The characters from the game belong to Capcom. The OC's and story plot belong to me.

A/N: I'm not English native speaker, so you might find some typos or grammar mistakes, I do apologize for that.

21st Century, 2009

A redhead woman pushed herself away from her desk and leaned back in her office chair. She had been searching for any information on the mysterious Lake House for two hours already and had exactly nothing. Several pictures showed in the search, but none resembled the one she had seen in her persistent dreams. In addition, it didn't help not knowing any location or a specific name. Lake House was a too random subject to search online.

She blew out a breath in frustration. Those dreams had drained her creativity and more and more dragged her new work to paint the so-called Lake House. She hated the fact that every time she woke up, her brain failed keeping any name spoken in the dreams or even forgetting more details that could add to her investigation.

She reached for her mouse and brought up all the pictures she thought that had some resemblance with the one in her mind. On the big monitor, the landscapes looked even more depressing than it did in her memories when looking at the pictures. She clicked through them one at a time, studying every detail captured, silently willing her mind to zero in on something and unlock another door to the past.

Her frustration grew as she moved through photo after photo without even a flicker. She tapped on her desk and stared out the front window. Maybe the photos wouldn't work. Maybe she needed to be inside those places for her mind to really process what she was seeing. Maybe she had to feel it in order to remember it.

However, visiting all those location presented a problem as well. Several trips worldwide. As a free-lance painter and photographer that wouldn't be much of a problem. She had done it several times during her single days on her early twenties. Now at the age of 25 she had a growing limitation, so she would need to pick a specific continent and move there. Luckily, she had a mother and a boyfriend who supported her in everything.

Actually, travelling around the world was something she got from her mother as they used to travel a lot since she was a little girl.

She wished she could dream and remember at least the location or maybe the name of anyone seen in the dreams…

17th Century

Convent of Bohma

"That's the new girl"

"What's her name?"

"Her family didn't want to inform… she was banned"

"Oh, a sinner" the older woman whispered as she walked slowly towards the crying young redhead sitting alone on a bench, with only the clothes she was wearing, a simple beige dress, "What's your name young lady?"

Angelique wiped her tears still looking down, "Reed… Angely Reed" she spoke in between sobs

"Welcome Angely Reed to the house of God. From now on you will clean your life from your sins, marry Him and live forever in God" the woman spoke smiling

Angelique accompanied the woman. For now, the safest place for her to stay. The long sleeves and skirt covered the bruises all of her pale skin. Her body sore and sick. But her soul aching. Despite all of her disgrace, all she could think was of Christopher, praying for the day they would meet again.

During her recovery days in the convent, she became a person of few words. A girl with no story, only a girl who lived the love. That was her sin.

Castle of Bohma

After being taken back to the court, Christopher Reed was examined by several doctors that verified his physical health. All the results came clear. Christopher still pretended to have lost part of his memory so he could justify why he didn't return after escaping as he knew they could punish him with his own death for treason. He still pretended not remembering of Katarina and that way he managed to keep her at some distance, which bothered the young brunette woman.

"He might have hit the head. I still cannot guarantee if his memory will return as one year has passed and he still has it partially" said one doctor to the king who showed concern for his old guardian

(*)

One day, Christopher and Pierce were riding their horses in the forest around the castle as part of the readaptation routine of Christopher. He still hadn't being resumed to his old position.

"So you're an Admiral now, huh?" Christopher commented

"Yeah…"

"You deserve it. You are a smart and responsible man" Christopher replied taking notice of him delivering his own lie, "From what I have noticed…" he disguised

"And reserved too"

Christopher studied him

"You don't need to lie to me. I know you have no memory problem but I'm keeping your secret with me and you know I won't tell that to anyone otherwise I'd have done it already"

"You know me too well, huh"

"Since we were children"

Christopher smiled faintly in agreement.

"I don't know what made you stay away from the court for so long, but there's something I need to tell you before you hear the wrong rumors, so is better you learning the truth from me…"

Christopher looked at him attentively, "Alright… tell me"

Pierce inhaled, letting out a quick sigh, "Katarina and I are engaged."

