Chapter Text
Grace has no idea how she should feel. She still doesn't really understand all that just happened. It's so strange to accept that you're going to die underground in the dark, having failed to save anyone, only to be rescued right after. All of her nerves are shot, she feels so much that she can't parse through any of it, to the point she feels completely void and numb. She stares at the ground as she's led somewhere, separated from Leon again. Her hands clutch each other, roughly scrubbing her knuckles with her thumb as she sits in the back of a helicopter. She tries to keep her hands raised as a medic wraps the most pressing wound in her stomach, but it's hard. Everything feels heavy, her head is in a fog. If she wanted anything right now, it would be to go home and lay in bed and never get back up. Though she worries about sleep, because surely the things she's seen and been through these past 24 hours won't ever leave her, and will likely haunt any rest she attempts. She wonders how she'll get past this.
Her hands are warm now, something light draped over her shoulders as she hunches in on herself, thumbs tracing the rim of the paper cup in her hand. When did she get these?
"Hey." It's the first.. anything, that snaps her out of her daze, which makes sense. During this whole mess, her nervous system must have registered Leon and his voice as safe. One thing she can trust when seemingly everything in the world is trying to kill her. When she looks at him, the only thing she feels is relief. He looks so much better than even when she first saw him, that virus was really draining him. She probably shouldn't comment on it though, that would be rude. Wouldn't it?
Leon's looking at her, concern clear on his face. Oh yeah.
"Hi," she responds, and it comes out much quieter than she expected. Her throat is killing her. Probably all the yelling.
"It's over, then."
Is it? Will it ever be?
"Yeah," she says instead. "Elpis really was our last hope." She hopes they'll be able to make more. The samples she released must have been lost in all the destruction.
"Well, let's pray Umbrella hasn't left us any more nasty surprises, hm?"
So it's not over. Not for Leon at least.
Grace is quiet again for a moment, looking away from Leon and finding another fixed point on the ground. Quietly, she voices her thought.
"I wish we could have saved Emily.." She hasn't left Grace's mind since the moment she met her. Emily was the only reason she had been so determined to escape. The only reason she had escaped. The small girl counting on her to keep her safe and get her out. And Grace had only led her to her gruesome death. She deserved so much better than a life in a cage and the terrifying last hours she got.
"Grace," she looks up and Leon is closer than before, making sure she hears him clearly. "I didn't hit any of her vitals. She could still be alive."
Grace's breath stutters, her world pausing. Hope is blooming in her chest, and she begs for it to not be stomped on.
"W-What are you saying?"
"Maybe we can save her."
Her hope is reignited in full. Grace almost wants to hop up and fly right back to that facility this second to get her. The only reason she doesn't is because, with the way Leon said it and how he's looking at her, she knows there's a much better chance of that happening if she leaves it to more capable people. And honestly, the thought of moving around right now makes nausea flood over her.
For now, she gives Leon a thankful smile. And for the first time tonight, he smiles back. It's more of a smirk than anything, but it's more than enough for Grace with its genuity. She doesn't really know where to go from here, but she knows she doesn't want him to leave right now. Grace shuffles over slightly, lowering her eyes to her coffee and hoping Leon gets the cue. After a second, he shifts, sitting down next to her with a soft grunt. Her smile stays, his continuing presence helping her warm up the slightest bit more, spreading from somewhere in her gut.
"Pilot come by yet?" he asks, pulling his gloves off and dropping them at his feet before reaching into his back pocket.
"Um.. probably. I'm not sure."
"That's alright. We're probably about ready to head out, anyway." Leon carefully slides a ring onto his left hand, twisting it until he's satisfied with the placement. Grace watches, her mind already slipping back into the fog.
"Head out" he said. Leaving this place seems impossible. Panic creeps into her head again. What if there are more monsters, waiting to kill all these soldiers? What if there are more monsters wherever they're going? She saved Leon from infection, but those things can still kill him. There's a reason why she never wanted to go out in the field. Why did she ever agree to investigate the hotel? She can't imagine home anymore, the image of her safe space slipping away. Will she ever feel safe again? She doesn't know where Leon is from, once she goes home they could be so far she'll never see him again. Alone, to deal with all of this? How could she ever do that? She can't. She can't.
