VI
The sky finally opened up the soft mist transforming into a heavy, rhythmic deluge that drummed against the garden soil. The cold droplets began to soak through Victoria's clothes, and Leon, even the protector didn't hesitate. He pulled back just enough to draped an arm around her shoulders, shielding her as they made a quick, light footed dash toward the back sliding doors of Sherry's house.
The transition from the cool, rain scented dark to the warm, amber glow of the living room was jarring. The air inside was thick with the lingering scent of the pasta and the comforting hum of a home at peace.
As they stepped onto the hardwood, Victoria was breathless, her hair slightly damp and clinging to her cheeks, her eyes still wide from the intensity of the moment in the garden. Leon stood beside her, shaking the water from his hair, his dark sweater clinging to the broad lines of his chest.
Jake and Sherry were already settled on the sofa, wine glasses in hand, looking like the picture of innocence, but, as soon as the door clicked shut, the 'second phase' of their plan began.
Jake leaned back, his eyes dancing with a familiar, mercenary mischief. He didn't look at leon, he fixed his gaze entirely on Victoria, his voice dropping into a smooth, deliberate drawl.
"You know, Victoria," Jake started, a lazy, flirtatious smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I was just telling Sherry... It's a crime you don't spend more time at the headquarters. If i'd met a girl who could cook like that and look like that in a pair of leggings back in my mercenary days, i probably would've hung up the boots ten years early. I'd be head over heels, no questions asked."
Victoria froze, her blush returning with a vengeance, blooming a deep, dusty rose across her cheeks. "Jake, I-"
"He's not wrong, honey" Sherry chimed in, leaning forward to pat the cushion next to her, inviting Victoria to sit. Sherry's voice was sweet, but she shot sharp, sideway glance at Leon to see if the bait was taken. "If you actualy realized how much 'light' you bring into a room, you'd know you could have any man you wanted at the D.S.O, from the field agents to the directors... they wouldn't know what hit them. You're the kind of woman men actually fight to stay alive for."
Victoria felt like she was spinning. To be flattered by Sherry, a woman she admired, and flirted with by Sherry's husband, Jake, a man who usually cared about his next paycheck and his wife, was truly overwhelming. She sat down, her hands tucked between her knees, looking like a shy, vibrant flame between two veterans.
"I think you guys are exaggerating," she whispered, her gaze flickering toward the floor. "I'm just me..."
"That's exactly the problem" Jake countered, his voice dripping woth mock seriousness as he leaned into her personal space just a bit too much. "You're just you, and 'just' you is enough to make a guy forget his own name. If i weren't a settled man, i'd be making a much better case for myself right now".
Leon was still standing by the door, a towel in his hand that he had stopped using. His posture had shifted. he relaxed 'off duty' Leon was gone, replaced by a low, simmering tension. He watched Jake lean toward Victoria, watched the way Jake's eyes traced her silhouette, and felt a cold, sharp spike of possesiveness that he hadn't felt in decades.
He didn't like the way Jake was looking at her. He didn't like that Sherry was encouraging the idea of Victoria being chased by 'any man at the d.s.o'.
Leon walked over to the back of the sofa, his presence looming over the group like a gathering storm. He didn't say anything at first, but the weight of his gaze was heacy enough to be felt. He placed a hand on the back of the sofa, right behind Victoria's hand, claiming the space without touching her.
"The d.s.o is full of people who wouldn't know what to do with a woman like Victoria," Leon finally said, his voice a low rumble that made the wine in Jake's glass tremble slightly. "They'd try to file her under a 'resource' or a 'civilian asset'. They don't have the capacity for... this".
Jake's devilish smile grew wider. He looked up at Leon, totally unfazed by the veteran's intimidation. "Oh? and you think you're the only one who does, Kennedy?".
Leon's blue eyes narrowed, flashing with a sudden, crystalline fire. He looked at Victoria, who was looking up at him with wide, confused, and utterly beautiful eyes, and then back at Jake.
"I think," Leon said, his voice dropping into a register that was purely protective, "that this conversation is over. Victoria had a long day, and she doesn't need to be interrogated by a man who's clearly had one too many glasses of Sherry's wine".
Sherry hid her smile behind her glass, catching Jake's eye. The plan was working perfectly. Leon wasn't just interested, he was territorial. The legendary agent had finally found something he wasn't willing to share with the rest of the world.
Leon turned his focus back to Victoria. "Come on. I'm taking you home before these two start trying to marry you off to the director of intelligence".
The transition from the playful, high tension atmosphere of the living room to the cool, quiet hallway was abrupt. Leon's hand was a warm, firm weight on the small of Victoria's back, a silent directive that the 'interrogation' was over.
