To my readers, old and new,

I started this story more then a decade ago and have always loved it. Throughout the years I went back through and tried to edit it and fix the glaring errors and bad writing where it occurred. I was never satisfied with it. Then, as time passed, life and depression got in the way of my writing and I didn't write for many years. Since I started this story, I have gone back to college and am about to embark on a journey to achieve a Master's in Art Therapy and Counseling. I am thrilled to do this and may not have the time to write—but I will try.

Some years ago the files that I had rewritten were lost because of a malfunction with my computer. I thought all of my writing for the story was gone for good, including the chapters that I never released. I still can't find the file that detailed the whole range of the story and I don't remember some of it. I must reread everything I wrote and, perhaps, edit it again to suit my liking. This piece, however, stands as a monument to time and reflects an age when I felt all things were possible and I had the time and energy to devote to writing. I was undoubtadly manic for a lot of the time while writing this story. Those days, of mania, are over for me now.

Hopefully this will be one of many updates to the story. I hope to finish at least one, and this one was always my favorite.

As always, thank you for reading—and do be sure to leave a review.

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Chapter Twelve:

…

The Moth

…

…

…

He was sweating profusely, wiping at his brow as he struggled to catch his breath. He was back in the sewers and he had just used his gun to kill a giant alligator that was chasing him. He swiped as his hair that just dangled over his eyebrow and eyed the monster, walking away from it with shaking limbs. He traced his steps back to the room he had been in when he'd seen her- she was a vision.

Turning the corridor he saw her and felt himself sigh in relief- she was still okay.

"Leon…" she murmured in her low, sultry voice. Her black hair was cut short around her face and her manicured face and hands seemed at odds with the situation at hand. Despite being stuck in the sewers she somehow managed – and he'd only met her a short time ago—to smell nice. Even though she was drenched in sweat, her makeup didn't run, and her eyes were piercing and alert. He turned to find her eyes on him.

She said his name like she had known him her whole life, and he remembered when he first met her, helping her to push the truck out of the way. He'd been surprised to find such a beautiful woman in the middle of Raccoon city which was quickly falling apart but she looked positively devilish in her short red dress that clung to every curve she had.

"This bullet wound isn't making anything easier…" he groaned, leaning against the wall as she came up beside him, her eyes unreadable. He could almost say she looked sad, but she was so mysterious it was hard to tell what she was really thinking. He had only just gotten into the business of the being a cop- he was young then, and he didn't know how to read people like he did now, He was very different… back then…

For an awful instant she looked down at his wound, her fingers reaching out to touch him, "Quiet… Leon…" she whispered and he felt the urge to wipe the tears from her eyes- but were they really there or was it a trick of the light?

"I'll patch you up…" she said as she took a length of her skirt and ripped it, making it shorter, if possible, and grabbing his arm. Tucking it under his wrist she began to wrap his arm, her expression devoid of any emotion. He remembered it had struck him as funny that such a gorgeous woman was totally calm in their situation. He had admired her for being strong- but he hadn't known anything at the time…

"That's two I owe you, you know…" she muttered as she finished wrapping his arm and letting go of him. He felt butterfly's erupt in his stomach as she looked straight at him then- as if she was trying to tell him something but he was too naïve to understand it. He didn't know exactly what to say so he simply decided on saying something quick and easy.

"Don't mention it." he had looked away to contain a blush. She looked older than him, but he was nonetheless astounded by her sharp beauty. But she had come here for her boyfriend and he was being ridiculous. To think that a woman like her would have any interest in someone like him was silly. But he had protected her twice now, saving her life, and that had to count for something.

"I…" she started, drawing his attention back in her direction to see that she was looking away from him shyly, "I just… found out… John's dead." As she finished she turned and looked him straight in the eye, catching him by surprise and freezing him. They were so mysterious- those eyes. He couldn't tell if she was sad or happy, but it seemed her eyes had a genuine shine to them now. He felt his heart catch as he felt the urge to comfort her.

