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Helena Harper knew about a lot of things.
Working under the CIA special division for bioterrorism, she had seen some pretty terrible stuff since President Adam's death and the China outbreak in 2013, something that she had a hand on happening, under blackmail, but still it ate away at her.
Things were getting better though. No outbreak for the last three years anywhere, only a handful of infected people here and there that were dealt with right away. It was so quiet she was even considering paying Leon a visit in Washington.
Her friend seemed to be getting his life back on track too. He had stopped drinking and seemed all around happier and lighter when she saw him in person six months ago. Ever since then, they'd talked via text but even in their convos he'd seemed alright.
Leon never talked about Ada Wong though and she had pushed. Four years ago, Helena had told him to go after her but everytime she asked if he had, Leon would change the subject back to Helena and her lack of romance.
He was always alone when she came to visit but she had met Claire Redfield two years ago on a mission and when Leon became the topic, she had confessed she was worried he was hiding something.
So Helena devised a sort of battle plan. Leon had told her he would take some vacation around June but provided no other details other than he would stay around Washington because that man was always on high alert.
Leon had been taking sparse vacations in the last three years, Sherry had told her since she was the only one close enough to keep tabs on Leon on a daily basis so Helena made a move she wasn't too proud of.
"Hunnigan?"
"Helena, what can I do for you?"
"Why do you think I need something to call you?"
"Because last time we met, you got scared of feeling something real and ran away?"
Helena cringed. God, she was the worst at relationships. Yes, they had a night that stretched through a week and then endless convos and secret meetings when they had the time. When Hunnigan suggested something for Helena to stay, she panicked and ran away to every mission available so there were a lot of things unresolved between them.
"You're right, I'm sorry Ingrid". She finally said. "I know we need to talk but I'm worried about Leon and I thought you could help me".
"Why? Is he ok?"
"I don't know. He's behaving weird".
"That's just Leon".
"I know but can you check where he is right now?"
"You know this is a major invasion of privacy, right?"
"I'm fully aware but I'm worried he's hiding something. Claire and Sherry are backing me on this. Please?".
"Alright. Give me a minute".
Leon had rented a lake house in Cobb Island, Maryland for two months. It's a big house for just one person but Leon would definitely be the type of man to brood around alone while he drinks himself to sleep.
If he's drinking again, Helena is gonna kill him. It was already bad the first time, she can't deal with drunk Leon again.
She takes a three day leave that she should've taken ages ago and flies to Maryland without warning so she can see what's really happening with her friend.
It was a sunny day when Helena arrived. She kept a good distance to observe the area first. The cream-colored house was big enough for a family of eight, a huge deck by the lake and a bunch of toys by the yard.
A child no older than three came running with a silver balloon to the mini pink car parked a few feet away from the house. She was wearing a spider-man outfit only without the mask, dark hair blowing in the wind.
That was clearly the wrong address and now Helena felt like a creep watching someone's child from afar.
"Mei, don't go too far!" Helena stops on her tracks to find that familiar voice standing in the porch wearing only t-shirt and sweets.
"But I want to drive!" . The little girl talked back to Leon who just smiled and walked over to her. "Please, daddy".
What?
Helena was pretty sure she blacked out at that moment. That man playing with a child was her lonely friend with a drinking problem and enough PTSD to last a few lifetimes and he was laughing and pushing a pink car with a child that called him dad.
It was time to move.
"And here I was thinking you were drinking yourself to sleep".
Leon's eyes widened at seeing her, holding the car as the child looked at them both, confused.
"How?"
"Hunnigan. Want to start explaining?"
"That's invasion of privacy", Leon knelt beside the little girl. "Come here, sweetheart".
"But I want to drive", she pouted at him adorably but he picked her up anyway.
"I'll drive you everywhere but after we talk with aunt Helena, alright?"
"Aunt?" The little girl looked at her intently and if Helena had a hunch on who was that child's mother, her belief was solidified in that moment.
It was like looking into a younger and cuter version of Ada Wong.
"Want some tea?" Leon asked as soon as Helena settled into the couch, watching Mei play with her toys.
"Tea?"
