

She donned a clean pair of clothes and with her hair still wet, she stepped out of the guest bathroom to find Cobalt running out of the master bedroom.

Leon was standing at the doorway showing the orange cat out.

"Hi," she said. It would not be fair to stay mad at her husband for something he couldn't remember.

"Hi," Leon responded when he saw Ada in the hallway. It did feel awkward, just as he feared. He glanced away for a split second before thinking of what to say to her.

"So, what do you want for dinner?" Leon asked Ada. "Maybe pork chops? I saw some in the fridge…" He hoped that things would not be weird between them forever. The blonde was not so sweaty that he felt he needed to wash up. Then again, he did not want Ada to be turned off.

"Pork chops sound good," Ada replied. It had been a while since she had them and he could cook a mean one that would make her crave for more.

"I think I'm done working out," Leon said after a moment. "Is there anything you'd like to do?"

They just stood there, staring at each other. Usually they would have a romp in the bedroom or participate in something spontaneous like biking or jogging around the neighbourhood.

"I could help you cut the ingredients if you like," Ada said after a while.

"I'd like that." Leon replied.

Things were very awkward indeed. The raven haired woman decided to swallow her pride.

"Leon, you should know that I'm not going to stay upset at you for something you can't remember. Let's just ignore it for a moment."

Leon looked back at Ada when she said she would not stay upset at him, feeling a surge of hope swell within him. He nodded and murmured, "I know. I'll try to."

He did not know what else to say, but knew he needed to do something. Quietly, the blonde walked towards Ada, opened his arms, and pulled her into a hug. He needed to show her he loved her, and missed her affections.

Ada responded by wrapping her arms around him too, squeezing her husband tight. She missed Leon's warmth, his scent, his everything. If only the blonde's memories were whole…

Leon smiled and sighed as Ada returned the gesture. It felt familiar and comforting, knowing she still loved him.

They stood there in an embrace for a moment before feeling something furry rubbing their legs. Ada pulled away and looked down to see that Ebony was done grooming herself as her coat looked neat again.

"Hello, Ebony." She cooed and bent down to give the feline a head and chin rub. The cat flopped down on its back and purred loudly.
"We should prepare dinner soon. What do you need?"

"I'll need the pork chops, of course," Leon answered. "I'll also require some potatoes and green beans, and applesauce too. We can put some cinnamon on the applesauce. Salad is also an option." The blonde's mood was lightening quickly as he talked about food.

Both of them walked downstairs to the kitchen to prepare their meal.

Leon had successfully made a spread, with Ada's help. Other than mistakenly making a marinade instead of a sauce, he made the best of it and spent some more time watching TV with his wife as they let the meat marinate longer.

Grilling came back naturally to him and he confidently seared the meat to perfection. It felt like any ordinary weekday evening with his spouse.

The couple sat across each other and dug in.

He quietly ate his dinner, enjoying his time with Ada, though he could not stave off the thoughts that were slowly rising to the surface of his mind. Leon sipped some iced tea and cleared his throat.

"Ada, I was thinking," The blonde began, his tone more serious. "What will we do if I can't remember anymore than this?" Leon made eye contact with his wife. "Do we just try to make the most of it?"

His gaze burned into her soul and she was unable to look away. Ada closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh. "If that happens, I will tell you everything that you can't remember…"

The raven haired woman reached across the table to grasp his hand. "And we will just have to continue moving forward."

"Mmm hmm," Leon replied with a simple nod. He clasped his hand with hers for a moment, to comfort both her and himself. "Thank you Ada. Whatever happens, I want to stay with you."

Ada smiled, "Well, I do have to honour our marriage vows after all. I assume you'll do the same."

"'Course I will." Leon smirked at Ada and finally let go of Ada's hand to resume eating his dinner. He did not want to bring the mood down too often with his angst, and hoped that they had nowhere to go but up from here.

There was still the issue of sleeping arrangements and he kept fidgeting by tapping his fork on the edge of his plate.

"Penny for your thoughts, handsome."

The blonde started a bit and coughed, "Could we share the bed tonight?"

Ada furrowed her brows and was about to reply before Leon intervened, "I know you said you don't want to take advantage of the situation but we don't have to take things further than just cuddling."

Knowing her husband, Ada knew he would stick to his word. "Alright. Since you asked so nicely," she conceded with a smile.

"Let me bunk in with you, it's the least I could do. You don't have to move your things for tonight."

"Thank you, dear."

Ada's use of a pet name made Leon's heart soar.

