Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

♠♥♣♦

It's been a long night, but (Y/n) was content with the results. The puzzle was left on the rookie's desk, the sign hanging over the office welcoming him in, and the snacks she had ready to go in the break room. Some of her fellow officers said it might have been too much, but (Y/n) thought it would be best to welcome the new recruit in a big, friendly way.

"He's not even part of your unit, West." Elliot laughed, watching as she nearly fell off the ladder trying to hang up the decor.

"Hey, I've only been out of the unit for, like, two months!" She huffed in defense, agitated he didn't even move to catch her as she wobbled from the height. "Besides, I feel guilty that this guy is walking into a complete shitshow."

"Eh," the officer on the floor grunted, looking down into his near-empty coffee mug. "It's not that bad. Marvin is more than ready to step up to the plate, and everyone else is settling down now. Things will be back to normal soon."

"I don't think it's gonna be that easy." The woman huffed as she lowered herself off the ladder. "Wesker's been up my ass about this case so bad, I can't take a breath without being reminded."

"That sounds like a 'you' problem, little miss hero." He shakes his head. "You should've expected that before agreeing to join S.T.A.R.S."

"One does not just turn down the chance to join S.T.A.R.S." She smirked at Elliot. "And I felt like I couldn't really say no anyway. Not with everything that happened."

"Yeah, how's that hip, by the way?" The man asked, moving to sit down at his desk.

"Oh." (Y/n) gently put her hand on the front left side of her hip, where her thigh met her abdomen. "It doesn't bother me when I'm not actively thinking about it."

"Probably just PTSD more than anything else."

"I don't have PTSD." She rolled her eyes, taking the ladder down to return it to the closet. "I got shot. Big fucking deal. Don't see me cryin about it."

Before Elliot could retort, Marvin Branagh came into the west office. He looked up at the sign (Y/n) had just hung from the ceiling, a bright smile on his face.

"Now, look at this, (L/n)! This is beautiful!"

"Thank you! I thought it'd be nice to welcome our newbie with something special. I also gave him a puzzle." She explained.

"A puzzle?"

"Yeah, to unlock his desk, he has to get the initials of his unit members and input them into the locks. It's like an icebreaker game."

"That's cute." Marvin nodded his approval, causing (Y/n) to beam. "Well, I'm sure the new guy will feel right at home, but it's getting late. You're expected back here earlier tomorrow, so I'm officially sending you home for some sleep."

"Alright." She didn't put up a fight, sighing softly and she put the ladder into a closet and moved to grab her bag.

"Oh, and (Y/n)?"

"Yes, sir?"

"The word 'welcome' only has one 'L.'"

Branagh laughed as the woman groaned.

♦♣♥♠

The steady humming of the car wasn't enough to ease the headache still pounding through Leon's skull. The music was set at a volume much lower than usual, in hopes it would help keep the pain at bay. His head still felt like an ax had cracked into it anyway. Still, he'd choose this headache now over being sober last night.

Taking a deep breath that sounded more like a sigh, he looked to his right at a road sign rapidly approaching on the horizon. Ahh, Raccoon city was just ahead. Perfect. Looking over at his gas meter, Leon hummed as he realized he should probably fill up soon. Tapping gently against the steering wheel, he slowly veered to the right, exiting the highway to make his way to the gas station just outside of town.

It was dark out, a gentle rain starting to gear up into a downpour. He parked the car next to a gas pump, jumped out, and all but jogged into the store to avoid the rain. The first thing he noticed was eerie darkness throughout the small station as if the power was out completely. With a frown, stepped further into the room, letting the headlights of his own car flood the store with some kind of visibility.

"Hello?" He called out, looking around for any living soul. This was the second thing he noticed: the store was completely empty beside him. Maybe they had gone into the back room?

Leon found himself hesitating as he took a step toward the storeroom door. He raised a hand to the knob just as someone pushed it open from the other side and nearly hit him. He jumped back with a small yell, just as the man on the other side of the door yelled out as well.

"Jesus Christ, son! Scared the living daylights outta me." The man huffed, leaning over and resting his hands on his knees. "You trying to give an old man a heart attack, boy?"

"N-no sir," Leon stuttered, recovering from his own scare. "Just didn't know if anyone was here."

"Yeah, I'm here." The old man groaned as he stood straight, stretching out his back."power just went out. Think a fuse blew. Gimme a second to get it up and runnin' again."

Leon nodded, moving to look over the shelves as the man went into the back room again. Within just a minute, the lights flickered back on, and Leon could now see the bags of chips and cookies before him clearly. He picked up a bag of salt and vinegar chips, flipping it over before deciding on that and a soda to take with him.

When he made his way to the counter, the old man was standing at the register, checking to make sure everything was ready to go.

"Can I get fifteen on pump three?" Leon asked softly, setting his prizes on the counter. The man nodded with a grunt, ringing up the snacks as well as Leon awkwardly looked out the window of the store.

"Twenty-two, fifty." The man grumbled, and Leon fished his wallet out to pay. He glances out at his car parked by the pump, hoping this job would turn out to be just what he needed…

Chapter Text

Studying her own witness report on the night of Brian Irons’ arrest seemed absolutely ridiculous to (Y/n), but she was utterly devoted to gaining the appreciation of her new captain, Albert Wesker. Since the night they brought the hammer down on Irons and (Y/n) was thus promoted to the S.T.A.R.S. team, Wesker had seemed less than pleased. She figured it was probably because of the implications of Irons' corruption on top of the stress of a newbie on the team. (Y/n) was still rather green behind the ears, only being a part of the RPD for roughly a year. Having such a fresh-faced young girl on an elite squad surely put some weight on Wesker's shoulders, but she was dead set on proving her worth to ease some of that tension. However, it didn't seem to be working.

Since her arrival on the team, Wesker had been all but down her throat about the legal proceedings regarding the case. It seemed as if he was more invested in this case than she herself was. Too invested if you asked Jill. She seemed to sense something was wrong, but pretty much everyone including herself chalked it up to residual paranoia from Irons deceptions.

(Y/n) shook her head, cross-referencing the police reports with her own memory of that night for the billionth time. And again, for the billionth time, she swore she felt someone watching her. She glanced up at the office, but still, there were only two other men in the room with her: Barry Burton and Albert Wesker.

Barry had his back to her, seated at his own desk and working on something she couldn't make out from here. Wesker was at his separately sectioned-off desk, though he was facing her through the window. (Y/n) knew it was likely him watching her, but it was impossible to tell with those dark glasses he always wore. The damn man was a mystery. One that was seriously driving her up the wall.

As she tried to return to her work, she was startled by the sudden loud bang of Chris Redfield throwing the office door open and bursting inside.

"The new guys here!" He sang out to the whopping three people in the room, two of which were easily at a whispering distance. "Marvin wants everyone to say hi!"

"Oh, that's great!" (Y/n) stood, feeling the invisible gaze of Wesker drift back over to her. She immediately sank back down. "But I'm busy."

"Come on, you can't at least spare a couple minutes to shake his hand and say welcome?"

"I mean, I made the sign… isn't that a welcome enough?" She tilted her head. "I need to make sure everything’s in order for the upcoming trial."

"What trial?" Chris asked, seemingly forgetting the new recruit downstairs for just a moment.

"Irons trial, you dingus." (Y/n) half-laughed. "What else would I be talking about?"

"Oh, I didn't realize you had to be there for his trial."

"Well, he did shoot me. I'm technically a victim in this case." She sighed before squinting at Chris. "Hang on, you're the one who arrested him, and you're not going to trial?"

"Oh, I dunno." Chris shrugged. "I haven't been told otherwise."

"Really? That's all Wesker talks to me about." She mutters under her breath before speaking up. "Don't you have work to do involving those missing persons cases up in the mountains? Why is no one telling you to take care of that?"

"Those cases can wait!" Chris groaned. "It's not like they're going anywhere."

(Y/n) glared at him.

"Whatever. I'm gonna go say hi." Redfield retreats from the office, leaving (Y/n) in the sound of the air conditioning and Barry's soft laugh. She glances over to Wesker's office and nearly jumps as she sees him facing her head-on. Oh, he's definitely looking at her now.

She tilts her head again, this time in question to ask Wesker nonverbally if he needed anything from her. He just lowers his gaze and returns to his own work, causing her to sigh again. These S.T.A.R.S. people were weird.

♦♠♣♥

It was a few hours later, and (Y/n) had been filling out some forms for what felt like forever. When she closed her eyes, she could still see the boxes of text clearly, as if they had been burned onto a screen in her brain. Among all of her other work, she had also received an email from a lawyer involved in the legal side of the case, asking to meet sometime this week. She needed to add that to her ever-growing to-do list.

Moving to rub her temples in hopes of easing her headache, she almost slapped herself as she flinched when Chris nearly broke down the door for a second time today. Rebecca yelped from her desk as (Y/n) threw a glare at the man before turning to shut off her computer for the night. If Wesker was so concerned about her working on this case for any longer tonight, she’d tell him to either do it himself or shove it up his ass.

Okay, not really. The point was to leave a good impression on the Captain, not a bad one.

“Hey, I know you were soooo busy earlier today,” Chris pouted, putting on a childishly mocking tone with her. “But you’ve been working your ass off all afternoon, and a bunch of us are going to get drinks with the new guy. Jill really thinks you should join us. Are you gonna disappoint her and work more overtime, or are you gonna come be a fun teammate?”

(Y/n) arched a brow at him. “Using Jill as a threat now? You are a twisted man, Redfield.” She laughed as he rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, I’m not doing overtime tonight. I need a break.” She turned in her chair to look at Rebecca, who was shutting down her own work for the night. “You wanna come too?”

