Next chapter, after some horrid writers block. Chunking it into smaller chapters might be easier...anyway, thanks to all who reviewed! I love reviews!

Chapter 4

The fever was coming. Leon groaned as he peeled his eyes open. His dreams were beginning to get odd; that was his first sign. It wasn't often that he fell victim to seasonal colds, but on the rare occasion that he did, his fever dreams were the worst part of it. It was much like lucid dreaming, where he woke, unsure if he had slept or not, feeling un-rested and frustrated.

Leon sighed, lying in bed, savoring the warmth of the blankets wrapped around him. Sometime during the night, Ada had come in and covered him. It was a touching gesture, but he felt all the more grateful knowing it was her to have done it. He was still unused to Ada being so kind to him. He knew her cold shoulder too well.

His solitude did not last long. Ada strode through the door, glass of water and pills in hand. After helping him swallow them down, she laid her hand delicately on his forehead.

The woman sighed. "Your temperature is climbing. It will peak either tonight or tomorrow."

This time, Leon could not deny her claim. At least the fever was moving quick, he thought. If he were lucky, he would not be languishing in a sick haze for more than a night. His eyes flicked to Ada, who was watching him carefully. She had her calculating look on. Leon knew that look all intimately. She was assessing him. Whether that was a good sign in a caretaker or not, he did not know, but he supposed he would find out soon enough.

"Come and get some food in you and then we'll see how you feel." Ada suggested, picking up the empty glass.

Leon nodded, struggling to sit up. She did not wait for him. That was a good thing, because now that he was awake, the man could feel his bladder calling for him to relieve it. He entered the kitchen a few minutes later, finding a half of a sandwich and a small pile of fruit waiting for him. Ada was serious about him eating better.

With a sigh, he sank down onto a stool and began picking at the food. Ada said nothing of his lack of enthusiasm, likely pleased that he was eating without protest this time. Leon had to admit, his stomach felt much better than it had the day before. He even had something akin to an appetite.

As he munched, he could not help but let his eyes stray to the woman across the counter as she examined his cupboards and read the labels on some of his food. Leon knew where this was going; once he was better, he would go searching for his poptarts only to discover them tossed with half of his other food that Ada had deemed unhealthy. The mischievous gleam was already in her eyes as she glanced at him. Leon only sighed, thinking it not worth a fight. She was probably right about his need to eat better. And he could always go buy more.

His pantry sank to the back of his mind as he took in the flattering dress and blazer Ada was wearing. Her blouse was gray, but he could see the strap of a red bra peeking onto her shoulder. God, why did she have to be so gorgeous, he lamented to himself. And why had she chosen him? There were days he felt utterly ruined because of Ada. He played at flirting and dating and even indulged in the occasional one night stand, but his mind always returned to her. It was maddening. And depressing when he always came to the realization that he couldn't have her.

"Stop moping."

Leon blinked. "What?"

"You're sulking about something." Ada said, leaning her elbows onto the counter. "What is it?"

His alarm bell went off. "It's nothing." He lied, looking away so she wouldn't see the anxiety in his eyes.

"You're lying."

"You always lie to me." He countered defensively.

Ada flinched slightly at the comment. For a moment, her brows furrowed as if she were confused. "I don't lie to you, Leon. I omit things, but I don't lie to you. I respect you enough to refrain from lying."

Leon blinked, surprised at both her frank expression and tone. In all the time he had known Ada, he could count on one hand the number of times they had been so open with one another. If he thought on it, he had to admit that Ada had never actually lied to him. She was secretive to a fault, but she never misled him. That was a promising sign for them. If she lied to him at every turn, unwilling to share anything, he would have to worry.

His thoughts scattered when she reached across the way and rested her palm against his cheek. Leon looked at her, unable to help the pathetic expression on his face.

Ada smiled sadly at him. "Leon, you and I are from two different worlds and work for very different people under different circumstances."

"But we usually want the same thing." He insisted, pressing his face into her warm hand.

Her lips twitched, her expression saying that that was not an entirely true statement. "We both have to do what we need to do. I can't have you jeopardize my mission, just as you can't allow me to do the same to you."

It was an unsavory truth.

"I'm tired of working against you, Ada."

She rubbed her thumb across the edge of his cheekbone. "You don't work against me, Leon. You just don't work with me."

"Sounds the same to me."

"It isn't. You would know if you were working against me and I wouldn't be here with you right now."

He nodded and Ada withdrew her hand. For some time now, there had been unspoken questions lingering in his eyes that he never dared to ask. So many whys. Ada always gave him a look, her answer in her heavy gaze. It just wasn't plausible.

Leon shoved the plate of food away from him, no longer hungry. Perhaps the drugs were making him unstable; he had the oddest urge to cry. He could even feel the tears prick at the back of his eyes. Stupid, he thought, hastily blinking them away and giving Ada his back so she would not see. Not that she likely hadn't taken note. Ada noticed everything. It was infuriating sometimes, especially when his pride was at stake.