She can't breathe. God, it was so sudden. For every short expanse of her lungs, no air is getting in. Her vision is blurry, the lights of all the military almost blinding despite its distance from her.
"Grace!"
For the second time today, Grace falls unconscious.
This time, Grace awakens in a bed. It's not soft really, but with how heavy her bones feel, she may as well be sinking into a cloud. A soft sigh escapes her, her body shifting as it does when she's still half asleep. It makes her flinch though, waking her up more as pain flares in her abdomen. Her eyes slowly open, revealing a pepper-patterned tiled ceiling, dimmed fluorescent lights scattered around off-centre above her. She squints against them nonetheless, letting out a groan as she pushes herself up on her elbows. Joining the world of the living, Grace remembers she doesn't really want to do that right now. Too late, she's stirred too much to sleep again, and part of her mind is already racing with worries and panic of having been kidnapped again. At least she's not upside-down and strapped to a gurney this time.
There's softly rustling plastic next to her, which she quickly realizes is surrounding her in a sort of bubble. Her brows furrow as she tries to make sense of it, but her train of thought is interrupted.
"Hey, you," Grace startles slightly, her head whipping to her left. Beyond the plastic, Leon is sitting on his own bed, attention focused on her. She lets out another sigh. If she's been kidnapped again, at least she has Leon from the beginning. He'll get her out no problem, she's sure.
"Hey," she rasps, sitting up further and automatically swallowing against her dry throat and mouth. "Where are we?"
"Hospital, closest the DSO could get us in." Grace nods slowly, bringing a hand up to rub her eye. Before she asks, Leon continues, "You passed out, seemingly a mix of stress and your stomach bleeding."
Yeah, that adds up. Grace winces, letting her hand rest over where the most pain is emanating from. She looks around the room more, seeing some machines scattered around—not currently hooked up to anything—and a small metal tray next to her bed, holding a tissue box and some water. She notices she and Leon have matching gauze taped to their inner elbows. They drew blood then. Leon seems to be in his own plastic bubble as well, and Grace tilts her head.
"What's with the, uh..?" she taps gently at the plastic next to her and Leon nods, rolling his head to the side like he's bored.
"Since being in Raccoon City for so long without any protection, we've been put in quarantine." He looks back at Grace, seeming exasperated, but by the circumstances, not her. "Twenty-four hours. You've been out though, so closer to twenty-one now."
Grace nods again, looking down at herself. Thankfully, she's now in a clean pair of grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt, though she herself still feels grimy. Makes sense, she doubts she got a bath while she was out. Leon is in the same get-up, but he looks like he might have been allowed to wash his face and hands in the bathroom before this quarantine. She envies him for that, but she's sure she still wouldn't feel remotely clean if she had. Grace shivers, remembering that god-awful—and completely unnecessary if you ask her—pool of blood she fell into. She almost gags again, the taste of copper suddenly very noticeable in her mouth.
After a moment, Leon speaks again, gentle and caring.
"I tried to get us put together, in case you needed anything but," he knocks against the sheet of plastic separating their bubbles, "this is the best I could do."
Grace blinks at him before a small smile spreads onto her face.
"Well, thank you. It.. means a lot."
Leon nods, like he's saying "don't mention it".
"I figured you wouldn't want to be alone after everything. I know I didn't." Grace assumes he means when he first started out with all this crazy stuff, considering she's sure he has better people he could be around right now other than the anxious mess she currently is. Well, if the ring on his finger is anything to go by.
She doesn't like the silence settling in, so she softly nods towards it.
"You're married?"
Leon seems surprised by the acknowledgement for a second, but his face relaxes into something more.. content, maybe, as he lifts his hand, eyes glancing towards the band. He looks at her, a small smile on his face.
"Mhm. Have been for almost.. hm, coming up on seven years now."
Grace smiles, though her face must show some of her surprise at hearing that, because Leon chuckles.
"Don't seem the type, huh?" She flusters.
"N-no, it's not that, I just- I-I wasn't-" Leon cuts her off with another laugh, genuine and not killed off by a cough. It's nice to hear, even if it is a little at her expense.
