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“H-hey! Be careful with that!”
Leon’s head snapped up at the sound of Grace’s irritated voice. In his ear, Sherry paused too, either catching some of it on her end or somehow sensing he was distracted by something else.
Looking across the way, he saw a pair of BSAA agents in front of Grace, and one of them was trying to wrest something away from her. Leon frowned at the sight, hackles going up a little at the way the unknown agent was treating her.
“Hold that thought, Sherry,” he murmured, beginning to stalk over.
A few of the stray agents near him backed up a bit, but he paid them no mind as he saw that same agent now trying to pry Grace’s fingers off of something. To her credit, Grace looked like she was beginning to contemplate shooting the man in the foot - and Leon would back her up that it was an accident, if she did - but he’d rather they avoid more bloodshed for the night if they could.
“Hey!” he called as he came up on them, feeling his voice drop in a way that had the two agents startling and taking a step back from Grace as they whipped towards him. Grace still looked disgruntled, but the line of her shoulders eased at the sound of his voice and the increased distance from the agents. “What’s going on here?”
“Agent Kennedy,” one of them said, glancing back at Grace. “Miss Ashcroft has an item that should be taken into BSAA custody. She is refusing to part with it, despite it being classified technology.”
“That so?” He turned to Grace, an eyebrow raised. She hesitated, then raised her chin defiantly.
“It’s mine,” she said, and he was pleased to note there was no trace of her anxious stutter when talking to him. Her eyes shifted to the other two. “I found it, f-figured out how to work it, and adapted it. I d-doubt they even know what it is.”
It was the BSAA agents’ turn to face his Eyebrow of Doom, as Sherry and Claire had once dubbed it. They notably remained silent, glancing at each other in a way that was decidedly awkward, until one of them decided to speak up.
“It was property taken from Rhodes Hill,” he began, voice gaining confidence as he continued. “That makes it part of our investigation, and not something that should be in the hands of a civilian - even if they are part of an investigative organization.”
“If you could actually name what she took, I’d be more inclined to believe that opinion holds weight,” Leon said, huffing. “As it is, I’m sure if you asked nicely, Grace would be willing to lend you the - what was it exactly?”
“It’s a Blood Collector,” she said, after scanning his features, seeming to relax fully at the assurance he was taking her side in this. “It takes infected blood, and - well, originally it was just supposed to be for analysis, but I gerry-rigged a way for it to work on the go to make things like med injectors and bullets, and even hemolytic injectors and acid.”
All three of the men beside her stare at her in disbelief. Leon blinks, trying to understand the words she just said.
“I - what?”
“I just -” Grace started, then flushed a little, seemingly realizing exactly what that sounded like for the first time. “I have some spare blood in it, still. I can just. Show you? If that’s easier?”
“Sure,” Leon said, now incredibly curious what Grace had been up to whenever they’d been separated.
Grace glanced suspiciously at the BSAA agents, before uncurling her fingers from what looked like a long tube connected to a grey box. The tube was filled with a dark red liquid - likely the blood that she’d mentioned before.
She checked the amount and the contents of one of her hip pouches, flicking her eyes between her and Leon both a little judgementally as she took stock of their remaining injuries. Leon had to admit, they both looked pretty beat up after their day.
“It looks like I have enough to make a med injector,” she announced, pulling out a green herb and an empty plastic injector case. She stuffed the herb inside the case, then slotted it into a scrappy looking addition to the grey box on the Blood Collector - likely an addition she’d made herself, based on what she’d said.
She then fiddled with the settings for a moment, before the device whirred, the tube of blood sliding through the box briefly before it glowed blue and drained into the attached injector case. A moment later, the tube was empty and Grace was removing the injector from the device, showing it to them.
“S-see?” she said, showing them the injector now filled with a pale blue liquid. Leon stared at it, as the BSAA agents next to him exchanged a look. Grace bit her lip, looking uncertain for a moment. “I’d planned to let you use this one, Leon, but I’ve already used this injector today, and it’s not great to share needles, so...”
With that, she pressed the injector to her arm before any of them could stop her, and it hissed as it emptied the new liquid into her veins. Within seconds Grace looked more relaxed, and she lifted her shirt to reveal the bandage on her stomach. Peeling it back, she looked satisfied at whatever she saw beneath it, pulling it off entirely.
