Chapter Text
It all started with a letter from home. The letter had been forcibly shoved underneath the apartment door when the landlord had evidently become fed up with his tenant whom, despite nagging, had failed to pick up his mail from the front desk.
The familiar address scrawled across the envelope had left Leon with a sinking feeling like his insides were twisting. The feeling made no sense and yet, in response, he had found himself stalling in opening the damn thing. As a result, its existence was forgotten. The envelope was stuffed into the bottom of one of his hip pouches and quickly covered with guns, ammo rounds, skeleton keys and medicine.
It wasn’t as if he had “purposely” ignored the letter or that it was his intention to forget it, but rather that the timing had been poor. Leon had already been on his way out the door, preparing to dive straight into hell again. He had just received word from Hunnigan that he was needed “ASAP” in some secluded corner of the globe. Another outbreak needed to be contained.
It was much later, down in the depths of yet another underground sewer when Leon was fishing blindly through his pack for his ammo, that he was reminded of its existence.
The weary agent tugged it out sharply and examined it with his flashlight. With the quick decision that it was now or never, Leon ripped open the crinkled envelope with his teeth. He made a futile attempt to avoid staining the paper with the grime he found himself covered with as he unfolded it from its casing, an effort that was all in vain as smudges had already began to make their presence known across all corners of the page. It was his mother’s handwriting that greeted him, a barely legible cursive script flowing across the page that almost appeared as if she had been writing with her non-dominant hand. He strained his eyes under the old dimming flashlight as he read.
“Dearest Leon ,” It started out, sickeningly sweet as could be, Leon resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
“Hope you are doing well sweetie... We wanted to let you know that we really want you to come home this Sunday for the pre- wedding party and we hope you will be able to make it despite your “work trip”. It will mean so much to your brother for you to be there! We are all missing you dearly!”
A loud crash somewhere off to the right had Leon pausing to scan the area before dismissing it and continuing on. He figured he’d be ready by the time whatever it was made it anywhere near him anyway.
“Your father’s hip replacement surgery went well, he is still on pain medications but he is doing much better! He said that he might have a job offer lined up for you too at a nearby security facility... His friend Robert owns the place and we know how much you would like to get back “into the field ” after what happened in Raccoon City, I know you still don’t want to talk about it.”
Leon sighed and tried not to pull out any hair in frustration, it was a recurring theme in his family since he dropped his so-called budding career as a cop after the incident in Raccoon City. Despite the fact that he was making plenty of money, his family consistently questioned the fake career his agency set up as his cover and insisted he come home and work some benign security job. The tired agent resisted the urge to toss the paper. There would be no recovering it if he threw it down in frustration.
“No doubt Cynthia wants to see you too! We all are hoping to get word that you will arrive in time to see the festivities! We love you!
XOXO,
Mom”
Leon stared at the words for a moment longer, his eyes darting back over the script with a sigh, the paper crumpled slightly in his hand as he lowered it.
Of course, the wedding. He had forgotten completely.
His brother, Samuel (or Sam as everyone called him), was getting married to a rather eccentric woman named Leslie that he met while traveling at some airport bar. It had come out of the left field but the family as a whole was trying to take it in stride and be supportive.
Sam had a history of poor taste in women, something of which made the fact that Leon had yet to meet Leslie all the more unnerving. Anything Leon knew about the woman was learnt through phone calls and letters. For the most part his family seemed to dance around the subject.
It left Leon hoping that this time Sam had chosen a bit more carefully but doubtful that anything good was going to come of their marriage. It didn’t help that his sister, Cynthia, seemed to hate the lady’s guts. A fact that was admittedly not a promising sign.
Still, there was no way he was planning on missing the event.
Leon stuffed the letter back in his hip pouch. It took up space in his arsenal but he figured that stopped mattering about fifteen minutes ago after he used half of his supplies to fend off an unexpected horde. He was down to his last few bullets and there was still another infected moaning about the sewers he currently roamed.