"I'm going back to bed." He mumbled.

Ada did not reply. She watched him shuffle back down the hallway, hand dangling limply from the side of his sling. She sighed and began to clean up his plate. It seemed a pity to her that Leon was such an open book, wearing his emotions on his sleeve. A little discretion might save him some heartache. She had said something of the sort to him once and the man had flinched then looked away guiltily. He knew his faults. Likely, he had tried to change too; she had seen him make several cheap attempts at nonchalant flirting. That typically ended badly.

The woman shook her head with a small smile. Leon was ever an amusement, even if it was painful to watch at times. While she cleaned, she could not help but feel that when it came to her, he had given up. He had not given up hope that there might be a way to work something out with her, but he had given up trying to reason with her, to plead, or hide his emotions.

She did not waste her time dwelling on it. She knew better. Her time was better spent trying to calculate when the fever would hit. Leon's lackluster eating might have hindered him a bit. In any case, she was betting by tonight he would be rolling in sweat. That would mean a long night for both of them, as she would need to remain by his bedside to ensure he didn't recklessly roll over or crush his shoulder.

With a sigh, she began to make herself some tea. Maybe she would take a rest of her own before diving into an all-nighter.

Leon woke to the feel of a cool cloth pressed against his forehead. He swallowed, or tried, finding his throat thick and closed up. The fever was here. He groaned, screwing his eyes shut as the unpleasant sensation of his entire body burning from the inside out made itself known.

"Shhhh."

"Ada?" He rasped out, struggling to regain focus in his eyes.

"Can you go back to sleep?"

"What?"

The woman chortled softly. "You slept all day; it's evening now. The fever sapped all your strength. It would be best for you to go back to sleep."

He had slept all day? Leon craned his neck so that he might look at the clock, upsetting his shoulder in the process. A shock of pain raced through his side and he hissed. It had been a fleeting glance, but he had seen the time in bold green numbers on the clock face and, sure enough, he had slept right through until dinner. That was quite a feat.

Ada shushed him again, leaning over to fluff his pillow some, then adjusted the clock on the table so that he could see it without twisting.

"Don't move so much." She admonished, dipping the cloth in water and wiping it along his brow again.

Leon swallowed, attempting to blink away his bleary vision. It seemed to be a losing battle and after a valiant struggle, he surrendered and allowed himself to relax into the pillows.

"Is this it? The peak of the fever?" He asked hopefully.

Ada's soft laugh was answer enough. "I wish. This is just the beginning. You'll probably have a fever for the next day or two."

Wonderful, the man groaned to himself. The tip of the iceberg was horrible enough; he couldn't imagine what the peak would be like. After Ada had pressed the cold cloth to his face a few more times, she urged him into a sitting position to eat some dinner. His appetite had disserted him, but the woman insisted and Leon was never able to say no to Ada.

Once he was finished, Leon handed the plate over and got comfortable in bed again. Even having slept the day away, he still felt exhausted. The radiating fire that constantly burned in his arm was becoming a minor annoyance, despite the pain. His brain was so foggy, between drugs and fever, that he couldn't concentrate on it.

Ada watched him for a moment with a frown, hiding her concern well. It was going to be a bad fever, she could tell. Half a day in and Leon was already loopy. If the man hadn't been in a bad condition, she probably would have gotten a good laugh at it. Leon was far too serious in her opinion. His one-liners showed that he had a sense of humor, but as the government had used him more and more, she had noticed a chance in his demeanor. He was still a morally strong, hopeful man, but he was jaded now. In all that he saw and experienced, he had learned how terrible people were, saw the lengths they would go to in order to fulfill their own desires, and saw horrors no one should ever think on. She couldn't blame him for being the way he was.

A soft, pained groan drew her attention back to the man. Ada was only mildly surprised to find Leon asleep again. Fever and surgery might have only been part of the root of his exhaustion. From her intelligence, she knew Leon had been working steadily for months. In his line of work, with the terrors he saw, exhaustion was bound to catch up to him sooner or later and it had hit the man hard.

With a sigh, Ada got to her feet and took the plate to the kitchen. Looking after Leon was beginning to get trying. Not because it was difficult, but because it was boring. It was unlike her to sit in one place, to play domestic. A small part of her exalted in the role, and on a few rare occasions she allowed herself to consider whether a life with Leon would feel like that. They were fleeting fancies though and ones she dismissed quickly. She had a job to do and more importantly she liked her job. Leon's health came first, but soon he would be healthy enough to stand on his own without her constant presence.

She decided that, when that time came, she would get back to work immediately. Hopefully, Leon's injury would work to her benefit and he would stay out of her way.