All that was left of the wound Gideon had left her with was a scar that looked weeks old.
“That was blood,” Leon said, staring between the device and her side. “And a plant. …You said it makes bullets too?”
“Yeah, I had to do a bit of chemistry and reprogramming on some of the computers in there, but it wasn’t too hard to figure out,” Grace said, shrugging a little, looking a bit self-conscious now. “Especially once I memorized the operation manuals. Oh, speaking of, here. These don’t work for any of my guns, and I gave the Requiem back to you anyway. They’re a bit unpolished, but they’ll work just fine.”
She reached into another one of her pouches and pulled out a handful of ammo that looked like it’d be a perfect fit for his gun. Grace was right - they looked a little janky, but the outsides were smooth, and she handled them with a confidence that said they worked. Leon took the bullets and pocketed them, for once at a genuine loss for words.
“She made that on the fly and was just carrying it around in her pocket?” Sherry asked incredulously over his communicator, and Leon stifled a snort of amusement.
“You understand then, Agent Kennedy, why this item cannot be left with a civilian,” one of the BSAA agents said again, voice emphatic as he gestured towards Grace. A glare emerged on Grace’s features as she rolled her eyes. Leon smothered his amusement with her and crossed his arms, staring them down.
“As I understand it, Grace Ashcroft made private changes to a simple collection tool that enabled it to behave the way it works now,” he said in a tone that invited no argument. “Given that it is significantly different from the original item and has a very different purpose, I would say that more than qualifies it as her own intellectual property. Perhaps you guys should be giving her the recruitment spiel or offering her a contract for use of the design, rather than seizing her property.”
The BSAA agents exchanged another look, body language annoyed as they seemed to consider his words for a long stretch of silence. Finally, they turned back to Leon, taking a step back.
“We’ll let Captain Redfield know you chose to let the device remain with Miss Ashcroft,” one of them said, tone so professionally neutral that it cycled right back around to unfriendly again. It also clearly was saying he was laying all responsibility and blame for the decision at Leon’s feet. “He will likely be in contact with you shortly.”
“Fair enough,” Leon said, gaze firm but a smile on his lips. “I’ll be sure to give him a… full report.”
The pair lingered a moment longer, before stalking away to do whatever was next on their to-do list. Leon waited until they were gone before relaxing. He then turned to Grace, scanning her again.
“You good?” he asked, his hackles finally lowering now that the BSAA agents had left her alone. “They weren’t too rough with you right? I can make a complaint to Chris if needed.”
“I’m fine,” she said, shaking her head as her tension eased away. “Thanks for the help. They won’t cause any trouble for you, right?”
“Nah, they’re just complaining about me to Chris,” Leon said, waving a hand dismissively. “He knows better than to think I’ll just roll over for that kind of bullshit. He might complain at me for making more work for him, but he’s good people. We’ll be fine.”
“If you say so,” Grace said, before a massive yawn cut her off from anything further. She clapped a hand to her mouth, looking startled and a little flustered by the accidental response.
“Come on, I think I found a quiet corner over this way,” he said, gesturing for her to follow him with an amused huff. “You can doze for a bit. I have to finish reporting to Sherry, but I can still keep an eye out while you rest.”
“Thanks, Leon,” Grace said, following after him with a ducked head and slight smile. Her tone made it clear she was thanking him for more than just the offer to let her sleep. He patted her upper back.
“Don’t mention it, kid,” he responded simply.
“Grace. Grace. Grace Ashcroft.”
“Yes?” Grace spun around, heart racing as she saw her boss standing at the edge of her cubicle, looking unimpressed. He shook his head a little as he saw her lack of awareness once again.
“We have a meeting starting in five minutes. I would rather we not show up late,” Dempsy said dryly. Glancing at the time on her computer, Grace winced.
“Yes sir,” she said, standing hurriedly. “S-sorry, sir. I g-got wrapped up in f-finishing my report on the Wr-Wrenwood incident.”
“Yes, well, given that the verbal debrief with the DSO on the incident is happening now I would imagine it would take higher priority, no?” her boss said, leading them through the halls rapidly.
Grace flushed, ducking her head a little as she followed close behind. They didn’t have to go more than a floor down and a few halls over to get to the conference room, thankfully, and a quick glance at the clock in the hall showed they were right on time as they stepped through the doors.