"That's alright, Grace." He relaxes, his hand falling back into his lap. She can see him rubbing the band with his thumb. "I don't blame you for thinking that. I thought that for probably the longest time."
Grace had denied it, but it was a bit of a surprise to hear. She hadn't exactly taken in him being married when she first saw the ring, but seeing his face and hearing how long it's been was a little.. not even shocking, just interesting. Leon had seemed a little too ready to die to save her. To die with her. Even before that point, he seemed more the type to show up, save your life, and then disappear to go save more people without credit. She hadn't imagined him settled. She's happy to hear it though. Someone so amazing definitely deserves something stable he can return to after saving the world.
"W-what's their name?"
Leon's laugh comes more as a scoff this time, but it's insanely fond. Grace can't help but smile at it.
"That would be the Captain Redfield we got our rescue from. His name's Chris. I wouldn't be surprised if you met him before these twenty-four hours are up, I'm in for a stern talking-to."
Grace giggles.
"What for? You basically just saved the world."
"That credit goes to you. Mine will probably be along the lines of 'how could you be so reckless in your condition?!'"
Grace thinks back to a few moments over the last day. Leon showing up out of nowhere and immediately giving her his very powerful and very important-seeming gun and telling her to leave. Leon pushing her and Emily ahead while he stayed behind to fight a hoard of zombies. Leon on death's door refusing to back down from his mission. If today is anything to go by, Grace can assume that Chris has every good reason to talk to him about that.
Eyes reopening from her moment of thinking, she nods.
"That's fair."
"Oh, not you too," Leon groans, but it's not serious and Grace can't stop the laugh that escapes her. When it quiets again, Leon gives her a nice smile. "You got anyone at home?"
Grace doesn't answer right away, her gaze falling to her joined hands as she sighs, lightly shaking her head.
"N-no." She looks back up at him. "No. Big workaholic over here."
Leon nods, leaning back on his hand.
"Been there." Grace thinks he's still there, honestly, but she doesn't say anything. "You're an analyst, right?"
"Yeah. Real unlucky for this to be my first field mission, huh?"
Leon huffs, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Probably. I'm pretty lucky for it, though." He pauses, looking at her more thoughtfully. "Emily too."
Grace smiles lightly, a breath of relief wracking through her at the mention of Emily. Her eyes widen after a second. She's not sure how long it would take, but maybe-
"Do you know if they've found her yet? Would she be coming here too, or somewhere else?"
"No word yet," Grace deflates a little at that, "but I made sure they'll tell us once they get her. Just before you woke up, agents arrived at the care centre, so we should get news in the next few hours."
She nods, taking a breath as she lets his words sink in. Just a few hours. She can wait that long. Grace pushes her hair back out of her face, taking the second to calm her racing thoughts.
"Um, are you.. okay? Elpis worked, thank god, but.. otherwise?"
Leon watches her for a moment, searching for something. She's not sure what, and she doesn't know if he finds it or not, but he nods.
"I'm good. Better than I've been in ages. Just the regular old scrapes and back pain that comes from these things." Grace chuckles, nodding herself. Her brain's been slowly taking stock of her body now that she's not in survival mode, and the aches appearing all over her are not pleasant.
"How often are you doing crazy shit like this?"
"A bit too often if you ask me. My missions aren't always this insane though. This was.. a bit of a last hurrah, going into it."
"Well.. I'm glad it didn't end up that way."
"Me too."
Knowing that Leon is okay and Emily is in the process of being rescued, Grace can feel herself shutting down. Her relief is quickly overtaken by exhaustion, but she certainly can't relax enough to fall asleep. Despite the lack of her survival being on the line, she's still too on edge. She doesn't exactly have an issue with hospitals, but the sterile environment isn't helping. She's starting to feel like she does when she accidentally pulls an all-nighter at work before a meeting, but tenfold.
The door into the room slides open and both her and Leon's attention snaps over to the nurse entering, wearing a mask and what looks like similar body armour Leon had been wearing in Raccoon City. There's a DSO emblem on his shirt sleeve. Walking further in, he looks up at Grace.