As theyreached he foyer, Leon paused, looking back at Jake and Sherry, who were still wearing those infuriatingly satisfied expressions. His blue eyes flashing with a final spark of dry wit.
"I'd tell you two to have a good night," Leon rumbled, his voice a low, gravely baritone, "but i'm pretty sure you've already had enough fun at my expense."
He didn't wait for a word. Before Victoria could even process the flutter in her chest, Leon's bare hand, calloused, large, and suprisingly steady, slid into hers. His fingers laced through hers with a natural, possesive ease that felt like a claim.
Victoria's breath hitched. She felt the electricity of his skin against hers, the raw reality of the man beneath the legend. She stumbled slightly, her heart hammering against her ribs.
"Wait-!" she blurted out, her voice a bit too high as she looked back at her friends over her shoulder. "Good-! Good night, guys! The pasta- don't forget to put the lid on the sauce!".
Leon let out a short, amused huff, gently tugging her toward the front door. "They'll survive, Victoria. I promise."
The moment they stepped outside, the workld was a cacophony of rushing water and shadows. The rain was a thick, silver curtain, illuminated by the amber glow of the porch light. Parked at the curb was the Porsche Cayenne, a sleek, muscular beast of a car that looked like it was carved from the night itself.
As the headlight flickered to life, reflecting wet asphalt like diamonds, Victoria stopped in her tracks. She stared at the vehicle, her eyes wide with a mix of awe and sheer terror.
"Leon," she whispered, her voice trembling as she looked from the car back to him. "that car... it's more expensive than my entire life. I feel like if i even tuch the door handle, i'll owe the government more than my life" she let out a nervous self deprecating laugh. "If i had that kind of money i'd probably just buy a Fiat 500. It's small, yes, but it doesn't look like it could outrun a fighter jet."
Leon's lips quirked into a genuine, soft smile, the kid he only reserved for moments when his guard was completely down. He didn't say a word. He simply walked her to the passenger side, his hand never leaving hers until he reached for the handle. With a fluid, gentlemanly motion, he opened the door for her, the scent of expensive leather and air conditioning rushing out to meet her.
"The fiat is cute," Leon said, his voice dropping an intimate low near her ear. "But i think you deserve something with a bit more... protection... now we should go, it's cold out here."
The door closed with a solid, pressurized thud, sealing them into a private, silent world. A second later, Leon climbed into the driver's seat. The engine purred to life, a low, predatory hum that vibrated through the floorboards and up into Victoria's spine.
As Leon pulled away from the curb, the silence in the cabin became a living thing. The melodic sweep of the windshield wipers was the only metronome for the tension between them. Victoria sat tucked into the leather seat, feeling dizzy. It wasn't just the movement of the car, it was the musky, sophisticated scent of his cologne, notes of sandalwood, rain and a hint of something that seemed to fill her lungs every time she breathed.
Leon's hands were steady on the steering weel, his profile illuminated by the soft, blue glow of the dashboard. He looked calm, but the way he gripped the wheel told a different story. He was trying to steady is own breathing, trying to push back the territorial fire Jake had ignited, trying to push back his own thoughts.
Victoria shifted in her seat, her leggings rustling against the leather. She had to break the silence, it was too heavy, too intimate.
"So," she started, her voice a soft, airy whisper. "what... what did you actually think of the pasta? I know you said it was good at the house, but i wasn't sure if you were just being polite in front of Sherry."
Leon didn't look away from the rain slicked road immediately. He signaled a turn, his movements precise and expert.
"The pasta was the best thing i've tasted in years, Victoria" he said, his voice a low vibration. "But i think we both know thats not what's on your mind right now".
He slowed the car as they hit a red light, finally turning his head to look at her. His blue eyes were dark, searching hers.
"What did you think of what Jake said? and Sherry?" he asked. The question wasn't a joke this time. It was an anchored, serious inquiry. "About you being able to have anyone you wanted. About being... head over heels."
Victoria felt the blush returning, something that she couldn't hide in the dim light of the cabin. She looked at her lap, her fingers twisting together.
"I felt flattered," she admitted, her voice slightly nervous. "but... i don't really know how to handle compliments like that, Leon. I'm not a girl with high self confidence. I try to be strong, i try to act like it doesn't matter, but sometimes... it just doesn't work. It's strange, but when people say things like that, it feels like they are falling for a character that i'm playing. I'm terrified that if i stop being useful or perfect for a second, if i just stop doing everything for everyone, they'll realize there's nothing underneath. Like i'm only visible as long as im serving a purpose, once they get used to it, i'll just fade away. And the other reason is because i don't always see what they see in me."