She hadn’t been sure what to expect walking into this meeting - the nerves had been building for the last few days because of it. However upon walking in, she saw an unknown man, as well as a familiar face accompanied by a friendly looking woman.
“Leon!” Grace exclaimed, breaking into a grin at the sight of him. They’d stayed in contact ever since the incident, and Grace was now tentatively confident enough to say that they were friends. Especially with the way he kept giving her updates on Emily, and when she’d be allowed visitors. “I didn’t know you’d be here too.”
“Grace,” he greeted, giving a small smile back. “This is Sherry. Usually she’d just give a written report, but she wanted to meet you in person.”
“It’s great to meet you, Grace,” Sherry said, smiling warmly at her. “I’ve been wanting to say thank you for figuring out Elpis - you saved this idiot and me both with that. As well as countless others who will benefit from the reproduction of the cure, once our scientists figure out how it works and how to replicate it. This will change everything.”
“Oh, I d-didn’t do all that m-much,” Grace ducked her head again, smiling a bit sheepishly at the praise. “Anyone could have f-figured that out.”
“Agree to disagree,” Sherry said, shaking her head. Her voice and expression were still kind, but they’d gotten firmer in response to her denial. “I think you were likely the only one who could have.”
A cleared throat drew all of their attention to where Grace’s boss sat beside the unknown DSO representative - likely a handler of some sort, or superior. Grace flushed, ducking her head again and hurrying into the nearest seat - which happened to be the one to Leon’s right.
“If we’re all done socializing,” Dempsy said, raising his eyebrows, then turning towards the DSO representative.
“I’m Officer Connor Taylor,” he introduced himself, nodding to Grace. “I’m in charge of about a dozen handlers and close to forty agents. Specifically, I am in charge of individuals including Officer Birkin and Agent Kennedy.”
“I s-see,” Grace said softly, not entirely sure what to say to that.
“We’ve gone over your preliminary reports on the case with Dr. Gideon and the Wrenwood,” Taylor continued, glancing towards Dempsy. “We’ll go over the incident in more detail when the full reports are submitted. However, there were a few points where we were hoping to gain some clarity.”
“Like what?” Leon asked, calm as ever, though his eyes were analyzing as he stared at the two superiors, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed casually.
On his other side, Sherry’s hands were resting on her elbows as she sat fully upright in her chair - though a flicker of movement drew Grace’s attention to the way a single index finger was tapping at her arm. Her gaze was equally as analytical, though her expression was more neutral as she looked at the higher ups.
“To start out,” Dempsy said, glancing down at a printed out packet that looked like it had been annotated, “we would like to ask you, Miss Ashcroft, why you never called for backup when you were first attacked by the officer guarding the scene. You mentioned in your initial report that you had been attacked by the officer, then followed up by saying that you encountered Dr. Gideon in another room, where he apparently choked you unconscious and kidnapped you.”
Grace swallowed heavily, breathing picking up slightly at the memory of being back in that damn hotel, scared out of her mind remembering her mother and finding those stalker photos. Then the officer coughed up blood and tried to kill her, only for her to stab him with a poker and a shard of glass, tossing him out the window. Then encountering Gideon, and the way he had so quickly overpowered her.
“I-I was, um, I w-was,” she stuttered, licking her lips and trying to take a deeper breath.
Beside her, Leon leaned forward.
“If we’re asking clarifying questions about that incident, I had a few too,” Leon interjected, and Grace fell silent, glancing over to him. His expression was still neutral, but in a way very different from true neutrality, and she noticed how it made Taylor stiffen slightly. “Like why a green analyst was sent to an active, unsecured crime scene with no partner, no prior field experience, and no standard-issue weapon for self-defense. Especially when said crime scene was at a location of significant personal trauma to that analyst, and the perpetrator for the crime they were being sent to look into was still at large.”
Silence met his words, and Grace held her breath, staring at him with wide eyes. Beside him, there was a subtle gleam of satisfaction to Sherry’s gaze now, and she glanced briefly in reassurance to Grace.
“We’ve had a staffing shortage -” Dempsy began, as Taylor turned to look at him too, but Leon snorted, interrupting him.
