Ada Wong-Kennedy here. Ask anything but no questions about my previous job. There are some things in the world you're better off not knowing... Also, please read the FAQs. I don't have a lot of time answering repeated questions Predominantly an ask blog but I will do short interactions. If you want to do an extended plot together, please drop me an ask as I have a secondary account for longer interactions. Timeline for this blog is post-Resident Evil 6. Friendly and open to all fandoms. More info in Navigation. If you need to tag me, please use askaw without the hyphens or it won't show up on the tag.
Leon’s head laid heavily on Ada’s lap and she kept stroking his slightly matted blond hair rhythmically, letting him get his much needed slumber. With the small bottle of water they were given, she had gotten most of the dried blood off his lips and chin, making him look a little more presentable.
Across from her, Grace was curled up on the seats, also in deep sleep. Both of them succumbed to the sandman shortly after they boarded the chopper. Ada had a suspicion Elpis had something to do with it.
Their vitals still remained stable, so she merely fought against her fatigue to remain vigil during their ride home. Even though they all had varying degrees of injuries, none of them were in danger of slipping away. She’ll rest properly later, when she could ensure they were in a safe location.
“M-Mom…!” Grace let out a little cry as she shuddered but still remained in dreamland. Ada could not help but feel sorry for the young woman who witnessed her mother’s brutal murder years ago and was recently kidnapped against her will, forced into an impossible situation to battle with the undead.
If her own coat wasn’t currently draped over Leon and he didn’t lose his jacket, she would have offered hers to keep Grace warm.
The chopper’s windows suddenly turned opaque a couple of hours later, obscuring Ada’s view of the outside. The DSO were probably bringing them to a restricted location. She could easily find out using her watch’s GPS but she had other things to worry about.
The raven haired woman continued to let her husband sleep, unwilling to disturb him. He began to snore, something he rarely did unless he was utterly exhausted. The sound was kinda adorable to her.
Ada felt the tell-tale signs of descent and it seemed Leon could sense it too as the blond’s breathing changed and he began to stir. He gestured to his ear and Ada helped to place a headset on him as he continued to lounge on her lap.
“Hey gorgeous,” he whispered raspily to her on a private channel.
“Hey handsome, slept well? I could hear you snoring.”
Leon raised an eyebrow. “I did huh? Your lap makes the most comfortable pillow, after all.”
She chuckled, “I’m glad you’re feeling flirtatious again.”
“How did you sleep?” He asked.
Ada was tempted to come up with a white lie but after so many years of marriage, they couldn’t really hide anything from each other. “I didn’t,” she replied simply.
His expression was beginning to change to worry and it looked like he was trying hard not to show it.
“I’ll rest when I get to a proper bed, dear,” she said reassuringly.
Leon’s gaze softened immediately, “Hopefully we can quarantine together.”
“We’re from the same household, after all.”
To Ada’s surprise, the chopper touched down on the landing pad as light as a butterfly and the whirring from the engine came to a gradual stop.
When all movement ceased, did Leon slowly get up and stretch all the muscles in his joints. Grace was still blissfully snoozing and both Kennedys shared a look. The blond looked at his wife and inclined his head towards the young woman.
Ada got up and gingerly tapped Grace’s arm. “Wake up Miss Ashcroft, we’re here.”
It took a few attempts to rouse the young lady but her senses sprung to full alert the moment she opened her eyes.
“Relax, Grace,” Leon called out to her. “You’re safe now.”
She exhaled a breath, “Right… Where are we?”
“It’s classified, but I assure you we are in good hands. We’ll undergo a check up before being isolated for quarantine,” he explained and Grace nodded in understanding.
The chopper door slid open and there were a few medical personnel dressed in protective gear waiting for them.
“Ada, could you accompany Grace?” Leon asked his wife, knowing that these procedures could be daunting.
Grace waved a hand dismissively, “I’ll be fine. It won’t be my first check-up. You should spend time with your wife.” She then gave him a thumbs up and he looked away with a slight tinge of embarrassment.
Was he that obvious with his affections for his spouse? He thought they were subtle about it. Then again, she was an FBI analyst, after all. Deciphering hidden details was part of her job.
“Take care, Miss Ashcroft,” Ada replied as the young woman disembarked from the helicopter and was ushered away.
Leon took Ada’s hand, “Can my wife and I go through medical together?”
One of the masked staff nodded and before they were directed to the medical facility, Leon handed a case of vials containing the cure for them to research. “Please administer one to Agent Sherry Birkin right away."
They were then finally led to a room with a couple of observation beds and several pieces of equipment.
“Please put your clothes and undergarments into this bag and wear this gown,” said one of the nurses before making herself scarce.
A curtain was then drawn in front of the beds for privacy and the couple methodically removed their weapons and other accessories before stripping down.
Leon’s skin was marred with fresh cuts and bruises. The raised black veins that were previously prominent had faded away to a more natural colour but the veins still stood out, forming a map across his body where the latent infection wrecked havoc.
The blond cast a gaze at his wife’s form and his chest tightened a little at the purple-blue contusions blooming across her pale back when Zeno tossed her. Before he could admire her shapely bottom though, it got obscured by the gown she draped on herself.
Ada turned and caught him staring. She padded over to him and kissed his cheek before whispering, “I love you. We can have fun later.” Her hands then helped him into his gown and she fastened the ties.
Leon wrapped his wife in an embrace and nuzzled her forehead. “I love you, too. Ready?” He asked quietly and she nodded.
“We can begin,” Leon called out and the medical team streamed in and began their work.
It started off simple, measuring their vitals and reflexes. Then came the venipunctures where they drew a few tubes of blood. Ada took it all in stride and hardly flinched when the needle broke her skin. Leon was the one who was nervous for her and she merely winked at him to reassure him.
After that came a thorough physical examination where they were practically nude. For that, a curtain separated both parties and Ada’s team took note of all her current injuries and old scars.
“Have you always had this?” The doctor gestured to a faint black spot above her breast.
Her hazel eyes glanced down and frowned, “No…”
The medical professional scribbled something onto the clipboard and Ada kept a lid on the swirl of emotions that were almost rising up within her. She knew this was one of the early symptoms of latent Raccoon City syndrome.
“The case my husband gave to your team will help with this,” Ada replied calmly.
“What?!” Leon’s voice rang out from the other side of the curtain.
Ada could hear some rustling and commotion, “Please stay still, Mr Kennedy.”
“The symptoms are mild, Leon,” she called out in an attempt to calm him.
“It can progress quickly if it’s not treated. Please, give her the cure as soon as possible,” there was a strong sense of urgency and a hint of panic in his words.
“I assure you that we will, Mr Kennedy. When we are done with the analysis,” came a firm reply from behind the curtain.
There was a long drawn sigh from Leon and they continued their check up in silence.
Finally, after what felt like ages, the curtain between the couple opened up. The blond stood up and took a seat beside Ada, taking her hand in his. She squeezed his palm to let him know she was alright. He acknowledged by rubbing his thumb across her knuckles.
“We’ll get back to you in a few hours. You’ll still remain under observation in the meantime. The staff will give you light refreshments soon,” one of the masked physicians said.
“Thank you, Dr. James.” Leon replied, always grateful to have his primary doctor around.
They were left alone at last and after the couple were served juice boxes and biscuits, did they finally have a conversation.
“Guess the symptoms have a varying window period for different people…” Leon said as he waited for his wife to take the first bite.
Ada took a sip of OJ and nodded, “You know I would not hide anything from you.”
“Y-Yeah…” his quivering voice still betrayed the worry he was feeling within.
She squeezed his hand again, “Breathe with me, handsome. It will be okay.”
They closed their eyes and Ada led them through a few controlled inhales and exhales.
“There’s still quite a lot to unpack,” Leon spoke after his thumping heart had calmed down. “Especially when Zeno threw you, and now this...”
Ada laid her head against his shoulder, “I know. And we’ll have lots of time to talk about it later. Right now, I just want to rest with my husband.”
Leon snaked an arm around his wife’s waist to hold her close, taking comfort in her warmth. “That, I can do.”
---------
Leon was watching over Ada as she napped on the observation bed when the doctor knocked on the door, “Do you want me to share your results together or separately?”
The Kennedys shared a look.
“Do you…?”
“Are you…?”
Both of them spoke simultaneously and stopped.
Dr. James found their interaction adorable. It was the first time he met the lucky person who became Leon Kennedy’s spouse and he could see the utter devotion and respect both parties were showing to each other. The famed DSO agent was clearly in good hands and in love.
“Together?” Ada asked and Leon nodded in confirmation. The raven haired woman then turned her hazel eyes towards the doctor. “You can tell us together.”
“Let’s start with Mrs Ada Kennedy. Overall results are still normal, your white blood cell count has increased as we do see the beginnings of the T-virus infection.”
Leon chose not to interrupt and allowed the doctor to continue.
“Preliminary tests in the lab using the Elpis cure with a small sample of Mrs Kennedy’s blood have yielded promising results. So, we will administer a dose after this.”
The blond let out a breath he did not know he was holding and the doctor directed his attention to him.
“As for Agent Kennedy, Elpis is working well. There's an undetectable viral load of T virus in you. The rest of your results warrant a repeat test after your quarantine period as some biomarkers are currently abnormal which is expected as you are still recovering.”
At least neither of them were in danger of dying and Ada continued to squeeze her husband’s hand.
“You two are allowed to quarantine together but I highly recommend practicing all forms of protected sex with condoms and dental dams due to Mrs Kennedy’s current infection. That includes kissing too.”
“Dental what?” Leon asked in confusion and Ada whispered into his ear, “For oral.”
His ears turned red in response. He wasn’t expecting the physician to be giving advice on his intimate life.
“Thank you,” Ada replied.
Dr. James gave a little nod to acknowledge her thanks, “We’ll prepare the antiviral and you’ll be sent to quarantine with your belongings.” He then left the room.
“Time to do some online shopping,” Leon said and Ada raised her eyebrows at his suggestion.
“You’re usually sending clothes to me during quarantine and since neither of us are home, we can pamper ourselves.”
He also gave her an appreciative glance, “I don’t think you want to be in the hospital gown the whole time either...” The blond leaned in closer as his voice became a little husky, “Though you know I don’t mind.”
Ada had to squeeze her thighs together to stop herself from getting wet. “Mm, as long as you let me upgrade your wardrobe a bit.”
“I won’t stop you…” Leon continued to be affectionate with her and nuzzled her hair, not caring that both of them were in desperate need of a shower. This exchange was something they sorely required at the moment after escaping Raccoon City for the second time.
“You’re so beautiful.” He whispered into her ear and peppered kisses along her jawline.
Ada closed her eyes and allowed him to lavish some attention on her. Letting out a small moan of approval.
He pulled away before things could escalate further, knowing this was not the right place to indulge in their passions. His wife pouted a little in disappointment.
“As you said, we will have fun later…” He spoke tenderly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
Good timing too as the doctor returned with a small tray containing an assortment of items like a vial, alcohol swabs, and a band aid.
He disinfected her arm and placed the injector which stung slightly more than a traditional needle and syringe. Her eyebrow twitched a little and Leon noticed it, giving her free hand reassuring squeezes.
Ada felt some of the heaviness on her chest alleviate and she took it as a good sign.
Dr. James affixed a band aid on the injection site and handed them quarantine forms for their endorsement.