“Well, time to clock in.” Leon muttered as he cocked his pistol, reloading what spare bullets he had left. He tried to ignore the squelching of the muck coating the sewer’s surface as he moved forward. Leon narrowed his eyes, surveying the dark tunnel as the voices of the dead echoed off the walls. The sound reverberated around him, bouncing and disorienting, its source lost as he twisted about in attempt to locate it. It was a loud splash, just a couple feet in front of him, as the infected stumbled that gave its position away.
Through the darkness he could see it staggering toward him with rotting flesh and oozing a foul odor that Leon would probably never become accustomed to. He scrunched his nose up in disgust and resisted the urge to gag. Instead, Leon raised his pistol, aiming for its’ swaggering head as it limped toward him eerily.
“Sorry, but I have a plane to catch and I’m on overtime.” The corny words unfortunately lost on the zombie as he aimed his 9mm and fired.
The bullet soared straight and true, finding its home in the sorry creature’s skull. The impact knocking it backwards off of its feet, followed by the nasty snap of its neck echoing throughout the tunnel. It fell with a sickening flop into the murky water.
Leon watched its body float for several seconds, before concluding the threat had been dealt with and lowering his gun. He wiped the perspiration from his brow and then cringed as he felt more grime stick to his face, the smell unpleasant but unfortunately familiar. That was that.
Mission accomplished. He thought bitterly.
As if waiting for its cue, the remaining adrenalin seeped out of his body, and all at once Leon felt like he’d been hit by a truck. He felt tired, sick and achy from the long hours and endless battles with the unfortunate victims of this week's virus. His job was as demanding as jobs came and it was missions like this one that made a point to remind him.
He replaced his gun into his holster and tried not to think about his injured side as he began the long trek back out of the sewers and to the promise land that was his ride out of here; a damaged rental car. The agency would take care of the costs.
“Hunnigan, the town has been cleared and the sample found.” Leon spoke through his com while he sank into the car seat with a quiet groan. He held the small vial of death up into the light seeping through the windshield, the cause of wiping yet another town off the map in the name of deformed B.O.W.s.
“Understood, I’ll send in the cleanup crew.” Came the woman’s quick and professional reply.
Leon just closed his eyes and tried to get what little rest he could in the condition he was, “Better make it snappy, I’ve got a plane to catch.”
“A plane?”
“Yep, guess I’m finally cashing in on all my vacation days. Family event, want to tag along as my plus two?” A playful smirk slowly made its way across his face, he could practically feel Ingrid Hunnigan’s exasperation from here.
“Try to remember you are supposed to be a professional.”
Leon looked worse for wear when he finally limped into the airport hours later with dark bags settling under his eyes. He had ensured that everything was settled with the lost town and gone back to his motel long enough to clean up, patch up his wounds, and check out. Leon was ready to go board the plane and pass out for the rest of the day. Still, he could argue that he has definitely had worse missions in the past.
He set his check-in bag filled with heavy artillery on the counter with a loud thump alarming the young girl who was working at the desk. “Can you take care of this for me?” he asked flashing a badge. She swallowed and nodded.
Going through security turned out to be a mess, it was only after going through the metal detector did it occur to Leon, he forgot about one of the knives that he had habitually strapped up his sleeve. The security was none too patient or gentle with the way they searched him nor were they having any level of explanation he could offer. The entire affair left him with a missed flight and it was two more hours before he was able to board another one. He remembered last minute to shoot his family a message as he shuffled into the confining mode of transport.
Leon sat down next to a small woman wearing a dress one shade away from a certain alluring spy’s favorite kind of red. His head was throbbing but he ignored the growing headache as he watched in his peripheral vision the woman shifting away from him. She certainly wasn’t subtle like Ada in the way that she eyed the cuts and bruises littering his visible skin.
A baby several seats over started to scream as soon as the plane took off, its earsplitting shrill cries repeatedly hammered into Leon’s ears. Leon partially slid down his seat and thumped his head against the head rest, his tired red eyes shutting in despair. No rest for the wicked it seemed.
Images of gruesome monsters and blood running down the walls haunted Leon’s dreams as he slept restlessly. Lickers crawled toward him with their nasty tongues twisting and tasting the air, stumbling and crawling blindly as they attempted to locate him. Decapitated officers impaled on rocks appeared as he seemed to zoom through the tunnels flying directly toward a wall of nails.
