Hey, everyone!

Sorry about the long wait, but here's the next chapter.

Chapter 5: Acceptance

For the past five minutes since Bela left, Ethan had been doing nothing but leaning over the side of Rose' crib, watching her as she slept. But to Ethan, he felt like it had been like the whole afternoon. Rose occasionally stirred in her sleep, trying to get more comfortable and unaware that her father was watching her.

But while he eyed his daughter, his head was in a place of its own. Trying to wrap itself around what had just happened with their meeting with Chris. For the past several months, Ethan was completely confident that Chris would never find them again since their trail went cold in Germany. But he should have known better. Chris Redfield was one determined son of a bitch, even when there was no danger.

And from what he said, the BSAA had definitely not forgotten about them. If anything, some of them were probably going to be even more determined to bring him and Rose back under their protection. And find whatever bullshit reason for Bela to be killed. But that was only if the BSAA figured out their location. Because the only people who would know about this place who didn't originate from the valley would be Rebecca and Chris, assuming they didn't talk. And if the BSAA ever was to come after them, Ethan was not going to pull any punches and just let his Mold powers loose on them, no matter what Chris would say.

But after even after all that, Ethan did not completely trust Chris. He had seen Chris' facials during their talk and they told him that he seemed uncertain if Ethan could really make a life out of what he was given. But that would be the least of his problems at the moment.

'Even if Chris still has doubts about me and Bela, he's gonna be having a lot more important matters to deal,' thought Ethan to himself, 'If what he said about the Connections taking samples from Donna and Karl is true, then we might not see him for a while.'

And if there was one thing that his encounters with Jack Baker back in Louisiana had taught him, it was to always stay alert and never let his guard down. Well, unless you wanted to end up as tomorrow's dinner. And even if there was no longer any insane family or desperate priestess out to get them, the world beyond this part of Italy was still a dangerous place.

But for Ethan and Bela, the days of them mourning, running, and surviving were over. They had settled down at a place where they can continue to live. Starting a new chapter in their lives, so to speak. Especially for Bela, having to move from eating maids inside confining castle walls in Romania to basking in the sun in a warm countryside in such a cultured country.

Gently, Ethan rubbed Rose's chubby cheek as she continued her to stir in her nap.

"Have a good nap, jellybean," whispered Ethan, "Mommy and Daddy will see you soon."

Closing the door behind him, Ethan took a moment to reflect on what he just said. It felt a little weird referring to Bela as Rose's mother, but Bela had been a true motherly figure to Rose ever since they had first looked into each other's eyes.

The infant girl had taken an instant liking to Bela like she was her destined maternal guardian. Ethan remembered when Bela was there with Ethan when Rose took her first steps five months earlier. The infant was only a few steps away from the couple, but had a little trouble standing up properly. But Bela guided Rose with her voice and, like magic, the infant had walked a few miraculous steps right into Bela's waiting embrace. Ethan was so proud of his little girl that day for overcoming such a big milestone. It was even more joyous when Rose took her first steps towards her father. He was beaming with pride at that, which made Bela smile.

And then came Rose's first words.

About two months ago, they were having a picnic in the in the back patio. Bela was reading a picture book to Rose about a family's day out at an amusement park. Bela was pointing at the picture of the mother, saying 'Mama' with emphasis.

That was when Rose repeated 'Ma' unexpectedly. Both Ethan and Bela were shocked at first, but thy were soon overcome with joy. By the end of the next half hour, Rose had called Bela 'Mama' and Ethan 'Dada'. Ethan could hardly believe his ears when his precious daughter not only spoke her first words, but identified the two as her parents. Bela herself was surprised at her own maternal instincts, despite noticing it at a very late stage after bonding with Rose. Ethan was just glad that Rose would grow up with a mother figure in her life.

Leaving the vicinity of Rose's bedroom door, Ethan soon entered the master bedroom where he and Bela slept. The bed was still his and Mia's from the Romanian home, but the rest of the furniture was either here when they arrived or things that came from Castle Dimitrescu. It honestly felt a little strange, though. Surrounded by things that came from the castle made the room feel a little more regal than what Ethan was used to in life. He was sure Bela felt it a little strange sleeping in a room smaller than her previous castle chambers, but it was a huge transition for her overall. They found comfort in each other when they shared the same bed every night from when they decided to switch from single beds to a shared bed. It was a big transition for both of them. Ethan felt like he was ready to have a female companion to sleep with him who wasn't Mia. And Bela felt comfortable to sleep with someone without being afraid she would wake up to see them dead. He also wanted to show Bela that he was ready to accept her fully in their relationship.

