Archive of Our Own

October, 1999, 13 months after Raccoon City

Leon sat in his designated bunk with two hands soothing his belly, quietly feeling his daughter move within him. Now that he was close to bringing her into the world, he was relieved of training until she was born, but it didn’t come without a price. The other soldiers stared, pointed, and laughed at his expense. He was the pretty-boy rookie who’d slept with an upper ranking soldier outside of their regiment, just a few months after he’d joined. 

Chris Redfield was a good man who’d treated Leon well from the beginning, and promised he’d do everything he could to help, but it didn’t make things any less difficult at work. He seemed to understand him and was far kinder than most. He didn’t call him names or treat him any differently, unlike many of Leon’s fellow soldiers and other upper ranks. Chris was already inclined to trust Leon, after his little sister talked highly of him. So, naturally, the pair bonded rather quickly, as if they’d been close their whole lives, and now Leon was pregnant with his child. 

He’d done everything he could to protect Leon thus far. Sometimes it did more damage than good, when others talked about him being Chris’ favorite or boy toy, but it was better than not having Chris at his side in this, even when he was far too busy doing his own job to always be there. 

Chris hated the way Leon was treated, but Leon swore he could handle it, so long as their baby cradled in his womb was fine. He could stomach the insults and Krauser’s heartless demands as long as she was safe at the end of the day. 

Leon wanted the baby they accidentally made, in a moment of shared lapsed judgment and emotions. She was a chance at a new life, a symbol of hope and good things still being made in this world. He spent every waking moment of the last year thinking about the life he’d been forced into, but her little hiccups, flutters, and kicks reminded him that good things were still possible, even in a world shrouded in dark, suffering. 

A fellow soldier knocked on the door frame to their shared room, which startled Leon from his moment of quiet focus. “Krauser wants you. Don’t have too much fun.” They snickered and slipped away from the room, leaving Leon alone once more. 

Leon slipped off his bunk and adjusted his jacket along his arms, and laced his finger tips through his hair for just a moment. Before he headed out the door, he pulled an ultrasound photo from his bag and flipped it upside down to stare at a little message from her father on the back. His thumb grazed over a heart drawn in ink. She was loved so deeply by Chris, from the moment Leon gave him the news with terrified, trembling hands. 

After spending a few extra seconds examining his daughter’s ultrasound, he placed the photo back into his bag and finally moved out the door of his shared bunk room. Once out of the sleeping area, he slipped past a few other people who dropped in sweat from a rigorous workout routine downstairs. Leon did his best to ignore the constant eyes on him, and the whispers that followed.

He glanced to the stairs beside an elevator and decided it best to not overexert himself if he didn’t have to. Stairs had proven themselves difficult as of recent. Leon pressed the upper floor button to head upstairs and rested one hand on his child. 

Once upstairs, Leon quietly made his way to his mentor’s office. He hesitantly placed one hand on Krauser’s doorknob and opened it slowly to let himself in.

“Close the door. Let’s talk.” Krauser gave a conniving chuckle and stood from his desk. 

Leon followed orders and closed the door behind him with a thick, tight swallow. 

“Come closer, boy.” He waited for Leon to inch towards his desk, just as he was told, then spoke once more. “I’ve got word from on high that tell me Sherry won’t be so safe and sound anymore, if you quit the damn job you were given to whore yourself out. So, you pop that kid out and give it up, or you give up Sherry. Your choice, Rookie.”

Leon clenched his jaw. Krauser was a cruel devil. There was no real choice, but maybe his daughter would at least have a chance if he found her someone who’d love her just as much as he and her father did. 

“Should'a listened when we told you to abort the damn thing, pretty boy. Then you wouldn’t be in this position. Maybe I’d be nicer if you didn’t fuck around with Redfield.”

“I get it, sir,” Leon swallowed. It was no secret that the only reason Leon had gotten away with this, was because Krauser wanted Leon for himself. He’d let Leon keep his hair long as a display of showing him off as his favorite, and abused Leon to keep him close. It was clear Krauser believed Leon needed reminding who he took orders from, and it wasn’t an upper rank outside of their regiment. It was Krauser. The only man who kept Krauser from forcing Leon to terminate the pregnancy was Chris Redfield. Chris meant another person of higher rank was there for him. Leon’s closeness to him was a threat to Krauser’s control, and the baby within him only made matters worse. “You’ve made it clear.”

“Watch your little tongue. Don’t want somebody less kind than me to cut it off someday. I treat you well. I want you back on the field training with me the second the bastard’s out. Now get out of my sight.” 

Tears pricked in the corner of Leon’s eyes as he tried his back to keep his composure, which had become increasingly more difficult the last few months. “Yes sir.”

One more month to be with her. One more. One more month to dream of a comfortable, impossible life with their baby. One more month to call her his own, until she was ripped away from him forever. If he was forced to give her up, he had to believe someone will love her like he does, no matter how much Krauser bit venomous words into him.

Leon instinctively placed one hand on his baby as Krauser’s sharp gaze watched him exit the room. 

Once he was far enough away from Krauser’s office, he stifled a quiet cry. He tried so hard to be brave, even when times were hell, and had proven capable of it more than enough times, but today was not his friend. This was hell. 

He needed to talk to Chris, but couldn’t risk saying a word about Sherry. He’d have to lie, and god, did he want to do anything but lie to him. Leon had to tell him he wanted to give her to a new family instead, after months of planning for her. He had to lie. He had to.

A Few Hours Later

Leon walked out to Chris' truck parked just outside the training grounds and gave his boyfriend in the drivers seat a shy wave.

As Leon drew closer, Chris cranked his window down with his usual smile. "Hey, handsome!"

"Geez, you don't have to lie. I'm huge." Leon gave him a gentle chuckle in return, before leaning in to kiss him through the window. "Mm…you taste like cigarettes."