“Not tonight. I need to catch up on some sleep, desperately.” She smiled softly. “You go have fun, though. I really think you need it.”

“Yeah, I think so too!” Chris exclaimed.

“No one asked you, Chris.” (Y/n) teased, standing up and grabbing her bag. She glanced into Wesker’s office, but it was empty. He must have slipped out when she was too caught up in her files. She felt guilty for being relieved.

“Okay, where am I going? And what time is everyone gonna be there? I wanna go home and change first.”

“You wanna dress up all pretty for the new guy, huh?” Redfield waggled his eyebrows at her, and she shoved him in response, nearly knocking him over.

“Maybe I won’t go after all!”

“No, I’m sorry!” He dropped to his knees and raised his hands in a begging motion. “I promise, I’ll be good! Really.”

“Somehow, I don’t believe you,” She put out a hand and helped him back up. “But I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt for now.”

♦♠♣♥

Leon was… actually having a good time!

He was secretly dreading tonight ever since he agreed to come out for drinks after work. It wasn’t that he disliked his new coworkers. In fact, he was already liking them a lot. He was just… nervous. What if they didn’t like him in turn?

Now that he was here, Leon’s glad he fought back his anxiety and agreed. Two of the officers- Elliot and Stevenson, if he remembered correctly- were telling him some story about another officer making a complete fool of himself on the job. Or at least, they were trying too. Neither one could get very far before nearly toppling over from laughter. The incomplete story wasn’t enough to stop Leon from laughing himself, his stomach beginning to hurt from flexing as he cackled.

"And of course," Elliot breathed between huffs of laughter. "What does he do? He-"

"Steps right in it?" Leon wheezed, finishing the officer's sentence, who started roaring even louder as he nodded eagerly. The whole table is in a great mood, and Leon has a feeling he'll fit right in with the people around him.

He's pulled from his thoughts as Chris Redfield- the S.T.A.R.S. member sitting on his left- nudges him with his shoulder.

"Here comes (Y/n)." He announces to the rest of the table, turning to face Jill specifically. "See, told ya she'd come!"

Leon's gaze followed the direction everyone else was looking in as an officer he hadn't met yet came in. Chris had mentioned her earlier, saying she was the newest S.T.A.R.S member, and talking about how she was the one who found out about Irons' dealings with the Umbrella scientists. Judging by the rather harsh look on her face, and the stories he had just heard about her, Leon started to grow nervous again as she approached. She locked her eyes right onto him and made a beeline towards the table where he sat. Had he already pissed her off somehow? She seemed so angry…

"Hey. You're Leon Kennedy, right?" She said, standing right in front of him. He gulped.

"Uh, yeah that's me." He looked shyly up at the woman, who looked like she might just punch him in the nose for breathing next to her. But like a switch was flipped, she broke out into a huge grin, putting her hand out to shake his.

"It's so nice to meet you! We've all been so excited about your arrival. I'm (Y/n) (L/n)!" Leon smiled back, wiping his hand on his pants subtly before shaking her hand. "Mind if I sit by ya?"

"No, not at all!" Leon scooched closer to Redfield, gesturing to the spot next to him. She sat herself down, smiling at him again before turning her gaze past him to her teammate who began to speak.

"(Y/n) was the one who made that banner for you." Jill Valentine gestured toward her from across the table. "She wanted to make you feel welcome, even if she can't spell worth a damn."

"Hey, I was tired.” (Y/n) defended weakly, ducking her head.

“Well, thank you.” Leon nodded to her, raising his drink as he took a sip. “I thought it was very sweet.”

“I honestly wasn’t expecting you to come,” Stevenson speaks up. “Ever since you got put on the S.T.A.R.S. team, you’ve been in that office from sunrise to sunset.”

“The sun already set, didn’t it?” Chris jokes, earning a very awkward slap from (Y/n) who had to lean around Leon.

“And what I really wanna know,” Elliot chimes in. “is why you aren’t being pushed to work as hard as poor West here.”

“He didn’t get shot.” Jill shrugged.

“Wait, you got shot?” Leon looks over at her. “When did this happen again?”

“About four or five months ago…”

“I’m fine now,” She says, moving to run her hand over the now-healed wound. In doing so, she bumps her hand against Leon’s leg and utters out an apology. He looks down at her hip.

“Does it affect how you walk?” He asks curiously.

“Sometimes. Usually only in the morning. The first twenty minutes after I wake up are kinda painful. And sometimes if I’ve been sitting a while, getting up again hurts. Or if I lean on my left leg for too long. Sometimes when it rains-”

“Yes, it affects her.” Jill interrupts, shaking her head good-naturedly.

“It’s not that big of a deal.” (Y/n) herself shrugs now. “I mean, half the people at this table have been shot before. It happens when you deal with the shit we do. But I bet you already knew that, considering you signed up for this job.”

She nudged Leon’s shoulder with her own, causing him to laugh softly again. She was right, but he still found it unsettling. Still, he didn’t go through the academy just to turn back now. He did know what he was signing up for, he just hoped he could handle it as well as (L/n) seemed to.

♦♠♣♥

It was roughly two hours later now, and things had only gotten louder from here. Valentine was completely calm, seeming to still be sober despite having several drinks. Stevenson, Elliot, and (L/n) were still laughing and having a good time, just at a louder volume. Chris, however, has been passed out face down on the table for the last twenty minutes. No one but Leon seemed to notice or care.

“We’ll see just how well you do in the shooting range, rookie!” Elliot teases, lifting his drink in a toast to the younger man.

“He will do just fine, I’m sure of it. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he can outshoot you.” (L/n) snorted, and Elliot gasped in mock offense.

“Hey, I never agreed to a competition, you guys.” Leon chuckles, finishing off the last of his bottle. He figured it was probably time to call it a night soon.

“You too scared to 1v1 me, rookie?” the elder officer goaded him on. (Y/n), from Leon’s right, let out a loud scoff and threw her arm around Leon’s shoulder, pulling him a bit closer.

“Listen here, Andy!” She spat his first name out like it was an insult. “Don’t you be giving my rookie any shit!”

“Your rookie?” Stevenson raises a brow.

“Yeah,” She squeezes her arm on his shoulder lightly, and Leon has to fight off a blush rising to his face. “I’m taking this guy under my wing. If any of you bitches give him trouble I’m coming for your asses.”

“Oh no, not our asses.” Elliot giggles- yes, giggles- and (Y/n) laughs too.

Leon prays that any red on his face looks more like the result of the alcohol, rather than the very pretty lady hanging off of him right now…

Chapter Text

(Y/n) was now on day two of her ongoing headache, though the hangover was probably more at fault than her stress. Or maybe the fact that she couldn’t remember the last time she had just a plain glass of water? Meh, she could live off of coffee and beer, right?

As she walks in through the front door of the RPD, her day is significantly brightened by the sight of her favorite person’s face. She quickly makes her way to Rebecca, hoping to get to talk with her before they inevitably have to start working again. As she approached her best friend, (Y/n) realizes the poor girl has bags under her eyes, and she looks like she can barely stand.

“Good morning, starshine.” (Y/n) laughed humorlessly. “You look even worse than I feel. What happened to catching up on sleep?”

“It didn’t happen.” Rebecca fights back a yawn, and (Y/n) huffs.

“That’s apparent. Did something happen last night?”

“No, I just got caught up in my own work again.”

“Is Wesker getting on you too?”

“No,” She shook her head. "I chose to put this much effort in myself. Now I have to suffer the consequences."

Rebecca sighed as she lifted her coffee mug to her lips, and (Y/n) frowned.

"You have to be crazy to actively decide to work yourself this hard."

"Well," the shorter girl's voice dropped to a whisper as she glanced to the side. "I have good reason to be working this hard. We need to have a private talk sometime."

"Oh, ok." (Y/n) tried to ease the sudden flare of anxiety rising in her stomach.

"Speaking of Wesker," and just like that the subject changed. "He has been acting very odd recently."

"He isn't like that all the time?"

"No, just since Irons' arrest. And only towards you."

"Well, I'll try not to take it personally."

"Do you think we could grab lunch together today?"

“Oh,” She winces. “I have to go speak to the prosecutor today. Do you think we could do it tomorrow?”

Rebecca’s face brightens. “Yeah, tomorrow would work in our favor. The sooner the better, though. We really can't push this off much longer.”

“I’m sensing it’s something urgent.” (Y/n) mutters, fixing her best friend with a look that read

‘Just what are you hiding?’

“Very. We can explain over lunch tomorrow.” We? “I have to go. See you later, (Y/n).”

“Bye.” She waved goodbye to Rebecca, forcing the grimace off of her face as she realized she now had no excuse to avoid her meeting with Wesker. Today was chock full of talking to people (Y/n) frankly found to be intimidating. Lawyers were tricky, and Wesker was grumpy. Neither one was ideal to her, but at least she felt certain the prosecutor wouldn’t literally bite her head off. Wesker, she wasn’t so sure.

Her footsteps felt heavy as she made her way through the west office, heading towards the stairs leading to the second floor. She takes a hopeful glance at Leon’s desk as she passes but it looks relatively untouched. That isn’t out of the ordinary, considering he only started here yesterday. After a month it’ll look more like his own personal space. What she’s really disappointed in is the fact that he isn’t sitting there when she walks by. Oh, well. Maybe she’ll bump into him later.

As she makes her way up the stairs and around the hall to the S.T.A.R.S. office, she feels a shiver run down her spine. The bustling noises of people moving throughout the building brings her no comfort as she is reminded of the last time she had to go sit in the chief’s office. It didn’t matter that his office was on the opposite side of the station, or that he was long gone from this place and Celia was going to see Wesker instead. She still felt that same haunting chill that she had experienced then.