“In which case none of that is standard procedure even still,” he said, in a tone that had Grace’s boss going still. Leon sat with the silence for a long moment, before leaning back again and pulling a manila folder out of… somewhere on him. “See, the thing about me and bullshit is that I can’t stand the smell and have to find out where it’s coming from. I’m nosy like that. And you’ll never guess what Sherry and I found, when we went looking.”
Grace felt like she was getting mental whiplash. Between recalling Wrenwood again, to Leon taking over the questioning, to the accusation against her boss, to the pun in the middle of that accusation, and now this?
Leon tapped his gloved finger on the top of the manila folder, letting the silence stretch for a long moment more, before turning to Sherry.
“You did all the legwork here,” he said to her. “Care to do the honors?”
“My pleasure.” For the first time in this conversation, Sherry leaned forward, eyes intent in a way that felt like a predator stalking prey. “Tell me, was it because of blackmail? Money? Power? A personal stake in this? Maybe even pure ignorance. Data doesn’t always give motives, so I’m curious. Though, if it’s the latter, that’s not the best look for a high-level FBI worker.”
Sherry paused, leaning forward with her hands folded in front of her on the table. The playful way she’d been speaking until now fell away, leaving behind just the intelligent officer hired by the DSO.
“I found the records tying one of your financial investments to one of Umbrella’s shell companies, but also several interesting exchanges between you and a member of Gideon’s staff,” she continued plainly. “Nothing too incriminating on its own, but paired with the non-standard actions towards Miss Ashcroft - well. You can see how there might be questions.”
“I would never -”
“How thorough was the investigation into this, Officer Birkin?” Taylor asked sharply, glancing sideways at Dempsy as he reached for the manila folder. Leon waited for Sherry’s nod to allow him to take it.
“Very,” she said simply, before smiling sweetly. “All forwarded to the appropriate personnel, of course, and saved on both a private and official server. Would hate for any… accidents or clerical errors to bury it, given recent events.”
Taylor sighed, murmuring something that Grace thought sounded almost like ‘always you two’ as he began scanning the contents of the folder. Dempsy was tense, across from them, looking some combination of confused and wary with his eyes flicking to the door - at least before he spotted Leon’s heavy gaze pinning him down to his seat. Several quiet buzzes came from the phones in the room, and Sherry smiled again in a way that made it seem like that had something to do with her.
“If you have work to do, Grace, we can handle this,” Leon said easily in a quiet voice, keeping his eyes on Grace’s boss. The man looked a little sweaty, under the full weight of the agent’s attention. “You’ll likely be getting asked some questions soon, about the start of the assignment. It’ll be less like this was gearing up to be, though. A lot more questions about the assignment itself and the prep leading up to it.”
“I - are you sure?” Grace asked, feeling a little blindsided by all of this. This was so far from how she’d expected her day to go that she was feeling a little off-balance because of it.
“Go ahead,” Sherry smiled, looking over at her. “We’ll meet up with you again for lunch. I’d love to get to know you better. Any woman who can keep her head in a nightmare crisis and find a cure to our illness in the same go is worth knowing in my books. We’ll take care of this.”
“Okay,” she said slowly with a slight nod, standing a little awkwardly as her eyes darted between the others at the table.
Catching her lingering hesitation, Leon flicked his eyes away from Dempsy for just a moment, snaring her own darting gaze in an instant. His steady calm transferred through to Grace in an instant, and the tension in her shoulders eased.
Okay.
If he said it was fine, then she’d trust him. He’d earned that from her several times over.
She nodded again, more firmly this time, and he went back to watching her boss.
Grace left the conference room shortly after that, getting an odd look from the cubicle across from her at returning so soon without their boss. When a flood of new agents came to their floor about ten minutes later, she got another odd look, but stayed focused on finishing her report.
The others could handle this one.
Grace could feel herself about to lose her temper with the woman at the desk when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She almost ignored it, but her phone going off was such a rare occurrence up until recently that she paused and glanced at the screen.
Seeing Leon’s name pop up, she glared at the woman behind the desk one more time, then stepped away pressing the screen to accept Leon’s call.
“Leon?”
“Grace, hey,” he said, voice sounding slightly muffled the way it only really did when he was driving. “Is now a good time to chat?”
“I mean…” Grace glanced back to the unhelpful woman she’d been talking to before. “It can be?”
