Chapter Text
Prologue - The Oval Office
The doors to the Oval Office stood before you, large and imposing, the wood thick enough to hide who knew sat inside. You had been summoned here with a black sedan and some escort who told you your presence was requested immediately. The didn't ask, it wasn't a polite request. An order.
You had held your tongue, because you knew enough of the signs to know saying no was out of the question, to demand answers was going to get you nowhere. All that had left was to climb inside the car and wait until you reached your destination. Patted down and guided down halls that felt too grand, like you were being watched. You probably were.
A shaky sigh left your mouth as your escort rapped on the wood, waiting for a second before he pushed it open and gestured you inside. You stepped in, pushing the fear and questions behind a perfectly blank mask, and the door closed behind you with a thud.
The office was smaller than it looked on TV, but the man behind the desk was still as imposing as he always had been. President Graham, you had met him once or twice, a handshake and a thank you and that was it. Behind him stood his appointed guards, typical black suits and glasses, stiff as boards. To the side two suited politicians who had their noses turned up, disapproving of either you or the situation in general.
None of them meant anything, though. Not when he stood to the side.
Leon.
Blue eyes, still as sharp as the day you had first met him, and just as capable of making your heart skip a beat in your chest, of your breath to catch in your throat. He had always been beautiful, not just in his appearance but who he was too. Once, it was a soft innocent kind of beauty, the one that came from wanting to help - and now it was something deeper, almost twisted. It was unfair, really, you used to think beauty was made for softer things.
Clearly, Leon Scott Kennedy was the exception.
It was infuriating.
You blinked as he tilted his head into a nod, professional and complicated. Anywhere else and you would have rolled your eyes, maybe let a comment slip free, but now your mouth remained shut, and your eyes moved to look at the person who was snapping your name.
You turned, cold, to the politician. His lip was raised, curled into a sneer and his eyes raked over your body in a way that made you want to scoff. “You’re late.”
“It wasn’t intention-”
“When the President calls you -”
“I am sorry…” You cut him off with a sweet smile as he glared. “I was only informed of this meeting half an hour ago, when someone turned up at my door. Maybe next time try and inform me earlier so I can be more punctual.”
The man’s eyes narrowed, Leon shifted where he stood, and you raised an eyebrow as the man turned to the President. “As I told you – she’s insolent and rude…”
President Graham held up a hand, frowning at the man. “Please, that’s enough.” His voice was steady, commanding the room without effort, shutting the man up. “Agents, have a seat.”
You didn’t move, old training kicking in as you stood before the desk, Leon at your side, looking at the President like he was your major. Graham didn’t seem to care either way, a deep frown appearing on his face.
“I asked you both here today because I need your help…” You and Leon cast each other a quick glance as Graham wasted no time. “My daughter, Ashley, has been kidnapped.” The air in the room stilled. "We can not be sure 100% what happened - but it seems she was taken on her way from college."
“We believe there may have been an infultration.” The other politician, the one who wasn’t glaring at you, spoke. “Now intelligence indicates that she is possibly being held in rural Spain – though the Kidnappers have made no formal demands, this is the President’s daughter, and so the situation is delicate.”
You frowned, looking back to the President as he spoke softly. “That is where the two of you come in – two of the most successful agents, multiple operations completed successfully between the pair of you, resourceful and efficient, you leave no room for doubt.”
Leon’s jaw tensed but he gave a sharp nod. You frowned, hands clasped behind your back, you let out a small cough. “With all due respect, sir—”
“You will not speak out of turn.” The man spoke, and you did roll your eyes as you faced him in all his disdain. “Sir, I plead that we just send Kennedy -”
“Jesus Chris.” You muttered.
The President turned to look at you once more. “Please continue.”
You let out a breath, ignoring the man who looked half a second away from crying because Graham refused to listen to him. “Perhaps it would be more prudent to send more Agents, an entire tactical team – if these people have managed to successfully kidnap and take Miss Graham out of the country then who else knows what they are capable of.”
“There is more.” Graham spoke, gesturing for the nicer Politician to step forward.
He did, hands shaking as he help out a file for you to take, you furrowed your brow at him as you took it before flicking it open and reading the words, his voice shaking as he explained further. “We have reason to suspect a possible involvement of B.O.Ws.”
You and Leon both looked up to the man who gulped slightly before you looked down to the papers. There wasn’t much, no names or that much information, all just speculation.
“The pair of you are our most familiar agents with this.” Graham spoke, almost softly. “And this isn’t the kind of mission where we can send an army to kick down doors, if there is more at stake, my daughter’s safety depends on precision and discretion, and two skilled loyal agents who do what a hundred can without the disaster.”
There was so much you wanted to say.
So much that probably needed saying. Like for starters what the scummy Politicians problem was, though you had an idea if the way his narrowed eyes keep going up and down like he was disgusted and leering. It wasn’t something you weren’t used to, but if he kept looking at you like you were some dirt on the bottom of his shoe then he was going to have some serious problems.
