Chapter Text
Ashley woke up to the smell of food.
Whatever dream or nightmare she had was instantly eclipsed by that mouthwatering smell.
She slowly opened her eyes and sat up, her nose leading her to that delicious smell. For a moment, she thought she was home and her housekeeper was bringing up her breakfast, but she quickly realized she was still in that motel room. She rubbed her eyes and saw that on the desk there was a whole array of food. Honestly, Ashley thought she had eaten enough for at least a week yesterday, but looks like she could eat a bit more.
"You're up."
She turned to see that Leon was sitting on his bed, a coffee in his left hand and his arsenal strapped on his person again. In his other hand, he had some sort of device, a communicator or something? Or a fancy phone? Hard to tell, she’s never seen something like it before. The bed he sat on looked untouched, did he really just spend the whole night in the chair? He looked a little less tired than he was yesterday at least.
A yawn broke out of her. "Morning." She rubbed her eyes. "Did you sleep in the chair?" Ashley asked incredulously.
Leon didn't even look up from what he was doing. "It was more comfortable."
"There's no way that's true," she countered, now more awake than she was before.
He shrugged, then gestured to the food on the desk. "You should eat. Our escorts will be here soon."
She looked at him with a surprised grin. "For real?"
Leon just nodded and her heart jumped in excitement. She was almost home!
“Wait, what about you?" she asked. "Have you eaten?”
Leon waved her off. “Yeah, while you were getting your much needed beauty sleep.”
She blushed a little. “...Good, I just… wanted to make sure.”
“Thanks for checking in with me, mom.”
Ashley gave him a weird smile as she began to dig into her meal. Leon and his sense of humor. The fact that he says such things with such a straight stoic face made it all the more amusing. She didn’t think she was ever going to get tired of it.
The spread was a little different than the breakfasts she had back home. There was toasted bread with some tomato on it, some eggs on fried potatoes, and a lot more different kinds of pastries. She didn’t really know the name of these dishes, but they looked delicious.
As she took her first bites of food, which was equally as delicious as the food yesterday, her eyes were drawn to a steaming mug in the corner of the tray: hot chocolate. There was even a marshmallow nestled in the creamy foam.
"Is this hot chocolate?" she exclaimed, reaching for the cup, treating it as if it was filled with liquid gold. She turned to Leon who had a distant smile on his face.
"You mentioned you wanted some." He took a long sip of his own drink. “There wasn’t any apple pie or ice cream though.”
He remembered.
Ashley looked at him in wonder and gratitude. It had been an offhand conversation to fill the silence, but Leon still remembered. "Thanks, Leon."
Maybe when she was old enough, would Leon like to go drinking together?
“Anytime," he said with a small smile.
During her breakfast, her brain slowly awoke. And when it did, the remnants of their conversation yesterday began to resurface. A heart squeezed a little as she remembered what he said: about being a survivor of Raccoon City and how that tragedy pushed him to become the agent he is today.
She stole glances at him periodically, trying to gauge how he was feeling right now. Leon could probably tell she was looking at him, despite her best attempts to be discreet, but he didn’t call her out on it. He just continued typing away at his device.
Now that she's had a chance to study him in peace and quiet, Leon doesn't really seem like a happy person. He hardly laughed or smiled, unless it was for her sake. She hadn't really noticed during their run for survival and escape. At the time, the only thing Ashley noticed was his strength and tenacity, he seemed so flawless. But now that all the chaos had died down and a semblance of peace followed, Ashley could see how drained Leon seemed to be.
These missions with these zombies and parasites, they must be killing him…right?
“You know, Leon,” she said, swallowing her bite of food. Ashley turned to look at him seriously. “Being my bodyguard means you won’t have to go on missions anymore.”
Leon took another sip of his coffee, unfazed by what she said. “Where’s the fun in that?”
“I’m being serious.” Ashley was starting to dislike how much Leon tended to avoid answering properly. “I just want to make sure. In case… you don't wanna do this anymore." A way out.