"What…?" he asked, surprised and worried. She seemed to turn around then and ignore him. She was a strange woman, that was for sure. And he was torn between comforting her about her loss, or just letting her be as she seemed to want to be. Her eyes had questioned him- questioned him about what he thought of what she'd said. Did she think she had feelings for him? Or was it something else…

"Never mind." she said quickly, "Let's get out of here… the sooner, the better…"

…

Distantly Leon was aware of a sound that kept coming, similar to the sound of gun shots from his right. He was just coming out of his dream when he realized that somebody was at the door.

He awoke instantly, face down on his bed and drowsy. He'd been dreaming but he couldn't remember about what. It seemed to slip from him just as fast as he had tried to retain the information. He hated that feeling of knowing you've dreamed but never being able to remember it when you woke up the next morning. He wasn't much to dwell on these things.

The knocking didn't stop even as he looked at his alarm clock, his eyes blurred from sleep and still trying to adjust to the light. The time was only 9:14 and so he sighed heavily, feeling the air in his lungs expand his chest, stretching his muscles and relaxing his body. The steady knock continued as he groaned, sitting up and tossing his legs over the side of the mattress.

It was the groggiest he'd felt in… well, months. He'd slept great after going home the night before- eating a TV dinner and an apple. Distantly he had wished he had stayed to eat something else with Ashley but that was entirely out of the question. After being with Ashley he'd been more than ready to go and had immediately shed his clothing and jumped into the shower, sending the water to ice cold in order to lessen the tension that was radiating from his body.

He was sure that if this kind of behavior didn't stop, he was bound to catch a cold from all the frigid water he was dousing himself with. He'd been so lonely in quarantine and he had all the time in the world to sit and contemplate every little second of his mission, his life- Ashley- and Ada. There was only so many times you were able to simply think freely in his line of work- but he didn't want to think at all right now. What he really needed was… to answer the door so he could get back to sleep.

Looking at the door he crept towards it, reaching for his gun on his night stand where it had been all night. He stood next to it with the knocking continuing even as he looked out the peep hole to see Ashley standing just above the actual view from the peep hole. From what he could tell, she looked great, but the groan he made wasn't one of exasperation.

He watched for a second as she adamantly continued to pound on the door, letting her smile never faulter. It was cute almost, to watch her try as hard as she possibly could against it- apparently trying to beat it into a pulp for whatever reason.

Sighing in frustration he opened the door and peeked out, stuffing his face outside of the door in confusion at her actions. Looking her up and down once he watched her expression turn from shock to pleasure as she smiled up at him saying, "Leon, do you know what time it is?" she asked, leaning forward with her hands behind her back.

"What the hell do you mean?" he asked, disgruntled and angry as he hid his body behind the door. He was dressed, but not dressed enough for government work- and not to mention he had just woken up and was… well… in a compromised state of being.

Ashley stared at his face, unsure of why the hell he'd be supporting himself by smashing his face through the door and not simply opening it like a normal person. She was a little embarrassed about the night before, but she was more than willing to let it go for now- he knew damn well how she felt about him- so why was he hiding like that now.

"I have to get to the doctors. I need you to take me until my father lets me drive again…" she muttered. She didn't appreciate being chauffeured around all the time but her father had insisted that she go nowhere without a bodyguard with her. When Leon was unavailable due to something else, they would send Seth to take her out. She liked Seth too, but Leon was the obvious first choice.

Realization dawned on him- 9 o' clock?

'SHIT!' he thought, abandoning the door and flying across the room into his dresser where he plucked a pair of pants and a shirt out, as well as a pair of underwear. He couldn't believe he had forgotten something so important- that he had actually overslept. It must have been his dream that kept him zonked out that badly. He hadn't done that since… well…

Ashley watched to door creak open as Leon hurried around the room, finally turned to motion to her with a finger, "don't go anywhere I'll be right out!" he said, his lips pursed in concentration as he jumped into the bathroom. After he disappeared from view she leaned forward and with her index finger, pushed the heavy mechanical door in to reveal the room. Taking of her strappy, but cute while sandals she set them by the door, not sure exactly if she should wear them in or not.