"I've been smoking on my drive here, sorry." Chris smooched Leon's lips one more time.

"Well, you can make it up to me by unlocking the truck and letting me in. I need to sit down. She's heavy, you know?" Leon poked Chris' nose.

"Okay, okay, I've got you." Chris stretched himself over to manually unlock the passenger side door for Leon and admired his boyfriend as he walked around the front to heave himself into the seat with a strained groan.

Leon closed the passenger door behind him and adjusted himself into the seat. "So, where are we going?"

"Nowhere fancy. Just somewhere quiet until duty calls later today." Chris shifted gears into drive and turned his cassette player down. "How is she?"

"She's good. Still moving. My scans are all coming back healthy. They just said she's getting to be a big baby."

"How big? Is it dangerous for you? Do I need to prepare for anything?"

"They estimated she'll be eight to nine pounds when she's fully grown. They said I should be fine to push her out without too many out of the ordinary complications, but they'll want to keep an eye on me." Leon ran his hand over his round middle. "We're doing good for now. She finally flipped back the way she's supposed to be last night, and I'm hoping she stays that way."

"That's great news, baby. We can't have her breech for you." Chris raised Leon's hand to his lips to press a kiss to his knuckles. "I got her some more baby clothes. Claire helped me pick a few out, since she said my choices were ugly last time."

Leon couldn't help but laugh at that. "Tell her I said thanks. I'm sure she'll look great in anything you two pick out."

"Claire made her a nice blanket, so I tried to find a good cradle to go with it, but figured I should wait for you on that. Maybe one that's real easy for you to reach for her at night?"

Leon closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the headrest. He didn't want to lose this, more than anything, but the truth tugged on his heart. "Would be nice, if I can even have her with me. I can't see them letting her stay." Both hands moved to soothe his bump.

"You'll have time with her before you go back into service. I'll make sure of it."

He opened his eyes again to lazily look at Chris. "And how will you do that?"

"The same way I've stood up for you since the beginning," Chris spoke so certain of himself, almost foolishly. He didn't know what Leon knew. There was no protecting them and Chris couldn't stop it. "I'll do everything I can and I'll be there the whole time." He placed his hand on Leon's closest to him as he drove towards a little creak and parked the truck. "I may not be the smartest tool in the shed…but I know how to be there for my people, even when it's ugly. You're carrying our daughter. There's nothing I won't do to help you."

Leon turned his head as Chris unbuckled his own seatbelt and leaned over to kiss him tenderly. He instinctively adjusted himself to lean back against the door, making Chris chase his lips as he crawled after Leon. "Careful, this is how we got here," Leon chuckled between smooches.

"You say it like it's a bad thing." Chris kissed him again. "Look who we got out of it." He lowered one hand to the hem of Leon's top to place an array of kisses to his bare stomach, taking extra care to love on where her little feet moved under his skin. "I'm so exited to be your dad…"

Leon bit his lip as Krauser's threats clawed at the back of his mind, poisoning their domestic bliss. He had to crush Chris to protect both his children. "Do you think we can do this? What if we're too dangerous for her?"

"Where is this coming from?" Chris kept one hand on Leon's stomach. "We've been preparing for her for months. We're excited…right?"

"I know, but we have to be honest for her. We can't do this, Chris. She needs somewhere safe. Our jobs could get us killed and then she'll have nobody, Wouldn't it be safer for her to be with a family who's far from this hell?"

Chris was a deer in headlights. "I…I thought we wanted her?"

November, 1999, Hope is Born

Within an infirmary, Chris held Leon’s hand as he let out one final cry in excruciating pain, unlike anything he’d ever felt before. 

Leon gasped as their daughters’ gargled, high pitched cries finally filled the room, after two days of agonizing labor. “Holy shit. I did it.” He leaned forward to scoop her soft, waxy vernix covered body into his arms. “Hi baby…hi.” He delicately placed her against his bare chest and rubbed her back. “Shh…it’s okay.”

“Redfield.” One nurse offered him a pair of surgical scissors and a clamp to cut the newborn baby’s umbilical cord, still attached within Leon. “Would you like me to demonstrate?”

Chris slowly took the tools and looked to his child in Leon’s arms. She’d be whisked away soon…this was his only time he’ll ever have with his child. They’d wanted this baby and fought for her, only for Leon to change his mind one month ago. It destroyed Chris. “Yes please,” he finally spoke. 

Leon seemed like a natural with her in his arms. It looked so perfect. If only this moment could last forever. 

Chris carefully followed the nurse’s instructions to cut her cord, then clipped it to protect her little body. “There you go.” He leaned down to kiss her tiny feet. “I love you, Grace.”

Leon cried as he watched Chris tend to their daughter. “I’m so sorry...” He began to rock himself while cradling her. Every emotion in his body exploded tenfold as endorphins and hormones pulsed through his skin. “I’m so sorry. I can’t-I can’t-.” 

If only her father could know the truth. 

Another nurse moved closer to Leon, “we need to inspect the baby’s health, Mr. Kennedy, so we can prepare her to meet a foster family.”  

Chris placed a comforting, gentle hand on Leon’s shoulder as the nurse reached out to their baby. “She’ll be alright, Leon. They’ll find her a safe home,” he attempted to reassure both Leon and himself. “Just like you wanted.”

“No…no you can’t take her. Please don’t take my baby.” His voice felt so small in the room as he pleaded for her. 

“You have already made the decision, Mr. Kennedy,” the nurse gently reminded. “She’ll be alright.”

“It’s not right,” Leon squeaked out. “It’s not fair. You can’t take her from me.” 

The nurse sighed and glanced to a coworker. “Mr. Kennedy, I strongly suggest postpartum therapy as soon as you can. It can be difficult for parents to give up newborns, even if they decided foster care was the best choice for the child.”

