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"Talk to me. Is this one like the others?"
"Eh, same black blotches."
"And it's not postmortem lividity?"
"No...No, this is different."
Leon strutted through the rain, clearing past the yellow caution tape of the crime scene and making his way back to his car. The red and blue lights of the surrounding police cruisers bounced off every wet surface, illuminating his face.
"That's six now," Leon stated to Sherry over his comm. "Six survivors of Raccoon City all dead from the same thing."
"Yeah, that's...not good."
"No...No, it's not."
Climbing into his Porche, Leon shut out the white noise of the rain and reached for his phone in the passenger seat, grunting quietly as he did. It wasn’t easy settling into his seat as he had to lean back quite a bit from the steering wheel to get situated. He was due any day now, and walking around while nine months pregnant was no easy task. But he had a mission to do regardless. Leon would see it through. Chris and Sherry tried to talk him out of it, not knowing at all what Leon would be getting into considering this had something to do with the defunct Umbrella corp. Who knows what kind of monster bullshit he’d be putting up with. Leon heeded them, but was determined to find out what was going on.
“But, I have something for you,” Sherry said into his ear. The team has settled on a person of interest…someone with ties to Umbrella.”
Leon pulled up the photo sent, swiping to it in full. A scaly, pale-looking man appeared on his phone screen, hooded with what looked like a fresh snakeskin that made Leon’s own skin crawl.
“Victor Gideon,” Sherry finished.
Leon studied the photo for a few seconds, taking in important details, making sure he would recognize this man on sight. Easy enough, given the glaringly-obvious appearance.
"Who is he?" Leon asked as he dug into his weapons case beside him to pull out his Requiem, popping open the chamber to make sure it was fully loaded. He'd be damned if he didn't go into a future fight without a full chamber of ammo.
"A former T-Virus researcher," Sherry answered. "Right now, he may be our best lead on this case." She then paused. "Hey, I just got a report of a missing police officer. It might be unrelated, but he disappeared near where the fifth body was found."
Leon was listening, albeit slightly distracted when he felt the familiar painful throb of the mentioned virus crawl up his hand. He tensed his fingers a bit, remembering why he was doing this in the first place. And that very reason reminded him with a gentle kick against his ribs. Leon gave a sigh, resting a hand on his pronounced stomach.
"Easy, little one. Easy," Leon whispered, hopefully low enough that Sherry didn't hear him. The last thing he wanted to do was worry the poor woman. Leon hated vulnerability.
"You there, Leon?" Sherry asked him.
There was another tiny kick that made him wince.
"Yeah. I'm here."
"...you okay?"
Leon remained silent, taking a deep breath instead as he rubbed his bump to calm the kicking. It settled down, finally, allowing him to take a proper breath. Instead of answering, he shifted the car into gear, putting it into reverse, and hoping to stop all of this before it even got started.
"Send me the address. I'll check it out."
---
The drive wasn't too long. Leon's car could easily cover a lot of ground. Well, when there wasn't much traffic. And speaking of traffic...
Leon gave a small, irritated grumble as he was forced to slow his car down, coming to a stop behind a line of vehicles.
"You almost there?" Sherry asked.
"Just about," Leon replied, hand gripping the steering wheel in quiet annoyance. "Stuck in traffic." He let his gaze wander as he waited, watching the rain come down steadily, soaking the roads and the people who were hurrying to get out of it. Umbrellas were aplenty tonight. But then something caught Leon's eye. A very large, very tall figure had just stepped out of an alleyway, with something being carried over their shoulder.
A person. There was an actual person hanging off of their shoulder, being carted off like fresh game. In full public view.
"You've got to be shitting me..."
Leon made a quick exit from the car, keeping an eye on the large figure, nearly causing him to get hit by an oncoming car. He only faltered for a second, before locking eyes with the tall man. Leon couldn’t quite tell what was happening, but he saw them pull a forearm from their jacket, shooting some passerbyers, before hiding it again and walking off. Upon seeing this, Leon immediately got into action, walking across the street to intervene, only for another car to pull up quickly to him, blaring on the horn. Protectively, Leon put a hand on his belly and on the hood of the car before he hurried off onto the sidewalk, hoping he could catch up to the man.
“Leon, what’s your sitrep?” Sherry asked.
“I’m going after Victor,” Leon replied boldly, drawing his weapon.
“Don’t do anything stupid…” Sherry pleaded with him. Leon almost laughed, knowing that she knew better. She was just being a protective aunt.
“Me? Never.”
But to his dismay, Leon never caught up with Victor. Instead, he was forced to contain an outbreak. Innocent civilians and random people suddenly turned feral, their bodies contorting and moving against their will as an unknown disease of Victor's making infected them. Leon watched as one infected woman tackled a confused man to the ground, screaming for help, before she opened her mouth wide and bit down onto the man's nose before ripping it off of his face. It took only a few headshots from Leon's lesser pistol to put her down. But only when the situation grew more urgent did Leon finally unload a few bullets from his Requiem, blasting the heads of infected people clean off their shoulders. At one point he took his hatchet in hand, swinging it easily through the air and decapitating those who came too close. But after a few minutes of intense scuffling, it was suddenly over. The outbreak was cleared, and Leon briefly scanned the area, hoping to catch sight of the tall, wanted man. He saw nothing, except a few shaken civilians.
"Leon, have you located Victor?" Sherry asked after the excitement had died down.
"No, I lost him," Leon admitted, pocketing his gun back into its holster. "Back to square one..."
"Not necessarily," Sherry corrected. "Victor purchased a building after Umbrella went under. The Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center. I'll send you the address."
Leon felt that pain in his hand again, almost humoring himself as he removed his glove, and stared down at the unpleasant black blotches that were sketched across his once-healthy skin. His face became downcast, only for a moment, until he felt his unborn passenger move again, bringing light back into his eyes. Leon clenched his fist.
"Leon...we're running out of time. Both of you are running out of time..." Sherry solemnly warned.
---
Leon stepped out of his car, after having it parked directly in front of the entrance to the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center. Better to have it close to the building as possible in case he needed to bug out. He didn't know what he'd find in a place like this. Aside from knowing Victor's ties with Umbrella, Leon was technically walking into this blind. For all he knew, there could be an armed group of individuals waiting for him right beyond those doors. But then again, a clinic wouldn't need such heavy security, unless they were protecting something of great importance. Sherry had said that Victor was a former T-Virus researcher. Which likely meant that Victor himself would be familiar with the current virus present within Leon's body.
Is it possible that Victor had a cure for the T-Virus? That maybe, by some insane chance, he could be the key to saving Leon and his baby?
Leon knew better than to get his hopes up, but that thought alone was what pressed him forward with little to no fear. He approached the doors and stepped inside, but not before giving a small glance up at the security camera that was filming his every move. The building itself was massive, almost regal, not at all like how a modern clinic would appear. It was likely this place had been something previously different before it was turned into an establishment for wellness. It was quiet too. Leon stepped further inside, intending to start searching for Victor, until a calm voice called out to him.
"Mr. Kennedy, welcome. Dr. Gideon has been expecting you."
Leon looked in the direction of the voice, seeing a young lady nurse holding a clipboard, staring at him.
“Funny. I don’t remember receiving an invitation.”
She smiled a bit. “Well, he’s waiting for you.”
“Can’t have that, can we?” Leon smirked as he began walking toward her. She looked down at his noticeable size, clearing her throat a little.
“Follow me please.”
“Lead the way.”
They walked aways from the lobby, the storm raging outside with the rain beating against the walls and windows, lightning shining overhead followed up by cracks of thunder. It’s almost as if the baby could hear it, wiggling a little bit in Leon’s belly, to which he gently soothed a hand over the top of his shirt.
“So how long have you worked for, uh...Dr. Gideon?” Leon asked her as they walked.
“Not long. I just recently joined the team. We care for quite a few long-term patients here. All undergoing experimental therapies developed by Dr. Gideon,” she replied, a crack of thunder interrupting their descent down a long hallway. Leon marched on behind her, keeping a hand under his bump as he walked, his back not feeling too hot at the moment. Hopefully they didn’t have too much farther to go.
“Experimental therapies?” Leon repeated.
“Yes. It’s all very cutting-edge. The facility keeps a low profile due to the sensitive nature of the research.”
"Oh, I bet it does..."
Well then, that definitely confirmed Leon's theory about this place hiding something important, especially when he noticed multiple bodies, clear as day, lying on various gurneys that they passed; each one covered by a light green sheet. Regardless, he continued to follow, until they came to a double-door room. The nurse allowed him in first.