"…oh." she said as she eyed the room her eyes landing on a few things before deciding what she thought of the overall… "style". Everything was black and white, there was hardly any color anywhere. It looked like his sheets were white and he had a black comforter that was all smashed up into a ball on the side. If it was his kind of decorating style, it was obvious- or maybe he just liked black. Eyeing the bed she realized he'd obviously been sleeping when she was knocking- she couldn't figure what else he could have been doing.

Stepping into the room she felt her skirt catch on something on the floor- it was a pair of his combat boots- like the shoes he'd worn in Spain. She gave her flowing skirt a jerk and set it free from the scratchy material before continuing forward, examining everything she could lay her hands on. She was intrigued. She wanted to know how her hero lived, when he could. If this was his place of comfort and solace- why?

She felt her heart brimming with the excitement of getting to know more about the man. Her protector. Her savior and apparently her chauffer. She hadn't wanted something like this to happen to him but since it had, she was going to do everything she could to show him just how wonderful she was when she wasn't screaming her head off in terror.

Sighing she smoothed her yellow blouse and delicately leaned against the countertop thinking about how late she was going to be for the doctor. If there was one thing her friend hated it was her being late. She was surprised she hadn't called yet- even if it was only 15 minutes… wait… 20.

Like her apartment… it was more like a studio than anything else and the kitchen and the bedroom were all in the same room- it provided an interesting artistic style that she found she loved- opening doors and closing them seemed silly- and she'd rather be in an open area anyway- nowhere for bad guys to hide behind. Not to mention it made it a lot easier to get to her bed after she was done cooking, regardless of how little or how much she ate.

She saw to her left, along the wall of the bathroom a long, black mirror that was squared off at the top, but rectangular in overall shape. She stood in front of it, admiring herself. She had painstakingly applied makeup to her face, just enough to enhance her natural beauty without it looking like it had been painted on. She had been going for a natural look, and used the super expansive lipstick her mother-in-law got for her that never seemed to come off- even with soap and water.

She looked… 'kind of plain…' she thought, eyeing her skirt and wondering at what the hell she'd been thinking. She looked like a princess, more girly then usual- a beautiful princess in a skirt that needed to be rescued. She sighed wondering if she'd ever look as sophisticated as her mother had.

'What made her so beautiful…' she thought as she took both hands and swung the skirt. She watched it flow beautifully before settling down against her body and while it did she turned, and leaned against the dresser. At least he had a mirror. There were lots of boys who just didn't care about their appearance enough to make themselves look presentable for a lady.

She heard the door open and she turned to the sound, watching as Leon stepped out of the bathroom, freshly shaved with his gun holstered against his hip. She couldn't help but eye it dangerously as she spoke, "are you ready to go Leon?" her voice innocent as she eyed it.

Clearing his throat Leon walked briskly to a chair by his three legged table and pulled the leather jacket off of it. It was still summertime technically, but it was getting colder than before. "I'm ready when you are, Princess." he said with a smirk, her cheeks flaring instantly at the comment. He laughed then, all nervousness gone as she felt the urge to slap him on the back of the head.

"Leon! I'm not a princess!" she hollered, giving him a look and sauntering towards the door. He was still chuckling when he heard the soft padding of her feet gradually slow. Turning to look at her he saw her eyes catching on a picture frame on his night stand. Instant horror flooded through him as raced to his side of the bed, vaulting over it and grabbing the frame, smacking it face down against the table.

'Shit…' he thought grimacing to himself as he realized what he'd let loose. He looked at her, nervous and trying hard to be angry.

She couldn't believe what she had seen in the frame. She was shocked as she stared at him. He knew damn well what she was thinking when she'd seen it. Why would he have that beside his bed unless there was something there… It was something to take notice of.

"Why…" she started, inching closer to him. He seemed almost lost for words as she stepped closer. He was freshly shaven, and she was so close she could smell his aftershave, "would you not want me to see that picture, Leon?" she asked, knowing damn well.