The agent finally looked up at her, his expression soft. A short pause made Ashley believe he was considering it, but he shook his head. "Thanks for the offer," he said simply.
"That's a 'no', right?" Ashley huffed sadly. Leon nodded. "Somehow, I knew you'd say that. But…it doesn't hurt to ask."
Leon put his mug on the bedside table, speaking sincerely, "Thanks for thinking of me." And he went right back to working on his device-thing.
She should have known that Leon would turn her down, but she was still sad to hear. Could she do something to make his burden easier, she wondered.
“So, what are you doing?” Ashley asked, trying to take her mind off her disappointment.
“Just checking in with HQ,” he responded casually. “And getting started on my report.”
“You have to do reports? Doesn’t your…uh, 'handler' do those?” At least, that’s what she saw in movies. The idea of Leon sitting at a desk with a suit and tie writing papers was a little funny. It didn’t suit him in the slightest. He was much more handsome in that black shirt and pants.
“Mostly, but I still have my share,” Leon explained with a slight sigh. “Honestly, I think paperwork is the worst part of this job.”
Ashley laughed a little, giving him an incredulous look. “Even worse than the mutant-crazy-zombie'people?”
“Definitely,” he said with the utmost seriousness. Like always, she had no idea if he was actually serious or was just playing around again.
There was a sudden beep on the device and Leon immediately stood up. Startled, Ashley scrambled to her feet too, worriedly looking at him. Has something finally gone wrong after all?
“Our escort’s here, ETA: five minutes,” he told her, putting his device into one of his pouches. “We should wait outside.”
“Don’t scare me like that.” Ashley sighed in relief, nodding. “Okay, let me freshen up. Then let’s go.”
After doing a hasty version of her early morning routine, she and Leon exited the room to head towards the reception. There was a different person at the desk today, a really young looking blonde guy whose gray eyes widened as they dropped off the key. There were a few other patrons awake and about who gave them strange looks, but they quickly made their way out and to the road.
Thankfully, it was a nice and sunny morning. Ashley stretched and took in a big gulp of fresh air.
“Too bad we didn’t try out the swimming pool,” Ashley lamented. It looked nice.
“Bummer,” Leon agreed unenthusiastically. He totally didn’t want to try out the swimming pool.
“Not a big fan of swimming?” she asked.
“Swimming is fine. The things I find while swimming are not.”
"You…find a lot of zombie fishes?" Ashley guessed.
"You'd be surprised."
Ashley was about to ask him to elaborate when she heard the faint roar of something down the road. At first, Ashley was terrified that it was another one of those monsters (why did she keep thinking something awful was going to happen?), but she realized it was just a procession of cars and trucks approaching. She recognised the US flag plastered on the side and she grinned.
“Is that them?” she asked Leon excitedly.
He nodded once, letting out a small sigh of his own. “Looks like our ride’s finally here.”
As the cars slowed to a stop, Leon waved them over, and a parade of soldiers came out to meet them. They saluted Leon as they approached.
“About time,” Leon said to the woman who came to the front. She looked like the one in charge.
“Agent Kennedy,” the soldier greeted Leon. She looked at Ashley and offered her a big smile. “Miss Graham.” Then she looked at both of them. “My name is Sergeant Isabel Rivera with the US Navy from Naval Station Rota, I will be escorting you back to the United States.” She turned to Ashley again. “It's so good to see you’re alright, Miss Graham. Mr. President will be happy to see you again.”
The thought of her father made her heart ache. Sure, they were a little distant now that she was in college and he was the president, but she still loved him loads. “Is he here?” she asked. Ashley suspected not, but she just wanted to ask to make sure.
“'Fraid not, but he will be meeting you back on US soil as soon as you land,” she told her kindly. She stepped aside and gestured to what looked like a very armored car. “This way, Miss Graham.”
Ashley was eager to get going, but she turned to look at Leon first. She wanted to trust these soldiers, but they were really just strangers. Leon was the only one she really trusted out here.