"Please, have a seat," she offered. There was a desk in the center of the room with a leather chair, and not far off from the right of it was a proper examination bed and table. Leon merely gave the nurse a courteous smile and simply sat on the edge of the desk instead. He found it amusing. It felt like he truly was back at the doctor's office again. Truthfully the last doctor he had seen had been months ago, not long after learning about his baby.
Which speaking of...
Leon noticed that the nurse was not-so-subtly glancing at his stomach, and she wasn't leaving either. She then stepped forward, and her smile was nothing but warm.
"Mr. Kennedy, might I offer you an ultrasound while you wait?" she asked.
Leon looked at her in surprise. “An ultrasound?”
“If you’d like. When the last time you had one?” the nurse questioned sweetly.
“It’s, uh, been a few months, actually.”
“I see. Well, while we are here, I'd be happy to give you one. Since it’s been a while.”
Having not seen his baby for some time did give Leon some anxiety since his infection had gotten worse. He needed to make sure they were okay.
“Okay, sure,” Leon agreed.
“Right over here,” the nurse pushed back a set of curtains that revealed a bed for Leon to lay on along with an ultrasound machine sitting by its side. Leon approached the bed, but didn't lay down right away. His fight-or-flight instincts were practically screaming at him, telling him that this could maybe be a trap. But the curiosity and want to see his child after so long seemed to override every other feeling in his body. Carefully, Leon sat and slowly leaned back, till his shoulders met the bed's surface. As he got comfortable, he watched the nurse boot up the ultrasound machine, seeing how she grabbed the scanning device along with a tube of gel. She stood over Leon, and made a gentle motion with her hand.
"May I?" the nurse asked.
Leon just nodded, reaching for his shirt and pulling up on it until his belly was fully exposed. He felt more vulnerable than ever, a feeling he very much detested, but this was for his child. He wanted to be sure that they were okay. Leon patiently waited as the nurse applied a thin layer of gel to the surface of his tummy. It was cold, and made Leon shiver just a little.
"Sorry," the nurse apologized. "I should've warned you that this stuff can be quite chilly." She briefly paused when she felt strong movement against her hand, making her chuckle. "They're certainly active. How far along are you, Mr. Kennedy?"
"Um...nine months," Leon admitted.
“You must be excited,” the nurse softly said, smiling at him.
“I’m ready,” Leon replied with his own soft voice.
“I’m assuming you already know the gender?”
“No, not yet. We wanted it to be a surprise.”
“Of course.”
As she scanned the hemisphere of his belly, Leon dared to take a look at the sonic picture, the machine buzzing and humming as it passed over the expanse of skin. On the screen, the little one’s head was well in view as was its arms and legs. He was thankful the nurse avoided scanning the bits that gave them away, a soft smile spreading on his face as he imagined his husband being here, seeing what he was seeing. Their baby, nestled all cozy in their nest, just waiting until it was time. Not a care in the world. Not a worry on their mind. Just happy and comfortable. He couldn’t wait to hold their little hand.
“They look perfectly fine to me,” the nurse murmured, giving him a smile.
Those words sent relief rushing through Leon. While it did warm his heart to know from a medical standpoint that his baby appeared to be okay, Leon himself knew that it couldn't show what lay hidden underneath. He knew his child was undoubtedly infected by the T-Virus, just like him. But he couldn't help but ask a few questions. Sitting up a little, he looked at the monitor, then back at the nurse.
"There aren't any...abnormalities of any kind?"
"None that are visible," the nurse replied.
"What about their vitals?"
The nurse studied the moving image closer, while continuing to move the device over Leon's stomach. "I'm registering a slightly elevated pulse, and they appear to be very active, but that is normally due to excessive movement from the mother. You appear to be in great shape, you're clearly getting your steps in," she lightly joked.
"Yeah, my, uh...job requires a lot from me," Leon confessed, not wishing to give away too many details about his life.
"I see. Well, with you being at your nine month mark, I'd suggest toning down the exercising a bit, if you can," the nurse suggested.
"I'll take it into consideration," Leon replied with a smirk, of which the nurse grinned back and removed the device from his belly, taking out a towel and wiping him down.
"Thank you," Leon said quietly. The nurse stepped away and grabbed her clipboard.
"My pleasure, Mr. Kennedy. Dr. Gideon should be with you shortly." And with that, she left, closing the doors behind her. Leon stood up from the bed, replacing his clothing over his bump and sat on the nearby desk to make himself comfortable. Why he chose the desk was anyone’s guess. It just made sense to him at the moment. He waited patiently, scanning the room with his eyes to take in what he could. As a DSO agent, Leon was always on alert, being sure that he knew where the exits were, what objects he could use in case there was a threat. When his eyes came to the desk surface though, a photograph caught his eye, and he pulled it free from the stack of papers it was clinging to. The photo was of the entire staff members of the hospital, one in the center that towered over everyone with dark eyes, pale skin, and slicked shoulder length hair. Was that Gideon?
Leon set the photo down and glanced at his watch, when all of a sudden, a terrified voice came over the speaker in the room.
”Code 6! Code 6! All staff members, initiate emergency protocol!”
That didn’t sound good.
Leon stood from the desk, cradling his bump and huffing at the movement. He looked to the double doors, hearing quickened but muffled footsteps. It was the same nurse from earlier, bursting through the doors, a look of terror on her face.
“Mr. Kennedy! We need to leave immediately!”
“What’s going on?” Leon asked, confused.
“I don’t know what’s happening. Some kind of mass hysteria. The hospital is on lockdown!”
There were footsteps behind her, and she turned to look, only to see one of the doctors approaching, albeit slowly and limply. She froze on the spot, looking at him.
“Doctor?” she whimpered.
The man gurgled at her, staring blankly…with dark eyes. The same from the bodies being found earlier. Leon barely gasped, not noticing the chainsaw in his hands until…
“Cut…out…” he gurgled.
The poor woman had no time to react as the deranged man started the tool and thrust it directly at her. She screamed, turning to flee, only to get caught by the blades going straight through her chest. Leon stepped back a little, alarmed at how violently the chainsaw plunged through the nurse, blood spurting everywhere. It was ripped back out of her; the nurse immediately hitting the floor with a heavy thud. Leon drew his gun fast, and realizing that the infected doctor was now about to swing the deadly weapon in his direction, he quickly kicked the desk chair into the doctor. It collided with the unstable man, causing him to stumble forward a little. Leon took this chance to quickly duck out of the way; the chainsaw just barely grazing Leon's face as it was swung at him in retaliation. Leon took a few steps back, catching his breath.
"I think I want a second opinion," he muttered.
Right back into the old routine, Leon got to work taking care of the infected around him, all while dodging the chainsaw lunatic as best he could. He went into mother bear mode, weaving his way through, kicking at whoever tried to get close. He grabbed one by the throat, thrusting his gun under their chin, blasting their brains all over the wall behind him. Leon managed to dodge the chainsaw swinging at him by the crazed doctor that came up behind him, aiming his Requiem, shooting directly into the doctor’s eye socket. The lune garbled and readied the chainsaw once more, revved it up, ready to strike.
“CUT….OUTTT!” And aimed it towards Leon’s stomach.
The agent quickly pulled the trigger once he got another aim, these tough bastards taking more bullets than usual. Doctor Gideon made them stronger.
But Leon’s dealt with worse.
And that last blast to the kneecap of the chainsaw-wielding doctor proved efficient because both were now on the floor. Leon carefully reached down, grabbing the tool when it was safe. With it in his hands, Leon managed to take out the rest of the zombie bastards, splitting them at the shoulders, or straight up the middle. When he was certain that he'd dealt with the horde, he took the chainsaw to the main doors of the room, which had been sealed shut, no surprise to him. Leon wasn't sure who had designed the chainsaw he wielded, but it proved strong and resilient enough to make a dent on the huge deadbolt of the doors. A dent was all he needed though. Deeming the chainsaw no longer effective, Leon dropped it, and dealt a swift but hefty kick to the doors, bursting them open. He'd only managed to get a few steps in, before he stopped, leaning forward with his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Leon knew he was getting up there in age, but carrying a child as well made pulling off stunts like those much more difficult to manage in the aftermath. He gave a few heavy breaths, one hand gently holding the underside of his prominent belly, before he straightened back up, and continued onward.
"That bastard did it again," Leon stated to Sherry over the comm, still trying to catch his breath. He hoped he didn't sound too winded. "How're things on your end?"
"I just hacked into the center's network."
"Good, good," Leon praised, always impressed with Sherry's work. "Can you find me the floor plan?"