"Oh, Ms. Ashcroft, it's good to see you awake." Grace nods absently as he walks over to her plastic bubble, clipboard in hand. "Mind if I come in?"
She shakes her head and the nurse unzips the plastic flap and enters, walking over to her. He asks her a couple basic questions about how she's feeling—tired and in pain—and when she woke up, writing on his clipboard when she answers. Afterwards, he checks on the stitches on her abdomen, which she guesses she got when they first arrived. Seemingly satisfied with that, he moves to her left arm and unwraps it, revealing the bite mark she'd completely forgotten about. It looks cleaner than when she last saw it, and it seems like it's already scabbing over. Maybe they thought she was infected and that's part of why she's quarantined? She hadn't thought too much about it until now, but she assumes Spencer probably injected her with Elpis when he'd.. adopted her? He had, hadn't he? For a short time before Alyssa, but still.
Far too much to think about right now. Grace floats through the rest of the nurse's checkup and when he comes back with a needle and injects her with something that reduces the pain in her body to something much more bearable, which just makes it that much more easy to recede back into her mind. She wishes she had her laptop or her phone to at least give her some doomscrolling to preoccupy herself with.
Leon doesn't strike up any more conversation. Still, even despite her unawareness, she can feel him watching her, like he's waiting for something. She doesn't blame him, she has passed out twice already in his presence today. And he did seem relaxed while they talked, but he seems like he's probably always on guard. Must be exhausting.
Hours pass quietly, a few check-ins from more nurses but those start to space out more after the next two. Leon is mostly the one handling those, he can probably tell Grace isn't all there. There's a clock up on the far wall from her, quietly ticking along that she finds her eyes locked onto, even as she zones out.
When she's brought back to attention by someone walking in who is definitely not a nurse, she and Leon are now left with sixteen hours on their quarantine. Grace sits up straighter instinctively when she looks at the new woman. She has a DSO emblem on her jacket as well—Grace wonders how many people they brought in for this—and she gives Leon a curt nod as a greeting before saying hello to them both. They probably know each other, if just in passing. There's a gun holstered at her hip and her hand rests loosely next to it, ready to draw but not itching for it.
"I was told to update you both—a team has recovered the young girl you mentioned from the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Centre and are currently en-route with her to the Woodsbouro Hospital via ambulance. As of right now, her status is alive, but she will need surgery."
Grace could cry. A sob escapes her like she might, but for right now, her body still seems too tired to commit. She nods, smile on her face, and looks over at Leon. He's already looking at her, but when they meet eyes, he matches her smile. Grace's shaking hands hold onto the edge of her uncomfortable bed. Her head drops and she hunches over again, letting out a giggle.
"Thanks for the update, Agent Daniels. Make sure we stay aware of her status."
"Will do, Agent Kennedy. Make sure to get some rest, you've still got a while to go."
"Sure," Leon replies, sounding like he's not planning on it at all. The clipped huff from Agent Daniels' nose implies she knows he's not, but she nods nonetheless and exits the room.
Grace takes a deep breath and lets out the heaviest exhale she has in a while, letting herself fall back onto the pillow, her grin uncontrollable along with her breathy giggles.
"She's okay. Leon, she's okay."
"Yeah, she is. I'd be willing to bet she'll be up doing cartwheels in no time." It's a weak joke, they both know it, but Grace laughs loudly anyway. Her body feels light in this moment, she can't help it. When she looks over at Leon, he's chuckling and he looks proud of himself, if not a little concerned at her reaction. That just makes her giggle more.
They talk a little for a bit of time before just sitting quietly, their minds running in whatever directions they take them while they mellow in each other's company. Grace falls asleep at some point after that. It's decent rest at first, but quickly turns fitful and useless. Her eyes stay closed even when she's sure she's awake, like her body is still trying to force it. She lets it, not bothered enough to fight against it. At least she's not having nightmares, she doesn't know how long that will last.
Agent Daniels returns at one point in Grace's half-rest and tells Leon that Emily is stable and recovering. He thanks her again and tells her he'll tell Grace, they should let her sleep. Agent Daniels agrees. Grace is distantly thankful before she falls a bit deeper into sleep again.