Once the paperwork was completed, they were given robes to wear over their gowns and ushered to a car where it drove them to the quarantine facility.
---------
Ada’s suspicions were confirmed. One of the side effects of Elpis was indeed fatigue. The couple spent the first two days napping in bed, waking up briefly to eat and refresh themselves before their pillows called out to them like a magnet.
Luckily, Ada managed to order some clothes and other products while she was awake so by the time they were back to their usual circadian rhythm, they could stop wearing the scratchy hospital fabrics.
They could enjoy what the studio apartment had to offer from the third day onwards. It had a small kitchenette along with a washing machine on one side while there was a queen sized bed and bathroom on the other.
Leon spent most of his time hunched over at the desk, typing up his post-mission report. He managed to come up with a convincing reason why Ada, a civilian, was involved in his investigation. He cited evidence that The Connections was already interfering in the DSO and he needed a neutral party to assist.
Occasionally, the blond rubbed a kink in his neck which did not go unnoticed by his wife. “Do you want to take a break?”
“Good idea, I’ve reached a good stopping point for now.” He then took a seat at the small dining table where his wife was reading a new novel she bought. “Could you help me out with something?”
Ada laid down the tome, “Of course. What is it?”
“I need some help trimming my hair.”
She raised an eyebrow. Her husband was quite fastidious and particular about his tresses, often spending a lengthy time in the morning taking care of them. He had a dedicated hairstylist too and she never had the privilege to hold a blade to it.
“Are you sure?” She asked him carefully.
He nodded, his bangs bouncing up and down slightly. “Yes, it’ll be a small one.”
“Alright,” Ada replied with a soft smile. “Pass me the tools."
Leon got up and gestured at her to follow him into the bathroom where he unzipped the mini toiletry bag and pulled out a comb and scissors.
“It’s been a while since I did a DIY haircut,” the raven haired woman remarked, remembering her childhood when she was too poor to afford a hairdresser and had to trim her hair herself.
Her husband took off his shirt and she draped a towel around his neck before grabbing the items. “Where and how much do you want it cut?”
He grabbed a small strand of hair on the left side of his face and said, “Half an inch please.”
Ada gently threaded the chosen locks with a comb and left some hair hanging out through the comb’s teeth before she took the scissors and snipped it away.
“Better?”
Leon nodded, “At least whatever Gideon touched is gone.”
“He must have been jealous of your hair routine,” she replied light-heartedly, fully understanding her husband’s request now. There was a small amused smirk on his lips and she was glad her joke lightened the mood. She put the accessories away and took the towel to the bin to dispose of the loose strands.
Leon was still rubbing one side of his neck, rotating it this way and that. The strong muscles on his back twitched and it was like a siren’s call to her.
“You look like you could use a neck massage,” she said smoothly.
He glanced up into the mirror’s reflection and caught the mischievous look in her eye. “And a back massage too. Shall we adjourn to the bed?”
Ada grabbed a small bottle of lotion and a bigger towel before following Leon to the bed where he laid down the towel and plopped himself stomach down onto the mattress.
She started off with his neck and shoulders which were so stiff it felt like she was dealing with boulders. “Have you been compressing your neck against your flashlight again? It’s really making this area super tight. What happened to the ear mounted lights you used to have?”
Deciding to change techniques, she moved to an area that was connected to the muscles on his shoulder, trying to loosen it up before going back to the main culprit.
Leon grunted a little as his wife exerted pressure on a relatively tense spot, “Many agents gave feedback that their illumination distance was limited… so it’s back to the old school handheld ones.”
“Can’t R&D improve on it?” Ada proceeded to straddle Leon’s butt to get a better angle and he felt a small tinge of arousal from the contact but it was overridden by the discomfort from his sore muscles. He never knew so much of his back felt like a train wreck.
“They’re focusing more on weapons but I could make a suggestion…” the blond murmured as he exhaled through the pain.
Ada continued to focus on his shoulder, feeling the knots loosen up. Once she was satisfied with her handiwork, she proceeded to the other shoulder to work her magic.
Leon gradually relaxed under her touch and allowed his mind to wander… At first, he concentrated on where her hands and fingers were on his back. His wife might look dainty but her hands were powerful enough to make him wither under her touch. He imagined those fingers caressing other parts of his body and his body reacted instinctively.
He was coming up with a plan to engage in coitus with Ada, thinking how he could propose it when he was currently lying on his belly. Ah, he could suggest…
Before Leon could think any further, the blond had drifted to sleep.
“Is the pressure okay, handsome?” Ada asked and upon receiving no response, she looked over at his face. His eyes were closed and his breathing was slow. Her husband had actually dozed off.
She giggled a bit and continued the rest of the massage, focusing on his waist as she knew he had done lots of kicks in the most recent mission.
When all the pampering was done, she took another towel and wiped down the excess lotion all over his broad, muscular back before she draped a blanket over him. “Sweet dreams, Leon,” she whispered and kissed the top of his head.
Ada started some laundry before she returned back to her novel as he continued to snooze.
---------
It took some grinding, but Leon was done typing his lengthy report. Finally, he could relax with his wife who was still engrossed in her book. He turned towards the dining table where she was usually situated but it was surprisingly empty.
Leon then cast his gaze to the nearby bed where his gorgeous wife was taking a nap. Silently, he padded his way over to her, taking a seat by the edge of the bed to admire her sleeping form. Slowly, he leaned over and lightly kissed her neck.
Ada stirred from the touch of his soft lips. “Leon?” She yawned and blinked away the bleariness from her eyes.
He smiled and nuzzled her hair, “You fell asleep, sorry for boring you.” His hands went to her back to gently rub the muscles there. “Hmm, when was the last time your husband gave you a massage?”
That immediately invigorated her. “It’s been a while…” She perked up and smiled at him. “Are you suggesting what I’m thinking?”
“Mm hmm,” The blond smirked at his wife and carefully took hold of Ada’s shoulders before rolling her onto her stomach. It was time to return to favour. He ran his fingers down her back, and then back up to her shoulders where he began to massage, with deliberate, sensual slowness.
Ada exhaled a sigh, sinking her head further into the pillow as she melted under Leon’s touch. His fingers slowly engaged all the tense knots that had built up.
It was now Leon’s turn to straddle his wife to get a better angle, carefully trying not to crush her under his weight. He found a sweet spot and sat by her lush bottom as he continued to work on the pressure points to release the tension. Once he was done with the shoulders, Leon moved down to her back. “Does it feel good?”
Ada pushed her butt against her hubby’s groin, feeling his erection rapidly swell up from the contact. “Mmm, it does. Though wouldn’t it feel better against bare skin?”
“It would.” Leon replied, and without another word he began to pull at Ada’s top. He helped his wife out of her bra too until her back was completely exposed, pleased that the bruises had already lightened. He continued his sensual massage, going down to the small of Ada's back this time, and also enjoying the feel of her soft derrière rocking against his throbbing manhood.
Soft moans continued to escape from the back of Ada’s throat. It felt so good to have his hands on her. They had not touched each other properly since quarantine began.
Leon was pleased by her vocalisations and applied pressure to each of Ada's spots, working out the kinks. Soon, it was time to move even lower. “Allow me,” he said as he got up and slid the rest of his wife’s clothes off her legs. Now he could see her underwear, but instead of starting with the most obvious location, he began to massage the back of her thighs.
Ada sighed happily when he touched her quads, feeling her core get all warm and tingly, sensing the wetness gathering there. She briefly wondered where he would go next.
The blond noticed his wife's soaking arousal, feeling her body heat up in response to his ministrations. He snickered very softly as his palms glided down to her calves. The government agent felt how supple they were, and could not help but lean down to nuzzle and kiss those shapely legs that often wound around him during sex. “Would you like a foot massage as well, honey?”
“Mm, I would like you to move your hands higher, handsome.” Ada purred as she glanced around behind her, staring at him with lust filled eyes.
“Alright.” The blond chuckled a little louder this time as he acquiesced. He grew bold and licked the back of his wife’s thigh before he reached for her cushy glutes and began to grope it, squeezing the muscles for good measure.
Ada groaned at his actions but that wasn't the spot she wanted him to focus on. “Toward the middle, please.” She was growing wetter with each passing second. Hopefully her underwear wasn't completely drenched by now.
Leon hummed in response, and slowly, his hand moved from Ada's buttocks towards her vagina. He began to prod it through her underwear with his fingers, feeling how moist she was already. Then, he moved away to ghost over other parts of her body.
Ada let out a keening whine as he continued to tease her relentlessly. “You were so eager earlier…!” She turned around once more and pouted at him.
“I'm sorry.” Leon said, stopping his teasing. He decided enough was enough, and pulled down Ada's underwear. He quickly found her clitoris and rubbed it thoroughly with his two fingers. “Is that better?”
His cock was growing ever stiffer, and he really wanted to make love to his wife. His other hand deftly began to pull his own pants down, though it was proving difficult.
Her moans grew louder as he finally touched the spot that made her sing. She also heard rustling behind her and Ada turned around to find her husband attempting to pull his garments off. “I can help you with that.” The raven haired woman reached out to yank the pants down before peeling the shirt off his toned body.
The cool air hit his skin and his erection sprung forth, rock hard and ready to enter Ada's once more. He grabbed the box of condoms at the edge of the bed and pulled one out, ripping the packaging to roll it over the bulbous head. It had been more than a decade since he wore protection but he’ll gladly do it based on the physician’s advice.
Ada smiled at him appreciatively before rolling onto her stomach again. “Did you want this position, Leon?” She asked slyly as she wiggled her ass.
“Yes, please,” the blond put his hands on Ada's hips, took in a deep breath, and plunged into her inviting warmth in one fluid motion. He let out his breath in a long, drawn out sigh, gradually sinking inside Ada. Even though he could not feel her hot wetness against his swollen shaft, he could still enjoy how tight her walls wrapped around him.
Ada arched her back and made more happy noises of pleasure as he slid into her. She squeezed him and rocked her pelvis against his generous length.
Leon grunted and moaned as he continued to thrust, loving Ada's own participation. He held onto her and pushed in even deeper. “Ah, quite an interesting massage.” He said half-jokingly. Leon was hoping they could be face to face, but some things could not be helped.
“You... ah!” She gasped when he hit a sweet spot within her. “You have talented hands, my dear…” Ada bantered with him and tried to support her upper body. Though with the way she was trembling, it was getting difficult.
“And you -unf- have an amazing body to work with.” Leon replied, but he could barely concentrate. He increased his pace, going fast enough to make the bed creak as his lap rapidly patted against his wife’s toned butt. Today was not the day to take their own sweet time, both of them needed this release desperately. Right now.
He panted, feeling beads of perspiration gather at his brow and felt himself near his peak. “Ada… I… I love you...!”
With a few more well placed undulations of his hips, Ada cried out his name with pleasure as her body shook with the aftershocks of an orgasm. “L-love you too...!” She collapsed on the pillow and felt spent.
Leon unleashed his lust into the condom, and his body shuddered along with her. He took a few more deep breaths before finally relaxing. The blond slid his softening manhood out from his wife, tossed the condom into the bin, before collapsing next to her. He put his arm around Ada and pulled her close to him, cuddling in the afterglow of their lovemaking.
She played with his hand that was on her chest as they spooned together. “We should see how fast we finish a box.”
Laughter rumbled deep within his chest. “Is that a challenge?”