"I have no alcohol anymore". He came out with two cups and Helena actually needed a hot drink to think straight. It's not coffee but it's close.
"So that wasn't a lie. Good to know". Leon rolled his eyes at her. "Don't give me this look. We were worried about you".
"Who's we?"
"Sherry, Claire and I. Add Hunnigan now because I thought you had a relapse and worried her for nothing".
"I thought you were avoiding Hunnigan".
"Yeah. Only shows how worried I was and turns out you're hiding something but that was a whole child with a spy that's wanted in every country imaginable. So please, tell me how this happened". She tried to whisper to not disturb the child a few feet from them.
"You want all the details?"
"Stop joking!" She slapped his arm as he smiled behind the mug. She couldn't help but crack a laugh. "God, you're unbelievable".
"You told me to go after her!"
"To sort things out and stop this will they/won't they madness you two have going on since the 90's", Helena clarified. "C'mon, spill it".
"There's not much to tell really", Helena stared at him in disbelief. "We met again at another mission but I stayed this time and she stayed too. Things were good and I thought it was going to be different this time".
"Different how?"
"We made promises. To leave our jobs and everything behind", Leon confided, a little shy all of sudden.
Helena understood. Leon is a flirt and a bad boy when needed but she came to know that was just a façade to hide his soft and gentle personality.
When he loved someone, he went all in. It was a blessing and a curse giving the person he chose to give that love.
"Then one day, she just vanished", his tone sobered up. "All she left was a letter saying her employees had called her back. I went back home and that's when I did that mission with Chris and Rebecca".
"Oh".
2014. The year from hell. Helena was in a bad place and Leon was so bad she had to create a taskforce with Claire and Sherry to go check up on him.
"Is that why you were a nightmare to deal with?" He smiled weekly at that.
"It's part of it, yeah".
"Daddy?" Mei came up to him, holding a paper.
"What is it, sweetheart?" Leon's whole face lit up when he talked to her. Helena never imagined him as a father but it suited him.
"I made a drawing for mommy", Leon's ears turned a new shade of red when he looked back at Helena. Mei turned to her. "Do you wanna see it, aunt Helena?"
God, she was adorable.
"Of course". The drawing was fairly simple: three stick figures holding hands in a confusing but colorful environment. "It's so beautiful. You're really talented".
"That's mommy and daddy", she pointed at the figures side by side. "And that's me".
"Your mommy is really pretty".
"I know. Daddy always says that".
"Really?" Helena looked back at Leon and now her friend looked mortified.
"Mei, why don't you make another one just for mom?" Leon asked, cleaning her face of a paint smudge.
"Ok", she returned to her drawings, intent on doing her best.
"How old is she?"
"She's turning three next week". Leon got up and pointed at her cup. "More tea?"
"Please". Helena followed him to the kitchen. "She's really smart for her age".
"Don't I know it? She takes after her mother, I was an airhead when I was a kid".
"Her mother, Ada", Helena realized she was talking about Ada like she was some ghost but in her defense, Leon was the one that tiptoed around the subject all the time. "Do you realize how crazy this sounds?"
"I'm aware and that's why I didn't tell anyone. It's too dangerous. Anyone could take a look at Mei when she's with me and they'd know". Leon stared at the child and then back at Helena, serious. "I'm sorry but no one can know."
"But how are you managing all of it? You must have some help".
"My cousin, she and her family moved back here from Italy. We reconnected a while back. She lives near my apartment in a non-disclosed address and she takes care of Mei most of the time".
"What did you tell her?"
"The easiest answer I could manage. Ex-girlfriend who's not in the picture anymore. At least for a while".
"What do you mean?"
"I'm tired, Helena", Leon looked down and those traumatic years came crashing down on his features. "I'm tired of fighting an endless war. A war that I didn't even choose".
"None of us chose it". Helena replied. "We do it because no one else will".
"Well, I wasted my life fighting for a government I don't even believe in. I'd like to raise my kid without feeling like I'm going to get her killed just because she's mine".
Mei is playing with pink and blue trucks by the couch as they watch her. Leon watches his daughter with a little smile, so soft and genuine. She never saw him smile like that.