No, that wasn’t it at all. They were forcing him. 

Their hands reached out to the newborn against his chest, this time ignoring his pleas until they ripped her from him. 

“Grace!” Leon called out one last time as the nurse slipped out the room, who said nothing to Chris while tears streamed down his face.

July, 2014, the Evening After Vendetta

Leon sat in a hotel room bed with the TV playing the Food Network on mute and a strawberry pop tart in hand. He’d tried it warm this time, which he’d never considered in the past, but Chris said it was good this way and it wasn’t half bad. 

His phone buzzed on the bedside. 

“Mm.” He glanced over to see who had messaged him. 

‘Be there in 2 minutes. Got caught talking with Rebecca.’ 

Leon turned his attention back to his sweet snack and far more appetizing meals on the hotel TV. 

His phone buzzed a second time.

‘Hey dad, Jake was wondering if he could meet up with you for dinner next weekend while I’m out of town. He won’t tell me, but I think he’s going to ask for your permission :)’ 

Leon chuckled and pulled his phone closer to him to reply back. ‘About time. I’ll be back home in a few days. Vacation got cut short. See you soon, kid.’ 

The TV switched over to a commercial break as he sent off the message and bit into his snack. As soon as a diaper ad began to play, he reached for the remote and shut it off. He wasn’t in the best headspace for that today. 

Finally, there was a knock on his hotel room door. With a heave, he slipped off the bed and moved to open the it.

“Hey.” Chris walked into the room and watched Leon close the door behind him before handing Leon a hydrating drink in his favorite flavor. 

“Strawberry kiwi?” 

“You know it. How’s your arm?” 

Leon sighed and took the drink offered to him. “Still hurts but I’m managing. Nothing I can’t handle.” He turned from the doorway, walked Chris further into the room, and twisted his drink open. “The warm pop tarts are weird, by the way.”

“You don’t know what’s good.”

“I think I do, Redfield.” Leon brought the drink to his lips and took a swig.

Chris sat himself down on Leon’s bed and watched his gaze, trying to figure out what he was thinking. Chris knew Leon well enough to know he was struggling like hell fighting a lone man battle. “Mind telling me why you were so deep in the bottle the other day?”

Leon scoffed lightly, “You’re so predictable. I’m fine.”

“I know that’s not true. I know you, Leon,” Chris gently pried. "Better than most."

Leon hesitantly joined Chris on the edge of the bed and took another sip of his drink. “You’re not gonna like it.”

“Leon, I want you to talk to me. Good and ugly.” Chris nearly whispered to him, afraid of frightening Leon off. “None of us can do this job alone.”

“I lied to you," Leon muttered.

Chris raised his brow, confused. “About?” 

“All those years ago, I lied about why I wanted to give up Grace.” Leon choked back his emotions as his eyes glazed over. His thumb ran along the lukewarm bottle in an attempt to soothe himself. He'd hoped drinking his feelings over a vacation would wipe it all away, but it never truly helped.

“Leon. What are you talking about?” Chris inched closer to him, watching Leon bite his lower lip. He did his best to hold back his immediate anger until he heard the full truth from Leon.

“I didn’t want to,” Leon blurted, more timid than he’d intended. “I almost lost you a year ago. Then I found out Sherry was put in danger, after I’ve spent my whole damn life making sure she’s safe.”

“Leon…”

“I never wanted to lose her,” he continued to ramble on, still not answering Chris’ question. 

“Leon, what happened? Tell me.”

Leon’s grip tightened on his bottle. “I was forced to. Was told I had to pick between Grace or Sherry—my fucking kids—and I didn’t have a choice. I-I couldn’t let them hurt Sherry. Not after everything Claire and I did to protect her. She’s the reason I’m even in this fight.” He swallowed, “Thought maybe if I gave Grace to a new home, both kids would have a chance to live. But now, Grace is gone and Sherry was in danger the whole time, used as a ploy to keep me on a damn leash. We fought like hell after we lost Grace and broke things off, but I couldn’t tell you the truth until Simmons and Krauser were dead, to ensure Sherry’s safety, which took thirteen years. Then when you lost your memories in Edonia, I didn’t know if you’d even remember her. How was I supposed to explain it? When?”

“Slow down…” Chris delicately moved one hand to offer him a comforting, familiar touch. “I could have helped, Leon.” 

“No you couldn’t,” Leon scoffed bitterly this time. “You weren’t who you are now, Chris. Neither was I, and I had no choice. I was naive, pregnant, twenty-two year old man, looking for something good in my life after everything went to shit, and I had no fucking way out. Now she’s gone.”

Without saying a word, Chris moved Leon into his arms. Nothing he could say would change the past. 

“She’ll be fifteen soon,” Leon caught his breath into his shoulder, followed by a sniffle. 

“I know, I’m so sorry. I wish I could bring her home.” 

Leon's grip tightened around Chris. “Of all the bullshit in our life, she’s the one damn good thing that happened. She's best thing we ever had it’s my own damn fault she’s gone.”

Chris pulled them apart to meet Leon's eyes. “It’s not your fault. You wanted her. I’m…so sorry for the way I fought with you back then. If I’d known the real reason, I never would have said the things I did when I was angry. You didn’t deserve that.” He slowly lowered the back of one finger down to Leon’s toned stomach with a quiet nod. “And I think about her every day too. Still have one of her pictures when she was right here. I think about all the times we sat like this while I chased her tiny feet.”

“After we split, I still kept that stupid one you wrote to her on.” Something in Leon softened as Chris watched his finger delicately remembering old times between them, almost losing himself in the memory. “Chris.”

“Hm?” Those chocolate brown eyes moved back up to meet Leon’s, before removing his hand from Leon's stomach. “Yes?” 

Leon took his hand and eased it back where it was and leaned in close to whisper. “I still love you.” 

