Hey, all!

Because it was Valentine's Day, I decided to do a fanfic for this special occasion and because I wanted to experiment with one of my other favourite RE couples, Ethan and Bela. This will not be as long as Winter's Howl, no more than five or six short chapters. This may have been published on the late side, but better late than never.

But once this is done, it's back to Winter's Howl.

Enjoy!

Chapter 1: A New Life

1:33 PM Monday 14th February 2022, Florence, Italy

The city of Florence, Italy was bustling with activity. There were people working in their shops while tourists visited various locations and took pictures for their photo albums. People were walking in the busy streets, looking to get to their next intended destination and bike riders pedalled alongside the car drivers. Cafés and restaurants were filled with patrons. Singles, couples and families dined on exquisite Italian cuisine, from coffees and cakes to hearty lunches and fine wines.

One particular family was at a small pizzeria, enjoying a pizza lunch and enjoying some time off from work. A man with short dirty blonde hair and lime green eyes, wearing brown jeans and a white shirt under a blue unbuttoned dress shirt, sat on one side.

His name was Ethan Winters.

Across the table from him sat a woman with a toddler on her lap. The woman had much cleaner, purer blonde hair that went past her shoulders. She wore black jeans, high heels, a yellow top and a black leather jacket. She also wore a pendant that had a red jewel encased in silver. The toddler on her lap had short blonde hair and wore a simple red dress.

The woman was Bela Dimitrescu, Ethan's girlfriend. And the toddler was Rosemary Winters, Ethan's daughter.

"Honestly, Ethan, when was the last time we had a lunch as fantastic as this?" said Bela as she took a bite out of her pizza margherita slice, "Warm weather, beautiful day, great food, good company, nothing to worry about?"

"And on Valentine's Day, no less." smiled Ethan as he chewed his slice of pizza alla salsiccia, "I'd say this is probably the first lunch of its kind we've had so far."

Ethan suddenly stopped speaking as he realised what he had just said. Bela continued to feed Rose a chopped up slice of pizza. It was indeed Valentine's Day, but more importantly, Ethan realised it was Bela's first Valentines Day outside of her castle. Perhaps it was the first Valentines Day that she had ever celebrated.

Come to think of it, Ethan realised that this was the first Valentine's Day he's celebrated in two years. The incident at the village last year must have taken his mind off it, combined with the fact that Mia was dead. Ethan remembered the events like they were yesterday since such memories were hard to forget when one had gone through so much as he had.

'The Village Incident', 2021, Carpathian Mountains, Romania

One Year Earlier…

One year ago, right after he had survived Heisenberg's challenge gauntlet and made his way into Castle Dimitrescu, he had encountered Bela in the room with the portrait of the three sisters. At first, because of her insect swarm form, Ethan was about to try to shoot her, but she stopped him, telling him she meant him no harm and she was waiting for him. She told him that she had seen him fighting off the Lycans in the village and knew that he was here for Rose. She had offered her help in getting Rose back. But what she wanted in exchange for her assistance was that he had to take her with him when he would get out of the valley with Rose. He was unsure why she was trying to help him, so he asked. She responded that what Miranda was going to do to Rose was more horrific than anything she had known and that Miranda had lost her sanity, becoming a lost cause. Her own family would be of no help as her mother was too loyal to Miranda and her sisters were beyond insane. And the fact that Bela wanted to leave the valley to see the world beyond the mountains, longing for a life that didn't involve walking through the same corridors every day and being afraid of the cold.

He agreed to her help and promised to help her in any way he could in return. Ethan was a little concerned with what They met up with the Duke in another room, where Bela purchased warm clothing for herself and Ethan stocked up on a new assault rifle and ammunition. He also got Bela a pistol to go with her sickle. In return, Bela gifted him with an ornate blade she said was called the Dagger of Death's Flowers, a blade that could kill any monster, according to legend.