"I'll see what I can do."
"Well, in the meantime, I'll try to track him down."
"Keep me posted."
"Will do."
Leon continued on down the halls for a bit, coming out of an exit on the second floor. The lobby was still pristine, the cold marble castle greeting him in eerie silence.
“Ah…ahhhh! AHHHH!!! Gahhh!!!”
Or so he thought.
Following the source of the distressful noise, Leon saw a younger lady with short, silver-blonde hair squeezing her way under a set of bars, crawling out into the hallway.
“GRRRRAAAAHHHHH!!!”
And right behind her was a tall monstrosity gargling with a scream, grabbing the blonde by her ankle, dragging her back. The blonde screamed as she disappeared into the darkness and Leon was in pursuit, standing in the hall, aiming his flashlight and gun at them both. Without preamble, he fired his Requiem, taking out part of the monster’s face. It let out a horrible scream, but it was enough for it to loosen its hold on the lady. Now was her chance.
“Hey! Over here!” Leon called out to her, still fixing his light on creature.
It didn't want to give up that easily. It went to pursue the terrified blonde, to which Leon took another three shots to its head. One for the skull, one for the nose, and the final for the socket, which split the side of her skull in half, eyes and optic nerve dangling from the blown-out blast. It collapsed heavily to the floor, twitching and gurgling before it finally stopped moving. During all this, the younger woman made it out to the bright foyer, hands on her knees, hyperventilating. She was willing herself to breathe, stay calm.
Once he was sure the creature wasn’t getting back up, Leon turned and walked towards her, not leaving the hallway. He grunted with the effort, holding his belly firmly. “You okay?” he asked her.
“Y-y-yeah…t-t-thanks!” she replied with a shaky voice.
“Leon Kennedy, DSO,” he greeted her. Though he noticed right away that as he approached her, she immediately gave a fearful step back. Leon quickly held up a calming hand, visually indicating that he meant no harm.
"DSO?" the woman wondered aloud, still trying to catch her breath. "I-I'm Grace, um...Ashcroft. Uh, FBI," she replied, giving a hard swallow.
Leon furrowed his eyebrows. Had he heard that right?
"FBI? What're you doing here?"
"Someone kidnapped me," said Grace, her voice trembling with fear.
"Victor Gideon?"
"I-I don't know."
This whole situation was growing stranger by the minute. Leon had no clue what Victor would want with an FBI agent. Regardless, he had to get this woman out of here.
"Well, we should leave," Leon stated, walking towards Grace. Suddenly, the gate that had lifted earlier slammed shut, effectively separating the two of them. A metal cover very slowly started to descend over the bars, and Leon knew that time was short. He looked through the bars, making eye contact with Grace.
"What does Victor want with you?"
Grace appeared confused. "W-What? I, um, I--" she stuttered, not understanding the question.
"Grace," Leon said her name, trying to get her to focus.
"Wh-What do you mean?"
"He grabbed you for a reason." Leon needed answers, and he had a feeling that the only way he was gonna get them was to find Victor and settle this. He minutely glanced down the darkened hall, and his eyes picked out a hooded figure just a few feet away.
"Wait! Y-You're DSO," Grace pointed out. "That's the, ah, uh...The counter-bioterrorism agency, right?" She paused, and then properly looked at Leon. Her face slightly fell, and her voice became quieter when she stared at his midsection. "W-Wait a minute...a-are you...?"
Leon knew he couldn't delay any longer. The metal barricade was dropping further. Boldly, he reached for his Requiem and handed it to Grace. "Take this."
"You sure?" she asked.
"You might need it," Leon replied, handing the weapon to her. Still feeling uneasy, Grace took the gun, looking at it in her hands. Leon looked down the hallway again before whipping his head to her, still seeing her there.
“B-b-but what about you--“ Grace stammered at him before he raised a hand to stop her.
“Don’t worry about me,” he reassured her in his calm voice. “Now go. Get out of here.”
Just as he finished talking, the wall came down the rest of the way, sealing him in the darkened hall with the man just a few feet away from him. Leon raised his flashlight, the beam striking the long white coat covered in snake scales, the hood over the man’s head.
“She won’t get away, you know,” the man said softly, fully turning his body in Leon’s direction. Leon remained silent, watching as the tall figure pulled his hood down, revealing the metal mask and ocular lenses before standing fully up right. Damn, this guy was tall.
“Dr. Gideon,” Leon acknowledged him, to the which the doctor reacted by gasping at the sound, tilting his head upwards as if savoring the silk in Leon’s voice. He let out a shaky breath, lowering his head back down to look at the smaller man.
“So nice to finally meet you, Leon.” As he spoke, Gideon stepped closer to him, his optic goggles homing in on different features of the agent. Leon didn’t like the smirk the doctor gave him. “You’re expecting? How interesting…”
Leon froze in fear, knitting his eyebrows together. His hand gripped his other smaller pistol, ready to defend himself if needed. There was probably no need to fight him. Leon could just run. But he was stuck in a corner.
“Why don’t we have a little talk,” Gideon murmured.
Call it impulse, or just a straight up bad decision, but Leon snarled and actually charged the doctor, gun shoved forward to deliver a swift bullet to Victor's face. But the doctor was quicker, grabbing Leon's wrist in time to divert the bullet that was shot, while immediately seizing Leon by the throat, hoisting him up off the ground like he weighed nothing. Panic seized the agent. He grabbed at Victor's tightening hold, feet kicking, trying anything he could to wriggle free.
"Too slow," Gideon growled in his face. The doctor tilted his head, observing his catch, identifying the sight of the dreaded T-Virus blossoming onto Leon's skin. "I see you're exhibiting symptoms too. Umbrella's curse," he practically whispered into the agent's ear. Leon's heart raced faster, faster, choking pathetically and realizing that he was blacking out quick. He barely registered the doctor reaching a hand down to tenderly cup his belly.
"Ssshhh..." Victor soothed. It was the last sound Leon heard before he lost consciousness.
---
Brightness.
Brightness behind his eyelids.
Leon stirred, opening his eyes to the best of his abilities given that it was so bright. He leaned his head down when he realized it was too much for his eyes, settling on looking at the wooden floor beneath his feet.
Wooden? Wasn’t it marble before? Where was he?
Another thing he noticed…his jacket was missing and his shirt was tucked under his chest, exposing his big belly to the open air. He immediately wanted to cover himself, but found he couldn’t move his arms. They were tied behind the chair he sat in. He felt around his waist, finding his gun and ax missing, but not his knife.
That was a relief. He could easily reach for it, cut his way out, then--
Heavy footsteps sounded in front of him, a large figure stepping into the light, looming over him like an ash cloud. He slowly looked up at the figure, immediately knowing who it was. The man that brought him here.
Dr. Gideon.
“Why are you here?” Gideon asked softly.
Leon said nothing.
“Is it for me?" the doctor questioned with what seemed to be a hopeful smile. It quickly turned into a small frown. "...Or for her?”
Leon didn’t respond, just offering a death glare instead, trying to be intimidating.
Gideon leaned over, the heavy leather rustling in the dark. “We can talk.”
Leon just looked away from him, releasing a breath.
"Right." Gideon stood then, walking over to his medical tray, picking up something. He breathed in, smacking his lips, then turned back to the seated agent. “Or we can begin your treatment.”
It was a scalpel. Of course it was. Leon’s dealt with worse, though.
"The silent treatment, I hope," he couldn't help but reply. Leon was irritated more than anything, wishing he could at least pull his shirt back down over his stomach, of which its size forced him to widen his sitting stance. He didn't know why Gideon had exposed him like this, but he clearly didn't like it.
"You're an investigator, right?" the doctor asked, amusement hanging off of his question. "Well, investigate..." He walked up to Leon's side, being slow in his movements. Leon fidgeted slightly in his seat, giving out a quiet huff that sounded annoyed.
"What do you wanna know?" Victor asked, leaning a bit. "...Is this where I conduct my research?"
Unexpectedly, the doctor reached a hand up, and ever so delicately brushed his fingers through Leon's hair. The action was...not at all what Leon was expecting, but he remained stoic, refusing to be visibly phased by Victor's treatment.
“…yes,” Gideon whispered, sounding relieved at something. Or moreso…aroused. It was weird, like Leon was just a piece of mouthwatering meat the doctor wanted to devour. Leon remained still, even though he wanted to wretch. Gideon was doing this on purpose, to get a reaction from him. Leon wouldn’t give in. The doctor kept walking slowly until he stood on Leon’s right side, dipping his fingers into the collar of his quarter zip, pulling the fabric to look at his blackened skin, caressing it with his fingertips. Leon did everything in his power to not shrug him off.