When she wakes up fully, her eyes find the clock on the wall. Ten more hours to go. It feels like a lifetime. Grace pushes herself back up to sit and carefully stretches her arms and back, trying to be mindful of her stitches. She grunts as she does. The bed is definitely not helping her back pain, and she longs for her memory foam mattress in her apartment.
Hm, she doesn't have a spare room. She might have to start apartment searching once they're released, Emily will need a room.
Grace lets out a final grunt as she drops her arms again, looking over at Leon. He's standing close to the zipped flap into his own bubble, eyes sharp, locked on the door and flitting over to the clock every once in a while. He looks like he's standing guard. Grace wonders how long he's been doing it.
She dreads it, but she gets up off her bed, thinking she probably should stretch her legs before they have to leave. Yep, she was right to dread it. Her knees crack as she straightens them and she'd be worried if she didn't know she'd spent so much time in the care centre and ARK crouching to sneak around. She won't be working out again for a while, she decides.
"Good morning," she greets, shaking the pins and needles out of her legs. Leon's focus breaks and he looks over at her, examining her quickly before raising his hand in a small wave.
"Morning, Grace. Sleep well?"
"Eh. Probably as well as I could have." Leon nods.
"You'll sleep better when we're home free, trust me."
Grace takes a better look at him, noticing specifically how the bags under his eyes seem to have grown. In her four hours, he hadn't even attempted to sleep. She guesses he knows from experience then.
"Well that's something to look forward to."
Leon chuckles, nodding as he crosses his arms loosely. He seems a little less like he's guarding now, and she hopes that means he's expending a little less energy, if he's not gonna be sleeping until he goes home. Actually, thinking of..
"Hey, um.. where are you from?"
Leon looks at her, eyebrows slightly raised.
"Just outside D.C. In Virginia."
Grace stares at him. That's close. A few hours away at most. Could even be as close as half an hour. She nods lightly, her breathing starting to come in shorter bursts. Leon seems to notice, his brows furrowing now as he turns to fully face her.
"I-I'm in Virginia too," she says, barely registering herself talking.
Leon opens his mouth to say something, but Grace starts crying immediately, cutting off whatever he was going for. She chokes on the first sob that claws its way up her throat, two rivers of tears streaming down her face as she so quickly loses her composure, bending over and gripping her knees tightly. She tries to apologize, but can't get any words out.
Everything is suddenly slamming into her, making it feel like she's been hit by an eighteen-wheeler. She just spent sixteen hours fighting and killing zombies, shooting them in the heads, watching them explode, being covered in blood and viscera. She was kidnapped. She was pushed into some bullshit "destiny" and made to decide the fate of the fucking world. She saved Leon and Emily. She's not alone. She's not alone but god, she's still so scared. Scared and tired and- she was adopted. Alyssa had adopted her and loved her and protected her with her life. Grace misses her so fucking much. She can't breathe, her sobs are coming too hard, wracking through her heavily. She wants her mom.
She feels a heavy hand on her back and gasps, choking on what is currently way too much air for her constricting lungs. It's been eight years, but her hand reaches out instinctively, searching for her mom's steady hand. After a second, she feels one. Not her mom's, too calloused to be mistaken for it even in Grace's current state, but grounding. She grips it tightly, trying to take deeper breaths, but her cries won't stop and she just can't. Her knees feel weak. By the time she notices that, they've already gone out from under her, but there's an arm around her back and an unwavering hand on her waist, holding her up off the floor. Her left hand flies to it, holding on just as tightly as her right.
She forces her eyes open and looks to her right, and through the tears blurring everything up, she sees Leon. He's watching her, concerned, and his mouth is moving. Grace can't hear him over her heart pounding in her ears.
"Leo-Leon," she cries. He nods, and she can almost hear him saying "I know."
He starts to guide her backwards, helping her sit on the bed again after she bumps her hip into it. He tries to keep her sitting somewhat straight, the hand on her waist moving up to her shoulder, holding her steady as she shakes. He lets her keep holding his other hand.