That chill only got worse as she sat on the visiting side of Albert Wesker’s desk, trying to avoid the sight of her own reflection in those ever-present glasses of his. She briefly wondered what the color of his eyes were, before coming to the conclusion she’d really rather not know.

“So, are we here to discuss the trial of Brain Irons again, sir?” (Y/n) asked politely, sitting stiff and rigid as she tried not to outwardly shake like a leaf. Despite the fact that Wesker was as cool as a cucumber, she couldn’t help but see visions of her meeting with Irons just before his arrest. “I’ve overlooked every file and report like you’ve asked me to. I feel confident I can deliver a testimony that will satisfy both you and the court.”

He was collected, yes, but he was not calm. Irons had been a raging storm, anger barely contained as he sat at his desk with his hands folded in front of her face. He was hiding a sneer, spitting hateful words in cutting tones at her before reaching into his desk and pulling out a shining metal gun-

(Y/n) is torn from her vision as Wesker sets the papers he pulled from his desk in front of her.

Right. This isn’t… that…

She glances at the papers before looking up at the captain. “A new S.T.A.R.S. assignment?”

“Yes.” Wesker leaned back in his chair. “I’m afraid Chief Branagh and I have had to pull some strings. You won’t be attending the trial after all-”

“Wait, you’re kidding right?” She interrupted him before she could stop herself, noticing how he grimaced. “I need to testify! He shot me for Christ's sake!”

“Believe me, we know how important your testimony will be. But they have your written reports and all of the files on the incident. I understand your frustration, but as a part of the team, your presence is required here.”

She leaned back in her own chair as well, sighing as she ran a hand through her hair. “I get that, sir. But if I can’t testify… what if Irons walks free?”

“Oh, I highly doubt he will. Even without you there in person, the evidence of your injury at his hands and all his other misdeeds is still very much on display for the jury to see. Irons will be convicted of his crimes, I’m sure of it. Now, I’m afraid this assignment takes priority here”

(Y/n) nodded softly, looking down at the desk as her stomach began to coil with the stress. She felt sick, terrified of leaving an even worse impression on the captain by disposing of her breakfast on his desk. Even though this conversation was so calm, she still looked at his face and saw the anger that came before she bit the bullet…

What was she supposed to say to him? ‘Sorry, sir, you remind me of the man that shot me and now I'm having vivid flashbacks that make me wanna vomit profusely. Don't take it too personally.’

“Okay. I’ll be meeting with the prosecution over lunch today,” She spoke softly, barely a mumble as her grip on the arms of the chair tightened. “I’ll let them know I won’t be there.”

“Good. Take these to them.” Wesker handed her another folder, this one she presumed was full of the papers needed to excuse her absence. “We’ll debrief on the mission tomorrow afternoon. Prepare yourself.”

She took that as her cue to vacate his office.

♦♠♣♥

It was late morning when Leon took a walk into the breakroom of the RPD. He had just returned from a short ride-along with officer Stevenson and was looking forward to a snack before they headed back out. Poor guy was starving, but that somehow slipped his mind as he saw (Y/n) (L/n) sitting at one of the tables with her purse in front of her. She looked up from the closed envelope that held her attention, beaming as she recognized who has walked in.

“Hey, there’s my rookie! Looks like my day’s gotten brighter.”

“So you remember last night?” Leon chuckled, referring to the little nickname she had awarded him.

“Pfft, I wasn’t that drunk, Kennedy!” She scoffed, standing to move toward the breakroom sink. She ran her cup under the water, rinsing it clean of the coffee it had held before. “You know if it bothers you, you can tell me right?”

“What? Calling me your rookie?”

“Yeah. I mean to be playful, but I don’t want to cross any lines or anything.”

“No, it’s fine.” Leon sits across from her as she retakes her seat. “Actually, I thought it was cute.”

“You said a very similar thing about the banner I made for you.” She gave a smug little half-grin. “Is this your way of admitting you think I’m cute?”

“If the shoe fits.” Leon huffs, leaning back in his seat. He hoped he looked cool and smooth, and not like the flailing ball of awkward panic that he was. (Y/n) laughed, but it wasn’t a mocking laugh like he had made a fool of himself. It was more of a pleased laugh, like she found him charming. God, he hoped she found him charming.

“You’re funny, Kennedy.” Her smile and eyes both grew soft. “I think I picked a good rookie to hold onto.”

“So,” Leon kinda shrugged, unsure of how to continue the rather flirty conversation from there. “How has work been today?”

She sighed heavily at that, a surefire sign that work was not all sunshine and rainbows for her.

“Well, all the time I’ve spent preparing for trial has gone to waste. I’m being sent on my first S.T.A.R.S. assignment soon, so I won’t be making it to the trial. We’ll have tom wait and see how that goes.”

“That’s a bummer.” Leon frowned. “You don’t sound too excited about that.”

“Sorry, I forgot I was supposed to be.” She laughed humorlessly, more to ease any tension that might have been building up than anything else. She glances at the watch sitting on her wrist, seemingly having lost track of time. “Oh, I gotta go. I’m having lunch with the prosecutor on the case.”

“Going over the last details?”

“Gotta break it to him that I can’t make the date.” (Y/n) squinted. “It feels so weird that they can just… tell me not to go. Usually, a trial takes priority over everything else.”

“This assignment must be pretty damn important then.” Leon watched as she began to ruffle through her purse. “What’s it about?”

“Dunno,” She pursed her lips. “I’ll be finding out tomorrow. Wesker seemed to think it was crucial.”

She pulled sunglasses from her bag, putting them on as she mimicked the captain’s voice.

“The assignment takes priority. Your presence is required here.”

Leon snorts, shaking his head as she lifts the glasses atop her head and smiles.

“Seriously, that guy talks like a cheesy movie villain. Kinda gives me the creeps. But I gotta go, I’ll catch ya later, rookie!”

“See ya.” Leon waves goodbye as she leaves the room, reaching for the bag of chips he had bought from the vending machine. Just as he tore the bag open, Stevenson came into the room in a hurry.

“Hey, Kennedy, we gotta move.” He panted. “Armed robbery down the road. Rodriguez is already there but they want us to come help take care of it.”

“Shit!” Leon left his bag of chips unattended as he shot up to leave.

Chapter Text

(Y/n) felt so guilty over the fact that she could not remember this man’s name for the life of her. It was… something Payne… was that right? Wilson? She felt like it was Wilson…

Either way, the man was about the same height as her, which is to say, rather small. His thinning hair was beginning to grow the same shade of gray as his suit, and his mannerisms made him seem almost pathetic in nature. Still, the man was a well-off lawyer, and he probably hadn’t been shot in the last few months. As far as (Y/n) was concerned, he had one up on her for sure.

The sub sandwich shop they had agreed to meet in was quiet and out of the way, making it perfect for a nice casual lunch talking about the court trial of the man who attempted to murder her to cover up his other crimes. Totally professional.

“Thanks for meeting with me, Miss (L/n).” Payne’s voice was whiny and obnoxious, and (Y/n) wondered if he sounded like this in court. “I was hoping we could iron out these last details on your appearance at the trial.”

“Oh, well, actually,” (Y/n) has no idea how to broach this subject. At all. “I’m afraid I can’t make it to the trial.”

“What?!” The man nearly began sweating on the spot. “You’re one of our key witnesses. You took a bullet from him!”

“I know, and I’m genuinely so sorry,” She winced. “But I’m afraid I’m being called away for work.”

“You’re one of the officers on that elite force, right?” the lawyer sounded even more defeated and pathetic now.

“Yes, the S.T.A.R.S. team.” She handed over the envelope Wesker had given her. “My captain said these should cover everything for you. Of course, if there’s anything I can do to help now, I would love to.”

Payne placed the envelope to the side, looking worse for wear. “I appreciate the offer, Miss (L/n), but if you won’t be able to attend in person, then there isn’t much I need from you that I don’t already have.”

(Y/n) nodded solemnly, feeling terrible about not being able to help him.

“I assume this goes for Mr. Redfield as well?” The man all but sighs.

“I’m not sure,” she answered honestly. “I wasn’t told anything about his involvement in the trial.”

‘He doesn’t seem to care much either,’ she thought to herself. ‘He only ever cares about the action. Never a desk jockey.’

“I’ll try to contact him.” The man mutters to himself. “I suppose that’s all I can ask of you for now, then.”

“Wait.” (Y/n) stopped the man before he stood to leave. “I usually work on the apprehension side of the law, rather than the punishment side. I was under the impression that a court of law takes precedence over everything else. Like with jury duty and whatnot. How is possible that I was just… excused? Especially considering I’m not just any witness, but a victim!”

“It’s… difficult to explain.” The man reached out and took a napkin from the table, dabbing at his forehead as gracefully as he could when sweating bullets. He almost seemed more frantic now. “But I assure you, this is a perfectly acceptable outcome, even though it is a bit disheartening.”

(Y/n) leaned back in her seat, thoroughly disheartened by the man’s explanation of her upcoming absence- or more accurately the lack thereof. What ‘strings’ had Wesker pulled to have the key witnesses of this trial removed from the courtroom, police work or not? Something felt off about this, and about the man’s reaction to it as well. But there was nothing she could do.

“Alright. Thank you, though. Sorry to disappoint you.”

“No need to apologize.” Payne stood now uninterrupted. “I’m sure everything will turn out right anyway.”

The man bid her farewell and left her alone at the table, looking out the window at passing traffic as she thought.

♦♣♥♠

It was transitioning from late afternoon to evening time as Leon Kennedy and Riley Stevenson returned to the RPD. It had been a busy afternoon, and Leon now had his first full load of paperwork to do. Yay, him.

“I feel bad for ya, rookie.” Stevenson looks over at the younger man.