“If you’re in the middle of something, it can wait,” the man began, but Grace shook her head, before realizing he wouldn’t be able to see it.
“No, it’s fine, just…”
“Just?”
“I’m trying to get them to let me see Emily, and the woman in charge of permissions is telling me the facility is off limits to anyone not DSO,” Grace said, sending another glare back at the lady who was typing at her desk. “I can’t tell if that’s a bullshit policy or a ploy to see if I’ll transfer. A few of the things she said sounded…”
There was a long stretch of silence on the other end of the call after she trailed off, to the point where Grace pulled the phone away from her ear to check it was still connected.
“... I’ll be there in ten,” Leon said, voice sounding tight. “Wait until I get there.”
“Wh- Leon?” Grace stammered, before the call cut off.
She stared at the blank screen of her phone for another second, incredulous, then tucked it away again. Immediately, she wanted to go talk to the woman who refused to give her permissions again, but she decided to trust Leon, and waited for him to arrive, if a bit impatiently.
It was only eight minutes, rather than ten, later that he showed up.
There was a stormy look on his face that Grace had only ever seen directed towards members of Umbrella in the past. Oddly enough though, while a little intimidated by the expression being here of all places, she didn’t feel nervous when he spotted her and made his way over.
“You good?” he asked first, eyes scanning her briefly. “They didn’t make you sign anything yet? Agree to anything?”
“No, I’ve just been getting told no so far,” Grace said honestly, if a little baffled. “And some weird… spiel about the DSO, I guess. That’s all.”
“Good. We’ll get this sorted out,” he promised, narrowing his eyes at the desk lady and stalking his way over.
The woman looked up, a too-professional expression on her face as she no doubt expected to see Grace coming back. Which, she was, but Leon was absolutely the one about to reach her first, and the one that even Grace would pay attention to first given the look on his face.
“S-sir?” the lady stammered, startled.
“Agent Kennedy, DSO,” said shortly. Grace got to watch in real time as the lady’s face drained of color. She’d gotten the impression that Leon was a big deal in the DSO right from the start, but she was beginning to think she’d have to ask Sherry for the specifics, given that reaction. “Why is Miss Ashcroft being denied visitation?”
“Miss Ashcroft is a civilian federal worker,” the desk lady said, tone suddenly uncertain as she glanced over at Grace, as if asking for help. Grace didn’t know why - she wasn’t about to intervene. She also wasn’t sure what this lady’s job even really was - she didn’t seem like receptionist fit her role here, but it also didn’t not fit. “We were given clear instructions that nobody without DSO clearance be allowed in the facility.”
“See, I’d believe that, except it goes against the facility’s procedural policy,” Leon said, crossing his arms and frowning. “I had Officer Hunnigan pull up a copy of it on the way over. According to Policy 34, subsection 2, a guest pass can be obtained if an individual fills out the proper paperwork and passes a background check. Unless, of course, the subject of their visit is of Level Four security or higher - which Emily is not. I checked.”
“Our orders -” Desk Lady began again, though she looked a little wilted in the face of Leon’s facts and calm irritation.
“Actually, good point. Hunnigan also dug up that these orders are specifically for anyone intending on seeing Emily,” Leon said, uncrossing his arms to brace them on the edge of her desk. “Which can only mean they are not following standard procedure when it comes to her. Which means she has the potential to be leverage. You seemed to recognize my name. You can understand, perhaps, why I in particular might take issue with that.”
There’s a stretch of silence, as Desk Lady stares at Leon with wide eyes. Grace studied Leon. His last few sentences… they spoke of a specific history. Of specific treatment of some kind, in the past, for him or someone else.
She didn’t know what Emily might be leverage for, but the fact the word was used at all - and that Desk Lady wasn’t denying it - had her heart starting to beat more quickly.
“Let me - fetch my supervisor,” Desk Lady finally said, stumbling to her feet and darting down a short hall on the right a moment later, without letting them say anything.
“Leon?” Grace asked quietly, while she was gone.
“Later.” His voice was still tight, but it held none of the edge, when he spoke to her.
Grace nodded, not sure if he’d see it in his peripheral vision, but quieting for now. She was getting the sense he was seeing this as a kind of battlefield even if she didn’t get why, and battles weren’t the place for distractions.