She leans into him as much as she can, letting him hold her up as she cries, putting everything into trying to get her breathing under control at least. His keeping her upright is helping, giving her more space for her chest to expand. She wipes her face with her free hand uselessly—the tears just keep coming, her nose running with the overwhelm on her system.
Leon's hand rubs her shoulder, grounding her further, and she begins to register his talking as her heartbeat starts to quiet. She squeezes his hand as her breaths come easier but still stuttered, interrupted by whimpers.
"I'm here, Grace, you're safe."
Grace nods faintly, latching onto the sound of his voice to drag her out of this.
"Don't worry, you'll be home before you know it."
Minutes go by, and the tears are still falling but they've slowed down, Grace's breath coming much easier now. Her grip on Leon's hand still doesn't loosen up at all, almost like she's scared he'll disappear the moment she lets go. She is, a little.
"You know," Leon starts, now that Grace can hear him clearly, "I've had these moments too. I- I haven't dealt with them great, so.. do as I say not as I do, right?" Grace nods. "Contact me. If it gets hard to deal with, call me and I'll help, best I can. You don't have to deal with it alone."
One last sob escapes her, and Leon's hand rubs her shoulder again in response. She looks up at him and he's looking ahead. The look in his eyes is pained and it makes Grace frown. She nudges him with the shoulder she's leaned against him with and his gaze moves to her face.
"H-Hey, at least," she sniffles, "at least I didn't faint this time."
Leon stares at her, but after a second, he cracks a smile. He huffs the slightest laugh and she smiles. It's strained, but she smiles. Leon shakes his head, squeezing his arm around her for a second.
"We've barely been together for a day, I can't be rubbing off on you already." Grace lets out a wet laugh, her grip on his hand loosening a bit. "Seriously, my husband will scold me for that too. 'Risking your life, and being a bad influence on this young woman? Have you no shame?'"
Grace laughs harder, letting go of him now and hiding her face in her hands. She feels him lean away for a second, but he quickly returns to her side. When she looks, he's holding the tissue box from the medical tray. She takes a few and starts cleaning her face off, her body calming down as she does.
"I guess I needed that," she says, muffled by the tissues. Leon nods.
"We all do, every once in a while."
"I don't think you were supposed to come in here."
"Ah, to hell with the rules. We nearly died together, they can make an exception or two."
Grace smiles, sniffling again.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
A pile of tissues next to her, Leon's arm still resting around her shoulders, the two of them quietly sit together for the next few hours of their quarantine. Leon gives a very pointed glare to the next nurse who comes in and tries to comment on the broken quarantine.
Finally, Grace's bubble is zipped all the way open and they're free to fucking go. They're given a new set of clothes and shown to where they can finally get cleaned up. And when they're done with that, they meet at the front desk and sign the discharge paperwork. Grace's hand shakes as she signs the Non-Disclosure form she's given as well, with Leon telling her it's just protocol with what looks a little like disdain on his face. She doesn't really care, she just wants to get the hell out of here.
That sentiment dies a little once they go up to the roof and are met with a helicopter, waiting to fly them back home. After the earlier crash, she's not exactly itching to be in the sky again. But, with the thought of how long the drive would take instead, she jumps right in next to Leon and straps herself in. Following his lead, she puts on a pair of the headphones, her hands falling into her lap afterwards, clutching each other as her nerves mount.
When they take off and actually begin the journey back, Grace's hands grip the seat under her tighter than she knew she could hold anything. She thanks whatever God is out there that she doesn't have to improvise flying right now, forcing her eyes open because whenever she closes them she feels like they're falling out of the air. Leon's familiarly sturdy frame sits unbothered next to her, and she leans against him best she can, hoping she might be able to leech some of that easy confidence he seems to have. At the moment, he's probably the only thing keeping her sane.
When they land, Grace rushes out of the helicopter without another thought, dropping her headphones on the seat. She can see the last of the sunlight disappearing over the horizon, a sliver of orange hanging onto the sky. Leon follows her out, and then she falls back into following his lead, because they've been dropped off at DSO's headquarters. People they pass by seem to get the vibe that Leon is not looking for a chat, so they get down to the parking lot easily. She follows him to a car that he unlocks with a sigh before they both pause and look at each other. They're quiet for a moment as they both seem to realize they didn't actually plan out Grace getting home.