“Are you up for round two then?” Ada countered cheekily.
He responded by cupping her breast, grazing his fingers over a nipple and feeling it swell under his touch. “Did you need to ask?”
---------
Their libidos were in overdrive and they had long since lost count of how many boxes of condoms they utilised. Somehow, the couple felt more energised than they had in years and they kept going at it like rabbits.
It was two more days till their quarantine was officially over and they couldn’t wait to be back home with their cats and the comfort of their own bed.
For now, they were wrapped up in each other’s embrace, getting a good night’s sleep after a round of fornicating.
A few hours later, Ada began to dream...
She was back with Leon and Grace in the heart of ARK for a final stand off. All of them had agreed both government agents would enter first while she remained behind again to take aim at Zeno.
Leon had already received a few painful blows from Zeno in the previous confrontation and he could not take another direct hit in his current, bleak condition. Her heart almost stopped when Zeno speedily reached her spouse with a gun pointed to his head earlier. She had to restrain herself from rushing out then, lest she gave away her position.
At least Zeno did not appear to notice her presence when she slid down into the depths of ARK to join Leon and Grace.
This well-groomed man’s uncanny appearance and eerily identical movements to Albert Wesker unnerved her. Too bad Leon fell unconscious for a bit and she had yet to discuss her observations with her husband as he was too focused on completing the mission upon waking up.
Unable to find high ground without giving herself away, Ada remained crouched behind the entrance, and took aim at Zeno’s coiffed head through the crossbow scope as Grace supported Leon and they slowly limped towards the enemy.
Without her own set of comms, eavesdropping was difficult. She would have to make an educated guess based on body language.
Leon slid off Grace’s shoulders as she gestured to him while talking to Zeno.
The doppelgänger tossed his cigarette butt aside and raised his voice, “Very well. Only if your friend shows herself.”
Zeno cast his gaze in her direction and she ducked back into cover.
“I know you’re there,” his baritone voice boomed through the cavern.
It looked like she didn’t have a choice. She stowed the crossbow and readied her blacktail in her hand before she steeled her posture and made her appearance. She still remembered showing any form of weakness in front of Wesker would spell misfortune. Hopefully this man would react in the same way.
Her boots echoed with each step as her eyes bore into those dark shades and she held her head high. Confidence was key here.
Zeno patiently waited till she was within range before he finally spoke again, “Ah, Ms Wong. Or should I say, Missu-”
Ada had managed to stand in front of her husband before she fired off a warning shot at Zeno’s feet in retaliation. She then shrugged mock-apologetically, “Sorry, I thought you were in a hurry.”
Zeno gave her the trademark smirk that Wesker used to do when he was feeling smug, “Very well.”
There was a sinking feeling in her stomach and before she knew it, Zeno was face to face with her and had a gloved hand clamped around her neck in a vice grip. Any sound died in her throat as Ada choked and struggled to draw breath. Her hand fell slack and her pistol fell to the floor. From behind, she heard a faint exclamation of distress from her husband. Was Leon calling her name? She couldn’t concentrate.
“I didn’t promise to leave you be,” Zeno sneered at her.
“H-hey! You don’t want to waste time, right?” Grace intervened as she stepped near the console.
The sunglassed man regarded the young woman’s response before he flung Ada towards the entrance like a football. She managed to curl her body slightly before she collided against the wall with a loud thud and the all too familiar sensation of getting the wind knocked out of her resurfaced. Almost thirty years ago in Raccoon City, a tyrant violently threw her against a console and she honestly thought she died then.
At least she wasn’t bleeding out this time. Or maybe she should be concerned about internal haemorrhages.
“ADA!!!” Leon mustered enough strength to bellow her name before he succumbed to another coughing fit, spewing more blood into the floor.
Unfortunately for Ada, all the energy was sapped out of her. She could only watch helplessly as Grace placed her hands on the console to input the password. Ada forcefully inhaled lungfuls of air, willing her limbs to move. Her fingertips merely twitched and the lacklustre response frustrated her. Why wouldn’t her body obey her brain?!
Something must have gone wrong when utter silence ensued and the entire central refining system shuddered. Zeno grabbed the young woman’s wrist angrily.
“Grace, get out of here!” Leon lunged at Zeno with his axe to free Grace from his clutches.
“Go! I’m right behind you!”
Ada watched as her husband boosted Grace onto the platform she was currently on. That gave Ada enough motivation and the raven haired woman managed to drag herself forward. She needed to help pull Leon up!
Grace knelt at the edge of the platform with an arm outstretched. “Leon! What are you doing?! Come on!”
The walkway shook and Ada could see the central structure pull away from them. Damn it, this unexpected occurrence was making her lose sight of him.
Grace continued to wail Leon’s name and Ada tried not to be overcome with dread.
What was going on?! Ada grunted with annoyance at the lack of visuals on her husband. She was almost to the end of the platform but Grace’s increasingly frantic cries were alarming her.
Ada managed to crawl beside Grace just as she saw Zeno plunge his arm into Leon’s torso.
“NO!” Her own shout mixed with Grace’s as Leon fell to his knees, gasping for air.
At that moment, all the sound in the room got muted and Ada watched Leon say something to Grace before he directed his gaze to her.
Ada focused on the way her husband’s bloodied lips were mouthing three words in her direction.
Words she’ll never hear from him again.
Time seemed to slow down as Zeno pulled out his gun and aimed it at Leon’s blond head. A mournful, primal scream left her body the same time he pulled the trigger.
She would rather be dead.
“Ada!”
Who was calling her name? She glanced over to Grace but it looked like the young woman was frozen in time, with her face contorted in sorrow.
“Ada, wake up!”
Her body shook even though the room wasn’t. It seemed someone popped a bubble in her ear as her hearing gradually came back. The voice that beckoned her was masculine and seemed familiar…
“Honey, you gotta wake up!” Leon’s words were urgent in her ear and she felt his hands wrapped around her shoulders. How was he still talking…?
She forced her hazel eyes to open and found his blue-grey ones staring into hers with utmost concern.
What?
All the sound in the bedroom assaulted her at once. There was the faint humming of the ceiling fan and the frantic breathing coming from her own chest mixed with Leon’s own distressed exhales.
One thing for sure was that her husband was right in front of her, in the flesh. Her hand shakily reached up to touch his warm cheek. “You’re alive,” she whispered tearfully.
Not caring about the doctor’s advice, they only had a couple of days till the end of quarantine anyway, Ada pressed her lips against his as hot tears continued to stream down her face.
Leon stilled for a split second, torn between pulling away out of fear of infection but also wanting to comfort his wife. He chose the latter and poured all his love into the kiss. It wasn’t passionate but it was tender and full of conviction that he will soothe her torment.
After a moment, he began to part from her before he trailed up her cheek, kissing all the pain and salty tears away. “It’s okay. The nightmare is over,” he murmured softly as his wife continued to cling tightly to him. He gently rocked her and whispered all sorts of sweet nothings.
This was the worst terror Leon had ever witnessed Ada endure and it devastated him to see her like this. If it was a bioweapon, he could easily solve it with bullets but there was no magic pill for mental trauma.
Ada’s heart wrenching sobs gradually tapered off into sniffles and when she had sufficiently calmed down, did she wipe her nose and said, “I’m all congested now.”
“Allow me.” The blond simply got off the bed and grabbed a box of tissues along with a glass of water from the kitchenette. He placed it on the bedside table and nudged the trash can over with his foot so it would be in easy reach for Ada.
His wife took her time to clear her sinuses and gulped down the water. “How did you know it was a nightmare?”
Leon took a seat beside her and rubbed her back, “We’ve been married for over ten years, honey. You only sob in your sleep when it’s a very bad dream.”
“I was that vocal huh?”
He nodded and pulled her to him to lay against his shoulder.
“I dreamt we were going to the final confrontation with Zeno… But somehow, everything went wrong and he-” Ada shuddered at the imagery which felt so raw and real. But she decided to power through it. “He executed you.”
His heart constricted upon hearing that. Watching a spouse die was the most mortifying thing to witness. No wonder Ada’s wails were more raw and spine chilling than her previous nightmares.
“Seems going back to Raccoon affected me more than I anticipated,” Ada added quietly.
Leon kissed her temple, “It’s where it all began for us.” Not just the start of biowarfare and decades of arduous fighting that followed, but also where the seed of their relationship was planted and slowly sprouted.
His eyes then widened slightly. Oh God, what if he unintentionally traumatised his wife by re-opening old wounds? He was so focused on managing his own anguish in the city that he neglected her needs. “I’m sorry for asking you to go to Raccoon City with me.”
She raised an eyebrow, “Leon, I went there willingly with you.”
“And you’re suffering nightmares from it.”
“You need to stop blaming yourself for every bad thing that happens, Leon. You and I still have bad nights even without any triggers.” Ada replied gently and leaned her forehead against his.
Her simple touches always put him at ease. “You’re right.”
Seeing how they weren’t going back to sleep immediately, the couple sat on the bed, taking turns talking about their emotions when they saw each other get hurt in ARK. Both acknowledged what their spouse felt and assuaged each other’s fears.
With everything off their chests, did they feel lighter, and found themselves struggling to keep their eyes open. They nestled up against each other under the covers and slept in for that day.
---------
The Kennedys passed quarantine with flying colours and were finally reunited with their cats, along with their vehicles, back in the safe sanctuary of their home. They did their little ritual of sliding their wedding bands on each other’s finger at the end of each mission, reaffirming their vows with a kiss.
It was a cool Autumn day, and they decided to take a walk around the neighborhood to get some fresh air and a bit of exercise. They had been cooped up indoors for too long, after all.
The wind was chilly, so Leon was dressed in his leather jacket, while Ada wore a trenchcoat. The blond gently squeezed his wife’s hand as the dry leaves blew by. Being outdoors was refreshing and the couple enjoyed their time walking leisurely together, not having to worry about running for their lives.
“It’s definitely Fall. Should we get a pumpkin for Halloween?” Leon asked.
“Sure, who would carve it though?” Ada said as she squeezed his hand back in return. Little did he know, she had a surprise underneath her coat and she had been dying to implement this plan for a while...
“Both of us of course,” he replied. “We'll scoop it out, choose the design, and take turns carving.” Leon put his arm around Ada's waist, unaware of how close he was to finding his wife’s surprise. He could definitely feel her warmth though.
“I like the sound of that,” Ada whispered and leaned into her husband’s strong embrace as they strolled. Quiet moments like these deserved to be treasured.
“Hmm, maybe we should start heading back home,” Leon said after a moment as he looked toward the Sun that was setting in the distance.
“Alright. We should do this more often though,” she laced her fingers with his and they backtracked to their matrimonial home.
Both had warm smiles on their faces as they chatted and made their way back. The Sun was just touching the horizon when they stepped into their small garden and walked to the front door.
“You know, Fall always reminds me of that one time in Spain,” Leon said as he placed his thumb on the digital door, it unlocked with a click after reading his prints and he held the door open for his wife.
Ada raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Which part?” She asked as she turned away from him and walked further into the house, slowly unbuttoning her coat. Each button that was removed revealed more skin along the way.
“Just when I first arrived,” Leon said as he shut the door behind them and took off his jacket. “It was Fall then. The leaves had fallen, it was foggy, kind of chilly. Might not have been so bad if…” His voice began to trail off as he began to notice how much flesh his beloved spouse was revealing.