Ethan walked over to his bedside table, took out a small velvet pop-up box from the drawer and looked at the ring inside it. It was made with a gold band and a small diamond in the centre. He had bought this about one week earlier in Florence when he said he was going out to get a new pair of pants. He wasn't sure if Bela bought it or not, but she didn't question him when he came back. He knew that he would never leave Bela's side and the fact that they were both immortals now. And with their relationship going smoothly, it was only logical that he would ask her the big question sooner or later.

'It's not a question of what are the reasons why I should ask her,' thought Ethan to himself, 'But more like a question of what are the reasons why I should not ask her?'

To ask her the big question would be a huge step not just for him, but for Bela as well. Despite them meeting only a year ago and dating since then, Ethan felt like this was going to solidify their relationship. Neither were going anywhere since safety was not guaranteed within the arms of anyone else. Ethan placed the box back in his bedside table and walked back out of the bedroom.

Walking downstairs and taking the back door out, Ethan walked out into the vineyard in the back of the property. Rows of green and growing grape vines. He had taken a tour of a vineyard back in America – before his life was turned upside down – but it was a completely different experience with actually tending to a vineyard compared to touring it. There was so much work to be done in order to make a wine that possesses a quality unlike any other and Bela had mastered it during all the time she spent cooped up in the castle.

Flicking a few switches and typing in a few numbers on the irrigation panel, Ethan watched as the sprinklers intertwined with the grapevines sprung to life. He watched as the sunlight's ultraviolet rays crossed the mist, forming little rainbows in the misty showers. Ethan smiled at this as he walked up to the closest vines to inspect the fruits of his and Bela's labours. The red grapes on the vines looked succulent and juicy, but they were not ready for harvest just yet. But that didn't stop Ethan from savouring a single grape. All that hard work resulted in a tasty reward.

As the vineyards got their much-needed hydration, Ethan headed off to the wine cellar building to do one last check-up for the day. When he had first seen the property, he expected it to be somewhat old fashioned due to it being over a century old, but it appeared that the previous owner was one to adapt. The house was retrofitted with cables and outlets for internet and power, it had better plumbing just a more modern look on the inside. The same could be said for the cellar as there were modern machines to make wine and press grapes while still retaining some of the classical devices used in the old times, even if they were only for display. It took both of them a while to figure out the machines, but once that was done, Bela and Ethan got to work. Even with the machines, the Dimitrescu age-old winemaking process still pulled through.

Opening the double wooden doors to the building, Ethan switched on the lights. The interior was cool inside to accommodate the cellar and the machines. On one end of the room was a press for crushing the harvested grapes. Connected to it was a mixing vat for combining the wine ingredients, a processing tank to keep the wine in and a series of pipes that lead downstairs to another room where the aging barrels were. On the opposite end of the room was a bottling machine. It had several tubes above it running from the downstairs room. Ethan checked the equipment thoroughly before going down the stairs to the Barrel Cellar.

The cellar itself was a medium sized room with plenty of distinctive traits. Stacked up against the wall were a dozen large barrels each contained two-hundred and fifty litres of aging wine. In just a few months, these would be ready to be bottled and exported to the rest of the world. Ethan knew that aging wine for months at a time would not be able to cover costs, but this batch was to help get their name out there. Afterwards, they would experiment with making batches with shorter ageing times to make a profit. And while that was happening, they would make a living selling off other produce like fruits and vegetables that grew in their gardens, Ethan would make some extra money selling his art and Bela would help around the village. At the same time for the past several months, the Duke generously sent packages of money their way from all the Dimitrescu artefacts sold off and after the farm was paid for.

Next to the barrels was a small desk with two chairs, a lamp and a whiteboard behind it. There were a series of papers with varying pictures that Ethan had done. This was a small office and art room for designing a new label for their wine. His artistic skills had never been more useful when they were going through designs. So far, they had got the name down for their brand of wine.

Osculum Virginis.

That was Latin for Maiden's Kiss. A name that Ethan himself came up with after Bela told him about Sanguis Virginis. If they were going to make a new wine together, they needed a brand name that would stand out from other brands. Of course, this was greatly inspired by their current relationship and Latin translation only made it even more appealing. They were still going through designs for pictures to go on the labels, but one of the pictures on the table was Ethan's favourite. It depicted the side of a young woman's upper half whose long blonde hair was blowing in the wind horizontally behind her. She had a particularly pair of plump red lips that formed a smile, peach skin and her eye was closed. And while the wind blew, she held a glass or red wine in her hand, bringing it up to her lips. Ethan honestly wasn't sure whether this was supposed to be a label for their wine or if it was supposed to be a portrait of Bela. When Bela saw this, she was both flattered and impressed, saying that it would look good. And gave him a long kiss for being so thoughtful.

Inspecting the barrels, Ethan saw nothing that would bring any risks to the wine as it aged. In just a few more months, the first batch of Osculum Virginis would be ready for tasting by experts. And the previous owner's distributors had agreed to continue selling the wine if it passed the requirements. Deciding that everything was in order, Ethan decided to take his leave.