“Why’s that?” He asked, stepping through the ornate front gates of the station.

“It’s your second day in the force and we’ve already put you through all this bullshit.” He huffed. “You deserve to settle in a little before facing this stuff head-on.”

“I survived the academy,” He joked. “Probably better to dive in headfirst now, anyway.”

“Maybe.” the older officer conceded as they entered the main hall. “Still, that was a lot.”

Leon just shrugged, not knowing what else to say. In truth, it was a lot, and he still felt shaken from the whole ordeal, but this was the job he signed up for. The way Leon saw it, it was better to get straight to the dirty, scary, unfun parts of the job rather than let himself settle into an unrealistic little fantasy of what the job would be.

He turned his attention away from the cop to his right, instead looking at the people bustling throughout the whole police station. He could see a couple of officers having a conversation above him and to the left, standing around on the second-floor balcony. He wondered if they were discussing work until one of them laughed, causing him to smile softly. Everyone here seemed so friendly with each other.

He looked over to a woman scolding a young teen boy who had clearly just been reprimanded by an officer as well, probably for something dumb and rebellious, like vandalism. A man was being walked down the hall in cuffs, and judging by the interactions between him and the other policemen, it wasn’t his first time here. Countless people were filling out paperwork, having conversations, and just generally moving about the large station hall. It almost looked like a living painting, all these people going about their lives on the grand and elegant backdrop the RPD provided. It was certainly the fanciest-looking police station he’d ever seen, and in this moment that really shone through.

He stops his dillydallying and follows his partner into the west office, seeing more officers moving about there. A few sat at their desks: Phillips and Ford among them. A couple more officers stood near the wall talking, and it looked like (Y/n) (L/n) was amongst them. She turned in his direction as he walked in and grinned at him. She walked away from the other cops, moving to lean against his desk as he met her in the middle.

“And here comes my rookie. First day out in the field and he’s already playing hero.” She shook her head at him and he laughed.

“I don’t know what else you all expect from me. I did agree to this when I signed up.”

“Did someone else give you crap over this too?”

“No, Stevenson just seemed apprehensive about letting me tag along.”

“We just don’t want you to jump in too fast, too soon.” She placed a hand on his elbow comfortingly, almost making him blush again. “This job will eat you up if you let it. Just ask Roberts.” She turned around to gesture at one of the men she had been speaking to earlier.

“Fuck you, (L/n).” He laughs, and she gasped.

“Not in front of the rookie, Roberts! We want him to think we’re nice!” She turned back to Leon, a playful grin reflecting in her eyes. “Well, either way, you went out there and did it, and I think you’re a real American hero.”

Leon chuckled.

“Well, I can’t take up all of your time, I suppose.” She stepped away from his desk. “Just wanted to double-check you didn’t take any bullets. 1/10, would not recommend.”

“Yeah. No bullets taken. I promise.”

“Good. I’ll see ya later, rookie.”She waved at him as she left the room, and Leon sat at his desk with a sigh, glaring at the paperwork that sat on the surface. (Y/n) was really nice and really pretty.

And fuck, he thinks he’s into her.

♦♣♥♠

Entering the S.T.A.R.S. office, (Y/n) sees that the door to Wesker’s office is closed, and it looks like he and Rebecca are talking inside. Jill, Barry, and Joeseph are all at their respective desks. (Y/n) takes her own seat, booting up her computer as she sets begins rifling through the folders sitting in her drawers. It doesn’t take long for Jill to wheel her chair over to (Y/n)’s desk, not sitting very far away in the first place.

“Hey, you and Rebecca are coming out to lunch tomorrow, right?” She asks.

“Yeah. Are you joining us?” (Y/n) wonders if maybe Jill was the other party in the ‘we’ Rebecca had mentioned.

“Mmhmm.” The senior officer nods before turning her attention over to Barry. “Hey, you’re still going out to lunch with Chris tomorrow, yeah?”

“For sure.” Barry smiled at her. “You girls go have your fun!”

“Thanks, Barry.” Jill smiles at him, and (Y/n) realizes she asked Burton to play babysitter for Redfield… Damn, she’s good. And whatever it is that she and Rebecca wanna tell her about must be big to make her keep Chris out of the loop. What could be the cause of such a secret meeting?

Her thoughts are disrupted as Wekser and Rebecca emerge from the office, and Wesker addresses the room of elite officers.

“I want everyone here early tomorrow morning. We’ll be briefing this new mission as soon as everyone is present. Drag Redfield in by the collar if you have to.” And then he turned and left.

(Y/n) turned to ask Jill a question, but she was already knee-deep in her own work again.

Chapter Text

♦♠♣♥

The next morning was an early one, (Y/n) not wanting to invoke Wesker's wrath by accidentally being the last one there. He didn't seem the kind of boss you would want to keep waiting. Hopefully, with a decent night's sleep and a gallon of coffee flooding her veins, she'd be able to survive the long day ahead.

The morning shift folks at the station were entirely too cheerful for (Y/n). It's not that she was grumpy in the mornings (she was actually, she'd just never admit it), but her head felt hazy and tired all of the time. It was so easy to zone out and just not come back. She took another deep drink of her coffee, hoping not to zone out mid-mission brief.

Most of the STARS team was arriving as she was, though Chris was nowhere to be seen. Figures he would be the one to wait for. The captain stood behind his desk, rifling through papers and writing something down as he read. (Y/n) assumed it was in preparation for the operation, which she was growing more and more nervous about. (Y/n) had only become a STARS member after the incident, and honestly, she didn't feel as though she belonged here. She was a decent cop, sure, but these guys were the best of the best. (Y/n) was only here because of happenstance. It was Irons' mistake that led to her finding the emails. She really didn't do anything heroic at all.

As she settled down into her seat, Wesker came out from his office and stood at the front of the room. (Y/n) glanced around again, seeing Jill drag a half-asleep Chris into the room. Looks like everyone was here.

“I hope you’re all listening,” Even the man’s dark glasses couldn’t hide the glare directed at Chris. “Because we cannot afford any confusion on this mission.

“A corpse that we suspect belongs to one of our missing persons was found in the Raccoon forest just days ago. Due to the nature of the body, it was decided that we should be the squadron to investigate. The corpse was nearly mauled beyond all recognition, much worse than any other animal attack we’ve seen in the last ten years. It may be that there is some feral beast out there killing off civilians, but it’s suspected this was done by a person due to the unusual wounds left on the bodies.

“We’ll be sending bravo team out to investigate, but once our culprit is found, be it man or animal, alpha team may have to be prepared to provide backup. Bravo will be sent in by helicopter and will be given a total of eight hours to search the area before returning, whether they have found anything or not. If backup is needed, then alpha team will move in and we will sweep the area as one unit. We’ll be keeping in contact throughout the procedure, in the case that bravo team is taken by surprise. Any questions so far?”

“Why the hell isn’t animal control being sent out? Or hell, the forest rangers?” Chris spoke up, seeming much more awake now.

“As I said, we suspect these killings may have been caused by a human being, Chris.” Wesker scolded him like a frustrated parent.

“So, we have a serial killer on the loose?” Barry chimed in. “And one that’s mauling bodies worse than the wildlife?”

“It hasn’t been confirmed, but it is a possibility.”

“And what if it is just an animal?” (Y/n) asked, and Wesker turned his attention to her. He just stared for a moment, not more than five seconds, before answering.

“Then we neutralize it, (L/n). It shouldn’t be very hard for such accomplished officers.”

(Y/n) could feel her face begin to burn lightly, unsure if it was embarrassment or agitation. Was he implying that she wasn’t accomplished through sarcasm? That's what it sure as hell sounded like. The more she interacted with this man, the less she liked him.

“I’ll be discussing the details for the initial search with bravo team. Those of you assigned to alpha may get to your preparations. Hopefully, this assignment will be underway tomorrow evening.”

The members of alpha team, including Jill and Chris, began to clear out, and (Y/n) just sat and watched, feeling unsure of what to do. She looked over to Jill for help, and the woman nodded her head to the side, gesturing for (Y/n) to come with her. The newer member breathed a sigh of relief, pleased to have some kind of assistance. While she assumed gearing up for a S.T.A.R.S. mission wouldn’t be too different from gearing up as a regular officer, she would appreciate hearing it from someone more experienced. Especially someone as helpful and comforting as she found Jill to be.

♦♠♣♥

“It’s almost cute how you worry so much.” Chris teased, shuffling through a duffel bag he pulled from his locker.

“You flirting with me, Redfield?” (Y/n) squinted at the man, and he turned to her with a laugh.

“You are definitely not my type,” He winked. “And besides, I know you got the hots for the rookie.”

“Oh, you’re starting this now, are you?” (Y/n) rolled her eyes, eyeing the gun he pulled out of the bag. It looked like a nice one.

“You’re not denying it.” He sang out, and (Y/n) looked away, fighting off a blush.

‘No, I’m not.’ She thought to herself.

“Play nice, Chris.” Jill huffed through her nose. “This is her first time. Of course, she’s nervous.”

“Aww, don't worry (L/n). We’ll be gentle.” He waggled his eyebrows at her, barely keeping his laughter in as Jill whacked him with her own (empty) duffel bag.

“No wonder she thinks you’re flirting,” Valentine muttered, putting some medical supplies in her bag. “You’re insufferable.”

“Listen,” Chris came over to (Y/n), putting an arm comfortingly around her shoulder. “Everything’s gonna be fine. You’ll be with me and Jill. We’ll have your back the entire time. Just stick close and you’re golden.”

“Thanks, Chris.” (Y/n) leaned into his side, turning it into a half hug. “I appreciate it.”

“No prob!” He beamed, backing away to sling the bag back into his locker. “Now, I got a hot date with Barry. You ladies have fun!”