She looked up at him, her eyes shimmering with a raw, painful honesty. "I don't think i could have anyone i wanted, I think most people would run the moment they realize how much i actually feel."
Leon watched her, his heart aching with a sudden, fierce intensity. The light turned green, but he didn't move for a heartbeat. He looked at her, not as a 'tool', not as a 'civilian', but as the only woman wo had anaged to make a 49 year old agent feel like the world was worth saving again.
"Then they are fools, Victoria." Leon said. His voice deep like a caress. "And Jake... he was right about one thing. Any man who sees you and doesn't end up head over heels isn't a man but just a ghost."
The Porsche glided through the rain slicked streets of the city, a silent, silver shadow cutting through the gloom. Inside the cabin was thick enough to touch.
Leon navigated the turns with an experienced ease, his large hands steady on the steering weel. He looked charming under the soft blue glow of the dashboard, his skin clear and his movements fluid, yet there was a tension in his jaw tat suggested his mind was far from the road.
Victoria sat tucked into the deep passenger seat, eyes watching the musical sweep of the windshield wipers. She felt the weight of his earlier words, that any man who didn't fall for her was just a ghost. It was a beautiful thought, a protective thought, but it trigered that old, familiar ache of self sabotage. She thought of the legends, the red dresses again, and the cold, professional distance that Sherry said he usually mantained.
She turned her head slightly, The streetlights outside blurred into golden streaks against the rain streaked window.
"And you, Leon?" she asked, her voice a soft, fragile whisper that seemed to fill the entire car. "Have you ever fallen for someone truly... or is it just the thrill of the chase that's supposed to keep us alive?"
The question hit the interior of the Porsche like a physical weight. Leon didn't flinch, but his grip on the steering wheel tightened until his knuckles turned white. He slowed the car as they approached her neighborhood, the silence between them punctuated only by the muffled thud-thud of the tires over the pavement and the steady drumming of the rain on the roof.
He didn't answer immediately. He was a man who had spent decades burying his feelings under layers of duty and survival. To 'fall truly' was a luxury he had long ago convinced himself he couldn't afford.
"The 'chase' is a lie we tell ourselves so we don't have to deal with the silence after the mission is over," Leon finally said. He glanced at her, his blue eyes catching the dim light of a passing streetlamp. "For a long time, i thought that was all there was. A cycle of shadows and ghosts. You chase someone you can never have because it's easier that trying to hold onto someone who actually wants to stay. If they're always running, you never have to find out if you're enough to make them stop, even though you actually wish that".
He turned onto her street, the trees lining the road dripping with heavy, dark water. He pulled the Porsche to a stop in front of her house,but he didn't put it in park. He kept his foot on the brake, the engine purring like a tethered animal.
"Falling truly..." he murmured, the words sounding heavy on his mouth. "I used to think i'd done it. But the more i look back, the more i realize that i was just falling for a reflection. I was in love with the idea of a woman who didn't exist, someone who was as much of a ghost as i was. It was a thrill, yeah. It kept the adrenaline high, but it never kept me warm".
He finally shifted the car into park and turned fully toward her. His presence suddenly immense in the quiet cabin. He looked at her face, soft makeup now even more softened by the night, and the way she seemed to be holding her breath.
"The thrill of the chase doesn't keep you alive, Victoria," he said with crystalline honesty, "It just keeps you distracte. Alive...real life is what happens when the lights are on and there's nowhere left to run. It's what happens when someone looks a you and sees exactly who you are, the wounds in your hands... the doubt in your eyes, and doesn't want to be anywhere else."
He reached out, his bare hand, warm and calloused resting on the center console, inches from hers. He didn't touch her, but the heat from his palm was a silent invitation.
"I've spent many years learning how to survive the chase,". Leon whispered, his blue eyes searching hers with a desperate, quiet intensity. "But i'm starting to think i've spent absolutely no time at all learning how to actually live. And the 'thrill'... it doesn't even compare to the way i felt tonight, just waching you knead dough in a kitchen".
Victoria felt her heart stop. The self sabotage tried to speak, tried to bring up Ada, a woman she never met, but the look on Leon's eyes was too grounded, too real. He wasn't chasing a shadow. He was sitting in a Porsche in the rain, looking at a girl who felt like she didn't exist, and telling her that she was the only thing that made sense.
"So, no" he finished, his voice steady. "The chase isn't what keep us alive. It's the moments when we finally stop running. The question is... are we brave enough to stay still?".
Thank you all for the incredible support on the last update 😭 I’m so excited to share this next chapter with you. I poured a lot of heart into the dialogue here. I hope it makes you feel as much as it made me feel while writing it. Enjoy the read and again, thank you all for reading it. 🌸
Empress