A man who looked like he’d just stepped out of an ad for corporate middle-management offices came around the corner a second later, looking a little uncertain as he saw Leon standing there, looking irritated already.
“Agent Kennedy, a pleasure,” he began, until Leon cut him off.
“You are going to grant Miss Ashcroft a visitor’s pass,” he said firmly, holding his hand out to Grace. It took her a moment, before she realized he was asking for the stack of papers she had in one of her hands, that he’d correctly assumed was the filled-out paperwork needed.
“O-oh, here,” Grace stuttered, surprised as she passed it to him.
“She has her paperwork filled out. She works for the FBI, so she’ll pass the background check,” Leon continued, tossing the pages on the desk in front of him. “If that’s not possible to finish today, you will give her a temporary pass for the day, under my authorization and signoff. The next time she visits, she will be given the full pass. Do we understand.”
The man hesitated, looking between the pages and Leon, glancing at Grace every now and then licking his lips nervously.
“I… understand, Agent Kennedy,” he began carefully. “But, our orders…”
His eyes flicked to Grace again, and Leon must have picked up something from that Grace was missing, because his hackles were abruptly raised as he smoothly stepped in the way of the man’s line of sight to Grace.
“You leave that to me,” he said firmly, voice low. “If you get any pushback from this, send them my way. I’ll deal with it. Now, do we understand.”
“Yes sir,” the man said, finally capitulating with another nervous glance at Grace and taking the paperwork from Leon.
He processed the pages quickly, entering the information into the computer and scanning the physical copies quickly. Much more quickly than he would have without Leon staring him down, Grace suspected.
“Miss Ashcroft, here is a temporary pass while we finish verifying your background check,” the man said, glancing at Leon as he handed it over. “It will grant you access only to areas within its clearance level. I’ll call someone down to show you where to go - please do not wander while in the facility.”
“I w-won’t,” Grace promised, taking the temporary pass in her hands tightly. This was what would let her see Emily again, now that she was healthy and almost recovered. She wasn’t going to risk losing it for anything.
The man nodded again, glancing briefly at Leon with a murmured farewell and stepped away - likely to get that guide he mentioned. Desk Lady still hadn’t returned, likely staying in the back offices somewhere.
“Thank you,” Grace said, looking up at Leon. He was still tense, but for the first time since this whole thing started, he didn’t seem as on-edge. “You didn’t have to do that, but I really appreciate it.”
“Just doing what I wish someone had been able to do for me, a long time ago,” Leon said simply, shrugging. Grace noted the detail, but opted not to ask about it here. Maybe later, in another setting. “You okay if I take off? I had a meeting I needed to get to, but I can reschedule it if you need me here.”
“I’ll be okay,” she confirmed, not wanting him to go more out of his way than he already had. “I don’t think they’ll cause more problems for me - at least today.”
“They cause more problems, you call me, okay?” Leon’s voice was stern but in a way that felt more like he was being protective rather than scolding. It made her huff a laugh, smiling a little at him.
“I will, I promise,” she said, catching sight of a newcomer coming down the hall. Catching her gaze shifting, Leon noticed them too. “Thank you again, for this. It would have been… a lot harder without your help, I think.”
“No problem, Grace, really,” he said simply. Quirking a slight smile at her, he took a step back. “Tell Emily I say hi, and that I was sorry I couldn’t see her this time. Let me know when you plan to see her next, and I’ll try to join you, with a surprise for her.”
“Will do,” Grace said, smiling back.
“Miss Ashcroft?” the newcomer asked, reaching them.
“T-that’s me,” she confirmed, attention drawn away.
The new DSO worker guided her through the security protocols and rules for the facility. It was as they were starting down the hallway that Grace glanced back.
Leon had apparently waited for her to get all the way in before taking off. He raised a hand to her in farewell when he reached the doors, and she waved back with a smile. He disappeared through the doors shortly after, and Grace returned her attention to the few short hallways standing between her and Emily, now.
She was glad she’d met him.
“Y-you are n-not taking him a-anywhere!” Grace snapped, planting herself in the doorway to the room behind her. She glared up at the woman in front of her, and actively ignoring the weapons on the belts of the few agents behind the unknown woman.
“Miss Ashcroft,” the woman said in a tone just shy of condescending. “You are currently impeding federal business regarding a DSO special asset. Step aside, and allow us to take Agent Kennedy to DSO facilities for... monitoring.”