Without a word, Chris closed the gap between their lips for the first time in nearly fifteen years. “I love you so much, Leon. As friends or…whatever we are.” 

“Oh, shut up.” Leon pulled him back into a kiss, finally smiling. 

February, 2021, Roses are Bitter 

Leon watched the clock along their living room wall, just above the television. It was a quarter past midnight and Chris was supposed to be home by now. Dinner had gone cold on the stove, so he’d already packed up what he could and stuffed it into the fridge. It wasn’t entirely unusual for either of them to return home from an operation far later than intended, but Chris almost always did well at warning Leon. He never slept well until he knew Chris was home safe, so he decided to park himself on the couch to fill out remaining paperwork from his last opperation.

A half hour later, the front door cracked open.

Leon quickly turned his attention to his husband and closed the computer. “Hey, babe, how was…”

As Chris stepped inside, his broad shoulders slouched around a little crying bundle in his arms. 

“Chris?” Leon stepped closer to him, eyes locked onto the baby. “What’s going on?”

“I fucked up…I took her from her family. I-I.” Chris broke into tears as Leon closed the gap between them. “He’s dead and I couldn’t save him. Rose has no one and it’s all my fault. I’m no better than the people who took Grace from us.” 

“Don’t say shit like that,” Leon chided, unwilling to hear it, eyes still watching the baby whimper and wail in Chris’ arms. “Never say that to me, Christopher. Now come on, I’ll find something to mush for her while you eat dinner. It’s in the fridge. You wreak of cigarettes and alcohol and need to sit.”

"Leon."

Before Chris could stop him, Leon took Rose from Chris’ arms and cradled her close to his heart. “Shh…I know. You need better clothes than this raggedy blanket. Guess I get to go shopping tomorrow, hey kid?” 

“I held onto some of Grace’s baby clothes I’d bought for her. I know you told me it was okay to get rid of them, but I couldn’t get rid of all of it. I kept my favorites…” Chris opened the fridge to pull out the spaghetti dinner Leon had prepared hours ago.

“Oh, Chris…”

“If she’ll fit into any of them. She’s probably too big, but I don’t remember all the sizes I got for her back then.”

“You never surprise me, dear.” Leon drew her close to his sternum to rest her head and took in a little inhale of her baby smell as she cooed, soothing his body. He slowly rocked her side to side with his eyes closed, taking in the moment. “All better? Long day, huh? Yeah, I bet. It sounds like it.” He smiled when she let out a little coo in response. “You’re much better to have a conversation with than this other guy in the room.” 

The sight before Chris felt like the universe had twisted a dagger into his heart. Leon was holding a baby girl. She wasn’t theirs, not biologically, but they had to take her in as their own to keep her safe…which felt all too familiar. “Lee. You alright if I-.”

“No more cigarettes. You know I hate those things, especially with a baby in the equation.” Leon gently cut him off as he continued to cradle Rose. 

“That’s not what I was going to say. I…need to lay down. Will you be okay to be with her for a while?” 

“Eat a bit of dinner first, big guy, then I’ll join you in bed after I find a way to lay her down. We’ll worry about buying a cradle in the morning.” 

“Mm.” Chris poked at his food with a fork and slowly ate a few bites, just to satisfy his husband, who’d been kind enough to wait up for him. “You don’t have to be strong for me. I know this hurts.”

Leon slowly nodded. “It does.” He didn’t need to say anything more. Chris understood tonight would be a battle for both of them.

Once Chris finished dinner, the pair headed to bed and prepared a makeshift cradle for their new family member. With Rose tucked into a bed, Chris finally passed out from the moment he touched his pillow.

Grace cried for her parents as she was ripped from the comfort of Leon’s arms. 

“Chris! Please!” 

Her cries only grew louder the more Leon pleaded with everyone around him. 

“No! Give her back!” 

All Chris could do was stand and watch, no matter how hard he tried and tried and tried to move. 

“Christopher please! Our baby!” 

His hands trembled as he tried to lift one arm, reaching for the nurse. “No…you can’t…” everything felt painfully slow. He couldn’t run. He couldn’t fight. He couldn’t protect his family.

Leon pushed himself up off the bed and tumbled to the ground, growing more desperate to stop them. Blood poured between his weak legs as his body went pale and weak. “Chris…please. I can’t. I can’t. Why won’t you save her? Chris?”

He couldn’t move. Leon was on the ground, bleeding, unable to get up and fading fast. Leon desperately begged him to be the father he should be and save their child. Grace’s screams filled his mind. His breathing became unstable. His heart pounded. A nurse grabbed him by the shoulder and—

Leon gently grasped Chris’ shoulder and cradled Rose in his other arm, who was calming down from a good cry. “Hey, hun. It’s okay.” 

Chris’ breath wavered as he came to his senses. “Fuck.”

“You don’t have to tell me. I know.” Leon whispered and moved his hand to rub his husband’s sternum. “We’re both right here. ‘m not going anywhere. She just wanted held for a minute. Had her own nightmare, if I had to guess.”

“Mm…sorry for not being the one to wake up.” 

“You need the sleep tonight. I’ve got her. She’s alright.” Leon leaned down to kiss Chris’ cheek stubble while Rose let out a few coos. “Go back to sleep, if you can. We’ll be here.”

October, 2026, I’m Grace Ashcroft

A woman screamed in writhing, agonizing terror.

Without hesitation, Leon burst into action, racing to her rescue and blasted a few of his heaviest bullets into a malformed creature's face. “Stand back!” 

The woman scurried out into the light of the grand entryway and recoiled when Leon moved to take a step near her. “W-w-w-.”

Leon sized the creature up and down, which laid dead on the ground, for now, at least, and pivoted his feet to move out towards her. “Leon Kennedy.” The moment she recoiled when he got too close, he raised one hand to show he meant no harm. “DSO.”