Once again she's reminded that Leon is a black hole of traumatic experiences. He's been thrown into this fight since his 20's. Doesn't he deserve some peace?
Hasn't he done enough?
"So do it".
"What?"
"Raise your kid. Stay with Ada. Run away from this life". Now that she vocalized her hopes for him, it's all she wants for her friend. "That's what you want, right?"
"More than anything". The glint in his eyes signified unshed tears as if the weight of that secret had been crushing him for the last three years.
Helena took his hand in hers. "Life is so short, my friend and we've been lucky so far, given our line of work. If you get to walk away, do it. I'll back you up".
"But the others-"
"They'll understand. Hell, I'll make them understand", he smiled at that. Helena hoped he could see now that she'd always be on his corner. "And this isn't just about you and your spy lady now. It's about that little girl and I think she deserves parents who will stay with her, don't you think?"
Leon nodded as he looked back at Mei, drawing red sticks on the paper.
"We already have a plan, sort of", he started, laying back on the chair. "Ada has started to "tie up loose ends" as she calls it and me… I already gave my notice to the DSO but they refused. They said I was too young to retire and they couldn't let an asset like me slip by".
"Those fuckers", she cursed. Of course she knows the system is rigged but she hoped someone would've a little compassion and appreciation for all Leon has given to the fight against bioterrorism.
As she looked at him, though, he didn't seem defeated about it, which could only mean one thing.
"Plan B?"
"Exactly", he said. "On my next mission, I'm dying".
It made sense. A dead man couldn't be brought back into the fight, Leon would be free at last.
"Will you tell the others?" The thought of having to keep that big of a secret didn't sit right with her, her run with lies was enough for a lifetime.
"You can tell them but only after the fact".
"Tell me what you need me to do when the time comes. I'll help you". It goes without saying that Helena is only returning the favor.
Leon saved her once when she most needed help. He has been a friend since then, it's only fair she does the same.
"Thank you". He squeezes her hand in gratitude and Helena nods in response. If it's up to her, Leon will be free sooner rather than later.
"Mommy!!!" Mei shrieked and ran to the door where Ada Wong was standing, staring at them and it's like Helena is seeing a completely different person. Ada opened a huge smile and hugged the little girl.
"Hi! I missed you so much, little one. Is your dad treating you right?" Her voice is sweet and attentive as she devoted all her attention to the child. Ada's smile is infectious as she looks at Mei just like any caring mother would.
"Of course! He bought me a pink car!" Mei explained in a rush. "And aunt Helena came to meet me too!"
"I can see that", Ada scooped Mei from the ground and entered the house. "Hello, Helena".
To say that Helena was shocked was an understatement. She never imagined to see mysterious spy Ada Wong in such a domestic scene wearing jeans and a sweater holding a little girl that's her carbon copy in her arms.
"Hi?" It's all she could manage at the time. "Sorry to crash your family time".
"Don't be. Leon needed a friend to know. He's not a great liar". Ada looked to Leon and Helena found her friend blushing in three different shades of red.
Oh, he's doomed. Always have been.
"Thanks, dear". Leon's comeback was sarcastic but it had no bite to it.
"I'm glad it was you". Ada turned back to her. "Some people wouldn't be too accepting".
She's definitely talking about Chris. Helena didn't blame her for her distrust (or his) after the whole thing with Simmons and the clone. Chris had always been the most duty oriented of them all, he would bring her into custody immediately if he ever saw her.
"No problem. I don't get to be judgy about anyone given my track record", Ada nodded with a tiny smile.
"What's judgy?" Mei asked, she had been playing with a dinosaur plushie while Ada held her.
"Someone who likes to make others feel bad", Mei's eyes widened at Leon's answer, taking his words into account.
Helena had noticed that earlier, the way Leon didn't treat her as incapable of understanding something like so many other people used to when kids are concerned.
"Like Squidward?" The name comes more like 'squidard' as she frowned. Leon laughed.
"Exactly like him".
"How about we watch some cartoons together?" Ada's voice was much softer when talking to little Mei.
Gone was the mysterious spy with skewed motives. In her place was a mother, eager to please the child she hadn't seen in a while.
Helena never thought she would see that.
"Can we watch Ben 10?"