“Not have been so bad if what?” The raven haired woman asked innocently as she removed the last button and shrugged the trench coat off her shoulders, revealing that she wore no dress underneath. She was only clad in matching see-through underwear.
“... If not for the… Plaga..." Leon raised an eyebrow as he hung his jacket on the coat rack. The blond calmly walked up to his wife and put his hands on her hip. “You were only wearing this under your coat?” He asked softly, bringing his lips closer to hers.
“You must have been cold…” Leon lightly kissed Ada, and he pulled her close to his body. “I need to warm you up,” his voice turned low and husky.
“Mm hmm…” Ada murmured as her husband kissed her. “On the contrary, I was warm enough as I thought of what you would do to me in my head…” She purred and pressed up against him, her breasts lightly squished against his shirt.
“Show me, handsome.”
A grin formed on his lips, and he proceeded to press his lips more fully against Ada's. He moaned and let his hands explore and caress his wife's body, squeezing her well defined butt.
“Mmm, how's that?” He asked before pulling back a bit. “I think it would help if I didn't have these clothes in the way though.” Leon pulled his shirt off, revealing his bare chest and hard abs.
“I think having some clothes on is quite hot…” Ada whispered back when Leon took off his shirt. Her hands roamed the well-defined planes of his stomach and torso, feeling and squeezing the hard muscles underneath. One hand trailed suggestively on top of his jeans, playing with the trail of hairs above his manhood.
“Oh yeah? Let's see then.” Leon then unbuttoned the top of his jeans and unzipped them. He pushed them and his underwear down just far enough that his hardening cock was free.
He did not feel like waiting much longer, and he carefully, but firmly took his wife by the shoulders and pushed her against the nearest wall. He reached down to her panties and hooked his finger at the seam, brushing her moist womanhood as he pushed the thin scrap of fabric to the side.
Ada gasped lightly at his sudden forceful display and she loved it when he took the lead. She moaned when his finger brushed her down under. Her hands grasped his shoulders and pushing herself off the floor, Ada seated herself on his length like a queen on a throne.
Leon’s eyes almost rolled back with pleasure when she mounted him just like that. It was definitely more of a workout supporting Ada up like this, but his sexual drive was kicking in and his body was more than strong enough for this.
The blond started slowly at first, supporting Ada against the wall as he pulled his hips down and quickly pushed back up inside his wife with a grunt. Leon kissed her passionately as they rutted against the wall.
Ada’s legs remained wrapped around Leon, keeping him close to her and not allowing her husband to pull away too far. The sounds of skin against skin made her all the more aroused. Her mouth parted more and their tongues danced around each other. She began squeezing him periodically as they copulated.
He began to pant and sweat the longer they went at it, their bodies hot with lust. He licked and nipped at Ada's neck, and his pants fell around his ankles. The sounds of their bodies were becoming more wet. Soon, Leon could feel himself coming towards his climax. “Mnf, Ada…”
“Leon…” Ada sighed his name with pleasure as she could feel her orgasm slowly building up. Making love with Leon never felt old, it got better with time.
He did not want to end it so soon though. Controlling himself, Leon carefully stopped thrusting, set Ada down, and pulled out of her.
Ada whined when he did that, already missing the feeling of him filling her up within but she stood there with anticipation. Her husband always had other tricks up his sleeve.
Breathing heavily, he knelt down to untie his shoes, and kicked them and his pants and underwear to the side.
“Not yet.” Leon said devilishly as he then tugged Ada's skimpy panties down her long, well defined thighs and calves. He watched with fascination as a strand of her arousal stretched and clung stubbornly to her before it broke apart. “I want this to last.”
Ada smirked in return, completely understanding his intentions and knowing their foreplay could last for hours if they were up for it. “So, was that just an appetizer, my dear?”
She inched herself closer to Leon's head, hoping he would reward her with what she wanted…
“Yeah, and here's another,” he replied before he roughly grabbed her by the hips and pulled her vagina close to his face. With only a slight pause, Leon licked at his wife's moist outer lips, exploring them and pushing past with his tongue. He found Ada's clit and licked circles around it.
Her knees nearly buckled under her and she leaned her upper body against the wall for support. Ada was already sensitive from his ministrations earlier and the feeling of his tongue against her sent a jolt of electricity up her spine. She threaded her fingers through his blonde hair and whispered his name, begging for more.
Leon ate her up, moaning into Ada's wet mound as he buried his face in deeper, savouring his beloved, sexy partner for life. He gripped his wife’s firm, tight ass with both hands, kneading her warm flesh as they filled his palms. He did not mind if she reached her climax, Leon had more planned before they were through. He had to think on his feet though, he hadn't anticipated this, but he loved it.
Ada did not expect Leon to seize the opportunity and with a few more swipes of his talented tongue, she came with a cry of relief. “I enjoyed that…” she said breathlessly.
She knew he was not done since he had yet to climax. Leon could make her orgasm a few times before he enjoyed the fruits of his labour.
He kept his lips glued to Ada as she climaxed, feeling her labia quiver and twitch as he savoured her essence. He stayed there until she finally came down from her high, and gave her womanhood one last smooch.
“I’m glad.” Leon said soft and smoothly as he stood back up. He held Ada for a moment, then lifted her up like a bride and carried her into the kitchen. The table was bare, which was perfect for him. Without a word, the government agent laid her on the table, and then rammed his manhood back inside her, continuing their mating ritual.
Ada relished in the attention that Leon was giving her and she enjoyed every moment of it. She sighed his name again when he slid back in. “You're full of surprises today…”
She positioned her elbows against the table and pushed herself up, almost face to face with him. “I love it,” the vixen said with a glint in her eye as she moved with him while kissing the blond once more.
Leon grunted and smirked as he picked up the pace, almost making the table bounce. He was just a tad worried about damaging the furniture, but it felt so good it had to be worth the risk. He leaned forward to touch his forehead against hers in a sign of affection.
Ada nuzzled his nose with her own, smiling back at her hubby as she embraced him while they had the time of their lives on the table. Her fingers trailed up and down his back before going down to his bare bottom to give it a gentle squeeze.
Leon tugged her bra down, squeezing and fondling Ada's soft, wonderful breasts in turn, being gentle but firm with them as he lightly pinched her nipples. He grazed his fingertips over them and rolled them around in circles under his palm.
Ada responded by clenching her pelvic muscles against him and she murmured with pleasure as he toyed with her sensitive nipples. Her hands slid to his abs, tracing little circles on the skin as they mated. “Harder…” she whispered breathlessly.
Her husband nodded, and surged into her inviting depths with more force, slamming his hips against hers. He leaned down and licked at Ada's nipples with his tongue this time, moving it in circles before sucking hungrily, moaning against her soft flesh.
She leaned her head back on the hardwood table, arching her back off the surface as she was practically mewling with pleasure. Words of praise and love for her husband tumbled out of her lips as the table trembled slightly beneath their combined weight.
He lightly nipped at Ada's nipples before grunting. The extra effort he was giving her was causing him to climb towards his peak faster. He could hold out a while longer, but thought another change of pace would be nice. Not yet though, they were not done. Leon continued to suckle at Ada's breasts, leaving his mark on them.
His attention on her nipples and breasts turned her on even more and she squeezed him as tight as she could, her pelvic muscles holding his manhood snugly as the friction nearly drove her crazy. She was so close to an earth shattering orgasm.
Leon grunted again, then quickly pulled out before they both reached their climax. “No, not here…” He scooped Ada up into his arms, and now carried her back into the living room. He carefully set her down on the soft couch and began kissing her once more, on the lips and down to her neck.
“Damn it, Kennedy!” She cursed with annoyance as he pulled out and carried her to the couch. Ada had to resist the urge to react to his touch and everything delicious that he was doing to her.
She knew he was only teasing and she had to return the sentiment. Her hands reached down to grasp his hardness, her fingers lightly ghosting over the sensitive ridges.
“Mmm!” Leon practically purred as Ada fondled him. He would have gone right back inside her, but now he was curious as to what she would do. In the meantime, he reached down to her breasts and cupped them, squeezing gently.
Her hands touched him everywhere and with surprising strength, Ada managed to flip them over. “My turn,” she said with a growl as she eyed her husband hungrily. Her mouth suckled on the flesh under his ear and neck while her hands lightly massaged his thighs.
The blond was a tad shocked by the sudden turn of events, but he realized that this was Ada and he should not be surprised. He merely let his wife have her way with him, only massaging her breasts and kissing her whenever his lips could reach her.
Her mouth moved lower, licking his nipples and the lines of his hard stomach before she was face to face with his manhood. Ada focused her attention on his thighs instead as her hair tickled him.
Leon knew she was toying with him. That was fine, he could tolerate it after he teased her so badly. He simply enjoyed the attention to his thighs, gently stroking Ada's hair as the strands brushed against his skin.
Ada continued to ignore his hard erection and worked her mouth on the rest of his body. She moved herself back up and was almost straddling him as her tummy was pressed against his groin. “I've always been curious what other erogenous zones I’ve yet to discover…” She said coyly.
His member twitched as it nearly made contact with Ada's folds. He was sweating, and desperate to feel her warm, soft lips and strong, wet tongue massage his manhood. He had to be patient though.
“What would you want me to do, handsome?” She said as she softly kissed his neck and chest area.
“Hmm,” Leon groaned softly and touched Ada's back. “I think you know. I'd really like to feel your mouth on me, if that's alright with you dear.”
“Like this?” Ada inched her way back down as her bare breasts grazed his skin. She briefly pressed her lips on the length of his penis. “There you go, my mouth on you.”
Leon chuckled, realizing this was as good as he would probably get it. “Thank you dear. Would you like to do something more than tease?” The blond idly played with Ada's hair now, her body too low for him to grasp at her soft breasts like he wanted.
“Hmm, I don't know. We could just curl up on the sofa like this and take a nap,” Ada replied coyly as she cradled his hardness in her hands.
His eyelid twitched just a tad. His wife just could not stop, could she? He moved his hand down to brush her lips with his fingertips. His dick felt almost ready to pop. “Sorry, I'm not sleepy. You'll have to tire me out first.”
It was payback for the past two times he pulled out just when she was about to hit her peak. “You can run a few laps around the house or take a jump rope and skip a few hundred times…” Ada replied as she lightly nibbled the pads of his fingers and sucked them.
Leon almost shuddered when she sucked his finger in. He could almost imagine how it might feel if it was his girthy member instead of a digit. Payback certainly was a cruel bastard. “No, I need a special workout for today…”
Ada could almost see Leon sweating now. “I don't suppose that the workout includes me?” She teased him again and moved her mouth closer to his manhood, her hot breath exhaling against his skin.
Deciding that they both needed their release, she chose to give in. “I shall reward you for being so patient, my dear.” Her tongue darted out and she licked the tip before slowly talking him whole into her mouth.
Leon sucked in his breath, held it, then let out a long, low hiss as he finally felt her mouth envelope him. “Oh, Ada…” He whispered, one hand going to her shoulder while the other rested on her head.
“I love you.” He said with utmost sincerity as he closed his blue-grey eyes and tilted his head back, at the complete mercy of his wife's lips and tongue.
Ada felt an immense sense of joy and happiness upon knowing that Leon was at ease and also sexually satisfied. She looked up at her husband and winked before taking him deeper. She began to hum and suck as her tongue moved around him, re-visiting the sensitive ridge every now and then.