Catching her eye, he gave a nod. “I’ll be right behind you.” The officer looked like she wanted to speak up but Leon cut her to the chase. “That isn’t a problem, right?”
“No, of course not, Agent Kennedy,” she replied after a moment. “There’s room for you both.”
Ashley wasn’t sure what that was all about. Was Leon not allowed to ride with her? She didn’t see why not, but it didn't seem to be a problem now. Ashley hopped into the car, taking a seat in the back while Leon settled in beside her a moment later. There was an older man in the front seat, who greeted them with a salute as they entered. Soon after, the same officer lady entered and sat in the front seat.
As she buckled in, she noticed more military vehicles show up. They didn't look like they belonged to their little caravan. Some of them drove past while a few stayed at the motel. Were they the local authorities Leon had mentioned? Ashley wasn’t exactly eager to visit this place again, but she did sincerely hope that they would be able to get everything settled.
Once those other vehicles were out of the way, their car finally got moving and they were on their way back home. Ashley couldn’t help, but be in an extremely good mood. Despite that, she didn’t really say anything during the car ride, it was a little awkward to talk with Leon with other people in the car with them. In fact, Leon was looking strangely uneasy, but when she sent him a questioning glance, he had silently assured her that it was alright.
It was a pretty long car ride, but Ashley didn’t find herself minding too much. Sometime during the journey, she was offered water and snacks by Rivera, apparently something her father had personally requested for her. All her favorites were here and Ashley thought a packet of chips looked so good. Leon even took a couple when she offered him. And she gave him some gum.
She ended up dozing lightly for the last leg of the journey and she woke up to the car pulling up somewhere. Ashley spotted the US flag flying on a pole by the entrance and there were several soldiers wandering about doing miscellaneous work. Looked like some sort of military base of some kind?
“We’ve arrived,” the driver announced the car stopped.
The sergeant looked around for a moment before gesturing to her and Leon to get out of the vehicle too. They did as she instructed and she and Leon stood awkwardly aside as they waited for Rivera, who was speaking with several others. Several guards had closed in, not too close, but it was clear they were watching them, specifically Leon and Ashley wasn't really sure why. They were eyeing him up like how jocks eyed up each other before a football match.
In return, Leon was stoically scrutinizing them back with a pretty suspicious look on his face.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered, in a low voice. She caught one of the trooper's eyes and he smiled at her. What's with this weird disconnect?
“Nothing.” Leon assured her, but he sounds strained. Something was definitely wrong.
But before Ashley could press him for more, the sergeant came back. “I was hoping to get you both back to home soil by the night, but the medical team wants to keep you for a day to run a few tests.”
“Seriously?” She thought she would be home by now!
Rivera gave her a sympathetic look. “My sincerest apologies, you two. But the President wants to make sure you both are fit for travel.”
Her father requested this? “I suppose it’s fine.” Afterall, she did just recover from a mind-control parasite. Ashley glanced at Leon though, just to see what he thought.
Leon caught her eye. “Is there no way we can’t catch the next flight home?” he asked.
The sergeant shook her head. “Sorry. Don’t worry, we have great accommodations here. Much better than the motel you both were in.”
That didn’t really make her feel better, but as long as she was with Leon, she supposed she could survive just one more day. Two more soldiers joined them as they were escorted to the military hospital to undergo these medical tests. Along the way, Rivera was trying to be friendly, telling them about their base as if it was some sort of guided tour. Ashley appreciated her trying to ease the situation, but Ashley just glued herself to Leon’s side and tried not to be disappointed about not being able to go home quite yet.
Leon was a silent, steady pillar of support. Ashley almost wished she could hold his hand, but that probably wasn't appropriate. She wasn't a little kid anymore, right? But watching his empty hand…it was tempting to reach out and take it. Leon caught her staring, as he usually did, and she felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment. What was she thinking? He just offered her a small smile, though.