"How about you take a rest day at my house?"
"Sounds good."
Grace falls into the passenger seat as Leon starts the car, and they pull out into the streets of Washington.
They drive further from the bustle of the city, landscape shifting from close-together buildings to spread out ones, to the highway, to sprawling fields, to crowding trees with hidden driveways scattered along the road, small mailboxes the only marks for people driving through. Leon's house is tucked back, far into the trees, and the gravel crunches under the tires as they make their way up the driveway.
There's a large black car parked in the driveway, off to the side, leaving the room next to it open for Leon's. The garage is wide open, displaying a large workbench and a few shelves with different parts and bins on them. The last things Grace sees are two motorcycles sitting calmly in their own space in the garage. Grace sighs, suddenly missing her own bike heavily. She has no desire to go back to Wrenwood again, but she'll have to if she wants her girl back any time soon. So many things to do... She tries not to think about it any further, and for once in her life, finds it easy to turn her brain off.
God, she's never been this tired in her life. She hopes she never will be again.
"Come on," Leon mutters, opening his door and getting out. Grace almost misses it, but does the same. She follows him past the garage and around to the front door, and waits quietly as he unlocks it.
Inside, once the door is locked again, Leon hunches, completely losing whatever he'd been posturing himself up with before. It's so reminiscent of how he'd been holding himself before Elpis, but there's something significant just different enough that it doesn't make Grace worry. The foyer is big but cozy, soft lighting giving her eyes just enough of a break from the fluorescents she's been dealing with for what feels like forever. It's cozy enough in here alone that she feels like she might just curl into a ball on the floor and fall asleep right here.
Leon keeps walking though, so Grace forces herself to follow. She doesn't pay much attention to the hallway they walk through or the rooms and stairs they pass by, but the coziness isn't limited to the foyer. She feels warm and welcome, and she can feel her body shedding whatever tension it's been still holding onto.
Grace is surprised she notices it, but there's someone cooking. There are faint clanging sounds coming from the kitchen, and whatever she's smelling is making her stomach growl louder than ever.
The moment they step into the kitchen, Grace nearly collapses. The smell hits her much harder in here and it reminds her vaguely of some random day when she was younger and she and her mom were getting lunch in this small-town diner. She'd gotten two slices of pie that day. There's a huge man standing in front of the stove, stirring something delicious in a pot. Well, nevermind, he stops stirring when he seems to notice them, but he stays where he is for a moment. Next to her, Leon straightens his back again. Barely, like he can't manage much, but he does.
Chris, she guesses, based on the domesticity and the short description she'd gotten from Leon, turns around. He seems tired, but relieved to see Leon home safe. He meets them in the doorway and pulls Leon into a hug after giving him a once-over, and Leon relaxes immediately, the tension melting out of him easily. He looks much more exhausted now, about as much as Grace. Which, she's trying so hard not to interrupt despite her mouth watering and her stomach growling. When was the last time she ate?
After a few moments, Chris pulls back and looks at her. He seems like he's about to introduce himself, but he sees her face and just chuckles, light and deep in his chest.
"Go ahead and sit down," he says, walking back over to the stove and moving the pot off the burner. Grace listens and takes a seat at the kitchen island, too starving to be embarrassed. Leon puts a hand on her shoulder and squeezes as he sits next to her, watching Chris with a small smile on his face.
Chris puts a bowl each of chicken noodle soup in front of both of them, and Grace takes a deep breath, sighing at the warmth and scent. At her first bite, she nearly starts sobbing again. It's only staved off by the hunger that immediately attacks her stomach, making her eat faster than she really should. She can't even take a second to thank Chris for the food or compliment his cooking.
Leon and Chris eat calmer than her, quiet at first but soon they start talking. Their quiet conversation makes a nice background noise for Grace as she eats.
"We can probably postpone Rose's visit this weekend. Mia will understand."
"No, it's fine. I'm sure I'll be all better by then," Leon says before taking a spoonful of his soup. Chris hums.
"Maybe just for a day instead, then?"
"..Maybe."