“Are the answers to your disease here?” Gideon asked him, sounding gentle. It made Leon sick. Still refusing eye contact, Gideon leaned in closer. “Yes…”
Leon winced. “You know I do have a question. When’s the last time you brushed your teeth?”
Gideon didn’t respond. Instead, he stood straight up, letting go of Leon’s shirt cuff and walked forward to stand in front of him again. He seemed offended to which Leon internally smirked. He couldn’t help himself. But his satisfactory response was short lived when Leon noticed Victor's eye pieces staring in the direction of his belly.
“How far along are you, Mr. Kennedy?”
Leon kept his mouth shut. He refused to answer that question. But his own gaze exposed his hidden emotions, as his eyes stared down at the floor in response. Victor seemed to smile wide at that, stepping closer again.
"Eight months? Perhaps...nine months?" the doctor quietly asked. "Judging by your size..."
He came closer, and then reached a hand down, resting it onto Leon's bump. Protective parental instincts shot through Leon's nerves quicker than he could even comprehend, as he visibly flinched, hard, and tried to jerk away from Victor's touch.
"Get...off...of them," Leon snarled, the threatening heat in his voice cutting the earlier tension. Victor quietly laughed.
"So protective," the doctor remarked, sounding in awe. "Rest assured, Leon, I wouldn't dream of hurting your child..."
To Leon's relief, Victor didn't keep his hand on his stomach long. He pulled it away, then held up the scalpel he'd been gripping in the other.
"But you...are an ignorant...fool."
Gideon took the scalpel, and slowly slid the sharp blade across the side of Leon's neck in a precise cut. Blood was quick to rush to the surface and spill out over the skin. It wasn't a large laceration, thankfully, but it was enough to make Leon quietly grunt in pain. Victor, satisfied with the reaction, walked away, back to his tray of tools.
"Do you believe in human evolution?" the doctor asked, addressing Leon like he was a student at a lecture, and yet completely unaware that Leon had already grabbed his hidden knife behind his belt and was quickly cutting away at the ropes holding him hostage. "I have devoted my life to studying it," Victor continued, putting his scalpel away and coming back to Leon's front, leaning down to be eye level with him. "While you have devoted yours...to failure."
Leon managed to slice through his ropes, freeing his hands. And with Gideon being so close, Leon went into action, kicking his feet full force against the large man to knock him away. It worked. The surprised doctor jolted back from the impact, but was ready to pounce again. Leon didn’t let him; instead he flung another roundhouse kick to the man’s face, knocking him against the cabinets behind him. It proved to be too much effort for the doctor and he retreated, heading towards the attic stairs for an escape. Leon managed to right himself and found his gun sitting on the medical tray. He was surprised it was out in the open, but he wouldn’t question it. A bout of pain struck him, though, but Leon stayed determined even as he winced, grabbing his gun, aiming in the direction of the doctor.
He managed a couple shots though none hit as the stairs were being closed up and Leon could see Gideon’s head.
“You and your child are already dead…” Gideon growled at them before the stairs shut completely, locking Leon in the attic. He’d have to find another way out. He raced back to the tray to find his comm and his medicine injector to help stop the searing pain in his shoulders.
“Sherry, can you hear me?”
“Leon! What happened? I’ve been trying to reach you for hours!” Sherry replied, grateful to hear him.
“Sorry, I was a little tied up,” Leon answered. “Did you get what I asked for?”
“The floor plan? Yeah. Sending it now.”
Leon jabbed the medicine into his neck, rubbing his bump at the same time, feeling the cooling relief soothe his veins. He pulled down his shirt, trying to ignore the phantom touch of Victor on his body.
“I had a little talk with Victor. He is batshit crazy.” Leon briefly checked the chamber of his gun, finding it still fully loaded, thankfully. "Gonna make my way to his office. Glad that FBI agent got away."
That statement piqued Sherry's interest. "FBI?"
"Yeah, Grace Ashcroft. Victor kidnapped her."
"What??? Why?" Sherry asked, sounding alarmed.
"I don't know, but I intend to find out."
---
Leon had never been a quitter. Regardless of his circumstances, or the cards that he was dealt when it came to completing his missions, he stuck with it through and through. That meant fighting his way through zombies of all sizes, of all shapes, making his way around the maze of hallways throughout the center until he was able to find Victor's private office. The virus was mutating again, turning regular zombies into full-fledged bubble-headed monstrosities that he couldn’t let get near him. They were hard to takeout, but Leon managed. Sherry discovered their illness was T-Virus confirmed, which made Leon hug his bump a little harder, knowing it was undoubtedly transmitted already. He wouldn’t give up hope for a cure, though. This new info about “Elpis” was of interest to him.
On top of all that, he was unexpectedly reunited with Grace, who’d tried to save a girl named Emily, but couldn’t. It was devastating to watch Grace walk away out of guilt and grief, but he couldn’t stop her. A harsh cough took over his chest, making blood spew out onto his hand. When he came to, he realized Grace was gone; she'd been flown off to Raccoon City. Which is where he was at now.
Leon didn’t expect more zombies here after the missile had been launched, but life had a way. There was even a giant spider pest to contend with. Not to mention the ridiculousness of fending off Gideon on a motorcycle along with his pack of pups. Never in his wildest dreams did Leon believe he would be able to make it over a building on a motorcycle, but well, it came with the territory. Literally. He managed to thwart all attempts from the lizard-like man, knocking him off the busted road into a pile of dust. Leon had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last time he’d see him, but it was a good distraction for now.
Eventually, Leon was able to get into the city and found himself back in his old stomping grounds: the remains of RPD.
Wave upon wave of memories crashed into him. He still remembered what this place used to look like. And he still remembered that fateful day. The day the cop inside him died. He couldn't save them. He couldn't save anyone back then. Too young, too naive, too foolish to do a damn thing. But Leon told himself that this time would be different. It would be different, so help him. He'd save Grace, he'd stop Victor, along with that other slick-haired bastard, and he'd put an end to this madness. He entered the main foyer, walking back behind the front desk, eyeing up the statue from all those years ago and when his eyes fixated on what was in front of him, he realized BSAA had made base here too. A blue welcome sign, one he remembered all too well, lay on the floor, and there was a taunting note left behind for him.
You can’t save anyone
He crumbled it up.
There was an open laptop as well. Leon fiddled with it, connecting to the cameras set up around the place. And on screen, the slick-haired bastard made his appearance.
“That fucking guy… and…Grace?” Leon asked himself out loud. Sure enough, it was her, walking right behind him. “Shit. She’s in danger. Sherry, I found Grace.”
“At RPD?”
“Yeah, exactly. Someone’s been expecting us,” Leon said as he messed with the laptop some more, pulling up the cameras. “Got a lock on her location. Heading there now.”
“Copy that,” Sherry replied.
Leon found them. In the east wing of RPD. He overheard Zeno’s voice before stopping at the corner of the wall, listening in on their conversation. Elpis was another virus, hidden under the city; the last infection created by Spencer before he passed. Leon also confirmed that the missile launched on the city was a cover up. This new virus was about mind controlling properties. Along with the strong mutations that came with the other viruses before, who knows what military operations could do with this lab-fixed virus for future warfare? And Grace was the key to unlocking Elpis. Grace also learned more about herself and her…clones? Emily was her clone? Leon needed to stop this. He needed to make a difference. For them, for him, and for his unborn child.
Grace was starting to panic; Leon could hear it by the way she breathed, her body suffering from severe distress. He cocked his gun and ran around the corner pointing his gun.
“Grace!”
They turned to see him, Grace reaching out with her hand saying, “Mom?” before she collapsed. Leon aimed his gun at Zeno, giving off two shots, but was shocked when he witnessed the man dodge the bullets in a manner that wasn't even close to human.
"What the...?"
"Mr. Kennedy," Zeno addressed, stepping forward. "I had a feeling you'd make an appearance." Behind his shades, Zeno's golden eyes were quick to pick out Leon's pregnancy. He frowned, but then smirked. "...though I can't say I was expecting to see you carrying more than just Raccoon City's infection. But it doesn't matter. I don't have time to spare."
To say Leon wasn't expecting the ceiling to suddenly cave in was one thing, but it was another thing entirely when he looked up, past the dust settling, to see a very large and very familiar face. Mr. X. The tall, large, gray-colored, black trench-coated, black hat wearing monstrosity he dealt with all those years ago. Who knows how many more of them there were.