“See ya!” both women waved goodbye to him and grab their things to head out to lunch as well.

“Do you know where we’re going?” (Y/n) asked as she and Jill rounded the corner to make their way down to the main hall.

“I was thinkin’ of this little Chinese food joint down on Cherry. It’s pretty damn good.” Jill told her, and they spotted Rebecca waving by the front door.

“I’m down. I could go for some Chinese food today.”

♦♠♣♥

“So,” (Y/n) started, figuring now was as good a time as any to start this conversation. It was a cute little restaurant, with beautiful floral decorations and dim but still decent lighting adding a cozy ambiance. “I’m guessing there’s something wrong.”

Rebecca winces apologetically. “Sorry, but you’re right. This isn’t just a friendly outing.”

“No need to apologize.” She assured her friend. “I’m just wondering what’s up.”

“It’s about Irons and that Umbrella scientist.” Jill got right to the point. “When you saw the emails, what exactly was mentioned in them that got Irons arrested? What specifically did he do wrong?”

“He was taking bribes from that scientist, Dr. Birkin.” (y/n) was a bit confused.

“Yes, but what for?”

“To cover up some illegal experiments. Isn’t this public knowledge now? You should know this already-”

“Where were these experiments taking place? Here in Raccoon City?” Rebecca spoke up, leaning in as if she was watching some suspenseful movie and not leading her friend toward some theoretical conclusion.

“I would assume so. There’s only the one lab here, in the- Oh!” It struck her then.

“These missing person cases are popping up right by where the lab should be!” Rebecca looked so determined like she knew she was right- and she probably was, that smart cookie. “There’s no way they aren’t connected.”

“Do you think Birkin was kidnapping people in the woods?” (Y/n) gasped in horror. “Using them as his test subjects?”

“Possibly.” Jill shrugged. “But then why would he have dumped a horrifically mutilated body in the woods to be found, when he could’ve just kept it hidden away?”

“Good question.” (y/n) quickly smiled at the waitress who came over to bring them their orders, waiting until she left to speak again. “Have you brought this up to Wesker yet?”

“No, we haven’t.” Rebecca shook her head. “We wanted to talk to you first since you’re the most likely person to have any more knowledge about it.”

“I wish I could help you more, but that’s really all I know.” (Y/n) took a bite of her chicken. “The emails only mentioned experiments and hush money. Nothing specific.”

“That’s fine,” Jill spoke, blowing onto a fork full of hot rice. “Either way, these last secrets should be coming to light very soon.”

(Y/n) just nodded, feeling that nervous knot in her stomach again. If they were right about their theory, that would just make this investigation even more frightening. All she could do was put one foot forward, she supposed.

“Well,” Rebecca sighed, looking over to some other diners who were being seated nearby. “That’s all for now. But you could tell me more about yourself and the new guy.” She looked over to a groaning (Y/n) with a mischievous grin as Jill bit back a laugh.

“There’s nothing to say!” (Y/n) tried weakly to deter her, but Jill had other plans.

“You were flirting with him pretty hard at the bar the other night.” She smirked, causing Rebecca to gasp playfully.

“You’re kidding!”

“Nope. She even called him her rookie. Hers.” Jill looked at Rebecca with a raised brow, and Rebecca started laughing.

“Fine, fine! I admit it.” (Y/n) raised her hands in surrender. “He is pretty damn cute, and he seems really sweet. Maybe I do kinda like him a little bit-”

“You should ask him out!” Rebecca reached across the table to grab (Y/n)’s hand as Jilled nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, maybe.” She gave in. “But definitely not until this Umbrella bullshit is done and over with.”

“That’s fair.” Jill nodded, stabbing at a piece of pork with her fork. “But I’m gonna hold you to that.”

Rebecca giggled as (Y/n)’s head landed on the table with a soft thud.

♦♠♣♥

“That seems like a rather farfetched idea to me, Jill.” Wesker sat at his desk, pen hovering, unmoving over a paper he had been filling out.

“Is it really, though?” Jill sounded unconvinced. “I mean, it almost lines up too perfectly.”

“Kidnapping people from the woods to use as illegal lab rats seems a bit too bold for a scientist who’s been hiding said experiments for years.” Wesker dropped the pen, moving a hand to his forehead. “These missing person cases have only started popping up recently-”

“That we know of!” Jill argued. “Maybe something else is going on, but all I know is that this Umbrella lab has been under fire for being shady lately, and this doesn't make them look any better. Would it really hurt to look into this a little further?”

Wesker sighed deeply, turning to his computer and tapping away. “I suppose I could bring this up to Branagh. We’ll be headed out there to investigate anyway. We might as well search for these clues as well.”

“Thank you, Captain.” Jill stood to leave. “I’ll be back here tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, goodnight, Jill.” Wesker watched the woman leave the S.T.A.R.S. office before opening up his emails and sending one out.

‘Add Jill Valentine to our list. She’s digging where she has no business looking.’

♦♠♣♥

Chapter Text

(Y/n) sat at the edge of her seat, biting her nails until they hurt. She glanced around the room at the other members of Alpha team. Chris is leaning against the wall by his desk, and if it weren’t for his heavily furrowed brow, he would’ve looked entirely unfazed. Jill sat at her own desk, pen and paper sat before her untouched as her gaze never left the radio sitting on the desk next to hers. Wesker was standing by the door to the weapons locker, looking as cool, calm, and collected as ever, and Barry Burton was rubbing his hands over his face, looking as tired as (Y/n) felt. Everyone was nearly still as a statue, only making small, slow movements as everyone waited in anticipation.

Bravo team had been silent since yesterday. Something was clearly amiss. Yet, everyone sat waiting. For what, exactly?

(Y/n) glanced again to Wesker, who almost really did look like a statue. “Sir?” She broke the silence, taking a deep but shaky breath as she did.

“Yes. Let’s get ready to move.”

And it was like a bomb went off. Everybody was immediately grabbing their gear, throwing on whatever parts of their uniforms they were missing. The sudden bustling movement would have surely made (Y/n) flinch if she hadn’t immediately jumped into action the same as everyone else. She pulled on a thick protective vest over her clothing before reaching for the duffle bag Barry was holding out to her. She took a walkie-talkie from the bag, handing it back to Barry with a nod as he moved on to the next person. Just as she grabbed her pistol from the collection of weapons, everyone began to filter out of the room, and she followed them closely, not wanting to be too far behind for even a second. Throughout this entire moment, not a person spoke, not even once. (Y/n) wasn’t sure if it made the knot that had settled in her stomach since yesterday worse or better.
She followed the rest of her team, finding herself hanging rather closely to Chris. She didn’t want to make it obvious, to have her teammates judge her for being afraid, but if either he or Jill noticed that she was holding him to that promise he had made her before, neither of them showed any signs of care. With a deep breath, she reminded herself that their other teammates were now missing. It was likely Chris and Jill were at least a bit afraid or concerned as well. She knew them both rather well now. Chris may tease her in a more casual setting, but she knew he wouldn’t judge her for being afraid. He would instead try to help her through it. (Y/n) let herself hold onto the back of Chris’ shirt as she followed him to the roof. He glanced back at her with a soft comforting smile.

As the S.T.A.R.S. unit moved through the RPD, other officers cleared the way. It was like a small army marching through the fanciful halls of an art museum turned police station. (Y/n) noticed one of the officers watching them pass was Leon, who offered her a smile and a wave. She waved back, feeling her next breath come a little easier to her now.

♦♣♥♠

“Shit. Guess that means the other squad is in trouble.” Officer Carlsen muttered as he and Leon watched the S.T.A.R.S. members pass through.

“They’re the rescue team?” Leon asked, suddenly worried about his new friend's safety. She had looked pretty confident as she passed…

“The rescue team for the rescue team.” Carlsen chuckled to himself. “Still, if Bravo team is down and they’re sending in Alpha… those murders in the woods must be a bigger problem than we thought.”

“I hope everything’s alright,” Leon muttered to himself as they disappeared through another door down the hall.

♦♣♥♠

(Y/n) carefully stepped over a fallen branch, looking out at the surrounding woods as Frost emerged from the wreckage of Bravo team’s heli. She looked over to him, as most of the others did, and he shook his head.

“Shit!” Chris cursed, turning his attention to the ground as he looked for some kind of trail to follow. Wesker wandered a bit ahead, flashing his light to his right as he moved. (Y/n) brought her focus to her own beam of light as she moved hers across the scenery before her. She had always been fond of trees, finding beauty in the trees that surrounded the city, but now she found them horrifying. The ambiance was dark and menacing as fog twisted between the trunks of the barren trees. Why did the leaves have to fall so early this year? It would have been a lot less eerie if the beautiful red and gold leaves were still in their place.

Soon the footsteps of her wandering teammates moving through the leaves began to fade into the background as she focused her hearing on any signs of life outside their own squad. (Y/n) kept moving, listening both for her missing comrades and anything that could have possibly caused them to crash and scatter to the winds. Soon the silence that had formed around her was shattered with a loud bang!

A gunshot. From who?

She whipped her head toward the direction it seemed to have come from and saw Frost on the ground, being ripped to shred by wild dogs. Before she could really react, Jill was already emptying her magazine into the mutts, but it didn’t seem to help. Bullet after bullet hit the dogs and they hardly even flinched. Once (Y/n) heard the telltale click of Jill’s now empty gun, she moved to stand beside her, watching as the dog closest to them shifted its attention from Frost’s now thoroughly mauled corpse, to them.

“Holy shit.” (Y/n) muttered, as the dog began to curl its seemingly half-decayed lip into a growl. The monstrous hound looked as though it was melting, flesh falling from the bones as it drooled and bled everywhere. Jill took a step back, and (Y/n) carefully reached for the other woman’s shoulder, trying to get her to move.