Ashley inwardly blanched. No guy was ever going to live up to Leon, were they? She was doomed.
She had imagined that the military hospital was some sort of glorified tent like the movies, but it was actually a fully fledged building. As they entered, there was a whirlwind of medical staff walking too and fro. Upon entering, a man and a woman came up to them.
“Are these…?” he asked, gesturing to her and Leon.
“Yes,” the sergeant replied. “I’ll leave them with you, doc.”
The man nodded. “Ashley?” He looked at her and Ashley looked at him in acknowledgement. “You can follow Nurse Moore. Agent Kennedy, you can come with me.”
Ashley’s heart jumped. She was going to be separated from Leon?
Before she could protest, Leon did for her. “Is there a reason you need to split us up?” His voice was icy.
“Er,” the doctor looked a little surprised at the sudden hostility. “It’s policy.”
“I think my orders supersede your policy,” said Leon, crossing his arms.
Suddenly the soldiers that had been following them pressed forward towards Leon. The two men had irritated looks on their faces. Leon eyed them carefully, but he didn’t say anything. They were eyeing his guns, Ashley realized.
“Agent Kennedy, this place is well guarded. Your mission has been completed,” Rivera stated carefully. “We are more than qualified to handle Miss Graham’s safety, I assure you.”
Leon had a very serious look on his face. “My orders are to get her home,” he said coolly. “My mission doesn’t end until she’s back with her father. I won’t leave her side until then.”
Rivera frowned and the soldiers, who seemed annoyed by Leon’s resistance, actually tightened their grip on their guns. Ashley's anxiety spiked as she looked between them all. She was certain Leon wasn’t going to try to fight them if he didn’t have to, he was remaining calm, but it didn’t mean those two soldiers wouldn’t try to subdue him.
"Listen, pal, you may think you're some fancy government agent-" one of the soldiers began, but Ashley's nerves got the better of her.
"Leon stays with me," she interrupted, using her most authoritative voice she could.
Ashley was getting irritated over the way they were treating Leon, like he was some sort of danger to them. He could be dangerous if he wanted to, but he wasn't a danger to anyone right now. Why were they treating him this way?
Everyone looked at her, shocked.
Except for Leon, who had a smirk on his lips. "You heard the lady.”
One of the soldiers had an irate look on his face and it looked like he was to give Leon a piece of his mind, but before he could, he was interrupted.
"Leave it, soldier," Rivera said. "Let Agent Kennedy accompany her."
“But, sergeant-”
“Listen, soldier. I do not outrank him and neither do you.” She gestured to Leon. “I expect you to treat him with the same damn respect you show the president, is that clear?”
That finally seemed to do the trick and the man relented. “Yes, m’am," he said sourly.
“Good,” she responded. The officer looked up at Leon. “Just do a general checkup, doc. Leave the more intense stuff for medical back home.”
The doctor looked uneasy, but nodded.
“I’ll leave these two with you then, I’ll pick'em up tomorrow morning to catch the next bird back home.”
"Yes, sergeant."
Rivera nodded and both of them before making her way to the exit of the hospital, followed by those two soldiers. Ashley shot her a grateful look as she left.
With that scary moment out of the way, they were both escorated again to another room where a few nurses were waiting for them. There, she was offered a fresh change of clothes, thankfully not military garb but a plain t-shirt and pants. Not exactly her style, but she was just happy to be out of those clothes.
While they were mostly in the same room, she did end up splitting up from Leon temporarily when she went to take a shower, but it was only for a moment. After making sure her old clothes wouldn’t be thrown away (she wasn't keen on losing the rest of her wardrobe), Ashley met up with Leon who had changed into another variation of the outfit he was wearing before. The nurses were in the middle of drawing his blood when she came back and Leon was deep in conversation with the doctor from earlier.
“How are you feeling now?” she heard the doctor ask Leon.
“Fine, for the most part,” Leon answered, flexing his hand a little. “A little lightheaded, maybe. There's an ache in my back."