Leon’s manhood twitched and pulsed with every beat of his heart. He moaned with ecstasy while he laid in Ada’s thrall. She had worked him up so much before, and he was not sure how much longer he could hold out. He felt like he would go over the edge at any second with the way she was worshipping him.
She continued to give him more loving oral attention, cupping his balls and stroking it lightly. Ada could tell by the tell-tale tensing of his body that he was near his peak. The raven haired woman stopped and pulled her head away with a smile.
“I love you too. Satisfied?”
“No, not yet…” Leon panted and caught his breath. He regained his composure and pulled Ada up onto the couch with him. Without another word he positioned himself and re-entered his wife, rolling his hips and mating with her once more. “I want to have the grand finale inside of you…”
Ada gasped at his initiative and she looked down at him as he slid effortlessly into her. “Let's come to an agreement to not tease each other any more for this round…”
She then grabbed his shoulders and squeezed him between her knees, pulling herself up before sinking herself down on him, over and over again, working up a familiar rhythm.
“Agreed.” Leon grunted as he bucked his hips beneath Ada, meeting her energy and her pace. They made the couch bounce and shake beneath them, their sweat beginning to soak the fabric. He clasped her hips as he pushed his manhood deeper inside her, loving the way her wet folds massaged him with each pass.
Both of them were in the zone as they did their best to make the other party happy.
Leon could feel himself at the brink, and after one last great roll of his hips, he came inside his beloved wife.
The sensation of him making love to her never grew old and it felt awesome as always. As Ada felt him spasm beneath her, she reached down to fondle herself to achieve her orgasm as well. It was one of the best rides of her life.
With the couple coming down from their high, they slumped against each other to catch their breaths. “That was magical,” she said excitedly.
“It was thrilling,” Leon responded, stroking Ada's back and kissing her neck, holding her close. He sighed happily, moaning and nuzzling his wife in the afterglow of their lovemaking session.
“I love you,” the blond spoke after a moment, not caring that he mentioned it earlier. “I think we could both use a shower after this.”
“You must be completely enamoured to declare that twice,” she replied and kissed him back, resting her head against the crook of his neck as they relaxed. “I love you too, Leon. Forever and always.”
Leon nuzzled her slightly damp hair. “It’s my duty as a husband to proclaim my love for my wife as many times as I please.”
Ada chuckled before her stomach growled slightly, “Alright lover boy, I need both a shower and a meal.”
“We could heat some pizza after we get cleaned up,” her husband said before he scooped her in his strong arms, heading upstairs to partake in a hot shower.
---------
Leon ensured the number on the screen was correct before he hit the dial button. It rang for a few moments before a young woman answered with a cautious hello on the other end.
“Hi Grace, this is Leon. just checking up on you.”
He could hear Grace relax almost immediately. “Oh, hi Leon! I’m doing well, thank you. I hope you and Ada passed quarantine?”
The blond nodded and gazed adoringly at his wife who was currently reading another book and had their black cat Ebony nestled against her, “Yes, we did.”
Ada’s well-trained senses could tell that Leon’s eyes were on her and she looked up, giving him a small smile which caused him to blush a little that he got caught staring.
“And Sherry’s okay?”
He returned his attention to their ginger feline Cobalt who was rubbing his legs and nodded in response to Grace’s question even though she wouldn’t be able to see it. “Yeah.”
“Good,” he heard Grace let out a sigh of relief. “I’m so glad.”
Leon leaned forward in his seat to pet Cobalt a little more, “What about the little girl Emily?”
“Emily? Yeah, uh, she’s doing great,” she chuckled. “I’m actually teaching her how to read.”
His eyebrows went up in surprise, “That would be quite an experience for her.”
“Yeah, all the dots in Braille are different from the alphabet you and I are used to.”
Unfortunately, Leon knew their call would get cut short when he heard someone call out for her name repeatedly in the background.
“Leon, gotta go. Catch up soon.”
She ended the call before he could say goodbye and he shrugged, setting his phone aside.
“I didn’t know you did follow-up calls with the people you rescued,” Ada grinned at him teasingly.
Leon looked wistful as he watched Cobalt plop himself on the floor to groom, “She looked like she could use a friend.”
Her gaze softened, touched by his generosity, “I agree.”
It looked like he was going to say something else but stopped himself. His wife tilted her head, silently encouraging him.
He finally spoke up. “Would it be alright to invite her and Emily to our house some time?”
Ada smiled at him, “Sure.”
His eyes widened slightly. “I wasn’t sure you wanted visitors.”
“It’s not like we never had visitors before.”
Leon looked a little bashful. “True.”
“You look so cute when you’re embarrassed.”
“Heh…” he rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, we never had someone who was previously a B.O.W. at our place.”
“She cleared quarantine, didn’t she? So everything will be alright. Plus, Sherry has remnants of the G-virus and she came over before.”
Making sure Ebony wasn’t in the way, Ada then got up from her seat and slid onto his lap. “I know you want to be considerate to me and that’s sweet,” she then kissed his nose. “But you don’t have to worry about me having people at our house, handsome. You only just need to ask, I won’t be upset. I’ve come a long way from living a life of seclusion.”
He nuzzled her back in return. “I know, I was just being polite and didn’t want to assume.”
“I do love being asked for consent,” she replied playfully and gave him a quick peck on the lips. The years might have worn them out mentally but her husband still remained selfless and nothing would change her love for him. “When do you want to have them over?”
Leon didn’t know he could fall in love with his wife even more. Ada was always metamorphosizing, like a butterfly. “Either Thanksgiving or Christmas,” he then hugged her close and gave her a kiss of his own.
She pursed her lips in thought and he had to resist the urge to smooch her again, “Hmm…” Maybe Christmas? I don’t think that little girl would have experienced it?”
“You might be right,” he agreed. “It would give her a chance to see snow and a Christmas tree in person too.”
His eyes fell on the clock before he added, “Oh look at the time, we should get ready for our spa appointment.”
Ada got off his lap reluctantly, “Can’t wait for it. It’s been long overdue.”
After Dan interviewed Angela, he interviewed Emma (Emily’s VA). Spoilers ahead.
In the comments of this video, Dan mentioned Anthony (Victor Gideon’s VA) and Nick turned down the request for an interview. ☹️
The audition came in while Emma was doing a play, it was very secretive with a NDA and a sample script.
The audition also had a character sheet about Emily in its original form, her being young blind girl who is experimented on and transforms into a creature.
Emma’s reaction to the character sheet was “Cool”.
The audition already mentioned it is about Resident Evil, and Emma was aware about the series from the early 2000s Paul WS Anderson movies.
Same as Angela, she went to London and did the audition with performance director Kate Saxon.
They went through the sample script, Kate told Emma if she knew this was a performance capture role so she would need to move more, Emma said okay.
Kate explained that Emily will be taken over by a virus and will transform into a creature. Emma went to drama school and has experience with acting like a semi-human, semi-animal. She loves it, really.
The audition lasted for 10 minutes as Kate directed Emma that the virus is in her organs, the virus is now in her limbs, she’s 50% human-50% monster before ending with 100% monster.
Emma was working in Dublin the night before the audition, flew into London at 6am, was the first person to audition at 10am, then flew back to Dublin to continue working. It was a stressful day for her.
Emily is estimated to be 7-8 years old.
Capcom and Emma likened Emily’s glass room to be a hyperbaric chamber of sorts that contains the viral infection within Emily. Notice how Emily gradually gets weaker when she leaves her room.
It appears most of the game’s mocap was done in London as Emma mentions Nick was there in London for some scenes.
Emma told her parents she got the role and all of them didn’t know how massive this franchise was at that time.
She was super excited to do performance capture and praises Kate Saxon for being an amazing performance director since this director has worked in lots of games that has won BAFTAs.
Like Angela, she finds mocap to be very freeing, you don’t have to worry about camera angles since the camera is right in your face and you can give an internalised, subtle performance, the camera will pick up on your micro expressions. Emma said can go big too if you want, mocap is boundless.
The elevator scene stunts were done by Angela and Emma, bigger stunts were done by the stunt professionals.
Both of them were totally immersed in that elevator scene and they did feel the stress, adrenaline, and all the emotions.
They did the post-elevator escape hug with the face cams on and also another with the face cams off. Even though one of the lights on Angela’s suit got captured by Emma’s face camera and the data was slightly corrupted, Capcom decided to go for the take with the face cams on as the emotions were more raw.
Different departments from the Capcom game development team in Osaka flew to London for the mocap performances and a lot of the time, the filming was live-streamed in real time to the rest of the staff in Osaka.
So, if the Osaka team found any data that was occluded, they could give feedback immediately and the scene could be recaptured with another take.
Emma loves the “magic mirror” which is essentially a monitor in the middle of the room which has the in-game environment loaded and the character models have been rigged to their mocap suits so they know how high to reach, where to look, etc.
The sets were also built to scale to match the in-game environment. A lot of scenes were filmed in one take as they have cameras simultaneously capturing what was happening inside and outside the room which is not something that happens in traditional TV & film. Emma loved it.
Needless to say, filming RE9 is Emma’s favourite job in her life so far and she has only been out of college for 5 years and has acquired sufficient acting experience under her belt.
Emma also plays Chloe and Chloe had another name originally which didn’t work out before Capcom settled on Chloe.
She wasn’t aware Chloe could be controlled by the player until the day of filming as there’s a whole different technical ability to play a player character.
Emma didn’t do the locomotion for Chloe as it was already done in Japan but she filmed all of Chloe’s cutscenes.
Emma has praise for the three actors who played the other children in the orphanage ‘cos of the “really good creepy foot acting” they had to do while Emma was hiding under the bed as Chloe.
Outside of the cutscenes in the orphanage, Emma had to slow down her movements while acting as Chloe since she is now essentially the player (aka the camera) during gameplay.
A stuntwoman about the same height as Emma and three big stuntmen played the creepy girl clones that tear part the doctor in the orphanage. Nick might have also played one of the girls, Emma can't remember.
Emma also did the voice and face capture for some of the creepy girls too.
Capcom gave feedback that Emma's creepy girl laugh was a bit "too witchy" and they wanted more "deranged child" laughter instead.
Emma had fun and went all out playing mutated Emily. However, most of the cutscene was focused on Grace's reaction to Emily's transformation so I guess we won't get to see Emma's full monster acting performance unless Capcom releases another behind the scenes video for it.
The team and Emma were reasonably disgusted by the concept art of monster Emily.
She had weights on her arms while filming the transformation scene since Emily's monster form isn't symmetrical with one arm being huge while the other arm being shrunken and shrivelled. Along with her monster legs also being uneven as well.
Emma wasn't aware that Emily would survive. She thought she was done shooting for RE9 after filming the monster transformation scene but they told her "We might need you again".
Indeed, some time later, Emma was brought back to film the scene of Emily being brought out of the monster carcass. And it was heart-warming to see some of the art of Emily being adopted by Grace and her cataracts are gone.
She wants to see more of Grace and Emily's life together, if possible.
Emma is now pretty good friends with Angela and is happy that people are liking Grace as a character. She really hopes Angela would be nominated for next year's gaming awards.