Military, Politics – they were often considered a man’s game, as stupid as that was. You were a top Agent, on par with Leon, a woman who wasn’t built of muscle and who had a good amount of successful missions behind her. And you were a survivor of Raccoon City.
That was the reason you stood before the President, why you had done Military training, why you couldn’t just say no and walk out of the door. Why you and Leon stood tense together as the pair of you mumbled. “Yes, Sir.”
Graham nodded, leaning back in his chair. “A private plane is waiting to take you both, your necessities are already on board as well as some more information, and a contact will be in touch when you land. I expect this handled swiftly, quietly, and effectively.”
It was almost like you weren’t human, like you didn’t have your lives waiting at home or were even gifted the ability to say goodbye to your loved ones. Unable to pick your own things, or change out of your clothing. Just told to go.
You sighed, nodding your head and turning to leave, Leon following you.
The President spoke one last time. “And please, bring my daughter home.”
There was no time to respond as the door opened and the pair of you were lead out and ushered back down the hallway. Your hands clenched at your sides and your jaw tight. But your hands were tied, you were tied, unable to fight out of your restraints.
The restraints that you had locked yourself in.
“Guess this is like old time.” You blinked, turning to look at Leon who offered you a ghost of a smile, one that made your lips twitch.
You let out a small hum before looking back ahead, a bitter smile curving your lips. “Let’s hope it’s not exactly like old times. Raccoon City once was enough.”
…
People often assumed when you worked for a branch of Government that you were afforded luxuries and large paychecks. They would be wrong on both fronts.
You were shipped out to places on small jets, ones that looked like smaller versions of a standard aircraft – except there was no air hostess offering food and beverages, those came in small packets and required the adding of water. No beds, or soft lights, just hard sturdy chairs that took hours to become comfortable.
The only luggage was the standard compression shirts and cargo pants, made you look like some kind of double act, or like you belonged on some recruitment poster, and made you feel like you should have STRATCOM stamped on your forehead. The only luxury was your own boots and jacket, deep and leather, and your gun and your knife were yours.
The knife twisted in your hand, sharp blade glinting in the dim light, and your thumb tracing over his initials. The ones you refused to change with your own. As strange as it was, the knife was the only thing you had left of your brother, of Marvin, of Raccoon City and you refused to change it.
A sigh left your mouth as you placed the blade away and looked to Leon who sat across from you, checking over his own pistol. You watched him, hair hanging in his face, holsters perfectly put into place and that frown deepening.
You had expected it to feel strange, sat across from him on some mission neither of you were prepared for, but it didn’t. Perhaps you had always known on some level that you would be sent out together. Forced to work together once again, only this time with training and trauma behind you, instead of the R.P.D and zombies.
His eyes met yours, and you didn’t look away as he raised an eyebrow. That tension sitting between you like an awkward friend, not new but instead something that had been lingering for a while, since distance started creeping in and every moment in each others company felt slightly like you were talking to a stranger.
“So...” Leon said, voice low, even, but his fingers tapped on the table like the silence was getting to him too, like he didn’t live to brood in it. “How’ve you been?”
You arched a brow. “Fine.”
“Good.”
“And you?”
“Really good.” Too quick, too stiff.
You almost smiled at the awkwardness of it. “Good.”
The silence settled again. You moved through it, reaching for the papers you had been given, the limited information you had and trying to figure out or plan for what you could. Leon shifted before you, fingers still tapping on the table, like there was more he wanted to say.
“Claire called the other day.” He said it as though it was surprising, like Claire keeping tabs on him was something that would make your eyebrows raise.
You huffed out a laugh, looking at him from under your lashes. “She does that.”
“She...uh...she said Sherry’s contract with you got changed – upped to two weeks a month now.” Leon all but stuttered out as you furrowed your eyebrows. “She also said there were talks of Sherry joining a program to become an agent.”
There it was.
You looked up, taking in the tension hidden beneath his fur lined jacket and floppy hairstyle. He was annoyed he hadn’t been told about this earlier. “It’s just talk, Leon.”
His frown deepened. “I didn’t think you’d want her going down the same road we did.”
“I don’t, and it’s not decided, but she’s eighteen and was raised in a Government facility since she was twelve, and let’s not pretend they haven't put her G to use.” You sighed out, running a hand over your hair. “Not to mention living with an agent for a week a month for the past three years, they’re not going to let her go so easy.”
Leon huffed out a breath, and you knew what he was thinking. This is why he signed up, so Sherry could have a good life, a safe one – but now it felt like a lie. You had thought the same, but you hadn’t been naive to know a girl with the G-Virus and it’s vaccine in her veins was just going to be released at 18.
“Look, I get it.” He looked to you as you spoke. “But I don’t know what you expect – maybe you could call her, or turn up for a dinner, and try and talk her out of it.”
It was harsher than you meant it to be. You knew it wasn’t always his fault, missions took over, and he couldn’t always be there, but you were both aware there were times he choose not to be.
Leon didn’t take the bait, not fully as he frowned. “So Sherry’s gonna be at yours alone this whole mission?”