The doctor wrote something down on his clipboard. “If what you said is true, then we’ll bring you both in for an x-ray just to be sure.”
“Is something wrong?” Ashley asked, getting worried by their conversation.
The doctor turned to her. “Ah, nothing in particular, Miss Graham. How are you feeling?”
“Uh, a little tired and sore, I guess,” she answered, glancing at Leon who gave her a supportive look.
“I can only imagine,” the doctor sympathized. “Any places you feel particularly sore?”
“My feet,” Ashley answered almost immediately. She’s done enough walking and running to last a lifetime honestly.
He nodded seriously. “Nurse Moore will check you over to make sure everything’s alright.” He gestured to the woman who had given her the clothes earlier. “And don’t worry, Mr. Kennedy will be in the same room.”
Ashley was put through a whirlwind of medical tests that made her dizzy by the end of it. Even though Leon had technically never left her side, she didn’t really get to say a single word to him as the day went on. Whenever it seemed like they had a moment to talk, a nurse would swoop in and say that she or Leon would have to do some test of some kind.
The good news was that there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with them, no lasting effects from being infected. More blood work had to be done, but they were going to leave it for the medical team back in the states. She was feeling ever so grateful for Luis, she regretted not being able to really thank him. Was his body one of the many rotting corpses back in that cursed place? It didn't seem like Leon would have a chance to bury him with the chaos that was going on.
There must be some other way to remember him, right? Maybe she can think of something when she got home.
Apparently, she had sprained both her feet and her left knee which isn’t too surprising considering everything that has happened. They were wrapped up and she was given some painkillers and a pharmacy of other medication to make sure the infection was truly gone.
Ashley didn’t catch if anything was wrong with Leon, but he had several medical patches here and there. She was also sure that he had gotten some stitches somewhere in some unseen wound. He smelled of some sort of medical cream and she was starting to notice impressions of handprints around his neck.
She swallowed, images of watching those freaks trying to strangle him.
"Are you…okay?" she asked worriedly, when they had a moment.
"I'll be fine," he assured her.
But in the next moment, his neck had been wrapped up in some gauze and Ashley wondered if that was something they were always going to do or if Leon requested it to hide the bruises from her. Ashley wanted to be frustrated, but her heart hurt to see those injuries on him.
Leon has endured so much for her. How could she ever repay him?
He was put on almost the same amount of medication she had been prescribed. Finally, she and Leon were both put on an IV drip and were finally given a chance to relax by themselves and get some food in their system. It was early evening by then and the nurses and doctor had scampered off somewhere, leaving her and Leon in a fairly nice private room. They were sitting to one side at a table to eat some dinner that had been brought to them.
They ate in relative silence, Ashley could tell that Leon was probably as exhausted as she was. So she just focused on eating the food that honestly wasn’t as good as the local Spanish food at that motel.
As she lazily scooped food into her mouth, Ashley was finding herself even more drained than she was yesterday. She didn't know if it were the tests, having to talk to so many people, or if the stress was finally catching up with her, but Ashley really did just want to sleep for at least a week straight.
It didn’t help that she was sorely missing Leon for some reason. He hadn't even been that far away, always within her line of sight or at least within earshot when they weren't.
The nurses would be back to check on them soon, but for the moment Ashley was just happy to just be with only Leon again. As horrid as that whole experience was, she really did like it better when it was just the two of them.
Ashley was going to miss him.
The thought hit her as she swallowed one of her last few bites: her time with Leon was limited. Tomorrow, when she got back to the US… would Leon finally leave her side? That's what he said, right?
Then…would they have to say goodbye?
The thought was so shocking that Ashlye completely froze, staring into the remnants of dinner on her plate. She slowly looked up at Leon, breaking out in a cold sweat. The idea of being separated from Leon just seemed so unnecessarily terrifying and daunting. Ashley hasn’t really known Leon for that long (or that well for that matter), but the idea of being separated from him was so painful that Ashley didn’t know what to think. She didn't want him to go.