It was too late. The dog began to rush at the women, and Jill stumbled back into (Y/n) causing them both to fall over. The dog lunged and (Y/n) screamed, falling to the side in a pitiful attempt to doge as she was pinned beneath her friend. Another shot rang out, and the dog flew right over the two ladies’ heads. (Y/n) whipped around to see the dog landed behind her, and Chris pointed his gun at the other mutts, who were now beginning to leave their dead comrade’s corpse as well.

“Let’s go.” (Y/n) pushed Jill off of her and to her feet, feeling Chris do the same to her. They all spun around and took off running in the opposite direction, hearing the growling and barks of the rabid animals chasing after them. The dogs were fast, and (Y/n) wasn’t too sure she would be able to outrun them for long.

“Are those things what have been doing this?” (Y/n) isn’t even sure if her thoughts are coming out coherently, but Chris seems to have understood her anyway.

“I don’t know. We need to get the hell away from them before we’re next!”

“Look!” Jill yelled out, pointing up as they kept pushing themselves to move faster than the beasts behind them. (Y/n) raised her hands to block out the light shining down directly into her eyes- the light coming from their now retreating helicopter.

“Brad? Where the hell is he going?!” Chris yelled. (Y/n) couldn’t respond as she felt one of the little monsters catching right up to her heel. She gave herself one string push forward before turning and raising her gun to the beast. She pulled the trigger, sending a bullet straight through the animal's skull and stopping it in its tracks. It crashed into her, though, nearly knocking her over for a second time. She was caught by Chris, who yelled out as a third dog jumped right toward his face. The dog was sent flying by a bullet again, this time shot by Wesker who was behind them.

“Chris, this way!” He yelled out, laying down cover fire as Jill pulled them both to their feet and they began running away from the beasts again. (Y/n) noticed Barry join Wesker’s side, firing at the mutts as a building began to appear through the trees ahead.

“Make for that mansion!” Chris yelled, turning to take out another dog behind them. Somehow more had appeared, and (Y/n) was beginning to feel like things would only get worse from here.

Caught up in all the action, she completely missed the tree branch knocked to the ground in front of her and tripped over it, flying forward and landing on her bad hip with an “Oof!” She tried to pick herself up off the ground, but her hip gave out immediately, and she collapsed face down onto the ground again. Barry and Wesker stopped with her, with Wesker laying out fire while Barry helped her up. She put her arm around his shoulder, letting him take most of her weight as she limped toward the gate to the mansion ahead, praying it gave them some sort of safety from the horrible creatures in the woods.

♦♣♥♠

Chapter Text

The first room they entered was huge and elegant. It set the tone for the rest of the mansion, (Y/n) assumed, as she looked around, catching her breath. The wide open space drew your eyes to the staircase, and the doors littering the walls around them.

"This place is beautiful…" she muttered, turning to look back to her teammates. It didn't take a headcount to realize someone was missing.

"Where's Chris?" She and Jill spoke in unison, turning to the men among them. Jill immediately took to the door again before Wesker stopped her.

"Jill, no! You don't want to go back out there."

"We have to find him."

"Let's look from the windows," (Y/n) suggested. "We can't risk letting those dogs in here with us."

Just as she moved to look back outside, another gunshot rang out.

"What was that?" Barry asked as the four turned toward the sound.

"Jill, go investigate," Wesker ordered.

"I'll go with her," Barry volunteered. "Chris and I go back a long way."

"Maybe we should all go?" (Y/n) glanced over her shoulder, feeling a shiver crawl down her spine. "I don't like the idea of splitting up."

"No, we can split into pairs. Barry and Jill will go investigate. (Y/n), you and I will secure this area." Wesker spoke.

"Alright." Jill nodded, turning to go through the large double doors with Barry on her heels.

“Let’s take a quick look at the surrounding rooms. Make sure there isn’t anything too dangerous lurking about.”

“Yessir.” (Y/n) nodded, raising her pistol as she moved toward another door opposite the room Jill and Barry had just entered. She gripped the gold-embellished doorknob, but it didn’t budge as she twisted. She threw a little more weight against the door, ignoring the pain in her hip, but still, it didn’t open. With a soft hum to herself, she moved down the line to another door, carrying herself a little gingerly. As she reached the second door, one much smaller than the first, she glanced behind her and found Captain Wesker was nowhere to be seen.

“Captain?” She called out, stepping away from the door before a soft noise captured her attention. She looked back to the door, reaching out for the knob with one hand while the other held her pistol. Before turning the knob, she pressed her head against it, listening intently. Through the thick, dark wood, she could hear the noise again. It sounded like a soft groaning as if someone inside was in pain. She turned the doorknob and this time she was pleased to feel it twist in her grip. She pushed the wood of the door, watching it slowly swing open as she held her gun out in front of her. It was just an empty hallway, a few more doors leading to other rooms before her.

“These doors are gonna get tiring fast.” (Y/n) grumbled, about to turn around and check the rest of the main hall before hearing that groan again. There was something off about it; it didn’t quite sound like a person, but close enough to cause concern. With a sigh, she stepped into the open hallway, listening for the groaning noise again.

“Captain Wesker? Chris? Hello?” (Y/n) called, hearing a responsive groan coming from a door to her right. She pushed this one open with ease as if it wasn’t even shut all the way. She raised her gun as she peered into the space, seeing it cluttered with items on the desks, chairs, and other furniture placed around. Laying face down in the middle of the mess was a person, who looked like absolute shit, to be honest. Their clothing was torn and dirty, their hair was in a mess, and their skin looked dark and bruised.

“Oh, shit.” (Y/n) mumbled to herself, stepping further into the room to take a look.

“Oh, shit!” She yelled out, realizing this man was no longer among the living. Great, she had wandered right into a murder mystery mansion. Before she could put any more thought into the situation, something hit her from behind, pushing her into the room as she stumbled and fell. Her hip was beginning to ache now, crying out from repeated strikes. As she put her arms out under her to lift herself from the floor, (Y/n) felt her blood run cold as she heard the door shut behind her with a notable click.

“Hey!” She stood too quickly, nearly buckling from the sharp pain running up her left side as she whipped around to the door and began pounding against the wood. “Chris? Captain Wesker? Who’s there?!”

She tried the knob despite knowing it would be a fruitless endeavor, growing angrier as the doorknob refused to give. Muttering obscenities under her breath, she felt herself freeze up as the groan from before rang out just behind her. (Y/n) turned ever so slowly, planting her back against the door as the literal corpse hanging out in the same room began to climb to its feet.

Again, the corpse is climbing to its fucking feet.

“What the fuck? What the fuck?” (Y/n) whimpered, raising her gun as the figure rose to stand at full height. It was about the same size as a human being; in fact, it looked exactly like a human, albeit a dead one. But dead people don’t walk. Right?

“Freeze!” (Y/n) took a deep breath, willing herself to hold the gun steady. “If you take one more step, I will shoot!”

If this thing understood her, it certainly didn’t care to listen as it reached its arms out and began shuffling towards her.

“Fuck” (Y/n) pointed the gun at the thing’s head, squeezing the trigger and watching as it took a bullet to the face with no reaction. She squeezed the trigger a second time, feeling more than seeing the shot miss as she began to tremble again. Another deep, slow breath, holding it as she fired once- no, twice more into the thing’s head. This time it fell, collapsing just feet in front of her as she began to let herself shake freely now.

She took more than just a moment to recover, watching the body as it lay before her and trying to process what had just happened. That was most definitely a dead body. It looked and smelled the part exactly. So how the fuck had it moved?

After deciding she couldn’t bear to look at the thing anymore, she stood a little straighter and turned back to the door, hesitant to take her eyes off the corpse. After trying the door one last time, she accepted the fact that there was no going back the way she came now. There was, however, a window on the other wall of the room that seemed to lead to some kind of balcony. That was her best bet right now.

She took a step to the side, not wanting to risk stepping directly over the body as she crossed the room to reach the window. It took a good tugging, but she managed to slide it up, pleased to see there was no screen or metal bars to block her from climbing through, So, she did just that- hissing through her teeth as she lifted her left leg up onto the windowsill.

“Fucking Irons.” She spat out. “Bitch couldn’t have shot me somewhere I’d feel it less?”

With a grunt, (Y/n) landed out on the metal balcony, and slowed for a moment at the sound of the platform creaking. It was fine. Probably. She stepped over to the window and tugged just as hard as she had the first, but this time the window didn’t budge. She looked over it and realized it was locked, but the kind of lock it used could easily be broken from the outside. If only she had a tool to snap it off…

Mentally rolling her eyes, she turned back to the room she had just exited and glanced over the mess of items spread throughout the room. Drinking glasses, a vase of flowers, pens, and compasses. It looked like some fancy ass office room. (Y/n)’s gaze settled onto the main desk in the room, more specifically, the wrench nestled nicely on top.

Score!

The victory of her little find almost outweighed the agitation of having to heave herself through the windowsill a second (and soon a third) time. She glanced wearily at the body between her and the desk, feeling far too motivated to get a fucking move on to actually avoid the thing. She stopped over the body, feeling herself breathe in relief as it stayed put like a nice little corpse is supposed to.

She took the wrench on the desk, looking it over and seeing something scrawled across the handle. It was a little hard to read, the tool being dirty and all, but it appeared to say ‘Trevor.’

“Alright. Let’s get that window open.” She told herself, turning and moving forward without a second thought. This was a fuckin mistake, as the corpse sprang back to life- or... Afterlife??- for a second goddamn time. It grabbed (Y/n)’s ankle as she stepped over it, causing her to lose her balance and fall over with a scream. The thing’s grip on her ankle was unrelenting, and (Y/n) found herself kicking and wriggling as she reached for her gun. Coming up empty, she drew her gaze to her right, where her gun had slid when she fell.