While they traversed the halls of Castle Dimitrescu, they had to avoid two other women who had the same abilities as Bela, who she told Ethan were her adoptive sisters, Cassandra and Daniela Dimitrescu. It was easier said then done as they were almost constantly in their swarm forms, but they finally made it to their destination. Another room where a yellow flask was waiting for them. It didn't take long for Ethan to see that it was a piece of Rose in the jar, which horrified him beyond belief. Bela said another reason that she was helping him was she had enough of all the blood and murder that went on within the castle and the village. Miranda's actions only solidified her decision to help him.

Unfortunately, Cassandra and Daniela, as well as their mother, Alcina Dimitrescu, had caught them in the act when they tried to escape. Alcina was beyond furious at Bela for her betrayal and disowned her on the spot, but blamed Ethan as well for 'seducing' her, despite he never even so much as flirted with her. Before they knew it, Cassandra and Daniela initiated a fight in that chamber, which turned into an all out battle. Once the sisters were dealt with, Ethan and Bela had Alcina to deal with. Ethan remembered getting a lucky stab at Alcina's side with the dagger, which caused her to mutate into a dragon-like creature. The fight shook the entire chamber, but the roof was finally destroyed when Alcina flew out of the chamber. This allowed the winter weather to enter the chamber, promptly killing Cassandra and Daniela with its sheer unforgiving cold. Bela managed to survive thanks to her warm clothing. But the threat of Alcina soon returned when she realised what she had done. She made one final attempt at killing them both, but Ethan managed to get on her back and stab Alcina's protruding upper body on the dragon's back with the dagger. This finally put an end to her, causing her to crumble like her daughters. Ethan tried to apologise to Bela, but she reminded him that she was in on this as well and it was all her own choice.

After leaving the castle with the flask, Ethan and Bela made their way to the estate of another Lord of the Valley, Donna Beneviento, and her living doll, Angie. Ethan remembered the hallucinations he had of Mia while walking through the infected gardens, but he didn't know that they were hallucinations until he met with Donna herself. Bela didn't seem affected by the pollen as she walked by without hesitation. But what surprised them the most when they arrived was the lack of violence or threatening traits from Donna. It turned out that Donna and Bela had gotten along quite well despite Donna's shyness, even referring Donna as her 'aunt'. Bela explained the situation to Donna, and their plans of retrieving Rose and escaping the valley in one piece. She urged Donna and Angie to join them on their mission, but Donna just simply gave them the flask. She said that there was no place in the world for someone like her and that the estate was the only safe place for her in the entire world. Ethan tried to argue that once Miranda finds out that she willingly gave up her part of Rose to them, Donna would be on the receiving end of her wrath and death was a high possibility. But Donna wouldn't budge. She told them to leave and advised that if they wanted help, Karl Heisenberg was their best bet. Ethan and Bela ended up leaving the estate with the flask, but Bela was a little saddened that her 'aunt' had such low self-esteem in herself and had no desire to leave this dark part of the world behind her. But from Donna's words, Ethan couldn't help but feel that she held a special place for Karl in her heart.

The next stop for them was Moreau Reservoir, where the human-fish hybrid Salvatore Moreau resided. At first, they had managed to get the third flask and slip away quite easily because of Salvatore's distraction towards his television. But on their way out into the main reservoir, they had the unfortunate luck of encountering Chris Redfield and Wolf Hound Squad. Back then, Ethan still believed that Chris had shot and killed the real Mia, so he had no reason to trust them. One of the squad members, Night Howl, attempted to shoot Bela upon seeing her, but Ethan promptly put a bullet in the man's knee before he could fire a round. But before Chris could get angry at Ethan, a vengeful Salvatore returned in a monstrous giant fish-like form, separating the two parties. Although, Bela had also been separated from Ethan as well. It took a lot of swimming, draining out the entire reservoir and a lot of handmade explosives, but Ethan soon managed to dispose of Moreau once and for all.

Once he made it out of the reservoir, Ethan spotted Night Howl and Bela lying on the shorelines. Night Howl was dead and Ethan couldn't care less about him, but Bela was barely hanging on because of the cold and her soaked clothes. Some of her body had even begun to turn white and she was barely conscious. This was enough motivation for Ethan to get Bela to a safe place before she would end up like her family.