“Ashley?” Leon’s firm voice shook her out of her stupor, yet it also made her heart ache. “What’s wrong?”
At first, Ashley just couldn’t find it in herself to respond. The dinner settled in her stomach like a stone. “We’re… going home tomorrow, right?” she said.
“If we aren’t, then we’ll have to hijack a plane,” Leon replied, as seriously as always.
Ashley chuckled and it alleviated the tension in the air. It was funny to think about, but it didn’t quell the growing anxiety. “What's going to happen when we get back home?” The question made her heart flip.
Leon waited patiently for her to speak. But when she didn’t, he did. “You’re going to go back home to your father.”
“...And, what about you?” she asked, her voice wavering. "What are you going to do?"
He was silent for a moment. "Paperwork, most likely."
She smiled briefly. That humor, she was going to miss it too. "But it’s… 'mission complete' right?"
Leon paused for a moment, his kind eyes studying hers. "Yeah, it is."
"...I guess that means 'goodbye', right?" Ashley wanted to cry.
Leon looked down at his empty tray of food. "Yeah," he said simply.
There was so much Ashley wanted to say then, to tell Leon before then, things she wanted to ask and to get to know him better. But the words got stuck in her throat and she didn't end up saying any of it.
"Ok," she said instead, feeling like a part of her was being ripped away.
-~*~-
Ashley had trouble sleeping that night. The whole time she was being bothered by the fact that Leon was going to leave her side soon kept bothering her. She kept looking over at Leon, was dozing lightly in his bed in a sitting position, always at the ready.
She was being selfish, wasn't she? Leon would not relax until she's home safe and his mission was over. Ashley had to say goodbye, for his sake too.
Eventually, she did end up falling asleep and the next thing she knew it, Leon was shaking her awake.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” Leon greeted her as she blearily opened her eyes. “Time to go.”
When Ashley took his hand as he helped her out of bed, she almost didn’t want to let go.
The doctor and nurses ran one more test on her and Leon just to clear them for the plane ride and they were finally released into Sergeant Rivera’s care, who escorted them to a jet that would take them home. It was going to be a really long flight, eight hours, so Ashley was eager to get going. They were going pretty early in the morning, so she should be home by late afternoon or early evening.
Rivera and a couple soldiers, different from the one yesterday, were going to accompany them, but for the most part she and Leon got to sit in some comfy business-class style chairs for the whole flight. Without much fanfare, the plane raced down the runway and she and Leon were finally on their way home.
The first few hours of the trip were pretty quiet, Leon was so concentrated looking out the window that Ashley didn’t feel like interrupting his thoughts, so she watched the random sitcom that was playing in the entertainment system.
Ashley tried to focus her feelings on the excitement of coming home, to seeing her father again. She couldn’t wait to see Bailey again too, that ever so excited fluffy golden retriever. Ashley thought about seeing her friends again and sleeping in her own bed. About the delicious food was going to eat, about going to the amusement park and having fun.
But for some reason, her thoughts kept looping back to Leon.
She kept wondering about what he was going to do. Did he have a family that was waiting back for him back home? A partner and some kids? Or maybe just some friends who would be happy to see him again? Ashley wanted to ask, but would Leon even answer her if she did? Was there even a way to break through this barrier he put up between them? Or was this just how it was going to be?
All the thinking burned out her brain and she did end up falling asleep. Ashley woke up sometime later to be served some half-decent airplane food. And before she knew it was only an hour left before they arrived.
She didn't realize how worried she really was of the inevitable separation until she realized how close they were to home. Ashley felt a little sick, she had so much time to talk to Leon, in her anxiety, she didn't end up saying much to him at all.
“Leon, tell me something,” she suddenly said, desperate to fill the silence between them.
Leon was surprised. He turned to look at her. “...About what?”
“About you,” she clarified.
Leon huffed. “I’m not that interesting.”
There was no way that wasn’t true. “Tell me anyway,” Ashley said. “Don't you have a hobby?” A random question, but any question would do honestly.