Leon jolted awake in his airplane seat to see his neighbor staring at him a bit alarmed.
Had he been talking in his sleep? Leon wondered, he nodded at her feeling a bit flushed and straightened up. It seemed futile but he attempted to try and make himself presentable, a feat that proved to be nearly impossible. It didn’t help that he somehow felt more tired now than before his nap.
It didn’t take long to gather that the plane was descending soon, landing in the nearest city to his hometown. Flight attendants were walking up and down the aisle to remind passengers to put their seat trays up and reset their chairs. Leon put his chair up when he was told and edgily eyed one of the attendants as she brushed past him before squinting out the passenger window.
“Do you have the time?” Leon gruffly asked the woman without really looking at her.
“It’s almost six.”
Leon winced as he dug through his carry on for his phone, he was running later than he had initially thought. “Thanks.” he said, turning on his phone to scroll through his missed messages. It would seem his brother started one of those annoying group chats again that inevitably would eat up his battery life. He wondered how long this one would last before everyone blocked him again. The many messages began to stream in slowly as his phone downloaded them.
“Your flight was delayed?...Twice? Bad luck little brother. C drew the short straw so she’s picking you up.”
“Hey Leon! Ignore Sammie, I’m excited to see you! Text me when you land.”
“Oh btw, mom said she doesn’t want you to do any drugs during the trip.”
“Wtf when has Leon ever done drugs??”
“There were apparently plants in his bag last trip??? Smokin them herbs baby bro? 😉"
“Omfg”
Leon rolled his eyes and typed out a short message in response before standing to collect his things and slowly shuffle off the plane like the rest of the travel weary passengers.
“Just landed.”
“And is mom going through my bags whenever I visit?”
Leon inhaled the fresher air the minute he was out of the tunnel, wasting no time he began to make his way towards the exit. He fiddled with his hair as his phone went off again, it was sticking up oddly again.
“Maybe? Why you got something to hide?? 😉😉”
“Sam please do me a favor and stop talking right now. I’m out the gate, C.”
“I see you!”
Leon looked up just in time to see his sister jumping at him, he wasted no time in dropping his bags and catching her with a grunt. Years of training and instincts restrained so as not to hurt her. It's just my sister , he told himself.
“Leon! You’re home!” She squealed as she wrapped her arms and legs around him and hugged him like an overgrown koala bear.
Leon smiled, “I know, it’s been a long time.” he said, shifting his grip to hug her back. He ignored the way his side screamed, hoping his baby sister wouldn’t notice.
“That’s a bit of an understatement.” Cynthia mumbled into his shoulder.
Leon laughed, “Are you planning on hugging me all day or can I put you down now?”
His sister just hugged him tighter and buried her face in his shoulder like a child. His side screamed in response.
“Come on C my arms are starting to hurt. You’re heavy.” Leon teased, smile twitching just a little at the edges in pain.
Cynthia gasped in fake offense as she leaned back and shoved his shoulder playfully.
Leon grunted again, thanking his lucky stars that she still seemed to miss that the noise was out of pain.
“Bull, you have arm muscles like a log.” She said as she loosened her grip and allowed Leon to set her down. “I thought you worked some sort of lame office job?”
Sweet relief , Leon thought. “Sam works a lame office job and I don’t see anyone giving him crap.”
“Yeah but like, that’s Sammie for you, besides,” A slow smirk crossed Cynthia’s face, “Sammie has a love life bro.”
“Ok well this conversation is over, where’s your car?”
Cynthia cackled. “It’s this way. You know, I had to actually pay for parking, so that means you’re going to have to buy me a drink.”
“You’re telling me the wedding isn’t going to have an open bar? What kind of wedding is this?” Leon bantered.
“Oh, we’re gonna need drinks before the wedding happens. Believe me.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Just you wait until you meet her.” Cynthia said as she held the door open for Leon.
“Gee sis, you sure know how to reassure a guy.”