A funny moment on set would be one of Emma's & Angela's first times filming together over 2 years ago where they kept forgetting how to go back to the T-pose after filming being freaked out by The Girl breaking into Emily's room. Apparently quite a lot of the first few scenes that were filmed were left on the cutting room floor.
Since Grace and Emily held hands a lot and the mocap suits have a lot of velcro, Angela and Emma would still get stuck together when they let go of each other's hands and the velcro would make a sound.
Mocap technology evolves very quickly as Emma remembers the mocap suit having glowing balls in the Summer and when they went back in November to shoot, there were no more balls on the suit. Recalibration was also reduced from thrice a day to just once a day.
The story constantly changes during filming. Initially there were scenes with The Girl & Emily before the game development team realised The Girl & Grace worked better.
Emma also confirms there was a Emily dummy for Angela to carry. Emma had to walk beside Angela and mimic being carried by hugging the air and jostling her arms up and down so the mocap team can then use Emma's movements in the game.
When Angela puts the dummy down, Emma also has to act being put down on the sofa too.
The mocap team did build a set and 3D-print the quartz box for the Braille puzzle and the box looks exactly like how it did in the game.
The actors know as much as the players as the developers don't tell the actors everything. Everything is on a need to know basis.
It was a little tough at the beginning to act as a blind person since Emma never did it before but she wanted to do it right. They discussed that Emily's vision is complete darkness so there were some things Grace would react to visually but Emily won't. Emma would have to act like she's seeing through people & objects as well, due to this complete lack of sight.
Emma had to do "aural acting" with her ears so Emily would react to the scary noises in the environment.
Going back to T-posing, it can be a bit jarring to be told to go to T-pose when the director yells cut after filming a particularly emotional scene.
Her fav scene to film would be the one where Emily "dies" and transforms. She had to film it with a soft cap as the head cam would shake too much during her transformation for proper data to be captured, and it's also not safe to fall with a head cam on. There were wires strapped to her torso for data.
She and Angela were supposed to mark out the transformation scene but accidentally went all out for it and the stunt director had to keep running behind Emma with a crash mat.
Being "shot" by Leon was great and Nick is a friendly guy who gives advise about RE lore and also mocap.
She wants to play a monster again as it is so much fun.
The cosplayers amaze Emma on how quick they can whip up a costume after art of the character is just released. She says they are an untapped talent and should work in the costuming department.
Emma has a theory that Emily is aware Marie is gone from the cell since Marie isn't talking to her anymore but doesn't know Marie has transformed. She did hear the transformation and the fighting that occurred with the guy in the cell but doesn't know Marie is the cause of it.
Emma will keep singing praises for performance capture in games as it is an untapped art that's not given its fair due.
She played RE9 till the part Alyssa dies and it took her 30 mins to get there. She warns fans if she does go on stream with Angela, both of them are not gamers and won't be very good.
Dan assures Emma that the fans in the chat will help them and she looks forward to it.
She might be at MCM Comic Con in London in May, it is not confirmed yet.
Dan Allen Gaming's Interview with Angela Sant'Albano
A recap of the interview with Grace’s VA. Needless to say, spoilers ahead:
She’s based in the UK.
One of the first scenes she filmed was her strapped upside down on the gurney.
Audition came during the US writer’s strike, she already had an interest to do horror.
Her agent wasn’t aware it was for a RE game, just a generic “zombie apocalypse game”.
Angela did her research and figured it was RE.
Did her audition with Kate Saxon in the UK, she wore an outfit similar to Grace with a backpack and glasses.
The audition was 30 mins long, involved actual(?) scenes, dummy scenes, and an improv of a drawn out 3 minute death scene.
Got along well with the cast, was only nervous filming the scene with Jane Perry (Alyssa’s VA) which took about 4 takes.
The Alyssa-Grace take they used was the one where she cried uncontrollably.
Once Angela nailed the scene with Jane, she felt confident that she could do any intense scene.
Capcom showed Angela a rendering of the scene where Grace thought her legs got chopped off.
Emma, the actress who plays Emily is not that small IRL so Angela’s eyeline would be at Emma’s boobs which could be awkward at times.
Angela would be carrying a doll that simulates Emily instead of actually carrying Emma. Plus, the velcro on the suits would cause the mocap actors to stick together at close proximity if she were to carry Emma.
Emma did such a stellar job in the Emily transformation scene that Angela was terrified. Every flip, every hand, and eye movement was done by Emma.
Tony’s voice as Victor Gideon is so chilling and Angela feels it has a Voldemort-ish quality.
It took over 2 years to film RE9 and it was filmed chronologically in a way, Eg. chapter by chapter
Angela deliberately chose to portray Grace differently before and after Alyssa’s death.
While Grace was already an introvert before Alyssa’s death, she’s still a bit sassy with her mother and likes physical touch.
After Alyssa’s death, Grace is still traumatised and struggles with making eye contact.
Grace slowly develops over the course of the game, from being unsure at the beginning to having a purpose at the end.
Grace grew to love Emily over the course of the game and was heartbroken when Leon kills Emily. Grace only sees Emily the girl and not Emily the monster.
Angela loves filming scenes where Grace loses someone, including the bad ending where Leon dies.
They were only told near the last block of filming that there were gonna be two endings.
There was so much secrecy surrounding the game that Angela didn’t know Grace was gonna be one of the lead characters, even during the table read.
Only on the first day where Angela was shown the concept art did she realise she was in the whole game and not just the beginning of the game.
As an actor, Angela feels most of the TV & movie world doesn’t quite understand how vital mocap is in video games. To be able to have cinematographic sequences and having the player spend hours bonding with the character in the game is not something to scoff at.
Angela feels mocap is like theatre but performing for TV, film, and the audience since the camera is right in your face. She feels it to be quite freeing.
Plus in theatre, you can’t really quite get all the subtle emotions out but with mocap it’s a blend of everything.
Capcom did not ask Angela to stutter but they liked how she included it to convey Grace’s emotional state at the beginning of the game.
Angela naturally stutters a bit in anxious situations. So when these anxiety inducing scenes are filmed, she will incorporate it but made a conscious decision not to overplay the stutter. Angela has a friend who stutters IRL in certain situations like when they’re anxious or around people they don’t know.
The stutter eases off near the end of the game and so does the way Grace handles the gun where she’s more steady with it.
Angela is a huge bookworm. She used to be staunch fan of physical books but was gifted a Kindle and uses it now.
Angela has no preferences about which genre she prefers to act in.
Nick gave lots of helpful tips to the British actors who were unfamiliar with motion capture.
Angela said Nick lost it and almost cried when Raccoon City popped up in the storyboards. It helped motivate the other actors to do this game justice as he was a super fan that loves the franchise and they know other fans love this game too.
Angela was initially nervous how the fans would take to Grace and was prepared that people wouldn’t like her character. She’s genuinely touched by all the praise.
As someone who has a background in TV, film, and theatre, Angela is still boggled that 5 million copies of the game got sold which is equivalent to selling out 200 stadiums.
She has played 30 mins of the game and would like to stream RE9 at some point but she warns fans she won’t be very good. She would like to invite other actors onto the stream as well.
She knows she doesn’t sound or look like Grace but that’s what acting is, finding a sliver of yourself in the character and magnify it 10x
Angela feels if Grace was to appear in another RE game, she would still be scared but able to self-regulate better and allow her analytical side to come out more. She was too afraid in RE9 to let her analytical brain process the environment.
Even if this was Grace’s last game, Angela is pleased where she has left the character.
She still feels a bit weird watching cutscenes of Grace ‘cos even though the character doesn’t look like her, the physical and facial movements all belonged to Angela and she remembers doing all of that.
Angela has met Grace's face model (Julia Pratt) in person and it felt a little trippy.
The last day of shooting was emotional for her. She knew she would see the other voice actors again at launch events but it was a low probability to meet the Imaginarium Studios team and Japanese team again. She grew close to the mocap crew too.
She is more active on IG than X so feel free to tag her on IG for fanart, she’ll do her best to like all of them.
Regarding her accent, she’s half-Italian & half-American, grew up in London & Italy. Went to an American school in Italy. If she’s been in London for a while, she’ll sound more British. If she’s in the US with her mother for a while, she’ll sound more American. So don’t be surprised if her accent sounds different in various interviews. 😝
Bonus: Leon's rifle pose looks similar to Ada in RE6
"Keep our friends busy"
Teddy Bear! (In the order of OG RE4, RE4R, RE9)
"I was just resting my eyes"
And one reference to Claire.
What about the wings on Leon’s watch and Requiem?
Time and Tide Watches says": At 9 o’clock, a large wing emblem is etched into the dial, which is a common theme in the Resident Evil universe, and is said to embody the “prayers for the fallen”.
The Hamilton Watch Facebook page says: Wing emblem on the dial and caseback — a tribute to the fallen and a nod to the grip of Leon’s “requiem” weapon.
It is not alluding to the wings on both Chris and Claire's jackets, sadly.
Also Leon keeps giving pet names to his weapons lol. (First pic is from Infinite Darkness)
If Leon is indeed married, I am happy for him. Doesn’t matter if it’s to an existing character we know or an unknown unnamed civilian. I’m just glad for him, he’s been through so much, and he deserves some happiness in his life.
That or Capcom is trolling us with a fitness tracker ring since Sherry is wearing a similar looking ring on her pinky finger.
There are also instances of single people wearing rings on their ring finger to ward off unwanted attention. That can happen...
Though if you wanna look even deeper, off the top of my head, the only playable characters so far who have been shown to be married are Barry Burton and Ethan Winters.
The other legacy characters who are the faces of the franchise? Ship teased. Capcom never outright confirms any the main characters’ relationship status. So why would Capcom want to do that suddenly?
Then again, you have this Deadline article where the director is “interested in the private relationship between Leon & Ada” and when the producer is asked about whether Leon is single, he says “I think it’s more fun not to reveal everything”
Plus if Leon was indeed married, his last thoughts/words in the bad ending is about Grace, a complete stranger, not a loved one. Which is a bit unusual if you know you are dying.
Or Capcom and Leon are really so secretive about his marriage that they don’t really want anyone to know whom he’s married to.
🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️
At at the end of the day RE isn’t about romance, and love stories are not Capcom’s strong suit.
Needless to say, do not harass the cast and crew of RE9 about your ships! That's what fanart, fanfiction, fan media is for.
Done watching the RE9 playthrough. My random thoughts about it under the cut ‘cos of spoilers.
- Grace should really be wearing gloves if she’s inspecting a crime scene. The toilet in the abandoned Wrenwood hotel is filthy.
- The civilians of Wrenwood are pretty nonchalant about Leon carrying a gun out in the open before shit goes down…
- The laser microscope in the care centre still doesn’t make sense to me.
- Did Gideon sexually harass Leon? The way he stroked his hair and shoulders felt deeply uncomfortable to me.
- Poor Harry got the Wash treatment (this is a Firefly reference)
- Sherry having Raccoon City Syndrome doesn’t quite make sense since she canonically has G-virus antibodies that make her heal.
- Marie is implied to be Emily’s twin(?) and transformed into the “Hag”. That’s sad.
- Emily, no 😭
- Is Zeno implied to be one of the Wesker children? Or an Albert clone?
- Leon doesn’t crash his car this time!
- Leon ought to be wearing a respirator while exploring the ashy ruins of Raccoon City. Plus, wasn’t the city nuked? Would there still be leftover radiation? I’m surprised things are still standing for “a city wiped off the map”.