“Have fun,” Zeno called out with Grace in his arms as he quickly made an exit.
Mr. X made no time at all in striding over to the agent, Leon poised with his gun, aiming to shoot.
“I remember you,” Leon growled. He let out a shell or two, but was grabbed by the monster, thrown back through the wall until his back collided with the one outside the room, his spine almost breaking in two on impact. Leon let out a loud scream of pain, coughing some more. “I…remember that…too… ugh…”
Mr. X approached and Leon reacted quickly. His body couldn’t take much more. And his child was in danger. He aimed his Requiem at the ceiling, firing off, watching the material collapse on top of the large being, giving Leon some reprieve to at least clutch his stomach and gain his footing.
“Sorry, little one. Hope you’re okay. Sherry, wasn’t there an orphanage nearby?”
“Yes, there was. Why?”
“I’m gonna do some digging.”
It wasn't easy trying to dodge the tyrant while Leon searched. Mr. X was dangerously persistent, cornering Leon a number of times, with Leon just barely managing to escape. He'd found himself back outside of the RPD, having lost the tyrant for now, Leon hoped. He couldn't waste another minute dealing with this monster. He needed to find and destroy Elpis as soon as possible, before Zeno got his hands on it, but more importantly, he needed to save Grace. He realized he was her only hope at this point. Like hell he was gonna allow Zeno to hurt her. Crossing the barren street, past a few rusting cars, Leon suddenly heard movement from far away behind him. He turned and saw a downed helicopter on the roof of an old building, but then saw the tyrant standing next to it, appearing to grab something.
No.
Fucking.
Way.
It was a missile.
“Fuck me,” Leon murmured to himself before he hightailed it and ran as fast he could go, given his size. He ran into an open area behind him with little to no cover, only to be blasted forward by the approaching missile that exploded just behind him. It was a miracle Leon only suffered a launch into a rusted car back first, landing on the ground again. Figures. This always happened to him. Why him? He barely had time to react to Mr. X’s second approach, the monster tyrant having soared through the air, landing on another car in front of him, readied with another missile. What the fuck? Where was he getting these from?! It didn’t matter. All Leon could think about was making it out alive. For his baby, for Grace, for himself. For everyone else he failed. He raised his gun from where he sat, aiming it at the missile.
“I couldn’t save them…but I can stop bastards like you!” And fired his gun. Bullseye.
There was a loud boom, fire exploding, and Leon smirked at himself, hoping that took care of the damn creature. At least for now. Now he could get himself to safety.
But he was wrong.
In an instant, Mr. X came out of the smoke and began transforming. Because of course he would. His left side grew in size, extra muscles on top of muscles on tentacles, maybe. Leon was exhausted. His heavy belly just beginning to twinge even more, a sharp pain suddenly shooting up his back. He collapsed back on the ground, trying to soothe his pain away, reassure his baby that they were fine as the tyrant approached and suddenly, Leon began to panic. He realized he couldn't move. The pain in his back, which had turned even sharper, coupled with the cramping in his stomach, had rendered Leon defenseless. Vulnerable. Like some kind of pathetic wounded animal, he tried to crawl away, yelping loudly in pain as his back screamed at him. The tyrant grew closer, until he was officially towering over Leon.
This is it, Leon thought. This was how he and his child would die. Back in Raccoon city, exposed on the ground, by the monstrous hand of a bioweapon that he had sworn to defeat for the last time.
A rush of desperation flooded Leon, as he stopped crawling, and dared to do something he never thought he'd be capable of. He begged.
"Please...please." Leon didn't even try to internally reprimand himself. The will to live, the will for his child to live, was too great. "L-Let me go, p-please...please!" he begged. "Please don't hurt them...please don't hurt them..." Leon's pleas steadily turned into something that bordered on a sob. Desperate. Terrified. “Please…don’t hurt my baby…” Leon teared up at that, his lip quivering; thinking about how he’ll never get to see their face, hold their little hand in his finger, see them smile…how they’ll never meet their dad.
He shut his eyes, just waiting for the final blow, tears streaming down his face. But...nothing happened. Leon dared to open his eyes again, only to be face to face with the massive grotesque tyrant staring down at his belly. Leon froze in fear, trembling. That’s when Mr. X put a large hand on his bump.
“No!! DON’T!!!" Leon shouted and jumped at the touch, worrisome thoughts going through his head. Thoughts he dare not say out loud. The tyrant didn’t move. He just held his hand in place, no harsh pressure. Leon didn’t move, not knowing what was happening. Only when he felt his baby kicking around did the tyrant look up into Leon’s eyes. The baby kicked into the tyrant’s hand. It’s as if the monster knew what it was moving around inside of Leon.
And just when Leon imagined the worst, believing that this truly was the end...
Mr. X silently stood back up to full height, turned...
And started to walk away.
Leon's eyes widened. Nothing had happened. How had nothing happened?! He managed to sit himself up, still afraid that the tyrant would suddenly turn back around and slaughter him. But Mr. X kept walking. And walking. And walking. And he continued to walk, until the tyrant disappeared into the thick dust of the dead city. Relief struck Leon so hard that he practically became lightheaded, falling back over and taking in deep, heavy breaths. He couldn't believe it. He'd been spared. Actually spared by a monster, that had seemed to retain some sense of its once-humanity. Mr. X never came back. Never turned around and charged Leon like something out of his darkest nightmares. He was gone.
"Fuck...oh my god..." Leon gasped, trying to pull himself together. It had been a bit since he'd last let his emotions get this raw. He blamed part of it on his pregnancy, but at the same time, he knew that he had been keeping his emotional side locked up for a long while now. Trying to will his heartrate back down, and get a tab on his breathing, Leon eventually sat himself back up, and then managed to get to his feet. The tears that had streaked down his face earlier left behind the dryness that he absolutely detested. He angrily brushed at his eyes, and then gave a well-earned sigh, reaching down to gently caress his rounded stomach.
"...Thank you," he mumbled.
---
His journey to ARK didn't go without many more obstacles in the way. Having to rappel down into a deep pit while pregnant was...something. Making his way through an old subway train. Not to mention fighting the nasty flowers he wasn't fond of before he was finally in front of the large door that led inside. After a few maneuvers, Leon was able to make his way in, finding the place pristine and sterile. Interesting. After all these years, he thought there would be some sort of dirt and grime. He wouldn't ask questions. He knew better.
Regardless, he made his way in, combating soldiers and a mercenary on the way to the Pandora room, where he saw Grace and Zeno on a security camera. That's when all the previous hell broke loose. They weren't easy to take out, but the Licker from of the containment room created a good distraction from himself that he was able to take out the soldiers. Then the Licker, of course. Can't have those damn things lurking around.
There was only one hallway standing between him and Grace. The damn mercenary who proved to be one tough bastard. It was difficult to get around him and avoid the man's ax while his belly got in the way, and he noticed more twinges of pain. But Leon pushed through, ignoring the snide remarks he got from the masked bastard. Leon was able to take him out in a blow to the neck, then upper cut into the man's jaw, taking off half his face until he fell down dead. Leon panted heavily afterwards, slinging the blood from his ax blade as he continued his journey down the hall.
"Take number two," Leon murmured to himself. He approached with his pistol drawn, the automatic doors opening at his presence. The room was humongous, crafted in a cylindrical shape that seemed to have no top or bottom, miles in length. And at the very center of it was Zeno and Grace. They were standing before some kind of mechanism, of which Leon assumed held Elpis. He stalked forward, gun drawn at the ready, and hearing Zeno address Grace.
"This is as far as we could get," Zeno stated. "If the wrong password is entered, the ARK will be destroyed, and Elpis will be lost forever. So tell me, Grace..."
Leon quickened his steps.
"What's the password?"
"I-I-I don't know."
"Of course you do. You're the--"
Grace was the first to catch sight of Leon. Her eyes lit up.
"Leon!" she called out.
Leon held his gun firm, trained on the menace standing unbothered.
"Don't embarrass yourself, Mr. Kennedy," Zeno sneered, pursing his lips and tightening his shoulders. "You can't beat me."
He may have been right, but Leon was sure as hell gonna give it his best shot. He fired off one, two, three rounds, with Zeno dodging them with terrifying ease, movements clearly non-human, like he predicted every single shot before it even left Leon's gun. That didn't stop Leon from unloading more bullets, until suddenly Zeno had an elaborate gun drawn right at the agent's head.