You shook your head and leaned back in your seat. “No, I sent a text, Claire’s back from TerraSave tomorrow morning, she’ll go spend the rest of this mission at mine…”
“And tonight?” Leon asked. You looked up at him under your lashes again, he shifted in his seat, frown deepening and you couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped you.
“Relax, she has a gun that she knows how to use, and she is allowed to be alone for a night.” You snickered out, but his face only remained in that stoic concern, you sighed, putting down the file on the table. “Jill will go this evening, and if she can’t then Chris will check in.”
There was a pause, confusion spreading across Leon’s face. “Chris?”
“Yeah.” You mumbled, eyes focused on the detail on the route Ashley’s car was supposed to take and where it got stopped. It took you a second to realise Leon was glaring. “What?”
“Nothing...I…” He cut himself with a deeper glare. “Just didn’t realise you were that close to Chris that you trust him with Sherry.”
You let out a small confused laugh. “I mean...I have known him longer than most people, and he is Claire’s brother…” You trailed off as he regarded you.
“And your…”
“Friend?” You finished for him, still amused before you realised what he was trying to ask and you barked out a laugh. “Really? That’s...oh God no...Chris is just a friend, or more like a brother.”
Leon’s ears turned pink as you laughed. Mainly because if you didn’t laugh then you might throw up at the thought of Chris as anything more than a friend.
“Alright fine, you’re not seeing Chris – but are you seeing anyone?”
The laughter died off, your smile slowly falling as you regarded him and that suddenly intense look in the eyes that were flickering over your face like they were looking for something. You didn’t know what and you didn’t want to know what.
There had been moments like this in the past, moments that hit you in the gut, that made you think more only to slap you around the face with reality. And you didn’t want to play this game with him again, didn’t want to look at him and see the person that had twisted and crushed your nineteen year old heart and then wormed his way in and out time and time again.
You didn’t want to pretend like the friendship you had with Leon Kennedy was normal.
Like you had always been two people who could sit and talk relationships. Like you even knew the last person he dated, or like he had any clue about the people you let into your bed. And you didn’t want him trying to dig that out now.
“No.” You sighed out before straightening out your face. “And that’s not important to the mission.”
Leon’s jaw tensed like he wanted to say more before he seemed to consider it. You reached into the folder and pulled out a general map of the area you were heading for as Leon sighed. “What do we know then?”
“Not much, it’s not a popular area, but there have been a couple of disappearances, a few claims that the people in the village have been acting strange and a possible sighting of Baby Eagle...or a blond girl.” You explained as you laid the map on the table. “Maybe the local officers can offer some more insight.”
The map didn’t give anything away, a general village and lake, rumours there was some factory that had been placed there and abandoned, but not much was actually known about it.
Leon turned the map around, frowning down at it. “They’re taking us to what is believed to be Baby Eagle’s last location, right?” You nodded to his question. “A village on the outskirts. From there—” he tapped the map, “—we find her, get her out, and go home.”
“Just like that?”
“Yeah.” Leon spoke but his mouth twitched, almost as though he was amused by your look. “Simple.”
“Of course.” You muttered before you leaned on the table.
“What?”
“Precision and discretion, that’s what Graham said, and how precise and discrete are we being if we go in there guns blazing?” You scoffed out, jabbing a finger at the map. “We don’t know what we’re walking into or who has her, where she is if she’s even in the village, or even what they want – but I doubt it’s just for some ransom if they took her all the way to Spain.”
Leon tensed his jaw.
“They’re organised, and probably hostile, maybe they have B.O.Ws on their side, we have no clue about anything, so we need intel and stealth before we charge in.” You added, shaking your head.
Leon leaned back into his chair, watching you with cold eyes. “So your plan is to tiptoe around hoping we can get Ashley in and out without anyone noticing?”
“My plan,” you said flatly, “is not getting us both killed on day one.”
It hit you then, how different you both were. You had heard of his missions, maybe not all the details, you weren’t entitled or allowed to see those, but rumours had a way of spreading and Leon was good at what he did and good at leaving a mess behind. He hadn’t changed their it seemed, acting without thinking.
Maybe you had, planning moments, doing your best to get in and out without having the whole world crumbling down on you. You’d do what you had to do, if needs must, but you didn’t plan for it.
Leon’s lips twitched, the faintest smile breaking through the scowl. “You haven’t changed much.” You disagreed, but there was no point arguing.
“Neither have you,” You snapped, a frown on your face that only amused him. “Still reckless.”
“Reckless worked before.”
“Barely.”
He was smiling, not one that most people would notice, and not the boyish one he used to do that showed teeth and dimples and made him look so innocent. This was slightly, a tilt of his lip, almost proud that he had gotten some kind of reaction from you – from what you had no clue. If one thing had changed about Leon, other than the constant frown, was that he wasn’t easy to read.
He hadn’t been for a while. Closed off. Private. You understood it a bit too well, but you wondered if there was anyone in his life he took the mask off for. That got to see that charming boyish look, that got to hear him talk like he couldn’t hide the emotion in his voice.
He deserved that.