“I-I-I-I’m Grace. Ashcroft. FBI.” Grace didn’t dare move her eyes off the ground beneath her feet. She was utterly terrified. 

“FBI? What are you doing here?” Leon took another step forward, only to be cut short by metal bars slamming down between them. He glared over his shoulder into the darkness beside him, then turned back to her. “What does Victor Gideon want with you?” 

“I-I don’t know. H-he kidnapped me.” 

“Grace.” Leon spoke firmly with her. “Take this.” He pulled out his requiem and placed it into her hands. “Fully loaded. You may need it. Go. Now. Get out of here.” 

He turned his attention back into the darkness and clicked his flashlight on, revealing a monstrously tall man lurking in the shadows. A predator waiting to strike. 

“Is she everything you dreamed she’d be?” 

“The hell are are talking about?” Leon scoffed. He didn’t know what Victor was truly getting at, but he had given up seeing his child over a decade ago. 

"Your daughter…she is important. Special, yes," he hissed. "I should thank you."

This man had to be lying. He couldn't let himself believe him. His child must be far removed from this hell. Gideon had to be wrong or toying with him to break his guard. But how did he know about her?

The moment Leon moved to strike, the large man grasped Leon by the throat with a vicious, eerie grin. “You’re too slow…”

Return to Raccoon City

“Mom…why did you hide this?” Grace stared up at a large screen with files aligned along it, and stood in disbelief as she watched an interview recording under a file labeled with her own name. Spencer said she was perfectly normal…it made no sense. Why did they need her to release Elpis if she wasn’t special? 

She hesitantly clicked on one labeled ‘Leon S. Kennedy’ hoping to at least find answers for his infection, or maybe another clue for anything. They didn’t have much time. 

An old camera panned towards what seemed to be young Leon, laying in what looked like an infirmary bed, cradling a newborn baby in his arms beside another man, who she could only assume was his partner. The two exchanged a few soft words to the crying infant. A nurse came in frame and tried to pry the baby away from him. His pleas grew louder, more frantic, and desperate.

‘Please don’t take my baby!’

Leon was…

‘Grace!’ 

Grace watched the other man stand frozen, unsure what to do as Leon crumbled beside him, crying out for their child. The recording came to a stop. She frantically moved further into his folder and found a document that read: 

‘November 30th, 1999, 

Thanks to an insider hand, I have received the child of Leon S. Kennedy and Chris Redfield, both posing major threats to Umbrella and its mission. Grace Kennedy will be taken to the Spencer mansion immediately for long term care under Oswell E. Spencer. We will begin the process of changing her last name as soon as possible, ensuring no traces left behind between father and child. If questions arise, please inform our incoming interviewer that the child is safe in our loving care. Do not, however, inform her of the child’s biological history. This will only raise further questions on the matter. 

Signed [redacted]’ 

“W-w-what the fuck? This…this is.”

Leon was her father. 

In the corner of her eye, a camera caught movement of a familiar man collapsing against a large glass door. She swallowed, “I’m coming, Leon.” She closed out the files, snagged them for safe keeping, and made a break for a nearby opened door. Her feet carried her as fast as they could, nearly tripping over her own stride. 

“Leon!” She rushed to his side and placed her hand on his knee. “Leon, come on, wake up. Please wake up. Please…”

“Mm.” His eyes slowly peaked open. “Hey you…”

“Hey, hey…you’re okay. You’re okay.”

“Mm…‘m just resting my eyes.” Leon made an attempt to push himself up with a strained grunt.

“W-w-wait, let me help you.” She offered an arm for Leon to stabilize himself. “Here. I’ve got you.” 

Leon limped as he took one step. “Mm…let’s finish this.” 

The Fall of ARK

“Grace!” Leon called out as the building began to collapse around them. “Grace! Sherry, come in!” When no reply came, his heart sank into his stomach. “Shit. Grace!” His eyes finally caught a glimpse of her limp body in the rubble and dashed to her side. He gently examined her pulse. “Hey…Grace, we gotta go.” As he moved to scoop her up into his arms, she let out a pained cry, causing him to lay her back down as delicately as possible.

Leon stood and desperately looked anywhere around them for an escape. “Grace, we have to go.” 

Grace heaved herself up and allowed her weight to rest on one arm. “There’s no way out, is there?” 

Leon’s gaze turned back to her with pained, silver-blue eyes. He moved to sit down beside her. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m gonna sit right here beside you. Okay?” 

Grace scooted herself closer to Leon and rested her head along his shoulder with a sniffle. “The files where I figured out the password…t-there was one on you too.”

“What do you mean?” His arm snaked around her back to give her a grounding, safe embrace.

“I saw a recording of them taking me from you.”

Leon froze as he searched her face. “Grace? What are you saying?”

“I-I’m saying I’m Grace - your Grace. ” 

Victor wasn't lying about her. After twenty-six years, his daughter was finally with him again, but she was about to die at his side. His vision became blurry as tears fought to rain down his face. “Grace…I’m so sorry. I never wanted you wrapped up in any of this. You wouldn’t have ended up in any of this shit if I had protected you.”

“Don’t say that…I-I’m sure you did everything you could.”

After a short moment of silence between them, Leon spoke up, "I tried, I just…Grace, how did you know the password."

She stared out into the dark distance. "They were wrong about me. My mom left the files for me to find and…it told me enough to figure it out. They…they thought I was something I wasn't, from being you and Redfield's child, and Spencer taking me in, I-I-they thought I was some key…some kind of destiny or prophecy. I-I don't know."

Leon shook his head. "Leave it to them to be wrong about everything. Story of my life." He wrapped an arm firmly around her back, just before he placed a kiss to her hair. “At least this meant I got to see you again before we die. I’m proud of you, kid."

“I’m glad I got to meet you too, even if this is the end.”