Making it back to the Duke with Bela in his arms, Ethan told him to keep Bela safe and warm while he went to get the fourth flask. And if the worst was to happen, he instructed Duke to get Bela out of the valley and someplace safe. Duke agreed to this, but he had a feeling that Bela would say different about leaving without him.

With all that done, the only thing left on Ethan's mind was the fourth and final flask. He made his way to the Heisenberg. After going through several more Lycans, Ethan had made it through to the factory. Karl Heisenberg was already at the entrance, waiting for him with his flask in hand. But Karl wanted to make a deal in exchange for Rose's fourth flask. Karl explained that he had been planning an attack against Miranda for quite some time as well as building an army of part-machine, part-zombie based Soldats to use against Miranda and her Lycan army to gain his freedom. He intended to use Rose as well as a weapon against Miranda.

Ethan knew he would never agree to that last term, but rather than accepting or refusing Karl's offer, Ethan made him a counteroffer. He told Karl of Chris' and the BSAA's presence in the valley and that they were going to stop at nothing until everything was destroyed in the valley that wasn't human, explaining that they were going to kill him regardless if Miranda was killed or not. Also, he mentioned that Donna gave them her flask willingly and faced possible death if Miranda found out. Ethan also mentioned that Donna seemed to speak of Karl as if she held feelings for him that she was too afraid act on. In all, Ethan asked Karl for help in defeating Miranda, restoring Rose and holding off Chris not just for him, but for Donna and Bela. Then he and Donna could escape as he wanted to.

This had caught Karl completely by surprise, but he didn't have time to dwell on it because they were attacked by Miranda. The Lycan's attacked Karl while Miranda conversed with Ethan. She revealed that she had killed Mia a month earlier and disguised herself as her, living with Ethan in the hopes of getting Rose to resurrect her dead daughter, Eva. But when Chris attacked, she had to change her plans.

Ethan attempted to fight Miranda, but she was too strong for him. She took the four flasks before she swiftly plunged her fist into Ethan's ribcage, ripping out his heart. Ethan still remembered that pain unlike anything he ever had felt before. That was the last thing he remembered before he blacked out.

He woke up in a place he could only describe as limbo, the place between life and death, where a familiar person greeted him.

Eveline.

She had told him of his true nature. That he was mostly Mold, the same Mold that she was made of and had infected him with at the Baker House. She revealed to him that there was still a chance he could go back to the world of the living and if that was what he truly wanted. Ethan promptly said that was the only thing he wanted because not only was Rose still in need of saving, but he was beginning to have feelings for Bela. It was then that Eveline vanished, but not before saying that he would come back a different man. And everything went black again.

When he had woken up, he found himself inside Duke's Carriage, with Bela sitting by his side. She explained that they had found him at Karl's factory grounds near death with a hole in his chest. She and the Duke had implanted him with one of Miranda's Cadou organisms inside of him to save his life. Ethan was at first horrified, but Bela said that there was no other way and she cared too much to lose him. Ethan was surprised at the last part, but he smiled, stating that he still had to keep his promise of getting her out of the valley. It was then that she kissed him on the lips.

The Duke dropped them off at the Ceremonial Site with fresh ammunition for their weapons as well as supplies in case, as he stated, 'they ever needed his assistance again', before departing. It was in that moment that Ethan had never felt better in his entire life. He never felt quite the same since the Baker House, but that it seemed that whatever the Cadou did to him made him better. Ethan asked what became of Karl and his Soldats. Bela told him that Karl was nowhere to be found and the Soldat armies were dealing with both BSAA soldiers and the Cadou in a three-way war in the village.

During their fight with the Lycans on the way to the Ceremony Site, Ethan found himself quickly mastering the power of the Cadou in a period of time so short, it was hardly believable. He found himself being able to create formations from his arms like claws and elongated blades, cutting down the Lycan hordes that came his way along with his trusty shotgun and pistol. At the same time, he noticed that his strength had increased dramatically when he landed the occasional punch. Along with his speed, his endurance and tolerance for pain. Basically, he felt like a completely different man than from when he first entered the village.