Without even really realizing it's happening, Grace passes out at the island, hunched over with her cheek pressed against the warm countertop. Chris looks at her, then back to Leon with a more serious expression. He pushes his empty bowl away and returns Chris' gaze. He was waiting for this.
"You're cured?"
Leon nods.
"All clear."
"Injuries?"
"Few bruised ribs. Lots of surface bruises and scrapes. Couple stitches," he adds, glancing at his arm where there are bandages wrapped around it, where he'd been nicked by that soldier's hatchet. He looks back at Chris, who's examining him again with that all in mind. "Overall, I'd say I got out of it pretty unscathed."
"Sure," Chris replies, his hand coming up to gently brush the side of Leon's neck. His hand is chill against his skin, but he welcomes it. Chris sighs and drops his hand back to the table. "Back to Raccoon City?" It sounds less like a question than Leon wishes it did.
"Just like old times," he jokes. Chris glares at him and Leon backs down, abandoning his attempt at a grin.
"Not a fucking word," he says, more exasperated than angry. "You were about to kill yourself out there and I heard last minute from Sherry, asking for extraction."
There are things Leon could respond with, he's sure. Something about him handling himself like an adult. Something about needing to save Grace. Something about ending Umbrella for good. Chris knows all that already though. He's heard it a hundred times, and Leon knows it's not enough. According to Chris, not right.
He searches for something, but he's tired, and he's wrong. Chris is right to be mad, tired of his antics. He should have told him before going in, trying to keep him from getting involved like he'd attempted with Sherry and trying to avoid him worrying over something Leon would do no matter what, it was a bad call.
Low and quiet, all he can come out with is "I'm sorry." And he is. And Chris is undoubtedly still upset with him, but he softens.
Chris is good at understanding him like that.
His left hand finds Leon's on the countertop, holding it firmly. Leon reciprocates the grip. Chris's gaze drops to the ring on his finger, thumb brushing over it carefully. Leon's grateful to have it back on.
"Don't take it off again," Chris says, almost like an order. Leon nods.
"Never."
There's more conversation to be had, Leon can feel it, but for now, they leave it. They got too close to losing each other, so soaking in each other's presence is more important right now. After a few minutes, Leon looks over at Grace. He huffs out a small laugh at the drool that's beginning to pool under her cheek.
He's no stranger to that kind of sleep. He'd been basically dead to the world for days after Raccoon City, and he'd passed out in his office so heavily after Spain that Hunnigan had to splash cold water in his face. It had reminded him of his training days.
Grace snores suddenly, loud for such a small person, and Leon squeezes Chris' hand. He lets go and stands up, rolling his shoulders and wincing slightly at the several pops he hears. Chris starts to gather their used dishes as Leon carefully scoops Grace up into his arms, thankful that whatever pain meds they gave her are doing their job, since she doesn't stir at all. Their spare bedroom isn't anywhere near ready for visitors right now, so Leon heads to the living room.
He leans down to lay her out on the L-shaped couch, but her hand is tightly grasping his shirt and she doesn't seem ready to let go any time soon. He's similarly no stranger to that sleeping death grip after these things, from nights with Chris after BSAA missions. So, feeling sympathetic, he adjusts so they're both lying down, Grace caged safely between his body and the arm of the couch. She doesn't let go still—he wasn't expecting her to anyway—but she unconsciously shifts before settling, seemingly comfortable for the night with her head resting on his bicep. Leon lays his head back on one of their decorative pillows, glad he can find a way to sleep in any position so he won't have to disturb Grace or her stitches again.
After a minute, Chris comes into the living room and spreads a blanket out over the both of them, looking down at Leon with a face he knows too well. That questioning face, so caring and tired. They've both had their moments over the years looking at each other like that.
When are you going to take care of yourself first?
Leon gives him a very small, tired smile, his blinks already becoming sluggish.
"Tomorrow," he says, just barely above a whisper. He finds he means it more than he expected to. Chris doesn't seem convinced, and Leon doesn't blame him, but he leans down and gives him a soft kiss anyway.
"Goodnight, mama hen."
Leon snorts quietly, eyes closed and refusing to open back up.
"Goodnight, papa bear."