The lights around them began to flicker, each darkening the crumbling room bit by bit. As the last of the lights sparked out, Leon pulled her closer into his warm hold. 

Bright lights burst into the pitch black rubble, followed by an array of masked soldiers dropping down from above. Leon moved himself in front of Grace protectively, not letting anyone come between he and Grace ever again. 

“Leon S. Kennedy?” A muffled voice called across the rubble. 

“Depends who’s asking.” 

“Alpha, come in. Yeah, he’s alive. Copy.” The soldier knelled down before Leon. “I have a message from Captain Redfield.” 

Redfield.

Grace shot her gaze to Leon with wide eyes.

Welcome Home

Grace swallowed as she was led up a small stone path up towards a humble home, just big enough for a family to feel cozy. She watched Leon disable a few security devices so they didn’t trigger any alarms on their way to the front door. From the outside, most of the lights were turned off, save for the living room and what looked like a toddlers room, with rainbow curtains and toys stuffed into the window sill. 

“Do you…have kids?” 

Leon glanced over to the window Grace was admiring, then smiled. “Yeah. Her name is Rose. We adopted her five years ago. You’ll love her.” He pulled out a set of house keys and fumbled with the lock. “If her light is on, it means the big guy’s still awake like I asked.” 

“U-um. Hey Leon?” 

“Yeah?” He finally got the door unlocked. 

“Never mind…” 

Leon glanced her up and down before pushing the door open. “Okay, talk to me when you’d like. You’ve been through hell today, kid. Let’s get you settled in for the night and get medication in your system for that wound.” 

Once inside, he shut the front door behind Grace, locked it, and reset the alarm system. “I’m home!” 

Grace wasn’t quite sure what she was expecting when Leon’s husband finally came around a corner into the entryway. All she’d seen of him was a recording from twenty-six years ago, and now he was approaching her face to face. He was much larger than she’d expected, in every sense. His shoulders were broad, his muscles were thick, and he was much taller than her. The nickname Leon had called him matched quite perfectly. 

“You’re alive…” Chris nearly crushed Leon into a hug and muffled something inaudible to Grace into his shoulder. 

“Not getting rid of me that easily.” Leon chuckled into Chris ear, then moved to smooch his husband on the lips with a smile. 

“Never leave without warning like that ever again. Jake and I were hunting you and Sherry down for hours, Leon.” Chris pulled Leon back into his shoulder, as if he’d lose him if he let go. “You scared the shit out of us. We knew you were both sick and we thought you’d gone to die.”

“I know, I know. We’ll have that conversation later tonight, okay? I’m sure you noticed, but I want you to meet someone first.” Leon patted Chris’ chest. “It’s important.”

“Alright, fine. We’ll talk later. No backing out." Chris turned his attention to the young woman near the pair and froze as he tried to figure out what made her feel so…odd to look at. “Have I met you before?”

“I think you have.” Leon gave Chris’ hand a gentle squeeze. “Chris, meet Grace.” He felt Chris tense up in his hold. “Grace…meet your father.” 

“H-hi,” Grace smiled. 

Chris let go of Leon’s hand and took one slow step closer to his daughter. He slowly raised his large hands to cup her cheeks and sniffled as his jaw began to tremble. “My little girl.” When Grace didn’t recoil from his touch, he moved to hug her, careful to avoid her bandaged middle. “My little baby girl.”

Grace awkwardly moved her arms around her father’s broad back. “Hey…h-hi dad.” 

At that, Chris collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face. Leon turned his head away to cover his own heavy eyes. 

Chris did his best to catch his breath as he held onto her, then leaned himself back to take everything in. “You’re all grown up. Look at you. You look so much like your aunt and dad…You’re perfect. Our perfect little girl.” 

Grace sniffled, “I um…I don’t know what to say.”

“We don’t expect you to.” Leon finally chimed in and placed a gentle hand to her shoulder. “We’re just happy you’re safe. Get some rest. We'll talk about everything in the morning.”

“That…sounds nice. I’m-I’m tired and this is-”

“A lot, believe me, we know. It’s okay,” Leon reassured. “Chris, let’s give her some space. Can you get pain killers from the bathroom for her and set them in the guest room?” 

Chris slowly moved back to his feet and eventually nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I’ll go get those, but I want to know everything in the morning, Leon.”

“You will.” 

Once Chris moved himself towards the restroom, Grace glanced up at Leon, still unsure what to do with herself. So much had changed in two days and it was far too much to process. “Leon, can I leave the lights on in the house tonight? I-I don’t think I’ll sleep without them.”

The Following Morning 

Grace rubbed her eyes as the smell of breakfast cooking nearby. Her fathers gently spoke to one another as their younger daughter's TV show played in the background.

She could just barely make out the quiet rumble of Leon's voice on the other side of the wall.

"Chris, hun, she'll need time."

"She's our baby, Leon."

"She's an adult. A fully grown woman. It's her decision."

"But-."

"Chris, let her decide. She might have a family already."

Chris bit his lip and turned to watch Rose play with a few toys on the living room floor. "Yeah, you're right."

"You know I want the same thing as you…but we can't make that choice for her." Leon reached up to place a hand on Chris' shoulder. "When she's ready, we'll talk about yesterday. Let her sleep in."

"Alright. Okay, but at least tell me how yesterday was for you. I need to know. I almost lost you, Leon."

Just as Leon opened his mouth to say something, the guest bedroom door creaked open, tearing his attention away from his husband.

"Good morning," Grace cleared her throat. "U-um. I-I'm okay to talk about it now i-if you want to."

"Grace," Leon spoke delicately as he walked towards her to close the gap between them. "On your time."

"I want to. I promise. It'll just…be weird for a while."

"It's okay." Leon gave her a small nod. "You know I'm here."