"What? Really?"

Pierce nodded in confirmation

"Congratulations! I'm sure you can make her happy"

"I don't think so…"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know if the marriage will happen anymore…"

"Why?"

Pierce hesitated for a while before letting out a disappointed sigh, "Because of you"

"Me?" Christopher spoke in surprise, although he shouldn't be that surprised as they were talking about the one and only Katarina O'Gregon, the same woman they shared

"She's distant, nearly cold towards me… she asked for a time... and we were supposed to be married this far"

Christopher didn't know what to say, remaining in silence.

"I know it's not your fault, but Kat still loves you…"

"But I don't love her" Christopher didn't let Pierce continue his line who looked at him in silence, "What happened between me and Katarina was long ago and a mistake. We already talked about this."

"Yeah, but it's not long enough for her to have forgotten you. Not even your death diminished her feelings for you! She seems to have hope…"

"I love someone else! Katarina should let go of this fantasy she created and she can do it otherwise she wouldn't have had given you a chance…"

Pierce smirked, "Katarina has two hearts… one between her legs and the other that belongs to you…"

"So don't blame me for your bad relationship…"

"I'm not blaming you! I'm the fool for believing Katarina O'Gregon could ever love me!"

The horses showed signs of restlessness and disobeyed their orders. The men stayed in alert looking around searching the imminent threat.

Out of sudden, a mysterious woman left from behind a tree, staring at them.

"Who are you?" Christopher asked with a serious demeanor

"Our paths crossed…" She replied vaguely

"You are a dowser. They say you can see the future" Pierce spoke remembering the rumors about the mysterious woman

"It's what they say…"

"It's what they believe… but tell me, how is it possible for someone seeing the future?" Christopher asked with incredulity

"As more important than the future, is the present. People should be more concerned in seeing the present than the future and in the right time, you will also need to see the present. You shall need to see the truth in each person around you and your biggest disbelief will be on yourself" she spoke staring at Christopher

"What do you mean?"

"A woman…a woman in your life."

"What about her?"

"She will swear love to you, but will bring the hate. She will talk about peace, but will bring the discord. She will celebrate the life, but will bring the death."

"Who is that woman?"

"Only you will be capable to answer"

Pierce watched them in silence, thoughtful. He wanted to ask things, but wasn't sure if he could.

"And you… there will be a time you'll need to abdicate of your feelings and use your wisdom to decide someone's fate whether it leads to death. It will be in your hands to make justice…"

"What about my marriage? Any chances that it will be celebrated?"

"You will get married! Only not with the one you think… But be wise! Love has several shades and choices have several paths." She spoke staring at Pierce

The men watched in silence and thoughtful. Although Christopher showed more signs of incredulity

"Both of you will have to face the consequences as the destiny is hardening you because… because in a distant future the two of you will cross paths again for a mission and fight what no one would ever believe to happen… and you…" she turned to Christopher once again, "You'll have the longest mission and shall face the loneliness and sacrifices of your path!" she said as a mysterious fog covered them and when it dissipated, the woman was gone.

Pierce and Christopher shrugged exchanging gazes.

"Crazy woman!" Christopher spoke rolling his eyes

Pierce Northman's Chamber, Castle of Bohma

The words of the dowser intrigued. Echoed in his mind. After leaving the forest, Pierce had become a quiet and thoughtful person, which was unusual to his usual being. Those words had had more impact than he expected. The opposite of Christopher who had demonstrated quite of incredulity before the woman.

Pierce felt the woman seemed to be reading his soul and said he wasn't going to marry Katarina, that was all he could think of one to marry. That caused him doubts, could he love someone else who wasn't Katarina? And it wasn't out of trials, he did try loving other women. All ended up being failed attempts.

Despite all those words, one thing was clear for him, Katarina's distance. They barely kissed, they didn't make love for a while. They didn't even spend many moments alone. No marriage talk. Her favorite subject was Christopher Reed. As it used to be back in the days before all the loving thing.