But as Ethan was about to exit the building, he stopped.

Looking down at his hands, he observed them closely. If Ethan had told anyone else that his left hand had suffered a lot, they would think he had gone crazy. The scar from where Mia had dismembered his hand was faintly there. And the two fingers that the Lycan had bitten off have been completely restored. Work of the Cadou, no doubt. Feeling nostalgic, Ethan quickly checked the inside of the building. Seeing that he was alone, Ethan looked back at his hand. Concentrating his mind and his mold cells, the black substance surrounded Ethan's hand and his digits. The hand expanded in size and the tips of the fingers sharpened.

Ethan still couldn't believe how quickly it had been to master the basics of controlling the mold in his body. It had first manifested itself when fighting the Lycans on the way to the ceremony site. Bela had been busy fighting off a small gang of Lycans, leaving Ethan to his own devices. When he had run out of ammo in one of his weapons and a Lycan was just about to pounce on him, he closed his eyes and tried to shield himself with his arm. He expected them to start ripping him apart, but instead felt a strange sensation in his arm he never felt before. He opened his eyes…only to find that the same Lycan was now suspended in mid-air. A mold blade was had gone right through its chest. And the mold blade was connected to…

…his arm. A blade made of mold was sticking out of his arm in place of his hand. He wasn't sure to be surprised or scared shitless of the sudden occurrence, but the adrenaline in his body told him to save the fear for later. He didn't have time to waste. For the rest of the fight to reach Miranda, Ethan had managed to lay waste to plenty of Lycans using the mold in his body and his weapons after reloading. Rather than just sticking with blades, he managed to morph his arm into having claws and having a barbed whip stretch out from within his wrist that sliced the Lycans apart. Bela was in shock at this as she did not expect these sort of abilities to manifest in him, but she found them nonetheless useful in their efforts.

Breaking his concentration and relaxing his muscles, the claws and mold retracted into his arm, returning it to its original state. Ethan sighed. Even now, he wasn't sure he would completely get used to it. But up to this point, Ethan had come to accept a lot of things in his life.

He had come to accept that Mia was definitely dead. She was not coming back. She wasn't going to send any messages from beyond the grave. She wasn't going to just show up at their door like she was away after one of her long 'business trips'. She was dead for real this time and there was no denying it. Any evidence of her existence would come from his, and perhaps Rose's, memories of her and what lay in the cardboard box in the attic. That was all that was left of her.

He had come to accept who he was. What he was. He was no longer a human, but an immortal lifeform composed of a hyper-evolved fungal organism. An organism that was further enhanced by a genetically enhanced parasite, improving his natural abilities and giving him the power to shape the mold in his body to his will. As long as he didn't strain himself. All while maintaining a human shape. But that didn't matter to him. Because being human isn't defined by who people are, but in what they do. From what he learned about Carla Radames and what she did in China, her humanity was long buried in delusions and insanity. Bioweapon or not.

He had come to accept that Bela was in his and Rose's life now. A former human and former vampiric cannibal had come to fill the hole that Mia had left void. A woman who is trying to find her both her humanity and her past again after all she had endured. Whether she did it willingly…or to survive. Ultimately, Ethan could relate to Bela. It wasn't her fault for being brainwashed by Alcina and being lied to for years about being superior above all other humans. Only to find out that she was lied to for God knows how long and regretting her life choices. Not wanting to draw suspicion or distrust, she was forced to kill to maintain her cover and cried herself to sleep every time she felt a pang in her heart from ending an innocent life.

She ended up reminding Ethan so much about Eveline.

'Why does everybody hate me?'

'I just wanted a family!'

Those words had come to haunt him on many nights ever since Louisiana. Ever since he had last seen Eveline in limbo. Ethan had a lot of time to himself to look back on the day he killed Eveline. Hearing Bela's story made him think about Eveline's life. They were both innocent in the beginning. Bela was an innocent girl who was turned into a blood-lusted monster and Eveline grew up obsessed with having a family that it drove her to do so many horrible things. And neither of them knew any better. But Bela's childhood memories had began to resurface, which began to remind her who she was.

But Eveline had nothing to turn her around. All she had probably known were uncaring scientists, injections and lab rooms instead of parents, ice cream and playgrounds. She was built on misery and lies. Which turned into hate and longing.

Ethan often thought if he could have done something different that day. If he wasn't so focused on trying to rescue Mia and maybe tried to understand Eveline, things could have ended up differently. If he tried to reason with her, maybe Ethan could have stopped her rampage. Maybe, deep down, Eveline regretted her own actions as well. He saw the hurt in her eyes as he saw her liquify in the guest house. Those misery-filled eyes cried black tears of pain and sorrow. But he knew even if he got her to stop, it would have been for nothing in the end. Chris and the BSAA would have stopped at nothing until she was dead. They wouldn't understand her situation and behaviour. Like they wouldn't understand Bela in the beginning.