His chest was thudding just like on that beautiful Thanksgiving night when they sealed their relationship. He continued to sniff himself after washing up and brushing his teeth, ensuring he smelled good to his wife.

Leon donned a pair of loose fitting pants and a thin tank top before padding over to the guest room. He knocked and the door opened soon after to reveal Ada clad in modest silk pajamas. She looked absolutely gorgeous to him and it took all his willpower to not dip her into a searing kiss.

Leaving the door cracked for their cats, they both slipped under the covers. Leon turned towards his wife and could make out her silhouette in the dark. Ada was on her side and judging by how close her breathing sounded, she was facing him.

The floral scent of her moisturiser smelled a little like lavender, acting like a soothing balm to ease the frantic thumping in his chest.

"Can I hold your hand?" He asked.

There was a rustle over the covers and her fingers brushed lightly against his, lacing them loosely in his grasp.

"I hope I can get all my memories back by tomorrow…" The blonde said idly as he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Or we could take it one day at a time."

He chuckled dryly, "That too."

"Get some sleep, handsome," her voice sounded playful. "You won't be able to recover if you stay awake."

"You're right. G'night, Ada." He brought her hand up to his lips, just like yesterday.

If there was any surprise on her face, he couldn't tell but she responded by squeezing his hand before rolling onto her back.

"Good night, Leon."

He laid there in the dark, listening to Ada's rhythmic inhales and exhales, still wondering why he would jeopardise his marriage by going on a mission without Hunnigan's knowledge. There were still some missing puzzles that were evading him.

The more his mind worked, the more sleep proved to be elusive. The blonde shifted onto his stomach to get more comfortable. He was also distracted from her presence too, the warmth of her body was magnetic, and he felt himself press against the contours of her body.

So close and yet so far.

No wonder Ada made the decision to sleep in separate rooms. Not being able to be intimate was pure torture.

"Can't fall asleep?" Her voice was a whisper.

"I thought you had already dozed off."

"I can breathe pretty slowly at rest," she said and stroked his arm.

They felt something thump on the bed followed by another. A furry face brushed against Ada's cheek while a little cat tongue licked Leon's tresses.

"Hey, kitties…" Leon said in a sing-song manner as he got one to purr while he stroked its back and hindquarters. He couldn't tell which cat it was in the dark but judging by its bigger form, it was probably Cobalt.

"They heard us talking and decided to join in."

Ada scritched Ebony's chin and the little cat clambered into her chest, making light biscuits on the blanket.

The licking on Leon's hair soon turned to gnawing and it became borderline painful. "No, Cobalt," he gently chided the ginger cat and carefully pried him off the pillow, nestling the feline between himself and his wife.

Cobalt shifted a little before settling itself partially on Leon's chest while its rump was pressed up against Ada's arm.

Both cats began to purr in sync and to his surprise, the melody was lulling him to sleep. His breathing gradually grew more shallow and soon, he managed to doze off. There was a smile on Ada's face as she listened to his inhales and exhales, glad that he was getting his rest. She finally willed herself to sleep as well.

Once more, Leon's dreams were a swirl of familiar faces and images. To him it felt as though someone had unlocked a vault deep within his mind, where his most treasured memories were kept. He could see Ada, and he could see Ebony on the day they got her.

It was all so much for him to process, but when the morning came, Leon knew everything. He opened his eyes slowly, adjusting to the light coming through the windows.

The blonde felt a weight on his legs and glanced at the foot of the bed, spotting Cobalt curled up and snoozing peacefully. Leon then looked to the side and saw sweet little Ebony sleeping on Ada's pillow but his wife wasn't there.

Before he could process the sight in front of him, he heard the water running in the guest bathroom and surmised that Ada was using it.

That was a relief. He remembered everything, and he needed to tell Ada right away.
Leon quickly but carefully got out of bed and made a bee-line for the bathroom. He softly knocked on the door and called his wife's name.

"Ada? Ada, I got my memories back!" He said, trying to contain his joy. "I remember it all!" And it was right then that Leon remembered what led to his amnesia in the first place. He suddenly could guess why Ada was acting so strange…

A pit formed in his stomach and he gulped, working up the courage to face the music.

Author's Note: The tension has reached a breaking point and ends on a cliffhanger!

Originally, I wanted them to continue sleeping in separate bedrooms but I felt it would be a repeat of the end of the previous chapter. So, you have some sweet, innocent cuddling.

The cooking scenes were supposed to go on longer but since there was cooking in the previous chapter, I glossed over it too.

If you're overwhelmed by the chapter or by any matters, I'm with you. Remember to hydrate.