Tired of so much waiting, he decided to solve their relationship. He wanted to try again and make her see it. To make her listen to him. He loved her. He still had hope. Hope that one day her love words had been true.

"I told you I needed a time for my own! Why do you insist so much?"

"It's taking longer than I thought. I need to know what you feel for me!"

"Right now I feel suffocated with all your questionings!"

"It's because I care!"

"You care too much!" she yelled

Pierce frowned, "I care too much?"

"Yes you do!"

"It's because I love you… and need you." He made a pause, "I don't feel you with me anymore… you reject me often… where is your love?"

She bit her lips inhaling, "I need a time… I did not know you were like a glue when in a relationship…I am still adapting… But my love is still here"

"Where?"

"Pierce…"

He stepped closer to her, "What about our plans? Did you forget them?"

She stepped away, "Plans exist to be changed. Especially if they can be changed to better." Katarina spoke with a cold demeanor

He gasped, "To better? You think Christopher is better than me?"

Katarina smirked, "Not exactly but now that you asked that…" She shrugged leaving her sentence in hang, "the point is, why forcing a marriage where I am sure my feelings for him are stronger than my wish to marry you? It will be better for both of us to stop it before we hurt each other even more!"

Feeling hurt, he replied, "You only used me Katarina! You never really thought you could be happy with me!"

"You are absolutely wrong about that! I thought I could be happy with you! I am being real with you all this long, but I cannot accept you blaming me for your broken dreams!"

"You said you loved me!" he shouted

"But I love him more!" she yelled, "You always knew that! But you suffocate me with your… pressure!"

"Pressure?"

"Yes!"

"I gave up a good marriage for You!"

"A contract that you were a guinea pig"

"I have risked my integrity for You!"

"I did not ask you to do that"

"I lied for YOU!" he shouted

"For that I am very thankful for my entire life! But still it is not a reason to enjoy your pressure…"

"And you feel pressured? I am the one abdicating from everything for this intoxicating feeling and you say you feel pressured?"

"You are emotionally needy; I cannot fill those holes…"

"I am a fool for loving you more than everything, but this is over! I still have some dignity left… But one day you will see what you have lost for this sick love you have Christopher, a man who never loved you! Christopher the man who loves another woman! So good luck on forcing him to stay with you because maybe you can have his body but you will never have his heart!" Pierce yelled bitterly, angrily, heartbroken before letting her witness his tears of defeat. He wouldn't allow such thing. He still had some pride left.

Katarina felt to her knees as she watched the doors shouting. Alone she finally allowed her tears to come out. More tears than she expected or would like to accept, "Pierce…" she whispered smelling his scarf that she always took with her – in secret – the last and only piece of him she had for her. several seconds she had afterthoughts of running after him. but she had her pride as well…

That night, Katarina O'Gregon allowed her soul to sorrow and succumb to salty rivers that cored down her delicate face skin on the pillows, on the sheets where all of Pierce's scent still lingered until she was completely drained.

A Few Weeks Later

Pierce had the day off. Since the breakup with Katarina, he still was taking a time to recompose himself. Telling the king the cancelation of the wedding was embarrassing, but not as bad as he expected since he was waiting for some punishment since the king himself had suggested it. Although he felt ashamed and the court's clown as he found out some people had made a bet. From time to time the dowser's words echoed in his head.

He was sitting on the grass, alone, only God knows for how many hours he was there staring at the ring he planned to give to Katarina – such a sad memory and plan now. His heart still bled in sadness. It still hurt so much that he couldn't stay in his chamber in the castle as he knew he'd have to encounter her often. He still didn't return to his own home as that place still had a vivid presence of hers since they started living together, so he rented a small cottage in the boundaries' of the castle.