“Motherfuck!” She yelled, fighting off the zombie as it began to crawl over top of her. She put her other foot square on its forehead, pushing its chomping teeth back with all her might as she scrambled for the wrench right beside her. She lifted the heavy steel tool, swinging it down onto the monster’s head. It took some serious damage, the skull seemingly falling apart with each blow as she let it fall onto the beast's face over and over and over. Still, it kept coming at her as she beat it mercilessly, taking hits to the point that its head was no longer on its neck but rather spread out along (Y/n)’s face, chest, and the floor. Only then, did it stop moving. Only then did (Y/n) stop swinging.

♦♣♥♠

Leon packed up his personal belongings, ready to head home for the night. He glanced over at Marvin, who was doing the same but much more hesitantly.

“Everything alright, chief?” Leon asked, placing his water bottle into the side pocket of his bag.

“I don’t know,” Branagh answered honestly, looking at his watch. “Both S.T.A.R.S. teams have gone silent for hours now.”

“You think something happened?” His attention was now fully directed to his chief.

“Dunno.” Marvin sighed. “If we don’t hear back from them by morning, I’m sending out a rescue team.”

“A rescue team for the rescue team to the rescue team,” Leon muttered to himself, not liking the knot that began tangling itself in his stomach. “We can’t do anything sooner?”

“I don’t even know what to do.” The man rubbed his face tiredly. “If not one but TWO elite squads are now MIA…”

He trailed off with a shake of his head, grabbing his things and turning for the door. Leon stared at his bag sitting on the table in front of him for a solid thirty seconds, not really thinking of much else except “Fuck, man.”

Chapter Text

♠♥♣♦

Jesus Christ. Was this inability to catch her damn breath due to the physical exertion or a panic attack? (Y/n) wanted to close her eyes as she leaned back against the leg of the desk, but the thought of that damn thing getting up yet again pushed her to stand instead, nearly collapsing as she put weight onto her left hip. One more hit and she might not be able to walk at all. This was a fucking nightmare.

As unsteady as she was, (Y/n) managed to get back to the window and heave herself over it a third time, though it was beginning to get increasingly difficult. She tried to ignore the creaking of the metal balcony beneath her as she took her wrench to the window sill. She put a good amount of effort into trying to wedge the lock open, but nothing was happening. She leaned her full body weight into it, suddenly stumbling as the lock snapped off the window completely. She huffed, attempting and failing to pull the window up.

“Fuck this.” She groused, slamming the wrench into the glass and turning her head away from the shattering mess. Most of the window pane was gone now, but she was careful to knock the edges and corners of the glass out with the wrench before climbing through the hole. Well, it was more like falling through the hole. Lifting her leg to climb through caused a sharp pain to shoot through it. She tumbled in and ended up laying on her back in the glass she had broken moments earlier, regretting her life decisions for about the fifth time that night. As she slowly climbed to her feet, she tried her best to brush the glass shards from her clothes, wincing as she hit a couple of pieces that broke the skin. She didn’t have the time or the tools to sit here and find and remove every last piece of glass. Right now, she just wanted to find her team and get the fuck out.

This room looked very different from the last, being roughly the same size but having no furniture save from a single pedestal in the middle of the floor and a table full of expensive-looking wine bottles, all of different colors. The walls were well decorated, though, having some truly detailed and beautiful paintings hanging around. (Y/n) allowed herself to briefly admire one as she leaned on the wall next to it to gather her strength. It was a woman in a meadow, dancing gleefully through the flowers, her dress spinning as she twirls. In the foreground was a little picnic set up, a basket and plates, a bottle of wine. (Y/n) found herself wishing she were with this woman at her little picnic instead of being here in this hellhole nightmare mansion.

She limped heavily toward the door leading out of the room, using the wall to help hold up her weight. Reaching the door, she wasn’t even remotely surprised when it didn’t open.

“I fucking hate it here.”

She took note of the embellishment on the handle of the door, seeing a little wine glass etched just over the base of the knob. She turned back to the rest of the room, looking over the bottles sat to her right. She limped closer to the table, holding up one that was a deep emerald green. With a furrowed brow, (Y/n) looked from the bottle to the pedestal, wobbling over to set it in a conveniently sized indent on the stand. Nothing happened, but the perfect fit for the bottle led her to believe she was on the right track.

(Y/n) looked back to the painting of the woman, looking over the picnic blanket to see the neck of a dark blue bottle laying just behind the basket. To her immediate left, she saw an image of a dining table, set with a five-course meal and another dark blue bottle. As she scrutinized each painting she saw a blue bottle in several of them, some harder to find than others. Taking the blue bottle off the table, she put it on the pedestal in place of the green bottle. Again nothing happened.

“I’m missing something.” She whispered to herself, taking another look over the paintings. There were two where she couldn’t find the bottle at all, and she decided to look those over again first. In the first image, one of a woman and her child in a very cute but humble kitchen, she found the blue bottle hidden very well among the items on the countertop. The second image took longer to search, but eventually, she found the bottle.

And it was red.

‘This is the only one different from the others.’ (Y/n) thought, taking the red bottle from the table and setting it on display. The door behind her made an audible clicking noise, and (Y/n) was delighted to see it was now unlocked.

It opened to a staircase, thin and dimly lit; it certainly wasn’t as grand as the one in the entrance room had been. As she began to climb the stairs, the creaking of the wood brought a chill up (Y/n)’s spine. Still, she pushes onwards, reaching the top of the stairs to find another hallway before her. The hallway is dark and quiet, save for a soft scratching noise coming from the single door at the opposite wall. As she approaches the door, she can see that it's old and rusted, with a large keyhole in the center. (Y/n) approaches the door cautiously, listening to the scratching sound. She can't tell what's making the noise, but it definitely sounds alive. (Y/n) takes a deep breath and slowly crouches to sit at eye level with the keyhole, preparing herself for whatever may be waiting on the other side.

As she leaned closer to the door, preparing to peek inside, the scratching was interrupted by a loud bark, the door rocking forward as a sudden weight was thrown against it from the other side. (Y/n) fell back in surprise, as the barking began to grow frantic and aggressive. ‘Another fucking dog? You gotta be shitting me…’

(Y/n) was debating whether or not it was worth the risk of continuing on this way when a gunshot rang out behind the door. She froze, listening to the deafening silence after the shot. The dog had stopped making noise altogether. The door began to open again, and (Y/n) raised her gun to defend herself, but as the door opens, (Y/n) is surprised to find Wesker on the other side. He looks at her with his usual cool and detached expression, but there's something different about him. (Yn/) can't quite put her finger on it, but she can tell that something’s not quite right.

“Captain!” She lowered the gun, though she still didn’t feel at ease. “God, am I glad to see you. I got locked in one of the rooms downstairs.”

“I’m aware,” Wesker answered. “This mansion seems to be very dangerous. It’s a wonder you made it out alive.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. Those dogs were just the beginning.”

“Yet you made it this far just fine.”

“I wouldn’t say ‘just fine,’ Captain.” She half joked, laughing humorlessly as she placed a hand against her hip.

“Your old injury is bothering you?” Wesker asked.

“Yeah, I fell on it a few different time-” She’s cut off as a second shot echoes through the hallway. She looks at Wesker, seeing him holding his gun up again. Was he pointing it behind her? Was something there?

Before she could turn around to look, (Y/n) felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. She glanced down, seeing a new hole in her shirt- and the red that began to leak out and spread across the fabric.

“You-” She couldn’t speak, collapsing back onto her ass as she hyperventilated. She clasped her hand over the wound, trying to apply pressure, but it was hard to do when you were the one who’d been shot.

“Twice, now, you have survived something that was meant to kill you,” Wesker spoke, adjusting his glasses in a way that felt taunting. “First, Irons failed to kill you. Then the dangers of this mansion did not finish the job. Hopefully leaving you here to die, defenseless and alone, will finally put an end to your miserable suffering.”

“Why did you-” (Y/n) choked out, as Wesker began to laugh softly. It was unsettling. It was evil.

“You should have stayed out of Umbrella’s business.” He supplied, crouching down on one knee next to her as she sputtered on the ground, coughing up a spot of blood as she struggled to catch her breath. “You went poking your nose in something you had no business being anywhere near. Now you must pay the price.”

“You mean you… You’re Umbrella?”

“Yes. And this is what happens when you cross me, (L/n). You die a slow, miserable death.”

The man didn’t speak another word, leaving the way (Y/n) had entered, and (Y/n) was left with nothing but her thoughts and her own choking breaths. How had she let this happen? Was this why Wesker had been so cold to her this entire time? Because he was on the other side and viewed her as a threat? Fuck, it was getting cold in here…

She had known that working for S.T.A.R.S. was dangerous, but she never anticipated just how much so until now . She could feel the blood seeping from the gunshot wound in her abdomen, and as she lay there, she knew that her time was running out. Struggling to breathe, (Y/n) wondered if anyone would come to her aid. She knew that her teammates were likely dead. This mansion was huge, and full of monsters wanting to tear their flesh apart. It was a wonder that she has made it this far. But she still had hope that someone, anyone, might come to her rescue.

She thought of her family, back home in the small western town where she had grown up. They had encouraged her to take the job as an officer, even though (Y/n) had wanted something else for herself. Now, as she lay dying in the Spencer Mansion, (Y/n) realized that her career had led her down a dark and deadly path. She wished she could go back in time and make a different choice, but it was too late for that now.