- So that’s where the missing spiders in RE2R went to.
- Leon collecting the detonator parts was kinda boring to me.
- Motorcycle chase was pure fun.
- Did Capcom remake RE2 just to re-use RPD assets in RE9?
- Teddy bear charm! 🧸
- I was expecting things to decompose after close to 30 years but then I remember stuff made prior to the 1990s actually can last…
- Barry gave Chris tickets to bring Jill to the zoo eh?
- Emotional Kendo gun shop scene is emotional.
- I laughed at the tyrant casually tossing cars towards Leon.
- Guess it’s confirmed Leon doesn’t have a green thumb.
- Felt very cheap to bring in HUNK just to kill him off.
- “I was just resting my eyes” shoutout to Ada’s RE6 line is not a good enough replacement for the lack of Ada.
- “I want to be a God!” Spencer experiencing remorse seems like a stretch to me and I am still not entirely convinced about his apparent change of heart.
- Did the BSAA give Leon a ride to the outskirts of the city to collect his car?
- How does Leon know where are the vitals on a mutated monster? Are they on the same spots every time even when they expand into gargantuan blobs?
- The bad ending made me cry. Good job, Nick.
- I really couldn’t see any ring on Leon’s finger in the ending cutscene, it’s super dark. I know people online have visually enhanced it though.
- Will also make a separate post on Leon’s ring in the concept art.
- I’m okay with Grace just being a normal human with no special powers.
- Angela’s voice acting as Grace is top notch. I keep thinking she sounds like Ashley Johnson’s Ellie from the Last of Us.
- Gameplay is good, story starts off strong but gets kinda eh and weak towards the end.
- The fighting in the cutscenes are cool. I was rewinding them a few times to see how the movements play out.
I work with microscopes that use lasers IRL and the microscopist in me wants to know what kind of laser microscope is that in RE9 ‘cos I’ve never encountered it before.
Yes I know majority of the Science in the Resident Evil universe sometimes doesn’t make sense. 😝
An ideal life of retirement for Ada and Leon would be one where they don’t have to constantly be surrounded and deal with people.
Since they’ve spent decades acceding to other people’s requests, they would not want to live in a city or a big town, and choose to be closer to nature where it’s more peaceful.
I see them staying in cosy home with their cats in an European countryside, something like Lake Como in Italy, with views of the mountains, forests, and a lake.
They’ll probably rear a couple of chickens and have a small herb & spice garden. I don’t think they’ll go too crazy with gardening so they’ll drive into town every now and then to get some groceries.
It’ll be a simple, mundane life tending to the house, hiking around, and just enjoying each other’s company. They would rather live for themselves than be “puppeted” by others.
Retirement did not last long for Leon and Ada but it was enjoyable while it lasted. At least the Kennedys learned what they wanted for their ideal retirement, when the time finally came. If the government could ever truly let their prized agent go, that is.
Sometimes, Leon wondered if the higher-ups would send him to the field in crutches or a wheelchair. Not like his wife would ever let him do this in his old age, anyway.
He managed to leave once, he could easily do it again.
At least the blond returned on his own terms this time, negotiating for a much better salary and benefits. He was no longer deployed for all sorts of outbreaks, only those that needed discretion and his level of expertise. Leon had to thank Ada for suggesting hazard pay too.
He was also allowed to wear his wedding gift for all missions too, under the condition that his wife was never to interfere. Not like she ever did, unless he mentioned a special code phrase that they agreed upon years ago. He had yet to invoke it and Ada remained at home, monitoring his location and vitals from his watch.
The closest time when Ada felt she had to go to her husband was when he went to Alcatraz. His pulse and breathing was erratic for over an hour before it suddenly stabilised. Leon’s recollection of that day sounded thrilling and astounding, and it almost made her jealous that she missed out on the fun.
For Ada on the other hand, after their short stint as personal trainers, she pivoted to being a freelance private investigator. It still gave her the thrill of being on the field but without the danger. Most of her clientele consisted of spouses who suspected their partners were committing adultery.
Compared to her previous life, this was a walk in the park. She did not even have to make contact with her targets at all. With patience and time, she always got the evidence she needed.
Now, Ada was perched on the arm rest of his chair in his home office, her keen hazel eyes reading the document on his desk.
“How suspicious,” was all she said.
Leon nodded, “I agree.”
To receive a ‘wellness check’ invitation from a chronic care centre so close to Raccoon City, of all places. What took them close to three decades to reach out? It screamed of a trap.
“You can put a pin on it, see if they reach out again.” Ada’s voice rang out once more.
He sighed and leaned his head against Ada’s soft bosom, finding much needed comfort in his wife’s presence. Her fingers immediately threaded through his locks, gently massaging his scalp and worries away.
“My dance card’s full, anyway. I’ve been asked to investigate these mysterious deaths…”
Ada’s mouth pursed into a thin line. Homicide was not his specialty and if they called him, it meant the deaths were unnatural in nature, possibly from bioweaponary.
“When do you fly off?”
“The usual timing.”
“Time for bed then, handsome,” she kissed him and slid off the chair to head off to their bedroom as he packed up his documents. The sensation of her lips still lingered and he grinned. Even after more than a decade of marriage, their bodies still elicited such a response from each other. He felt like the luckiest man alive.
A little mew interrupted his thoughts when he left his study and he glanced down to find a ginger cat greeting him. “Hey, buddy,” he bent down to pick up the feline. “I'm going away for a while. Take care of meowmy while I'm gone. Good night now.”
Leon gave Cobalt a little kiss on his head and set him down as the cat sauntered away.
He headed to the kitchen to grab a drink of cold water and felt a furry presence rub against his leg. Given how the creature was camouflaged in the darkness, he surmised it was their black cat, Ebony.
The blond gave her the same affections and instructions as Cobalt and Ebony responded by licking his face, as if sealing a promise to him that she would protect Ada just as well as her furry brother.
With both pets satisfied, Leon finally climbed the stairs.
There was a trail of clothes along the upstairs corridor and his heart raced with anticipation. Not surprisingly, Ada greeted him with nothing but a smile in bed.
His own pajamas were shedded in seconds and he slipped into her inviting warmth with practised ease. It had become a ritual for them to make love before and after each of his assignments.
In the early years of matrimony, their fornications were usually fervent and passionate to make up for lost time. Nowadays, they were content with taking it slow and sweet. Unless he was away for an extended period of time, then they would get absolutely feral.
Leon remained sheathed within Ada after spilling into her and his wife nestled her head on a fleshy spot on his chest, absentmindedly fingering his bullet scar from 1998. In return, he gently stroked the matted flesh on her waist. Both silently remembering the events of that fateful night and being grateful for what had transpired in spite of what happened.
Ada listened to the rhythmic thumping of her husband’s heart before it gradually lulled her to slumber. Her breathing slowed down as it became deeper, signaling to Leon that she was no longer awake.
The blond took time to observe the woman in his arms. Every time before he flew off, it became a habit of his to commit every part of her to memory. Who knew what would happen to him on the field? Leon came close to peril at Alcatraz and it became a wake up call for him to get his affairs in order and treasure every moment with Ada.
His wife exhaled a sigh before rolling away from him. Her temperature did tend to run warmer these days and it was amusing to see her body unconsciously keep itself cool. Hitting fifty might have brought some more wrinkles and bodily imperfections to both of them but she was still as beautiful as the day he met her.
Gently draping the blanket below her shoulders, just the way she preferred it, Leon got comfortable and joined her in dreamland.
~ ~ ~
Ada made a nutritious spread for breakfast, with enough food to sustain Leon for a few hours. He allowed the cats to join them at the dining table, feeding them churu to appease their greed. Once sated, their pets curled up under the dining table to groom themselves.
He helped her with the dishes, trying to prolong the remaining time they had together before he had to depart.
When he donned his winter coat, did his wife tug the wedding ring off his finger before placing it in a jewellery box. Ada adjusted the lapels of his outercoat and smoothed it down. “Stay warm, wherever it is you’re going,” she murmured and leaned in close, inhaling his scent once more.
“You’ll find out soon enough.” He replied and tipped her chin with one hand while the other went around Ada’s back to press her as close to him as possible. Their lips met in a searing kiss and both of them poured their undying loyalty and devotion to each other into this single gesture.
Leon was torn every single time this happened and he did not want to let her go.
But, duty called and he had a responsibility to keep the main populace safe so no one else would have to undergo such a harrowing experience like they had. It was something Ada understood as well.
“I love you, Ada,” he whispered raggedly against her luscious mouth, peppering more kisses across her face.
The raven haired woman held his gaze tenderly, “I love you too, Leon.” She stroked his cheek and they brought their foreheads close to each other.
Some day, all this pain and longing they endured for each of his assignments would end. They would just have to work even harder for it.
With another kiss, Leon extracted himself for his wife’s embrace and headed to the garage. Ada stood outside their home and waved goodbye as his Cadillac cruised down the road. She still remained on the porch even though he had driven out of view.
~ ~ ~
Leon fired off another round at the approaching undead as he fought against the urge to spew bile from his throat. He had already emptied out his guts earlier but the sensation of vomiting still persisted.
He was running on muscle memory and pure adrenaline now as he ducked into a room to find cover and gather his bearings. The sickly sensation was beginning to grow worse as he felt a fever was emerging and his throat was beginning to feel like the Sahara.
This would be his third time being infected, how could he have been careless? Being redirected to the chronic care centre as part of the investigation was such an obvious trap and he still fell for it. He hoped nothing untoward would happen this time…
Luckily, he stumbled across notes about an inhibitor in one of the research labs and he was so close to it. If only there weren’t so many enemies in the way. The blond agent was running low on ammo too.
At least the room appeared to be a chemical storage room of sorts, with bottles of solutions lined on the shelves. His blue-grey eyes panned across the labels and found several with flammable symbols on them. Perfect.
He began to strategically pour the contents around the room and when he was satisfied with his handiwork, Leon threw the bottle towards one of the entrances and he heard it shatter into pieces. A series of wailing moans responded to the commotion.
Leon waited in the middle of the room as bait and whistled at one zombie shambling past the door. It snarled menacingly at him and shrieked down the corridor, rallying its brethren for backup.
The shuffling of feet grew louder and the horde rushed in at once, making a beeline for the blond. But their trajectory was so utterly predictable and Leon ran out of the way, throwing a grenade towards them. The resulting explosion was glorious, lighting up the alcohol on the ground and setting them on fire.
Leon did not stay any longer than he had to and slammed the door shut behind him before tearing down the hallway into the main lab. The stench must have gotten to him as he was hit by a wave of nausea.
The poor blond dry heaved into a nearby flower pot and was relieved nothing came up. He did not want to feel gastric acid stinging his sore throat again.
Once he recovered enough of his strength, Leon purposefully headed to the lab, only to find it empty… save for a computer on the desk. There was an empty briefcase off to the side and it was open, displaying foam indentations of vials and syringes. Its contents were gone, silently mocking him that he was too late.
With a clenched fist, he slammed it against the keyboard in fury and the screen sprung to life, revealing a picture of a familiar arm with black splotches. Ignoring the dull throb pulsing in his hand, Leon read his own file.
Repulsion coursed through his body. Gideon was a sick bastard for keeping such an intimate record about his current infection so far.
I know you’re reading this, Mr Kennedy.
I have a proposition for you.