He was quiet for a while, thinking. For a moment, Ashley thought he wasn't going to answer, but he did. “I used to watch a lot of buddy cop movies.”
“Which ones?”
“I…don’t remember,” he admitted. “But, they were funny, I think.”
Ashley smirked. “Is that how you come up with all your bad jokes?”
Leon let out an amused scoff, then shrugged. “Maybe.”
Ashley hummed. “What's the coolest place you have ever been sent on a mission?"
"Well, there's this one Spanish village with great weather and views, the locals are super friendly. From what I've heard there's even a castle."
If Leon had been one of her college friends, she would have definitely would have (playfully) hit him on the shoulder. She didn't though, obviously. "Leon! That doesn't count!"
"Why not?" He smirked a little.
She couldn't help but smile a little back. "Okay fine, next question: uh…do you have any… pets?" She was thinking of Bailey, but Ashley knew she was starting to grasp at straws. She just wanted to say something- anything.
"Don't really have the time for those," Leon replied. He paused, then looked at her strangely. "What's with the interrogation?"
Straight to the point and Ashley felt like she had been caught red-handed. "I… just want to know more about you."
Leon stared at her as if it was the weirdest thing she had asked about so far. "My full name is Leon Scott Kennedy, I'm twenty-seven and I live alone in an apartment in government housing, no pets or a partner. And my favorite drink is Cocalero."
Now it was her turn to stare at him.
He smirked. "Told you I'm not that interesting."
"I don't believe you," she said firmly. He had simplified his life to a couple sentences, anyone would seem boring if they did that.
Leon shrugged.
Based on what he said, it didn't sound like Leon had a loving wife and kids back home and some part of Ashley was weirdly relieved, but she kicked those childish emotions away. The fact that he didn't have many hobbies and lived in government housing probably meant he was busy with his job. This is the second time he's mentioned drinking though…
"So what is your job exactly?" she asked, now more of curiosity than her anxiety. Talking to Leon always calms her down.
"I can't really answer that," he confesses to her and Ashley expects as much. "But let's just say I deal with this kind of thing often."
Because of his experience in Raccoon City she'd imagine. "You saved a lot of president's daughters then?"
"Only the nice ones."
Ashley went slightly pink. Ugh, when did she get so mushy every time a guy gives her a compliment? But Leon wasn't just 'some guy' was he?
He was her hero.
"Crew, prepare for landing."
Ashley froze, that uneasy chill coming back. Almost home. She had never been such a mix of anxiety and excitement before, her mind almost couldn't keep up.
"We're almost there," Leon commented, his voice bringing her down from the high of her emotions.
"Yea," she replied, a lump stuck in her throat.
There was just never enough time to say the things she wanted to say. Her heart felt like a stone as the plane came for a landing. She didn't even realize the plane had stopped until Leon stood up.
“C’mon, Ashley,” Leon called out to her. “Don’t want to keep your father waiting.”
"Right," she replied.
It wasn't that bad was it? She was home, she should be happy about this.
As she descended the stairs, her intrusive thoughts were broken by a familiar voice that made her heart soar.
“Ashley!”
She jerked her head up at her name and she was filled with a sense of relief. It was her father, eyes watering with his arms open wide. There were tears in the corner of his eyes and Ashley felt a tear roll down her cheek too.
“Dad!” she shouted, her heart thumping in joyous shock.
Not wasting another moment, Ashley practically jumped into his arms and hugged him tight. For a moment, she was just a little kid being picked up from school again and all Ashley wanted to do was to get some ice cream on the way home. Maybe it’s just been an emotional day, but she couldn’t help but cry a bit into her father’s shoulder.
“I’m so glad you’re alright,” she heard her father say. Ashley just hugged him tighter.
They were like that for a long time, but eventually they let go.
“Are you alright?” he asked, looking her over.
Some words got caught in her throat. How should she even begin to answer that question? “I am now,” she answered instead. Ashley didn’t really want to unpack her feelings right now.