"Good morning…"

The man heard a distant but so close female voice at his side breaking his chain of self-pity. He turned his face to the side looking up to see Elizabeth O'Gregon, the younger sister of his former lover, "Good morning…" he replied with a saddened tone

"Do you want me to leave you alone? I was just passing by when I noticed you…" she spoke with a kind tone

"No, it's alright. It's good to forget my own misery for a while…"

"With the sister of your ex?"

He giggled, "You don't remind me in anything your sister! For me you both are like water and oil with the share of the same last name"

She smiled slightly. That was a weird compliment. Actually, it was weird to be so close and alone with the ex-lover of her sister. She hoped no one would see them and have the wrong idea. It was already enough live with Katarina's scandals.

Long silence.

"I should leave you alone. I have no idea of how to console someone…especially in a matter I never experienced"

"No. stay… I want you to stay… please"

"Are you sure?"

He nodded in confirmation, "There is life after Katarina… I need to learn that, but for that, I need to stop mourning my own disgrace and disappointment."

"I don't know what to say…"

"Don't say anything. You don't have to pity me, but somehow I feel better with you here…if you didn't care you wouldn't had come to me"

"I do care Pierce… I do care about people. It hurts me to see my sister damaging so many people and good men like you…"

"They say good people suffer more… you are a good girl"

"Thank you…" she replied shyly

"My flattery makes you uncomfortable? Because compliments in your family are usually for someone else. The elder sister..."

She looked down. Avoiding eye contact.

"That's something I understand. What it is to be the second in hand. Forever in the shadows... I'm making you uncomfortable again?"

She looked down nodding

"Sorry about that…" he spoke apologetic, "I just couldn't help my sincerity as I always noticed you alone… in silence, as a bystander when all the drama and play was happening around…looking down like now" he spoke with a gentle tone and slowly lifted her chin up so he could see her eyes

Elizabeth had no response. Her mind was shifting, her heart was racing. She didn't know what to do, what to say. Should stay or run away. That never happened before. No man had touched her before. No man had noticed her or even looked at her. She didn't have her sister's beauty, radiance and communication. She didn't have her talents and guts. Her hair was blonde, but her sister's had a shine, a glow she could never had. She even wore Katarina's disposable dresses and gowns, of course, the most contended ones. She was used in taking the rests.

Such intimate moment had never been into her books. She watched those Ambar-eyes catching her gaze, smiling subtly. Noticing her. His' gentle-warm fingertips.

"You have green eyes"

"I took from my mother's…" she spoke with failing voice and looked away

"Beautiful green eyes…"

"Thank you…"

"You're welcome…"

"I really should get going" she said standing up

"You can if you want, but thank you for your company"

"I don't want to take the risk of someone seeing us and have the wrong idea…"

"What wrong idea?"

"You know how people are! They see one thing and exaggerate as they spread the rumors"

"We are just talking"

"You and I are a woman and a man…alone, in a place like this that usually young in love couples come to spend some private time"

"Even if they knew the truth, people just believe what they want to believe. We aren't doing anything wrong and there is even a distance between… a physical distance"

"We still are alone…a man and a woman…"

He laughed, showing his perfect teeth. Perfect smile, "Thank you for spending some time with me despite all the fear, Eliza, may I call you like this?"

She nodded in agreement, "You're welcome… I just hate seeing you broken like this… you don't deserve it"

He smiled again, "You see?"

"What?"

"My face. When I was alone, miserable in my own darkness you came as a light that shone and lighted my day, my face… I'm smiling again"

She played with her hair not knowing what to say

"There is life after Katarina and you just proved me that!" he said standing up and then the little box fell on the ground near Elizabeth

Instinctively the blonde-girl knelt down to pick it up. A habit she had acquired as she was used to serving her sister or her family, "What is it?" she asked in curiosity

"You can open it, I don't think it has value anymore…"

"It's so beautiful!" she spoke widening her eyes, "Of course this have value! It's a true gem, right?"