Leon scratched his head looking down at it as she tried to reach around him to grab the frame but he moved in her way, effectively ending her efforts. She looked up at him and smiled knowingly and reached around to the other side. He moved again, blocking her efforts. Turned then, he plucked the picture off the table and walked towards the closet- stuffing it inside of a shoebox he turned to address her:

"It was from the start of my assignment." he said flatly. Turning he gave her a look that said, "forget about it" and headed towards the door, motioning for her to follow him. Deciding she had played enough games for one day she followed him as he opened the door for her. Walking past him she shot him a knowing smile which he returned with a sigh.

"Let's get out of here Leon- we're late!"

…

…

She'd been watching them for days- following their movements and keeping close tabs on to get to know their schedule.

She'd seen the girl leave around the same time in the morning every day and she'd made a note to let her employer know exactly when and where she was going. Apparently the little broad had needed some therapy after the traumatizing events in Spain. She'd need more if she had any real clue about the reality of her situation.

She felt the need to spit in disgust as she watched the way the girl seemed to act as if there wasn't a care in the world- acting so innocent when she knew damn well just how she was damaged goods. It was so easy to seem so pure- or maybe she fancied herself that way. Another silly trait of common women.

She scoffed as she turned away from her window directly across from the luxury Condo where the two of them lived. It hadn't been difficult at all to ascertain the whereabouts of the President's daughter upon her return to the United States- surely they would have placed more importance on her safety instead of putting her in her familiar surroundings to soothe her troubled heart.

"Weak woman…" she said bitterly, knowing that weak woman hardly ever made it. She knew that firsthand.

She'd have to start rethinking of the importance of the girl to their cause- she seemed perfectly fine and normal and she might not suit their purposes as she had hoped she would. Neither cases had shown anything out of the ordinary. She was obviously more expandable then she had thought- the continued to have rare surveillance on her home- and had only sent one man to protect her. Pity he was a good agent- taking her into custody would have been easier if he was a no-namer in a black suit but she knew Leon was one of the best.

She looked at her computer, typing rapidly into it as she relayed the information she had been told to gather. She finished her mini report, being vague as possible, and quickly sent it. Sitting against the chair she folded her perfectly smooth, pale legs up against the desk and admired them. She wasn't waiting long for a response as she heard the familiar beep as she received a return message.

She opened the email and narrowed her eyes at her new instructions.

"Damn it."

She had hoped she wouldn't have to do this but since it was coming from above she'd do what she was told- not to mention she both loved and hated her job- She closed the lid to the laptop and the simple click resonated within the apartment. It wasn't the kind of apartment she usually liked- and the colors were dank, and the whole place smelled like cats.

The old man who had been living here until 3 weeks ago had Alzheimer's and no relatives. It hadn't been hard setting up a phony identity and taking over for her "dear old dad". The old man had been placed in a home shortly after, never realizing the woman who claimed to be his daughter couldn't possibly be. Since then she'd been holed up in the dusty place, hating every second of it and loathing her job before peering between the blinds again.

Tossing her head back she rubbed her eyes as she considered her next course of action. She hadn't felt right about a lot of things since Spain but she was going to do her job- no matter what. She couldn't let anything, not even herself, get between her and their cause. She'd die if she had to complete their vision but until then, she'd have to prepare for the fun adventures ahead of her.

"This should be fun…" she said sarcastically to herself as her eyes glinted dangerously in the dim light. She wasn't willing to watch him die, but she was more than willing to let anyone else kick the bucket. It was a cold feeling, but that didn't matter to her anymore. She was done with feelings- any remainder of them has long since turned to dust.

…

…

Riding in silence in the car with Leon was like waiting for the dentist to return after giving you your numbing shot. You knew he was coming back, but for the time being he'd let you sit and wait in agony for his return. Leon was like that. He was always there but you had to wait for him to feel comfortable enough to speak. Sitting with him wasn't easy.

Choosing as safe topic she said, "So Leon, what kind of music do you like?" trying to sound as normal as possible. It was hard to be so close to him without doing anything about it.

"What do you mean, music? You mean, like the radio?" he asked, looking at her briefly before turning to the road again.

"Yeah- I like rock and roll, alternative, the usual- how about you?"

"I don't think that's really important, Ashley." he said earnestly trying to end the conversation. Only a few more miles and she'd be on her way into the doctor and he'd have some peace.