"Yeah, I know," Grace smiled as she reached up to give him a careful hug. "Thank you for everything yesterday, Leon - er - Dad, sorry."

At that, Leon's grip tightened, still cautious not to hurt her wound and unable to think of anything witty to reply with.

"I-I-You're all I have left," she whispered through an array of sniffles. "A-all I had was Emily and my mom. I-I…I want to stay with you."

Rose stood from the living room floor and galloped past the pair to her dad in the kitchen with a bright giggle, oblivious to the heavy emotions in the house. "Papa, come play!"

Chris forced a little smile, all too worried about his husband and Grace. "Can papa play with you in a little bit? We're about to have a big adult talk with dada and Grace."

Rose wined and stomped one foot with a toy held up for Chris to take. "I wanna play!"

Leon turned his attention from Grace to look over to his husband with an affectionate chuckle. "Rose, he's busy right now. We promise to play with you after breakfast and our big kid talk, okay?" He stepped away from Grace to step closer to Chris in the kitchen, then motioned for Grace to follow.

Chris leaned over to whisper to Leon, "should I call Jake to come pick Rose up for a play date? I don't want her feeling left out today…but."

"Mm. Wouldn't hurt to ask. I'm sure they are busy celebrating her if she got her dose last night, so don't get your hopes up. I'm sure Jake will take her to the fanciest place he can find to spoil the hell out of her, so don't be shocked if they have their own babysitter tonight."

"Maybe you'll be lucky and have another grandkid." Chris chuckled when Leon shoved his arm.

"Shut up. You sound like me, asshole. We've been married too long." Leon leaned up to smooch his husband's cheek.

"Love you too."

Grace awkwardly looked around the kitchen to take in every detail while her dads domestically muttered to one another. On the fridge were an array of crayon drawing, presumably by Rose, and a photograph of a man who looked eerily familiar holding a baby. She swore she'd seen his face before on old documents.

Deciding to ask about that later, she slowly made her way through the rest of the room and into the living room, where photos aligned along the walls. There were an abundance of wedding photos from her parents, along with a short blonde haired woman and a groom with buzzed red hair. Beside the strangers' wedding images was the same woman in a giddy maternity photo with her husband. Baby pictures of both Rose and the other family sprinkled in along side the others, as well as one ultrasound framed in the center of it all. It was aged, crumpled from handling, and tear stained.

"Hey, Leon." She didn't look to him. "Who is this in the middle?"

"Chris, hun," Leon gave a soft nod to Chris and let him take the reigns, "Show her…"

Grace watched as Chris separated from Leon and slowly made his way over to his daughter in the living room, as if moving any faster would frighten her. "That's you, Grace." He reached for the picture frame, plucked it off the wall, and removed the ultrasound print from the backing. "This is for you, actually."

"For me?" Grace swallowed a lump in her throat as her father delicately handed her the little picture. "Is there something-" she turned it over in her hand and froze as her eyes found an old message and a heart drawn in red ink. "I…w-w-you…W-what did they say to you to give me to Spencer?"

"To who?" Chris looked as if she'd been shot before him. Leon didn't seem much more relaxed. "Grace."

"Oswall E. Spencer." When Chris clenched his jaw, panic sank in, "w-wait! I-I found files that said they took me from you and gave me to him, b-but I-I have no memory of him, a-and I-he didn't raise me. I-I promise. It's okay. I-I'm perfectly normal a-and-."

The scowl across her fathers' face could kill a man as decades of deep, raw anger filled his body.

"Chris, we couldn't have known." Leon stepped closer to his husband and moved to take hold of his hand, which was quickly rejected.

"I should have known, Leon," Chris bit back. "It always comes back to those bastards. I should have fucking known."

"Chris. Stop." Leon swallowed a thick bead of saliva as his eyes glazed over. "I can't change the shitty decision I made for us. She's home. That's more than we could have asked for the last twenty-six years."

Grace quietly watched the two broken men exchange heavy, difficult words with one another, and couldn't help but give an attempt to salvage it. "He's alive because they thought they needed me for Elpis. A-as shitty as it is…Spencer taking me is why Leon is still alive. That's something, r-right?"

Chris hesitated for a moment, considering his words, still unsure what the whole story was. There was so much to take in. "Yeah, it is, but…"

"I-I had a good mom after Spencer died, I promise." This time, Grace sniffled. "She protected me from everything until it killed her. I-I love my mom. Leon reminds me of her…a-a lot. I-if it helps at all?"

Chris slowly sat himself down on the couch in front of her. "Yeah…it does. Come here." He opened his arms for her to fall into if she chose. "Catch me up."

As Grace got comfortable in her father's arms, Leon's phone rang and he put it on speaker for Chris to hear. "Hey, Jake. Is Sherry alright?"

"Yeah, but I've got a question. Who the hell Zeno?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, kid."

"Im looking at his face in my wife's files and he looks just like my fuckin' dad. From how Sherry's talking, he acts like 'em too. Who is he?"

Leon glanced to Grace tucked into Chris on the couch. "Grace, did you learn anything about Zeno when we are apart?"

"Mm…no, I have no idea who he was. Victor called him an imitation, but-."

Jake hung up. Chris tensed under Grace.

"Who was that?" Grace sat herself up from the couch.

"My son-in-law. Sounds like Sherry did more digging on Zeno. Jake probably took a peek at her work and connected some dots." Leon avoided eye contact with his husband.

"Leon." Chris stared him down. "Kennedy-Redfield."

"That's my name."

"Describe him to me."

"He's already dead."

"Yeah, I don't buy that. Describe him."

Leon sighed and slid his phone back into his pocket. "Blonde hair, eyes like reptiles, and comic villain speed. Need more?"

"That's plenty." Chris pushed himself off the couch and moved a blanket over Grace's shoulders with a quiet apology, before he spoke back up to Leon. "You're telling me I almost lost both of you to a damn Wesker clone? First Spencer now this?"