"Aren't we fancy?" Leon remarked. He thrust his elbow back, hitting Zeno in the jaw, knocking him back a little, before reaching for his hatchet and slicing it into the man's lower arm. Zeno retaliated, deflecting Leon's proceeding punch, and sharply elbowed Leon square in the throat. The move was quick to incapacitate the agent, as Leon stumbled to his knees, choking and gasping for air. It gave Zeno enough time casually regenerate the damage done to his arm, with him training his gun back onto Leon, who had managed to get back to his feet, refusing to be knocked down. But Zeno was a force to be reckoned with, countering Leon's attacks yet again, before dealing a supernatural blow to the agent's chest which sent Leon flying and skidding across the floor; his gun sliding away from his reach. Leon grunted in agony, his chest pounding, his large stomach scraping the ground. He turned and coughed up blood onto the floor, trying to sit up. Oh no. He wouldn’t go down this easy. But another bout of pain ripped through his abdomen. He tried to conceal his discomfort.
“You’re becoming a real pest, you know that? You and your shit spawn...” Zeno spat as he approached the fallen agent, cocking his pistol. Leon turned to look up at him, trying to catch his winded breath. He barely registered the barrel being pointed at him.
“Don’t move!” Grace shouted, getting Zeno’s attention. But only for split second before he turned back, ready to pull the trigger.
Grace tried again, “W-WAIT!”
Zeno looked at her after the barked order as she put Leon's gun to her head, threatening.
“You still need me…right?”
Zeno snarled, not taking his gun off of Leon as he approached Grace. Leon thought quickly on his feet, unholstering his Requiem and firing it at a large mechanical arm of sorts at the joint, successfully knocking it down. Everyone looked up to watch it land, Zeno stepping back and Grace jumping out of the way. Luckily, the device fell in between him and Grace with Zeno cut off on the other side. Leon managed to get to his feet, running for Grace as the arm kept collapsing. He saw an option that may have been dumb in the heart of the moment, but it was all he could think of.
Leon raced towards Grace, grabbing her by the arm.
“Come on!”
She ran with him as he grabbed ahold of the mechanical arm with a free hand, still not letting her go.
“Hang on tight!”
Grace did. Together, they swung over the side as the arm fell, scraping the wall on its way down into the abyss below. Grace screamed in panic but kept holding on. Leon held her tight, looking for an opportunity. He saw small platforms that circled around on the walls when he entered earlier. If they get close to one at just the right moment, yes! One of them was just to pass under their feet. Timing was everything. He released Grace's hand, causing the girl to shriek as she dropped, but her feet quickly made contact with the platform, with Leon not too far behind her. He grabbed her shoulders, pulling her back to steady her.
"I got you."
Together they both looked up, seeing Zeno glaring down at them, his gun pointed in their direction, before he slowly withdrew it. The platform they had landed on turned, and started to travel down a conveyer line. Grace saw the fresh blood on Leon's lips, hearing him give a few hoarse coughs.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Me? I feel like a million bucks," Leon managed to joke, giving her a thumbs up. The platform continued to move, slowly bringing them along.
"Wh-Where does this take us?" Grace wondered aloud.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Leon admitted. They had arrived at some kind of clearing. A room filled with rust, grime, and various discarded machinery. Some kind of trash compactor area. Leon deduced that it was probably best to dismount, now that they had enough distance from Zeno.
"Time to get off. Come on."
He gently urged Grace off first, who leapt down onto the garbage below. Leon jumped down after, and it wasn't until his feet hit solid ground did he quickly realize that he truly wasn't okay.
"Wh-What now?" Grace asked. "...Leon?"
Leon tried to answer, but nothing came out. He swayed dangerously. His eyes rolled back, and he steadily tumbled to the ground, rolling down the small hill of slimy debris.
"Leon!!!"
---
Grace didn’t know how long it had been since Leon fainted. She'd managed to get to where he was and rolled him over onto his back. To which then she sat away from him to give him space and also to keep herself from having another panic attack. At least she wasn’t alone. And Leon was still breathing so she was confident he’d wake up…eventually. She sat and rocked slightly, with her elbows on her knees, taking shaky breaths. While she waited for him to wake, she couldn’t help but observe him while he lay there. His large belly stuck out like a sore thumb, while his arms and neck were covered in the blackened veins. It was miraculous that he’d made it this far, not only with the pregnancy but with this, what, infection going on? Grace admired his spirit to keep fighting, even if his body was against him.
But soon, Leon began to stir, letting out a few coughs and taking in some deep breaths.
“Leon,” Grace called out softly to him. She crawled over to his side. “Are you okay?”
Leon just looked up and around him, trying to get his bearings on where he was. “How long was I out?”
“I-I-I don’t know. A-Awhile.”
Leon was able to fully sit up, taking in breaths like they were his last. Grace swallowed as she saw just how far the infection had spread up the side of his face. She wanted to confirm her suspicions but wasn’t quite sure how to ask.
“Those marks…”
Leon sighed, looking at her. “It’s T-Virus…stage three infection.”
Grace let out a sad huff. “I-if you’re so sick…why would you come here?”
A broken look crossed Leon's face as he stared back at her, breathing deeply. "This place...Raccoon City was where it all began for me." He paused. "When it all happened, I-I couldn't--" Leon's lower lip trembled, feeling tears rush to the surface, threatening to spill over. "I couldn't make a difference. So I am here, now."
"B-But, Leon, you..." Grace trailed off. She watched how Leon subconsciously held his stomach. She didn't want to pry into the man's personal life, but after witnessing him endure so much while still carrying his child, Grace felt she should know the truth. "Wh-When are you due?"
Leon sighed again, staring off into the distance, before glancing back at Grace. "...Any day now."
Grace shook her head, defeat painting her features. "W-We can't stop Zeno."
It pained Leon to admit to himself, but she was right. Zeno clearly possessed abilities that would no doubt make short work of Leon the next time they tangled. He furrowed his eyebrows, remembering what the man had said earlier.
"He said something about you having a password. What was he talking about?"
“I-I don’t know! I’m sorry, I--“ Grace stammered, feeling embarrassed and confused. She had nothing to be embarrassed about, but people were asking something of her she had no idea about that maybe she should’ve. Regardless, Leon didn’t seem phased.
“It’s okay. I’m just glad you’re alright,” Leon replied softly. Giving a few coughs, he made himself stand to which Grace was right by his side, helping to ease him up on his feet by supporting his back.
“Here, let me…” she offered as she did this. Leon nodded at her in thanks, grabbing the underside of his belly with a strained huff.
“I’m going back,” Leon said once he fully stood upright, making sure his Requiem was in reach. “I’m gonna destroy Elpis.”
“I-I’m coming with you,” Grace replied, ready with her flashlight in hand.
Leon just shook his head at her. “No, you’re not.” He began walking away.
Grace wasn’t giving up that easily though and he admired her spirit. “I don’t want anymore regrets,” she said. “Whatever it takes, count me in!”
Leon stopped in his tracks at the words; words he knew all too well. He turned to look at her, her sorrowful eyes filled with remorse for what transpired between her and Emily, how she was in all this to begin with. All Leon could think about was at the beginning of all of this, all those thirty years ago, he said the exact same thing. To Ada. What he said back then, he heard his younger self within Grace. He couldn’t turn away from that. She was a strong person, determined, and tenacious. It was admirable. It gave him hope.
He studied her for a minute or so before replying back, “If anything happens to me…to us, you promise me, you’ll end this.”
Grace nodded, replying softly, “I promise.”
---
A nemesis.
A goddamn nemesis.
Even Leon was surprised when Victor Gideon's true form was revealed. A monster capable of regeneration and unquantifiable levels of destruction. It explained why Victor was so damn relentless, and why he had lived for so long in Spencer's immortal shadow. And a few weeks back, when Leon himself had been knocking at Death's door, even he would have admitted that he wouldn't be capable of taking on such an abomination. But that changed the moment he was cured. When Elpis was released, and issued directly into his veins by Grace. All along it had been not a weapon, but an antiviral. Created by Spencer as his atonement to humanity, a requiem for those who had passed because of him. And when Leon no longer felt the aggravating, constant pain of the T-Virus within his body, no longer felt crippled by its lasting ache with every breath, he knew exactly what came next. He was going to finally end this. To bury Umbrella's last skeleton, once and for all. Victor, or at least what was left of him, screeched and writhed in agony as Leon boldly stepped forward. The agent shot off both of the monster's arms, and then he raised his gun, one final time.
"This time...you ain't getting back up."
One final shot was all it took. Aiming for a large bulbous eye-like appendage, Leon squeezed the trigger, the bullet piercing through the fleshy mound, turning into an explosion of blood and mucus. Victor let out a horrible final screech, the rest of what was once his body shriveling into a gray oozing husk, leaving Leon standing on his own. He let out a few huffs of breath, holding up his belly as it began spasming under him. The room was starting to collapse little by little, threatening to bury him.