What you seek is in Raccoon City. Co-operate with me and you’ll be cured.
Leon would be a fool to fall for the same trick twice.
He swiftly downloaded the data into a flashdrive and pulled out his Tomahawk axe, delivering a few aggressive blows to the computer. It was absolutely cathartic, seeing the screen shatter and the rest of the equipment go up in a shower of sparks.
It was time to leave this hellhole of a “care centre”. Leon did not know where he was supposed to go next but every fiber of his being screamed he should drive as far away as possible.
The debilitating pains began a mile in and he thankfully managed to maneuver himself safely onto the road shoulder in the middle of nowhere. It wasn't his own car and the controls took some getting used to. At least it didn't have an overly complicated braking mechanism. He still wasn't entirely convinced on the reason for driving such an extravagant car to an investigation but he wasn't one to turn down a sponsor.
Leon was brought back to reality when he felt torment in parts of his body he didn't know existed. One moment he felt the most wretched ache in his muscles, and the next it felt like all his nerve endings were on fire. Another wave of misery felt like it shot right down to his bones which seemed impossible.
Groaning in sheer agony, he reached into his glove compartment and grabbed painkillers, shoving the maximum dose into his mouth. His hearing was starting to dull a little too and a soft tinnying sound rang in his ears.
Fuck, he was losing it.
Leon fumbled for his phone and unlocked the device shakily. It was now or never.
[txt] I need a midnight snack
He then reclined the driver’s seat and closed his eyes, willing the pain and discomfort to go away. The agent knew he wasn’t following protocol but he couldn’t think straight at this point.
~ ~ ~
Ada had just finished sending incriminating evidence to her latest client when her phone chimed. She received a notification of Leon’s irregular vitals some time ago and while concerned, she kept an eye on it, believing that her husband had things under control.
Cobalt, who was on her lap, made a little chirp at the noise and she soothed him with ear scritches.
But as she swiped the screen and read the message, her mind briefly went blank and her hand stilled altogether. The code phrase that Leon never used before had just been activated.
“Meow?” The ginger cat vocalized a little question and batted at her fingers. She resumed the petting with furrowed brows.
Leon and Ada had planned their series of code words years ago, using food as the main subject. It started off with ‘breakfast’ which meant that he was unharmed and coming home. Progressing to other meals of the day meant an increasing severity of the situation.
Midnight snack was the most dire, meaning he needed her and required medical attention.
She looked up Leon’s location, and the result made her frown even more. Her husband was in the Midwest. Driving was out of the question.
It’s a good thing she still maintained her private flying license.
“Sorry, Cobalt. Pawpa needs my help.”
Gently setting the feline on the ground, she made a couple of calls. First to their trusted catsitter, the next was to a contact who owned a private airstrip. As it was a last minute request, she paid them several times above the usual rates for their services.
With things settled, Ada got up and headed to her walk-in wardrobe. It was going to be chilly up by the mountains and warmth was going to be a priority. Not wanting to jeopardise Leon’s position in any way, she opted for a similar colour as him, a black trenchcoat along with a dark burgundy fleece top with black warm lined pants.
“Don't have too much fun without me,” Ada cooed to her cats as she gave them more kisses and pets before heading to Leon’s office to retrieve a kit that was designated for this sort of emergency.
Checking that none of the contents were expired, she headed for her Lexus and drove barely under the speed limit as she booked it to the airstrip. Thank goodness the weather was on her side today.
Her light aircraft was already warmed up and ready when she pulled her car into the hangar. “Thank you for arranging this on short notice,” she greeted her contact with a smile.
“All part of our services,” the owner shrugged good-naturedly. “Your ride is ready to go. We’ll also help take care of your car till you get back.”
Ada thanked him once more and boarded the plane with her belongings. The checklist was already completed and all she had to do was strap in and taxi.
She took off into the air minutes later and enjoyed her solitude in the clouds. After reaching a certain altitude, she switched on the autopilot. The silence gave her time to plan her route on the ground. According to the tracker, Leon still remained where he was and from what she could interpret from his biometrics, he wasn’t feeling too well either. At least he was still alive. For now.
Ada Kennedy was not a religious woman but prayed it would remain that way till she reached him.
The journey was uneventful and she made it to her destination in under two hours. Her rental car was already waiting for her in the parking lot and she took a quick break to eat a sandwich from the vending machine. It was piping hot and sated her just enough. She washed it down with water and visited the hangar’s bathroom before starting her journey down the highway with a few extra sandwiches just in case Leon needed it.
What started off with a wide open road gradually turned into an unpaved route surrounded by the forest. Ada turned on the highbeam and kept an eye on the tracker as she drove her way in the dark, the silhouette of the trees casting menacing shadows on the car.
She was half-expecting unwanted creatures to jump out of the woods but she kept her wits and focused on Leon’s position.
Less than half a mile to go and Ada proceeded to slow down and lowered the headlights. Instead of the navy blue Cadillac that her husband usually drove, she saw a black Porsche instead.
Doubt crept in and Ada did a double-take at the GPS. True enough, Leon was dead ahead. Deciding to be cautious, she stopped the car at a respectable distance and readied her pistol. The ex-spy quietly walked to the Porsche.
The windows were tinted and she could not see any of the occupants inside. Carefully, she tapped the driver’s window in a rhythmic pattern. It was another one of their secret codes to verify each other’s identity through closed doors.
~ ~ ~
“Leon, do you read me? Leon?” Sherry Birkin’s voice rang out in his ear, jolting the blond from slumber.
“Hello? Are you there?”
Blinking the bleariness from his eyes, he glanced at his watch but his vision was still hazy. The pain was less intense but still throbbed. How long was he out?
He pressed a finger to his ear piece and replied hoarsely. “Loud and clear.”
Agent Birkin exhaled a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. You were radio silent for hours! Are you alright?”
“Never better,” he said sarcastically before he got interrupted by a coughing fit.
“Do you need a med evac? You don’t sound good.”
That’s when he noticed a set of headlights in the rear view mirror. Was that Ada? Did she get his message?
“I got that covered…”
There was silence on the other end before Sherry whispered, “What do you mean by that? You know civilians cannot be involved.”
“I have it handled,” Leon reiterated firmly.
If it was Hunnigan, she would chew him out briefly but close an eye. Too bad she was currently on vacation and Sherry volunteered. Not that the younger agent was bad by any means but she was a little by the book.
He heard Sherry exhaling a sigh, “Fine. Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Me? Never.” His slightly blurry vision could make out a figure approaching his side but without any illumination, he could not see any details. “I’ll check in later.” He then ended the call.
Leon held onto his revolver and heard a series of taps rapping against the window. Instantly, his spirits soared and he relaxed. Stowing his weapon, he knocked on the window pane in return. He waited for a few seconds before winding down the window.
His wife was clad in black like him, looking fashionable as always. She grinned, “Seems you got a new car when I wasn’t looking.”
“I wanted to surprise you,” came his reply as he unlocked the door.
Ada was leaning down to give him a kiss when he abruptly turned his head away and put out a hand to stop her.
“Sorry, I could be infected.”
Eyeing her husband, she saw he had removed his coat and was covered in a thick sheen of perspiration. The zipper of his tactical shirt was pulled all the way down his chest and she spotted an angry, inflamed rash on the right side of his neck. His blue-grey eyes were sunken in and the dark circles made him look more sickly. Saying he looked like shit was an understatement.
Her gaze softened and she grabbed his gloved hand tenderly, holding it close to her heart. “I’m with you in sickness and in health, handsome,” She gently reminded him of their wedding vows.
“I brought the kit. What do you need?”
A warmth stirred within his chest as she could still make him blush after all these years. Leon rattled off his ailments as Ada listened carefully.
She decided on a drip for his dehydration and anti-pyretics for his fever. Slapping on a pair of gloves, she helped him remove his sweaty top and gloves, and her heart sank when she saw raised black veins on various parts of his arms and chest. This was more serious than she had imagined.
Temporarily casting her emotions aside, Ada then got down to work with a tourniquet, palpating a vein to insert the IV.
“There are sports drinks and honey cough drops for your throat. And sandwiches too. If you can stomach some, that is.” Ada murmured as she administered first aid.
Leon shook his head, “Let's hold off for now, I still feel queasy. Hopefully the drip will help.”
After an hour, he felt some vitality return to his body and the fever had broken but the nausea and malaise from the infection still lingered.
Ada wiped his forehead and body with a towel, “Do you want to try Rebecca’s anti-viral? We aren't sure if it's the same virus.”
“It’s worth a shot…” Leon replied and gave her a feeble smile. “Given our luck, all these bioweapons have been related to each so far.”
“Alright," his wife said soothingly and disinfected his skin before squeezing his bicep and injecting a dose of medication into his muscles. He winced slightly and Ada instinctively whispered sweet nothings.
It was his turn to grasp her hand and hold it to his chest, “I love you so much, Ada.” She was his guardian angel forever and he could never repay her in this lifetime.
Ada looked at him adoringly, “Me too, Leon. Very much.” Through all these years, he was still the same kind-hearted soul who saw the good in people. For that, she was grateful.
They waited a while longer and colour went back into his cheeks. The redness on his neck was still there but no longer looked as bright as a stop light. Plus, the creepy death veins faded to a dull blue hue.
He felt comfortable enough to put on the spare tactical shirt inside his emergency kit.
Leon decided to slowly nibble on the corner of a sandwich, allowing the bread to turn to sweet starch in his mouth before swallowing. When that did not trigger his gag reflex, did he take his time to enjoy his first solid food in a few hours.
He then told her about Grace, Gideon, and the lure of a cure for his infection in Raccoon City, of all places.
“I'm coming with you,” was her response.
“I can't bear to lose you, honey.”
“Well, I can't lose you either. You're still recovering and with my ties to Raccoon, it could interest him enough to throw the scent off you,” she gave him a look that indicated that she wouldn't take no for an answer.
The blond frowned, “You’re also a civilian. I can’t get you involved.”
Her eyes gentled as she looked at him, “We can do this together, handsome. I’m as experienced as you too.”
Leon exhaled a long sigh. She was right but it was his duty as her husband to be naturally protective of her. This switch was forever activated in his brain and he had to learn to manage this feeling.
“I know, Ada. Raccoon also brings bad memories…” His voice was on the verge of cracking. “I thought I lost you there…”
Ada glanced down to the floor in deep thought, “Your feelings are valid. What will ease your mind if I go with you?”
The old Ada would have brushed aside his worries with a coy smile and honeyed reassurances. The amount of consideration his wife was showing demonstrated the growth she had over the years.
He deliberated on her request before finally coming to a decision, “I don’t want you to leave my side when we’re in the city.”
She gave him a nod, “I can do that.” Ada then began to grab his soiled shirt, pack up, and stow the kit into the trunk of the Porsche. “I’m driving though. You need to rest some more.”
“What about your car?”
Ada shrugged, “It’s a rental. I already paid someone to come pick it up.”
After consuming the remnants of his sandwich and scooting over into the passenger’s seat, Ada got into the driver’s seat and briefly readjusted the mirrors.
“Shall we?” She asked with a smile.
“Lead the way, gorgeous.” Leon beamed back at his wife in return.
Ada pulled the car into drive and made her way towards the ruins of Raccoon City.
Whatever lay ahead of them was a mystery but the couple knew they would be able to overcome it as long as they did it together.
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