When they made it to the Ceremonial Site, Ethan and Bela witnessed Miranda trying to resurrect Eva, but only succeeded in bringing back Rose. Ethan tried to talk some sense into Miranda. Tried to make her see that what she was doing was wrong. That using his daughter to resurrect hers was wrong in so many aspects. But when Miranda responded that she was too close to her life-long goal being completed and that she was not giving up, Ethan could see that she was too far gone. Fallen victim to her own love for her daughter and her obsession with bringing her back. Sadly, this left him no choice but to simply get Rose back and defeat Miranda. It was a rather short battle. With some unexpected help from Chris and the few remaining members of Wolf Hound Squad, they had defeated Miranda and retrieved Rose. Chris revealed he had planted an explosive into something called the Megamycete, the mold root, and that they had to leave immediately before the valley was destroyed.

Miranda, combined with the Megamycete, made one last attempt to kill them all and get Rose back, but by the time that had happened, the group was in the sky and Ethan pulled the trigger. The village was engulfed in an explosion of light and fire.

On the flight out of the valley, Ethan couldn't help but feel sympathy for Miranda. She was a woman who desperately wanted her beloved child back, and struggled with grief and longing. But that grief and longing turned into an obsession. An obsession that caused her to commit atrocious acts to achieve her goal, including the kidnapping of Rose and killing Mia. Bela told him that Miranda would reunite with Eva in the next life, finally finding peace in death when she couldn't find it in life, which Ethan agreed to. But he was happy that Rose was back in his arms and relieved that Bela was safe, too. Even despite Mia's absence.

Present Day…

Getting back to reality. To this day, Ethan was unsure if Karl and Donna made it out of the valley before it was blown to smithereens. But if even the Duke didn't know of their fates, then it was safe to say that they didn't make it. Of the Four Lords, Donna and Karl were perhaps the least dangerous to him, despite their traits.

Nowadays, from both his own thoughts and Bela's stories about them, Ethan had come to recognise Donna as a damaged soul. She had lost her parents and her sister before she met Miranda, which caused her introverted mannerisms.

Karl, on the other hand, was a tortured soul. He never asked for immortality or power. All he wanted was a normal life, but Miranda took it from him when she made him into something more.

"Something wrong, Ethan?" asked Bela.

Ethan snapped out of those thoughts and looked at his girlfriend.

"No, Bela. I just realised that this is the first Valentines Day I celebrated in two years and the first one you celebrated outside your castle." smiled Ethan.

"Indeed, Ethan. And this is certainly one to remember. I'm getting vivid images of past celebrations from my lost memories, but I can't be sure whether they are Valentine's Days or something else?" said Bela as she fed Rose another bit of pizza, "Whatever the case, today has been a wonderful day so far."

"Do you remember a boyfriend? Or a crush?" asked Ethan.

"No." said Bela, "But even if I did, none of them could compare to you, my love," purred Bela seductively, "After all, it was you who helped my attain my freedom and start a new life with you and Rose? Isn't that right, Rosie?"

Rose gave off a little giggle as Bela rocked her a little on her lap. Ethan smiled warmly at the scene. If people knew that he was dating a former blood-thirsty woman and entrusting her with the safety of his child, they would think he was on a new level of insane. But Ethan knew that Bela was a changed woman. She was a warm motherly figure to Rose and someone who Ethan trusts with his life, given they saved each other. Ethan leaned over, giving the swarm woman a kiss on the cheek.

Their moment of romance was interrupted, however, as Ethan's phone rang. Ethan looked at the screen, only to be met with an unfamiliar number and an Unknown Caller icon. Cautiously pressing the Accept button, he put the phone to his ear and spoke.

"Who is this?" asked Ethan.

"It's Chris." said the familiar voice of the BSAA Captain.

And there's the first chapter.

I added Ethan feeling sympathy for Miranda as an intertextual reference to his Umbrella counterpart in Winter's Howl, Vector/Ethan Winters, having the same feelings for his Miranda, who would become his wife.

Anyway, the next chapter shouldn't be too far away.

See you then.