"Yes, it is… but I meant another type of value…"

She looked at him in confusion as she handed him the object

"This ring is in my family for generations. A gift from a queen. It has been used as wedding gift and as I cannot wear it… I was planning to give it to Kat…"

"Oh…"

"No marriage, no ring…probably it came cursed to me…"

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I'm a man, the first male generation keeping it… I don't have anyone else to give it anymore and I don't think I will give it to anyone honestly…since I have been rejected… so it lost its value, in my opinion…"

"Give it to me" she spoke in impulse, immediately blushing in nervousness

"What?"

She laughed in distress, "I'm just kidding…" she disguised

He made a face, "Do you want it?"

She swallowed, not knowing how to read his signs, "I'd surely want it if that was special for me from my man… but since you're not my man… I still see it has value and I don't believe it's cursed… you just didn't find the right woman…"

"Is there a right woman for me?"

She shrugged swallowing again. The words were stuck in her throat. She wasn't even sure if that was the right time to say that. An hour ago, he was mourning the end his engagement to her sister and now the subject had taken a complete opposite route. Ah, but she really wanted to say she could the right woman for him.

"I'm sure there is…in the right time she will come to you and she will be the happiest woman in the world…"

Pierce studied her. It was a fact he had noticed her existence long ago. They always got along and used to have good laughter together. Elizabeth didn't glow like Katarina, but she shone in her unique way. He felt good near her, with her. And now, he felt different. He remembered the several occasions he had spotted her looking at him, usually at distance and always treated him kindly. Always interested in whatever he had to say. He knew she was a good listener. He was starting to notice her in a different and new way.

"What if she is already next to me?"

She made a face

"Right in front of me?"

She swallowed. Her legs trembling as he closed the distance between them.

"I don't care what people would say. We haven't done anything wrong…"

"You love my sister…"

"There is life after her…"

"I don't want to be her replacement…"

"And you're not and won't be!"

"I have loved you in silence…" she whispered

"I noticed you long ago… but I can see you better right now"

"Or do you see in me what you wanted in her?"

"I told you for me you both are like water and oil. Two different people… two different feelings"

"Why just now?"

"Because now I'm free!"

She looked down, "I don't know Pierce…this is too sudden for me…"

He nodded in agreement, "It is for me too, but I'm willing to give time the time… we don't need to be in a hurry"

"Yes, I prefer it that way…"

Sometime later Pierce and Elizabeth started a relationship. Gradually Elizabeth helped Pierce overcome the pain Katarina had caused in him and forget the bitter words she told him. The news of their wedding reached Katarina's knowledge.

"Humpf…my little sister taking my trash… as the usual. She always envied me and always dreamed to be me. Now she can feel a bit the taste of it… of Pierce. Ugh… I still remember his flesh, his taste, his fire…

Humpf, I know I could do one snap of fingers and he would come to my lap just like a puppy! However, I will not do that with the only O'Gregon I like. She is the only one I can allow him to be with! After all, she is a true O'Gregon! My shadow! So funny!

Hahaha, apparently Pierce could not let go of the O'Gregon's… Elizabeth is his prize of consolation after losing me! Hahaha

What a joke!"

Thank you Herpderp for the review! :D

Now we reached an important point of the story. Time is passing. Cycles are ending. New cycles about to start and the wheel of time slowly turning. This is the penult chapter before the time advances into the 17th century.

So, I'm sure some of you have noticed, I do keep changing the covers of the fic according to the chapters advance and since I'm about to change the models, I'd like (and I confess I forgot to add that before xD, sorry, my bad!) to inform the models I used so far.

Katarina O'Gregon 17th - Nina Dobrev (I must say that it was a big coincidence that her character in the famous series is also Katherine...I must tell you I never watched that show! So the coincidence of character names wasn't a copy!)

Angelique Stafford 17th - two different unnamed models from Google

Christopher Reed - Google for his 17th model; Chris Redfield from Capcom in the 21st

Pierce Northman - One unnamed model for his 17th model, Paul Wesley and Ekin Koç from this chapter on; Piers Nivans from Capcom in the 21st

Elizabeth O'Gregon - Anastasia Tsilimpio

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Thank you for reading!

Stay Tuned!