Grace.
He had to find Grace. Had to find her and get them out of here.
Leon struggled to walk, feeling pressure growing in his pelvis. He ignored it as best he could, calling out Grace’s name. He found her lying on the platform, her stomach covered in blood. He raced over to her, kneeling by her side.
“Grace,” he called out softly to her.
She stirred from the floor, looking up at him with half lidded eyes, confused and exhausted. “Leon…”
“Cmon. We have to get you up,” Leon told her, helping her sit up. She screamed out in pain. Leon released her, the room crumbling even harder now. He looked around them, trying to figure a way out, ignoring the stab of pain in his belly.
“Don’t you dare, little one. Not now…” Leon mumbled to himself.
The room was slowly going dark, the lights one by one blowing out. Leon felt helpless for once in his life.
“...There’s no way out is there…?” Grace’s soft sad voice called out.
Leon looked back at her, seeing her expression look just as helpless as his own. Their surroundings continued to crumble. Any possible exit had been blocked. And Leon stared at the ground in silence, before walking over to Grace.
"Well, I'm not gonna leave your side," he said, managing to sit himself down with a pained grunt. "I'm gonna sit right here with you."
Together, they watched as the crumbling of the structure slowly lessened, becoming quieter. Giant LED lights around them gradually fizzled out, until only one was left burning, barely illuminating the space. Grace looked to Leon.
"...I guess this is it then," she quietly admitted. Leon met her gaze, trying to manage a smile, until the pain in his stomach became too much for even him. He groaned loudly and doubled over, falling onto his side.
"Ah fuck..."
"Leon!" Grace was immediately set on high alert, crawling over and gently touching his shoulder. "A-Are you okay?"
"Shit..." Leon swore, breathing heavily, and feeling his stomach tighten and spasm again. He was experiencing contractions.
Fuck.
"They're coming..." he gasped out.
Grace furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, until it hit her what Leon was referring to. Panic rose in her voice, her breaths starting to shake. “Oh s-s-shit. Shit shit shit! W-what do I do?”
“Hey, hey, aggh, it’s okay. Yeah?” Leon looked at her, trying to reassure and calm her down. Grace nodded at him, attempting to steady her breathing. “Okay, good. Help me out of my pants…please.”
Grace nodded again, waiting for Leon to roll onto his back before she reached down to unfasten his belt, button, and zipper. Leon helped her by hooking his fingers into the seams, pushing them--along with his underwear too--down past his hips. Grace took care of the rest of the way, peeling his garments off of his legs and removing his shoes, leaving Leon naked to air. He grunted in pain again, another harsh contraction rippling through his pelvic region, rendering him immobile for a short second or so before he tried rolling again into his hands and knees.
“Fuck…they’re determined,” Leon joked as he shifted onto his knees.
“N-n-now what?” Grace asked shakily behind him.
Her question was answered by Leon crying out. She'd heard the man in pain before, but never like this. And Leon himself had never heard such a heavy sound leave his own mouth. The pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced. Throughout his rookie cop days leading up to today, he'd been beaten, shot at, blown up, flung through walls more times than he could count. But this pain was different. It wasn't aching or maddening like the T-Virus. It was deep, twisting, pulsing. Leon tried to catch his breath.
"Just...AAAUUGHHH!!!" he screamed out again, now realizing that his body was bearing down hard. The contractions were making him push. And for a moment, the pain overwhelmed Leon. His breaths rushed out quicker, almost panicked. His eyes widened. He felt nauseous, and then dizzy. But then...
"Leon! Leon, l-look at me!" Grace was suddenly kneeling in front of him. "G-Grab my hands!" she instructed. Leon looked up, and saw Grace holding out her hands. He took them, and she held tightly. "Look at me, Leon, o-okay?" she asked. "Breathe. In...a-and out. Okay? In...and out."
Leon smiled at her, the situation managing to make him chuckle. He did as told, taking in some deep breaths to compensate for the pain he was feeling. He remembered his classes he took with Chris, too. How to do proper Lamaze breathing to keep focus as his body did what was natural. They breathed together, another large contraction seizing his belly and Leon belted out another shout, squeezing Grace’s hands hard. She squeezed back, not letting his death grip crush her own.
“You’re doing g-great, Leon. Just keep breathing,” Grace encouraged him. She breathed with him, so they’d be in sync.
“Thank you, Grace,” Leon said, his voice genuine.
“A-are you ready to push?” she asked.
“Yeah…yeah, I have to. Can I lean against you?” Leon asked.
“Uh, y-y-yeah, of course,” Grace replied, scooting closer to him to hold his chest against hers. Leon wrapped his arms around her shoulders, turning his head away from her ear so he wouldn’t scream into it. She couldn’t help but put a soothing hand on the back of his head to reassure him. “Go ahead, Leon. I’m--I’m not going anywhere.”
The next slew of pain he felt, Leon began pushing, grunting with the effort and letting out a scream when he had to. He hoped to whatever existed out there that he wouldn't have be subjected to this agony ever again. Next time, Chris was gonna have the next baby...
It took another hour of pushing, until Leon felt even more pressure between legs.
"G-Grace," he stuttered out. "Please check on them."
"Oh, r-r-right!" Grace gently had Leon lay down on his back, spreading his legs, and then she gasped. "Oh my god, I-I can see the head!"
"Y-Yeah, I thought so," Leon managed to chuckle. He reached for Grace's hand again, taking it and squeezing it, having her attention. "Just tell me if anything changes."
"I will," Grace promised. She watched as Leon endured another few pushes, continuing to coax him to breathe when the pain became too much for him. And then suddenly, the head was squeezed out. It briefly startled Grace, as she made a noise of surprise.
"Is the head out?" Leon rasped.
"Y-Yes! It is!" she confirmed.
“Okay, good,” Leon replied with a smile. “Fuck…here comes another one…ggggrrrruuuuhhhh!”
He pushed hard, knowing the shoulders would be tough to get past next. He could smell the amniotic fluids amongst other things that he tried not to think about. It was normal. All of this was normal. And he wasn’t alone.
“Doing good, Leon. They’re almost here. Um, I-I’m gonna have to catch them, I think. I have to let go of your hand,” Grace told him apologetically.
Leon panted rapidly, pressing on his side before he nodded. Grace got between his legs, reaching down for the baby’s shoulders. She held her hands there, looking at the gray skin.
“It--it looks gray. I-is that okay?” Grace asked him. She wished she knew more about this stuff, feeling silly for having to ask. But Leon didn’t judge her.
“Yeah, yeah, that’s normal. Just be ready to catch, yeah?” he told her.
“Y-yeah, I-I’m ready.”
Leon bore down, giving it his all, making sure to push with each harsh pain he felt. The baby slipped further and further out, giving Grace time to grab it by the shoulders. Leon was exhausted, his body drenched in sweat, his muscles feeling weakened. He began crying out of frustration. Briefly, Grace put her hand on his thigh.
"I-It's okay, Leon. You're almost there! Keep pushing!" she encouraged. Leon reached up to wipe at his eyes, so badly wanting this to end. But he knew he was close. All of this pain would be worth it, he was sure of it. Leon threw his head back, screaming out to the heavens, putting everything he had into another, hefty push, hands clawing at the metal ground beneath him. Until...
"Oh my god, i-it's out! Leon, it's out!"
The moment those words reached his ears, Leon's entire body relaxed, for the first time in many years. He became limp, panting loudly, staring up at the crumbling ceiling above him. It was over. Finally, after carrying such a delicate, yet strong life within his own body for nine grueling months, it was over. Grace brought the newborn to her chest, starting to gently bounce them. She saw the cord still attached.
"I-I, um...w-we need to cut the cord, right?" she asked.
"Knife...on my belt," Leon muttered loud enough for her to hear.
Grace cradled the infant into her chest as she reached for his knife, her arm getting slippery. She grabbed the knife and sliced through the cord.
“You…need to tie it…Grace,” Leon instructed, panting heavily, trying to catch his breath. She nodded and did just that, trying to knot it as best she could.
“W-what about the placenta?” she asked him.
“It’ll come out eventually,” Leon murmured. “Let me see them, please?”
“Of course, of course!” Grace carefully but quickly got to his side as he sat up. She handed off the small being into Leon’s awaiting arms. It was at this point the baby started to cry, making Leon’s heart happy. He didn't even think to check for its breath, but that confirmed it was okay. Then he looked down, his eyes watering even more.