“He is unconscious and h-hooked into m-multiple IVs a-and machines,” Grace retorted, not moving a muscle. “He is unable t-to consent to b-being moved, and y-you have no power of attorney over h-him. Until someone who d-does arrives to s-speak on his b-behalf, Agent Kennedy is going n-nowhere.”
The woman and her two agents went very still, and Grace felt the tension between them all ratchet up a few degrees. The woman’s expression was cold and unreadable now, in a way that had the hair standing up on Grace’s neck.
“I would think very carefully about this decision, Miss Ashcroft,” the woman said softly, voice subtly threatening in a way that eerily reminded her of Gideon’s quiet words. “As a member of the FBI, inhibiting federal procedure will not look good for your immediate career.”
“And DSO a-agents removing a man f-from the hospital while he’s i-injured and unconscious won’t look good to the m-media,” Grace said, jaw tightening as she lifted her chin defiantly. “Especially after r-recent events.”
The long moment of stillness that followed that declaration - well, threat more like - was heavy, until the two agents’ hands shifted towards their weapons. Grace lifted a hand to her own hip, where her own concealed weapon was suddenly visible to them.
Everything went still again.
Grace’s heart was starting to race, and she could feel her focus zeroing in on the three in front of her due to her rising adrenaline. Still, she wasn’t about to let Leon get taken advantage of and removed from important treatment while he couldn’t say anything about it.
He’d be doing the exact same for her, if the roles were reversed.
“Tell me the DSO isn’t about to get into a shootout with a civilian in a hospital.”
A man’s voice cut through the tension, and all four of them turned to look at where a man in a BSAA uniform was walking up the hall towards them. Grace kept her hand near her hip, but relaxed a little. This must be the Chris Redfield that Leon had mentioned. She was pretty sure he was on his list of emergency contacts too.
Grace had been added a couple of months back, when Sherry had called her, worried because none of Leon’s other contacts were available, and he’d gotten a concussion that had needed someone other than Leon monitoring it. Leon and Sherry had both been added to Grace’s (nonexistent in practice) list after that too, after Sherry found out somehow that the only person on her list before then was her landlord.
“Captain Redfield,” the woman said, tone icy. “I fail to see how this is the business of the BSAA.”
“Random DSO officer,” Redfield greeted dryly in return, to the displeasure of the woman. “It’s my business because he was running a mission for the BSAA as a favor from the DSO when he got injured. And, because I’m also one of his emergency contacts. Specifically, one with power of medical attorney in the event that Claire Redfield and Sherry Birkin are unavailable. Which they unfortunately are.”
Grace felt her remaining tension fall away at the confirmation, though she didn’t let her guard down. There were still two armed agents right in front of Leon’s room. Chris might have them distracted, and might have massively evened her odds against them if it really came down to a fight, but she wasn’t about to let something slip through the cracks.
Chris and the woman exchanged a few more terse sentences while she risked a glance back towards Leon himself. His heart rate had been getting stronger for the last half hour, and the nurses had said he was likely to wake up soon.
“You must be Grace.”
At Chris’s voice, Grace’s gaze snapped forward again. Down the hall over his shoulder, she could see the woman from the DSO looking coldly furious, followed by the two agents who looked annoyed, if their body language was any indication, given that their faces were covered. Following her gaze, he snorted.
“They won’t be bothering him for a while yet,” Chris promised, turning back to her. “Thanks for holding down the fort until I could arrive. Traffic was hell today. It’s nice to finally meet you - Leon may have mentioned me; I’m Chris.”
“N-nice to meet you,” Grace said quietly in response. Chris moved to step past her into the room, and she took a step sideways to block his way. He paused, looking carefully at her. “G-given the circumstances, I’d l-like to see an ID, p-please.”
Chris blinked at her in stunned silence at the firm request for a long moment, before he burst into amused laughter. Grace felt herself flush a little at his response, but held her ground. She wasn’t willing to take a risk while Leon was out of commission.
“You know what? I see why he likes you,” Chris said, grinning as he dug through a pocket and pulled out his BSAA ID. Grace scanned it, then nodded and stepped aside for him. “He could use more people in his corner like you. While I wish it were under better circumstances, I’m glad you two met.”