(Y/n) felt tired, losing consciousness quickly as her blood pooled out onto the cool marble floors beneath her. As her eyes began to drift closed, she prayed these weren’t her final moments alive. It was hours, or maybe just minutes later when she heard someone approaching her. It was muffled, almost as if she was hearing these noises from beneath a sdpool of water. She wanted to open her eyes, but she felt as if they were glued shut, unable to move as the unintelligible voice came closer to her. She could barely make out the tone, the voice sounding male, but not threatening. It wasn’t Wesker, coming back to finish the job. That was a relief.

After fighting with her own body for what felt like ages, she came to enough to open her eyes, feeling hands moving about her abdomen as the person before her tried to treat her wounds as best they could. The pressure from their hands would have hurt if her entire body didn't feel so numb now. The back of her head was tingling where it collided with the floor, and as her vision slowly cleared, (y/n) realized it was Chris leaning over her.

“Hey, you’re alive!” He sounded surprised, scared, and oh so pleased, looking at her with a glint in his eyes that screamed of how he thought she was dead. “C’mon, (L/n). we’re getting you the hell out of here.

(Y/n) wanted to respond. To thank him, or warn him about Wesker, but she fell back asleep before she could.

Chapter Text

A blinding headache was a very unwelcome greeting as (Y/n) awoke once again. The bright lights pounding down on her face certainly weren’t helping, and she winced at the painful assault on her eyes as she tried to sit up.

“Whoa, whoa, there!” A voice gently soothed her as a hand urged her to lay back down. (Y/n) reached for her face, trying to shield the light from her eyes as she pried them open. She must be in a hospital room, judging by the obnoxious white of everything around her, and the man in a long white coat leaning over her. “I’m glad to see you’re awake, but I have to ask you to take it easy.”

“I’m… alive…” Her throat felt coarse and dry as she attempted to speak. She felt as if she was choking on thin air. The doctor gently handed her a glass and helped her position her bed up for her to drink from it.

“You are. And doing very well, I’m happy to report. Now, that doesn’t mean you can go rushing back into the fray just yet. We’re gonna keep you here a couple more days, and if you continue to do well, we’ll let you leave under strict rest until further notice.”

(Y/n) nodded. “How long was I out?”

“It’s only been two days since you were brought in under the RPD’s care, officer.” The doc looked over his notes. “Nasty gunshot wound, but you’re not the first to survive such an ordeal. We just want to make sure you don't have any other, underlying issues.”

“Feels like I've been asleep for months.” She muttered, settling into her pillow.

“Well, I hope you feel rested now. As much as I don’t want to cause you any unnecessary stress, Chief Branagh wants to speak with you as soon as you’re coherent enough to do so. And how are you feeling?”

“Like I took a bullet. Again. But I’m okay.” The doc nodded, noting something down on a clipboard before moving to the door.

“We’ll send him in, then.”

“Right now?” (Y/n) asked, raising a brow.

“Well, I did say immediately.” The doctor chuckled, opening the door and stepping out. (Y/n) let out a soft sigh, cutting herself short at the pain shooting through her torso at the movement. She was only kept waiting a moment before a soft knock came at the door, and Marvin came in.

“Chief.” She nodded politely at him, and he waved her off.

“Marvin, please.” He corrected. “We’re not at the station. And I’m worried about you, as an old friend.”

“Thank you, but I’m fine.”

“Fine?” The man scoffed. “This is the second bullet you’ve taken in less than a year.”

“And both bullets were gifted to me ever so lovingly from a superior officer.” She fixed him with a playfully accusing glance. “You just here to finish the job?”

“Of course not.” He laughed, though it was humorless. He moved one of the chairs nearby closer to her bed and placed himself in it, looking solemn as he contemplated what he needed to say. “Wesker was a double agent-”

“Yeah, no shit. Bastard shot me!” She rolled her eyes. “Working for Umbrella, yeah?”

“Yeah…” Marvin sighed deeply. “I thought we were done with this whole shitty situation, but Umbrella still had their greasy claws wrapped tight around the RPD…”

“You think this Op runs even deeper still?”

“Hard to tell.” He leaned back, moving his hat to run a hand over his head. “First Irons, and now Wesker. Can’t help but wonder who else is working to fulfill some ulterior motive.”

(Y/n) didn't respond, just nodding as she thought it over herself. Who could they trust now that two police members had betrayed them so badly? Everyone looked suspicious if you thought about it too hard.

“So what's gonna happen?” She asked.

“Well,” He sighed again. “STARS is being disbanded-”

“Aw, I just got promoted!” She whined, flopping back and wincing in pain at the sudden movement.

“Be careful, (L/n).” Marvin chastised. “It doesn’t make sense to keep that team running now. You still have a job, just without the fancy title. And on top of that, the entire police department and everyone in it will be investigated by the feds.”

“The government’s stepping in?”

“State government, yes.” he continued. “This incident has been swept under the rug, but Iron’s involvement with Umbrella is still big news. The state wants to nip this in the bud before anything else happens.”

“Right. Seems logical to me.” She nodded, watching as Marvin stood again.

“Well, I just wanted to check on you with my own two eyes and give you a little bit of an update.” he smiled at her, stretching as adjusted his hat. “Besides, I can’t monopolize all your time today. Someone’s been waiting to see you.”

“Aw, another surprise visitor?” (Y/n) smiled. “Who is it?”

♦♣♥♠

Leon sat in the waiting room, flippantly paging through a tabloid magazine while the chief went to see (Y/n). There were plenty of other people at the RPD eager to talk to her and see if she was okay, yet he was the one Branagh chose to bring along. Though Leon wondered why, he certainly wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He was relieved to hear she was alive but horrified to hear she had been shot. For the last two days, he’s been impatiently waiting to see her again. He wanted her to know he was worried. He wanted to know she was okay.

He jumped slightly in his seat as Marvin’s laugh broke his train of thought.

“You’ll put a hole in the floor, bouncing your leg like a jackhammer there, rookie.” He chuckled, and Leon sat up straighter.

“Sorry, sir.”

“Don’t be.” He waved the younger officer off. “Room 403. Go see her.”

“Right.” He stood, taking a deep breath and wiping his hands on his pants. Leon made his way down the hall, passing a couple of chattering nurses on the way. He stopped in front of room 403, where the door was open. He peeked in, seeing (Y/n) sitting on the hospital bed, gazing at the iv stuck in her arm. He knocked softly on the doorframe as he entered, and a grin spread over her face as she saw who her visitor was.

“Well, if it isn’t my rookie.” She cooed, tilting her head as he walked in and stood beside the bed. “What brings you here on this beautiful day?”

“It’s raining, actually,” Leon mutters, and (Y/n) shakes her head.

“Who says that makes the day any less beautiful?”

“Fair enough.” he chuckles, sitting in one of the chairs and scooting closer. “How are you feeling?”

“Oh, not that bad.” She examines her nails as if she were in a manicure spa and not a hospital bed. “It’s only my second time getting shot. By someone I looked up to, no less.”

“Yeah, quite the track record you’ve got going there.”

“No kidding.” She laughs softly, smiling at him again. “All jokes aside, it stings a bit but I know I’ll live. I think my psyche took more damage than I did.”

“What do you mean by that?” Leon frowned, leaning forward to be closer to her.

“Did anybody tell you what happened in that mansion?” Her expression was different now. She was concerned. Frightened.

“No,” he shook his head. “No one except Marvin and the survivors know the full story. We were just told shit went sideways. Bad.”

“Shit! Survivors!” Her hand flew to her head, and the heartbeat monitor at her side picked up its pace a bit. “Who made it out? Is Chris okay? He saved me-”

“Hey, calm down.” He placed a hand gently on her arm. “You don’t need to get worked up right now. Chris is okay. So are Jill and Rebecca.”

“No one else?”

“Brad and Barry. But that’s it. It’s just you six.”

“Goddamn.” She leans back, eyes closed tightly as if she were holding back tears. Leon winced awkwardly, not knowing how else to comfort her but giving her arm a gentle squeeze. It seemed to work, as her other hand came to rest on his in thanks.

“So, if you don’t mind me asking, what the hell happened?”

“If I tell you,” she whispered, opening tearful her eyes and looking at him. “You can’t repeat it to anyone. You have to pretend you don’t know because I have a feeling this is going to become a big cover-up operation.”

“I won’t tell another soul.” He assured her, and she nodded, swallowing thickly.

“The mansion was sitting above a laboratory. An Umbrella laboratory.” She sighs. “There were these… things there. People who weren’t really people anymore. And dogs-”

“Dogs?” He questioned, eyebrow raised.

“Those fucking dogs.” She shivered. “They were doing something there. I bet you more than anything that it had to do with those fucking emails between irons and that scientist…”

She shivered again, much more violently, and leaned towards Leon with determination in her body and eyes. She held onto him and he nearly felt the desperation in her grip and her voice.

“I’m telling you, Leon. There’s something extremely fucking wrong with Umbrella.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted as the doctor came back.

“I’m so sorry to interrupt, but miss (L/n) needs to be checked over quickly.” he smiled kindly at the two, as (Y/n) leaned back into her bed, taking a breath.

“That’s alright. I should get back to work, anyway.” Leon gave her arm one last squeeze before standing. He stepped over to the bedside table and picked up a pen and a napkin, jotting down his phone number. “You can call me if you need to. Or if you want to.” He smiled at her. “Do you have a ride home when you get discharged?”

“No.” She shook her head as a nurse brought a rolling cart over to her other side.

“I can get ya.”

“I’ll take you up on that. Thanks.” She smiled, and he nodded, leaving the room as the doctor began speaking to her.

As he walked out of the hospital, back to the waiting patrol car in the parking lot, he couldn’t shake her desperate plea from his mind.

Something’s wrong with Umbrella.