“…it’s a girl,” Leon muttered. “She’s beautiful, Chris...”
“Good job, Leon. You did it!”
“With thanks to you,” Leon looked up and smiled at her.
She smiled back. “I-is Chris her…father?”
Leon smiled and cried harder, wiping the corner of his eye. “Yeah, he is. I wish he was here…”
Suddenly, the final light that had been burning this entire time finally fizzled out, plunging Leon and Grace into total darkness.
"Leon?" Grace called out, only a little frightened as she reached out to hold onto him.
"I'm here," Leon answered. "Don't worry. We're gonna be okay."
And as if to prove his point, their temporary darkness was suddenly illuminated by a bright LED light blasted from above. They both momentarily flinched at the intensity of it, until they saw multiple armed people rappelling down on long ropes. One in particular landed a few feet away from them. Leon tensed immediately, holding his baby tighter to his chest, ready to defend.
"Leon S. Kennedy?" the stranger addressed them.
"Depends who's asking," Leon replied, his guard fully up.
"Alpha. Do you read me, sir?" the stranger spoke up, presumably into his radio, as he began walking towards them. "Yeah, they're safe. I got 'em. Yes, sir." He easily knelt in front of them, his sights briefly landing on the infant in Leon's arms. They heard him give a sigh. "Thank god...Mr. Kennedy, I have a message from Captain Redfield."
---
“Well I’ll be damned. Can’t believe the antiviral worked. I feel better than I have in ages,” Leon said into his comm, walking on the surface after Grace, him, and his baby were rescued from the rubble of the ARK. The surface looked a lot different, search beams and fires going on. No zombies or killer plants to be seen. Leon did wonder what happened to the tyrant after it walked off to who knows where. That’ll probably just be it. Who knows where. His baby squirmed in his arm under the warm blanket as he walked towards the helicopter Grace was being cared for in.
“Thank god. I’m glad you’re okay,” Sherry replied in his ear.
“I got a dose with your name on it. You’ll be back in action in no time. And I got someone for you to meet.”
“Thank you, Leon,” Sherry said, of which Leon was sure she was smiling from ear to ear. “And...wait, is...are they here?” she asked, suddenly catching on to his last statement.
“Yeah. A little girl. Right there on the floor. Couldn’t have done it without Grace. And it would’ve been even smoother if Chris hadn’t been late to the party.” He shifted the newborn in his arms, smiling as she gurgled in her sleep.
“You’re amazing, Leon. All of this while…you’re an absolute trooper. Where is Chris anyway? He needs to meet his little one!”
“Don’t know. I’m sure I’ll run into him at some point. We know how he is.”
Leon then spotted Grace.
"Hey, I'll call you back."
An agent was handing her a cup of something hot, and she was wearing a recovery blanket over her shoulders. Smiling, Leon headed over, watching how Grace stared down into her cup.
"It's over, then," Leon stated, walking up to her.
"Yeah," Grace agreed. "Elpis really was our last hope."
Leon shifted his weight, very gently bouncing his newborn child. "Well, let's pray Umbrella hasn't left us any more nasty surprises."
"I wish we could've saved Emily," Grace said with a sad sigh, looking away in despair. But she glanced back up at the tiny bundle in Leon's arms. "...But I'm glad I could help save you. The both of you."
"Grace..." Leon said, stepping closer. "I didn't hit any of her vitals. She could still be alive."
"What are you saying?"
"Maybe we can save her."
The two of them shared a big smile, silently understanding.
"Leon!" a deeper voice suddenly called out.
Leon turned at the sound, immediately perking up. He was looking at his husband, Chris Redfield, striding over to him with the look of concern on his face.
“Chris,” Leon greeted as his husband approached, grabbed his face, and kissed him hard on the mouth. Chris was mindful of the bundle in Leon’s arms though, not waning to crush it. After a minute or two of Chris kissing and breathing Leon in, Leon returning the gesture in kind, Chris pulled back with his palms cupping Leon’s face, scrunching his eyes as tears welled up.
“I thought I’d lost you…” Chris whispered, caressing his face like Leon wasn’t real. “You had me worried sick.”
“You know me. Always full of surprises,” Leon replied with a smirk.
“Smartass,” Chris replied, kissing him again. “Let me see her.”
Leon smiled at him, offering the blanketed baby to his husband, peeling back the fabric to expose her soft face.
"Goddamn..." Chris quietly swore, holding his daughter close to his chest. "She's amazing." He then looked up at Leon, and a small frown replaced his smile. He motioned with his head for Leon to follow him, of which Leon looked back at Grace.
"Give me a minute," he asked, offering an apologetic smile as he walked away with Chris.
"O-Of course," Grace replied.
Once Leon and Chris were no longer within earshot, Chris faced his husband, eyebrows pinned down in a glare.
"...You shouldn't have gone. I fucking told you not to go alone."
Leon quietly sighed through his nose. He knew this conversation was coming. "I wasn't gonna sit back and just let Umbrella's stragglers wander free," he said.
“You could’ve died,” Chris snapped, tears flowing down his cheeks.
“But I didn’t,” Leon replied with a lifted eyebrow.
“Don’t. This serious, Leon.”
“I am taking it seriously.”
“It’s one thing to go out up against this, but to include her? By yourself?!”
Leon rolled his eyes. “You should’ve seen her in action. She killed more zombies with her little finger than I can dream of. She’s a warrior, Chris. Just like her dad.”
Chris scoffed, opening and closing his mouth, stunned at what to say. Leon had that effect on him sometimes. “I could punch you right now. You fucking stubborn--”
“That can wait until we get home.”
“You’re an idiot!”
“But I’m your idiot.” Leon murmured, approaching his irate husband, kissing him on the cheek to clean it of tears. Chris just sighed, pinching his nose.
“Grace helped me by the way.”
“The woman you were out to find?” Chris asked.
Leon nodded. “Yeah. She’s smart, and tough as nails, Chris. Wouldn’t have been able to do this on my own without her there.” Leon referred to their daughter, stroking her cheek. Chris sighed again, looking back at his husband. Every bone in his body wanted to strangle him, scream his lungs out, slam the door on his stupid, pretty face. But he realized that now wasn't the time. At least not in public where they were fully on display for Grace and the BSAA to see. And when Leon mentioned Grace being the reason for Leon and his daughter surviving, it was enough to ease off Chris' tension. He looked over at Grace, giving a little smile, before looking back down at the baby in his hold.
"...You come up with a name?" Chris asked.
"I was thinking maybe Claire," Leon replied, smirking.
"Heh, you kidding me? She'll be over the fuckin' moon to learn you named our daughter after her."
"Figured it wouldn't hurt."
Chris nodded, of which they walked back over to Grace, who now had a look of curiosity on her face, as Chris approached her.
"Thank you, Grace, for saving my dumbass husband. Along with my daughter..."
Grace looked up at him and nodded nervously. “O-of course. You’re welcome.”
“I’m glad you’re safe too. The BSAA thanks you, Ms. Ashcroft. We’ll make sure Elpis gets into the right hands,” Chris replied back.
“I’m just glad it’s over,” Grace replied, humbled and timid.
“Things like this are never truly over, Ms. Ashcroft. If you ever want a change in career, there’s a place available for you.”
Grace looked up at that, curious. “M-me?”
Chris nodded. “With your adeptness and bravery, you’re a perfect fit.”
“…T-thank you.”
Chris smiled at her before asking, “Would you like to hold her?”
"O-Oh, um...w-would that be alright?" Grace sounded even more nervous than usual.
"Of course," Chris reassured.
"O-Okay."
Timidly, Grace extended her hands and arms. Leon watched with fondness as little baby Claire was slowly deposited into Grace's comforting arms. Grace looked down at the infant in wonder, keeping her as close as possible, and then smiling.
"H-Hey there," she softly cooed. The baby made a face, before looking up at Grace with wide, curious eyes, quietly watching her. Grace giggled. "You're so small. B-But strong too," she added, briefly glancing up at Leon, who grinned at the sight. Grace smiled, ever so gently running her fingers over Claire's soft strands of hair. "...This must've been how my mother felt...when she first held me."
"I know she'd be incredibly proud of you today, Grace," said Leon. Grace looked up with a grin.
"Thank you, Leon."
It was a tender moment amidst all of the chaos that had unfolded. Both Leon and Chris knew that things were far from over, even with the discovery of Elpis and the elimination of Victor and Zeno. But they could both agree that for now, everything felt perfect.
And whatever came their way, they would face it.
Together.