Ashley felt her father straighten up and she turned to see why. He was looking at Leon, who was not too far away. He was talking with a sharply-dressed woman wearing some glasses. She had a clipboard with her. Was she Leon’s handler?
Leon caught her father’s eye and he approached him swiftly. “President Graham,” he greeted.
“Agent Kennedy,” her father responded. “I…I…”He shook his head, taking a shaky breath. “I’m at a loss for words. I don’t even know what to begin to say. Thank you… sincerely.”
“All in a day’s work,” Leon replied simply. He bowed his head formally at them both. Leon had always been professional, but it didn't match Leon to be that professional.
“We’ll debrief later,” the president continued. “For now, please take some time off. You’ve earned it.”
“Thank you, Mr. President,” Leon responded. He looked at her, eyes softening ever so slightly. “Take care, Ashley.” He turned, about to walk away.
Ashley started moving before she even realized what she was doing. She tackled Leon into a hug, the sudden action was enough for Leon to briefly lose his balance, but he steadied herself and caught her. Honestly, Ashley didn't care if they ended on the ground or not, she just couldn’t let him go yet.
All those words that she couldn't say that weren't enough, she put into that hug.
Both Leon, her father, and everyone around her were shocked by her behavior. There were definitely going to be rumors, but Ashley didn't care one bit.
She couldn’t just say a goodbye to Leon just like that.
“Thank you, Leon,” she said quietly, feeling tears soaking into his shirt. It felt silly, but she didn’t care. Ashley didn’t want to let go. “For everything.”
Leon didn't return her hug. He really couldn't, not with everyone watching them like that. But he patted her shoulder. "You're welcome, Ashley," he replied quietly, just enough for her to hear.
"I'm going to miss you."
He didn't reply to that, but he patted her shoulder again.
A moment or two later, Ashley managed to get herself to let go of him. She rubbed her eyes. “Will…will I see you again?”
"It…" Leon looked conflicted. "It would be nice to meet up sometime."
But no promises, a small voice added in the back of her mind.
Ashley didn't like that. She hated the idea that this would be the last time she would see Leon. Ashley knew the specifications of the job meant that he could be gone for days, months, maybe even years; who knows when she’ll have the chance to see him again? Not to mention the fact that every mission could be his last. She didn’t even want to think about that outcome.
Was this really the last time she was going to see Leon?
"We'll see if we can get that arranged." Surprised, Ashley turned to see her father approaching them. There was a kind look in his eyes. She smiled at him gratefully. Who better than to set that up than her father, the actual president of the country.
She looked at Leon. "We'll see each other again." A declaration this time.
Leon chuckled. "Alright then. See you, Ashley." He smiled at her softly.
Then he finally turned around and walked away. He followed that sharply dressed woman towards one of the buildings. Ashley didn't move from her spot, watching Leon for as long as she could before he could get out of sight. She could have sworn he looked back at her and waved, but she couldn't tell at a distance.
"See you…Leon," she murmured as he stepped inside and disappeared.
Ashley had never felt so lonely before.
"Leon is one of our best agents," her father said, coming to her side. "He was at the top of his training class."
"...He told me he was a survivor of Raccoon City,” she said quietly.
Her father looked at her in surprise. "...That is true," he said after a moment. "His skillset was highly valued and he was invited to join our program. The US wouldn't be safe without people like him to do what he does."
Ashley didn’t really know what to say to that. Instead, she just stared at the last place she had seen him, feeling a growing hole in her heart. She was going to really miss him.
"Why don't we get home? Bailey will be so excited to see you again." Her father's gentle hand patted her shoulder. But it wasn't the same. "I got you some mint ice cream from your favorite shop."
Ashley turned to look at her father, into his familiar, kind eyes. Then, she smiled.
"Okay, dad," she replied. And after one last look, she followed after him. "Let's get some apple pie too."
This wouldn't be the same, but…she was home.
It was just… stranger.