Cynthia shook her head, her eyes rolling off to the side as she spoke under her breath, “She’s batshit crazy, I swear.”
“Well...wouldn’t be the first crazy woman I've ever encountered.”
“What was that?”
Leon just chuckled to himself, “Nothing, nothing.”
Leon let Cynthia move ahead of him as soon as they were outside. With her back turned, he allowed himself a moment to grimace and place a hand against his burning side. He touched the tender wound, wondering if his stitches had split, maybe a bit.
Dammit. The last thing he needed to do was start bleeding on everyone. He quickly looked up and rearranged his face as he soon as he saw her turning her head to glance back at him.
“Are you coming lazy bones?” Cynthia asked playfully.
“Yes, yes I’m coming.” Leon said putting on a forced grin and catching up with her. He subtly swung his carry-on bag over his shoulder to disguise what felt like a damp spot staining his shirt, and watched with a small smile as his sister practically skipped across the parking lot.
Cynthia seemed cheerful and happy to see him. She always was whenever he came home. The kind of welcome that never failed to remind him he didn’t come home enough. How long had it been since last time?
Leon felt a twinge of guilt for always lying to her. She wouldn’t have even known what had happened if he’d vanished in the sewers, slaughtered by a licker or some other monstrosity.
What would she had thought if he had never walked off the plane to meet her? They likely wouldn’t have recovered his body. No one would have known where he had gone. They would have looked for him and discovered that his entire life had been fabricated. The business he claimed he worked for didn’t exist. Who would tell his family? Certainly not the USSTRATCOM.
“You okay bro?” Cynthia asked looking back at him with a bit of concern.
Leon was jolted from his reverie, “Yeah... just tired.” he smiled.
Cynthia nodded eyeing him until she seemed satisfied with his answer and led him to her car. “You can put your bag in the trunk if you like.” Cynthia said as she unlocked the vehicle with her key fob.
Leon knew he was bleeding again, he didn’t want his baby sister to see. God how would she react if she knew how beat up I actually am? What would she think? He clutched his bag closer to him. “Oh no, no... it’s fine.” He declined shaking his head.
“Sheesh, fine... don’t tell me Sammie was on to something.” She laughed clearly not serious and earning a weak smile from Leon in response.
“No drugs I swear.” He said earnestly, hopping into the passenger seat quickly before the conversation could continue.
The ride back didn’t involve much talking, mostly just his sister wailing the lyrics to Queen on full blast and making dramatic faces at him in accordance to the lyrics when she wasn’t focused on the road.
Leon watched in bemused silence, this...this was normal. He hadn’t felt this normal in a long time.
He forgot how nice normal could be.
When they were almost home Cynthia reached over to turn the volume down half way through Bohemian Rhapsody.
Leon raised an eyebrow, “Wow, did someone die? I thought you said it was a federal offense to interrupt this song.”
Cynthia made a sarcastic face, “Ha ha, no. It’s just that we’re almost home and I wanted to talk to you about dad before we get there.” Her eyes darted to his face before quickly returning to the road, “It’s nothing particularly bad per-say.”
“Ok...”
“He’s been really grumpy since his surgery and I just know that he’s going to get on you about the whole cop career thing again...” Cynthia glanced back at Leon before switching lanes on the near empty road, “-so like maybe try not to get into a fight with him this year. Please.”
Leon frowned, “You know I'm never the one who starts those.”
“I know. He just really wanted you to be the next Kennedy on the force. I guess it’s hard for him to let it go.”
“It’s been years.”
“I know.”
Leon sighed, glancing out the window at the open fields before him. A small sign that read, “Welcome to Triston! Population 200.” zoomed in and out of sight.
“I mean-” Cynthia started up hesitantly, “maybe it would help if you actually told us about your job?”
Leon flinched, “What’s there to talk about?” he answered quietly, “I file papers, go on trips to promote the company. It’s nothing special.”
Silence stretched in the car, Leon could practically feel his sister’s disbelief like a physical presence.
“Right.” Cynthia said quietly clearly dropping the subject for the time being as she turned into a long winding drive way, “Well, we’re here...Welcome home Leon.”