"It might not be but if you have to stick around me, driving me everywhere- then maybe we should turn on the radio if you don't want to talk- unless your too strong to have a preference…" she was teasing him, he could tell.

"I like rock and roll too." he said uncomfortably, looking over at her to see her start to laugh.

"Any particular bands you like?" she asked, reaching over the center console to smash her delicate fingers against the volume button- turning on the radio and turning it up. He watched her, curious, and unable to stop himself from admiring the way she was intent on frustrating him. Despite himself he felt a smile spread across his lips as she flipped through stations.

She felt his eyes on her, but she tried to look like she was ignoring him, or unaware of him- either way it was working apparently. She found a station that was playing a powerful tune and nodded her head to it, turning it up and looking at him. She knew the song and so she started to sing it with the lead singer, letting the beat flow over her.

"What are you doing?" he said, laughing as she began to strum on an invisible guitar, head banging ridiculously off the beat and screwing her face up into a mock scream. She was trying hard- and it was working. He knew the song- liked it. It was a powerful… edgy song that reminded him of sex- slow, powerful sex.

As he watched her he felt lust flare in him again, briefly looking at her as the came to a stop at a rather long red light. She was rocking in her seat, grinding her bottom against it as she swung her head around- making a fool of herself and laughing. Despite himself he looked away and started saying the words with the music. He felt the music coursing through him. He wasn't much for music, but damn- she made it fun to listen too, plus she was fun to watch.

"I see you singing! Now who's being silly?" she yelled over the music as she reached over and playfully pushed at his shoulder. She wasn't much for strength but the touch sent electricity bolting through him as the music wove through him, making the entire car vibrate with the base. Despite himself he nodded with the music, trying to not to get too into it. Looking at her, she was having too much fun for the both of them.

"It's a good song, I like it!" he yelled over the music as she laughed, swiping her hair back from her forehead. He felt his breath stutter as the motion made his eyes zone in on her downcast gaze. She was still singing but that motion had been so… sexy- he'd been almost unable to accelerate after that.

Just as the song started to whine down to the end of the chorus she reached over again and turned it down, looking at him, a new twinkle in her eye as she tilted her head in the cute way she always did, her deep chocolate eyes drawing him in without even trying to. "You know, you've got to stop trying to get into my skin if you want me to do my job right, princess."

She smiled a light blush staining her cheeks- "I'm no princess, Leon. But if you want to be my knight in shining armor all you have to do is follow your instincts…" she said, trying to play into his joke.

He smiled at her, unable to help himself as he pulled into the parking lot of the doctor's office. He couldn't help it- he did like this girl. Try as he might, she was just too cute. When had his thinking switched? When did he stop thinking of her as an assignment and more like a regular girl?

"I don't have a horse." he said matter-of-factly, unbuckling his seatbelt and starting to get out of the car. She followed suit, getting out of the car, her hair catching the gust of wind, making it fly back away from her face- sending her skirt sweeping out behind her. She again, swiped at her forehead, tucking the wayward strands back behind her ear. Coming up beside her he felt the urge to kiss her.

"But all I need is you to save me Leon- I think you've proven that much…" she started, looking down and away from him- she didn't want to think about Spain, not now- but she couldn't hide from it. The memories were there and so was he. He was real and everything that was happening was real too- last night was real.

She gasped as she felt his hand come up against her face, his eyes and expression soft, as he lightly smoother her hair back, the silken locks sliding between his fingers like water. Oh yes… he'd protect this girl- she was so gentle- and he knew just how sweet those lips could be. He found his eyes dropping to them again, wondering what would happen if he were to kiss her- right here—right now.

'To hell with it…' he thought, starting to lower his lips against hers just as he sensed someone coming up behind him. Below him Ashley's eyes were swimming with eagerness, her lips slightly moist with anticipation as he pulled away, dropping his hand to her lower back. He let his hands brush against her as he led her towards the sidewalk just as the doctor came running into view.

"Leon!" she shouted as she came to a stop in front of them, gasping for breath, her white lab coat flapping in the now heavy wind. They were both surprised that she hadn't addressed Ashley- and she'd never meant Leon. The doctor paused, trying desperately to catch her breath as she grabbed Ashley roughly by the arm.