“He’d d-do it for me,” Grace said, shrugging a little uncomfortably. “Has b-before.”
“Fair enough,” Chris smiled as he settled into a nearby chair.
“What’s fair?”
Leon’s groaning voice drew both of their attention in an instant. He blinked up at them blearily, wincing a little as he got his bearings.
“Leon!” Grace exclaimed, breaking into a relieved smile. “You’re awake! Do you feel okay? Should I call in a nurse?”
“Grace?” he mumbled, lifting a hand to his face. “What -?”
He trailed off, still getting oriented. Grace’s enthusiasm got a little quieter in response, and she perched herself at the foot of his bed, giving him time to adjust. Leon blinked heavily a few times, then his brain seemed to reengage all at once.
“Grace,” he said again, sounding much more lucid, despite the pain meds in his system no doubt making clarity a little harder. “Thanks for coming. Sorry if it got in the way of your visits with Emily.”
“Hi Chris, thanks for dropping everything to stop by,” Chris piped up dryly, sending Leon a look that made the other roll his eyes a little dazedly. “No problem, Leon, happy to help. Though - seemed your friend here had that mostly handled well before I got here.”
“I d-don’t know about that,” Grace murmured, glancing away. “You were the one to actually g-get them to w-walk away.”
“What do you mean?” Leon asked, beginning to frown. He glanced back at Grace, and she kept her eyes on the doorway, a little embarrassed by the scene earlier, though she’d have done it all again. “Was someone causing problems?”
“I found Grace here about three seconds away from drawing a gun on three DSO agents who were trying to kidnap you,” Chris sighed, rolling his eyes with a slight smile, despite the serious undertone to his words. “When I chased them off, she then asked to see my ID before letting me in.”
“Good job, thanks,” Leon said, huffing in amusement as he turned back to Grace. His eyes were amused, but held a hint of sincerity to them. “Never let your guard down.”
“It’s not paranoia if they’re really out to get you,” Grace finished, nodding seriously, despite the telltale twitch of her lips.
Given that she had been getting stalked for years apparently by people who might still be out there, and that the DSO was always overstepping with Leon, what had started out as a joke had become semi-serious the longer they’d known each other.
“Two peas in the same damn pod,” Chris muttered, shaking his head. “You sure do know how to find them, Leon. Troublemakers, you and your brood.”
“You’re just jealous you never find people as competent as they are,” Leon said, settling back again and closing his eyes. “Sucks to be you, I guess.”
“I’m telling Rosemary you said that.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Leon said, abruptly opening his eyes again and squinting at the other man. “She’s the one exception to that rule so far. Well, her and her dad, but Ethan was never really all that intentionally involved from what you told me.”
“She’s aged me at least a decade,” Chris sighed, looking tired suddenly. “Kids, am I right?”
“Kids,” Leon and Grace agreed in unison, before exchanging a look and laughing.
“Speaking of, how’s Emily doing?” Leon asked, closing his eyes again. “You can tell me while the nurse checks on me - I think they’ll get mad if we don’t call them soon, and I’d rather not deal with that when you two have to leave.”
“She’s doing great - she’ll be ready to come home with me soon,” Grace said enthusiastically, smile widening at the mention of the girl as she pressed the nearby call button. “She’s been asking after you. Think you’ll be up for a visit from her soon?”
“‘Course,” Leon said, absently. “She can meet Sherry too - kid’s been asking to meet her for a while now.”
“Sounds like a plan, then,” Grace said, not mentioning the fact that he’d called a grown woman a kid in his state. Chris had apparently noticed too, given the amusement on his face. When the man noticed her glance, he tilted his head towards Leon and grinned a bit, making Grace bite back a laugh in return. “Also, if you think we’re leaving when visiting hours are over, we’ll need to get the nurse to check you for a concussion again. The DSO isn’t getting ahold of you right now unless you walk into their office yourself.”
“Of course, my mistake,” Leon said, voice sounding half asleep now. “Nobody’s getting past my guard dogs.”
Grace glanced towards her phone, half tempted to record this for Sherry, but opting to just recount it to her verbally instead. Filming Leon right now… seemed like a step too far, for the relatively private man, even if she was pretty sure he wouldn’t truly care.
She wasn’t about to risk breaking his trust, after all, now that she had it.
“Exactly.”