"More or less," Leon cleared his throat, nervously.

"I need a minute. Hand me my cigarette box please. Don't say no." He watched Leon quietly move to a lockbox and use a key only he had access to, then pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

"Don't smoke the whole thing." Leon handed the box to Chris. "I'll check on you in ten."

"Yeah." Chris grabbed a lighter from the junk drawer and headed to the back door. "Tell Grace I'm sorry."

"You can when you get back in." Leon pat his arm and opened the door for Chris to smoke on the porch.

Grace stood from the couch and placed the blanket on a nearby leather recliner. "I'm…gonna join him, I-if that's okay?" When Leon gave her a gentle nod, and headed out back to be with Chris for a few minutes.

"Hey…" Grace cleared his throat and sat down beside him on a porch swing. "May I join you?"

"Yeah, sorry for storming out." Chris pulled out a lighter and lit the end of his cigarette. "You smoke?"

"It's okay, and yeah, I do, actually." Grace scooted closer to her father. "The same kind…"

Chris opened up the box and offered her one. "You really are my kid."

"So…you trying to quit? I saw Le - dad unlock them from a box." She let Chris light her cigarette and drew it to her lips.

"Yeah. Been smoking for as long as I can remember. Your dad and I have both tried to cut alcohol, so my smoking habit is next. It's not good for Rose and he's always hated it, even before you were born." He huffed out a puff of smoke.

"Mm…I started smoking after my mom died. Both this and weed, but I cut out weed when I got the job with the FBI. It…helped with my anxiety, but it's a good job and I can't lose it." She laid her head on his shoulder for quiet comfort, testing the waters. "I-I have files from her if you'd like to see them. I-it has Spencer's information a-and some on when they took me to."

"Mm. Later…" After another puff, Chris spoke up, "I'm sorry you lost your mother."

"It's been a long time. It's....hard."

"Losing someone isn't easy. I get it. I've been fighting it my whole life. I think back on them every day in the smallest things. My parents, friends, rookies I've led, people I've failed, and for a long time: you." He brought the cigarette back to his lips.

"I lost someone today. She was close to Rose's age. Leon said we might be able to save her, b-but I-I don't think I'll ever forget how much she hurt. I-I wanted to bring her home and I failed."

"I understand. If Leon is hopeful she's able to be saved, I trust him." Chris coughed into his sleeve for a moment. "Sorry."

"Yeah, we talked about possibilities on the way home, but um…tell me about you and Leon." She anxiously exhaled smoke.

He glanced to her for a brief moment, then turned his gaze back out to their yard. "That's a long story."

She scooted herself closer to him. "I want to hear it."

Chris slid his arm around Grace's shoulder and placed his head on hers. "Mm. We met not long after Raccoon City. I had been in Europe while he and my sister escaped, and she introduced me to him after she came to Europe to find me. We got along great and respected each other. Then you came into the picture." He turned his head to kiss her hair. "Leon had…been threatened to give you away, but couldn't tell me why, so out of anger for his decision I didn't understand, we split. We never stopped caring about each other, but it took a long time for us to…be okay with each other again. I lost my memories years later and Leon eventually told me the truth about you…then we started our relationship over again. We've been married for ten years."

Grace turned her forehead into his shoulder. "Is Sherry your daughter, like me?"

"No, no she's not. My sister and Leon co-parented her after Raccoon City when she was orphaned. She was who they threatened Leon with against you, which I had no idea at the time. I had no role in parenting Sherry, other than offering guidance to my sister, having raised her on my own."

"Mm, makes sense. Leon said you guys adopted Rose?"

"Yeah, we did. Her parents are gone…my fault. A mission had gone bad, as always. Nobody else is experienced in her needs to be her father and I promised her dad I'd protect her, so she's here." Chris sighed and inhaled another puff of smoke. "I love that kid."

Their was a knock on the back door, followed by Leon poking his head out. "How's father daughter bonding time going?"

"Good, until you interrupted," Chris teased with a half smile.

"Oh, shut up. I wanted to let you know I called Sherry to make sure she and Jake were fine. She's bringing the grandkid over to play with Rose so we can all chat." Leon pat the doorframe a few times. "Jake wants to talk to you specifically, hun."

"I'm sure he does," Chris grumbled. "We'll keep our angry spouses conversation out back."

"Thank you. Sherry is excited to meet you, Grace, and I'll try to keep Jake's questions to me for tonight."

"I-It's okay. I don't mind answering questions about his…?"

"Clone of his dad. I had an ex who did that once. It's normal Tuesday in this family," Leon tried to joke.

Chris shook his head affectionately. "That joke won't fly with Jake around. Only he can make jokes about his dad. Your dad learned that the hard way, Grace."

Grace smiled at their teasing. "So, Jake and his dad weren't close?"

"Not at all. Jake's hates his old man and your father doesn't exactly like him either. We've got a long past with him in this house, to put it lightly. Sensitive subject." He leaned against the doorframe with crossed arms.

Rose babbled something inside the home to Leon and happily stomped over to him in her little glittery princess shoes. She happily giggled as Leon scooped her up with ease and walked her outside into the yard. "Come 'er, daddy will play with you away from the smoke. Why don't we play in the play-set?"

"Okay!" Rose kicked her legs with a big grin, showing him her missing tooth.

Leon smooched her cheek and set her down near the outdoor wooden play-set he and Chris spent days making, before Leon's infection got worse. He opened a set of windows to her little house, knocked on the frame, and asked her about what she had on the menu today, only to be handed a plastic plate of dirt and leaves as she giggled. "Oh, my favorite! How did you know?"

Chris gave Grace's shoulder a gentle squeeze in his embrace as his eyes grew heavy with joyful tears.

They were finally a family again. She was home.