"Doctor?" he asked, surprised at her behavior- alarm bells ringing in his head as she started to drag Ashley towards the building ushering him to follow. What the hell was going on? Did he miss something?

"Your agent Kennedy, right?" she asked eyeing him up and down with a look he wasn't comfortable with and he nodded, briskly catching up to her in a few short strides, "the agency has been trying to contact you- where have you been? There's been an incident and you are urgently needed!" she yelled.

Leon and Ashley's blood both froze in fear- something had happened? What did she mean by that? Ashley threw a horrified glance at Leon as he watched the doctor drag her away. "Leon…" she moaned fearfully, weakly trying to jerk free from the doctor but unable to do so. He didn't want her to go, he felt an urgency in his gut as she was dragged away- but he knew if there was something going on, he'd be better served to find out what it was first.

"Don't worry Ashley," he called to her as she continued to look back at him, a swarm of men in black suits surrounding the two women and leading them away, "you'll be safe here. Stay with the Doctor and you'll be fine." he said, turning to the doctor and nodding quickly in her direction before returning to the car.

As Ashley disappeared from sight he felt a cold chill race up his spine as he felt his phone vibrate against his hip. 'A missed call. Shit.' They'd been playing the music so loud- he hadn't heard it.

'Damn it all!' he cursed to himself as he whipped it out to see he'd missed a call from Seth.

It barely rang once before Seth picked up, his voice urgent and dead serious as he said, "Leon. Something has happened near Spain. Get over here now. We've been looking for you and Ashley- what the hell were you doing?"

"I'll tell you later. Where are you?" he asked, ignoring the question. He listened briefly as he told them where everyone was.

"I'll be there in a second." he said, jumping in his car and slamming it in reverse and roaring out of the parking space. He'd be there in under ten minutes if he flew fast enough and despite being worried about leaving Ashley here with the doctor- he knew they had tons of safety precautions in place if something, anything was to happen. He silently cursed himself for just listening to the music. He had someplace to be now.

…

From the end of a long grey hall a dark haired women walked. She was dressed in a formal business suit and carrying a black leather briefcase and looked like she'd just walked out of a salon instead of a long plane ride from Massachusetts. She wore thick framed, shaded glasses that obscured her eyes and her hair was cut dangerously short around her face, making her look more like a warrior pixy then a snazzy lawyer.

As she passed row on row of cells she listened to the roar of cheers and applause and crude comments fly out at her but she paid it no mind- she had a mission here. She's been sent for a purpose as did her target. It was a good thing that everyone had fallen straight into their plan on the matter although having Rick be arrested wasn't the plan- it had been a small mishap but then again, having someone so volatile on their team had been a risk from the start- but he'd obviously succeeded if he had managed to get this far. He'd even managed to get a cell to himself. That had to be nice considering all the lonely men that were here.

As she neared the interrogation room Ada nodded to the fan. A helicopter was waiting for them to escape. As she neared the room she saw Rick, worse for the wear, and looking sullenly towards the door. He didn't know she'd come to rescue him, and she preferred it that way. As she neared the door, the prison guard gave her an appreciative eye that she returned with a seductive glance.

Entering the room she swung her slender hips into the doorway, pulling her glasses off to reveal her eyes to Rick who showed no obvious signs of recognition. The guard told him that his lawyer was here and shut the door behind them. From behind the stonewall the dull roar of a helicopter reverberated along the walls. Rick grinned a wicked grin and gets up from his chair to run to her side.

"I was wondering when you were going to get here. I've been here for more than 24 hours!" he said angrily but with laughter in his voice.

"Well we wanted to give you time to get used to a cell mate…" she smirked and Rick scowled at the comment before replacing his angry expression with his usual fake grin before responding. "sorry baby… This federal-pound-me-in-the-ass prison didn't get the best of me. I know your upset, baby but don't be mad!" he laughed.

Giving him a glare she tossed her glasses towards the wall it exploded in a fiery burst of stone and wood. Dropping the empty briefcase, they jump out of the hole in the wall.

…

…

…

-Luky