'I'm sorry, Eveline,' Ethan thought to himself in shame, 'I'm sorry you didn't get the love you wanted. And I'm sorry you didn't get the family you needed.'

But he wasn't going to make that mistake with Bela. He listened to her and understood her like he should have with Eveline. They had made it this far in their relationship. From strangers originating from two different worlds. To allies fighting for survival. To a couple living under the same roof in a whole new country. Ethan loved Bela. And Rose did, too. So tonight was the perfect opportunity to ask Bela the question. It would show that he really cared about her, trusted her with his and Rose's lives, and that he was ready to completely move on from Mia. Not just for his own sake, but for the girls' as well.

And Bela can finally be part of a true family.

After locking the cellar building, Ethan made his way back inside the house. He made a quick check on Rose, who was still napping, before he entered the kitchen. One of the things that he and Bela bonded over in the past months was cooking. Bela may have eaten human flesh before, but she mostly did it against her will and her love for regular food never died. They spent many days and nights cooking together in the kitchen, exploring the various recipes locally and from around the world. Bela mainly lived on Romanian recipes whenever she ate regular food, so her palette wasn't all that extensive in the beginning. But with the internet came so many recipe websites. Ethan introduced her with some basics like hotcakes, soups and steaks. And then move on to more extravagant recipes like Thai curries, Portuguese chicken and Japanese noodles. Ethan was proud of Bela for coming so far in her transition to the outside world and her cooking skills among other things was evidence of it.

And whenever they messed up, they would simply go out to eat in the village or Florence like there never was a problem.

Right now, he could go through the various cookbooks that lined the nearby shelf and try to find a recipe that would make this the best Valentine's Day dinner, but the options were too numerous. For the times he messed up in the kitchen, he wanted to really make this dinner special for Bela. No mistakes and no foul ups.

No matter what.

'Think, Ethan,' thought Ethan to himself as he sat at the dinner table, 'Maybe think of something that you both enjoy. Maybe make it more extravagant? Add a little something new to the mix?'

"Ethan, I'm back!" Bela's voice suddenly made his ears perk up and snapping him out of his thoughts.

Ethan walked into the main hallway, where Bela was just taking off her shoes. A paper bag lay on the floor next to her; the top rolled up so as to prevent anyone from looking within.

"Did you get what you need, Bela?" asked Ethan.

"Sure did." said Bela, holding up the paper bag.

Ethan tried to get a quick peek in the bag, but Bela quickly swiped it away playfully, giggling.

"No peeking, Ethan," teased Bela, "I want it to be a surprise."

"Okay, Bela, okay," Ethan admitted in mock defeat with a laugh, "In that case, I'm sure you'll be surprised once I serve up dinner tonight."

"I'm sure I will, Ethan," smiled Bela, "How's Rose?"

"Napping like a pebble."

"Pebble?" asked Bela, raising an eyebrow.

"The saying is 'sleeping like a rock', but 'nap' and 'pebble' is more Rosie's size," said Ethan.

The two laughed at the joke, despite its bad modification.

"Well, I've got a few things I need to prepare for tonight upstairs first," said Bela, "And since you're preparing dinner, how about I prepare dessert?"

"Really?" asked Ethan.

"Sure. There's a new recipe I've wanted to try, but I'll need the kitchen before you to make it," said Bela, "And I want it to be done on my own."

"Another surprise? Go for it, Bela," said Ethan with an amused smile, "Between the two of us, you're desserts are better."

"Oh, you flatter me," said Bela, "Your American fudge brownies are great, even if they were a little dry last time."

Bela laughed at the last part as she walked up the stairs, making Ethan sigh with a smile. It was true that his dessert making skills were good, but Bela's were…to die for. Her first attempt at lemon meringue still left a memorable taste in his mouth.

With everything that happened since the village and when they became a couple, Ethan had accepted the new circumstances in his life. And he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Suddenly, Ethan had an idea. He finally knew what he wanted to make for them.

And another chapter is done!

While Bela and Miranda are my preferences as significant other's for Ethan, it would be interesting to see how he pairs with other female characters.

I want to experiment with more Ethan and Vector/Ethan paired with various women from Village and other RE games who are not Mia. Never liked her. If you have a suggestion for a short or long story or even a single chapter story, don't hesitate to tell me. But I'll be looking into my own ideas as well.

I do have an idea already, though, but no spoilers:

Once Winter's Howl is done, how would you guys feel about a Vector/Ethan x Cassandra short story?

Anyway, be on the lookout for the next chapter. It will definitely be…romantic.

Until then!