"Sure". Ada turned back to Helena. "It was good to see you".
"You too".
Helena and Leon go out to the porch. The sun was high in the sky but the wind made it all a bit cooler.
"It suits you". She finally said, leaning on the rail.
"What?"
"Fatherhood. Never thought I'd see the day but you're born for it".
Leon looked away with a tiny smile.
"Me neither. I thought I'd die in service", it's what he chose to say.
"Always so optimistic", she joked. "I don't think your lady would ever let that happen".
"She has been saving me since 1998", he agreed, a far away look on his face.
Sometimes, Helena forgets just how long Leon has been in this fight. He started off so young, trauma after trauma but Ada was also there.
She's probably the only person who truly knows Leon. All sides of him.
"I should get going. I have to think of an excuse after worrying everyone else". God, Ingrid was gonna be the hardest. They're already in muddy waters, she really didn't want to lie to her but Leon's safety and happiness was the priority at the moment.
"I'm gonna miss you, Helena", Leon didn't cry nor did Helena when she hugged him but they both knew this is the last time they'll see each other in some time.
"Take care of yourself, alright?"
Helena goes back to her job and life, makes up the most reasonable excuse she could find (Leon was actually on a secret assignment) and waits for Leon's call.
The message comes seven months later. She takes a two day leave, takes Mei from Leon's cousin's house and buys two tickets to Italy.
When they arrive in Sicily, Ada is waiting for them. Mei immediately recognized her mother, running straight to her.
"Thank you", Ada said, hugging the child close to her chest.
"Just let me know you're all okay after you settle. I'll sleep better". Ada nodded before they parted ways.
Leon goes missing in action a week later during a mission in Asia. The whole DSO is put on the case but there's no trace of him.
That's the worst part for Helena. Having to keep pretending she's as oblivious and worried about Leon like everyone else.
If Ingrid finds her behavior weird, she doesn't comment. Claire and Sherry on the other hand go on a rampage of failed plans and task forces to try and find him. Chris accepts that Leon's probably dead already and goes back to be miserable in his job.
Still, Helena keeps her mouth shut.
Leon is declared dead five months later with a request moved by his cousin, a funeral is held shortly after. Helena is there as they put a headstone in his memory while her friend is probably living his best life on an italian beach with his girls.
It didn't have to be like this thought. This whole thing wasn't Leon's fault, he had only been a pawn for the government that wouldn't let him go unless he was dead.
If he didn't get out, he would eventually end up dead.
Leon wasn't Chris, who thrived in battle or Claire, who wanted to save the whole world even if it could cost herself in the process.
He was forced into a life he never wanted but now he was free.
She finally received a letter from him with enough stamps to cover the paper. Always careful, that friend of hers.
"I'm alive and well. I'm sorry to put you all through this but I had no other choice. They would never let me leave unless I was dead, which is really depressing to think about.
I devoted my life trying to save whoever I could. I thought I could learn to like my life the way it was, find the meaning I've always searched for but I knew deep down that it was never going to fill the void that 1998 left inside of me, the void she left it too.
I hope you can forgive me for my dramatic escape but I have someone else to think of. I had to do this.
Don't be mad at Helena. She did what I asked of her.
You have been the best of friends in tough times and I'm glad I met all of you. We'll see each other again once everything dies down. (Terrible joke i know)
Take care".
- L
She tells the others then. They're furious with her and Leon but once Helena hands them the letter, their anger dies down. It's hard to blame him when he has a kid to think about it.
Three months later, Helena receives a message from an unknown number with a photo attached to it: Mei and Leon playing by the beach as the sun settles down behind them, obviously taken by Ada.
"Nothing like a day on the beach. Thanks for covering for me".
This is all she's ever wanted for him. A peaceful life.
Didn't matter that he got it with a spy probably wanted in most countries, he would never have the normal most people thought he should have nor would he want that.
Leon was forged in death and battle but still came out the other side a kind man, selfless enough to help a stranger. She was lucky to call him a friend.
With a smile tugging at her lips, Helena replied.
"Don't mention it. You just owe me a tour by your home (and a few days at the spa)".
Leon's reply came shortly after.
"Deal".